Chapter Twenty

Nearly 11 Years Ago; Brockport, California

Eleven-year-old Scott K. Wagner was eating dinner with his parents and fourteen-year-old sister Lisa in the small dining room. The smell of roast turkey and gravy filled the air in the house. His father was talking about his job, but it seemed like he was talking in riddles. His mother, who always worried about her husband, looked at him with concern. Normally, she didn't have the concerned look on her face, but this time, her lips frowned and her light brows arched up a bit.

Scott just finished eating dinner. He placed the fork and knife on the plate filled with crumbs from the food he had just eaten. "I'm done," he announced.

His mother managed to smile at him. "Okay Scott," she said. "Just put your dishes in the sink and do your homework."

Scott nodded and placed his dishes in the sink. He looked at his family, who ate the rest of their dinners in silence. Scott sighed and left the kitchen. He began to go upstairs when he suddenly heard his mother shriek in terror, her frantic voice echoing throughout the house. He ran back downstairs and towards the dining room, but then he suddenly stopped in his tracks. There was a big man floating from the ground in the room. Yellow electric shocks floated around his body along with a rainbow colored aura. He wore a red army uniform, steel boots and gloves, a long gray cape, and a hat with a low visor in the front of his face. Scott would never forget the glowing white eyes.

"Mr. Wagner," the man said. "It's good to see you together with your wife and daughter."

Scott raised an eyebrow when the man didn't mention about him. He must not know that I'm here, he thought. He backed up a little more then.

Mr. Wagner stood up. "You leave my family out of this you demon! What do you want?!"

The man smirked sadistically. The yellow shocks got bigger then. "You've failed the mission I've given you. For failing, you will watch your family die."

"You can't do this!" Mr. Wagner cried, but before he did anything, the man teleported behind Mrs. Wagner, took her by the neck and crack! He wrenched Mrs. Wagner's neck with his massive hand. Her eyes glazed over after she drew her final breath.

Scott's heart stopped suddenly at the site of his dead mother. The man dropped the older woman with a thud. The young boy wanted to scream, but he knew that his father would want him to stay quiet.

"Oh my God!" Mr. Wagner cried. Turning to his daughter, he shouted, "Lisa, get out of here!"

Lisa, with tears flowing freely from her eyes, got up and began to run, but the man teleported in front of her. He grabbed her and lifted her up in the air. Lisa shrieked for life, but her scream was quickly cut off as the man snapped her neck with only one hand. Within seconds, her eyes rolled back and her limbs went limp.

NO! Scott cried out in his head. What is he doing to my family?!

"You bastard!" Mr. Wagner cried as tears began to form in his eyes.

The man only smirked. "And now Mr. Wagner... your death." He teleported in front of him and grabbed him by the neck. He pinned Mr. Wagner against the wall and lifted him up. The man tightened his grip around his neck cutting off his air supply.

Between the loud shocks, no one was able to hear Scott cry out, "DAD! NO!"

Scott only stayed long enough to watch his father's body went limp. Scott then began to sprint out of the house without a thought. Just as he was in the front yard, the house suddenly exploded. Scott dove into the street, went behind his father's car and covered his head. What he didn't realize was that yellow shocks spread through the backyard and the front yard and over Scott, who's eyes were shut. The yellow energy caused Scott's body to jolt for a quick second.

Scott stood back up on his feet slowly and looked at his body. He gasped as he saw yellow electric shocks surrounding his body.

What's happening to me?! he thought to himself with fear. Before he knew it, he fell forward with a thud and blackness washed over his consciousness...

8 Months Ago; Thailand

Only a few days ago this woman, who called herself Viper, had taken him to the main Shadowlaw base and now she was standing in front of him, ready to fight him despite his weak state. And when he looked deep into her midnight blue eyes, it all hit him like a ton of bricks. He felt like a complete idiot for not seeing it before when he first saw her.

