Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat or any of its characters. All rights belong to Ed Boon, Netherrealm Studios, and Warner Bros.
Next Morning...
Kurai and Drake woke up the next morning on Shang Tsungs island to train with each other while waiting for other fighters to challenge them to Mortal Kombat, but they weren't actively looking for people to fight. They end fights, they don't start them.
Catching Drakes left punch, Kurai flips him over on his back before tossing him to the ground with force. "Oof!" Drake grunts when he lands on his back as Kurai twists his arm, making him tap his arm to get him to let go.
Kurai helps Drake get back on his feet before Drake dusts the dirt off of him. "Jeez, Kurai, you're so aggressive and rough." He tells him as he stretches his left arm. "How have you not killed or fatally injured someone during training all these years?" He then asks him.
Kurai just chuckles with a shrug. "Because if I had wanted to kill them, or you, you wouldn't know until it was too late." He tells his friend with a grin, making Drake slightly shudder. "Are you that arrogant?" He asks.
Kurai shakes his head. "It's not arrogance as long as you know what you're doing." He says, making Drake nod with understanding.
"So, you want to go again?" He asks, but Drake puts his hands up in front of him with a chuckle. "Hah, yeah, no. Not right now. I'm still trying to get some feeling back in my arm." He admits, making Kurai laugh for a moment.
He turns around to grab a leather pouch that was filled with water before tossing it to Drake. "I'll give you a few minutes. After that, we keep training. Your opponents won't give you that same luxury, buddy." He tells Drake with a serious, but gentle, tone, making Drake nod.
"Yeah, I know. Just give me a minute." He tells him when he notices Raiden walking towards them with Liu Kang, and three other new people. He motions his head in their direction as they approach. "Hey, we've got company." He tells Kurai, who turns his head in Raidens direction, and sighs deeply before looking back at Drake. "Wait here. When I'm done, we get back to training." He tells him, causing Drake to nod before taking a swig of water to quench his thirst.
Kurai walks over towards the group and stops just in front of Raiden and Liu Kang. "Lord Raiden, what can I do for you? Wasn't expecting to meet up again so soon." He tells the thunder god with his arms crossed. Raiden just grins. "I told you last night that I'd be seeing you again soon, Kurai. I have some new warriors with me." He says to him, motioning to the new faces behind him.
"I can see that. I recognize two of them, but not the big guy." Kurai says pointing to the tall dark skinned man behind the blonde woman. The man walks up to Kurai before stopping in front of him and holds out his hand to introduce himself. "Major Jackson Briggs, kid. Nice to meet you. But, you can just call me Jax." The man, named Jax, introduces himself as Kurai takes his hand and shakes it firmly with a smile. "Likewise, Jax. Nice to meet you too." He says to him politely before looking over to the long haired blonde woman.
"I'm sorry, I recognize you from last night, but I didn't get your name." He tells her, causing her to smile and walk up to him with her hand extended to shake his hand. "It's alright. My name is Lieutenant Sonya Blade. You can call me Sonya." She tells him as she and Kurai shake each others hands. She backs away from him and looks him up and down before crossing her arms. "I have to admit, you didn't look like much when you revealed yourself, but your fight with... what was that creatures name again?" She asks Kurai with a pause.
"Baraka." He answers.
"Baraka, right. Your fight with him was very impressive. I've never seen someone win a fight that quickly." She tells him with a nod of approval, causing Johnny Cage to scoff quietly. "Hmph, it wasn't that great." He whispers while crossing his arms. Secretly hearing him, Kurai just glances at him with sharply narrowed eyes before looking back at Sonya with a polite smile. "Thank you. I've been around for a long time. So, I know what I'm doing." He says to her and Jax, who only look at him with curiosity and disbelief.
"A long time?" Jax asks, making Kurai look at him and nod his head. "Kid, you don't look a day over 20." He says to him, which only made him and Raiden chuckle humorously. Jax looks back and forth at them before looking at Sonya, who just shrugs with confusion, then looks back at Kurai. "Did I say something funny?" He asks curiously.
Kurai stops laughing and shakes his head. "No, no, you didn't. It's just Raiden asked me the same question last night, and my answer shocked him too. I'm older than I look because I'm an Edenian. I'm over 9,000 years old, Jax." He tells him, making Jaxes and Sonyas eyes widen in shock and disbelief.
