Her dad was going to kill her.

This was the thought that kept showing up in Gwen's mind during the months that had passed at the Wu Shi Academy. She honestly tried to call or even text her father, but it kept saying that the number didn't exist or something. Gwen wouldn't deny that her being here helped with her skills and maintaining her mind while in battle. It also helped that Liu Kang said he would explain the situation to her father when they were done with the tournament. Gwen could almost imagine the shock on her father's face.

Right now, Gwen tried to have these thoughts gone from her head. She was meditating. Gwen often found herself spending most of her time doing so at the Academy. Her being a superhero didn't often leave her time to relax and train, so maybe this was a blessing in disguise.

That was until she heard footsteps coming up behind her. She rolled her eyes. "Johnny, you're never going to get my mask off."

"Aw, come on!" Johnny Cage said as Gwen turned her head. "What even gave me away? I was so sure I was silent!"

"Clearly not. Just like a spider, I rely on my surroundings for information." Gwen said as she got up from her spot. "You know what? I'm going to finally ask. Why do you keep trying to see my real face?"

"Why wouldn't I? Superheroes sell big money. Besides, you have to be some actress to really think of that story of yours!"

Gwen's eyes squinted at this. "You honestly don't believe me? Even after what I've told you, Kenshi, Kung Lao and Raiden?"

"Dude the way you talk about what's been happening in New York is not even remotely true! Trust me, I've been trying to find anything about you and there's not even a thing about it! Either New York Is good at hiding things, which I doubt, or your story is suuuuuuper fake." Johnny said rolling his eyes as he spoke.

"That still doesn't mean -" Gwen sighed as she stopped herself. "You know what? It doesn't matter right now. I'll prove it when we're done with the tournament."

"Whatever you say, Sunshine." Johnny said before walking over to Kung Lao and Raiden. Gwen was rolling her eyes as she followed suit. This must be her punishment for annoying her allies whenever she joked. But at least she could tell when the jokes stopped.

Gwen's eyes were drawn to the hat Kung Lao had in his hands. "Besides that being a massive fashion statement, what is that?" She asked Kung Lao as Johnny took out his phone to record.

Kung Lao grinned and threw the hat in the other direction. It flew in that direction, cutting multiple objects with its Razer edge. It quickly returned, and Kung Lao caught it and proceeded to put the hat on his head.

"Maybe it's too effective." Raiden sighed as he walked closer to the Duo.

"We just need to get on with it. We've been cooped up here for months. I can't base a cinematic universe on Outworlds Monsters and magic if I don't ever see them."

"How noble of a cause." Gwen quipped, annoyed at the actor. Was that all he ever cared about? Making movies and earning money?

"That's why you're here?" A new voice came out. Gwen turned slightly to see that it was Kenshi. Gwen never spoke to him one on one but she remembered that he was an ex-yakuza who really wanted a sword. A sword named Sento that Johnny owned, as she recalled.

"Liu Kang said that this gig would change the arc of my life. that's how it gets done. My Ex'll rue the day she gave up on me." Johnny continued as Gwen put a hand to her head sighing.

"So Selfless." Kenshi commented.

"Oh, please tattoo. You're just here to get your sword back."

"We all have our reasons for being here. Some better than others." Raiden said, trying to calm the coming argument. "But we are not here to fight among ourselves. We are here to fight for Earthrealm."

A gong began to ring, catching the attention of the group. "It's about damn time." Johnny said as they began to walk to Liu Kang.

"And today, one of you will be chosen to fight for it at the tournament." Liu Kang said.

"Only one of us, Lord Liu Kang? Isn't Outworld fielding several champions?" Raiden asked."The Tournament's rules give the host realm that advantage. And it is OutWorlds turn as host." Liu Kang continued.

"You know I don't know why I've never asked about this, but...uh..." Johnny said before letting out a small laugh before continuing. "Whats our record at this Tournament?"

"Earthrealm and Outworld have long been evenly matched. But Outworld is gaining strength. Should it win, it's more militant factions will be emboldened."

"That doesn't sound good.." Gwen muttered to herself.

"I thought you admired Outworld." Raiden said, a bit confused.