For the last ten years, he had thought that his only sibling, his sister Lisa, was killed when Bison invaded his home and killed her and his parents. Now, she stood in front of him, alive and well… except she was no longer Lisa… she was Viper.

"Lisa…" Wagner said as he tried to hold back tears.

"That is not my name," Viper said. She sprinted towards him and went to attack him, but before so, everything went black…

Present Day; Outworld.

Wagner sprang upward as he sat up in his bed and gasped for air. He sat there for a moment, trying to recollect oxygen in his lungs. He could also feel the cold sweat on his forehead.

"I haven't had that dream in a while…" Wagner muttered to himself as he wiped the sweat off with his hand. Then, as he managed to catch his breath, thoughts of the dream came back to him and his heart nearly broke at the thought of his sister…

"Lisa…" he muttered once again. "Where are you?"

That day in Thailand was a day he would never forget… the day he found out that Lisa was alive, but under the grasps of Shadaloo. He wasn't able to save her that day, having been kidnapped once again by Bison, his parents' killer. Not only that, but he had also lost one of his comrades the very same night; his roommate Jake Katzman, killed by Bison's own hands. Wagner had moved on from the loss for the most part, considering Bison was now eradicated, but he wasn't completely at peace yet. He still had to save his only surviving family member, someone who shared his bloodline.

Back on Earth, he was part of a unit that performed Operation: Lisa, named after his sister, to rescue girls kidnapped by Shadaloo. There were sixteen girls, all who were considered 'dolls.' Fifteen of the 'dolls' have been freed, but Lisa was the only one who was never rescued. Bison was eradicated and almost all traces of Shadaloo were gone… and Lisa went missing.

Since then, it has been Wagner's mission to find Lisa. He didn't care if it cost his life… he at least wanted to die knowing that his sister was going to be all right.

After all, there was one high point in the operation… he had the honor to help rescue one of the girls alongside Cammy, Chun Li, and Guile on a secret missing in Asia. The girl was named Juni, who had been reported missing five years from her homeland of Germany. She has since returned there and was currently training with a private military branch, something she had chosen to do.

Wagner rubbed his head a bit after all that thinking then. He laid himself back down and tried to go back to sleep. However, after nearly an hour, he realized that there was no use in trying. Not letting himself think about anything else, he got himself up, put on a pair of jeans, and walked out of his room.

Well, at least we have another day before the second round of tournament, he thought feeling while feeling groggy.

Soon he found himself outside. It was still dark, but Wagner was able to tell by the small line of light in the distance that it was beginning to become dawn. Then, a chill ran through his body.

"Gee," he said to himself. "I know it's normally cold in the morning, but this is just ridiculous."

"Who's there?" a deep voice called out. Wagner turned his head a couple of time before he spotted a man wearing a black and blue attire sitting under a tree. He sat with his legs crossed in a lotus position and Wagner immediately assumed he was meditating.

The young man then recognized them. The man was called Sub-Zero, one of those staying in the cave. Wagner felt a bit surprised to see him because he almost never saw him.

"Um, I'm sorry if I disturbed you," Wagner said and began to walk off.

However, Sub-Zero also recognized him. The ice ninja waved his hand then. "You seem tense… perhaps you should meditate."

Wagner was surprised by the friendly gesture. He didn't think Sub-Zero was the type to invite someone as young as he was, or even socialized with anyone for that matter, but it turned out he had guessed wrong. The young man then decided to sit where he stood. He then crossed his legs the same way as the ice warrior's and closed his eyes.

He tried to clear his mind, but the visions of his dreams came back to him. He sighed a few times, which caught Sub-Zero's attention after a while.

"You shouldn't let thoughts bother you," the Lin Kuei Grandmaster said. "You are kind of like my student Frost… she tries hard, but she lets the small things bother her."

Wagner opened his eyes then and stared at the older man. "So I remind you of a girl?"

A small chuckle came out of Sub-Zero, amused by the comment.

Then, the airman stood up. "Thanks for trying… unfortunately this isn't working for me."

