Chapter Twenty-One
The day of round two of the tournament had finally arrived. Those who made it to the next round were prepared for it and all hoped to move on to round three in order to get closer to victory. Just like on the first day of round one, each fight received their cards, telling them the date and time of their match and the location. Again, they would not know who they were fighting until the actual match took place.
With the preparations made, round two now begins…
Dungeon, Unknown Area
Shao Kahn stood by a doorway of a torture room impatiently. Yesterday, he sent Ermac and Tanya to find someone to place in the dungeons. They managed to find one woman (someone else Tanya ran into a few hours after being knocked unconscious), but the Emperor wasn't pleased with her, especially since she seemed unaffected by the torture methods. Since she had lost the tournament, he ordered them to kill her, knowing that her death would not affect the tournament.
Tanya and Ermac soon finished the job and they walked out of the room, drying up their bloody hands. They both looked up and were surprised to see Shao Kahn standing there. Immediately, they got on their knees and bow to him.
"We are sorry she didn't please you enough my Emperor," Tanya said. "May we look for another?"
"Forget about it," Shao Kahn answered. "There are other matters that needs to be taken care of. Besides, the next round of the tournament starts today." He then noticed the black and blue bump on the side of the woman's head. "Where did you get that bump from?"
Tanya looked up at the Emperor, surprised that he asked about it. "To be honest master, I don't know. However, I was-"
"Do not concern yourself with that anymore. Now, I want you to go with Ivy on her spying assignments. I don't need you right now. Leave at once."
"Yes master," Tanya replied. She got herself up and left the dungeon.
Shao Kahn turned to Ermac then. The Emperor found it suspicious that he was silent the whole time. He would worry about it later. "As for you Ermac… I want you to stay down here for a few hours to keep an eye on things. That is all."
Ermac nodded. "We will do as you wish, master." He then got up and left.
Shao Kahn decided to leave the dungeon then. He had to put out another assignment to someone who he admitted has done nothing but sit around since this whole thing started. He had promised this being that once things go smoothly that he would assign this person a job.
He went back to the palace and entered a chamber area. He went into one of the chambers and entered without much thought. There, he immediately met eye to eye with Ogre. Using the medallion, Shao Kahn put him under his control.
Ogre was a being who Shang Tsung learned about during one of his studies. According to Earthrealm legends, Ogre was an ancient war weapon left behind by aliens many years ago. He later was worshipped by the Aztec as the God of Fighting. He possessed unspeakable power and loved the thrill of killing, especially those with so much power. However, the being had supposedly been killed about two years ago according to the reports from Earthrealm.
Traveling to Earthrealm just a couple of weeks ago, Shao Kahn's Shadow Priests were able to not only find the being alive, but they managed to capture him. Using the medallion, Shao Kahn was able to control the supposed 'God of Fighting.' Since then, the Emperor gave him the place in the chambers.
Shao Kahn took a few steps forward towards Ogre. "The time has come Ogre. I have an assignment for you. It won't be much of one, but it is a way for you prove your loyalty to me. Until I say so, I want you to spy on the participants of the tournament… even the ones who are serving me. Do not fail me."
Ogre only replied with a single nod.
Courtyard
A few matches came and went in the Courtyard and Shang Tsung felt more pleased than he did during the first round of the tournament. It would seem that the weaker fighters were indeed eliminated and the better fighters were beginning to show their true potential.
By noon, the fight he was looking forward to seeing was about to begin. That was because one of the fighters was someone he knew quite well…
"Kitana!" he called out with a smirk.
The Princess of Edenia stepped into the ring and began walking towards the middle. Briefly, she looked at the sorcerer sitting on his throne. Memories of her past in Outworld came flooding back to her. She had once worked alongside Shang Tsung, the sorcerer who was responsible of creating Mileena, who she once believed to be her twin sister.
Now, years after earning her freedom, she was now going to have a match under his watchful eye. Kitana wondered if she would be able to concentrate. She wished that her mother was here with her, but she too had her own match to attend to in another outdoor arena on the opposite side of the main palace.
Once the Princess got to the middle, her opponent was called out. "Maki!"
Maki felt a bit relieved... she was going to be fighting a woman this time, one who looked to have more respect for other fighters.
She looks strong, the young blonde thought sighing. She wasn't sure if she was going to win, but she had to try. She could be wrong about Kitana for all she knew.
Maki then heard her friends cheer for her. She turned to them and managed to smile at them. She felt a bit better then and more confident. She just hoped that she didn't lose her pride again like in her last match.
The two women set themselves just a few feet from each other, then got into their fighting stances. "Begin!" Shang Tsung called out.
Kitana and Maki stood there for a brief moment before Kitana advanced a few steps towards Maki. The Princess raised her leg and performed a high kick, which Maki blocked right away. Kitana then followed with a right hook which Maki ducked under.
