The Ketsueki Quadrilogy: Majin Seiryu Ki

by iceangelmkx

Part 3 of the Quadrilogy. Earth is at war, and the awakening of a legendary demon is imminent. The chosen ones unite once more at a new tournament in hopes of stopping their enemies... and one of their own. A Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Soulcalibur, and Tekken Crossover.

42. Chapter Forty One

A/N: Hey everyone! First of all, writer's block sucks. Second of all, real life took over big time as well, but now things have slowed down enough that I can focus on writing again. Third of all, I just want to mention something for future reference going forward with this series;

With the new Mortal Kombat 1 taking place in a new timeline and showing reimagined characters, I want to take a moment to remind everyone that for my Quadrilogy, much of the MK characters and their story are based on the first timeline (the original MK1 through Armageddon). This is especially since Chishio No Me was planned and released a few months after MK Deception (yes, it's been THAT long now!). There are, of course, elements of the second timeline that have or will show up at some point, and I imagine this new timeline will do the same depending on whether or not it'll make sense for my series. Of course, I'll know for sure when the time comes.

Basically, I just want to clarify where I stand. If you have any questions regarding any of this stuff, feel free to send a PM my way (though it may take a bit to answer since this site seems to be having issues with messages as of this writing).

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Chapter Forty-One

Later that same day…

Tenorio National Park - Waterfall area - Costa Rica

Within the forest of Tenorio National Park, Feng Wei nearly lost his balance after a flying kick from his opponent smashed into the middle of his chest. He practically flew backwards before he went right through a thinly-layered waterfall that only dropped from eight feet above his head. The waterfall immediately soaked him through, though his pants and genta shoes were already wet from the shallow river he stood on.

Feng Wei shook his head before he practically punched his way through the waterfall and stepped through it while it still had an open archway. From there, he glared at his opponent - Hainu, a female ninja dressed mostly in black with trims of orange. Her sleeved tunic was black and had an orange outline of the head of a cawing bird. She also wore a half mask of a tengu bird with a prominent beak.

Feng Wei knew from the start that Hainu and her tag team partner, Genbu, were part of the Tengu - a secretive clan based in Japan. Feng Wei learned of their existence during his search for the Dragon Scroll. He initially planned to break into their hideaway to find the scroll in those days, but they were so heavily fortified that he had no choice but to turn back, lest he waste his time trying to break in.

Of course, since he ultimately received the scroll less than a year ago, his decision to abandon his break-in attempt was the right one. In the back of his mind, he wondered if any clan members ever spotted him roaming around the outskirts of their fortress. Clearly, neither of the two warriors he was fighting remember him - or at least they were pretending not to, it was hard to tell.

As Feng Wei approached his opponent, Hainu quickly pulled out a small pellet from her utility belt before she swiftly threw it down against the ground as hard as she could. A smokey mist in both orange and black quickly engulfed Hainu before Feng Wei could reach her.

With a deep breath, Feng Wei closed his eyes and used his instincts to try to look for his invisible opponent by using the chi around him. However, it turned out he didn't need to use chi - he could hear her movement cut through the light wind just above him to his left.

Feng Wei whirled around and performed an uppercut, his fist catching underneath Hainu's chin. She reappeared from her invisibility as she yelped in pain. While they were still in the air, Feng Wei landed two punches - one to the face, the other to the sternum. The last attack hurled her away before she crashed hard onto the ground. Right after, the Kenpo warrior landed on his feet and into the river with a loud splash.

Not too far from them, Feng Wei's tag team partner, Sagat, threw his quarter-moon shaped projectile at Hainu's partner, Genbu. "Tiger!" the Muay Thai fighter shouted. As Sagat expected, Genbu ducked underneath the projectile and moved towards him. Sagat used that moment to jump forward with his right knee bent in front of him.

"Tiger knee!" Sagat called out. Genbu attempted to get out of the way, but Sagat's knee slammed him hard enough to launch him away before his back crashed against a nearby tree. Genbu only crouched a little in pain before he quickly shook it off and whipped out a short yari spear.

While Genbu prepared himself, Sagat noticed something very quickly - Genbu's breathing was heavy despite the two of them starting their part of the match not even a minute ago. There was also a determined gaze in his brown eyes that also hinted at desperation.

It was as though Genbu had to win this match. He clearly had a reason to be at this tournament.

"You're here for something," Sagat began to inquire. "What are you seeking?"

"That's none of your concern!" Genbu shouted with barely contained rage.

Sagat said nothing more. He waited until Genbu jumped forward and lashed out with his yari blade in various directions, all in which Sagat dodged with ease - at least until one misstep left a cut on his left bicep. With a hiss, Sagat took a couple of steps back from his opponent in order to check over it briefly. Luckily, it didn't go deep. All it would do is give off an annoying stinging sensation for a day or two.

Genbu then attempted to cover the space between them, but Sagat was ready for him by then. With an enclosed fist, he jumped upward and twisted his body in a rising uppercut. At the same time, his enclosed fist glowed in a fire-like chi, its energy trailing down his arm and past his elbow.

"Tiger Uppercut!" Sagat shouted right after the move connected to his opponent's chest. Genbu flew upward alongside him until Sagat somersaulted backwards to land back down safely on the ground. Genbu barely did the same himself moments after. From there, the two flew towards each other to continue their part of the match…

Meanwhile, Feng Wei managed to get on offense momentarily with a high kick, which he followed with a palm strike to his opponent's face. As Hainu was forced to back away from the hit, Feng Wei moved closer to her before he performed a high roundhouse kick, which Hainu ducked underneath from. Feng Wei then delivered one more palm strike from the left. The attacked connected to Hainu's shoulder with enough force to make her stumble sideways.

Once she got her balance back, Hainu swiftly reached for a pouch that was connected to her wrist. Feng Wei barely comprehended what she was doing before the ninja suddenly threw her hands forward and unleashed five spikes that glowed red and left a trail of chi energy of the same color. As the spikes moved in various directions, Feng Wei was forced to move. He ducked underneath the first spike and took a sidestep away from the other. A third, however, managed to leave a small cut on his side, which made him hiss from the sting. Despite that, he noted the fourth spike and shifted his head a few inches as it whizzed by his ear.

He caught the fifth one in between his index finger and thumb. He then glared at Hainu before he broke the spike in half and let it drop onto the ground. Hainu's eyes widened for a brief second before she unleashed a battle cry and slid towards her opponent.

However, Feng Wei was ready for her after he bent his knees slightly, closed his eyes, and extended both arms out in front of him, his index fingers pointed up towards the sky. He opened his eyes as soon as Hainu was close, and he promptly turned and jabbed his left elbow to her sternum. Hainu gasped in pain as she doubled over. That gave Feng Wei the chance to deliver an uppercut with his right fist with enough power behind it to send his opponent flying up towards the air.

The Kenpo warrior then waited until Hainu fell back down and was back at his level before he unleashed one last powerful punch to her back. With a scream, Hainu flew forward until she crashed face first into the rock wall not far from the waterful. Her body then fell to the ground on her side and, thankfully, away from the river the waterfall created.

A few moments later, one of the two drones monitoring the fight spoke up. "Knockout detected."

The announcement momentarily distracted Hainu's tag team partner, Genbu, as he turned to where she fell. "Dammit!" he called out.

Of course, Sagat took advantage of his distraction. The Muay Thai warrior took a moment to charge up some chi before he moved in and delivered a knee to Genbu's stomach and with enough force to send him off his feet. As Genbu gasped in pain, Sagat rushed in to execute a spinning roundhouse kick with the opposite leg. The last move caused Genbu to fly sideways before he landed hard to the ground on his right.

Genbu felt a snap underneath his weight, and pain quickly shot up and down his arm and hand. He clenched his teeth to keep himself from screaming as he checked his injury. His eyes went completely wide the second he noticed that his wrist was dislocated.

From where he stood, Sagat noticed that his opponent was injured and wondered in his mind whether or not he was going to concede. But to his surprise, Genbu suddenly unleashed a battle cry and rolled forward towards his opponent. At the same time, he grabbed his manriki chain from his utility belt with his good hand and began spinning it at his opponent with quick succession.

Because of Genbu's speed, Sagat was forced to mainly duck and dodge from the attacks. Only once did the blunt end of the chain hit Sagat on his side, which caused the bigger fighter to clench his teeth from the pain it delivered. Still, that didn't stop him from jumping sideways from the next attempted hit.

Eventually, Sagat had enough and quickly found the chance to grab for the manriki chain. Before his opponent could retaliate, Sagat practically ripped the chain out of Genbu's hand, tossed it aside, and pushed his opponent away with force. Genbu nearly lost his footing in the process.

It also left the Tengu ninja wide open.

From there, Sagat performed a barrage of kicks on Genbu, who was left stunned. Then, Sagat jumped up and flew forward towards his opponent. He extended his right leg, which immediately ignited in a chi that resembled flames, and his foot soon smashed into Genbu's chest. With a scream, the ninja was sent hurling back until he crashed back first against the tree. He then landed on his side again - and against his dislocated wrist, which caused him to hiss and grab for it in agony.

"Kuso," Genbu hissed in his native tongue.

Sagat walked towards where Genbu landed, but stepped ten feet away to see what he would do next, but it didn't take long to get his answer. "… I'm done for," Genbu murmured in defeat as he held on to his injured wrist with his good hand. He shook his head, more out of humiliation than anything else. "You win…"

"Concede announced," a drone soon called out. "Team Feng Wei and Sagat win the match."

Once the match was called, Sagat walked over to where Genbu fell before he squatted down to his former opponent's level. "My guess is that you were determined to win this match for personal reasons," the Muay Thai warrior said. "Whatever you're seeking, I hope you find it regardless of your loss in this match today."

Genbu closed his eyes as he took a deep breath before he gave Sagat a small nod. "Arigatou. I appreciate that."

Sagat simply nodded to him in reply.

---

Mishima Forest - Gazebo Area

While sitting within the gazebo that was located on the other side of Mishima Island, Ryu chose to meditate. Despite many of the Chosen Ones knowing of the existence of this particular location, Ryu had the place all to himself for the moment. It was perfect.

Initially, Ryu's mind was clear from any thoughts. He simply focused on the surrounding environment - the light wind blowing on his face, the warm sun kissing his skin, and the subtle scent of the nearby sea. If he opened his eyes, he would be greeted by the spectacular view of the blue waters that surrounded the island.

However, it wasn't long before his mind began to wander to the past… This one in particular was of a fateful meeting that occurred not so very long ago…

Nearly Two Years Ago, Hong Kong…

At the docks near the ships that would take them to the tournament, both Ryu and Jin could sense their respective auras within - ones which were mixed of purity and impurity. The men had blank expressions on their faces as both were uncertain as to how to react.

Finally, Jin decided to end the deal and start a conversation. "So, by looking at your gi, you're heading to the tournament?"

Ryu nodded. "And you too?"

Jin nodded as well. "I have a good feeling the both of us will be putting up some very good fights. My name is Jin Kazama."

"My name is simply Ryu. You're from Japan, aren't you?"

"Yes. And you too?"

Ryu gave him a rare smirk. "Seems that we have a few things in common already."

Jin laughed a little while he looked down at the watch on his wrist. "The ships leave in about two hours. We should hurry if we want to get the best cabin."

