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.

29. Chapter Twenty Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Mishima Forest

Early the next morning, Liu Kang and Zafina decided to meet in the forest, specifically at the Chosen Ones' meeting area. Before Zafina's arrival, Liu Kang took a moment to fix some of the lanterns that either fell off their string, or had a little damage from the weather. A couple of them were beyond repair, and Liu Kang planned to replace them at some point.

We're overdue for another dinner gathering anyway, the God of Fire thought to himself. Perhaps we'll get that set up soon.

Liu Kang only had to wait a few minutes before Zafina arrived. Once she did, he gave her a smile in greeting before he went straight to the point of their meetup. "Sooo…" he started. "I think we need to discuss other means of recruiting new Chosen Ones. We've only recruited two newcomers so far, and each meeting was… less than satisfactory."

"I agree," Zafina replied. "Between Crimson Viper's mistrust and Alex's… hostility towards you, it only proves that our method of bringing them out here to discuss everything is clearly not working. The last thing we need is for someone to react worse than last time."

Liu Kang nodded at that. "Well… the forest can be considered ominous to some." He gave her a sheepish smile. "Perhaps our choice of location wasn't our wisest decision."

Zafina huffed at that before she proceeded. "I wonder… how did the Chosen Ones' first leaders recruit them?"

"Most were gathered on the boats they traveled on, then they all headed to their hideout in Outworld," Liu Kang remembered from what Fujin told him. "Most of the others practically fell onto their laps in various ways, so to speak. A couple of them were personally approached by Lord Raiden or Rose, but… that apparently didn't go well most of the time."

Zafina frowned. "I doubt anyone will just 'fall into our laps' this time around."

"I agree," Liu Kang replied. "And Fujin and Dhalsim pretty much just picked up anyone who was with the Chosen Ones already. Definitely the easiest method, but that was due to unique circumstances." He turned his head to his colleague. "We'll figure out something. In the meantime, I think it's best to continue with our focus to check on those who are teamed up with our current Chosen Ones."

He then began to pace a little bit. "Let's see… oh yes. Makoto, Dragunov, Cyrax, and Sareena are the only four left who have tag team partners outside of the Chosen Ones. Let us focus on those four. Then we'll figure out how to recruit them without provoking suspicion on their part."

Zafina nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Did you want me to seek them out, or-"

She was cut off mid-sentence as she noted how Liu Kang looked over her shoulder, his eyes widened a bit. The young woman realized that someone had arrived. Zafina turned around to see who was approaching. She didn't know this particular chosen one well, but she knew her name at least.

"Kitana…" Liu Kang uttered just above a whisper. Quickly, he composed himself as he straightened his back and gave her a warm smile. He spoke with a stronger voice. "Good Morning, Princess Kitana. For what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Good morning, Liu Kang," Kitana greeted as she gave him a simple nod. "I hope I'm not disrupting anything. If so, I can come back later."

"Not at all, Princess," Zafina replied. "We were just finishing our discussion over possible future Chosen Ones."

"Anyone of interest?" Kitana asked curiously.

"Not quite yet, but hopefully there will be very soon," Liu Kang answered.

Kitana couldn't help but smile. "I heard the newest Chosen One gave you quite a fight. I seem to recall you had a first meeting similar to that in your… mortal life."

Liu Kang knew exactly what the Edenian referred to; the first time the two of them ever met as opponents in the Mortal Kombat Tournament. Suddenly, it seemed like a very long time ago despite it only being just a mere few mortal years ago.

"Anyway," Kitana continued. "Liu Kang, I… I was hoping we could talk. Alone."

"I'll take my leave then," said the young Earthrealmer.

"Zafina," Liu Kang called out before she took a step. "I'll let you be the one to pick the next Chosen One. Once you choose, we'll decide how to approach them from there."

"Got it," Zafina replied. "I'll return here as soon as I know." With that, she turned around and began to head up the hiking trail and to the torii that was up on the hilltop not far from them.

Once the young woman was out of earshot, Kitana looked over at Liu Kang. She barely could hide the frown that came over her lips. "I - we haven't had the chance to really talk since you… came back. Unless it was about our mission, of course."