"You are welcome to join me again when you need to," Sub-Zero said.

Wagner nodded. "Thanks." The young man then headed back into the cave as Sub-Zero continued with his own meditation.

Unknown Area

Daybreak shined as the sun began to appear from behind the distanced mountains of Outworld. However, it was something Shao Kahn didn't care for as he approached the dungeon area. He walked through the halls, intimidating prisoners and guards alike with his presence.

His destination was the largest cell in the dungeon, the one that inhabited the monster Berserk. Shao Kahn had been very pleased with Berserk's assignments with torturing soon-to-be-dead victims that he decided to reward him. The reward was what Berserk definitely deserved for his loyalty towards the Emperor.

Just as the Emperor was beginning to approach the cell, a loud scream was heard, which was quickly cut off as a slice was heard, followed by a thump. Shao Kahn approached the door and saw the cut up body of Berserk's latest victim, a man. The man's arms and legs were mutilated and was now decapitated. Shao Kahn took out the medallion then and used it to control Berserk's rage before entering the cell.

Berserk looked over at the Emperor with his transparent eyes. "M… master…" the monster muttered.

Shao Kahn smirked with satisfaction of hearing that word. "Good Berserk… I have come here to congratulate you. You have been very loyal to me and have been very cooperative. I want to reward you for that. I know you love the thrill of the fight… so as part of round two of the tournament, I would like for you to fight in a match… Shang Tsung will be picking the fighter and you'll be facing them on the last day of round two."

Berserk slightly nodded then as he slightly bowed his head to his master. "Y... yes... H…honored…"

"Good… now be patient. I'm sure another victim will be on their way so you can have more fun while you wait."

Shao Kahn then closed the cell door and went down the hall. Once he was at the end of the hall, the medallion's influence on Berserk was released, which was followed by a loud roar.

The Emperor exited the dungeon when he heard a pair of footsteps coming his way. Shao Kahn turned his head and recognized two of his Generals of his army… Tanya and Ermac. The two immediately got on their knees and bowed to him.

A thought came to Shao Kahn then, something that was a part of his secret plan. "You two have been very loyal since the tournament began. I will reward you… but first I want you to take up a minor task."

Tanya looked up then. "What assignment do you have for us, master?"

Shao Kahn looked at the female General. "I'm glad you asked Tanya… I want you and Ermac to go out and find me a person for the torture of the dungeons. I don't care who it is, but preferably someone who is alone when you find them."

Tanya and Ermac bowed to him again. "It shall be done master," Ermac said, his voice echoing.

The two loyal Generals got up and left the area. Once they did, they ended up separating.

Outdoor Hot Springs

"Ah, that felt good," said Lita as she put on a pair of sandals on her feet. "It's always nice to take a bath in the springs in the morning."

"Tell me about it," said Cammy as she placed her wet towel in her duffle bag. "I'm surprised no one was really here this morning."

"Me either," her Delta Red ally replied.

The two woman soon made their way out of the dressing area of the hot springs and began walking down the hilly path which would lead them back to the cave area. Strange noises were heard from deep in the forest area, but Cammy and Lita assumed that they were from species of animals that lived in Outworld… at least they hoped.

"It's too bad we haven't really found anything other than Nightwolf's visions," said Lita. "Let's see now… first, Interpol is investigating on the suspicions of the invitation they received and joined with us once they found out we were hunting small terrorist groups… then both Special Forces and the US Air Force are hunting down the terrorist groups such as The Black Dragon and former Shadaloo members… and us… we're doing the same thing of course, only with just Shadaloo… but we've been here for how long? Nine bloody days! And we still haven't found anything!"

"It is quite early when you think about it," answered Cammy. "We've only been through the first round of the tournament and we only have seven to go. My hunch is that we won't really find anything until near the end of the tournament."

Lita let out a small sigh then. "With me losing the tournament, it's going to feel much, much longer. And besides… we also found nothing on that medallion other than being it supposedly being the most 'powerful' artifact in the universe, and that the Emperor is holding it for the winner of the tournament."

