Chapter Sixty-One

Three Hours After the End of The Blood Tournament…

Forest Area

It was only an hour ago when Jin Kazama woke up on his bed… with a major headache. For a moment, he had felt confusion as he tried to remember what happened before he blacked out.

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks… he was knocked out unconscious by his fighting opponent Ivy Valentine. He had lost The Blood Tournament, his only chance at finally lifting his curse. Not only that, but the thought over the fact that a group of people were depending on his win was beginning to dwell on him.

Cammy was at his side when he woke up with an ice pack ready in her hand. She had informed him that everyone had forgiven him and to not worry over his loss.

"Raiden and Rose are going to try to think of a plan B in our mission," Cammy had mentioned.

Jin hadn't said much other than, "May I be alone for a while?" Even if everyone did forgive him, he still felt down about his loss. He just needed some time alone so that he could make peace with what happened.

Without informing anyone, Jin went out to the forest to meditate. It was the only place in Outworld where he felt relaxed. Besides, it really was the only place where he could get some alone time without any noise around him.

Jin knew that he had spent a short time meditating as he reflected on his day. He felt a bit grim as he remembered what caused him to lose the tournament. Ivy had saw the uppercut that he attempted to perform. Her quick maneuver around him had led him to become vulnerable and she was able to lay down her final attack on him.

If only I was more careful… the young man thought with a sigh.

As he continued to meditate, a sudden flash of an image came before him. The image only lasted for a second, but Jin was able to instantly recognize it. It was none other than the devil form of himself!

Jin's eyes quickly snapped opened upon the realization. Having gasped quick and deeply, he suddenly found himself catching his breath as he attempted to recollected his thoughts. He even felt his heart quickly pounding against his ribcage.

Have I dazed out into a dream? he thought. Or did I-

His thoughts were quickly interrupted upon hearing a set of footsteps coming from behind him. Jin didn't bother to turn his head around to see the person as he slowly got himself on his feet. He expected the person to be someone he knew in the tournament… Cammy, Raiden, perhaps even Yoshimitsu again. Soon, the person spoke.

"I've been waiting for you to either win or lose for quite some time."

Jin gasped and his eyes widened in surprise as he instantly recognized this voice… a voice he did not expect to hear. The young man quickly whirled himself around to see the very man he despised… his own grandfather, Heihachi Mishima. Heihachi himself stood there with his arms folded and he possessed an amused smirk on his face.

"You've been here the whole time?!" Jin called out.

Heihachi chuckled. "You sound surprised, Jin. You should know your own grandfather by now… how could I resist a tournament such as this? Even before I came here, I knew that you would be here… and I simply waited for the right time to approach you."

Jin narrowed his eyes at Heihachi. "I know you're intentions… the same that you have done since day one… using me as bait for your own gain in your corporation. You almost got me that day, but it won't happen again."

"Bold words," Heihachi replied. "And you're pretty close about my intentions… but not close enough. I plan to extract the Devil Gene out of you… for my own gain of course, under one condition… you're death." He then grinned. "Oh yes, you're right... is was exactly how it happened that day."

Normally, Jin would raise his fist and would gladly fight the one man he despised more than anything right here and right now. However, he knew that he was in no condition to fight, not after today.

"You want it so badly," Jin began to say to him. "Then you can come try and get it… but not today. We'll hold our own battle when we return to Earth."

Heihachi's grin had faded by then and he slightly nodded. "Very well then." He then turned around and began walking away from Jin. "Be at the Mishima Zaibatsu within the next week or two."

Jin said nothing as he watched his grandfather disappear behind the trees. He thought about the last sentence the older man had just said… he wanted to meet him at his own corporation. Jin wasn't stupid… he knew that would only lead him into a trap. The only thing he could try to do is find a way to lure Heihachi out of the facility.

He'll have to see…

Beach Area

Looking out at the scenery in front of them, Mika, Cassandra, Asuka, Sakura, and Maki sat down together just a few feet away from the water. They found themselves mostly quiet for some time before Mika finally broke the silence.

"Well… unless something comes up tomorrow, it looks like we are all going home," Mika said.

"Yeah," replied Asuka. "But let's think of it this way… although we've had some bad times, there are also the good memories."

"Like when we all tumbled into the men's hot springs when the fence broke," Cassandra chuckled.

Maki chuckled a bit before replying. "And our karaoke nights… until the batteries on the machine ran out."

"And our times here at the beach," said Mika. She then found herself frowning a bit. "I wish Ibuki was still here to enjoy this with us."