"I… I wanted to give you some time," Liu Kang admitted quietly. "I can only imagine the shock that you felt over my return." He then gestured a hand towards another hiking trail that was nearby. "Let's take a walk while we're at it. We'll have more privacy this way in case someone comes up to search for me."

Kitana thought it over for a moment before she nodded. "Yes. I would like that."

From there, the God of Fire and the Princess of Edenia headed over to the wooded trail…

---

Tek-ken Steakhouse

Since his arrival on Mishima Island, Sergei Dragunov kept mostly to himself. Granted, as a Chosen One, he did attend the meetings that were requested of him, though they had been few and far between at this point. Otherwise, he spent most of his time in his own hotel room and corresponding with his SPETSNAZ superiors when needed.

These days, it was nice to just be able to order a meal through a phone app. There was no need to use his voice whatsoever. However, just two days ago, the delivery driver brought him the wrong order, which he begrudgingly ate. Then yesterday, when he requested another dinner order, the same delivery driver left his food outside the hotel lobby! Dragunov practically ran down the hotel stairs and bumped into people to get to it in time, but his dinner was already stolen when he finally got outside.

After he threatened customer service - more or less - through their chat system to 'voice his displeasure with their services during his next tournament match,' they immediately apologized and gave him his money back. He then grumpily settled with the only food he had in his room at that point - a dark chocolate bar.

Deciding not to risk another order mishap again, Dragunov ventured out for once around four in the afternoon by heading to the Tek-ken Steakhouse, which was apparently the best place to eat on the island according to reviews. Personally, he didn't care so long as he got some decent food, especially when there was an opportunity to not rely on MREs. He practically lived off those ever since he joined the military.

He entered the lobby of the restaurant. It was void of any people save for the young woman at a podium. She wore an all-black attire with a button-down shirt tucked into slacks and a belt, and leather shoes on her feet. The only color on her uniform was the restaurant's red logo on the front left side of her shirt.

"Hello sir, welcome to Tek-ken Steakhouse," the hostess greeted him cheerfully and with a smile. She was not at all intimidated by his scarred and stoic face. "Would you like to sit at the bar or a table this evening?"

Dragunov actually thought about this as he brushed his fingers and thumb over his chin. He then made a decision and did a 'drink' gesture with his hand. The hostess was a little confused by that for a moment, but it soon occurred to her what the soldier was asking. "Ah! The bar. Right this way, sir." She grabbed a menu before she turned and began to walk forward with the newest patron following close behind.

Unfortunately, the closer Dragunov got to the bar area, the more noise he heard from what he realized was a rowdy group of friends. He thought momentarily to request a table instead, but then decided against it.

Upon noticing the mostly yellow uniforms and red berets on the heads of the men in the group, Dragunov realized that his tag team partner, Rolento, decided to venture out as well. Rolento and his four fellow soldiers who accompanied him to the tournament were enjoying a round of drinks and were laughing over whatever conversation they were having. Rolento was especially loud, but that came as no surprise to Dragunov since they agreed on their partnership at the start of the tournament.

"All right, men!" Rolento called out. "Tonight, as you well know, we are off-duty, however! We must always remain on alert for any potential threats, especially those from both the Mishima Zaibatsu and G-Corporation! Enjoy your night, but do NOT overindulge or else you will be spending the next morning cleaning my hotel room with your hangover! Do I make myself clear!"

"Yes, sir!" the four soldiers called out in unison as they raised their drinks high above their heads.

Dragunov couldn't help but arch an eyebrow at that. Even when off duty, Rolento and his men were still in military mode. Then again, the SPETSNAZ officer was the same way even as he started to look over his menu. He just wasn't as - loud about it.

Of course, he wasn't surprised when Rolento noticed him from across the bar. "Well, if it isn't Dragunov!" As soon as Dragunov turned his attention to him, Rolento waved a hand over, a gesture to join him.

Since no one came to take his order yet, Dragunov figured that it wouldn't hurt to join Rolento and his men as long as he didn't take up too much of his time. Stepping off the bar stool he initially sat on, Dragunov approached Rolento, who sat on his own stool with his back against the bar table.

Of course, a couple of the men looked wary at Dragunov due to his naturally impassive gaze. He was long used to it at this point in his life.