The Ansatsuken warrior nodded in agreement before the two went on their way…

Ryu subtly shook his head as the old memory left his mind. To have someone like Jin go from being a friendly rival, a comrade-in-arms, to a good friend - only to turn his back on everything he stood for - it almost felt like whiplash for the Ansatsuken warrior. And he knew that he wasn't the only one of the Chosen Ones who felt the same way…

Jin, what happened? Ryu thought to himself. There has to be a reason you chose to go down this dark path… not after all you've done before all this…

Ryu's thoughts were disrupted as he suddenly felt someone's presence - one that was a little too close. He could also sense something coming towards him from the left side, judging by the slight rustling sound of the grass and something cutting through the light wind. He quickly lifted his left arm and just managed to block an incoming kick that aimed at his shoulder.

Ryu promptly opened his eyes - and he wasn't surprised when he saw that it was Ken who delivered the kick.

"You know," Ken started as he put his foot down. "It'll only be a real shock the day you don't block an incoming attack while you meditate. If that day comes, I'd highly suggest retirement."

Ryu huffed with amusement as he smirked at his long-time friend. "I'll 'retire' when I'm dead." Only then did he notice that Ken was wearing his red karate gi, black belt, and dark brown fighting gloves. "Looking to spar?"

"Always," Ken said. "By the way, before you ask, Julia told me you'd be up here."

"I thought as much," Ryu replied as he stood up from the ground. "That reminds me, have Eliza and Mel been enjoying their time on the island?"

"Are you kidding?! Eliza's been shopping like it's nobody's business since she arrived!" Ken mentioned with a laugh. "Mel's enjoying the sights, too."

Ken then chose that moment to get himself in a fighting stance. "All right, enough talk. Let's get started, shall we?"

Ryu gave him a brief nod before he, too, positioned himself in a fighting stance as well. Within a split second, Ken swiftly jumped forward to deliver a high kick that Ryu quickly backed away from. As Ken recovered, Ryu took a step towards his old friend and threw a fist forward, but Ken blocked the move with his left forearm before it connected.

Ken then pushed Ryu's fist to the side before he unleashed a short series of kicks, all which Ryu blocked and dodged away. It didn't take long for Ken to change his strategy by throwing his own fist forward. Just like Ken did before, Ryu blocked the punch with his forearm before he pushed it off to the side with enough force that Ken nearly lost his balance.

With a battle cry, Ryu covered the small space between them to deliver a couple of roundhouse kicks. However, Ken saw it coming and promptly jumped and somersaulted back to give himself more berth. As he did, this gave Ryu the opportunity to charge up his chi in between the palm of his hands. A blue light emitted from his hands before he shot both arms forward.

"Hadouken!" the warrior shouted as he unleashed his light blue projectile. Ken promptly ducked under and rolled forward from the projectile, which flew past the trees that surrounded them and out towards the sea before it eventually dissipated while still airborne. As soon as he returned to his feet and launched closer to his opponent, Ken pulled his right fist to his side and charged up his own chi powers - one that ignited a fire that surrounded his clenched hand.

"Shoryuken!" the millionaire yelled as he performed a jumping uppercut. Ryu just barely backed away before Ken's fist connected underneath his chin, though he still felt the heat of the flames as it went past his face. Of course, the moment left Ken wide open, and Ryu timed his next move accordingly. As soon as Ken fell back towards the earth, the wandering warrior jumped up and forward and extended one leg out in front of them before he rapidly spun his body in mid-air.

"Tatsukmaki Senpukyaku!" Ryu called out as he performed a hurricane kick. His extended foot connected to Ken's torso and the millionaire promptly flew back until he landed hard on his side against the ground. Ryu soon landed on both feet and promptly returned to his fighting stance. From there, he simply waited until Ken was ready to continue their sparring session.

"Damn," Ken grumbled as he began to sit up on the grass. "I swear, Ryu, you are relentless."

Ryu dropped his stance before he walked over to where Ken fell. "Or maybe you're getting soft," he deadpanned.

"That's a lie and you know it!" Ken pushed, but there was a hint of mirth in those words.

Ryu initially thought to reach a hand out to pull Ken back up on his feet, but soon noticed that he decided to scoot back and lean against a tree. The world warrior decided to join his friend and crouched low to the ground before he sat down to Ken's left.

"You know," Ken started after Ryu settled down. "I feel like this mission has been, well… a bit on the slow side."

Ryu furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well… I know it'll pick up later, but… I guess because there's not a lot going on, even with the information we have so far. I also wish we knew more, you know? Make the wait that much easier. At least then, we'd know what we're up against."

"We didn't really know what we were up against during the Blood Tournament either," Ryu reminded him. "Sure, we knew we were trying to obtain a medallion, but we didn't know most of the story until Raven and Nina came back from their infiltration mission. Even with knowing what we knew then about the medallion, we still didn't even know the true purpose of the tournament until after it was over."

"True," Ken simply agreed. "And thinking about it now, I'd take this mission over the Universal War any time, slow or not. At least my family is by my side this time."

Ryu slightly frowned as he recalled how Ken thought Eliza and Mel were dead at the start of the war last year. The millionaire's story of finding his Los Angeles home in rubble when he tried to get to his family at the beginning of the invasion… Ryu could only imagine the horrible scene and the thoughts that went through his friend's mind. Julia was a witness to it while Ryu was in Japan, but it was subject neither one of them touched since the war ended.

The fact that Eliza and Mel survived after all was a miracle in itself and, to this day, it remains one of two brightest spots of Ryu's experience during the war (the other, of course, was his reunion with Julia). After all that, it was understandable why Ken wanted Eliza and Mel to be by his side during the Shikoken Tournament. No matter who you were, there was always the desire to protect those you loved and cared about.

"Well," Ken spoke up after a brief moment of silence. Ryu could tell from the tone of his voice that Ken was pumping himself into a more upbeat mood. "At least all of us Chosen Ones are having our big 'reunion.' Sure, it may not be at my San Francisco mansion as planned, but… I suppose this whole current situation will do for the moment."

Ryu huffed a little with amusement. "Maybe it'll happen next year."

"That'll be nice. Fingers crossed no war is involved."

From there, the two long-time friends sat in contented silence as they gazed out at the nearby sea in their own thoughts…

Meanwhile, the trio that consisted of Sub-Zero, Sareena, and Smoke arrived in an area that laid between the island's hilltop and the picnic area where the meetings normally took place. Liu Kang himself told the trio just a few minutes ago where they would find their old friend, Ashrah - who happened to be training with Li Mei, Kung Lao, and Kai at that moment.

Sub-Zero and Smoke both knew why they were there. However, Sareena was still in the dark over what was going on. Smoke recalled the conversation he and Sub-Zero had with her just a half hour ago before they arrived in the forest…

"Sooo Sareena," Smoke started almost too cautiously. "Something came up very recently, and, well… Sub-Zero and I are about to meet up with Ashrah in a little bit. We need you to come with us since this somewhat concerns you, too."

The former assassin gave Smoke a perplexed gaze. "What is this about?"

"You'll know soon enough," Sub-Zero promised.

Something did occur in Sareena's mind. "I assume this might have to do with mine and Ashrah's past as assassins for the Brotherhood of Shadow…"

"As far as I know, it doesn't," Smoke informed her. "Granted the coincidence is something to note, but… as Sub-Zero said, you'll know soon enough."

Sareena gave a resigned sigh. "All right… but know that I don't like this one bit."

"Trust me, neither do I."

"That's an understatement…" Sub-Zero grumbled.

Smoke only glared at the Lin Kuei Grandmaster, which left Sareena even more confused. Still, she decided not to say any more. She would get her answers soon enough…

The trio barely said a word to each other since, even once they arrived at their destination. They immediately noticed Ashrah training with Li Mei with their respective swords, while Kung Lao and Kai trained together just a few feet away.

It was Kung Lao who noticed the trio first and stopped what he was doing. "We have visitors!" he called out.

That got the other three's attention, though Kai just barely managed to force himself to stop mid-punch. That earned an amused smirk from Kung Lao as he and the others turned to spot Sub-Zero, Sareena, and Smoke.

"Hello!" Li Mei greeted happily with a wave of her hand.

"Hi there," answered Smoke.

"Would you like to join us in our sparring session?" asked Ashrah.

"We'll take you up on that offer in just a little bit," Sub-Zero answered. "But first, we need to discuss something important with you, Ashrah. Can we take a walk?"

Ashrah nodded to the ice warrior. "Of course."

"Aww we don't get to know?" Kung Lao asked in faux disappointment. "I feel so left out."

"Maybe later," Smoke said. "But I promise nothing."

"That only makes us want to know what this is about even more than a second ago," mentioned Li Mei.

"Oh I'm certain of that."

"Oh come on," said Kai as he gazed at his allies. "Let them have their conversation. Besides, I'm sure it's none of our business."

"Unless it affects our mission as a whole group," Li Mei pointed out.

"I promise you, it doesn't," Sub-Zero assured her. "But if it ultimately does, which I doubt, we won't hesitate to tell you and everyone else."

The young Outworlder smiled and nodded. "I appreciate that."

From there, Sub-Zero, Sareena, Smoke, and Ashrah began to walk away from where she was training. They decided to go far enough to at least be out of sight and out of hearing before they stopped in their tracks and turned to face each other in a circle.

"I assume something's happened," Ashrah mentioned as she folded her arms in front of her.

"Yeah, sort of…" Smoke replied. He stared right at her and went straight to the point. "To be blunt, Ashrah… we just recently learned that you have an assassin after you."

Ashrah let out a small sigh upon hearing that. "It would be a surprise if I didn't have an assassin after me."

Sub-Zero noted how nonchalant the huntress sounded in her response. "You've clearly been through this before."

Ashrah huffed a little. "Still am, in fact. I have creatures finding ways to crawl out of the Netherrealm just to find me. Granted, that only happened three times in the last two years, but it happens. I have at least two demon-worshipping cults in Keisei out for my blood for killing their leaders that turned out to be demons themselves. And of course, there's Quan Chi, Noob Saibot, and whoever is left of the Brotherhood of Shadow. I'm certain that Sektor and his Tekunin still have a grudge against me after I helped you during the events of the Blood Tournament. It is good that I'm already a demon and that my kriss sword alerts me to incoming danger. I can only imagine how much a lack of sleep would affect me if I was, say, a mortal Earthrealmer."

"The one 'blessing' in disguise," Sareena agreed.

"Whoever this assassin is," Ashrah continued. "Dealing with them will likely be no different than the others. Still, it would be wise for me to obtain more information just in case they get too close for comfort. What do you know about them?"

"Well…" Sub-Zero began to say. He then chose that moment to look at Sareena and place a gentle hand on her shoulder. "To start, Smoke found out that Shura's assassination target is Ashrah."

Sareena's eyebrows went up and her jaw dropped in shock. "Shura?! That… no… Seriously?!"

"I'm afraid so," Smoke answered with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "She told me straight from her own mouth three nights ago."

"Shura… Shura…" Ashrah wondered aloud. "Hmm… well, I've seen your matches with her, Sareena, so I can at least put a name to a face. But otherwise, I've never heard of her, nor have seen her prior to my arrival here on Earthrealm. Is she a demon as well?"

"No," Sareena confirmed. "But there's this pauldron she wears on her left shoulder. That contains a spirit of a demon that only speaks to her…"

"Interesting… it makes me wonder whether or not she's standing on her own, or being controlled by the demon on her shoulder."

"That's what we were wondering as well," Sub-Zero agreed.

"But according to Shura," Smoke started. "The one who assigned her to target you, Ashrah, is her real assassination target. Shura taking on the assignment to kill you is a way for her to gain her real target's trust. I assume it's to make it easier for her to take them out when the right time comes."