"Good god, Kurai! You look great for a 9,000 year old. Should we... should we be respecting you as, like, an elder or something?" Sonya asks him with a chuckle. Raiden, Liu Kang, and Jax all chuckle except for Johnny Cage, who just scoffs. Kurai just chuckles and shakes his head. "Honestly, I'd be insulted if you do that, so, no. You don't have to do that, Sonya." He tells her with a laugh, causing her to nod her head.
"Right, well, now that some of the introductions are out of the way, I think the real star should be introduced here." Johnny Cage says, shoving past Sonya and Jax, and causing the good mood to shift to an awkward and uncomfortable one. Johnny Cage flashes an arrogant smile with his hand hand extended towards Kurai, who only looks at him with no ounce of respect. "Hi, I'm-" He begins to say, but Kurai interrupts him.
"I know who you are. Johnny Cage. A self proclaimed "famous" movie star. Yeah, not a fan. Your movies are B to D list at best. Even with your marital arts talent. Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan have put out better movies than you ever have, chump." He says to him disrespectfully before turning around to walk back towards Drake, who had stood up to walk over to Raidens group, leaving Cage with a stunned and insulted look on his face while Sonya and Jax try to keep themselves from laughing.
Jax leans over to Sonya and whispers in her ear. "I like this guy even more now." He tells her quietly as she nods her head with smile.
Drake walks up to Sonya, Jax, Cage, and Raiden as Liu Kang walks over to Kurai. "Hi, there! I'm Drake Lee. Like Bruce Lee, but no relation." He says to them as Sonya, Jax, and Raiden all shake his hand individually, except Cage, who had walked over to the large water fountain to lean against it with a huff.
"Hello, Drake Lee. We met last night, of course, but it's a pleasure to meet you." Raiden says to him with a smile as Drake nods. "Same, Lord Raiden." He says to him before looking over Sonya and Jax, but notices that Jax looks a little roughed up.
"Um, Jax, if you don't mind me asking, what happened to you? You look a little... rough." He asks him as politely as possible, as Jax looks at his roughed up military gear and nods. "Yeah, kid. I had a little bit of a rough time. I was held hear against my will by Shang Tsung and a man called Kano. A member of the Black Dragon clan." He tells him, causing Drakes eyebrows to shoot up with surprise.
"The Black Dragon clan, you said?" He asks, making Jax and Sonya both nod their heads. "Yeah. Why?" Sonya asks him.
Drake shrugs. "Because Kurai and I bumped into two members of the Black Dragon last night after we first met Raiden and Liu Kang." He answers them, causing their eyes to eyes to widen. "There's more here on the island?" Sonya asks him with seriousness in her tone.
Drake just shrugs and shakes his head. "I... I don't know. Kurai and I only encountered the two, but they've been taken care of. We managed to take them both out last night before they went after anyone else." He answers as Sonya and Jax look at each other with concern. Drake looks at them both before looking over at Raiden.
"Um... have I said something wrong?" He asks the thunder god, causing the immortal man to shake his head, and put his hand up reassuringly. "No, Drake, you haven't. Let's just leave them alone for a moment. They have something to discuss." He says to him calmy as Sonya and Jax both thankfully nod their heads.
Raiden nods back at them in understanding before placing a hand on Drakes shoulder. "Come, Drake. I have something to discuss with both you and Kurai." He tells him, making Drake nod before both he and Raiden walk over to Kurai and Liu Kang.
Moments earlier, when Liu Kang walked over to speak with Kurai, who had sat down on a large boulder to have a drink of water, there was something on Liu Kangs mind that he wanted to discuss with Kurai.
Walking up to Kurai, Liu Kang bows respectfully to him as Kurai nods his head. "Kurai, if I may, there was something you said last night that has been bugging me, and I would like to clear it up with you if that's alright?" He explains to Kurai, who looks at Liu Kang with a confused and curious look as he took another drink of water from his leather pouch.
