Chapter Fifty-Six

The Next Day

Cave Grounds

It was nearly noon when Raiden and Rose gathered their chosen ones near the unlit campfire. Everyone who was there sat around in front of their leaders, all of them staying quiet. Every person knew what the meeting was about… the unexpected attack from Noob and Sektor. Thankfully, those who were involved in the attacks only received minor injuries containing cuts, bruises, and bumps, and all were able to attend the meeting.

After some time, Raiden decided to start the gathering. "I assume that all of you are aware of why this meeting is occurring. As you know, somehow we were discovered by two outsiders. They had attacked us while using some fusing power to form themselves into one, thus becoming more powerful than the average fighter."

Rose continued for him. "Most of you are probably wondering why these two attacked us." She then looked at Sub-Zero. "Thankfully, one of us will be able to answer that very question."

Sub-Zero nodded to her and stood up. He faced the large group as they awaited words from him. "I can assure you all right away that neither Noob or Sektor have any current connections to Shao Kahn. The two are working on their own. I believe that their reason for attacking us last night wasn't against you guys… but it was against myself, Ashrah, Matrik, and Smoke. Most likely, they were out to either capture the four or us or kill us and their attack on you only served to them as 'being in the way.'"

The ice ninja sighed, a cold mist exhaling passed his lips before proceeding. "I regret to say that I am responsible for them discovering us and I don't know if an apology is enough. I, along with Matrik and Ashrah, had paid the two a visit a combination of three times since we arrived here in Outworld. Our reason was to rescue Smoke, who is an old friend of mine and it's obvious that at some point one of them followed us here, most likely Noob."

Sub-Zero then looked over at Raiden and Rose who stood to his right. "Smoke, Ashrah, Matrik, and I had a talk about this. We decided that for ours, and everyone else's benefits, that the four of us will volunteer to act as protectors of the cave grounds for our remaining five days here. This way, we can be warned earlier for future invasions, especially now that we've been discovered. We feel that this is our way to redeem ourselves for our mistake."

"We thank you for that Sub-Zero," Raiden replied. "Rose and I had always been the ones to guard the cave grounds, but it would definitely be great to have further assistance."

From the group, Ken decided to speak up about one of his concerns. "There is something that's been bothering me. We're considered chosen ones, yet with the exception of Raiden and Sub-Zero, who held them off pretty well last night, the rest of us who tried to fight them when they were fused were taken down within two or three hits. If these two could take some of us down that easily, then how can we take on those working for the Emperor… or the Emperor himself?"

"What occurred last night was nothing more than all of us being caught by surprise," Raiden assured them. "Many of you were off the grounds along with Rose, and I had been on the opposite end of the grounds on watch duty when this occurred."

"I know those of you here weren't prepared for the unexpected attack," Rose said. "So please do not worry yourselves. Heaven forbid, if they do return again, we'll be more prepared for them next time."

At that moment, a pair of footsteps were heard behind the two leaders. Raiden and Rose turned their heads and were surprised to see two of their absent chosen ones returning… Raven and Nina. The two seemed to stagger a bit as they approached the group.

"You're back," Rose said with a warm smile. "Have you learned anything from your assignments?"

Raven and Nina turned their heads to face each other for a moment. Before they left their hiding area, they had both agreed not to mention the fact that they were imprisoned in a dungeon for a few days. They haven't learned anything directly from the fortress (aside from the fact that Shao Kahn really is occupying that particular fortress), but they have learned from the mysterious warrior Yoshimitsu.

They turned back to their two leaders and it was Nina who answered the questions. "We've learned much more than we bargained for. Just let us both rest for a bit and we'll tell you everything we've learned."

"Very well," Raiden said with a nod.

Beach Area, Half Hour Later

Sitting on towels, Mika, Asuka, Maki, Sakura, and Cassandra decided to spend a while relaxing the calm area of the beaches on the cave grounds. All five of them were in the same mood they have been in since last night… crummy.

