Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat or any of its characters. All rights belong to Ed Boon, Nether Realm Studios, and Warner Bros.
Earth Realm, with Raiden and Sub-Zero...
After teleporting Sub-Zero out of Outworld, Sub-Zero turns to face the thunder god and bows lightly. "Thank you, Lord Raiden, for your help." He thanks him gratefully, but Raiden shakes his head and waves his hand dismissively.
"It's not me you should be thanking, Sub-Zero. Your thanks should go solely to Kurai. He's the one that helped you, not I. I'm ashamed to say that... I was going to allow Cyrax and Sektor to take you." He admits to Lin Kuei ninja with shame as Sub-Zero looks at the thunder god incredulously.
"You were going to allow... Why? Why would you allow such a thing to happen?" He asks the thunder god with shock.
Raiden shakes his head somberly. "I can only offer my sincerest apologies, Sub-Zero. I have no excuse, but I have been receiving visions of the future. And all my efforts to change certain events for the betterment of Earth Realm, and all the realms, so far have been for naught. Whatever decision I make that I believe will put Earth Realm on the path away from Armageddon only gets worse with-" He explains as he pulls off his amulet from his chest, but stops mid-sentence.
Concerned and confused, Sub-Zero gently calls out to the thunder god, but Raiden stares at his amulet with stunned silence. "No... It couldn't be." He whispers as he continues to stare at the amulet, which has slowly receded some of its cracks, repairing itself. "Could it be that... "He must win" is referring to... Kurai?" He asks himself quietly before snapping his gaze up at the Lin Kuei ninja and bows quickly.
"I apologize, Sub-Zero, but I'm afraid I must leave you now. I must return to Outworld. Will you be alright from here?" He informs Sub-Zero, who was taken aback by Raiden's sudden change in demeanor, but nods anyway.
"Yes. I'll be fine. I know my way from here. Please inform that warrior that should he ever need my help, I'll happily return the favor." He tells the thunder god, who nods while preparing to return to the tournament in Outworld.
"I'll pass on the message. May the Elder Gods watch over you, Sub-Zero. Until we meet again." He says before a bolt of lightning strikes him, teleporting him back to Outworld with renewed hope for the outcome of the tournament and the safety of Earth Realm.
Outworld, Shao Kahn's Coliseum Arena...
Kurai vs. Percival Silva...
Raiden teleports back into the Outworld Coliseum just in time to see Kurai and another fighter he's unfamiliar with, begin their match in Mortal Kombat.
"FIGHT!!!" Shang Tsung shouts.
Kurai and Silva rush towards each other as their fists collide, causing a massive shockwave that causes most of the fighters to struggle to keep their balance, while many of the Outworld crowd lose their footing and fall into their seats before they all look at each other then back at the two fighters before erupting with a loud thunderous cheer.
Kurai and Silva begin trading blows with each other. Dodging, countering, blocking, counter-blocking, attacking, counter-attacking, all while trying to gain the upper hand of each other.
Silva blocks a punch from Kurai then counters with a kick to his abdomen, but Kurai catches his foot before back kicking him in the head, sending Silva stumbling forward.
Glaring back at Kurai, Silva rushes back towards him and begins trading blows with him again. Kurai then tries to punch Silva with a left hook, but the former Temple Master catches his left hand, twists his writing then flips Kurai over his shoulder, throwing him to the ground.
Getting back up quickly, Kurai tries to spin kick Silva in his head, but Silva ducks before kicking Kurai hard in his abdomen, knocking the wind out of the prince and causing him to stumble backwards. Silva doesn't give Kurai a chance to recover, he quickly dashes towards him and punches him hard in the face, stunning him.
Kurai stumbles back more as Silva goes to punch him again, but Kurai catches his fist, punches him back then kicks him in the abdomen then the face with a spinning heel kick.
Glaring at Kurai more fiercely than before, Silva spits out blood before shifting into a different stance, one Kurai vaguely recognizes. Shifting into his own stance, the Prince of Edenia waits and prepares for the former Temple Master to make his move. Silva then suddenly disappears, shocking Kurai before he gets punched hard in the face as he falls towards the ground, but before he lands, he is punched again, which causes him to stumble backwards from the force of the punch.
Shaking his head to keep himself from getting too stunned, Kurai tries to keep track of Silva's movements, but the man was somehow moving with superhuman speed. Focusing as much as he possibly can, Kurai begins to see a faint streak of purple moving in a circle all around him.
He anticipates where Silva might move next, so, he quickly puts an arm out in the purple streaks path to clothesline Silva, but nothing connects except a hard punch to his face, which sends him across the arena before he skids to a halt.