"And clearly after my own assassination, assuming she succeeds," Ashrah added.

"Smoke, how did you manage to get Shura to tell you who her assassination target is?" Sareena suddenly asked.

Smoke groaned in response. Sub-Zero and Liu Kang's respective reactions yesterday were enough as it were. "Long story short, Shura and I had a date night, then we shared a whirlwind passion in my hotel room, the subject of her assignment came up and I somehow got her to trust me enough to share her secret, and don't you dare judge me!"

Sareena raised an eyebrow over that last part of his sentence. "I wasn't going to…"

A smirk came over Ashrah's lips as something occurred in her mind. "You know… we may be able to turn this whole around to our advantage."

Sub-Zero was a little intrigued by those words. "How?" he asked.

Ashrah began to pace a little bit as she shared her idea. "The three of you clearly are closer to Shura than anyone else on this island. Especially you, Smoke."

"Yeah yeah…" the cyborg grumbled.

"Let me ask you one question; does she know about your alliance with me?"

"As far as we know, no," Sub-Zero replied. "And I imagine she was unaware when she told Smoke about you. Otherwise, I doubt she would've said anything at all."

"Perfect," Ashrah proceeded. By then, she stopped her pacing. "As long as she's unaware, then this plan should work. Sareena, you and Shura are still in the tournament, correct?"

"We are," Sareena confirmed.

"Good. In that case, just continue with your partnership with her as usual. While you two train together for your upcoming matches, try to do what you can to strike up a closer friendship with her. And Smoke… I'm not sure exactly what it is you and Shura have, but whatever it is… I suggest you continue it."

Smoke frowned a little over that. "I get the reason for it, but to be honest, that idea feels kind of… wrong."

"I understand your reservations," Ashrah said. "But sadly, at times like this, it's a necessary evil in the name of the greater good. Besides, this may actually turn out to have a happy ending for the both of you if things go well."

"How so?" Sub-Zero questioned.

"...Because the ultimate goal is not just to stop Shura from assassinating me. It's to also figure out exactly who gave her the assignment to kill me, then do what is necessary to convince her that all of us, myself included, will be willing to see through her ultimate assignment. Whoever it is… even if we end up having no choice but to kill Shura, this ordeal for me won't end there. This person needs to be stopped sooner or later."

"And obviously, only Shura could tell us who that is," added Sareena.

"So in short," Sub-Zero began to figure. "Sareena and Smoke will work on getting to know Shura more to the point where she can trust them enough to hopefully share who her ultimate target is at some point and convince her not to assassinate you and work with us to take her real target out."

"Exactly," Ashrah confirmed. "Of course, it's easier said than done, but we still have a long way to go in this tournament. We should have plenty of time to convince her to join our side."

"She did mention that she planned to take her time," Smoke mentioned. "It seems… unorthodox, but something tells me there's a reason for that. Maybe she's waiting for her real target to give the signal?"

"Perhaps."

Sareena then remembered something about Shura from when they first met at the start of the tournament. "I'm not sure if it means anything, but… when I first met Shura, she mentioned that she and the demon on her shoulder were both working together to satisfy their own ends. She didn't elaborate further than that. I wonder what she meant by that…"

"Maybe it has to do with her memory loss," Smoke guessed. "She does get a little melancholy when the subject comes up. It seems genuine. Perhaps her being an assassin is a necessary trade off with the demon on her shoulder in order to regain her memories as soon as the demon gets what he wants?"

"It's possible, but it's nothing more than speculation at this point," Sub-Zero pointed out. "For all we know, blackmail is involved, and either one of them could be pulling the strings."

"So it's agreed then," Ashrah began. "Sareena and Smoke, you two continue to get to know Shura and gain her trust enough to figure out who gave her the assignment, all while making sure she doesn't go through with killing me."

Sareena nodded. "Agreed."

"I'll go for it… for now," Smoke soon said.

"I'm not a fan," Sub-Zero admitted. "But what choice do we have at this point?"

"Well if you come up with another plan later on that doesn't involve espionage in the up-close-and-personal style, I'm all ears," Smoke said. "But Ashrah may be right… If we're lucky, we can eventually convince Shura to join our side. Then together, we can all take this person out of the picture for good."

"Does anyone else besides you three know about this situation?" questioned Ashrah.

"Just Liu Kang," Sub-Zero answered. "But only because we initially sought out his advice on how to move forward with the information we received. I'll talk to Matrik about the situation so that she's in-the-know as a fellow Lin Kuei. Otherwise, it's best to keep this quiet from everyone else. That is unless this whole situation escalates to where it starts to affect the other Chosen Ones."

"I don't think it'll come to that," Ashrah guessed. A small frown came over her lips. "I'd hate to think what would happen if it did…" She then quickly shook her head and smiled at her friends. "So then… shall we return to the others and begin that sparring session?"

"Sure, we'll join you," said Sub-Zero.

From there, Ashrah and Smoke began to head up the hill where Li Mei, Kung Lao, and Kai were still training while Smoke went in the opposite direction back down the hill. Sareena began to follow Ashrah, but a cool and gentle hand on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks. Of course, she didn't have to turn her head to see that it was Sub-Zero, but she did so anyway.

"Are you okay?" Sub-Zero asked as he gazed down at her with some concern in his eyes. "I'm certain that kind of news was surprising to hear."

Sareena took a deep breath before she solemnly nodded. "Yeah, it was… but I think I'll be okay. I… assume this whole thing means that Shura's chances of joining us Chosen Ones is out of the question."

"Only because of the demon on her shoulder," the ice warrior elaborated.

"That makes sense. Which reminds me… I'm guessing Liu Kang told you about that demon very recently."

"He did. And I just now realized that you already knew about the demon from day one. I'm not angry, but… why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"Because she told me not to say a word to you and Smoke right away on the day you two first met her. I'm guessing it's because she hardly knew either of you and didn't know how you two would react. She only told me because her demon sensed that I was a demon, too. I guess he thought he could trust me just by that alone."

"Hmm. I think I understand now."

"Did Liu Kang at least figure out what kind of demon we're up against?"

Sub-Zero slightly shook his head. "Not really. Only that it's an evil spirit and from the Netherrealm. Which, as you know, doesn't really narrow it down very well."

Sareena rolled her eyes. "No. It doesn't. Well… I'm sure we'll know more sooner or later. Hopefully, we'll get our answers, not to mention convincing Shura to see things our way."

"Here's hoping," Sub-Zero agreed. He briefly leaned down to kiss Sareena's forehead before he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Come on. Let's catch up with the others. We'll worry about this side quest of ours later."

Sareena simply nodded before she leaned her head into Sub-Zero's shoulder. They then began to walk in the direction Ashrah went.

---

Mishima Forest - Hilltop

Princess Kitana couldn't recall the last time she meditated. It was likely before Edenia was first freed from the grasps of Shao Kahn and Outworld. It was also something Liu Kang promised would be beneficial to her.

At the thought of the Fire God, Kitana opened her eyes as her eyebrows furrowed. She wasn't feeling the 'benefits' at that point, feeling somewhat agitated and restless despite the peaceful surroundings.

Maybe Liu Kang and I have different ideas of what helps us relax, the Princess concluded in her mind. From there, Kitana stood up from her kneeling position underneath the torii. She then took out her two fan blades in preparation for training…

Before she had the chance to move further, Kitana suddenly heard footsteps not too far from her right. Upon turning her head, the Princess spotted a male figure dressed in black and red approaching her. Between his clothes and his glowing green eyes, she recognized her fellow Chosen One - the enigma Ermac.

Ermac had been an ally to the Chosen Ones from the very beginning, though he didn't exactly become a Chosen One until the events of the Universal War. Of course, Kitana had been brainwashed into serving Shao Kahn during that time and was unaware of the construct's alliance until after the fact. By then, he had disappeared somewhere in Outworld - only reappearing just prior to the Shikoken Tournament.

Even before that, they both worked under Shao Kahn's command - back when Kitana believed the dead Emperor's lies. However, even while on the same side back then, they hardly worked together. Kitana was usually assigned to highly important tasks only Shao Kahn could trust her with, while Ermac usually worked along those who still needed to prove themselves. As far as she knew, that was still the case when she finally turned her back on all she knew and joined with the Earthrealmers in their fight against Outworld.

She didn't hear about Ermac again until after the Universal War when she learned of his contributions against Outworld. So far, he seemed to be proving himself, although the rumors of his - instability - seemed to be somewhat of a concern amongst the other Chosen Ones.

That last part didn't really surprise Kitana. After all, Ermac was a construct, a former corpse reanimated with the power of thousands of Edenian souls. Without Shao Kahn around to 'maintain' order with his own powers, it was inevitable that the souls within would fight for dominance, hence the 'instability.'

Upon that thought, Kitana suddenly became curious how the enigma would hold up in a simple sparring match. Besides, she could use the practice, and what better way to do that than to spar?

"Good afternoon, Ermac," Kitana greeted politely. "You arrived at a good time. I was thinking of training and could use a sparring partner, if you're willing."

Ermac seemed to think it over briefly, but it wasn't long before he got himself into a fighting stance. "We accept," the construct replied.

From there, Kitana didn't hesitate to jump forward and quickly execute a few kicks in Ermac's direction. The enigma was swift to dodge and block them with his hands and forearms. However, it wasn't long before Kitana began to swipe her open fans at her opponent, who was able to keep up by ducking and dodging the maneuvers with ease.

Eventually, Ermac unleashed his telekinesis by pulling Kitana's fan blades from her hands and sending them in different directions a few feet away. Kitana was caught off guard briefly before she ran forward to cover the space between them. She went in with a double kick that Ermac jumped away from before she swung her right fist to his face. Ermac blocked the move with ease before he grabbed for her wrist and began to flip her over.

However, Kitana was prepared and managed to swing her legs in a way so that she landed on her feet safely. From this point, she was in full control of the fight and landed an elbow strike to Ermac's chest. As he gasped and stumbled a couple of feet, Kitana turned to face him before she swooped downward for a sweep kick. Noting this, Ermac jumped up before he let himself float upwards a few more feet and just barely above the Princess's head.

From there, Ermac made an attempt to deliver a diagonal kick, but Kitana saw it coming and maneuvered herself away before the construct's foot connected to her head. Once her opponent was on his feet again, Kitana covered the space between them. From there, the two briefly went back and forth with various punches and kicks before Ermac was able to get the upper hand by grabbing Kitana's incoming punch and pushing her back with force with his powers. Kitana slid back quite a ways to the point where she nearly tripped over the steps leading up to the torii. Despite that, she regained her balance before she fell completely over.

That was when she noticed one of her fan blades within reach. She quickly grabbed for it and straightened herself back up to face her opponent.

Just before the Edenian could make her next move, a green burst of energy suddenly emerged from Ermac's body. The energy then formed into orbs that flew around the enigma, who's eyes went widen momentarily before he shut them tight. He then bent over slightly with one hand over his chest, and the other clutching the side of his head as though he was in great pain.

The whispers in his head were many and incoherent. It was as though they were arguing among themselves with anger as though they were all disagreeing on something. Then, one of the souls seemed to surge forth and clutched onto the construct's chest.

"Enough!" Ermac suddenly shouted… or was it the spirit in question?

Naturally, Kitana was perplexed by what was happening in front of her. "Ermac?" she questioned with a raised brow.

"Princess," Ermac suddenly called out through clenched teeth. "It's best to stop this."