"I knew I could've done much better with that fight last night," Cassandra sighed to herself as she looked up at the sky.

"Let's face it Cassie," spoke Asuka. "Even if the five of us fought those two together, they still would've kicked our butts... maybe even kill us if they had the chance."

Cassandra nodded a bit. "Yeah, you're right. I'm just disappointed in myself, really. I wanted to just see if I can take him on, but I've should've known better, considering that he was taking down some of the better fighters here."

"Let's try to forget about it," Mika suggested. "What's done is done and we know better now if they ever came back during the next five days."

"I hope not," said Sakura. "Well, now that we're changing the subject, I had a thought. We're only going to be here for another five days, right? What are we all going to do once we return home?"

"Well I have my plans with Yang," replied Maki. "We'll be visiting each other for a few months before we decide what to do."

Mika couldn't help but grin. "I'm going to be entering more wrestling and fighting competitions."

"I'm not surprised," said Asuka. "Well, I'll be starting college in the fall."

"Same here," spoke Sakura.

Cassandra shrugged a bit. "Back to my old life for me… working at the bakery in Keisei."

Her four friends stared at her for a moment. They have all spent so much time with each other since coming here in Outworld that they nearly forgot that Cassandra was the only one out of them who didn't live on Earth.

"Oh no!" cried out Mika. "When are we all going to see you again?"

Cassandra smiled. "Perhaps the next time Raiden and Rose need all of us."

"Makes me wish there was a way to write to you," said Sakura. "Unless we could relay our messages to Raiden and Rose."

"Nah, they really do have better things to do," Asuka mentioned. "It's more important to be concerned about the fate of mankind than anything else."

"Yeah," Cassandra agreed. "This will have to be goodbye once we all depart. But I'm sure we'll all meet up again someday."

"I sure hope so," said Mika.

From there, they continued chatting while looking on at the scenery before them.

Main Palace Grounds

Sitting on benches, Wolfman and McCoy mainly sat down quietly, watching the people that passed by them. Wolfman didn't show any sort of emotion while McCoy showed that he was bored out of his mind, leaning back on the bench with his eyes only half open.

"I think we've seen pretty much everyone we've talked to," McCoy sighed a bit.

Wolfman nodded a bit. "I think so too. But look at it this way…we have another five days here. So we only have to do this for another five days… then we return back to Earth for more assignments."

McCoy smirked. "Just what I look forward to mate." He then happened to look to his left when he spotted two familiar allies. "Hey. Captain Blade and Colonel Guile are coming over."

Wolfman turned in the direction McCoy was facing and spotted Sonya and Guile walking in their direction. The two British Delta Red members stood up from the bench and faced their American allies.

"Good afternoon," Guile greeted, nodding his head once to each of them.

"What brings you two here?" asked McCoy.

"Colonel Guile and I had a talk about our investigation," began Sonya. "Originally, we were all here in search of remaining members of both Shadaloo and the Black Dragon. It's been over a month since we arrived here and with only five days left of our time, we came to a decision."

Guile continued for her. "We no longer need to patrol the palace area. We believe that we've been here long enough to know that we're most likely not going to find anything. There were a few things that were found involving us being chosen ones, but it seems that Raiden and Rose have been on top of that since day one."

Wolfman sighed a bit after the explanation. "I assume we could call this a failed mission."

"Bummer," sighed McCoy. "Either we weren't looking hard enough or we were looking too hard for nothing."

"Don't beat yourself over this," said Guile. "We did our best. All we can do is keep an eye out whenever we come out here for our meals for our remaining days here."

"True," agreed Wolfman. "And I'm sure our superiors will be all right with it mainly since no sort of damage has been done. Most likely we won't get any exciting assignments for a month or two, but it could be worse."

Sonya nodded before smirking a little. "Speaking of meals, do you guys want to get an early dinner?"

"Sure, why not," said McCoy. "And if we get hungry later, we'll roast some marshmallows."

"I think we're all out," mentioned Guile.

"Darn."