"Men," Rolento started as soon as his tag team partner joined him. "This is Lieutenant Dragunov of SPETSNAZ aka The White Angel of Death himself." He then looked at Dragunov and gestured to his soldiers. "Dragunov, these are the men who accompanied me on this mission; Corporal Gomez, Corporal De Smet, Lieutenant Regas, and Lieutenant Moretti."

"Hey."

"Hi."

"What's up?"

"How are you?"

Dragunov simply nodded to each soldier as they were introduced to him.

"Beer's on me if you want," Rolento offered. Dragunov simply shook his head, his means of declining the offer. Rolento nodded. "Let me know if you change your mind."

He then turned his head to speak to his men. "Dragunov is a worthy soldier. Everyone here is the best and have given their all, no doubt. But I could not have asked for a better tag team in this tournament." Rolento flashed a grin at his tag team partner. "I even dare say I'm considering you as one of our top officers in my growing army."

Dragunov actually lifted a finger and began to open his mouth a little, but Rolento continued to talk. "Of course, Lieutenant Dragunov, you don't have to tell me what you think about the idea right now. Just… think it over until this mission is over."

Dragunov closed his mouth as he placed his hand back to his side. He then simply decided to turn on his heel and return to his original seat at the bar.

"So long," one of the soldiers called out.

One of Rolento's men - Lieutenant Moretti - spoke up in a whisper. "Forgive the insubordination, General, but are you certain you want a man nicknamed The White Angel of Death in our society?"

"More certain than I've been since I decided to create our Utopian world," Rolento replied. "Soldiers with his skills are a rare commodity. If we have him in our army, not only will our nation grow, but it'll put fear into the hearts of anyone who wishes to bring harm to our nation."

Rolento turned his head again and spotted Dragunov as he sat back down in his seat to look over his menu. "Of course, the decision is entirely up to him."

---

The Waterfront, London, The United Kingdom

Moments ago, the tag team of Dudley and Eagle arrived at this match location. They found themselves in a roped-off area alongside a walkway with the view of the River Thames. Not too far from them was the Tower Bridge and, on the other side, the famous Tower of London.

"Huh," Eagle breathed as he stared at the surroundings that were very familiar to him. "I didn't think I'd be 'sent home' so soon during this tournament."

"I am certain it is merely a coincidence," Dudley mentioned.

"Maybe I'll stay here if we happen to lose our match today," Eagle jokingly suggested.

Dudley smiled a little with amusement. "As convenient as that may be, I'm sure you would like to retrieve your luggage back on Mishima Island somehow."

"...Yeah, that's right. Well, it was a good thought while it lasted."

It didn't take long before a portal opened up again and their opponents showed up. Both men were a little startled as they hadn't expected them to look so… eccentric. One looked as though he jumped through time from the 1970s with his bell-bottom jeans decorated with a ladder pattern at the outer seams in rainbow buttons and held up by orange suspenders, an orange button-down shirt that was partially open with the ladder pattern of the outer long sleeves matching his jeans. He also wore black platform shoes that lit up with every step, and a pair of sunglasses with a rainbow pattern on the lenses. His dark hair was fluffed up into an afro.

His tag team partner was a good twenty-years older than him. The man wore a shiny gold suit over a white tank top low enough for some of his chest hair to peek out. He wore a pair of sunglasses with white rims and an American flag top hat on his head. In his hand was a megaphone, the pattern matching his top hat.

"Welcome to The Waterfront in London, England, Tiger Jackson and Don Sauvage. You may begin the match at any time."

Eagle sighed as he noted the megaphone in Don's hand. "I have a bad feeling about-"

"IIIIINCREDIBLE VIEW WE HAVE HERE TODAY!" Don suddenly shouted into his megaphone. "IT'S THE PERFECT PLACE FOR OUR UPCOMING MATCH AGAINST - EEHH…"

Don's tag team partner, Tiger, quickly went over and whispered into the older man's ear. After that, Don's eyebrows went up as though he remembered something and started using his megaphone again. "SORRY! OUR UPCOMING MATCH AGAINST EAGLE AND THE FAMOUS BOXER DUDLEY! WHICH ONE OF US WILL EMERGE THE VICTOR?! HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS, FOLKS, BECAUSE TIGER JACKSON AND I ARE READY TO RUMBLLLLLE!"