"Guile hopes we'll make our move before or around round seven," Cammy mentioned. "That way it'll give us a chance to warn potential winners to be careful with it and get more information… just in case anything happened."

Once again, Lita let out a small sigh. "In the meantime, I hope I find something that'll kill my time…"

They then reached the bottom of the hill where the women and men's hot springs path separate. Cammy found herself looking straight ahead then and suddenly saw Jin Kazama. She immediately remembered their first 'encounter' right here in the springs and the young blonde's cheeks immediately turned red.

Jin ended up noticing her as well and the two of them stared at each other for a bit as he also remembered the last time they saw each other. Meanwhile, Lita was looking at both of them in confusion, wondering what was going on.

After a moment of this, Jin slightly bowed his head to Cammy. "Konnichiwa," he uttered. He then straightened his head and headed towards the men's springs. Cammy continued to keep her eyes on him, quite surprised that he said hello to her in Japanese.

Once Jin was far enough, Cammy suddenly felt a nudge on her right arm. She looked over in that direction and noticed Lita staring at her with a sadistic smirk on her face. Cammy then knew exactly what her friend was thinking.

"Don't even start," Cammy warned her as she began walking away. Since she walked in a quick pace, Lita had to run a few feet to catch up to her.

"Now now," Lita said, her smirk now a grin. "Now why didn't you tell me you met a good-looking bloke? Come on Cammy, tell me all about him!"

Cammy found herself growling a bit. "I hardly know him Lita."

"Sure you don't! I bet you've already seen him naked!"

Cammy's face turned completely red then. So then Lita didn't see it, she starting running off.

Lita looked at Cammy a bit surprised. "Hey! I was just joking!" She then started running after her.

Forest Area

Sitting on a large rock, Alex looked on at the trees that surrounded her. The breeze was the only noise that she head as they hit the leaves on the tall trees causing them to sway with the light wind.

This was definitely what I needed, the Special Forces agent thought.

This morning had been quite noisy to say the least. She ended up joining with Li Mei for breakfast, who was wide awake and talking in her usual run-on sentences. At least Li Mei understood when Alex announced that she was going to go for a walk for a while and wanted to be alone.

Once she decided to sit on the rock while walking, Alex soon felt her mind clear up as she let herself enjoy the nature around her, despite the fact that she was in Outworld.

Despite only have a few items and the clothes on her back (since she boarded the ship at the last second), Alex admitted that she was enjoying herself… being surrounded by good people and managing to make it to round two of the tournament.

However, there was one thing that bothered her a bit. Back on the ship, she remembered Rose's words to her… Alex, your lack of willingness to share your problems will consume you if you let it. Don't try to bottle them up.

As far as she could tell, Alex didn't have a lot of problems to share with anyone at the moment. Sure, life was definitely not perfect, but who wants to hear about her little first world problems and worries?

The things I've seen during my own career is proof that I could definitely have much worse problems, she concluded in her mind.

Alex soon found herself standing on her feet. She had decided to walk a little more before returning to the cave area. If her timing was right, Yin was going to be cooking lunch by the time she returned. Alex never tried her food, but she had heard from a lot of people in the cave that she was the best cook out of everyone. If that was true, then Alex didn't want to miss the opportunity.

It was then that she heard footsteps not too far from her. Alex looked around a bit wondering who was around. The agent stood there and continued to listen to the footsteps. After a while, she realized that the footsteps were coming towards her.

"Sonya?" Alex called out.

Suddenly, a sadistic laugh coming from a female was heard. "I'm not that ugly!" the voice called out. Suddenly, Alex heard a whistle-like noise. She quickly turned around just in time to see a large boomerang coming towards her. Alex attempted to dodge out of the way, but it was only enough that the flying weapon scratched her face and cause her to slightly bleed. Alex clenched her teeth from the small impact as she ignored the stinging pain.

