Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat or any of its characters. All rights belong to Ed Boon, Nether Realm Studios and Warner Bros.
Liu Kang vs. Goro...
Liu Kang begins his fight with Prince Goro by launching a dragon shaped fireball at the Shokan, but to no effect. Goro just brushed off the ashes on his chest and laughs as he stomps forward towards the monk.
Liu Kang jumps back before leaping into the air and bicycle kicks the Shokan prince with flaming feet, shocking the massive as well as burning him with each kick before kicking him in the face that stuns the Shokan before causing him to stumble. Goro stumbles and tries to keep his balance before Liu Kang punches the Shokans torso multiple times, then hits him with a flaming uppercut that sends Goros hulking frame flying through the air before landing hard on the floor of his lair.
Sitting up with a painful groan, Goro spits out a tooth before glaring fiercely at Liu Kang, who stood waiting for the Shokan prince to get back up so they can continue the fight. Goro quickly stands up and rushes towards Liu Kang with thunderous stomps, which causes Liu Kang to briefly lose his balance before leaping up into the air with a flying kick towards Goro.
But Goro reacts quickly and knocks down Liu Kang to the floor hard with a double armed clothesline. Liu Kang groans painfully as Goro steps over to the Shaolin monk and brings him back up to his feet then begins to give him painful, devastating blows to his face and torso, knocking the wind out of Liu Kang and giving him deep cuts and bruises all over his body. After a few minutes of beating the warrior monk, Goro pauses as Liu Kang pants and breathes heavily.
Standing in his spot, dazed and stunned, Liu Kang is picked up by Goro with his four masculine arms. Two of his arms held Liu Kangs arms while his other two arms below them held his torso. Goro grins sinisterly as he begins to pull Liu Kangs arms, slowly causing him pain. Liu Kang screams out in agony as he felt his arms being pulled from their sockets. "You know, monk, this is almost exactly how I defeated your ancestor. Except I held him and beat him down until he was barely conscious. After that is when I crushed his windpipe after I dropped him on the floor. I wanted to do the same thing with you, but I'll settle for this. Although, the difference between the "Great" Kung Lao and you..." Goro taunts Liu Kang before pausing, causing Liu Kang look at the Shokan prince with a pained expression.
Goro leans in close to Liu Kangs face with a smirk. "Your ancestor put up more of a fight and was a worthy opponent. You? You put his name to shame. You're not worthy enough to call yourself his descendant." He says to the Shaolin monk with a sour expression before slowly pulling his arms even more.
Liu Kang yells and shouts in pain from the feeling of his arms being painfully pulled from their sockets, but tries his best to pull back his arms as his fists and feet glowed with a flaming light. Opening his eyes with a fierce glare, Liu Kang kicks Goro with a flaming backflip, causing Goro to drop him and cover his face and pat down the burning sensation as he glares at the young monk.
"I may not be as great or powerful as my ancestor once was, Prince Goro, but you are not one to speak to me about ones worthiness or honor. I've met many in short years of life that are more honorable and worthy than you." Liu Kang speaks down to Goro, causing the Shokan prince to snarl at the monks disrespect as he forcefully stands up to continue the fight.
"I have even met one that just gave up his one chance to find answers to his past in order for me to fight you and preserve Earth Realms freedom." He continues, which causes Goro to pause with a confused expression on his face.
"Who in their right mind would give a fight in order for you to proceed with the tournament?" He curiously asks the monk. In all of his years as the champion of Mortal Kombat, Goro has never met a warrior, or warriors, that would just give up the chance for eternal glory, infinite fortune, or answers to ones past. Especially your own. "Who is this fighter, monk?" Goro asks Liu Kang, causing the monk to grin knowingly.
"One that is more worthy than the both of us combined." He tells the Shokan prince mockingly, which causes Goro to snarl before roaring at Liu Kang then charges at him with his arms wide open to try and catch the monk in his four armed grasp.