"Yeah," sighed Asuka. "But I know she would've wanted us to move on rather than dwell on what happened…"

For another moment, the five girls were silent as one of the grimmest memories in Outworld came back to them. The silence, however, didn't last very long before Sakura spoke.

"I really wish Jin had won the tournament," she said. "But I guess it wasn't meant to be."

"I'm sure that Raiden and Rose will come up with a new plan to get the medallion back," said Asuka.

"I'm sure they will," said Mika.

Silence lingered again, but only for a few seconds before Maki spoke. "I think in the end when we all head home… we're definitely going to miss each other."

"Yes we will," said Sakura. "With all of us living in Japan and Cassandra living in another world, it's definitely not going to be the same without you guys."

"Let's just enjoy the time we have together now," suggested Mika.

From there, the five of them continued with their chatter.

Shao Kahn's Fortress

Ten minutes ago, Ivy Valentine was asked to meet with Shao Kahn in his throne room. By that time, she was just beginning to get herself prepared as she was going to leave for Keisei in the morning when the other tournament participants depart.

Quietly, she entered the throne room and saw Shao Kahn sitting at his throne as soon as she passed the doors to the large room. He watched her as she approached the throne, soon stopping just a few feet away.

"Congratulations on your win the tournament," Shao Kahn said. "You've done well."

Ivy nodded to him. "Thank you." A smirk came over her face then. "I knew that I would emerge the victor."

Shao Kahn then stood up and walked over to her, soon stopping just a couple of feet from her. Ivy found herself looking up at him, nearly forgetting how tall the Emperor was. His presence would normally intimidate others… yet for some reason, she didn't feel afraid of him.

"Have you brought the medallion with you as I requested?" he asked.

Ivy nodded as she took the medallion out of her pocket and held it in front of her. "Yes, I've brought it with me."

"Good," Shao Kahn said. "Now, let me ask you this… how does it feel to have such a power within your hands?"

Ivy looked down at the artifact for a moment. She still didn't feel impressed by it as it looked up at her with it's single eye.

"To be quite honest, I feel nothing," Ivy replied.

Shao Kahn nodded. "That is because you are holding a replica in your hand."

Ivy looked up at the Emperor with her blue eyes widened as he reached a hand out… now holding the real medallion. This medallion seemed more life-like as the red tear slightly glowed in a slow rhythm.

"I believe you wanted this," he said.

Ivy dropped the fake medallion to the ground and she slowly took the real thing into her hands. "Why was I given a replica in the first place?" she asked as she stared at the artifact.

"For two reasons," Shao Kahn replied. "Just in case Shang Tsung decided to double cross me and just in case Jin ended up winning the tournament instead."

Now Ivy understood as she looked up at him. "Good plan," she commended.

"Now," Shao Kahn began to say. "There was another reason I called you down here."

Ivy nodded to him as she awaited for his word.

"It's… quite a rare offer if I say so myself," he continued. "It's a little plan I've had for myself since the beginning of the tournament. You have proven your loyalty to me despite the short time you've been here. And your win in the tournament proved to me of your strength and your dedication to fighting."

Then to Ivy's surprise, the Emperor reached a hand up and slightly brushed her cheek with his fingers. She stared up at him as he did this and in her mind, she knew that Shao Kahn's other minions would probably drop dead with surprise if they ever saw this.

Shao Kahn then proceeded. "It's been quite some time since Outworld had an Empress. It's the perfect title for you. Come rule Outworld by my side."

Although Ivy was very flattered by the offer, she couldn't help but feel guilty. Here she was planning to leave Outworld with the medallion and now here's a man, who believes that she's completely loyal to him, making a type of offer she was sure every woman dreamed of.

Now, however, she was beginning to understand why the Emperor seemed to call her over to the throne all the time since her arrival here. It was because he had a bit of an infatuation with her. She never believed that he was capable of those types of feelings… but she guessed that even someone like Shao Kahn can possess that after all.

Even after those thoughts, Ivy still was sure whether to take the offer. She had been planning to leave here since day one after the tournament was over… but now with an offer such a this, she was now finding herself conflicted.

Still not sure what to do, Ivy gave him the answer she knew he wanted to hear…

"Yes… I accept."

Cave

It was mostly quiet all around, which was something Julia wanted right at the moment. She hummed to herself a little as she took her time to place all of her belongings in her two duffle bags. It only took her a half hour to complete her packing and she doubled check all around her room just to make sure she got everything.