"It is a place of great knowledge, wealth, and beauty." Liu Kang said, walking closer to the group, leading them as they followed. "But our realms do not share goals and beliefs. We coexist peacefully because Outworld respects our strength. Should we show weakness..our rival will become our enemy."

Gwen felt off put now that she knew the stakes. If any of them messed up, the fate of the world could be ruined.

"I will not lose, Lord Liu Kang." Kung Lao said, a bit cocky.

"First, you must win the right to represent us. Whichever one of you outlasts, the others will be chosen." Liu Kang said as he sat down on a wooden chair. "Raiden, step forward."Raiden did so and bowed before Li Kang. Johnny Cage laughed. "Good call, Cull the weak first."

"Spider-Woman. Step forward."

Gwen did as she was asked to do and bowed a bit as well. She did have to respect the God after all.

"Whoever wins this fight will move on to fight the next opponent." Liu Kang said as the others went next to him to watch the fight.

Raiden and Gwen faced each other.

"I do hope I will not seriously harm you, Miss Spider."

"Please, I haven't got a bone that hasn't been broken."

"Fight!"

Gwen felt bad for Raiden. She knew how hard he trained. But she was no match for-

Suddenly, Her brain felt like it was pushing against her skull, Her Spider-Sense going off like crazy. Gwen was missing her punches she tried to throw at Raiden. It was getting harder to focus. Despite it, Gwen struck at Raiden. Her swing landed a foot off, and so did the next. She couldn't hit a thing. Raiden began to land some blows to her, but they felt like cannonballs. She could tell nothing was broken, so why was she getting close to unconsciousness? After a while, she fell to the ground, her breathing stained.

Soon, the headache was gone, and suddenly, she could breathe better. Gwen saw the look on Raidens face. He knew something was off. But she quickly recovered,acting like nothing had happened.

"Good job. surprised me a bit."

The rest of the fights during the day went by fast. The whole time that was happening, Gwen was trying to figure out what even caused her Spider-Sense to go nuts. She looked around without trying to make herself obvious to see if there were any hidden threats, but she couldn't find one. Raiden was the winner of his fights against Johnny Cage (not a total surprise there) and Kenshi. That left only Kung Lao left for when it was night.

Gwen was trying to eat her lunch, but Johnny kept his mouth running.

"So much for that superhero training, huh? That's how I know your stories are fake! Even with your impressive webbing or whatever it was you showed me, a superhero could easily beat us!"

"Easy there, Cage, we all have our off days." Kenshi said. "At least she landed some blows."

"Thanks, Kenshi.." Gwen said awkwardly as she pulled her mask back down after cleaning her mouth of any food with a napkin.

"Don't tell me you still believe her!"

"It does not matter what I believe in. Why would she not only impress Lord Liu Kang, but enough to have her join us?"

"I'm going to go now.." Gwen said as she got up from her seat. She could still hear the two argue. Gwen pulled out her phone and loaded up a picture of her dad with her. She smiled, It was a result of the prank she had done to cheer him up after a rough day. Gwen put the phone away.

The last fight came and went with Raiden as the Champion for Earthrealm. He got some sort of amulet as a reward for the right that shot out lighting. Gwen couldn't help but wonder if she would have gotten it if she had won the fights.

S̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶e̶s̶e̶r̶v̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶p̶o̶wer. It ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶b̶etter.̶ Gwen was confused as that thought came to her head and tried to shake off the jealousy that surprised her. It was unhealthy to think about the what-ifs in life. Gwen couldn't even think of the last time she had such thoughts.

After the group had switched to their normal clothing, Liu Kang led them to make a portal to go to outworld. What happened next was like a blur to her.

Gwen knew Outworld would be unlike any place She'd seen on Earth, but it still took Her breath away. The realm was like a beautiful painting come to life, filled with incredible sights and smells. But despite its breathtaking beauty, the realm also had a dark and dangerous feel to it, making Gwen feel like she was walking through the pages of a fantasy novel but with real stakes at play. The tournament went by rather quickly and without much fuss, only lasting a day and a half. Gwen kept getting weird thoughts. Jealousy that surprised her every time it came up. But why would she feel this way? It wasn't like she did any better. Kenshi lost in their own little tournament as well, so Clearly Raiden was skilled. And besides, Raiden won, so who's to say what would have happened anyway.