She then watched as the boomerang came back and was caught by a hand. Alex saw the woman in full view then. She had a dark tan and wore a yellow and black swimsuit-like attire with matching boots. Her long black hair consisted of thick bangs and she had a set of pale eyes which had black paint surrounded it.

"The name's Tanya by the way," the woman said as she place her boomerang back on her belt. "And I am ordered to take you back to the Emperor."

Alex narrowed her eyes. "What the hell for? That is if you're even inclined to answer."

"He just wanted the first person we see who's alone. Didn't anyone tell you it's not safe to walk through the woods alone, let alone Outworld's woods? Now you'll face the consequences."

Alex got into her fighting stance then. "You seem quite confident since you announced your intentions. Quite a mistake if you ask me. Well, unfortunately for you, you're not taking me anywhere without a fight."

Tanya smirked then. "I'm not surprised. Very well then. Don't be surprised if you lose so quickly."

And with that, the two women charged towards each other.

Near The Cave Area

After some time with meditation, Ryu decided to head back to the cave, hoping that lunch would be ready soon. He nearly swore that, besides being attacked by someone, that his stomach was the only other thing that would distract him from his meditation.

Ryu's mind was clear, not think about much. That was until he heard someone running around nearby. More noises followed, including a moving object brushing against the ground and light panting. Curiosity got the best of Ryu so he decided to go look and see what was going on.

He only had to walk about ten yards when he saw a figure passing by a tree. Ryu got a better look at the person and immediately recognized Mika. She was running back and forth with a rope wrapped around her waist. Ryu wondered why she had a rope around her waist when he then noticed the large tire that was dragged behind her.

Interesting, the Ansatsuken fighter thought.

Ryu was then about to leave when he suddenly heard his name being called out. He turned around in reply to his name and noticed that Mika had stopped running and was now looking at him with a small smile on her face.

"Um, hi," Ryu managed to say. He looked at the tire again. "Say, where did you get that thing? Do they even exist in this world?"

Mika looked back at the tire she was training with. "It's funny, I found it in the lounge room in the cave. Honestly, I'm not sure where it's from or if it's even from Outworld at all."

Ryu shrugged his shoulders. Then, Mika undid the knot of the rope around her waist. An idea came to her then as she looked at Ryu. "So, what are you up to?"

"Not much," Ryu answered. "I'm just returning from my meditation. Do you know if lunch is ready yet?"

"Yin was going to spread the word once it was done," Mika mentioned. "In the meantime, I was hoping to do some more training and with someone this time. Would you like to be my sparing partner?"

Ryu didn't even take a second to think about it. "Sure. I'm always in for training with another person."

"Great!" Mika replied happily. Ryu stepped a couple of feet forward when he suddenly found himself being tackled to the ground by Mika. "Gotcha!" she cried out.

"Hey!" Ryu cried out as he struggled to get out of Mika's strong grip. "I wasn't even ready!" Then he managed to get out of the grip and began his sparring session with her.

During the spar, it was a mix of the Ansatsuken arts and wrestling. Both of them watched the other in hopes of getting an opening. Mika admitted that Ryu was very strong and much more focused than any fighter she's ever fought. Ryu himself was impressed with Mika's skills. He had fought other wrestlers before, but not ones quite like she. She definitely had a unique style.

As they continued to spar, Julia Chang happened to pass by them after her own self training. She had been near the edge of the forest area knowing that she would have some time alone to herself without disturbance. As she was returning to the cave area, she noticed Ryu and Mika sparring.

Julia found herself hidden behind a tree as she looked on at the two. She was impressed with the skills they both possessed and she would love to have the opportunity to spar with both of them someday.

She then noticed Ryu a bit more as he got a bit of the upper hand. His face had an emotionless expression as he concentrated on the fight. A small smirk appeared on Julia's face. She admired his dedication to fighting and how he was opened to sparring with everyone he came in contact with.