Afterward, Julia sat down on her bed, sighing a little as she looked around the small room. Depending on the circumstances for tomorrow, Julia and the other Chosen Ones were going to be heading home in the morning.

To Julia, it was kind of strange when she thought about it… she had grown used to being here after living here for over a month, and now she would have to adjust to being back on Earth again. However, she was quite sure that getting used to being back wouldn't last very long.

Another sigh escaped the young woman's lips as she thought about all that has happened, especially the events that took place during the last few days. Just a couple of nights ago, she finally found out the answers she has been searching for nearly two years. Her mother Michele had been kidnapped and brainwashed into an assassin. A couple of months later, she was killed by the man she was supposed to assassinate… that man being Ryu.

That was all according to Sagat, who formerly worked for Shadaloo. It was through his own words so Julia didn't want to believe him completely unless he presented her with solid evidence.

But… what if it was true? she thought sadly.

She then thought about Ryu. They've hardly spoken since her discovery. The two had planned for him to come to Arizona with her for a couple of weeks upon their return to Earth… but even now Julia wasn't sure if that would happen now…

One thing was for sure… despite what (may) had happened, Julia's feelings for Ryu were still there. However, the thought of the fact that he may have been responsible for Michelle's death still lingered in the back of her mind.

A thought suddenly came to her then… a thought that concerned Shadaloo. According to Sagat, Michelle had been killed a few months after she had been kidnapped… and she had gone missing two years ago.

If that's the case, she began to ask herself. And the fact that they knew of me… why only now was I informed of what happened to my mother?

Julia has heard the organization's name in the news before, but never really looked into them as she wasn't interested at the time. Her encounter with Sagat only left her with more questions than answers.

She made the decision that, upon her return to Earth, she would start her own research on Shadaloo. Perhaps that way, she'll find the answers to her questions and perhaps more information behind what happened to Michelle.

Cave Grounds

"Ah the smell of burning marshmallows," said Cody as he deeply inhaled.

Guy narrowed his eyes a bit as a thought came to him. "Didn't we run out of these a couple of days ago?" he asked suspiciously.

An evil grin came over Cody's face. "They were out of marshmallows… in the lounge room, but no one ever asked about the ones in my room."

Guy sighed a little. "Only you Cody."

The two long-time friends roasted the last remaining bag of marshmallows over the open blaze in the campfire. Once each marshmallow was roasted, they would bring the sticks closer so that they would bite into the white fluffy treat.

"I must admit," Cody began to say after swallowing. "I'm kind of going to miss this place. It's sort of what you call a place to get away from the ordinary."

"I would rather have been just simply out of the country," Guy replied. "But at least we had a good reason to be here."

"That's true," the blonde-haired man nodded. "Speaking of going back to Earth, what do you plan to do once you get back to Earth?"

"Just continue with my training," Guy answered. "I'm sure some of the students at the dojo will be eager to spar with me upon my return."

"I can only imagine," Cody laughed. "As for me, I'll be returning to Metro City… most likely hearing a lecture from Jessica for leaving her so quickly… and also probably try to get my brother Kyle out of trouble for something stupid."

Guy only nodded in reply. He's heard Cody talk about his younger brother before, but even with the long time he's known him, he's never actually met Kyle before.

At one point, Cody reached into the bag of marshmallows and searched with his hand for a moment. "Damn! We went through that bag pretty fast."

"In that case," Guy began to say as he stood himself up. "Let's head out to the springs."

"I wouldn't mind," Cody replied. He ended up yawning a bit before proceeding. "But I already went to the springs this morning. Besides, sleep is starting to take over."

"All right," Guy said. "I won't be gone for too long then."

"Going by yourself?" Cody then chuckled. "Here you go breaking the rule Raiden and Rose laid out… don't leave the cave grounds without someone with you."

"I know," Guy said. "But I prefer to be alone anyway." He then began to walk off. "I'll be back in an hour."

"All right then," Cody called out. "But don't come crying to me if the boogie man gets you."

Taking a bucket in his hands, Cody dumped some water into the campfire causing the fire to go out. He then stood himself up before placing the bucket back where he found it. From there, he began to return to the cave as Guy headed to the springs.

Nearby…

After eating a late dinner at the palace, Sonya, Li Mei, and Alex began heading back to the cave. At this point, they were about three quarters away from the cave ground entrance.

The three of them mostly talked about today's match, all feeling a bit depressed about Jin's loss, but know that he had tried his best. Soon enough, Li Mei decided to change the subject.