Coughing up blood, Kurai turns his head to see Silva walking towards him with an arrogant smirk on his face, feeling pleased with himself. "Like I said, you're wrong about me, Kurai. A little gift to me, courtesy of Shang Tsung when I accepted his offer." He explains, causing Shao Kahn to glance over at the sorcerer with a fiery glare, as Shang Tsung clears his throat and avoids the emperor's gaze.
Hearing this, Kurai spits out blood before he laughs, which causes Silva to stop in his tracks before he looks at Kurai with confusion. "And just what the hell is so funny to you, trash?" He asks him angrily, not quite understanding why Kurai is laughing when he is being beat down.
Wiping the blood away from his mouth, Kurai looks up at Silva with a knowing grin. "Once again, you've proven just how pathetic you really are, Silva. A gift from Shang Tsung? What, you can't develop those types of abilities on your own? Of course not. Because you only keep proving how weak you really are. Accepting hand outs? Yeah, you're strong alright. So strong in fact, that you have to rely on an ability that you couldn't earn on your own." He says to the failed Temple Master as he stands up.
Silva, however, despite beating Kurai down and showing how strong he is, the prince still believes that he is weak. "This... This piece of garbage STILL thinks he's better than me, even though I'm winning?! How dare he?! How DARE he?! HOW DARE HE?!" He says to himself in his head before he rushes forward and disappears in a flash as an even more visible purple streak surrounds Kurai.
But Kurai just smiles as he tracks Silva's movements. "That's right, Silva. Push yourself hard to the point of exhaustion. When you do, that's when you'll be done for." He thinks to himself as Silva begins his beating of Kurai.
Each strike causes Kurai to shift, jerk, and stumble in many directions as Silva continues his beating. A kick to the ribs, a punch to the face, kick to the back, multiple punches to Kurai's ribs, a kick to the face, and many other blows all over Kurai's body that causes Kitana, Jade, Raiden, Smoke, and Cage to feel worried for Kurai's safety. It also makes them begin to wonder if Kurai will walk away from this fight.
Despite Kurai's deal with Shao Kahn, Kitana and Jade were worried that this Percival Silva will kill Kurai and not even bother with keeping him alive long enough to honor his agreement with the emperor.
Rushing towards Kurai with an animalistic shout, Silva lands a devastating punch to Kurai's face, which sends the prince flying through the Coliseum and into the wall, which he falls into front the force of the impact. The crowd cheers as Silva, still standing where he had punched Kurai, pants heavily as his body suddenly feels like a massive weight had just been dropped on him, which causes him to collapse to the ground.
He looks up at the hole in the wall with a victorious grin. He spits out blood and wipes his mouth as many of the look on in shock.
Had the prince just been defeated?
"No... Impossible. He wouldn't lose. Not to this piece of dirt. Get up, Prince Kurai. I know you're still breathing. Get up!" Goro whispers as he and his fellow Shokan, Sheeva, wait for Kurai to emerge from the hole.
"Come now, my prince. I'm sure you've survived much worse than this, you can't give up now. Giving up is not in your family's blood. What would your mother think if you lost to a man as vulgar as Silva?" The female Shokan thinks in her head as she eagerly awaits for her Queen's son to continue the fight.
Kitana and Jade stood off to the side speechless, both gazing eagerly into the hole to look for a sign, any sign, of Kurai as tears begin to build up in both of their eyes when don't see one. They then turn their hateful and enraged gazes over at Silva, who sat on his knees with a satisfied smirk on his face.
Raiden looks on with sadness as he takes off the amulet to see if there has been any change to it. And there was none. No further cracks, but no further signs that it was being repaired either. The longer Kurai remained in the hole in the Coliseum wall, the more that the thunder god was beginning to lose faith.
Silva after a while when Kurai hadn't come out, he begins to laugh hysterically. "See? SEE?! WHAT DID I TELL YOU, KURAI?! HAHA!!! YOU WERE WRONG ABOUT ME!!! I'M THE SUPERIOR WARRIOR!!! NOT YOU!!! I'M THE ONE THAT IS MORE DESERVING OF EVERYTHING!!! NOT YOU!!! I'M THE TRUE CHAMPION OF THE DARK WU SHI TEMPLE!!! NOT!!! YOU!!! HAHAHAHA!!!" He shouts psychotically at the hole as many of the fighters, from both Earth Realm and Outworld, all frown from the fact that the Prince of Edenia had somehow lost to a fighter that was given an ability from Shang Tsung just to give himself an edge.