For another minute, they continued like this with Kitana on offense and Maki on defense. Then, Maki decided that she had enough and jumped back a few feet. The distance between them gave her a chance to pull out her two dark brown tonfas.
She then ran forward and began swinging her weapons at her opponent. Kitana dodged the moves, then she pulled a few feet back as well to buy time. From her boots, she pulled out two fans, both which were closed up. Maki had covered the distances between them and attempted to deliver a kick to the Princess's stomach. Kitana quickly straightened herself before blocking the kick with her left forearm.
"You're not bad," Kitana said to Maki as she swung her closed fans at her.
Maki was a bit surprised to hear her opponent make a comment like that in the middle of a fight. "Um, thanks?" she replied, feeling unsure whether the Princess was mocking her or not as she blocked a move with her tonfa.
Their weapons clashed with each other in rhythm then, both of them hoping to get back on full offense. It was then that Maki saw Kitana open up her fans. The thick paper was blue with various designs in white. For a split second, Maki admired the fan… that was until she noticed that on each end of the fold contained a long blade.
"Crap!" Maki cried out as Kitana began swinging her fan blades at her. Maki dodged a couple of times before attempting a block. The weapons seemed stronger then and Kitana was able to knock both weapons out of Maki's hands. To the young blonde's dismay, both of her weapons ended up rolling out of the ring.
"Oh no!" she cried out. Suddenly, she found herself being pulled forward by an unknown force. She looked at Kitana and noticed that the Princess was on one knees and was spinning both of her fans in a clockwise motion. Not having any control then, Maki had no choice by to take the side kick Kitana performed and flew a few feet across the ring, landing on her side.
Kitana stood up and ran towards Maki. Immediately, Maki rolled back, managed to stand on one hand, and spun herself around with one leg out. She managed to hit Kitana who flew back a couple of feet. Maki then flipped forward and got back on her feet. By then, Kitana was on her feet, her weapon placed away on the side of her boots.
The two women then exchanged moves again, pretty much even on both offense and defense. As they fought, Kitana noticed her chance to end the match. Maki, with her back turned to it, was about three feet from the edge. For the Princess, it was now or never.
Kitana jumped up and forward towards Maki. She lifted up one leg and managed a kick to the side of Maki's head. She then lifted up her other leg and did the same thing to the other side. Maki was surprised by this and ended up stumbling back. As Kitana hoped, the young blonde stumbled right out of the ring.
It so happened that Maki's friends were right behind her. Both Sakura and Asuka managed to catch her once both of her feet were completely out of the ring. "Maki!" both girls cried out as their realized that their friend had just lost her match.
Shang Tsung stared at Kitana for a moment before standing up. "Winner: Kitana!" he called out. As normal, the audience clapped in unison.
Maki fell onto her knees, realizing that she had been defeated. "Damn it!" she cried out as she slammed the side of her fist to the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes almost right away. Her whole reason of coming to this tournament was to prove that she was worthy enough to fight in a tournament like this one. She had wanted to show everyone at the Bushin dojo that she was worthy of the title of Bushin Master. Now, she realized that she did nothing but fail. She was thankful that Guy wasn't watching her right now. What would he think of her failure right now if he was here?
Maki then got out of her thoughts as she heard a pair of high heels coming towards her. The moment they stopped, Maki looked up and her eyes met with Kitana's.
The Princess offered her a hand. "You are a worthy opponent. I enjoyed our match. Do not think this is the end for you. Just keep up with your practices, and maybe one day, we can have a rematch."
Maki couldn't help but smile. She was then thankful that her reign in the tournament ended the way it did. At least she was beaten by someone who had respect for their opponents rather than being taken down by an arrogant jerk.
The female Bushin ninja took the Princess' hand and she was helped up. "Thank you," Maki answered and she bowed to her. "I won't forget this fight."
Kitana smiled and also bowed before leaving the area. The only real problem for Maki now was, besides training, figuring out how to kill time until the entire tournament was over.
Indoor Arena
"Winner: Alex Walker!" the Shadow Priest announced as the latest match ended in a ring-out.
Alex took a deep breath once the fight was over. In a way, she felt a bit disappointed by the fight mainly because her opponent didn't put up much of a fight the whole time. Still, upon returning to the sidelines, she was greeted by her allies, all who had a match today. She just happened to be the first to be called upon this morning.
"Nice job!" Wagner complimented as she stepped over the ropes.
"That looked like an easy win," Sonya mentioned. "Maybe someone who got lucky the last round."
"Too easy if you ask me," Alex sighed. "I'm sure the next fight will be tough... not I expect to make it past round four or anything."
Wagner decided to kind of change the subject then. "Pretty neat that all three of us are going to be fighting in the tournament today, and even in the same ring too."