After another moment, she decided to leave the area and walked away. She ended up missing the moment when Mika grabbed the back of Ryu's pants and yanked it upward.

"OWE!" Ryu cried out. "Are you even allowed to do that?"

Mika giggled a bit. "Sorry, it's sparring tradition."

Just A Few Feet Outside The Cave

"Hey Yin!" Yun called out as he stepped out of the cave. "Is lunch almost ready?"

Yin looked at her brother with a bit of annoyance. "You know… if you had helped Yang and I with the food, we would've been able to finish it much more quickly!"

Yun showed off a goofy grin as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Eh, sorry. If I had known that you two were cooking, I would've helped." He then noticed the food that was being made. "Hey! You're making curry chicken!"

He was about to reach for the large spoon that was in the chicken and rice, but Yang saw him and smacked his hand away. "You have to wait like everyone else, Yun. Maybe we could've gave you some now had you helped us."

"Drat," Yun muttered.

"Hey guys," a female voice said. All three of them looked up and noticed Maki standing over them. Yang could've swore he felt his heart flutter a bit at the sight of her. "Is lunch almost ready?"

"It'll probably be another half hour," replied Yin. "Good thing we have hot plates with us."

"Well hopefully, with all the dishes Rose has been throwing at Raiden," mentioned Yang. "Let's hope these plates survive."

"Tell me about it," Maki agreed.

Yun spoke then. "Well, this tournament seems to be going pretty well so far. And I know I'm going to last the longest."

Yin glared at her brother then. "Don't be so cocky Yun! Just because you made it to the next round, that doesn't mean you're going to win that round!"

"Look who's talking? I sense cockiness in you as well."

This made Yin furious then. "I wasn't the one who said I was going to last through the tournament!"

The two began arguing to the point where Yang lost track of what they were saying. He sighed to himself and turned he head towards Maki. "Siblings… isn't it a wonderful thing?" he said a bit sarcastically.

"Yeah," Maki replied with a bit of a sigh as she thought about her deceased sister Rena. "But then again, no matter how much you fight, you never know how close you really were until one's time passes in this world."

Yang sighed as well. "Yeah, you're right." He then decided to change the subject. "Hey! The second round of the tournament begins tomorrow. Are you excited?"

Maki's grim face turned a bit brighter then. "Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it. I'm so glad to be here and able to fight great fighters all over the universe."

"Me too," Yang agreed. "That reminds me." He looked a Maki a bit seriously. "That guy you fought in the first round… Master Christopher… I heard that he went missing the night after your match with him."

Maki cringed a bit at the thought of the match she had with him. Even so, she couldn't help but feel a little sympathy towards her former opponent. "Does anyone know what happened to him?"

Yang shook his head. "Well, I only heard it over from a group of people at a table during dinner in the main palace. I assumed they were allies of his and were worried about him. They weren't sure what happened… he just disappeared during the night."

The young blonde nodded then. "I see. Well, I hope for his friends' sake that they find him."

"Yeah. I can't help but feel bad either, even after what he did to you."

Maki smirked a little. "It's all right. It's over and we don't have to worry much about it anymore."

Yang nodded in agreement then. He then heard a loud scream coming from his brother. He and Maki turned their heads and saw that Yin had taken Yun's hat and threw it a few yards back.

"I hate it when you do that!" Yun cried out as he chased his hat, which was blowing away.

"That's what you get for being cocky!" Yin called out.

Even if the action was a bit childish, Yang and Maki couldn't help by chuckle a bit.

Inside The Cave

"Lei?" Chun Li said as she pulled the curtain to his room over to the side. The Interpol agent expected her partner to still be in bed, or at least start getting ready for the day, but was surprised when she saw that he wasn't there.

"Hmm, I wondered where he could be?" Chun Li said aloud to herself. She had been looking for him in order to tell him that there was going to be a meeting with them, Special Forces, Delta Red, and the US Air Force this evening concerning the facts of their mission so far (though right now it's a bit of a disappointment).