With that, the four of them began heading inside the palace for their early dinner.

Cave

All was quiet in the lounge room as Raiden and Rose sat silently at the table. The only movement in the room was the steam coming from the mugs on top of the table that contained tea that Rose had made for the both of them.

The reason for the both of them were in the room to begin with finally came as the curtain to the lounge opened. Both Nina and Raven stepped into the room, walking in further before sitting down in chairs.

"Good, you have arrived," said Raiden.

"Would you two like some tea?" Rose asked politely.

Nina shook her head a little. "I'm good."

"Same here," replied Raven.

Raiden nodded. "All right, now we just have to wait for-"

Before the Thunder God finished his sentence, the curtain to the lounge opened again. The four in the room turned their heads and noticed Jin Kazama coming into the room.

"Good, you're here Jin," Rose said. "Would you like some tea?"

"No thank you," Jin replied as he sat down in the last remaining empty chair.

Raven looked at Raiden. "I thought it was going to be the four of us."

"I know," Raiden answered. "But I felt that Jin should be here for this meeting. After all, he's the only one here still remaining in the tournament."

Nina raised an eyebrow. "We've definitely missed a lot since our departure."

Rose nodded. "All right… what have you two found?"

Raven decided to begin the story. "We… have spent a few days searching in and out of the fortress. Two nights ago, we discovered that someone else had infiltrated the fortress. His name was Yoshimitsu. While we were trying to discover any information in the fortress, Yoshimitsu was there for another reason… he was after the medallion."

Nina continued for him. "Before we were able to talk to him further, the guards had discovered us and we ended up having to fight our way out. We made it out fine, but we knew that the guards would be searching for us, so we hid out for a couple of nights. It was only then that we found out more than we intended to know."

"The fortress is indeed Shao Kahn's," continued Raven. "But Yoshimitsu had revealed to us that he was the last holder of the medallion. Even he doesn't understand the reason for the medallion's existence, but one thing was certain… it's cursed."

Nina proceeded. "Though Yoshimitsu was blessed with immortality, the medallion's power tried to take over him while he was in battle. It intended to do more to him, but he had freed himself from it's grasps before that happened. He and another named Ogre are the only living wielders. Ogre was lucky because he ended up losing the medallion just before Yoshimitsu found it."

"The Fighting God…" Raiden trailed a little. "I've heard the name before… more than once as a matter of fact. He had been banished from the Heavens for reasons the Elder Gods never revealed… but it seems that I've finally found that answer."

Jin spoke up then. "I'm not surprised. It's possible that Shao Kahn, or at least someone associated with him, knew the truth about the medallion. So they set up this tournament so that whoever wins has the curse placed upon them…"

"Thus becoming a powerful ally," Rose finished for him. She looked at Raven. "Did this Yoshimitsu say how long it took before the curse took place?"

"Two decades," Raven replied.

"I see… have you tried bringing him here? Perhaps he could be a potential chosen one."

"We've asked him to come with us," Raven answered. "But he prefers to go rogue on this mission. He only intends on destroying the medallion at any cost, so even though he's working alone, he'll still fight the same causes as we are."

Nina looked at Raiden. "Now what?"

Raiden sighed a little. "There's only one thing we can do… destroy the medallion. It's not just about having it fall into the right hands anymore." He then looked at Jin. "Let's hope that you can win the medallion. We'll have to at least warn whoever makes it to the final round about the medallion as well. I just hope it's not Sheeva… she's associate with Shao Kahn."

Rose sighed. "Just great."

As they continued talking, Jin kept silent. Thoughts passed through his mind upon learning the truth about Chishio No Me. To him… if Yoshimitsu was able to not have the attempted curse on him for two decades, then it wouldn't hurt him to have it for just a few minutes so that he could finally be rid of his devil gene.

It was his only reason to have the medallion anyway.

Dining Quarters, Main Palace

It was quite early for dinner, but it was something both Ryu and Julia didn't mind, especially since the quarters were mostly quiet as there were less people.