Kitana narrowed her eyes at him as she suddenly noticed something different about his voice, but couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. Still, she managed to ask a single question; "Are you all right?"

"...It's best that we cut this sparring session short. Trust me… it's for your own good."

Kitana looked on with confusion as Ermac suddenly jumped up a few feet before he flew away and disappeared amongst the trees. It was only then that the Princess realized why the construct sounded so different to her ears…

…Ermac spoke with a singular voice, one with a light, Northern Edenian accent. And then something else occurred to her. He said 'me' instead of 'us'...

Upon realizing that, Kitana suddenly heard another pair of footsteps approach from behind. Thinking that Ermac returned to continue where they left off, Kitana quickly whirled around and got herself into a fighting stance, her fan unfolded and ready to defend herself.

"Easy, dear daughter," the voice of her mother, Sindel, assured her as she raised her hands up as a way to calm her only child. "It's only me."

Kitana took a deep breath before she closed her fan and placed them back in their scabbards, one on each hip. She planned to retrieve the other one in a moment. "Sorry, Mother," the Princess answered. "I wasn't expecting anyone to come all the way up here."

"And here I thought I was loud enough for you to hear me," Sindel mentioned. "If I were to guess, you were distracted. Are you all right?"

Kitana sighed as she looked over to where Ermac vanished moments ago. "I'm fine, Mother. Really. I was just thinking how much I miss Edenia."

The Empress smiled a little. "I understand. I've been feeling a little homesick, too. But remember, we're here to protect our home by keeping this war from spilling over to ours. I promise, Kitana, we'll be home before you know it."

Kitana managed to smile at her mother's words. "I'm sure of that." She tilted her head a little. "Were you looking for me?"

Sindel nodded. "Yes. Jade said you'd be up here. I was thinking we could practice some of those kicks I've been teaching you."

Kitana let out another small sigh. "As much as I would love to, I'm actually feeling quite tired. Perhaps we'll do that first thing tomorrow morning." She gave her mother another smile. "I know it's early for supper, but I was thinking we can return to our hotel room and see if we remember how to take advantage of that 'room service,' as the Earthrealmers call it." The Princess chuckled at another thought. "And if we fail, we can always go out to Lavande. I've been meaning to try that crepe suzette you've been raving about."

Sindel smiled warmly. "That sounds lovely."

---

Mishima Island - Downtown

"Sooo," Yun started as he walked along his brother, Yang on the sidewalks of the downtown area. "Tomorrow ends Round Three and then Round Four starts in three days. Are you ready for it?"

"You bet," Yang replied. He then pointed in front of them. "Just… be prepared to carry some heavy bags until then."

In front of them, their respective girlfriends - Hoimei and Maki - were chatting away while carrying a couple of shopping bags in both of their hands. The brothers did offer to help earlier, but the two insisted on carrying them for the moment - but both knew it wouldn't be long before the bag quantity got larger in numbers - not to mention heavier.

"Tell me about it," Yun grumbled. "Hopefully, Hoimei doesn't buy anything that weighs fifty pounds… again. Sure, I'll get compliments for being 'big and strong' from her, but then my arms will be screaming for the rest of the day. How am I supposed to practice for the next round in that kind of pain?"

"Tiger Balm?" Yang suggested. "It works for me and a lot of other people I know. I think there's a drug store not too far from here we can stop at once we see it."

"For some weird reason, that balm doesn't work for me the few times I've tried it," Yun grumbled. "And if it worked for you and not me, well… you'd think we'd have been born with similar physiology, being twins and all..."

"Well, to be fair, we're fraternal twins, not identical," Yang reminded him. "Besides, I've heard of identical twins even having different types of allergies from each other."

"...Yeah, that's true. Remember the Gao twins from school? I recall that Yifei was allergic to edamame while her identical twin sister Dongmei could eat them like potato chips. That last part was exaggeration, but-"

"Who are the Gao twins?" Maki suddenly asked. The brothers gazed up at her and Hoimei, both who had stopped their walk and turned to face them.

"The prettiest girls in all of Homantin Secondary School," Hoimei pointed out. She narrowed her eyes on the twins, especially her boyfriend. "Though I'm curious to know why you brought them up."

"The subject of twin differences came up and I happened to decide to use them as an example!" Yun called out. He felt somewhat annoyed that Hoimei, who clearly heard 'Gao twins' and not the rest of the conversation, quickly assumed he brought them up just because they were pretty. "Besides, it's not like we've seen them since we graduated! Didn't Yifei get married right out of school and Dongmei moved to Canada for college?"

"Other way around," Hoimei corrected him.

"Whatever. The point is, you shouldn't jump so quickly into accusing me of something without knowing the whole story!"

"Who said I was accusing you of anything?!" Hoimei shouted.

"Then why are you mad about it?!"

"Ugh, it's a nice day, can we not fight?" Yang groaned.

Suddenly, someone popped up from the nearby alleyway and into the middle of the group. "Hey! Stop fighting for a sec and listen!" they shouted at the top of their lungs.

"AAH!" Yun shouted as he turned to the owner of the voice. He then quickly recognized them and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Dammit Makoto, don't scare me like that!"

"You deserved it," Hoimei growled.

"Whatever, we'll talk about this later…"

Makoto narrowed her eyes. "Could you be quiet for a sec?! Leo and I need your help!"

"With what?" asked Maki with concern.

"We were walking by this spot when we suddenly hear a distinctive 'meow' somewhere in there and-"

Before Makoto could finish, Yang practically bolted away and into the alley. Makoto blinked in astonishment. "He seemed quite eager to help."

"'Meow' was the magic word," Yun mentioned. "Let's just say that Yang is the resident cat feeder in our neighborhood. I'm also certain he's a walking catnip with the way those cats follow him around."

"You could've just simply said he's a cat lover," Makoto said with a roll of her eyes. She then waved her hand and headed to the alley. "Come on, we gotta get this cat out of its hiding spot before it runs away again."

From there, Yun followed Makoto and it wasn't long before Hoimei and Maki walked to the alley as well. "Do you know about Yang's love for cats?" Hoimei asked the Bushin ninja.

"I knew from day one," Maki replied. "But with everything going on the last couple of years, there was simply no time for him to care for one at home. But I always assumed he'd get a couple of them sooner or later."

The group just arrived where Leo and Yang were when the latter bent down to pick up something from the ground behind a dumpster. When he straightened himself up, he had a kitten barely bigger than the palm of his hand in his arms. The kitten was mostly gray with white patches on its body, paws that made it look like it was wearing white socks, and also covered the lower half of its face just underneath its pink nose. Although the kitten meowed loudly every couple of seconds, it didn't hesitate to cuddle within Yang's chest as he held it close to him.

"Hey kitty," Yang whispered to the kitten as it continued to yell incessantly. He began to gently pet its head with his index finger. "Where's your family? You must be really hungry."

"Amazing," Leo said with surprise and they gazed at the others. "The kitten just… walked right up to him completely unafraid."

"Told you he was walking catnip," Yun mentioned. Makoto simply rolled her eyes again at that.

"It's so little," cooed Maki as she walked up to Yang. "How old do you think it is?"

"If I had to guess," Yang started, speaking quietly so that he didn't spook it. "Six to eight weeks. Close to being ready to be on its own, but still needs their mother for at least a couple of more weeks."

"Oh. So… now what?" asked Maki.

"First, we should see if its mother and siblings are around the area," Yang directed. "At least two of us should stay here to see if the mother returns. If we don't find them within a few hours, we'll take it back to our hotel."

"Are pets even allowed at the hotel?" asked Leo.

"I have no idea, but this is kind of an emergency, sooo…" Yang didn't bother to finish his sentence.

"Guess the rest of our shopping trip is on hold," Hoimei sighed.

"There's plenty of time for that anyway," Yun stated. "I'll even buy us dinner next time."

"Lavande?" Hoimei suggested. "I've been wanting to try that place for a while now."

Yun shrugged. "Sure, why not."

Hoimei smiled happily at him. "Aww that's sweet of you, babe. It's a deal."

Yun grinned. "I love it when you call me babe, cupcake."

"Ugh, I swear, they're like a lightswitch…" Yang grumbled concerning Yun and Hoimei. He shook his head quickly as he brought his focus back on the kitten. "Anyway, Maki and I will stay here with the kitten. The rest of you find a nearby pet store and get two bowls, milk made specifically for kittens, and a couple of cans of kitten food, preferably wet food. It should be old enough to have solid food at this age. If not, we can always mix the food in with the cat milk. Oh! And get a box and some cat litter, too. That should cover the basics."

"Hopefully finding a pet store won't take too long," said Makoto as she, Leo, Yun, and Hoimei began to leave the alley.

Once they were gone, Maki reached a hand to gently pet the kitten's head. By then, it settled further into Yang's chest and was purring contently. "It's a good thing we walked by when we did. This kitty's lucky to have a cat expert helping out."

Yang smiled a little as he gazed down at the small animal in his arms. "Yeah. I suppose so."

Meanwhile, not too far from them, Steve Fox and Lita Luwanda were walking side-by-side on the sidewalks of downtown. Lita carried one bag in her hand while the other linked around Steve's right arm. She also leaned close to him, and Steve himself had a contented gaze on his face as the two strolled along.

"So," Lita started after some silence between them. "We've been on this island for a while now. Are you bored of this place yet?"

"Actually, I'm not," Steve admitted. "This bloody beats being bored like I was when the war began. It probably also helps that Hwoarang and I are still in the tournament." He gazed down at his girlfriend. "I'm guessing that's why you might be getting bored now?"

"Ugh," Lita groaned. "Kind of, sort of. I mean, I'm very happy that it was other Chosen Ones who defeated Lucia and I. I would've been miffed had it been one of our enemies. I just… I just want to start kicking arse right about now."

"We'll get there," Steve promised. "Sooner or later. In the meantime, I'm just enjoying the ride. Especially with my present company." He ended that sentence with a brief kiss to the side of Lita's head.

"Charmer," Lita chuckled as she flashed a big grin at him.

It was at that moment that they spotted a sporting goods store to their right. Steve spotted something at the window display and decided to get a closer look. He slightly guided Lita to the window and they soon stood in front of it.

Lita realized quickly what Steve was looking at. "Those are very nice boxing gloves. The price seems reasonable, too."

"Maybe," Steve replied. "I'll have to double check the translation between pounds and yen."

"Oh, that's right," Lita realized.

"But regardless, I wouldn't mind adding a new set, perhaps as a souvenir that represents our time here." Steve then shrugged to himself. "Maybe later. First, let's see how far Hwoarang and I get in this tournament."

"How far do you think you'll make it in the tournament?" Lita asked.

"Hwoarang's very confident we'll at least make the Top 12," Steve answered. "Honestly, it would be nice to make it that far. Even better if we win this and face Jin."

"That's what everyone's hoping," Lita said. She then gave Steve's arm a small squeeze. "Say that you do get that far. What do you hope to get out of it? Personally, I mean."

It was an innocent question, but Steve couldn't help but think about the Mishima Zaibatsu experiment that was done on Nina Williams - the woman whose DNA was used to create Steve while she was in cryosleep. Just what did the Zaibatsu hoped to gain from his existence? And were they the reason for the scars on his left arm?

A part of him also wondered why Nina would rejoin the Zaibatsu since they were the ones responsible for her forced cryosleep and the violation on her. Perhaps Jin made an offer - one that could perhaps give her answers she's been long looking for.