He suddenly heard someone clear their throat then. Wagner turned around and noticed Kenshi just behind him.
"You mean four," Alex said with a small chuckle.
"Damn it," Wagner began to mention as he turned to the swordsman. "You were so quiet that even if you were standing right in front of me, I wouldn't even have known you were there!"
"That's nothing new to me," Kenshi replied without much expression.
Is he always this grumpy? thought the Air Force Sergeant.
"The next match shall begin!" the Shadow Priest announced.
The four of them expected one of them to be called upon next, but it turned out to be not the case. The first to be called was the cyborg, Matrik, who they knew was staying with them in the cave. Her opponent was a red-head dressed in red and black clothes is Kira, and she sported a pair of knives placed in the scabbards strapped to her black boots. Neither one of them said a word as they stood in their fighting stance, ready for their match.
From the audience, Sonya was wondering why the red head in the ring seemed familiar to her.
"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.
Immediately, the two opponents charged towards each other and quickly exchanged maneuvers at each other while simultaneously blocking.
Then, kick to the face caused Kira to stumble back a few feet. She rubbed at her cheek from her pain before looking up at her opponent. 'She just had to be a cyborg!' the red-haired woman growled in her mind as she stood in her guard.
The red-haired woman took a few steps forward and began performing various punches and kicks at Matrik, who ducked and blocked each move. Kira then managed to find an opened and used both of her fists to push Matrik back. The female cyborg ended up stumbling back a few feet. Before Matrik could recover, however, Kira bent her knees a bit and put both of her hands out. A pink projectile immediately came out of her hands and successfully hit Matrik. The power of the projectile forced Matrik on the ground.
"Gotcha!" Kira called out, then proceeded to run towards her opponent to perform more attacks.
Matrik quickly sat up as Kira approached her. The cyborg put out one hand and a compartment in her hand opened. Kira wasn't sure what to expect until five golden marble-like balls shot out at Kira. Unsure of what the flying marbles would do, Kira began doing multiple back flips in hopes to avoid being hit. She then heard small explosions from the marbles, which went off one by one. However, the fifth and final explosion was close enough and the force of it sent Kira flying back sideways while upside down. She landed on the ground and skidded a few feet before coming to a halt.
Kira ended up scratching up her arm and part of her exposed leg and began to bleed a little. She ignored the stinging pain as she looked up to see Matrik back on her feed. The female Black Dragon clenched her teeth as she struggled to get back on her feet.
Come on, she thought to herself as she glared at her opponent. After a little struggle, Kira managed to finally get back on her feet and into her fighting stance. Matrik saw that she was ready to fight again and once again attacked her. Kira blocked her incoming moves with all she had, though she was punched a couple of times in the face.
Matrik then lifted up a foot and swung it at Kira. Kira managed to jump back, but then she felt a sharp pain just above her breast. As she pulled back, she saw the bottom of Matrik's foot and noticed the sawing that just rolled in fast speed. Kira looked down and noticed a small amount of blood dripped out of the cut.
"You bitch!" Kira cried out. She then reached to her boots and took out two dragon teeth knives. "Let's see how this feels for you."
Kira began slashing her knives at Matrik, who dodged from them. That was until Kira managed to cut a wire that sat above Matrik's shoulder. Sparks immediately came out of Matrik, who backed up from Kira a bit. She held on to her shoulder and trying to regain her concentration at the same time.
"We're even now, cyborg!" Kira cried out.
Then, to Kira's surprise, Matrik took her free hand and grabbed a hold of Kira's neck. Kira suddenly felt a surge going through her body. After a second, Matrik lifted her up in the air, then threw her across the ring. The shock from the surge weakened Kira and when she attempted to get up, she only fell back and went unconscious.
Once the Shadow Priest was sure, it stood up. "Winner: Matrik!" it announced.
The audience clapped in union for Matrik's victory. However, Matrik didn't acknowledge it because she was beginning to feel weak from the wire that was cut. Immediately, she got out of the ring and pushed through the audience and soon disappeared.
Back in the audience, Alex couldn't help but feel sorry for Matrik. "That poor girl," she said. "I hope that she'll be able to get that fixed."
"It seemed minor," mentioned Sonya. "I'm sure someone back in the cave will be able to help her with that if anything."
"Don't you girls have that sort of technology?" asked Wagner.
"We do," Sonya replied. "But unfortunately we've only done something like that once and it was about a couple of years ago. We would have to be back at base in order to get back into the groove."
Soon, the Shadow Priest spoke, catching everyone's attention. "The next match shall begin." It then paused before announcing the first of the two. "Sonya Blade!"
"Oh good," Sonya said happily as she stepped over the ropes. "I'll be right back. It shouldn't take me long to take my opponent down."