Setting the pouch aside, Kurai nods in Liu Kangs direction to let him continue. "You mentioned a name last night that I may have misheard, but did I hear you mention the name of Master Han? The Grandmaster of the Dark Wu Shi academy?" He asks him curiously, causing Kurai to nod his head, confirming that Liu Kang had indeed heard him right. "Yes, you heard me right, Liu Kang. Why do you ask?" He asks him curiously.
Sharply narrowing his eyes, Liu Kang steps up close to Kurai and gets dangerously close to his face. "Master Han is not one that you should trust, Kurai." He says to with assertiveness. Kurai just looks at Liu Kang with narrowed eyes. "And why is that, Liu Kang?" He asks him.
Liu Kang sighs deeply before stepping away from Kurai. "Grandmaster Han, from what I've heard from my grandfather, is a... cruel man. Unnecessarily cruel. Violent, harsh, and cold. He was an evil man in his youth, and caused the deaths of many, many people. And, you say you were taught by him?" He explains to Kurai while looking at him closely.
Kurai nods his head to confirm that he had been taught by Grandmaster Han. "Yes, but before him, I was taught by many other people. Both in and outside the Dark Wu Shi academy. I came and went from the academy from time to time during my years in Earthrealm." He answers the young monk, who looks at him curiously, but also cautiously. "Why's that?" He asks him, causing Kurai to shrug nonchalantly before leaning back on his hands against the boulder.
"Before I found out I was an Edenian, and not a human, I had wandered the world to look for answers to my past. And I had found none. Until years back, when Master Han had become Grandmaster, he told me that after I had taken my final Dark Wu Shi academy test, he would give me the answers I sought, whether I passed or failed." Kurai explains as Liu Kang just listens. "Well, I had passed, of course, because I refuse to fail. I don't want anything handed to me on a silver platter. Naturally, after I passed, Grandmaster Han pointed me in the direction of the Mortal Kombat tournament, but I would have to fight for Earthrealm while I look for answers here. So, I have every intention of doing so." He finishes his explanation, causing Liu Kang to nod in understanding. But Kurais relationship with Grandmaster Han still bothers him.
So, he made to speak again, but Kurai held up his hand to stop him. "Liu Kang, I have no quarrel with you, and I understand your suspicion of me because of my teacher and friend, but I'm fully aware of Hans past. It's a past that he is not proud of. He once told me that if he could go back and do things a little differently, he would do so in a heartbeat. He became a changed man after the loss of his wife and daughter. That was while I was away from the academy. After that he had become completely different. And he made sure to teach all his students, including myself, to be careful with our behavior, and decisions that could potentially bring harm to others." He continues to explain, while Liu Kang listens intently.
"Despite what your grandfather has told you, I'm not calling him a liar, but despite what he has told you, Grandmaster Han is not the same as he was in his youth. I trust the man I know now, Liu Kang. I hope you can understand, and respect that. Because I would do the same for you since I've never met your grandfather before, but I've heard that he is a kind man." He tells the young monk respectfully, causing Liu Kang to nod gratefully with a smile.
"He is. He is one of the best men I know." The young monk says politely, making Kurai smile and nod. "Kurai, if I... may be so bold, I would like to spar with you to test your abilities." Liu Kang tells him, which slightly shocks Kurai for a brief moment before looking at him curiously.
"Why would you want to do that?" He asks him curiously. Liu Kang just bows his head politely before answering. "Because if Lord Raiden wishes to recruit you to fight for Earthrealm, I would very much like to see the abilities of a man who has lived for countless centuries before I make the decision of whether to trust him or not." He explains to him with his head still bowed.
Thinking for a moment, Kurai silently understands his reason. "A mans true character is often revealed through his fists." He whispers, but Liu Kang hears him, looks up, and nods. Kurai nods with understanding then hops down from the boulder as Liu Kang stands up straight.
Kurai and Liu Kang then both bow respectfully to each other as Drake and Raiden walk up to them. Noticing, but not understanding what was happening, Raiden calls out to both of them. "Liu Kang! Kurai! What are you doing?" He asks them with confusion, but they say nothing and just stare each other down intensely.
Getting an idea of what's happening, Drake gently nudges Raiden in his arm, causing him to look over at the young man. "A test of character, Lord Raiden." He explains as Raiden looks back at Kurai and Liu Kang, who were still staring at each other in their fighting stances. He then nods as he and Drake back away from the two fighters.