That had just sat down to eat their meals when Ryu spoke. "So… what exactly is it that you do in college."

Julia smirked as she nodded. "Mainly I'm an archeology major, but I'm also part of a big project to rejuvenate the forests. It was my idea to do such a thing. When I was younger, the tribe I'm a part of owned a piece of land and it was filled with so many trees. Now a days with our global ecosystem, our forests are threatened to become a desert. I felt that something had to be done, so I started the Forest Rejuvenation Project with a local lab so that we could find a way to restore the forests."

"Sounds like a big project," Ryu said with interest.

"It is," Julia nodded. "But ever since my second year of college, I've been working on the project daily and waiting for the day when the work on ecosystem restoration is complete."

"I hope it all works out for you," Ryu said. "I'm fond of nature myself, so if this project does become a success, the ecosystem will definitely be improved."

"That's what I truly hope," Julia mentioned. As much as she loved talking about the project, she decided to change the subject. "So… you've mentioned that you've traveled a lot throughout your life."

"Ever since I was eighteen," Ryu answered. "I've mostly traveled around Asia and I would come to the United States whenever Ken sends an invite. My main reason for traveling is to become a great fighter. I've had some pretty good matches throughout these years."

"What do you consider your best match?" Julia asked.

Ryu thought through this for a moment before replying. "Concerning here in Outworld, my match with Jin was definitely a good one, despite losing. My matches with Ken throughout my life have been memorable as well." A sly smile came across his face. "It's hard to just pick one really."

"I know that feeling," Julia said. "So I'll ask you this… what was your most interesting match… the one that stands out amongst others?"

Ryu sighed a little. That sort of question definitely matched the one fight that has always stood out in his mind. He was hesitant for a moment before answering.

"His name's Sagat… a Muay Thai champion. I was attending a tournament in Thailand where he hailed from. We both had made it to the final round of the tournament and the match went on for quite sometime. At one point, he managed to knock me off my feet and he believed to have defeated me at that point. I remember thinking that I wasn't going to lose and I was very determined to win. It was strange… everything seemed to go black and before I knew it, I was back on my feet… but Sagat was down and rendered unconscious… and he had a bloody wound on his torso which has since left a noticeable scar on him."

Julia stayed quiet as she was unsure of what to say. However, she didn't have to say anything as Ryu continued. "I still don't understand what to think about that. It's been nearly a decade since that took place…" He then quickly changed the subject, not wanting to talk about it anymore. "Are you enjoying your dinner?"

The young woman blinked a couple of times as she didn't expect him to quickly move on to another topic. She looked down at her plate full of food and realized that she had only taken a couple of bites since they sat down. "Um… it's pretty good tonight, as it always is."

"That's good," Ryu said as he took a bite from his food.

A thought came to Julia and she couldn't help but to smirk. "Say… how about we go to the hot springs later tonight? Mainly with our rule to bring someone with us out of the cave grounds."

Ryu rubbed his neck a little. "Yeah, especially after last night… it's definitely good to be safe at this point. All right then, we'll go tonight."

From there, the couple continued to have their conversation while enjoying their meals.

Cave Grounds

Interpol agent Chun Li stepped outside from the cave. It was still bright outside, but the position of the sun indicated that it wouldn't be long before it would set for the day. The moment she was outside, she stretched her arms out over her while yawning a bit.

I'm bored, she thought to herself.

Chun Li happened to look to her left when she noticed the campfire lit and Alex Walker sitting in front of it, most likely to keep warm. She decided to go up to her then, walking over to the campfire.

"How are you?" she asked as she sat down.

Alex turned her head to Chun Li. "All right… actually, I'm bored out of my mind."

Chun Li smiled a little as she looked at the fire in front of them. "Funny, so am I."

Alex laughed at the comment. "Seems like everyone else is off doing their own thing right now. Kenshi's out doing some training as he always does around this time."