"I think I came to a decision," she said.

Sonya and Alex looked over at the Outworld native. "What kind of decision?" asked Alex.

"About what I want to do after the tournament's over," Li Mei replied. "I always knew that I wanted to get out of Outworld and after debating in my mind, I think I want to come to Earth."

"Earth is definitely different from here," Sonya mentioned.

"I know," Li Mei said. "But I thought long and hard about it and since I know more people from Earth than any other realm, I think that would be a good place to start."

An idea came to Alex. "You could even stay at my apartment once we get back. Just until you get settled there of course."

Li Mei smiled. "Thanks. I definitely appreciate it."

Alex then sighed a little. "I must admit though… I'm kind of not looking forward to going back, knowing that I'm going to hear lip from the General about my sudden departure as soon as we get back to the office."

"Try not to worry about until we get to the base," said Sonya. "No matter what happens, you know that I will back you up."

Alex nodded. "I know you will."

At that point, Li Mei found herself yawning. "We definitely better get to sleep soon," she suggested. "If we do leave here tomorrow, then it's definitely going to be a long trip."

"A day's worth if I remember correctly," mentioned Sonya.

It was at that moment that Sonya heard her name being called. The blonde-haired agent turned her head to the voice and spotted Guile along with Wagner nearby.

"What's going on Colonel?" Sonya asked as soon as she, Li Mei, and Alex approached the two.

"New information just came in thanks to Guile's personal investigation," announced Wagner.

"Do tell," said Alex.

Guile then looked at Sonya. "The woman you encountered the other day… I discovered her room number in the main palace."

"Kira," Sonya mumbled a bit. She then looked up again. "Well this is good," she said with a stronger voice. "This was the very reason we came here to Outworld. Perhaps we can pay her a visit right now."

"Bad idea," Wagner said. "Turns out the main palace is guarded heavily during the night, especially within the last few days. It's not good to try to make that sort of fuss at this hour."

"So we'll have to make an arrest first thing in the morning," Guile said.

Sonya huffed a little. "I think it's better to arrest her tonight… but I guess we might as well wait until morning. We just have to get it done before it gets busy down there." She then sighed a little. "I just hope that she's still there when we get there."

"Crack of dawn, you and I will go," Guile suggested to Sonya. "She'll most likely be sleeping and we'll be able to catch her off guard that way."

"All right we'll do that then," Sonya nodded. "Let's head back to the cave and get some rest."

With that, the five of them began heading back.

Unknown to them, however, a shadowed figure happened to have watched the five of them from behind a tree. The figure was lurking around the area as he was on an assignment under the Emperor's orders.

Originally, he was in a disguise, but just before moving into the light of the moon, he changed his form. The moon's light soon revealed Shang Tsung.

He was originally asked by Shao Kahn to look over things in the palace for a few hours after the tournament had ended. However, just now, he ended up making his own discovery he never expected to find. Turns out that there was a group lurking about outside of the palace and are living in a cave.

Shang Tsung remembered Sonya all too clearly. She was one of Raiden's chosen ones during the Mortal Kombat tournament.

Now that I think about it, the sorcerer thought. Perhaps the Thunder God is here?

He wouldn't put it passed that if that turned out to be true.

Then he noticed Li Mei. He didn't recognize her right away, until he remembere Sun Do.

So… she's the one who escaped, he thought. Perhaps maybe I'll try capture her again… this time for my own reasons.

Then he noticed Alex. Upon seeing her, he suddenly felt surprised. The last time she had seen her, she was being tortured at the hands of the monster Berserk.

I see that you did survive after all, he thought.

After thinking through his discoveries, the sorcerer decided to come up with a plan for his own gains. Deciding to take the time to do so, he disappears within the darkness of the night.

Shao Kahn's Fortress

In one of the more hidden halls of the fortress, two guards stood in front of a large door with one standing near each end. All was quiet in the area with the exception of a few distant creaking noises that the fortress occasionally made.

"So the tournament has finally ended," the first guard said after a long-time of silence.

"Indeed," replied the second guard. "It's sure a good thing that one of Shao Kahn's 'special ones' won."

"There is supposed to be a meeting tonight," the first guard mentioned. "Not sure what it's going to be about, but something tells me that it's going to be of great importance."

"Do you think it may have something to do with why the Emperor was so obsessed with recruiting new members?"

The first guard shrugged. "Perhaps. We'll have to see."