Liu Kang, however, is expecting him to try and catch him within his arms, so, he leaps up and steps on Goros head before kicking himself off further into the air before landing on his feet behind Goro. Turning around just as Goro does, Liu Kang throws multiple fireballs at Goro, but this time, at his face, which manages to damage his eyes enough to temporarily blind him.
"ARRRGH!!! HARRRGH!!!" Goro yells in pain as he covers his face with his hands while frantically swiping the air with his lower hands. Waiting for the right moment, Liu Kang quietly, and cautiously, walks around Goro while the Shokan yells and continues to clumsily swipe the air. "Where are you, monk?! Huh?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" He roars angrily while blindly searching for Liu Kang with his hands.
Liu Kang, who had managed to sneak up behind Goro, grins before he answers. "Right here." He says, causing Goro to pause for a moment before instinctively turning around to try and backhand Liu Kang hard, but hits nothing. Liu Kang had jumped into the air and came down with a flying elbow to the top of Goros head.
CRACK!
The loud audible crack echoed through the hollowed and empty halls of Goros lair that would have made a lesser mans stomach churn as Goro falls backwards to the floor of his own lair with a loud, thunderous thud.
Liu Kang wins!
Liu Kang, panting heavily, cautiously walks over to the downed Shokan prince to see that while he had hit him hard enough to kill an average man, he was still alive. Unconscious, but alive. Liu Kang sighs deeply with relief, but also exhaustion. The pain from Goros pulling of his arms has taken much more out of him than he thought. Now, that he's no longer tense, Liu Kang is beginning to feel the after effects of his fight with not just Goro, but Kurai as well.
Turning around to wait for a portal or look for a way out, Liu Kang examines his surroundings until he hears movement near him.
It's Goro.
The Shokan sits up and rubs the top of his head to see that it's bleeding. Flicking the blood off his hand, he looks over at Liu Kang and nods respectfully. "Well done, Shoalin monk." He says to him. Taken aback by this, Liu Kang just stares at Goro for a moment with an incredulous expression before shaking his head then bows to the Shokan prince respectfully. Another portal opens just as Goro begins to stand up and Liu Kang walks through it.
Shang Tsungs Throne Room...
Shang Tsung waits anxiously for a victor to walk through the portal he just opened as the others in the room wait as well. Kurai, with his arms crossed, looks into the portal wondering who will be walking through. He believes it will be Liu Kang. If there was anyone he felt would win this tournament and earn it, it would be him. After everyone waits for just moments longer, the victor is finally revealed.
Liu Kang.
Kurai, Raiden, Drake and the rest of the group all smile as the young Shaolin monk walks through the portal, but they were also worried. Liu Kang looked very beat up and tired from his fight with Goro. Walking over towards the throne, Liu Kang looks up at Shang Tsung defiantly as the sorcerers whole body trembles with anger and rage.
"Enough! Now, is the time for the final match Liu Kang! You vs. me! Prepare yourself!" The old man shouts as he steps down from his throne with renewed confidence as he could see that Liu Kang is now wounded and exhausted. Letting out a deep and exhausted sigh, Liu Kang wanted to protest and ask for some rest before the fight, but in his short time on the island, learning Shang Tsungs character and personality, the old man wouldn't have granted it.
So, he inhaled deeply and switched into his fighting stance to fight Shang Tsung. The elderly sorcerer smirks and leaps into the air with a flying kick towards Liu Kang, but the young monk sidesteps it as Shang Tsung lands safely on his feet. He turns around, still with a smirk on his face, and walks towards him ready to fight as the others watch.
Sonya, Cage and Jax moved to come to Liu Kangs aid, since the tournament was now technically over, but Raiden stops them. Uncertain if this was a good idea, the group wanted to protest, but decided to not argue with the thunder god. Kurai, however, had noticed that there was someone not present in the room. Someone that was just standing next to Scorpion before he disappeared.
Shang Tsung strikes first, but Liu Kang blocks it as the sorcerer tries again to attack him. Liu Kang blocks each attack before landing a devastating blow to the old mans abdomen, causing Shang Tsung to cough up blood and step back away from him.