"Good luck Sonya," Wagner said. Sonya found herself smiling at the young man before making herself to the middle of the ring. However, Wagner suddenly didn't feel so thrilled. "I have this feeling that I'm going to fight her."
"What makes you think that?" Alex wondered.
"Well, after my last match, I think it's going to end up being a never-ending streak until I lose…and I think I could lose this match."
Alex laughed a little. "Don't worry just yet. I'm pretty sure she'll end up beating the bloody pulp out of another poor soul."
Then, the Shadow Priest announced Sonya's opponent. "Ken Masters!"
On the other side of the ring, Ken tightened his fighting gloves before he stepped into the ring. Wagner found himself laughing a little. "Now I've been put in another awkward position."
"How so?" Alex asked with confusion. "I figured you'd be happy that you're not fighting her."
"Well, on one hand, I'm pretty sure Sonya is expecting me to cheer her on. On the other hand, Ken is practically family. You see, since Guile pretty much adopted me, his wife and Ken's wife are sisters."
"Oh I see," Alex said, now understanding.
"I didn't realize the Colonel adopted you," Kenshi mentioned.
That sort of surprised Wagner as he didn't expect the swordsman to chime in. "Looong story," Wagner admitted with a small sigh.
Back in the ring, Sonya put out a hand. "May the best win," she said with a smile.
Ken nodded with a smirk and shook the Captain's hand. "Indeed." They then both got into their fighting stances, indicating that they were ready.
"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.
The two fighters immediately circled each other with both of their fists up, waiting for the other to make the first move. Both of them felt confident about the upcoming fight, though they also expected it to be a challenging one.
Sonya decided to make the first move then. She covered the space between them and threw the first punch, which Ken blocked. Ken attempted an uppercut, but Sonya quickly moved her head to the side before the punch connected. Once Sonya recovered from that, she managed to elbow Ken just in the shoulder. This caught the millionaire by surprise and he backed up a bit to give himself a second to recover.
The blonde agent took this opportunity then. She ran a couple of feet, jumped up and attempted a flying kick. Ken saw the kick coming and sidestepped out of the way. Sonya passed him and she managed to land safely back on the ground on both feet. She turned around then just in time to see a roundhouse kick coming from Ken. Sonya pulled herself back, barely escaping from the move.
Once she straightened herself out, Sonya decided to try one of her 'special' moves. She placed her hands out, and four pink ring-like projectiles quickly came out.
"Shit!" Ken cried out as he barely ducked under the projectile. Once the projectile passed, he sat up and decided to retaliate.
"Hadouken!" he called out as he shot out a blue projectile from his hand. Seeing this, it became Sonya's turn to duck underneath the attack. She barely managed to succeed in avoiding it as it flew above her head before it flew into the audience, all who were forced to avoid the attack as well.
Sonya took a deep breath after that before getting back into her fighting stance, ready for me. "Nice one," she admitted.
"Thanks," Ken replied. He then lifted one hand and beckoned her over with his index finger, ready for more.
Sonya ran after Ken then and they continued the fight with the two of the exchange various punches and kicks. Both of them received bumps and bruises from each other. Then, Sonya found a big opening and kicked upwards. Ken didn't see the move in time and Sonya's boot connected just under his chin.
The blonde millionaire flew back bit, then landed on his back. Unfortunately, when he was hit by Sonya's kick, he ended up biting down on his tongue and immediately drew blood.
"Damn…" Ken muttered under his breath as he tasted his own blood. Despite that and the pain, he managed to get herself up slowly. I really should return the favor…
He waited for Sonya to come closer as the blonde agent ran back towards him. Once she was close enough, Ken performed another roundhouse and managed to kick Sonya under her chin with his foot. Sonya stumbled back and held on to her chin in pain as Ken got back on both feet again.
"Nice," Sonya admitted.
This time, it was Ken who covered the distance between the two of them. He attempted more punches, but then Sonya grabbed him, turned him around, and managed to get her in a chokehold.
Ken struggled as he tried to find a way to get out of the hold. He then noticed that they were only a few feet from the edge of the ring. He had a chance to win and it was now or never.
Ken elbowed Sonya a few times before the agent finally began loosening her grip on him. Ken then took the opportunity to escape, leaving some space
"Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!" he called out. His foot then managed to hit Sonya a couple of times. Then, the last hit had enough force to send Sonya flying back before she hit the floor on her side. Sonya then rolled a couple of times before falling out of the ring.
Oh shit... Alex thought in the audience once she realized that her superior just lost the tournament. She knew that Sonya was definitely not going to be happy about it.
"Winner: Ken Masters!" the Shadow Priest called out.
Sonya sat herself up then. She was thankful that her blonde hair was covering her face at the moment because she didn't want anyone to see the shame that appeared on her face. She had hopes of making it to the next round, but now those hopes were gone.