Dudley closed his eyes as he shook his head. "What preposterous manners…"

From where he stood, Eagle noted that Tiger chose to go first. From there, Eagle pulled out his batons from the straps he had on his belt. "Mind if I go first?"

"Be my guest," Dudley replied.

Both Eagle and Tiger met halfway in the designated fighting area. They both stood a few feet from each other and promptly placed themselves in their respective fighting stances.

"I must say," Eagle started. "As… loud as your outfit is, I'm impressed with your taste in suspenders. As you can tell from my outfit, I'm also a fan of suspenders. Where did you purchase yours?"

Tiger grinned. "Thanks. And I'll tell you - if you win this match."

"Naturally…" the older man grumbled.

Quickly, Tiger covered the space between them and immediately threw various punches and kicks at Eagle, who blocked and parried each maneuver with his batons in defense. The way Tiger moved about was unusual for Eagle as he never saw anything like it before. It was also somewhat annoying in a way.

"What - in the - what -" Eagle tried to say in between attacks. Eventually, he managed to back away enough to finish his sentence. "What flailing movesets are you trying to throw at me?!"

"Capoeira, my good man," Tiger explained. "It's all about the music and the rhythm when it comes to this style. It's more effective than it looks."

"I don't see the purpose in this fight," Eagle admitted as he got back into his fighting stance. "But if it works for you, then by all means…"

Tiger moved in to fight again, but Eagle was ready for him this time. As soon as Tiger was close, Eagle jumped up before he fell diagonally towards Tiger with one heel out. Tiger was able to back away from the hit, but that gave Eagle the chance to shift his body while still in mid-air and slam his baton sideways into Tiger's face. Tiger let out a pained yell as he stumbled sideways. Eagle landed back on his feet after that.

"Ow! Man, that hurt!" Tiger called out as he rubbed his cheek.

"What did you expect, a hand-holding?" Eagle balked.

"Just for that, you are not ever gonna know where I got my suspenders!"

"Very well then. By the way, disco has been dead for many years now."

Tiger clenched his teeth as he quickly pointed a finger at his opponent. "Oh you did NOT just say that!"

As Tiger yelled out that last sentence, Eagle took the opportunity to slide forward with both of his batons spinning rapidly in each hand in front of him. Tiger saw this coming and flipped himself back a couple of times to create some berth between them. As soon as Eagle straightened himself back up, Tiger moved in after him and once, threw various punches and kicks at him.

This lasted a bit until Eagle managed to kneel down to evade a kick to the face. He used one baton to smack it against Tiger's side before he stood up to use the other one as an uppercut, which forced Tiger to fly up in the air. He let out another shout as soon as he landed back on the ground.

"Maybe you should focus on the fight and not the style," Eagle advised with a condescending air.

At that point, the five minute timer was up. On the sidelines, Dudley wasn't surprised when Don jumped into a fighting space. With a sigh, the boxer walked forward as well, but then he stopped as soon as his opponent pulled out his megaphone and brought it to his lips.

Here we go again with that noise machine… Dudley thought.

"ALL RIGHT, FOLKS!" Don yelled in his megaphone. "THE FIVE MINUTES ARE UP! IT'S YOURS TRULY VERSUS DUDLEY AS THE FIGHT CONTINUES ON BETWEEN TIGER JACKSON AND EAGLE! LET THE TAG TEAM BATTLE BEGIN!"

From there, Don extended his arm out - the one holding the megaphone, before he pressed another button that was on the machine. A burst of red, white, and blue confetti spewed forth as a loud burst of sound echoed the area. The sound temporarily deafened Dudley and forced him to cover his ears with his boxing gloved hands.

Dudley closed his eyes and shook his head as he quickly figured out that this was nothing more than a distraction method. As he opened his eyes again, he noticed Don had strapped his megaphone to his side and was running forward. As he ran towards him, Dudley, ignoring the confetti, quickly slid forward before he delivered a few punches to Don's midsection before ending the flurries with an uppercut underneath the chin. It sent Don flying upwards, and he screamed as he fell back down to Earth before crashing to the ground…

"Knockout detected," one of the drones announced moments after.