Sonya, Jax, and Johnny Cage walk up behind them when they see the two young men on opposite sides of each other looking like they're about to fight. "Uhhh... what did we miss, Raiden?" Jax asks the thunder god with concern, who just watches the two young men intently. "Just watch, Mister Briggs. You'll see." He says simply.
Kurai vs. Liu Kang...
Kurai and Liu Kang continue to stare each other down intensely as the others watch them with confusion, but also concern.
"Um, did one of them say something to the other that the other didn't like?" Sonya asks with concern, but Drake looks back at her with a bright smile. "Nah, don't worry. Just watch. It's only a friendly spar to test each others character." He explains to her, but Jax points at both of them. "It's not looking too friendly right now if you ask me, kid." He points out, which only makes Drake chuckle.
"Don't worry, Jax. Like Raiden said, you'll see." He tells the military man as they all just keep silent and watch Kurai and Liu Kang closely.
Kurai and Liu Kang both continue to stare each other down before they both suddenly rush towards each other until both of their forearms clash against the other, causing a minor shockwave to shake the area surrounding them and their small audience.
Jax, Sonya, and Cage struggle to keep their footing as they watch the two fighters engage in a light spar with each other. Each throwing punches, kicks, and many other techniques that they either dodge or counter to gain the upper hand over the other. "Jesus Christ!" Jax exclaims in shocked surprise as he watches Kurai and Liu Kang try to one up each other.
Liu Kang hops back to gain some distance from Kurai before leaping into the air to try and bicycle kick him, which he only counters with a dodge and a roundhouse kick to Liu Kangs back, sending him to the ground.
THUD!
Liu Kang groans as he turns over on his back, only to see Kurai in the air heading towards him looking to knee him in the gut as he gets closer to the ground. Liu Kang instinctively rolls out of the way as Kurai lands with his knee crashing into the ground, causing the ground to slightly collapse beneath him.
Both fighters stand and slowly walk back towards each other to continue their spar with each other as the others watch. Drake chuckles and shakes his head, causing Raiden to look over at him. "Something humorous to you, Drake?" He asks him curiously. Drake only shrugs with a smile. "A little. When you've know Kurai as long as many people have, you can just tell when he's enjoying himself." He says to the thunder god, who only looks at him with skepticism before nodding his head.
Sonya looks at Drake with narrowed eyes. "How can anyone enjoy a fight? That's... almost barbaric." She tells him with disbelief. Drake looks back at her with a nonchalant expression and shrugs. "Would you rather that he enjoyed killing?" He asks her seriously, causing her to pause.
Jax snorts humorously before leaning over to her. "The kids got you there, Sonya." He tells her with a chuckle, making her narrow her eyes disapprovingly before looking back to the fight to see Liu Kang flip Kurai over his back, causing him to land on the ground roughly.
While on his back on the ground, Kurai kicks Liu Kangs head, which he blocks with his arms, before using his momentum to flip back up to his feet and roundhouse kick Liu Kangs torso, sending him back a few feet away from him.
Both fighters then rush each other and block a few more punches and kicks before suddenly stopping. Jax, Sonya, and Cage all looked confused as to why they both stopped, but Raiden and Drake could see why.
Both Kurai and Liu Kangs fingertips were pressed against each others torsos for a one inch punch, but both stopped, knowing that they would severely hurt each other if the blow was delivered. Kurai and Liu Kang smile at each other before stepping away from each other then bowing respectfully.
DRAW!
Raiden and the group walk towards Kurai and Liu Kang before they both collapse to the ground, breathing heavily with smiles on their faces. "Kurai, I believe that you and I are going to get along just fine." Liu Kang tells him happily, making Kurai nod with a laugh. "Likewise, Liu Kang." He says to him as Drake offers him his hand to help him up.
Jax, Sonya, and Cage walk up to them as Cage has a very confused look on his face. "Would someone care to explain what just happened here? Because I don't quite understand." He says to all of them curiously as Raiden looks over at him. "A test of character, Mister Cage. To see whether or not one could trust the other." He explains, but it didn't ease Cages confusion.