That's what Steve liked to believe.

After mulling that over in his head, he realized that Lita was still waiting for him to answer. He gazed down at her and smiled. "Like everyone else - answers. I'm curious to know why he started this war, too."

"Just make sure to punch Jin good over the head afterwards," Lita suggested.

Steve chuckled a little. "I'll keep that in mind."

---

Okan Bar and Grill

While sitting at a booth at the Okan Bar and Grill, Mike Haggar joined the wrestler Alex for lunch alongside Tom and Patricia - the two people the young wrestler considered his family. The four just settled themselves a few moments ago and were looking over the menu.

"A lot of what they have here is local cuisine," Alex informed his family. "But they have a few western-inspired foods here, too. Their cheeseburger is actually pretty good."

"Have you found a good pizza out here yet?" Patricia suddenly asked.

"You mean in general, or compared to New York?" Alex questioned.

"Mmm how about both?"

"All right. Actually, there's a pretty decent place near the docks if you're absolutely craving pizza. But compared to New York? Heck no!"

"I figured finding New York-style Pizza would be difficult outside the five boroughs, let alone a whole other part of the world."

"As if you'll ever find New York-style pizza that tastes exactly like a New York pizza even back in the States," Haggar mentioned. "Somehow, crossing over through the Holland Tunnel makes all the difference in the world."

"You said it."

"I remember craving it big time during the Universal War," Alex said. "Needless to say, eating nothing but military rations twice a day was rough."

"I remember those dark days," Haggar said with a small sigh. "Just trying to make sure everyone was being fed was far from a cake walk."

"I hear you really kept Metro City from going crazier than usual in between those two invasions," Tom said. "It's quite a feat trying to take care of a whole city."

Haggar slightly nodded. "There were times where I wondered how long it would be before a real riot broke out. Metro City was lucky in that regard despite our long history of gang violence. I think even the gangs of my city realized how much we all needed to work together against what could've very well have been the end of the world as we knew it."

"I'll tell you though," Alex began. "When it was all over, and I finally got my first bite of real pizza, it was heaven. I even learned a lesson in that moment; we take the little things for granted."

"This is very true. Heck, I had the same feeling when I ate my first post-war hamburger at my favorite stop."

"That was me with a croissant," Tom admitted.

"You mean croissants, as in plural," Patricia began to tease. She looked at Haggar and pointed a thumb at Tom. "The second our local bakery reopened, Dad was the first in the line to buy their entire croissant stock. I think he ate them all before dinner."

"For the record, it took a day and a half," Tom corrected her. He took a second to pat his own stomach. "Good thing I own my own gym or else I'd be in big trouble."

"Speaking of trouble," Alex suddenly said as he looked over their booth and over to the restaurant's exit. "There's a pair of trouble coming right into the restaurant as we speak."

Haggar gazed over to where Alex was looking - and nearly let out an exasperated breath as soon as he spotted Hugo and Poison over by the host's podium. "Great…"

Hugo and Poison soon started to walk over towards the bar. Tom briefly turned his head to get a look at them before he returned his gaze to Alex and Haggar. "You weren't kidding when you called him a powerhouse."

"Looks like they're heading to the bar," Alex said. A split "Wait, nevermind… now they're coming over to… us."

"Ugh, great…" Haggar grumbled as he put his menu down. He decided to stand up and face the duo before they completely finished their approach. He then placed both of his fists on his hips as a means of intimidating them. "If you're here to start trouble, now is not the time," the Mayor of Metro City warned.

"Who said anything about finding trouble?" Poison questioned sternly as she folded her arms in front of her. "I just wanted to check in to see how Cody was doing after what happened at the gym a few days ago."

Haggar knew the answer of course - Cody was feeling much better since that afternoon in the gym. But he wasn't about to tell Poison of all people that fact, even if her 'check in' was with good intentions. "None of your damn business," he growled.

Poison rolled her eyes as she pouted at him. "If you're gonna be like that, then I will start trouble! Back in the gym in one hour?"

Hagger huffed out a breath as he let his arms drop to his sides. "Listen… as thrilled as I would be to take you up on that offer, there are bigger things to worry about than just our past."

"Like what?" Poison asked almost boredly.

"In short, there are bigger fishes to fry," Haggar pointed out. "This war that's going on right now? That should be your main concern."

"I'm just here for fame and fortune," Poison pointed out. "Why should I be concerned?"

"Uh, Poison," Hugo started suddenly. "This sounds like something that King said back when we were getting on the ferries. He said something about the whole universe possibly being swallowed up once this tournament is over."

"That was crazy talk, Hugo," Poison reminded him. "H-he was probably still traumatized from the Universal War!" The pink-haired woman then threw her hands up in frustration. "Ugh! I need a drink! Haggar, Hugo and I will be at the gym in an hour. If you show up, great! If not, then it's 'whatever!'"

Poison then turned on her heel and headed to the bar. Hugo shrugged at the group before he, too, turned around and followed his manager.

"Swallowed up universe? Crazy talk?" spoke up Tom once the duo were out of earshot. "What were they talking about?"

Haggar and Alex briefly turned to each other silently before Alex subtly shook his head at Haggar. The Mayor sighed and soon sat down as he gazed at Tom. "It's nothing. Like Poison said, probably trauma from last year's war."

"That makes sense," Tom replied before he looked at the menu. "I think I'll try that cheeseburger you mentioned, Alex."

"Make sure you get it with the house relish on the side," Alex replied. He quietly sighed before he forced himself to focus to look over the menu again. "It's their specialty."

---

The Docks - Beach Area

In an isolated part of the docks that obscured the view of the downtown area, Talim took the opportunity to practice some katas. With her bladed tonfas in each hand, she paused for a moment to close her eyes and take in a deep breath in order to get herself focused. Then she began…

Talim spun her tonfas rapidly in her hands out on either side of her, though she also criss-crossed them in front of her a couple of times in the process. After she took a slow and steady step forward, she turned slightly before she stopped spinning her weapons and punched the air a couple of times.

With a yell, Talim performed a forward kick before she used the same leg to reverse into a back kick. She then quickly turned halfway before she paused for just a second in a fighting pose as though she was ready for her opponent. Afterwards, she extended one arm out in front of her and, once again, spun her tonfa rapidly - first in a circular motion, then in a figure-eight pattern. After a few seconds of this, she swiftly swung her other blade behind her before she pivoted on one foot. From there, she swung both weapons rapidly and switched between having the blades in front of her, or from her sides. She then stopped for barely a second before she took a single step forward.

"A-yah!" the young priestess cried out as she swiftly extended both hilts of her tonfas out in front of her. She then pivoted again, tucked her right blade near her left hip, then swiped the weapon in a half-circle in front of her before she followed with a double roundhouse kick.

Once her feet were back on the ground, Talim spun her weapons in front of her in a circular motion before she spun in a full circle, got down on one knee, then jabbed the bladed side of her tonfa behind her before she paused in her position. After counting to three, Talim rolled forward and slightly off the side, punched the air with both fists, and then slipped back onto her feet before she jabbed the hilt side of her right tonfa off sideways.

Then, while using the same tonfa she jabbed with, the young priestess brought the weapon in front of her and spun it once more in a figure-eight pattern. It didn't take long before her other weapon joined its twin and she entered a criss-cross motion again, all while picking up some speed.

"Yah!" Talim called out as she jumped up, spun around mid-air, landed on her feet, and quickly performed another double of roundhouse - one with her opposite foot on the ground, and the other while jumping - before she turned halfway, got down on one knee, then brought her right arm across her front and made a jab motion with her blade in an upward angle. Like earlier, she held this position for a few moments.

"Even in another world, you're still as focused as ever," the familiar voice of Yun-seong called out from behind. Talim straightened herself up before she placed her tonfas back in their scabbards on either side of her hips. Once that was done, she turned around to face him.

She realized at that moment that it had been a while since the two friends had one-on-one time since they were brought to Earthrealm alongside their Keisei allies.

"I have to be," Talim pointed out. "The fate of the realms depends on us to remain focused and prepare for the battle ahead."

"True," Yun-seong agreed. "But that doesn't mean we can't have some fun while we wait for that to happen."

Talim tilted her head and placed her hands on her hips. "Who says I'm not having fun?"

Yun-seong scratched the side of his head. "Yeah, I forgot, you became friends with those group of girls we met. How's that been?"

"I admit, it's very different from what I'm used to back in the Visayan Islands," Talim admitted. "I like them very much and I am learning a lot about Earthrealm customs through them. Occasionally though, like now, I come here to enjoy a little solitude. I try to do that for myself every few days or so."

"I wish I could do that," Yun-seong grumbled. "Take a break, I mean. Yeah, I'm learning a lot from Master Baek and Master Bo' Rai Cho. It probably wouldn't be too bad if Seong Mi-na wasn't always bugging me during the training sessions."

"She's only looking out for your best interest," Talim tried to assure him.

Yun-seong shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose… I just wish she didn't nag me so much. I already got it enough from Master Han-myeong back home as it is."

"Like father, like daughter," Talim teased.

"Whatever." It was then that a smirk came over the young man's face as an idea came to him. "But you know… it wouldn't be too bad if you join us in the training session."

Talim narrowed her eyes at him. "You asked me before. You know my answer."

"I know, but it didn't hurt to try again," Yun-seong. "But seriously, Talim. It's not that bad. You're learning from two experienced teachers from two different realms. Master Baek has been showing me how to take advantage of kick maneuvers in swordplay, and Master Bo' Rai Cho recently started teaching me about tactical advantages if I ever find myself fighting underwater without my sword."

Talim tilted her head once more with curiosity. "It actually sounds like you're really enjoying these training sessions."

"...A little. But don't tell Mi-na. She'll never let me hear the end of it."

The young priestess laughed at that. "Don't worry, I won't." She then took a deep breath as she made a decision in her mind. "All right, Yun-seong. Once Round Four of this tournament is underway, I'll swing by both training sessions and observe. If I like what I see… I may join you and your friends in future lessons."

Yun-seong nodded in agreement. "Sounds fair."

---

The Gym - Mishima Hotel

It was just around lunch time when Sonya decided to head down to the gym to work off some excess energy. At the moment, she was completely alone in the gym, which she appreciated as she landed a few punches on the boxing bag. After all, not only were today's matches in the tournament underway at the casino, but it was also lunch time, so most people would be eating around this hour.

I need to come here more often around this time, the Special Forces Major thought to myself.

Just as that thought left her, Sonya heard the doors to the gym pop open with a slightly loud echo. I guess having the whole gym to myself is out of the question now, she thought with a small sigh. The Special Forces Major briefly stopped to see who came in - and actually was a little relieved to recognize the faces of both Chun-Li and Lei Wulong.

"Hey Chun-Li, hey Lei," Sonya greeted.

"Hi Sonya," Lei replied. "Nice time to be here, right?"

"I highly agree," Sonya answered. "And it's a nice time killer, too, especially since I'm no longer in the tournament."

"How's Cammy doing?" Chun-Li asked with a lace of concern. "I spoke to her once after that match and she was more pissed than anything. Needless to say, Doctrine Dark was… pretty rough to say the least."

"Tell me about it. Had that bastard not knocked me out when he did… well, let's just say that getting disqualified would've been worth it."

"Trust me, I've had those temptations before, especially when it came to my Shadaloo investigations."

"Either way, Guile wasn't too happy about the whole situation, to say the least," Lei mentioned. "But who could blame him? The guy's been looking out for Cammy ever since she was freed from Shadaloo's brainwashing. When someone you used to command hurts someone close to you, it makes you want to burn the whole world down just to make them feel even an ounce of misery."