The blonde agent's deep thoughts were soon interrupted when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Ken bending down to her and he managed to smile. "You did great Sonya," she said. "I'm sorry I had to be the one to eliminate you."
Sonya sighed a little, but she managed to smirk. "It's all right. I'm just wondering what I'm going to do for the rest of our time here." She then noticed Ken's injury and ended up chuckling a bit. "Gee, no wondered you kicked me back. Sorry about that."
"Nah, it's cool," Ken assured the agent as he put out a hand to her. "I've had worse."
Sonya took his hand and pulled herself up. "Good luck with the rest of the tournament," she said. Ken nodded before he began to head back to the part of the sidelines he came from. Then Sonya returned back to where Alex, Wagner, and Kenshi were standing.
"Sorry you lost, Sonya," Wagner said. "But even if you did lost, you sure as hell kicked some ass."
"I guess it could've been worse," Sonya said as she took out an ice pack from her backpack. She bent the pack around a bit to 'activate' it before placing it on her face. "Except now I'm sure I'm going to develop a nice bruise on my cheek."
"I bet you'll be feeling that for a couple of days," Alex mentioned.
"Unfortunately, yes," Sonya grumbled.
"At least nothing's broken," Kenshi said.
"... True... except maybe my pride."
Two more matches soon passed, both of which held everyone's interest. When the second of the two matches was over, the Shadow Priest announced the next fighter for the following match. "Wagner!"
"Woo hoo!" Wagner cried out. "It's about time my turn came."
Sonya patted the young Sergeant's back. "Good luck. It's too bad Guile couldn't make it today to see you fight."
"Yeah," Wagner sighed thinking about his surrogate father. "He wanted to be here, but he wasn't sure when I was going to go up and he had to finish up those paper works…which he should've finished before the tournament even began… well, I'm off." He went over the ropes and headed towards the middle of the ring.
Sonya laughed then. "Let's hope he doesn't have another girl who teases him throughout the match again."
"Tell me about it," Alex replied, having heard what happened previously. "I'm sure that won't be the case though."
Once Wagner reached the middle of the ring, he let himself stretch out his arms and legs, preparing for his upcoming match. When he was done, his opponent was announced;
"Kenshi!" the Shadow Priest called out.
Sonya laughed. "Well, he's doomed either way."
Alex turned her head to the free agent as he took a step forward. "Good luck," she said.
Kenshi slightly turned his head to her, a a hint of a smirk appearing on his face. "Thanks." With that, he tightened his finger-cut black gloves before stepping into the ring.
Sonya raised an eyebrow then. "You know… I think that was the first time I've ever seen him smirk since he joined Special Forces." She stared at Alex after her statement.
Alex felt Sonya staring at her and shifted her blue eyes to her. "What?"
"Oh, nothing," the blonde agent answered innocently before turning her head to the ring. Alex rolled her eyes at that and soon brought her attention to the ring.
Wagner stood in his place as Kenshi approached him. This was the type of match the young Air Force pilot feared. He has seen the swordsman train a few times and he seemed very serious about his training. To Wagner, a serious trainer equaled a good fighter. Wagner was a good fighter too, but he didn't always train. However, he had a feeling that after this fight, he was going to do more of that.
They soon stood a few feet from each other. In respect, Kenshi bowed to Wagner. "I look forward to our match." He then got into his fighting stance.
Wagner was a bit surprised to hear him say that. As a matter of fact, he didn't expect Kenshi to say anything at all. None the less, Wagner bowed to him as well. "May the best win," he said. The young man then straightened himself up and got into his own fighting stance.
"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.
Both men slightly shifted their feet sideways in opposite directions before they covered the distance between them. They ended up grabbing on to each other's shoulders and neck. Then they added pressure to try to push down the other similar to two wrestlers in a beginning of a wrestling match.
After a few seconds, Wagner felt himself being pushed back, nearly losing his footing at one point. He was thankful that he wasn't that much shorter than the swordsman at the moment since if he was any shorter, he would've been down on the ground more quickly.
Wagner then attempted to knee Kenshi in the abdomen. He succeeded in connecting the move, forcing Kenshi to loosen his grip and draw a sharp inhale. Now with the opportunity, the younger fighter managed to push his older opponent back a bit.
The Air Force pilot performed a medium height kick, but Kenshi managed to step back from it before pulling back and throwing his own punch, which Wagner blocked. The two continued to exchanged their moves and blocks for a few more seconds before Kenshi finally landed a blow to Wagner's face, forcing his head to swing ninety degrees sideways. The swordsman then opened up his palm and struck Wagner in the stomach. The move caused Wagner to keel over in pain.
Damn it, the blonde man thought as he looked down at the ground. He then noticed an object just in front of his neck. He looked up and noticed Kenshi holding a katana, the tip of the blade just a few inches.