"Uhhh..." He says dully as Raiden walks up to him and presses the tips of his fingers against his chest. "The one inch punch. If either one of them had used this technique against the other, one, or both, of them would be severely hurt, and that would damage Earthrealms chance at winning this 10th Mortal Kombat tournament." He explains to him further before walking away from him, and back to Kurai and Liu Kang.
Bewildered, Cage points at both Kurai and Liu Kang. "The one inch punch? These two losers know how to do that? Yeah, right." He says cockily as Liu Kang and Kurai both look at each other with smirks. "Would you like a demonstration?" Kurai asks him. Arrogantly, Cage smirks and nods. "Oh, yes, amateur. I would love for you to demonstrate the one inch punch that you don't know how to do. So, please, yes. Show me how it's done." He says mockingly, causing Jax, Sonya, and Drake to roll their eyes.
"Oh, no, not me. I'd kill you if I do it, because you can't handle it, and frankly, I just can't stand you. It's not like anyone would miss a scumbag like you anyway." Kurai says to him with a smirk, causing Cage to look at him with an annoyed and insulted expression. "But, Drake knows how. Everyone at the Dark Wu Shi academy has been taught how to do it to incapacitate their opponents. I just decided to take it a step further during my training." He smiles, as Drake smirks to himself.
Cage snorts. "Drake? This pipsqueak? Give me a break." He says with a laugh. "He probably can't put enough power behind it to do any damage, but I'll humor you, loser." He says arrogantly before turning in Drakes direction. "Alright, amateur. Show me what you got." He tells the young fighter as Drake smiles widely before pressing his fingertips against Cages chest. He was going to enjoy this. He shouldn't, but he will.
Cage arrogantly looks over at Sonya with a wink, making her frown with disgust. "Probably not going to hurt a whole lot. I'll be right with you in a second, sweet-"
WHAM!
Getting the wind knocked out of him, Drake sends Cage flying back 10 to 15 feet away from the group before he lands on the ground on his back. Jax, Sonya, and Liu Kang all look in shock as Cage looks up at the sky with his sunglasses crooked as he struggles to sit up while rubbing his chest to ease the pain. "H-Holy... shit! I... I really need... to learn to shut my mouth up!" He gasps painfully while trying to catch his breath.
Raiden sighs before looking at the group with an almost disapproving look before he chuckles and shakes his head. "I'll be right back. I'll go heal him up." He says to them before walking over to Cage, who had tried to stand up, but failed as he stood on wobbly legs before collapsing to the ground.
Jax and Sonya both look at each other with big smiles on their faces before looking at Kurai and Drake with those smiles. Jax walks over and pats Kurai hard on the back while Sonya wraps her arms around Drake and gives him a long kiss on the cheek. "Alright, I like you both even more now." Jax says to them with a laugh, making Sonya nod in agreement. "Haha! Yeah! I've been wanting to do that since I first met him, but that was way better. That was just priceless." She says as she hugs Drake tightly.
Jax continues to look at Kurai and Drake with a bright smile and pats Kurais shoulder. "Yeah, that was hilarious. You two are alright in my book." He tells them both as the group shares a laugh while Raiden heals Cage with his electrical energy.
Liu Kang stops laughing before long and gains a more serious look on his face. "As funny as that was, we can't have any infighting amongst ourselves, despite our differences." He explains to them as the group looks at him and listens with intent, making Kurai nod. "Agreed. If we want Earthrealm to survive and be spared of invasion, we must all stand united. Even with one like Johnny Cage." He explains, making everyone nod, even though Jax and Sonya don't like the Hollywood movie star, they'll need everyone to be on the same page if they're to stand a chance at surviving.
"Kurai, Drake, I'll make this easy on Lord Raiden while he heals Mister Cage. We've been looking for people to help in our fight to save Earthrealm. And since you were born in Earthrealm, Drake, and you've lived in Earthrealm for over 9,000 years, Kurai, will you stand with us in our fight? Will you help us save our home?" Liu Kang pleadingly asks Kurai and Drake, who look at each other while they're new allies and friends wait for their answer.
Drake smiles and nods at Kurai who nods back. He looks at Liu Kang with a smile and answers simply. "We will."