"Already?!" Dudley called out with sheer disappointment as he shook his head. He looked down at his unconscious opponent. "You didn't even put up a fight!" The boxer did think of one bright side to this. "At least you'll remain quiet now…"

Meanwhile, the fight between Eagle and Tiger continued. At the moment, Tiger had the upper hand and, once more, forced Eagle on defense. After a few seconds, Tiger managed to land a kick into Eagle's jaw, which caused his head to snap sideways as he stumbled back. As Tiger straightened himself back up, Eagle rubbed his jaw as he turned to glare at his opponent.

"Now you've done it!" Eagle shouted.

Eagle raised his arms to the side, one baton in each hand, and his body was quickly surrounded in a blue aura. Tiger made an attempt to attack again, but when he was within reach, Eagle spun rapidly in quick succession, his baton smacking Tiger multiple times. Then, Eagle followed that by raising a leg and delivering a roundhouse kick to Tiger's stomach. Tiger screamed as he went flying across the walkway until his back smashed against the cement block that kept him from falling into the river. He practically rolled onto the ground moments later.

Tiger didn't get up after that.

"Knockout detected," the drone called out. "Dudley and Eagle win the match!"

Dudley clicked his tongue over their win. "What a disappointment. And this is only the second round of the tournament. I thought the matches were supposed to be more challenging at this point."

"Maybe they were just lucky," Eagle guessed. "Well, ol' chap, the show must go on. Despite that, we did move on to the next round and are one step closer to achieving our goal."

"That we have," Dudley agreed. "I'd say we celebrate with a couple of cold ones at one of the bars this evening."

Eagle nodded. "I'm all for that."

---

G-Corp Headquarters, Nepal

While he sat at his desk in his office, Kazuya Mishima looked at the laptop his second-in-command, Bruce Irvin, set up for him. Bruce already took the liberty to insert a flash drive into one of the ports of the laptop.

The video in the flash drive involved Bruce's interview with all of Quan Chi's minions - more notably potential information on The Four and whether there were any clues on their identities besides Jin and Ivy, of course. For Kazuya, it was simply to gather information on the off chance that he may need it in the future.

"I have to tell you," Bruce said before he started the video. "You might end up wanting to smash your laptop before it's over. But I promise that the last interview will make it all worthwhile."

"Just play it," Kazuya simply replied.

Bruce pressed the play button and proceeded to sit next to Kazuya as the video started to roll. Each scene played with Bruce behind the camera with only his voice heard while Quan Chi's minions spoke in front of the camera. The first was the Edenian, Tanya. She sat in her chair with her back against the wall, her arms folded, and her legs crossed.

"What can you tell me about The Four?" Bruce's voice asked.

Tanya groaned as she rolled her eyes at the question. "Ugh. Let me tell you something. It didn't surprise me at all when I found out from Sheeva that Ivy was one of them. I knew that bitch was nothing but trouble from the very beginning! I tried to warn her that she wasn't going to be well-liked right away, but then she just had to go and assert her dominance over everybody."

"...That… sounds personal," Bruce mentioned with a hint of uncertainty.

Tanya rolled her eyes again. "Ugh, the way she treated me - like a lap dog trained to obey every command lest it'd be punished… it was disgusting! Even Shao Kahn treated me better, which says a lot!"

Bruce had to ask. "Your… servitude to Ivy. It wasn't what I think it was, was it?"

Tanya quickly shook her head. "No, it wasn't that kind of servitude. I would've killed her by now if that was the case. Besides, my taste is better than that!" She suddenly gave Bruce a sweet smile. "That reminds me. You're quite handsome for an Earthrealmer."

"Eh… thanks, but… aren't you with that one guy? The one in purple-"

"Rain?" Tanya pursed her lips a little. "Yeah. Though to be honest, things right now are a little… complicated. But that's a story for another time."

"...Sure," was all Bruce said. "Anyway… about The Four-"

"Jin Kazama was one of them," Tanya informed, a fact that Bruce already knew of course. Her smile turned sweet again. "Quite the handsome one, I must say. After seeing his father, I can see where he got his good looks from."

Kazuya simply rolled his eyes at that compliment from where he sat. Bruce had shifted his eyes to see his boss's reaction and smirked at the eye roll before he turned his attention back to the laptop.