"Don't worry, I won't use it against you," Kenshi said. "The lesson here is to never take your eyes off your opponent, no matter what." He then placed his sword back in the scabbard behind him.
"Oh, um, great," Wagner muttered as he slowly got himself back on his feet. Once he was up, he stared at the red blindfold that covered Kenshi's eyes. "So I'm curious… if you should never take your eyes off your opponent, how is that advice helpful in your case?"
"You'll know soon enough," was all Kenshi said before performing a high round kick, which Wagner dodged from immediately.
As the fight progressed with Kenshi on offense, Wagner let the anger flow within himself, which activated the yellow sparks around his right arm. Let's try a projectile…
"Ultra Disc!" Wagner called out. He took his right arm and swung it from his right waist, over his chest, and ending just above his left shoulder. In the middle of the swing, a yellow disc-like projectile came out his arm and began speeding towards his opponent.
Kenshi only stood there and it would seem that he wasn't going to make any attempts to get out of the way. Wagner stood there confused, wondering why the swordsman wasn't attempting to move from the projectile's path.
It was then that Kenshi put a hand out and both hands and head glowed in a blue aura. Just as quickly, the projectile stopped just a few inches from him.
Wagner's eyes immediately widened, now noting Kenshi's telekinetic powers. "How the-" he tried to say. Suddenly, Kenshi shot the disc right back at Wagner.
"SHIT!" Wagner cried out as he immediately ducked out of the way of his own projectile, which then went flying out of the ring. As Wagner got himself back up, he noticed that Kenshi was no longer in the spot where he originally was. That was until a blue mist quickly appeared and Kenshi appeared right in front of him.
Because it happened so face, Wagner didn't have time to react and was immediately met with a handful of punches and kicks, none he could block in time. Then, he was elbowed in the head and flew sideways before landing on the ground. The power of the final blow made Wagner dizzy and before he could think, he blacked out.
After a few seconds, the Shadow Priest stood up. "Winner: Kenshi!"
Sonya and Alex immediately jumped into the ring to check up on the now-unconscious Wagner. "Great job Kenshi," Sonya said. "Not only did you advance to the next round, but I have the feeling Wagner's going to wake up with a headache now."
"He'll be fine," Kenshi assured her.
"Let's get out of here," Alex suggested. With Sonya's help, Alex got Wagner up on his feet and stood on his left with Sonya on the right. They carried the young Sergeant out of the ring with Kenshi following them.
Once they got out of the arena, Wagner began to wake up. He fluttered his eyes open and felt his feet being dragged. He slightly moved his head a few times and noticed Sonya and Alex carrying him. The Sergeant couldn't help by smirk.
"Hey," he managed to say. "I must admit… this is better than the dream I had with the two of you fighting in lingerie."
Immediately, Sonya and Alex stopped in their tracks and stared at their young ally. Wagner was able to feel what felt like two death glares without even having to look at them. "Eh," he said. "Ignore me, I just woke up… say, did I win the match?"
Sonya patted him on the chest. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm afraid you didn't. The bright side is, you're on the same boat as I am."
Wagner shifted his head again and noticed Kenshi walking besides Alex. His match with him quickly came flooding back to him. It was one of the most challenging fights he had ever been in in quite a while. Not only that, but he was taken down by a blind man. With that alone, Wagner now gained much respect for the swordsman, even if he was a grump.
There was going to be a long way to go before the end of the tournament. Wagner decided to take the time to train himself more seriously, especially if he wanted to save his sister in the future…
Outdoor Arena
"Sindel!" the Shadow Priest called out after the last match ended.
Queen Sindel sighed a sigh of relief as she stepped into the ring. She felt as though she waited forever, having spent most of the morning waiting for her name to be called out. She was a little disappointed that neither her daughter Kitana or their friend Jade were able to watch her fight. Both women had their own fights to attend to (in separate rings). All three would meet back at the palace once all of them were completed with their matches.
Sindel reached the middle of the ring and stretched herself out a little. In the audience, she could hear some whistling from the men, but she chose to ignore them. Horn dogs, she thought.
Soon, the name of her opponent was announced… a name she hadn't heard since the last time she was in Outworld. "Mileena!"
"It can't be…" Sindel muttered under her breath. She looked over and noticed the younger woman approaching her, confirming the Queen's fears. The clone of Kitana was once thought to be dead in the Edenian world, having been supposedly killed by her daughter's hands years ago.
However, Mileena was now standing there, well and alive.
"Surprised to see me?" Mileena sneered, following a low hiss. "I heard the Edenian royal family was going to be here… but I didn't think I'd be facing any of you in this tournament."
Sindel glared at her with her pale eyes. "You're supposed to be dead!"
Mileena sneered once again. "You're a fool! I was merely unconscious when you and your dear daughter left me for dead all those years ago. Too bad I can't return the favor right now since I really want to win this tournament. Perhaps we can arrange a later meeting after our match."