"Times like this make me feel a little frustrated," Sonya suddenly admitted with a frown. "I know we don't have a lot to go on with our mission right now, but this current stall is driving me crazy. I don't remember it being like that during the Blood Tournament."

"The paperwork kept us busy, I think," Chun-Li jested.

"Which we ended up leaving behind anyway thanks to that last-minute attack," Lei grumbled with a roll of his eyes. "Thankfully we have USB flash drives for that sort of thing."

"Didn't they have floppy disks in your time?" Sonya asked.

"Yeah they did… Thanks, now I feel even more old than I already am."

"Well it's not like we could've used the tech in Outworld even if we wanted to," Chun-Li pointed out.

"From my experience, it's possible," Sonya mentioned. "But it's anyone's guess whether or not they'll actually work once you get there. There's also the whole lack of electricity and battery drainage, even with backups and generators…"

The Special Forces Major took a deep breath before she continued. "Anyway, I suppose this mission stall is no different than our experience in the Blood Tournament. At this point, I'm certain it'll start picking up the closer we get to the end. Hopefully, I actually see the other side of this deal this time…"

Lei and Chun-Li simply nodded as they understood what Sonya meant by that. However, after a few moments of pause, Lei dared himself to ask Sonya a question that's been on his mind for quite some time. "What was it like? To die, I mean…"

He was taken aback when Sonya answered without hesitation. "Short and to the point. I fell asleep and I woke up in a blink of an eye. The only difference was that nine months went by. And before you ask about the 'in-between'... dealing. That's all I'll say about it."

"Loud and clear," Lei simply said.

"But if you ever want to talk…" Chun-Li started, but decided to leave the sentence hanging. She didn't want to push her colleague any more than she already had.

"I appreciate it," Sonya assured. "But it's not necessary. I'm already talking to a Special Forces-provided therapist every week over the phone, even while here at the tournament. Not that I have a choice if I want to keep my job…"

That was when the doors to the gym popped open, which caught the trio's attention. They quickly recognized both Johnny Cage and Fei Long, both who looked prepared to spend some time in the gym. It took all of Sonya's energy not to groan at the sight of the American actor in particular.

"Sup, ladies? Sup, Jackie Chan?" Johnny called out as he made a finger gun with his hand and pointed it at the trio. "Don't mind us, we're just here to train for the next round of the tournament."

Lei raised an eyebrow as he turned to Sonya and whispered, "Is he always like this?"

Sonya sighed a little "For the most part… yeah. But honestly, he can be serious when he needs to be. He also can be occasionally charming and… ugh, I spoke too much. Forget that last part."

Lei gave her an amused smirk. "Your secret's safe with me."

"...Appreciate it."

"How have you three been?" Fei Long asked aloud.

"Just waiting around and killing time while there's a lull in our group mission," said Chun-Li. "Especially now that we've been eliminated from the tournament."

"Well at least we have that group meeting tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll get enough updates to help us push this mission further ahead."

"The sooner that happens," Sonya began. "The better off we'll be. I'd rather be prepared and ready than to be caught by surprise."

"Unless it's a birthday party," Johnny pointed out. "Who doesn't love a surprise birthday party?"

"Me," the Special Forces Major deadpanned.

"...Oh yeah, I should've known that from what I was told about the last one you had thrown for you."

"...Who told you about that?!"

"Jax, believe it or not," Johnny replied. "It was… after the Blood Tournament and before the Universal War when we were reminiscing over some old memories over a couple of beers. From what Jax told me, Cyrax had the 'bright' idea to throw you a birthday party at the last minute and got the whole team together to help celebrate. Jax knew you didn't like surprises, but decided to amuse himself mainly to get back at Cyrax for some earlier prank he pulled… I forget which one. Word is… the surprise was so sudden for you that your 'flight or fight' instincts kicked in and you threw the cake in Cyrax's face."

"Yikes," Chun-Li called out. "I bet the clean-up afterwards was 'fun.'"

"Yeah, well… he deserved it," Sonya said with a small huff of amusement. "Though had I known that Hsu Hao would ultimately betray us during the Universal War, I would've thrown the cake in his face instead… lit candles and all."

"Remind me never to piss you off," said Fei Long.

"Wait. Hsu Hao was at the party?" asked a bewildered Chun-Li.

"Yeah, believe it or not," Sonya confirmed. "Thinking back on it now, it was likely part of his full dedication to his undercover work. He was, unfortunately, that good at the job…"

"Going back to Cyrax," Lei began. "How are things between you two, Cage?"

"...No comment," was all Johnny said. In an attempt to quickly change the subject, an idea quickly popped into the actor's head and he pointed a finger between Lei and Chun-Li. "You two are romantically together, right?"

"We're also married," Chun-Li added.

"Oh. Right! Anyway, I just had this crazy idea-"

"Let me guess? Ninja Mime vs. Interpol," Lei said. "Before you ask, the answer is 'no.'"

"What?! No! This has nothing to do with being in front of cameras… though that does sound like a great movie idea now that you said it-"

"What's your crazy idea?" Chun-Li pushed.

"Two words; Triple. Date."

Sonya quickly narrowed her eyes at him. "No."

"...I'll pay for everything and everyone can eat and drink to their heart's content."

Lei let out an exaggerated sigh. "Well… admittingly, I can't say no to free food, especially if it beats microwaved instant ramen," He turned his head to his wife. "What about you, honey?"

"I'm up for it," Chun-Li replied. She turned to her blonde-haired friend. "How about you, Sonya?"

Sonya also let out an exaggerated sigh. "Fine, but only because you two are going."

"Great!" Johnny called out. "So it'll be me and Sonya, Lei Wulong and Chun-Li-"

"Who says anything about you and me, Cage?" Sonya questioned as she glared at him.

"I'm sure it won't be too bad," Lei said as he gave a light nudge on Sonya's upper arm with his elbow.

Johnny grinned upon seeing that. "It's nice to have my very own wingman-"

"Don't push your luck," Lei warned.

Sonya sighed as her face relaxed a little. "Okay… but all I ask, Cage, is for you to… not talk so much. Got it?"

"You got it! Now we need someone to partner up with Fei Long."

"Wait, how did I get roped into this?" Fei Long asked.

"Well, for one thing, it's a 'triple date,' not a 'double date,'" Johnny explained. "I was thinking of you, too, when this idea hit me in the face."

"Should've been a brick instead," Sonya deadpanned. It took all of Lei's energy to not laugh at that.

"Hahaha, real funny. Anyway… Fei Long… you prefer women, right?"

"Yeah," Fei Long replied.

"What about Cammy?" Johnny asked. "It'd make sense with the whole 'tag team' theme between all of us."

"I can tell you right now, baaad idea," Chun-Li warned. "It's nothing against you, Fei Long, I promise, but she's really having it rough right now. The last thing she needs is to be roped into a date night."

"I understand," Fei Long assured her.

"I have a better idea," Lei spoke up. "Fei Long, is there anyone within the Chosen Ones group who you've… noticed? I'm not saying it has to be some secret crush or anything, unless you have one we don't know about, but just someone maybe you just happened to see and thought was nice or pretty or something like that."

"Hmm," Fei Long hummed as he thought over the women he remembered seeing around the island, not to mention the previous meetings. After a few moments, he shrugged. "I can't think of anyone. The ones I do think of are either taken or too young for me."

An idea quickly came to Chun-Li. "May I make a suggestion?"

"Go ahead."

"...How about Christie?"

Lei frowned over the suggestion. "Honestly, I'm not sure about that," he said with some concern.

"Why not?" asked Johnny.

"Well, the main reason she's here at the tournament is to find her mentor and grandfather, both who went missing several months ago," Lei answered. "She loves them both dearly and she always speaks fondly of them, especially her mentor."

"With the exception of what we know about her mentor," Chun-Li began to mention. "The rest of that investigation is on the same lull period as our main Chosen Ones mission at this point."

"True," Lei agreed. "But that's more reason for her worries to increase."

"Maybe," Chun-Li said. "But I'm also thinking it might be good for her. I'm not saying she and Fei Long should 'hook up,' but I see nothing wrong with at least one night out getting to know another Chosen One, not to mention someone who I've personally known for years. If it was anyone else other than Fei Long, I wouldn't suggest Christie at all."

"I appreciate the confidence, Chun-Li," Fei Long replied. "And I'm fine with the arrangement if Christie's fine with it."

"I do understand Lei's concerns," Sonya mentioned. "However, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask Christie if she's up for it. It would do her good to have her mind focused on something else, even if it's for a short time. It seemed to work the last few times we took her out."

"Then it's settled," Johnny cut in. "Me and Sonya, Lei and Chun-Li, and Fei Long and Christie. You guys cool with Tek-ken Steakhouse? It's the only 'nice' restaurant on the island that doesn't require you to wear a tie."

The others simply nodded and shrugged before Johnny gave them a thumb's up. "Great! Looking forward to it!"

---

Mishima Hotel

Hours after finding a gray and white kitten in the downtown area, Yang determined that its mother couldn't be found. He did, however, have Yun buy a hidden camera to play in the alleyway in case the mother showed up later on, though it was very unlikely to happen.

The two brothers, along with Maki, Hoimei, Leo, and Makoto, returned to their hotel suite. Yang first gave the kitten a quick bath over the bathroom sink. Miraculously, he only found a couple of fleas he killed quickly with the special soap he used.

Once the bath was done, Yang then tested out some of the food supply items to see which worked best and soon figured that the kitten was content not only with a cat milk and wet food mixture, but also licking it off from a spoon. The other ended up quietly watching him care for the kitten.

"Eh… it does know how to use a litter box, right?" Maki asked.

"I'm going to introduce it as soon as I finish feeding," Yang answered. "Believe it or not, that's the easy part. Their natural instincts kick in when you introduce them to the litter box."

"Here's hoping he has those instincts," Yun said.

"He? It's a boy?" questioned Makoto.

"Yup," Yun replied as he pointed at the cat's behind. "Little dude's 'twins' rival the size of golf balls."

"YUN!" Hoimei yelled out, nearly scandalized. Behind her, Maki and Makoto attempted to stiffen their laughter while Leo simply stood there with a raised eyebrow.

"It's true though!" the older Lee twin shouted. "Exaggerating, but still!"

"That… doesn't make sense!" Makoto pointed out.

"Guys, quiet down," Yang growled. "The last thing I want is for you to scare him."

"Oh. Sorry…"

"What happens now?" asked Maki.

"Well, I'd like to take him to the vet as soon as possible," Yang said. "If he has any worms, it's best to nuke it now than wait for it to get worse. He could also have health problems that we can't see off hand. Once he takes a nap, I'll research vets in the area. There has to be at least a couple of them on this island."

"Have you decided a name for him?"

Yang pursed his lips a little. "I… haven't thought of that yet. Besides, I don't even know if I'm going to keep him yet."

"Why not?" questioned Makoto. "He's taking a liking to you. Isn't it said that when a cat picks you, they pick you for life? That's how my Grandpa ended up with ten cats in his youth. Granted, they were outdoor cats, but it still applies here."

"I know, but-"

"But what? Don't ask questions. Keep him!"

"...I'll think about it," Yang finished. He then gave the kitten a brief pet on the head while it continued to feet off the spoon Yang provided. It was also purring in content at the same time.