"Otherwise," Tanya proceeded in the video. "I have nothing else to share."

"Thank you," Bruce said in the video. "That'll be all."

The feed cut and quickly went to the next interview. This time, it was with Rain, and it was clear that the feed started somewhere in the middle of the interview with the way it started out;

"I could've beaten Shao Kahn all on my own!" Rain declared. "Those pesky Four needed all four of them to defeat him. I was better suited and with no help. After all, I'm a God!"

Bruce was silent in the video for a moment before he said, "You… sound like someone I used to know in the Muay Thai circuit. Heard he died in that tournament in Outworld two years ago, though."

"I don't care, mortal!" Rain shouted. "The point I'm trying to make is that it took four people to end his life! As for me… my real father is Argus, the God and Protector of Edenia. Quan Chi himself was the one who revealed that truth to me. It is why I joined his cause when offered."

"That's interesting and all," Bruce said in response. "But let's get back to The Four… do you know anything about their identities aside from Jin and Ivy?"

There was a moment of pause before Rain finally shook his head. "Oh. Well. …No."

After that video ended, Kazuya shook his head as he pinched the bridge. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but… I can see why things are complicated between him and Tanya."

Bruce suppressed a laugh at that, especially because he never thought he would hear that single string of sentence from Kazuya of all people. "Agreed. I'll make sure to kick him back to Outworld personally as soon as we no longer need the Outworld Forces."

"…That'll be your first task when this war is over."

The next feed started with Anna's interview. She was a familiar face to both men in the room.

"I must say, Mr. Irvin," Anna said as she gave him a sweet smile. "This sure feels like old times. Remember the days of us working under Kazuya when he was CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu?"

There was a small chuckle from Bruce. "Yeah, I remember those days. It's crazy to think that it's been more than twenty years already. Well, for me, I mean."

And damn she is still smokin' hot! Bruce remembered thinking during that particular interview. Of course, Anna had the benefits of being in cryo-sleep for nearly two decades…

"Anyway," Bruce continued. "You're here because Kazuya requested more information on The Four. We know that Ivy and Jin are two of them. Are you able to provide more information that could lead to the identity of the other two?"

Anna seemed to look bored over that question. "To be frank, I don't really care much for them so long as they don't come after me or my dear Vega. I was only a little surprised when I found out Ivy was one of The Four. But it's whatever. I'm sure she has her reasons. I can't fault her for that. Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind going after Jin myself. Since that wretched sister of mine is playing bodyguard for him these days, it's a great way to draw her out. Then we can finally settle the score between us once and for all!"

"…That's nice and all, but do you have any more information on The Four besides Ivy and Jin?"

"...Oh. Right. Um… except for one who apparently wore a red bandana and had a weapon - no."

"Well… that's more than what I got a minute ago."

"She always was useful," Kazuya mentioned. "Too bad the additional information she gave was vague and could describe anyone."

By then, the next interview started to show on the laptop. This time, it was Anna's lover, Vega, who was in front of the camera.

"Don't know, don't care," Vega answered bluntly. "Besides, you probably already know as much as I do."

"...At least he was brief and to the point," Bruce mentioned to his boss.

"Hrm," Kazuya grunted.

For the next video, the camera had to be adjusted and pulled back in order to fit Motaro's large frame.

"The Shokan must die!" Motaro bellowed. His deep voice boomed enough to shake the camera quite a bit. It was almost like watching an action film with an overuse of the shaky cam effect. "They will always remain inferior to my people, the Centaurians! Once they perish, Outworld will finally be cleansed of their filthy footprints on our land!"

Bruce was heard letting out a deep breath before the feed completely cut off mid-sentence.

Kazuya shook his head with some annoyance. The video quickly cut to the next interview with Reiko, who didn't bother to sit in the chair that was provided for him.

"I wasn't there when Shao Kahn met his end," Reiko explained. "I was in Seido when the war ended. We only know what you know; Ivy, Jin, someone with a red bandana, and a weapon of some kind… that's it."

"Oh," Bruce said in the video. "Eh… thank you for your time."

The video immediately went to Skarlet's part of the interview. "I know nothing. I'm tired. May I have some of your blood?"