"I see," Chun Li nodded. "Well let's see… Lei and Wagner are currently playing cards with Ken and Cody, Cammy, Lita, and Ginzu are finishing up some data work from our time here, and Sonya, Guile, Wolfman, and McCoy are at the main palace most likely having dinner. I would be playing cards right now, but they're playing poker and I have no idea how to play, and I didn't want to be a bother by watching."

An idea came to Alex. "Say, do you know if someone has an extra set of cards?"

Chun Li shook her head. "Apparently Ken was the only one who brought a set. If he knew that we were all going to be gathered together by Raiden and Rose he would've brought more over."

"Darn," Alex sighed. "I was hoping you and I can play War or something."

"I'd rather go on the internet right now," Chun Li laughed. "Heaven only knows how much email I've received since we've left."

"You're telling me," Alex agreed. "I came here at the last second, and my aunt has probably sent me countless emails by now asking me where the heck I am."

As the two continued to talk, Kenshi ended up arriving on the cave grounds and began heading over to the campfire once he realized that Alex was there. Neither woman knew this until Chun Li happened to turn to her left and saw him a few yards away.

Chun Li smiled at Alex. "Hey, Kenshi's coming. I'm going to head in right now and try to figure out what cook for dinner tonight."

"I'll see you later," Alex said.

Chun Li stood up and began heading back to the cave. "Later!" she called out.

Once the Interpol agent departed, Alex looked over at Kenshi. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," he replied as he sat next to her.

"How was your training?" she asked him.

"Fine, just like it always is," the swordsman replied. "How about you?"

Alex shrugged a little. "I've been bored out of my mind since the meeting ended. Honestly, I'm about ready to return to Earth and I'm sure Special Forces will have a nice talk with me upon our return."

Kenshi was about to reply to her comment, but then stopped himself as a thought came to him... the thoughts of why he joined Special Forces to begin with. He debated in his mind whether or not to mentioned what he thought of to Alex or not. However, he knew that someone amongst Special Forces was going to figure it out sooner or later.

Alex tilted her head in his direction when she noticed how quiet he was suddenly. "What's on your mind?" she asked.

For a moment, she had expected him to simply say, 'it's nothing.' However, she realized quickly that wouldn't be the answer as he leaned back a little while taking a deep breath. "You remember when you asked me how I ended up with Special Forces?" Kenshi asked.

Alex stared at him for a moment. It has been a while since she asked that question, probably back during Round Three of the tournament. "Yeah?"

"Well," the swordsman began. "When Sonya and Jax approached me with their interest in recruiting me, I didn't exactly accept their offer right away. I was flattered that they admired my skills, but I felt that I had no need for Special Forces. But… the more we talked… the more I realized that there was a reason to join. It was for a… long-time personal matter and it had required for me to be here in Outworld. It was why I chose to be a free agent rather than a full-time agent."

Alex frowned a little upon hearing this, now knowing his reasons for being in Special Forces. That was with the exception of the mysterious 'personal-matter.' This was nothing more than a temporary alliance, obviously here to take care of something. And once he was done, he wasn't going to stick around for long.

The young woman sighed, unsure of her feelings on this. "How much longer do you think you'll be with Special Forces now that you've had your chance to be in Outworld?"

"I'm not sure," Kenshi answered. "But I feel that I'm almost complete with what I have to do here."

This slightly worried Alex a little upon hearing his reply. They've known each other for over a year, and thought they have only been in their romantic relationship for a short time, she had realized that she truly cared about him.

The way it seems, he could leave at any given moment, she thought.

Without saying anymore to him, Alex leaned forward to briefly kiss Kenshi, who returned the kiss before she pulled away to lean her head on his shoulder. In reply, Kenshi took a single arm and wrapped his arm around her.

"So…" Alex quietly said. "What's this personal-matter you mentioned?"

Kenshi frowned a bit as he thought about what happened all those years ago with the sorcerer Shang Tsung. "It's best that you didn't know," he said.