Liu Kang steps forward and lands a kick to Shang Tsungs side, making him wince in pain as Liu Kang kicks him again. Shang Tsung frantically tries to punch Liu Kang, but the young monk blocks again before punching him in the face, causing the elderly sorcerer to drop to his knees while groaning in pain and coughing up blood.
Quan Chi suddenly reappears behind Liu Kang then launches a flaming green skull towards the monk that painfully hits him in the back.
"AHHH!!!" Liu Kang shouts painfully while dropping to his knees from the sudden pain of the attack. Now even more weary and exhausted than before, Liu Kang tries to catch his breath so he can continue the fight with not Shang Tsung, but now Quan Chi as well.
Shang Tsung, noticing that Liu Kang was down because of Quan Chi's assistance, smirks wickedly as he spits out blood before standing up and walks over to Liu Kang. Walking up behind the young monk while he was catching his breath, Shang Tsung takes hold of his head.
Now panicking at the realization of what the old man intended to do, Liu Kang struggles to break out of the sorcerers hold, but Shang Tsung held tight with a psychotic smile before he is suddenly knocked away from Liu Kang with a powerful kick to his face that sent him flying back hard into his throne. While Quan Chi was knocked backwards to the ground by a phoenix shaped fireball that left a a large burn mark on his chest. He quickly pats the fire out before looking to see who attacked him and Shang Tsung.
Standing next to Liu Kang was Kurai with a ferocious glare on his face as he closely watched both men while Liu Kang gathered himself and recovered. Standing up, slightly shaken at what was about to happen, Liu Kang looks up to see who saved him. Seeing that it was Kurai, he smiles and stands up. Looking at his friend gratefully, he lets out a relieved sigh. "Kurai, you have my eternal gratitude, my friend. Thank you." He says to him with a bright smile.
Kurai smiles as he continues to keep his eyes on both treacherous sorcerers. "Hey, don't worry about it, Liu Kang. I've got your back." He reassures him as Shang Tsung gathers himself and looks at Kurai with a menacing glare.
"Kurai! You dare interfere with the rules of the tournament?! You dare interfere in a one on one fight?!" He shouts at the young man, causing Kurai and many of the other fighter to scoff at the "one on one" statement.
"One on one, Shang Tsung? That logic flew out the window when bleach face here interfered in the fight." He says to Shang Tsung as Quan Chi scowls at the insult directed at him. "But now, since the tournament is technically over when Liu Kang defeated Goro, all bets are now off. Which means, I can interfere in as many fights as much as I fucking want, old man." He informs the sorcerer, who glared angrily at the young warrior. He was hoping that no one would interfere with the fight, but Kurai is right. Since the tournament is technically officially over with the defeat of Goro, there are no rules or laws to stop anyone from interfering in a fight.
"Liu Kang?" Kurai calls to the monk, making him look at his new friend. "You take care of the old man, I've got the pale face." He says to the monk, then looks at him with a grin. "Let's finish this and go home." He tells the monk, who smiles with a nod before looking back at Shang Tsung and begins to walk towards him as the sorcerer walks down the steps of his throne. Meanwhile, Kurai cracks his knuckles as he walks towards Quan Chi, who glares at the young warrior fiercely.
Liu Kang & Kurai vs. Shang Tsung & Quan Chi...
Liu Kang, after managing to recover for a few moments to catch his breath, leaps into the air towards Shang Tsung with a flaming bicycle kick that the sorcerer just dodges, but still felt the heat of the flames. Quickly turning around, Liu Kang back kicks Shang Tsung and sends him twirling in the air back down to the floor of the throne room.
Groaning, Shang Tsung stands back up to start attacking Liu Kang himself, but the young monk is already on top of him with another attack. Liu Kang rapidly strikes Shang Tsungs face, stunning the sorcerer and causing him to stumble backwards with each strike.
Liu Kang then jumps into the air with a back kick that sends Shang Tsung flying backwards through the air before landing roughly on his back. Groaning painfully, he sits up and tries to launch a fire attack towards Liu Kang, but Liu Kang interrupts it with a fireball sent towards Shang Tsung, burning his hands.