"No," Bruce answered firmly behind the camera.

"Not even a sip?"

"...This interview is over."

"Ugh, imbeciles," Kazuya groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

The video moved on to Kunimitsu. "I couldn't tell you a thing even if I wanted to," she started after Bruce asked her about The Four. "Quan Chi had no use for me during that time. By the way, do you have any information on Yoshimitsu and his clan? I'd love to be rid of them once and for all."

"Sorry, I don't," Bruce replied.

Kunimitsu sighed at that. "Too bad. I would especially love to see Yoshimitu's head on a spike. Best chance to finally figure out the bastard under the mask."

"Eh, sure…" After that, he was heard mumbling under his breath, "Get me out of here…"

The feed quickly ended and went on to the next one that featured the Red Dragon XO, Mavado.

"Aside from what you do know," he said. "I don't have any other information. To be frank, it doesn't matter to us. My job at this time is my work under the direction of my boss, who is working with Quan Chi. That is all I have to live for."

"Not even a life outside of your work?" Bruce asked. "No family or significant other to come home to?"

"…What?!"

"Eh. Sorry, clearly none of my business."

"What do you know about me?!"

"Nothing! I was just trying to have a friendly conversation."

"…You better know nothing. Because if you do, I'll kill you myself!"

"...Yeeeah I don't think my boss would like that very much."

…If Kazuya pinched the bridge of his nose any more than he already was, he would end up breaking it. "Have a guard prepare me a new laptop. If the next interview is anything like the others-"

"No need," Bruce assured him with a grin. "The next interview - the last one - is the one that made this all worthwhile."

Kazuya took a breath before he gazed back up at the video. "You better be right."

"When am I not?"

By that point, the last interview with Bruce's tag team partner, Kira, started to show on the screen.

"Sorry pal," she began. "I wish I could give you more information. Personally, it doesn't matter to me, but I know a lot of people who want both of their heads for whatever reason. Maybe I'd take more of an interest if I knew who the other two are. You mentioned a red bandana?

"Yeah," Bruce answered. "But no other description otherwise. So many warriors tend to wear those these days, so it's pretty vague."

"Yeah, that's true," Kira agreed. Her hazel eyes suddenly went wide as though a light bulb went off in her head. "You know, I just realized something. There is one thing that might factor into your inquiry. It's not likely the answer you're looking for, but it might serve as a possible clue. On the morning of Shao Kahn's demise, he sent all of his generals, myself included, to fight against a group of warriors who were hiding out quite a ways from his fortress. He sent us to take care of them… because Ivy 'discovered' their location, though we realized now that she was likely working for them behind the Emperor's back. Did anyone mention that Sheeva - the Shokan who works for the rebellion - actually got up close and personal to three of The Four who are not Ivy?

"…They did not," Bruce responded with a hint of surprise. "I wonder why they didn't mention it."

Kira shrugged her shoulders. "No idea. Some of them do want to take out Ivy herself for her betrayal. They probably want all the glory for themselves and refuse to give out more information. But that's just a guess. Anyway, Sheeva was the one who killed Dhalsim, the founder of the Ano Sentaku Bou legend, after he apparently killed her fellow Shokan warrior, Kintaro. The two of them confronted the group, but Dhalsim sent them away. When she later followed them, she saw Ivy stab Shao Kahn with a katana that didn't belong to her. At least that's according to Sheeva's words. Dhalsim was accompanying three men, all who were later seen when Ivy killed Shao Kahn. She recognized Jin right away, but not quite the other two."

She tilted her head upon another realization. "…I think I understand the confusion over the red bandana now. The unidentified two are apparently fused together into one person in everyone's minds. The fact of the matter is, according to Sheeva… they were both wearing red bandanas."

"Really?"

"Yeah. One over his forehead, the other over his eyes. But that's all she knows. I'm not sure about the former, but the latter should be quite the distinctive clue. He was also the one with the sword, likely the very one Ivy used to kill Shao Kahn."

"That's… a lot more to go on!" Bruce called out with some enthusiasm. "I'm shocked no one recalls that, especially the part you mentioned about Sheeva."