"By the way, I took the time to look into the hotel policies," Hoimei brought up. "The good news is that the Mishima Hotel does, in fact, allow cats to stay in their rooms. The bad news is that there's a one-time fee we have to pay if we want to keep him in the room, even though we're staying here for free."

"Sooo don't tell them about the kitten?" Yun suggested.

Hoimei glared at him. "We're paying, Yun."

"Ugh, fine," Yun groaned as he adjusted his hat on his head. "I swear, this cat is already costing us a bundle, and it hasn't even been a day yet."

"As fun as this was," Makoto began. "I'm really hungry, and watching that kitten eat is not helping. But I'll swing by tomorrow morning before the tournament to check up on the little guy."

"Me too," Leo agreed. "It's been an interesting day."

"Thanks for alerting us to his presence," Yang said. "I'm sure he'd appreciate it very much if he understood what happened."

"I'm sure," Makoto answered. She then turned to Leo. "You coming along? Let's get dinner at the Okan Bar and Grill. My treat."

"Sounds good," Leo agreed. They then waved at their friends. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye," everyone called out as Makoto and Leo left the suite.

Once the two were outside, Makoto took a deep breath. "Wow, what a day indeed. I don't even remember when I last ate."

"I know I ate breakfast," Leo realized as the two started to walk down the hallway. "And I might've had a snack before we went downtown… I can't remember anymore."

"We're THAT hungry," Makoto grumbled just as the two reached the hotel elevator. She pressed the down button before she proceeded. "Good thing the restaurant is here at the hotel. Hopefully, nothing else stops us along the way."

It was then that a ding was heard, alerting them that their elevator arrived. When the doors opened, they immediately noticed that one other person was inside, their back against the wall that faced the doors.

It was Makoto who recognized them - Zafina.

"Hey, Zafina," Makoto greeted as she and Leo entered the elevator.

"Hello," Zafina replied quietly.

Nothing was said for the next few seconds as Makoto reached for the floor buttons and pressed the one for the ground floor. The doors soon closed and the elevator began to move.

It was barely between the fourth and third floor when Zafina suddenly moved towards the buttons. Before Makoto or Leo could comprehend it, the astrologist quickly pressed the 'stop' button, and the elevator immediately halted.

"...Eh," Makoto began unsurely. "Should we be concerned?"

"We need to talk," Zafina answered without hesitation.

"About what?" the Rindo-kan fighter grumbled - only because dinner was delayed further and her stomach was growling in protest. "Can it wait-"

"Not you, Makoto," Zafina said. She turned her head to Makoto's friend. "I was hoping to talk to you, Leo."

Upon hearing that, Makoto immediately realized what this was about. Her mood quickly changed from annoyed to serious as she gazed at her tag team partner. Unsurprisingly, Leo felt very unsure about the situation. They found themselves looking between Makoto and Zafina for the first second or so.

"Um," Leo soon started. "I'm not sure-"

"It's okay," Makoto immediately assured them. "Just hear Zafina out."

Leo relaxed and nodded to Makoto before they turned their attention back to the astrologist. "Okay… I'm listening."

"You're not just Makoto's tag team partner," Zafina began. "You're also an ally - one who is trustful, modest, and determined to fight for justice."

Leo frowned a little. "You… you've been following me since our match at the tournament, haven't you?"

"More or less," Zafina admitted. "I apologize if I've made you uncomfortable with that knowledge, but it was what I needed to do in order to know if you are worthy."

"Worthy of what?"

"...To be a Chosen One."

Leo tilted their head at that. "A Chosen One? For what?"

"To join our little army to fight those who threaten the universe," Makoto replied.

Leo raised an eyebrow to their friend. "You're part of this too, Makoto?"

"So are Yang and the others, though Hoimei isn't," the Rindo-kan warrior explained. "R. Mika and the other girls are, too."

Leo's eyes went wide. "Panda, too?!"

That made Makoto laugh. "Hah! No, she's not, actually, though admittingly, that would make our group even more interesting."

"I see," Leo said as they folded their arms in front of them. "I assume you're asking for my help to fight against the Mishima Zaibatsu and end this war."

"It's not just about the Zaibatsu," Zafina explained. "But there are threats from Outworld - the ones responsible for the Universal War. Some joined the side of the Zaibatsu. Others joined the side of G-Corporation."

The mention of G-Corp grabbed Leo's full attention. It took all of their energy to remain calm as a million questions ran through their minds. For the moment, however, they focused on the main threat. "I guess the involvement of Outworld really put a further damper on this war than it already is."

"Partially," Zafina replied. "But there's more to this war than many realize. It threatens to awaken a demon that has long been asleep for thousands of years - a demon my people worked hard to guard from outsiders."

From there, Zafina explained more about Azazel and his history and how the war threatened to awaken him. She also gave Leo a brief history of the Chosen Ones, their roles in the Blood Tournament and the Universal War, as well as the shocking fact of Jin's role in the last war.

"That's… a lot to take in," Leo said. "And here I thought it was just about the Zaibatsu's war and G-Corp being the 'savior,' …which I never believed, by the way. All this and this demon… it's almost hard to believe."

"I thought the same thing at first, too," Makoto said. "About the former, I mean. But once Zafina and Liu Kang - he's the other leader of our group - explained it, I realized how much bigger this all is. Personally, it's an honor and privilege to be a part of this."

"How long have you been with them?"

"Believe it or not, this is my first rodeo as a Chosen One. I'm not sure about how you feel about being a part of something big like this, but I think you should join us. You're a great fighter and have what it takes."

"Makoto is correct," Zafina said. "We could use you in the battle ahead. But only you can choose to accept this offer. There is no shame in turning it down if you don't wish to join."

Leo pursed their lips a little as they mulled over what they learned within the last few minutes. Deep inside, they knew it was the perfect way to get close to G-Corporation. After losing the tournament, Leo was unsure of how to go about it. To have this practically fall on their lap was sheer luck.

At the same time, however, Leo knew that the offer was more than just getting what they want - there were bigger things to worry about, like a potential end of a universe. To be worthy to assist strong warriors in their fight to protect the universe was a very, very big deal. Leo imagined that not many were given this opportunity.

After a minute, Leo finally nodded. "All right. I accept."

"Welcome to the club!" Makoto called out with enthusiasm.

"We'll be having a group meeting tomorrow evening," Zafina informed Leo. "You'll receive an invitation from Liu Kang himself in the morning. It'll tell you where to go. Do you have any questions?"

Leo then dared themselves to ask the only thing on their mind. "Just one; do we know exactly who runs G-Corporation?"

"We do," Zafina replied. "It's Jin Kazama's father - Kazuya Mishima."

Leo kept themselves from showing any kind of reaction. Finally, they thought. A name for the one who murdered my mother. Now I'm two steps closer to getting her justice.

"I see," Leo said simply. They then forced a small smile. "I appreciate all of this very much."

"Can we eat now?" Makoto cut in with a small groan. "I'm starving."

Zafina smiled a little as she pressed a button that reactivated the elevator. "Of course."

As the three settled in contented silence, Zafina gazed at Leo, whose back was turned to her. Zafina sensed the truth in Leo's agreement to join the Chosen Ones. Despite their nobility, she got the sense that there was more to Leo's acceptance than they were letting on - and with the question they asked, it very likely had something to do with G-Corporation - and maybe Kazuya himself.

Leo had what it took to be a Chosen One - Zafina wouldn't have asked them to join in the first place if that wasn't the case. However, it seemed as though there was an adversity in Leo's heart that needed to be resolved before they took the fight to their enemies.

The last thing Zafina wanted was for Leo to go into battle with a clouded mind.

---

Mishima Gardens

Within the gardens behind the Mishima Hotel, Juni was able to find some peace. Granted, the nearby forest provided tranquility as well, but the aesthetics from the flowers made her surroundings much more beautiful. She also had headphones over her ears and played nature sounds on her phone in order to enhance the experience.

At one point, Juni closed her eyes and just listened to the sounds of nature. She especially liked hearing the birds sing like they usually do early in the morning. She only had her eyes closed for a few minutes before she opened them once more.

At that moment, she noticed someone approaching her. Juni gazed up at them and soon recognized Abel. A subtle frown came over her lips - she hadn't spoken to him since they made their plans to have dinner together as friends. And that was before she 'ghosted' him that same evening…

Christie's advice from three nights ago came to Juni's mind; Whenever you feel ready, the two of you should talk. You don't have to explain everything to him if you don't want to.

"Hey…" Juni breathed as she took her headphones off her ears and let them rest on her shoulders and around her neck. "How are you?"

"I'm all right," Abel replied with a small smile. "How are you?"

"I… well…" Juni tried to speak, but found the guilt of 'ghosting' him days ago weighing on her shoulders. She forced herself to gaze up into his eyes. "I… guess I owe you an explanation for not showing up to dinner the day we agreed to one."

Abel frowned a little. "I assumed something must've happened. I also figured you would talk to me about it once you were ready."

"In a way, yes," Juni replied. She then patted the empty space to her left. "You can sit here if you like while I explain everything."

Abel nodded as he decided to take her offer. As soon as he sat down, Juni began to clarify. "First, I'm really, really sorry that I didn't at least try to reach out to cancel the evening. I… I guess I was scared."

"Why were you scared?" Abel asked with a hint of concern.

Juni took another deep breath before she proceeded. "I… had a flashback. An old memory from my past - from my life before Shadaloo - came back to me out of nowhere. I… I'd rather not discuss exactly what this memory is just yet, but… let's just say that it was enough to scare me into not coming out of my hotel room for the rest of the day… It even got to the point where I lost track of time and when I finally realized what time it was, it was long-past when I was supposed to meet you. It seemed… pointless to cancel at that point. I guess I was also embarrassed."

"Don't be," Abel assured her. "Actually, I should've communicated with you too when you didn't show up."

Juni tilted her head at that. It was something that didn't occur to her until Abel said it. "Why didn't you?"

"Well, after an hour of waiting, I admittingly felt really hungry so I just went into the restaurant and focused on my dinner."

"Well, I can't blame you for that," Juni admitted.

"I figured by then that either you forgot our plan, changed your mind, or something happened," Abel continued. "Still, I should've checked on you regardless. If something had happened and no one else knew, well… there's no excuse, let's put it that way."

An amused smirk came over Juni's lips. "Well… you gave me your cell phone number, but I didn't give you mine. So I can understand why it would be difficult to text or call me."

Abel huffed a little at that realization. "Then maybe I should've visited your hotel room to make sure you were okay."

Juni raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know which room I'm staying in?"

Abel's smirk dropped right before he scratched the back of his head. "...Actually, no I don't."

"See? Completely understandable. All is forgiven."

"Sure, but I'm also friends with Wagner and Juli, who you're also friends with. And I know what suite they're staying in. I could've at least asked them to check on you. And I hate that I'm only now considering all this…"

"Well, in the end, what's done is done," Juni sighed. "All we can do at this point is say our sorries, learn our respective lessons, and move forward. And I'll say it again, Abel; I forgive you."

"And I forgive you, too," Abel said. His small smile returned to his face. "If you still want to… my offer to buy dinner as friends still stands. It doesn't have to be tonight. It can be any time you'd like, whenever you're ready."

Juni smiled and nodded. "Sure, but I'll take the offer under two conditions - one, I promise I'll contact you if I change my mind for any reason so that you're not waiting around for me. And two… let's have dinner in the evening between rounds three and four of this tournament. It's just easier to schedule it like that."

"Sounds good," Abel agreed as he stood up. "In that case, I'll see you in two days. Same place I suggested before?"