Alex kept silent then. In her mind, however, she knew that there was going to be another five days left before they returned to Earth. During those next few days and any remaining days that followed (that is if Kenshi indeed decides to leave), she was going to try to enjoy whatever's left of her time with him.

Inside The Cave

The voice seemed distant to Cammy as she found herself beginning to wake up from her nap. Confusion ran over her mind for a minute trying to figure out exactly what the voice was saying. As soon as she began to open her eyes, she was finally able to make out her name being called. And this time, the voice sounded familiar.

Cammy smirked a little as she shifted on her back, having been lying on her side when she woke up. She was soon able to open her eyes fully and saw Jin sitting on her bed, looking down at her.

"Had a good nap?" he asked with a small smirk.

Cammy couldn't help but smirk as well. "Yeah… I think." She yawned a little as she remembered where Jin had gone to before her nap. "How was your meeting with Raiden and Rose?"

Jin sighed a little. "Quite interesting… to say the least."

The young blond sat herself up before asking, "Why is that?"

Jin was silent for a moment before he answered her. "Well… it turns out Raven and Nina found a lot of informative things about the medallion. I don't know how everyone else would feel about it, but I admit to not be surprise by the results."

"So what did you find out?"

"…The medallion isn't what it looks like. Yes, it does grant those all the power in the world…but at a price. It places a curse upon those who wield it. The last guy who had it was lucky to free himself… after twenty years of having that medallion with no problems."

Cammy felt mixed feelings from learning the truth. She always knew that there was something about that medallion, believing that having an artifact with all the power in the world was too good to be true. She wasn't completely surprised that there was something more than meets the eye, but not a curse.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

"Plan A is hopes for me to win the tournament," Jin replied. "Plan B is being developed by Raiden and Rose. No matter what happens, we have to destroy it. It's too dangerous to exist."

Cammy frowned a bit as she was able to hear the disappointment in Jin's voice. She figured that he really wanted to win that medallion. He never told her his reasons for wanting it, but she figured that it had to be important.

After the silence lingered a bit, Cammy learned forward to embrace him. Jin wrapped his arms around her in reply, returning the embrace.

"Now that we know the truth," Cammy began. "What do you think will happen now?

"I don't know," Jin replied with a small sigh. "…but I get the small feeling that we'll be here a little longer than we anticipated."

"Anything to destroy the medallion I assume."

Silence followed.

Main Palace Grounds

"Man, I'm stuffed!" called out McCoy as he patted his stomach.

"I'm glad to hear the food was to your satisfaction," smiled Sonya.

"It's definitely better than some of the food we get during our travels," McCoy mentioned. "And MRE's for that matter."

"I will admit, that's true," said Wolfman.

Along with Guile, the four of them began to emerge from the main palace and began making their way back to the cave grounds. Although they had gone for an early dinner, they ended up staying there much longer than expected, mostly talking about their past missions and their time here in Outworld.

"I definitely think that we've spent too much time here tonight," said Guile.

"It might've been a good thing," said McCoy. "Sometimes I need to get out. Being a big guy, it can get pretty cramped in that cave."

"I know that feeling," agreed Wolfman.

As the group continued to talk, Sonya happened to turn her head to her left. There was rarely anyone around the palace grounds to begin with. A woman sat at one of the stoned benches by herself. Sonya immediately noticed her blood red hair. Obviously, it was dyed, but she was just beginning to think how nice it looked.

Then something on the woman's right arm called the Captain's eyes. Sonya got a better look at it and she held her breath once she saw exactly what it was… a black tattoo… but it wasn't just any tattoo. It was a three part symbol, consisting of two similar dragons facing each other. In between the dragons was a short knife that matched the length of the two identical dragons.

Sonya knew this design all too well… it was the symbol of the Black Dragon.

By then, the red haired woman noticed Sonya as well and the two stared at each other for a moment. The three men Sonya was with hadn't noticed her stopping in her tracks and kept walking as they chatted. Sonya decided to take advantage of this and began walking towards the woman.

The red-hair stranger smirked once Sonya was a yard away. She stood up. "So… you're Sonya Blade."