The two fell silent for a while, not sure of what else to say. Eventually, a thought came up in the second guard's mind.

"Do you think we're approaching this whole thing right?"

The first guard looked at him a bit suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, don't you think that we should hold off planning anything for a bit, especially since the tournament had just ended this evening?"

The area suddenly seemed to get eerie as the first guard narrowed his eyes at his fellow guard. "You know… you would be suspected of treason if the Emperor heard you say those words."

The second guard looked at him in shock. "Are you accusing me of being a possible traitor?"

"If you weren't, you wouldn't be asking such questions."

Feeling frustrated suddenly, the second guard walked right up to this fellow guard. "Well I am no traitor!" he said with the volume of his voice rising.

"Step away from me or else-"

"Or else what?" the second guard asked him daringly.

Feeling frustrated himself now, the first guard pushed him back. He only went a couple of feet before he lunged himself forward, tackling the first guard against the wall. The two fought for a bit, kicking, punching and pulling at each other's hair.

In the frenzy of the fight, neither one of them realized for a while that they had ended up crashing through the door they were supposed to guard. The two fought more until the first guard received the upper hand, taking the second guard by the neck before throwing him against one of the machines in the room.

The body weight of the second guard forced down the buttons on the machines. A low humming noise was heard. The first guard looked around in surprise, finally realizing where they were now.

"Quick!" he yelled out at the second guard. "We have to reactivate the-"

But by then it was too late. The machine had activated two blue auras, each one containing a stoned table along with two individuals… those two being Akuma and Scorpion!

Since after the fifth round of the tournament, these two had been in sleep-like states after being captured by the Emperor's minions at his request. The reason for their capture was for Shao Kahn to obtain their power by using the medallion, powers that were necessary for his plans.

Now the auras had disappeared and the bodies of Akuma and Scorpion fell on to the stoned table, waking them both up. For the moment, the two of them felt a bit dazed as they slowly themselves up.

The two guards in the room could only watch in surprise…at least until they were both able to regain their senses the moment the two demons looked up at them. Now fearing their lives, the two guards attempted to get themselves out of the room. However, the two demons were able to teleport themselves, one going after each guard. Both managed to grab them from behind before a loud snap! was heard as the guards' necks were broken with little effort from the demons.

After the guards dropped to the ground dead, Akuma and Scorpion briefly stared at each other for a moment. No expression were written on either of their eyes and it almost as though these two were thinking about fighting right there.

However, both had agendas to attend to beforehand.

Without saying anything, the two demons began to make their escape out of the fortress, the two going into different directions as soon as they got out the door.

Forest

Walking through a trail after spending some time relaxing in the hot springs, Guy was beginning to head back over to the cave. On his shoulder was a white towel that he had used while in the springs.

Guy's mind was completely cleared from any thought, save for one. He was definitely looking forward to getting some rest for the night. The sooner he was in the bed, the sooner he would finally make the trip back to Earth. He didn't really think about it when he was chatting with Cody before, but there was one thing he was looking forward to…seeing the bright blue sky again.

As he continued walking, Guy then began to realize something. All was quiet around him. He listened in for a moment to at least try to hear something.

Now that he was listening, he realized that all was too quiet.

Before he could move forward, Guy once again saw flashes before him. Not again… he thought as he held his head with his fingers on either side of his temples. For a moment, Guy was only able to see white flashes that seemed to appear every second.

Then, as he expected, Rena appeared in front of him.

"Guy!" she called out.

This time, Guy had to say something other than her name. "What is going on?" he asked.

Rena called his name a couple of more times. Then, she said something completely new…

"Leave this place now!"

Then, the flashes and Rena's image disappeared…

Guy opened his eyes slowly. Placing his hands on either side of him, he looked up for a moment. Something's going to happen…

As he continued to try to figure out what was going on, Guy suddenly heard footsteps not too far from him. The Bushin ninja quickly whirled to get a better view of who was coming. He got into his fighting stance right away, not wanting to take any chances. Soon, Guy got a better look at who was coming from behind the trees and instantly recognized him;

Sodom.

The two stared at each other for a moment once Sodom stopped a few feet away. Guy had not seen Sodom since the second round of the tournament when Sodom approached him to have their overdue battle.

"Sore wa jikandearu," Sodom said.

Indeed it was time. Guy had told him last time that he did not want to fight with him until after the tournament was over. Indeed the event had ended today so now was the time to keep his word.