Gwen was in the middle of packing her stuff in a spare suitcase Johhny had given her to prepare for her trip back to New York. A knock on the door, and Gwen went over to open it after putting her mask back on. She opened the door, and Liu Kang stood before her. "Oh, Hey Liu. what's up?" She asked, opening the door wider. She noticed the look on his face. "... Is something the matter?"

"I know I promised you to return you to your home, but..I need your help." Li Kang said after a moment of the others had been gathered, the situation was explained. Someone named Shang Tsung was hidden in Outworld, He was someone who could pose a serious threat to all the realms.

"It's a tricky misson. I'd rather Raiden go along than this one, " Kenshi said, motioning to Johnny as Gwen looked over a drawing of the man.

'Hey! This one is up for the job."

"This mission must be done quietly. Everyone in Outworld knows Raiden's face. I am breaking my word with Empress Sindel by sending you there without her knowledge. Spider-woman.." Liu Kang said as Gwen looked up.

"Whats up?"

"I know you have mentioned your reasons for wearing your mask, but you must take it off. This mission must be done while you all are undercover."

Gwen stammered a bit, clearly thrown off by the request. But she soon gave up on arguing and took off the mask, showing a younger woman with sliver hair. Gwen felt uncomfortable as the attention was switched to her unmasked self. She hated it. "Uh...Surprise..?" She said.

"Holy Dawson's Creek." Johnny quipped.

Gwen groaned as she still held her mask. "I'm showing you something that I wouldn't normally do, and you still -" She began to said getting closer to Johnny before Kenshi stood between the two.

"Enough. This is not the time to argue. We have to get this Shang Tsung."

Gwen sighed as she stood back. Kenshi was right. She didn't know why his jokes were now bothering her so much. Liu Kang gave them a device that would allow them to find Shang Tsung and opened a protal to get them into Outworld. After a long walk and Johnny poking at Kenshi, They were close. The group walked close to the edge of a cliff as they saw a camp below them.Gwen looked around the camp and saw a man who matched the drawing. "There." She said, pointing towards him as he stuck a needle into a villagers' head. "What is he..?"

"Oh, my fans are going to go nuts cosplaying as them at CageCon." Johnny said, recording.

"Johnny!" Gwen said sharply while trying to be quiet. "Now is not the time to record." She said as Gwen heard the sounds of fighting down below. Gwen turned her head back to see that the villagers were fighting Shang Tsung and his men.

"On second thought, this scene's playing fine without us." Johnny said before yawning. "Yeah, I'd say we let them finish it."

"We need to save Shang Tsung. Liu Kang needs him alive." Kenshi said.

"You guys focus on his men, I'll get him and web him down." Gwen said before web-slinging down as the Other jumped down.

Johnny and Kenshi were attacking the man who was punching Shang Tsung. Shang Tsung smiled and changed his form and began to walk away. Gwen then tossed a Spider-Tracker onto his back as he did so. "Gotcha." She said as she began to follow him.

It took a while, but they were now in the forest alone from the Chaos. Gwen swung down and kicked the Disgused Shang Tsung. "You know, that's some party trick. Too bad I've fought shapeshifters before, so I'll give you a solid five out of ten."

"You've never met any like me." Shang said, trying to swipe at Gwen with the sharp end of his gloves. Gwen easily dodged and punched him in the face.

However, as soon as the punch connected, Her head began to hurt, and Gwen's Spider-Sense began to intensify. Gwen dodged a fire ball that was shot towards her, but Shang Tsung landed a punch to her gut that winded her. She tried to web him up, but she couldn't see straight.

"Fascinating.." Shang said as Gwen kept trying to fight him even though her whole head felt like it was going to burst. "Not only do you have fast reflexes, You also have the ability to conjure up spider webs to trap your opponent..It shall be fun to experiment on you."

"You won't get the chan -" Gwen said before Shang Tsung stabbed her arm, making her cry out in pain as she held the bleeding arm before she was swiftly knocked out.

"Oh, I certainly do have the chance.." Shang Tsung said before picking her up, carrying her to his Lab.