The Queen had enough. Not wanting to wait for the call for the fight to begin, she immediately charged after her. Mileena quickly got in her fighting stance, ready to take her on.
Once she was close enough, Sindel delivered a high kick, which Mileena blocked. The pink-clad woman then attempted to follow with a karate chop to the abdomen, but Sindel managed to grab a hold of her wrist.
Mileena chuckled under her breath. "Oh mother… do you really want to hurt me?"
Sindel narrowed her eyes at her. "Face it, you are not my daughter and you never will be!"
The younger woman managed to get out of Sindel's grip then and pulled back. "At least I didn't betray the Emperor the way you and the bitch Princess did!"
Mileena suddenly sank right through the ground, which confused Sindel at first. When she turned around to look for her however, she was met with a boot to the face, forcing her to fall to the ground as Mileena landed safely on both feet.
Sindel tried to get herself back on her feet, but before she could, Mileena lifted her leg and kicked her back in the abdomen. Sindel let out a sharp exhale as she went back on the ground once again.
"Imagine if you didn't betray him," Mileena mentioned. "If we had succeeded, you and Kitana could've had everything you've ever wanted."
"Can it!" Sindel ordered as she began to slowly get up again. "You and everyone else who serve the Emperor are nothing but greedy scums who only care to ruin the lives of others. Even if it takes years, you will be eliminated, even if Kitana or I don't do the deed."
"Shut your trap, you old wench!" Mileena cried out. "When I'm finished with you, I shall kill both you and that wench you call your daughter. I'll even kill your bodyguard in the meantime. And when I do, I will take over the Edenian thrown. Do you like the sound of that?"
By then, Sindel was back on her feet. "You wish!" She then leaned forward and opened her mouth. A purple projectile came straight out and headed towards Mileena, who quickly rolled out of the way. Once she was, she put both hands out and two pink projectiles in shape of sais shot out towards Sindel. The Queen sidestepped from the move. She then began running towards Mileena and, just a few feet away, dived forward and skidded towards her.
Once she was in reach, Sindel grabbed a hold both of Mileena's ankles. Using her hips, the Queen lifted her lower half up to do a handstand with both feet pointed up and managed to slam her feet into Mileena's face. Mileena tried to stumble back, but because Sindel still held her ankles, she ended up falling backwards.
Sindel pulled her legs back, got her foot back on the ground, and stood herself up. She waited until Mileena was back on her feet again. The younger fighter glared at Sindel and let out an animal-like growl before covering the distance between the two of them.
From there, Mileena played offense with various punches and kicks, which Sindel blocked most of. Soon, the Queen found an opening and managed to punch Mileena in the abdomen, then followed up with and uppercut with her other fist to the jaw. Mileena pulled back slightly to recover from the pain before proceeding her own move sets once again.
However, Sindel had another trick up her sleeve. She quickly pulled back to take a deep breath. The Queen then followed by leaning forward and opening her to let a scream that was as loud as a Banshee.
The scream forced everyone in the crowd to cover their ears in agony. However, because she was closer, Mileena felt the impact of the scream much worse. She covered her ears and fell to her knees. "Make it stop!" she cried out, but her words were drowned by the scream.
After what seemed like a long time, Sindel finally stopped, leaving everyone's ears ringing. Mileena tried to get up then. However, Sindel saw a chance to finish the match for the win.
The Queen of Edenia whipped out her long hair, which immediately extended longer than normal, and wrapped around Mileena. The younger woman began to try to get out of the hold, but soon she found herself flying over Sindel's head. Mileena soon landed on the ground, but rolled just a few more inches until she ended up completely out of the ring, much to her dismay.
The Shadow Priest stood up then. "Winner: Sindel!"
Mileena sat where she was in disbelief. She couldn't believe that she lost to a royal wench, especially considering that this woman happened to betray Shao Kahn and all of Outworld selfishly.
After a little struggle, Mileena managed to get herself up glared at Sindel. "This isn't over! You haven't seen the last of me!" And with that, she disappeared within the crowd.
Sindel had the urge to follow her, but then decided that now wasn't the right time. She had won the match and was glad to beat someone who could've used the medallion for negative reasons. Now all she wanted to do is get out of the arena and head back to the main palace. She wanted to go freshen up while she waited for Kitana and Jade anyway. And so, she stepped out of the ring and made her way out of the area.
A handful of matches continued on afterwards. In the audience, the Lee siblings Yun, Yin, and Yang watched and waited. It was Yun's day to fight in the tournament and they had been at the arena since this morning. Now it was past lunch time and Yun was feeling more anxious to get into the ring.
"It's funny," he said. "I only fought in round one two days ago and now here I am, the first day of round two and I'm going to be in one of today's matches… well, I just hope it comes up soon because I'm getting bored just watching the other matches."