"Sure," Juni said. "See you then."

Abel waved to her before he turned around and began to leave the gardens. He just turned a corner when he heard a text alert from his phone. He stopped in his tracks and pulled out his phone to see who texted him. He didn't recognize the phone number, and the message they sent were of only three emojis; one of a dog, one of a cat, and one of a bear.

Abel smiled to himself when he realized that it was Juni who texted him as a way to give him her phone number - and she referenced their previous conversation about animals with the emojis. At that moment, he found himself very much looking forward to their upcoming evening…

Meanwhile on the other side of the same gardens, Christie Montiero decided that she needed some time to herself. In an off-beat path of the gardens with plenty of room, she practiced her Capoeira moves while samba music played from her smartphone on a bench - loud enough for her to hear, but still low enough so that she (hopefully) didn't disturb anyone else who might be trying to enjoy the gardens.

In a way, this was meditation to her. As Christie focused on the moves she learned from Eddy in a time that felt so long ago, her mind was clear from any thoughts or worries. All that mattered was the rhythm of the upbeat music.

"Hey sunshine, I was hoping to see you," a familiar male voice suddenly said to her from behind. That, of course, cut right through the tranquility that was within her mind. Christie quickly stopped what she was doing and promptly walked over to the nearby bench to turn off the music she was playing from her phone. She then turned to see who called out to her - and soon smiled as she recognized her long-time friend.

"Hey, Tiger," she greeted her old friend. "How did you find me?"

"Funny thing," Tiger Jackson began. "I was just on my way to see you and was taking a shortcut through the gardens to get to the hotel. Lucky for me, you were here training."

"Ah I see," Christie replied.

"The reason I was on my way to see you was to tell you that I'm ready to peace out and head back to my pad in Brazil."

That earned a frown from the young woman. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna take the next ferry out in about two hours, and then I have a plane to catch from Fukuoka in two days. No use hanging around since I lost the tournament last round. Besides, I got all the vacation I can get out of this island."

"What happened to your tag team partner?"

"Oh, Sauvage skedaddled about a week ago," Tiger answered. "He managed to get an announcer gig in Tokyo. Jobs are harder to come by since this war began, so he took it."

"Makes sense," Christie said. "What will you do once you're back in Brazil?"

"Not sure. I've never been much for fighting, much less fighting in wars. Attending a tournament every few years is more than enough for me. Personally, I'd rather be dancing my way through a competition."

Christie smiled over that idea. "That would be a nice change at this point."

"True dat," Tiger agreed. He then gave her a serious gaze through his sunglasses before he spoke again. "Listen, Christie. I still think you need to be careful when it comes to the Mishima Zaibatsu despite the detective you have on the case. But regardless, I hope things work out and you'll find Eddy and your grandfather sooner than later."

Christie took a deep, quiet breath before she nodded. "Thanks, Tiger. I appreciate that."

"No problem. And when you do find Eddy, remind him that he still owes me a Capoeira-style dance-off the next time he's home."

Christie lightly laughed. "I will."

Tiger then gave her a peace sign. "Catch you on the flip side," he said before he turned around and walked away.

Though Tiger couldn't see it at that point, Christie still gave him a peace sign in return. "Até breve…"

---

G-Corp Headquarters

Within the main meeting room of G-Corporation, Quan Chi gathered his minions for a simple meeting between himself and anyone from or directly working for Outworld. Those in the meeting included Motaro, Vega, Anna, Kira, Mavado, Rain, Tanya, Reiko, Skarlet, and Kunimitsu.

But first, he had something to address, specifically towards two of his minions from Earthrealm - Vega and Anna.

"I'm not angry that you lost the tournament," Quan Chi stated matter of factly. "After all, this tournament is simply a distraction from our real goals. However, I am merely disappointed." He then glared at Anna in particular. "I thought the opportunity to fight Nina would motivate you."

Anna scowled at the necromancer. "I assure you, Emperor, if it was only me and my dear sister fighting, she'd be buried six feet under by now."

"And yet, you've had plenty of opportunities to kill her in the past," pointed out Kira.

"Oh shut the hell up!" Anna shouted at the red head. "You didn't exactly finish the job with Sonya, if I recall!"

"At least I succeeded before Shao Kahn resurrected her!"

"Enough!" yelled Reiko. "You two sound like pestering hens."

"Seriously?" grumbled Tanya as she narrowed her eyes at Reiko.

Quan Chi rolled his eyes before he spoke up. "Do not make me regret recruiting you," he warned everyone calmly. He then paused for a moment to make sure everyone kept quiet before he proceeded. "Now… as you are all aware, Round Three of this tournament ends after tomorrow. Which brings us a step closer to the rebels who fight against us."

"And closer to Kazama and his Zaibatsu," added Skarlet.

"Exactly," Quan Chi agreed as a smirk came over his face. In the back of his mind, he knew that most of those in the room - especially Skarlet, Reiko, and Motaro - wanted to get their hands on Jin and make him pay for being one of The Four who saw to Shao Kahn's death. Of course, the feeling was the same towards Ivy as well.

Which reminded him… "Have any of you found Ivy Valentine's whereabouts since your last attack on her?"

"Unfortunately, no," replied Kunimitsu. "She's been a lot harder to find this time around."

Quan Chi narrowed his eyes on her. "Have you not attempted to follow her again to her new hideout during this tournament round?"

"We tried," mentioned Reiko. "But unfortunately, when we attempted to follow her again after her last tournament win, she was being escorted by members of the Manji Clan. They made sure to keep us far apart."

Quan Chi drew in a sharp breath at that thought. That's right… her tag team partner is Yoshimitsu… I should've known he'd help pull some strings to protect her. Hmmm… I wonder if he knows the identities of the other two scoundrels who killed Shao Kahn…

"And what of Scorpion?" the new Emperor soon asked.

"Nothing yet," replied Skarlet. "He's harder to find than Ivy is."

Quan Chi resisted the urge to let out an exasperated sigh. "You three continue to look for their hideouts," he said to Reiko, Skarlet, and Kunimitsu. "There may be plenty of places to hide, but Mishima Island is not as vast as one thinks. They will be cornered eventually. And when that happens… you know what to do."

After the trio nodded, Quan Chi turned his attention back to the others. "As for the rest of you - continue what you're doing. Vega, Anna… since you both are no longer in the tournament, I will give you both new assignments in due time. I'll be heading to my fortress this evening and will return tomorrow. Motaro will be in charge until I return. Unless there is an urgent matter, I am not to be disturbed. Unless you have anything else to report, you are all dismissed."

No one else had anything else to say and they all began to file out of the room. The last was Motaro, though he didn't quite leave just yet. Once everyone else was gone, he turned to the necromancer. "Will you be requiring reports on G-Corp activity?"

"That won't be necessary," Quan Chi replied. "Though if anything of interest that isn't urgent comes up, report to me upon my return."

"Understood, my Emperor," Motaro said before he departed.

Just as the door closed behind the Centaurian, a black portal began to form in the middle of the room. Quan Chi smirked as he turned to face the portal. Right on time. As he expected, Noob Saibot stepped out of the portal. With him, standing on either side of time, were Kia and Jataaka.

"Noob Saibot," Quan Chi greeted. "Anything new on the Mishima Zaibatsu?"

"Not necessarily," Noob Saibot replied. "As of now, all has remained the same."

Quan Chi frowned a little at that news. "How… disappointing," he simply responded.

"However," Noob Saibot continued. "I do have a suggestion for… future security, on the small chance my infiltration activities were to be discovered by the Mishima Zaibatsu."

Quan Chi gave him a single nod. "Go on."

"As you are aware, members of the Black Dragon are working for the Zaibatsu as well as the Outworld Rebellion. I'm aware that they have… fewer members compared to when they were under Kano's leadership. Still, they… have their uses. We can convince them to work with us. They would serve as back-up if myself and the Brotherhood were discovered to be working with you and not the Zaibatsu or the Rebellion."

Quan Chi scowled at the wraith. "Normally, your advice is sound. However, last I heard, Havik was still 'advising' for Kabal and what remains of the Black Dragon." A thought suddenly came over the Emperor's mind as he began to rub his chin with his right hand. "But perhaps… if you spoke to their former leader instead…"

"From what we've seen, my Emperor, that's easier said than done," mentioned Jataaka. "Kano's been trying to take back the Black Dragon ever since he and Kabal started working under the Zaibatsu."

"Kabal won't give it up without a fight," added Kia.

"...Then we work with both," Quan Chi suggested. "Recruit what's left of the Black Dragon, though keep Havik out of it as much as possible. Recruit Kano, and we will have our backup in case he takes the Black Dragon back."

"Can Kano even be trusted?" Noob Saibot questioned with uncertainty.

"He is like a moth to a flame when it comes to money," Quan Chi mentioned. "Use that, and he's guaranteed to not bite the hand that feeds him."

"So long as nobody else pays him more…" said Jataaka.

"If that happens, it'll be dealt with," the necromancer replied. "For now, return to spying on Jin and the Zaibatsu."

"That reminds me," Noob Saibot began. "There haven't been many reports coming from the island itself. Should we increase Brotherhood presence there?"

"Not just yet," Quan Chi answered. "But I have a feeling, with stronger fighters remaining on the island as time goes on, that may happen sooner than later. Until then, prepare more potential spies to infiltrate the island."

"Yes, my Emperor."

Noob, along with Kia and Jataaka, bowed their heads to their leader as the black portal reopened. From there, the two of them walked through it to return to the Mishima Zaibatsu Headquarters. Good, he's accepted, Noob thought to himself. Now to talk to both Kano and the Black Dragon. Once they… agree to an understanding, then I will finally take the next step to ruling both Outworld and the Netherrealm.

As soon as they were gone, Quan Chi snapped his fingers to unlock his own green portal - one that led him to his fortress out in the deserts of Egypt not too far from Azazel's Temple. He simply planned to spend the night recharging his powers within his inner sanctum chamber. Soon, he went through the portal, which disappeared as soon as he was gone…

Unknown to anyone in the room, underneath the meeting table and out of reach was a small, flat bug device - colored the same as the underside of the table - that was planted in order to hear and record every word said in the room. It was placed there a while back and was utilized by its user whenever he wasn't at the meeting themselves, especially ones between those connected to Outworld.

In his room on the other side of the facility later that evening, Kurtis Stryker was listening in on the recording of Quan Chi's earlier meeting with his earpiece. The updates weren't much to go on, though his talk with Reiko, Skarlet, and Kunimitsu was definitely something to note. But the second Quan Chi said Noob Saibot's name - and more information was revealed - the former police officer was taken aback by the turn of events.

"Holy. Shit," Stryker uttered as soon he got wind of Noob Saibot's arrival. He knew of Noob Saibot ever since Outworld first invaded Earthrealm. Noob Saibot had worked briefly for Shao Kahn then. Stryker just hadn't expected the wraith to not only be working for the Mishima Zaibatsu, but also undercover for Quan Chi. Between that - and having spies on Mishima Island - it was a lot to take in.

Despite that, Stryker knew he had to set up a meeting with Jax right away, and got to work as soon as the recording from Quan Chi's meeting ended. As he began to pull out his burner phone to call Jax, Stryker hoped that the Colonel could drop whatever he was doing to meet up at their usual meeting spot. The sooner they did, the better…

After all… aside from how important it was, Stryker was also scheduled for his match tomorrow.

---

Até breve… = Portuguese for, 'See you soon…'