She decided to search the back of the cave. Since Lei's room was near the front, Chun Li had to pass a majority of other curtain-closed rooms. As she did, she noticed that one of them was partially opened and a small light peaked through it.

After a moment of staring at the light, curiosity got the best of Chun Li and stepped a couple of feet closer to the room. 'I wonder what's going on in there.'

"Hello?" Chun Li called out as she wrapped her hand on the edge of the curtain. A few seconds passed, but there was no reply.

Chun Li pulled the curtain back then. "Sorry to intrude, but I was curious about the light." She saw the person in the room and was surprised by what she saw.

A green female cyborg was above her own bed floating in mid-air as lights came on and off of her. Although Chun Li had only seen her a few times since coming to Outworld, she remembered the cyborg Matrik.

The only time Chun Li saw her was at meetings and once during one of the days of the tournament. The Interpol agent knew that some of the people staying in the cave kept mainly to themselves and she figured that Matrik was one of them.

"Um, hi there," Chun Li said. There was no answered, but she decided to continue anyway. "My name is Chun Li. I haven't really seen you around much."

Without moving, the green cyborg spoke in a robotic tone. "I am Matrik. I'm sorry, but I wish to be alone right now… perhaps we may chat another time."

Chun-Li was a bit taken aback by the request. Then again, she did intrude without Matrik's permission. The Chinese woman decided to respect her wishes then.

However, she wanted to say one thing before she left. "You seem lonely. You can always come to me if you ever want to talk to someone." And with that, she closed the curtain behind her. Unknown to Chun Li, the moment she left, the lights on Matrik slowly dimmed down.

Main Palace Grounds

Heihachi Mishima opened his eyes after sometime of meditating. He had spent most of the morning doing so. The only thing that pulled him out of his meditation… was food. He hadn't bothered to have breakfast this morning and now it was around lunch time.

I wonder what they are serving this afternoon, he thought.

Before he got up, thoughts of the Bloody Eye medallion came to him. Originally, he had come to Outworld to hunt down his own grandson Jin Kazama in order to retrieve the devil gene power he possessed. This would've been so that he would make the Mishima Zaibatsu more powerful.

Now, with the medallion that's claimed to be the most powerful artifact in the universe, Jin's 'devil gene' power would seem useless now. The power of the medallion would definitely prove to be more of a benefit for the Mishima Zaibatsu than any other powerful source.

He just hoped, if he won the tournament, that it wasn't a hoax. But even if it was, he could always fall back on his original plan.

Heihachi's thoughts were interrupted them by the rumbling of his stomach. He got to his feet then and patted his stomach.

"You know," the Zaibatsu leader said aloud. "I'm in the mood for curry chicken. I wish I knew someone who made good curry chicken."

He then started walking forward back towards the main palace. As he did, he noticed someone from the corner of his eye. He turned his head and saw the person in full figure. The person was a woman, a beautiful one as well. Heihachi felt a small smirk creep up on his face.

Ivy Valentine, originally heading to the palace on a spying assignment for Shao Kahn, noticed the older man at the corner of her eye and stared at him with her icy blue eyes. She noticed the small smirk on the man's face and became a bit disgusted. Soon, the man's smirk disappeared, perhaps intimidated by her now.

Both knew instantly that they weren't going to really like each other.

Heihachi noticed the sword that Ivy was carrying. "You know… you are not required to have a sword in order to be a great warrior."

Ivy narrowed her eyes at him. "This sword means more to me than you'll ever know. And besides, I don't need to be lectured by an old fossil like you!"

"Hmph," Heihachi replied. "You really should think before you speak… because you're not so young yourself, wench!"

That did it. Quickly, Ivy lashed out her sword, which uncoiled into 8 pieces attached to a single string and threw it at her new enemy. She had expected either the sword to land or for Heihachi to run off like a coward. A small side smirk appeared on her face, satisfied by what may come.