"HAAAGH!!!" The old man shouts as he waves his hands in a panic to put the fire out before patting them on the floor. After putting out the fire on his hands, he looks up to see Liu Kang walking towards him.
He glares furiously at the young monk as Liu Kang stops just in front of him with an exhausted expression on his face. "Well, what are you waiting for? Do it. Finish me. If you don't, it will be the biggest mistake of your life, Liu Kang." He threatens him as Liu Kang just looks down at the now frail looking Shang Tsung.
Sighing deeply, Liu Kang nods. "You may be right, sorcerer, but the tournament is now over. I have no need to kill you. You and Outworld have been defeated. There's no more need for senseless violence." He tells Shang Tsung confidently, but the elderly sorcerer shakes his head before he begins laughing.
"You... are a fool, Liu Kang. One of the biggest I've ever met in all my years." He says to the monk as he continues laughing, causing Liu Kang to frown at the mans ominous laughter.
On the other side of the throne room Kurai fights Quan Chi with brutal blows and strikes as the pale sorcerer tries and fails to dodge or counter Kurais quick and powerful strikes.
Striking Quan Chi with a powerful right hook, the sorcerer grunts in pain as he is knocked hard against one of the pillars in the throne room. Quan Chi dodges the next strike and tries to counter Kurai, but the young warrior catches his fist and gives the sorcerer a powerful gut punch that caused him double over in pain as he holds his stomach while backing away from Kurai and coughing up blood.
Kurai stalks Quan Chi as the pale sorcerer looks up with a seething glare then launches another flaming green skull towards him like he had done to Liu Kang just moments ago. The flaming green skull flies towards Kurai with a roar as it begins chomping to chew the young warrior to bits, but Kurai merely holds up his hand and stops the skull in its tracks.
Quan Chi, Raiden and the others in the throne room look on in shock at what Kurai has just done. He had just stopped one of Quan Chi's most devastating attacks with ease like it was nothing to him. Glaring at Quan Chi, Kurai uses his other hand to shift Quan Chi's large flaming skull into a humongous white flame phoenix then launches it at Quan Chi.
Still in shock, Quan Chi didn't react in time as the white flame phoenix screeches towards the pale sorcerer and explodes as it impacts against him, causing the entire throne room to shake from the explosion while sending Quan Chi flying through the air before landing roughly and painfully next to Shang Tsung, still alive. He sits up with fear on his face while Kurai walks towards him then stops at his feet.
"Go ahead, then. Kill me if you wish. Just know that my god will avenge me." Quan Chi tells Kurai, causing Liu Kang and the others to look at him, wondering what he will do. Especially Jade and Kitana.
Kurai sighs deeply before looking at Liu Kang with an unspoken question, to which he shakes his head as his answer. Kurai frowns deeply before cracking his neck then looks down at the pale and severely burned sorcerer. "I should kill you, Quan Chi. I would no doubt be doing all the realms a favor by getting rid of you." He tells the sorcerer before looking again back at Liu Kang. "But like Liu Kang said, the tournament is over. So, there no more need for senseless violence. While I disagree that you both should be disposed of, I'll respect his wishes and stay my hand... for now." He says threateningly to both Quan Chi and Shang Tsung, causing both men to stand up as Shang Tsung opens a portal leading to, most likely, Outworld.
Liu Kang & Kurai win!
"Outworld warriors, come! Back to Outworld! Earth Realm has won the day today! But we will be back!" Shang Tsung orders all the Outworld warriors as many of them walk through the portal back to Outworld. Including, Reptile, Rain, Scorpion and Baraka.
Jade walked forward the portal to return back to Outworld herself, for now, but stops when she sees Kitana looking at Kurai with longing. Knowing that her friend didn't want to leave without answers, she walks up to her and places a reassuring hand on the princess's shoulder and shakes her head to let her know that she will have another chance when one presents itself.
Nodding understandably, Kitana walks with her friend towards the portal, but Shang Tsung, who had not yet stepped through the portal, stops them both with a smirk before looking back over at the Earth Realm warriors. Kurai, at this moment, knew what Shang Tsungs intentions were.