Just then they begin to hear movement from inside the hole as debris shifted and moved as they see a dark figure rise up from the rubble. "Are you finished, Silva? Because you always were the loudest in the room when no one listens to you." Kurai's voice says from inside the hole, causing Silva to stop laughing and smiling and gain an expression of anger.
Rising up from the rubble then stepping out of the hole, Kurai suddenly gets a surprising ovation of cheers from the Coliseum crowd instead of boos like earlier. Jade and Kitana let out relieved sighs as they watch Kurai walk out. Goro, Sheeva, and many of the other Outworld warriors, including Baraka, all look happy that the prince still lives.
Raiden, Smoke, and Cage all sigh with relief as they eagerly await for the next portion of the fight to start. However, Raiden suspects that the victor will be announced before long, and it won't be Silva.
Silva shakily stands back up to his feet as he points at Kurai with a shaky finger. "No... No... Impossible. I hit you with countless devastating strikes. How are you still standing? HOW ARE YOU STILL STANDING?!" He shouts infuriatingly as Kurai walks towards him with an emotionless expression as his eyes turn to a flaming white glow.
"Because no matter how many power ups you give yourself, Silva, no matter how many gifts or abilities you receive, but don't deserve, if you don't know how to use them properly, you'll stand no chance against me." He tells the man darkly as both his fists are engulfed in white flames. "So you're fast, big deal. I could've stopped you anytime I wanted. I just wanted to see how well you're able to use your abilities, and quite frankly, Silva... I'm not impressed. You still lack originality." He continues before shifting into his stance, ready to end the fight.
"Ready for the next round?" He asks him with a deathly serious tone as Silva glares at Kurai before he suddenly disappears again and tries to attack Kurai from behind with his super speed.
Anticipating this, Kurai reacts instinctively with an elbow to Silva's jaw, stunning him. Kurai then disappears himself before kicking Silva into the air. Jumping up, Kurai lands multiple strikes and blows to the former Temple Master before kicking the top of his head, which sends him flying back down to the Coliseum floor, causing a large dust cloud to form around him.
As Kurai lands back on the ground, he waits for Silva to stand back up and attack again, and Silva does stand up, but slowly. Looking at Kurai with a seething glare, Silva rushes forward to try and surprise Kurai, but fails.
Exhausted and weakened, Silva still manages to put up a fight against Kurai and hold his own, but his arrogance and over reliability of his new skills and abilities causes him to gradually get slower as Kurai gains the upper hand. They trade blows with each other, but the Edenian prince leaps into the air and drives his knee into Silva's jaw, causing it to crack before kicking him with a spinning heel kick, which drives Silva to the ground.
Backing away from Kurai as fast as he can, Silva regains his bearings and manages to stand back up, but Kurai has had enough. "No more games, Silva. It's over." He says calmly as he shifts into a different stance, ready to deal the final blow.
Clenching his teeth, Silva balls up his fist and rushes towards Kurai, looking to punch him, but Kurai blocks the strike before palming Silva's chin, stunning him. Then, 3 powerful strikes to the abdomen, 8 devastating strikes all over his body, then the final 9th strike to the chest.
WHAM!!!
The Phoenix Cleanse. However, Kurai didn't cleanse anything, and he did more than just temporarily force Silva's own power out of him. He put more force into the strikes than needed. He didn't kill Silva straight away, although Silva will wish he had.
Feeling the 9th strike to his chest, Silva felt something break inside his body as he was sent flying to the other side of the Coliseum before he lands roughly against the wall then crumples to the ground.
KURAI WINS!
Breathing heavily, Kurai's entire body shakes from having put too much energy into the attack, but he remains standing. Taking a deep breath then sighing, Kurai walks over to the man with unsteady steps as Silva, bruised and bloodied, looks up at Kurai approaching him and tries to stand up... but can't feel anything beyond his waist.
"What... No... NO!!! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!" He shouts up at Kurai, who just stands in front of him with a dark expression.
"I put more force into the Cleanse than what's necessary. Not only have I temporarily driven your own power out of you, I also decided to cripple you. The power you have, Silva, you don't deserve it. You may have earned it all on your own, while commendable, you still used it to harm others, including your own students. This... is my punishment to you." He says calmly to the disgraced Temple Master before turning around to walk over to Skarlet and the still unconscious Drake.
"What?! Are you not going to kill me?! HUH?! Are you THAT pathetic that you won't even finish the man that you've just crippled?!" Silva shouts while crawling slowly towards Kurai with the little strength he has left.
Kurai stops before looking over his shoulder at Silva. "No, Silva. I'm not going to kill you. You're not worth the energy. But I'm not going to save you either." He tells him as he kneels down then looks over at Skarlet. "You may have kept him prisoner, but thank you for watching over him." He says to the red head ninja, who nods.