Then suddenly, the sword stopped in mid-air. Ivy became confused at first and wondered why her sword suddenly stopped swinging. Then, she looked at the other end of her sword. Her eyes became wide with shock as she discovered why her sword stopped.

On the other end, Heihachi had managed to catch the sword in mid-air and with a single hand around the string just behind the first piece of sword. It was something Ivy couldn't believe. She had been sword fighting for years and no one had ever caught her sword with their own hands.

Heihachi then looked at Ivy square in the eye. Then, using the sword, he quickly pulled her towards him. Ivy didn't have time to react and she soon found herself slamming her body right into his and was now looking eye to eye.

"Be more careful with who you fight with next time, lady," Heihachi said. Then, to Ivy's surprise, he quickly leaned his head towards her and gave her a kiss right on the lips. He placed one hand on the back of her head and the other around her waist.

UGH! Ivy cried out in her mind with agony. She struggled to free herself as Heihachi continued to kiss her, and he was obviously enjoying it.

Then, after what seemed like forever (but it was only a few seconds), Heihachi let her go. Ivy spat a few times as she backed away from him.

"You disgusting bastard!" she cried out as her cheeks suddenly turned rosey. "The next time I see you, I will have your head for that!" And with that, she ran off.

For a minute, Heihachi watched her run off until she disappeared behind the trees. "That was fun," he laughed. "Looks like things will be getting more interesting." With that, he began heading back to the palace for lunch.

Forest Area

Throughout most of the fight, Alex had been on defense with Tanya on offense. Alex admitted to herself that Tanya was quick and more likely had more fighting experience than she did. She knew that eventually that she would have to find a way to get on offense before she tired out.

"Is that all you got?" Tanya sneered. "Taking you down is going to be easier than I thought."

"Don't be so sure of yourself," Alex replied. She then managed to bend herself down towards the ground and perform a sweep kick. However, Tanya saw it coming and managed to jump over it, then attempted to kick Alex in the head, which she managed to dodge from before getting back on her feet.

As she did, Alex suddenly saw a figure behind Tanya. She was just about to back away in order to see who else had come, thinking that someone had come to aide Tanya. However, that no longer became the case a loud smack was head and Tanya fell forward unconscious.

"What the…" Alex muttered in surprise. She looked up, still in a fighting stance, to get a good look at Tanya's attack.

Floating just a foot off a ground and surrounded by a green aura was a male stranger. He mostly wore an reddish-orange and black attire with eyes glowing the same color as the aura around him and had a black tape-like garment around his head and eyes.

The two of them stood there for a moment staring at each other. Alex wasn't sure what to make of the person, whether he was friend or foe. Then to her surprise, he turned around, grabbed Tanya, and disappeared behind the trees. Though it seemed he wasn't out to harm her, she still wasn't sure what to think of him.

"Wait!" she called out. She only managed to take two steps forward when she suddenly felt a hand touch her shoulder. She nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned around to take a look at who was there. When she recognized her blonde-haired superior, Alex sighed of relief.

"Thanks Sonya," she said. "I almost jumped out of my skin."

"I heard fighting nearby," Sonya mentioned. "I figured I'd check it out, but I guess you took care of things."

Alex sighed. "Yeah... don't ask me what it was about... but let's just say that I'm sure they won't be much of a bother after this."

"How many were around?" Sonya asked.

"Well, there was a woman, but..." Alex briefly looked down at Tanya, then back at the Captain. "There was this man here… he was glowing in a green color… well, it doesn't matter. However, we have to report this to Guile and the others. The woman who attacked me was going to take me to the Emperor just because she happened to find me alone in the woods."

"Good thing we have that meeting tonight then," Sonya said. "We'll discuss more about it then."

"Yeah…" Alex trailed off, now suddenly feeling a bit confused by the ordeal, especially by the green glowing floating person who, for some reason, knocked Tanya out cold and stopped her from finishing the fight. As she and Sonya began their walk back to the cave, it all began to bug her for some reason.

Who was that guy anyway? Alex thought.