Sonya stopped for a moment. During that time, she placed her hand over her gun which rested next to her hip… just in case. "Seems you know my name."

"Who hasn't?" the woman continued. "You were famous for taking down most of the old members, including Kano. I assume you're looking for… other members as well."

Sonya narrowed her eyes at her. "Have they reformed?"

"Yes and no," the woman said proudly. "We did reform, but we just disbanded… quite recently. I noticed you looking at my tattoo. Lucky for you, from this day forward, the Black Dragon no longer exist. You can say I'm pretty much the last remaining one."

"That still doesn't make up for all the crimes you've committed…" Then Sonya smirked. "Kira."

Kira looked at her with surprise. "How did you know me?"

Sonya smiled more. "I've seen your picture on the FBI list. I thought you looked familiar when I saw you."

Kira smirked. "Ah yes, of course. So what do you plan to do now… kill me, or arrest me?"

Before Sonya could answer, she heard her name being called. She turned around and saw that Guile, Wolfman, and McCoy realized that she was behind.

"I'll be there in a-" Sonya began to call out. However, as soon as she turned her head, Kira was suddenly gone.

"Damn!" she yelled as she pulled out her gun. She quickly scanned the area, but to her dismay, Kira was gone. For her to take her eyes off of her for just a few seconds, Kira was indeed quick and wherever she was now, she was definitely hiding in a good spot.

By then, the three guys, all with guns out as well, caught up with the blonde agent. "Who was that?" McCoy asked her.

Sonya sighed. "Seems like I've asked you guys to halt your duties too soon. Let's keep looking for her. I'll explain everything when we return to the cave."

"Right," Guile said as the four began searching the area.

The longer the four searched, the more Sonya realized that she had lost track of Kira… for now. She made a vow to herself… the next time they would meet, she would personally arrest Kira…

…and she was going to do it before they leave Outworld.

Courtyard

"Ivy Valentine!" Shang Tsung called out, beginning the only match to take place for the day. The young woman stepped into the ring silently, holding her whip sword in her hand. Here she was at Round Seven of The Blood Tournament. In her mind, she knew that she would make it far into the tournament, but she had never expected to make it thisfar.

At this point, she hoped to at least make it to the final round. It would be quite disappointing for her to not make it by one step.

Soon, she reached the middle of the ring. Silence lingered in the air before Shang Tsung called out her opponent's name.

"Sheeva!"

Immediately, Ivy felt a bit of rumbling beneath her feet. She was already aware of who Sheeva was and what she was capable of. The Shokan had already proved her superiority in the tournament and now Ivy may find out how truly power Sheeva is.

Moments after being called, Sheeva stepped into the ring. She walked herself over to the middle and stopped just a foot away from Ivy. The two stared at each other despite their obvious height difference.

"I see we'll be face each other today," said Sheeva. "Servants of Shao Kahn in a battle to decide who is worthy of being in the final round of the tournament." The Shokan noted Ivy's blade and took our four long Shokan blades, one in each hand. In reply, Ivy got herself in her fighting stance, never taking her eyes off of Sheeva.

"Begin!" Shang Tsung called out once he noted that the two were ready.

Neither of them waited another moment as their lashed their weapons out, stepping forward to begin their attacks. Their weapons quickly clashed and from there, their match officially began.

For a while, the two exchanged their weapon attacks, both switching between offense and defense in hopes of dominating the other. Eventually though, Sheeva managed to knock her opponent's sword out of her hand, much to Ivy's surprise.

Quickly, Sheeva lifted up a foot and kicked Ivy in the face. The force of the kick was hard enough to send Ivy spinning a few times before landing on the ground. At that point, Sheeva jumped up in order to stomp on her, but Ivy managed to move out of the way before she could land on her.

At that point, Ivy realized that she was near her own sword. She attempted to grab her weapon, but Sheeva managed to lift her up before she could do so. Sheeva held her with her lower arms. Once she positioned her, Sheeva used her upper hands to land a few powerful punches on Ivy's face and stomach before tossing her aside.