"Just between us, I never wanted to harm him. I may be an assassin, but I've never killed a target while they were in chains. Plus..." She says to Kurai before pausing to look down at Drake. "I understand what it's like to be looked down on for being an orphan. And... I actually find him... interesting. Because during our short time together, he has done something for me that I didn't think was possible anymore." She continues as he looks up at the prince, who looks at her curiously.
"And that is?" He asks.
Underneath her mask, Kurai could see Skarlet smiling. "He made me remember how to smile." She admits, causing Kurai to smile himself before nodding. He then picks up Drake's unconscious form before walking over to Raiden.
"Goro! Sheeva! Take Percival Silva and throw him to the dungeons! We'll think of a punishment for him for his betrayal!" Shao Kahn orders the two Shokan, causing the two to pick up Silva who began shouting vulgarities at them while also pleading with Kurai to not let them take him away.
"Kurai! Please! Please don't let them take me! Please! I beg you!" He shouts to Kurai, causing the two Shokan to stop and look over at the Prince of Edenia, who didn't even spare a glance at the former Temple Master.
After a moment, Kurai spoke, but still didn't look at Silva. "You brought this on yourself, Silva. Reap what you sow." He says coldly, causing Goro and Sheeva to look at each other in shock.
"I guess even the prince can be cruel if he is pushed far enough." Goro says to the female Shokan, causing her to nod.
"Indeed." She says as she and Goro resume walking towards the dungeons as Silva continues to cry out to Kurai, begging and pleading for him to help him, but Kurai doesn't listen. His only concern at the moment is getting Drake out of Outworld and back to Earth Realm.
"Raiden, I hate to ask, but could you-" He begins to ask, but Raiden holds his hand up with a nod, stopping Kurai.
"Do not worry, Kurai. I'll transport Drake back to the Dark Wu Shi Temple then return." He reassures Kurai before teleporting out of Outworld through a bolt of lightning, leaving Kurai, Smoke, and Cage behind.
Kurai shakily stands back up, but couldn't stand for long as he collapses, but Smoke manages to catch him. "Easy, my friend. You should rest." He tells him calmly as Cage helps Kurai to his feet.
"Citizens of Outworld, as I was saying earlier before I was so rudely interrupted by that traitor, Silva!" Shao Kahn begins as the crowd boos from the mention of Silva's name. "We shall give out fighter an hour of rest before the tournament resumes! After that, let the COMMENCE!!!" He finishes, causing the crowd to erupt with thunderous cheers as the fighters and the crowd disperse.
Sighing deeply, Kurai walks with Smoke and Cage towards the exit of the Coliseum just as Raiden returns and runs over to them. "Thank god he didn't change his mind about that break, huh, Kurai? I don't think you last fighting in another match so soon after the last one." Cage says as they exit the Coliseum, causing Kurai to laugh with a nod.
"I agree with you there, Cage. I can still fight, but I wouldn't last as long as I normally would. Not after that attack I used." He admits honestly as he looks over at Raiden. "Is Drake back at the temple, Raiden?" He asks the thunder god with worry, which causes him to nod.
"Yes, Drake is safely back in Earth Realm, Kurai. He's fine." He answers earnestly, before looking at Kurai with a more serious expression. "We'll take you to a safe area where you can regain some of your strength before the tournament resumes, then we can look for your sister, but first I must speak with you urgently." He continues, causing Kurai, Smoke, and Cage to look at the thunder god curiously.
"About what?" Kurai asks him, wondering just what could be so urgent that it can't wait until after the tournament.
Raiden then pulls off his amulet from his chest to show the three of them that the amulet had mostly been repaired. "Um, I'm sorry, Raiden, but... what exactly are we looking at?" Cage asks him, genuinely curious as to what he should be looking at, but Kurai knew.
"Your amulet. It... repaired itself?" He wonders curiously, causing Raiden to smile brightly.
"Exactly, Kurai! Exactly! I believe I have figured out who "He must win" is referring to!" He says to them enthusiastically, which causes Kurai to look at the thunder god curiously.
"Really? Who is it referring to?" He asks him, to which Raiden then points to him, shocking Kurai.
"Because of your actions earlier, saving Sub-Zero, I have a strong feeling that "He must win" is referring to you, Kurai. After you saved Sub-Zero is when my amulet repaired itself. Not fully, but it's repairing. And you were the cause of that, Kurai." He explains as Smoke and Cage look over at Kurai, who still stared at the amulet in shock.