Not caring whether or not Guy made his decision, Sodom launched himself forward, his fists out and ready. Once he reached him, Sodom threw his punches from different directions as Guy was forced to defend himself. It didn't last very long however, as Guy soon found an opening and performed a flip kick, knocking Sodom back a little.

As soon as Guy landed, Sodom took out his two jutte weapons before quickly gliding forward with his feet. He then attempted to slash Guy with his weapons, but the smaller fighter moved sideways before he was hit. He then jumped up before placing one leg out before spinning himself around, his feet connecting three times to Sodom's head.

"Bushin Senpuukyaku!" Guy called out. His attack caused Sodom to fly back before crashing into the ground. The Bushin ninja then waited for the former Mad Gear member to get himself back on his feet.

Moments later, Sodom ran after Guy again, who did the same. When they were close enough, Sodom managed to perform a roundhouse kick, which Guy blocked with his forearm. Then Sodom spun himself around a bit and aimed the same foot at Guy's legs. Guy saw the move coming and his jumped up before performing a somersault in the air so that he was able to distance himself from Sodom for a moment.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Guy dashed forward before jumping up and performing an air kick to Sodom's face, which was protected by his blue helmet. Sodom only stumbled a couple of feet before coming to a stop.

The moment Guy landed on his feet, Sodom managed to reach over and grab Guy by his neck before lifting him up in the air before he was able to recover. Guy was able to try to get out of his grip, but before he could, Sodom managed to quickly head butt Guy in the forehead.

It was already bad enough that the smaller fighter was hit in the head…but it was by someone who was wearing a helmet. Guy suddenly felt dizzy after the impact and he could already feel a couple of drops of blood trailing down his face.

Come on, focus! Guy yelled in his mind as he tried to force himself to regain his mobility.

Sodom then let Guy go, but before the orange-clad man would land on the ground, Sodom kicked him hard in the chest. The force sent Guy flying back into the tree that was a few feet behind him, the back of his head experiencing the impact first. Guy saw colors for just a moment before he completely blacked out…

Sodom watched as Guy's now unconscious form slide down to the ground after hitting the tree. He noted the small splatter of blood that was left on the tree after the impact. He then looked down at Guy, feeling the victory he should have experienced all those years ago.

"Ima, anata wa kōtei o mitashimasu (Now, you will meet the Emperor)," Sodom said.

With that, the large fighter picked up the unconscious Guy and threw him over his shoulder before making his trip back to the Emperor's fortress.

Cave

"I believe our chosen ones have done their best since the start," said Rose. "Even if we weren't able to win the tournament."

"I know," agreed Raiden as he paced himself around the room a bit. "I had confidence in everyone, but some have made it quite far. Now at this point, we have to negotiate a plan b."

"I couldn't agree more," said Rose.

As Raiden paced the room, Rose was sitting on the single couch that was in the room. All was quiet in the cave with the exception of Raiden's footsteps and some other noises here and there from the chosen ones near the lounge room.

"I do have one suggestion," Rose spoke up.

Raiden looked over at his. "Do tell."

"Well, I was thinking that if you and I can't think of anything by morning, then we might as well send the chosen ones back to their home worlds. Once we get a plan going, then we can summon them all back together."

"We can," Raiden said. "Though the time to summon them and have them meet at the destined location would take some time."

Rose sighed a little. "I figured that was the case."

"However," Raiden began to say. "I was informed of something a bit interesting from Jin after he returned from his walk."

"And what is that?" Rose asked.

Raiden sighed a little before replying. "It's possible that Ivy, the winner of the tournament, is working for Shao Kahn. It was discovered that she doesn't have a room in the main palace and, unless she's staying in her own cave, is most likely staying within Shao Kahn's fortress. If that's the case…"

"Then Shao Kahn has indeed retained the medallion…" Rose finished for him. "The medallion would then still be in the wrong hands, as we had feared."

"I have no doubt in my mind that Shao Kahn is scheming a plan," Raiden said. "We will definitely have to be prepared for anything."

At that moment, the curtain to the lounge room opened. Raiden and Rose turned their heads and saw Nightwolf coming in. He walked further into the room and just by seeing the look on his face, Raiden and Rose grew worried.

"You look alarmed," Rose said.

"I just had another vision," Nightwolf said. "It's the same exact vision of war and destruction… the very vision I had just before coming here. This time, it all seemed much more real rather than just a dream."

A worried look came over Raiden as he turned his eyes to Rose, who had the same look on her face as well.

"We have some serious planning to do…"