"I feel more bad for those who wait all day, only to fight in the last match of the day," replied Yang. "Now that has to be a bummer."
"Yeah," agreed Yin. "And if that's the case, Yang and I would probably be off to dinner by then." After that statement, she followed with a smirk, indicating that she was only joking.
Yun glared at his sister. "Gee, you two are such a great family," he said sarcastically.
Ten minutes later, a match ended. Once both fighters cleared the ring, the Shadow Priest stood up. "The next match shall begin." He then fell silent for a brief moment before calling out the first fighter of the next match.
"Yun Lee!"
Yun immediately stood up. "Finally!" He adjusted his cap before looking over at his siblings. "It's only round two so I'm sure I'll come out the victor."
"Don't get your hopes up too much," mentioned Yang. "Good luck."
"Same here," said Yin.
Yun nodded, then made his way to the middle of the ring. Once he made it there, his opponent was announced.
"Anna Williams!"
The young man looked around in search of his opponent. Looks like I'll be fighting a girl this time.
Soon he was able to spot her. The moment he laid eyes on Anna, he could've sworn that he felt his own heart flutter a couple of time at the sight of her beauty. Anna's attire consisted of a black tank top with a matching vest, which was opened, a black and white stripped flannel shorts, and a pair of black two inch high heels.
Anna stopped a few feet from Yun and placed a hand on her hip. "Don't worry… I promise you won't suffer… much."
Yun couldn't help but smirk at the comment. "And you don't have to worry about me ruining your beautiful face." He then got into his fighting stance.
Anna smiled in amusement. "How cute. Now then, shall we get this going?" She stretched a little before getting into her own stance.
"Begin!" the Shadow Priest called out.
Not even a split second after the call was made, Anna quickly began running towards Yun before jumping forward with one foot out towards him. Yun sidestepped out of the way and let Anna pass. She caught herself just in time and landed on both feet.
Anna managed to turn herself around, but was then met with a kick to the abdomen from Yun, causing her to step back a couple of feet. Yun then followed with a spinning kick, which Anna dodged out of the way from. She then saw him throw a punch and managed to grab on to his wrist, then followed with a knee to the stomach. Yun clenched from the pain.
I have to admit, she's good, Yun thought to himself. He then looked at her in the eyes. "Let me do something special for you."
Anna smirked. "Try me."
Yun performed a karate chop at Anna's arm, forcing her to let go of him. He then pulled back a few feet before running forward, crouched down as he slid, and pushed himself up with his hands. Anna attempted to get out of the way, but the move hit her in the leg and she felt herself falling forward face first. She quickly put both hands out to protect her face from the fall and soon she completely landed on the ground. Yun flew back down from his move, landed safely on his hands before doing half a forward flip to get back on his feet.
"Not bad," Anna said as she began getting herself up. "But just because you pulled off a fancy little move, that doesn't mean that you're going to win."
Yun gave her the chance to get back on her feet. Once she was, he covered the distance between them and began to throw various punches and kicks at her. Anna was prepared and began performing her own while blocking Yun's moves as well.
The fight continued on like this for sometime. Both fighters were exchanging various moves and block one another forcing each other to walk forward and back in order to attempt to dominate the fight between them. Soon, they ended up being close to the edge of the ring and both of them saw their opportunity to win the match.
Both of them grabbed on to each other and began to wrestle one another in an attempt to throw the other out of the ring. After some struggle, Anna, who was now at the bottom, managed to kick her leg on Yun's stomach and push him up diagonally. Yun few up a couple of feet, came back down with a hard land, then, out of his control, rolled out of the ring.
There we go, Anna thought with a smirk.
The Shadow Priest stood up. "Winner: Anna Williams!"
Yun sat where he was in disbelief. He didn't expect himself to actually lose the match and he felt completely disappointed in himself. He sighed, wondering what was next for him.
Anna got on her feet and looked at Yun. "Mmm, it was my pleasure… in defeating you." She then gave him a blow kiss and winked at him before making her way out of the ring as victor of the match.
By then, Yang and Yin came to Yun. "You all right there, bro?" Yang asked with concern. "I'm sorry you lost."
Yun wasn't paying attention to his brother as he watched Anna leave. She's beautiful… he thought as his heart fluttered once again. Suddenly, losing the match didn't seem all that bad to him.
"Earth to Yun!" Yin called out, waving her hand over her brother's face.
Yun shook his head upon hearing her voice, then looked up at him. "Um, yeah… I'm all right… let's get back to the cave now."
Yin glared at him oddly. She could've sworn that his eyes had stars in them. Yin then decided to forget about it and she, along with Yang, helped their brother up on his feet.
Once he was, Yun looked over in hopes of getting one more glance at Anna. However, by that time, she long disappeared from sight.