After landing, Ivy found herself gasping for air. As she did, she noticed Sheeva coming towards her again. She noticed that she was a few feet away from her sword. Deciding to take the opportunity, Ivy rolled a few feet and managed to successfully grab the hilt of her sword. She then managed to get back on her knees while still catching her breath.

Ivy waited until Sheeva was close enough. Once she was, Ivy lashed out her now-uncoiled sword, swinging it around randomly at the female Shokan. Sheeva quickly back away, although the first couple of swings managed to hit her, leaving behind some cuts on her upper arms and just below her neck. Sheeva gritted her teeth upon feeling the stings from the sword.

Finally catching her breath, Ivy managed to stand herself up. Quickly, she attempted to extend her sword at Sheeva's head, but the Shokan managed to sidestep away before she was hit. Ivy then pulled her sword back for a second before extending it again, spinning her sword in circles. Sheeva was only hit once this time as she managed to back up before being hit again.

After recovering from the attack, Sheeva quickly shot out a single projectile from her hands. Ivy sidestepped out of the way before she was hit. After moving, she stared at Sheeva. "I've seen that move before! Don't you have anything better than that pathetic move?"

A sly smirk appeared on Sheeva's face. As a reply to Ivy's comment, she brought her four arms out before pushing them out. This time, four projectiles emerged, one from each hand. Ivy's eyes widened in surprised before she used her sword to deflect the energy balls from her path…that was with the exception of the last one. That projectile managed to hit her in the abdomen and knock her to the floor.

As Sheeva ran over to her again, Ivy rolled back before getting herself back on her feet. Once the Shokan was close enough again, Ivy quickly got herself behind her before jumping on her shoulders. She attempted to wrap her sword around Sheeva's neck. However, Sheeva managed to grab her head with her upper hands and throw her over her shoulder.

Once again, Ivy found herself on the ground. She was starting the pain coursing through her body as she was developing bruises from Sheeva's attacks. Briefly, she thought back on her thoughts from the aftermath of Round Six of the tournament. She had hoped for a good challenge for the next round.

That little hope ended up coming true after all.

"How does it feel to be under my wrath?!" Sheeva called out.

By this point, Ivy was struggling to get herself back on her feet. Sheeva watched in amusement as she watched her opponent struggling to get up. To her, she had already won the match.

I won't… lose! Ivy cried out in her mind as she eyed Sheeva. Not while I'm this close to the final round of the tournament…

Quickly, she lashed out her sword again. She spun it low to the ground, creating fire waves around the sword. She then jumped forward in fast speed before lashing her sword. Sheeva tried to step back, but the sword had managed to stretch itself out and leave a cut on her upper chest.

Sheeva took a moment to recover from the attack before she began running towards her opponent. However, Ivy was prepared for her next attack. She waited until Sheeva was close enough. Once she was a few feet away, Ivy performed a powerful uppercut with her sword, sending Sheeva in the air. Then, Ivy quickly extended her sword and had it wrap around both of Sheeva's ankles. Despite the Shokan's more heavier weight compared to hers, Ivy was able to pull her down with fast speed, forcing Sheeva to crashing into the ground on her back. With the force of the impact, Sheeva was rendered unconscious.

After a few moments, Shang Tsung, a bit amazed that Ivy was able to defeat Sheeva, stood up. "Winner: Ivy Valentine, and one of two participants to enter the final round of the tournament!"

The audience watching clapped in unison. Ivy didn't pay much attention as she realized the pain she was feeling before was really settling in. She ended up collapsing on her knees from exhaustion. Even so, she couldn't help but smirk. Indeed Sheeva was a challenge, but it was worth it. After all, she became the first of two tournament participants to make it to the final round. She was now one step away from retrieving the medallion.

Now one mystery remained… the two remaining contestants, Siegfried and Jin, had their match tomorrow. Ivy wondered which was one was going to face her in the final round.