"One last thing! Kurai, I gave my word that I would reveal your secret should you refuse my offer!" He shouts at the young man, who only frowns at the realization of what was about to happen.
"Lord Raiden! That warrior there! He's not just an Edenian! He Edenia's long lost prince! He is Prince Kurai of Edenia! Queen Sindel's second child and Princess Kitana's little brother!" He declares to all that remained in the room.
Raiden and the rest of the Earth Realm warriors now look at Kurai in shock and disbelief at this new revelation. Jade was also in shock, not from the fact of Kurai's lineage, but from the fact that Shang Tsung had found out. Kitana, however, had a flooding rush of memories that had just now returned to her of her little brother. But the warrior standing before her in Shang Tsung's throne room was not her little brother anymore. But a warrior. A warrior who is her brother that, in her grief of her father first, then her brother, then her mother last, she believed to be long dead to the point where she had completely forgotten that she even even had a brother.
Tears filled the princess's eyes as she made to run towards him and embrace him in a hug, but one look from Kurai himself, and Jade gripping her shoulders tightly, stopped her. Not out of anger, but for her own sake. Kurai slightly shook his head to let her that this wasn't the right time. Grief gripped Kitana's heart once again, but she gently nodded her head before turning around with an aching heart.
Jade held Kitana close to her as the princess tries desperately to keep herself from breaking down crying on the floor as they ready themselves to step through the portal, but Jade stops to take one last look at Kurai then nods her head slightly, which went unnoticed by Shang Tsung, before walking through the portal with Kitana in tow.
Shang Tsung smirks victoriously, think that he has driven a wedge between Kurai and the Earth Realm warriors before stepping through the green colored portal.
The portal closes and silence follows. All that remains on Shang Tsung's island and temple, are Kurai, Drake, Liu Kang, Raiden and the rest of the group.
As the rest of the group walks over to Kurai and Liu Kang, Liu Kang looks over at his friend with a concerned and curious expression. "Kurai, my friend. Is that true? Are you Princess Kitana's brother? Are you a prince of Edenia?" He asks Kurai curiously just as the group reaches them.
Kurai sighs deeply and looks over at Liu Kang and the group as Drake walks over to stand beside him. Pulling out the hair band that held up his samurai ponytail style hair and letting his hair down, Kurai pulls down his mask and nods, shocking the rest of the group, as well as Raiden, once again. "It's true, Liu Kang. I'm Kitana's long lost brother and prince of Edenia." He answers Liu Kang with a sincere expression.
Raiden walks up closer to him with a stern and angry expression on his face. "But how? I had heard after Edenia's fall that you had died. Why didn't you tell us this sooner, Kurai?" The thunder god asks him as gently as he could, but his tone was one of anger at not being told the truth from the beginning.
Kurai looks over at Drake, who nods, then looks back over at the group, who were waiting for him to answer. "I gave you my word of honor that I would tell you everything, Lord Raiden, and I will." He tells him honestly, but pauses for a moment before he continues. "But I can only tell what I remember. I don't remember much about my past. Hell, I don't remember much of anything. I only remember that I'm the prince of Edenia, Queen Sindel and King Jerrod's son, and Princess Kitana's brother. I don't remember much other than that." He tells them all with a somber shrug of his shoulders.
Raiden didn't look convinced, neither did the others, but Liu Kang, remembering that Kurai had saved his life, decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. He walks up to his friend with a smile. "Then tell us what you do remember, my friend. You may not have told us the truth from the beginning, but you've given me no reason to doubt you. We'll hear you out." He tells the now revealed lost, now found, Edenian prince.
Kurai has a look of shock on his face for a brief moment as he looks at Liu Kang, who nods, them looks at the others, who looked uncertain for a moment, but changed their minds before smiling at Kurai and nods. Sonya, Jax and Cage all walk up beside him to give him gentle pats on his shoulder as they all begin to walk out of Shang Tsung's throne room to leave the island.
Raiden, however, still looked uncertain, but decided to follow Liu Kang's lead and silently agreed to hear out Kurai.