Kira rolled her eyes. "Most of them are too into their own issues to remember such details. Even Mavado, who's usually very smart, tends to focus on whatever Red Dragon thing he's doing. If it doesn't affect the Red Dragon, then it doesn't matter. I imagine Reiko would've remembered if he had been there."

The screen finally went dark after that. Kazuya leaned back in his chair as he contemplated what he just learned. "Two men with red bandanas…" Kazuya repeated from the video. "One over the forehead, the other over the eyes and is a sword user. The former is still vague, but the latter likely narrows it down significantly." He turned his attention to Bruce. "We'll need to pay more attention to the competition in this tournament. If you spot anyone with that description, I want to know about it. Also, make a list of every male fighter with a red bandana over their forehead who are also in the competition, just in case."

"Will do. By the way," Bruce started. "That's the last time I do that kind of assignment. It was a pain in the ass."

"...Why do you think I had you conduct the interviews instead of me?"

Bruce simply glared at his boss in response.

---

Mishima Hotel, Rooftop

The morning was a beautiful one. The ocean breeze was cool and light, and the blue sky above only had a few clouds here and there. After a hearty breakfast, Dan thought it would be a good idea for him and Blanka to go up to the Mishima Hotel's rooftop area and meditate.

Aside from the rooftop's industrial look, Dan was certain that the morning meditation would've been just the way he remembered it from his training under Nightwolf - relaxing, peaceful, and enlightening. A few minutes into their meditating, it was just as it was…

…Except for the fact that they were surrounded by a bunch of wood pigeons. Lots and lots of wood pigeons.

"Dan?" Blanka started, his voice sounding a little certain. "I'm not so sure about this…"

"Maybe if we're lucky," Dan started to answer. "That pigeon lady from Home Alone 2 will show up."

"...The who?"

"...Nevermind. It's a classic American movie. I'll show it to you next Christmas along with the prequel."

"Whatever you say."

Silence followed except for the light wind that blew around them… and the deep coos that came from the pigeons. Dan made attempts to once more focus on meditating.

Clear your mind of all distractions within and around you. These were the very words Nightwolf said to him when Dan was learning to meditate. Breathe slowly though your nose and out through your mouth. Focus on your inner energy. Release all tension, stress, and negative energy with each exhale.

It worked momentarily… until Dan suddenly felt something land on his left shoulder. He opened his eyes and turned his head. It was at that moment that he found himself face to face with one of the pigeons who decided to make themselves at home on his shoulder.

"Hey, little guy," Dan greeted. He thought to reach over and give the pigeon a little pet on the head…

…But it came as no surprise to Dan a split second after that thought when the pigeon decided to deposit its 'present' on the shoulder of Dan's pink karate gi before it quickly flew away. Dan could've sworn that the animal cackled as it made its departure.

Dan sighed grumpily at that. "When we decided to try to train together the way I used to train with Nightwolf, this was NOT how I imagined it going…"

"Maybe it's better to go to the beach instead of coming up here?" Blanka suggested.

"Too crowded, even at night," Dan said. "Besides, the seagulls creep me out. Ironic given the current situation, buuut…"

"The forest then?"

"Either just as many people, or creepy. That broken down Shinto Shrine on the other side of the hill gives me bad vibes."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure why."

"Hmm," Blanka hummed as he tried to think up another suggestion. "I'd say the gym or one of the botanical gardens, but they're pretty crowded, too." A light bulb suddenly went off in his head. "What if we rented a small empty building for us as a refuge. And we can invite any of the other chosen ones who wish to join us. It'd be like a secret club of sorts."

Dan practically shot up from where he sat. "That's a great idea! We can maybe negotiate for a short term lease and-" He suddenly stopped as disappointment came over his face. "No, that won't work…"

"Why not?"

"Because by the time we even sign a contract, the tournament will likely be over and then there would be no point. I mean, look at my shack in Osaka. I've had that place for years and it's still in fixer-upper mode."

"...Oh. Right…" Blanka sighed as Dan sat back in his lotus pose. "Then… I'm sorry. I'm not sure what to tell you."

Dan let out another sigh. "Thanks for trying, buddy. Maybe we'll think of something later. Hopefully long before this tournament is over."

Blanka happened to look over nervously as he swore that the pigeons were all eying him. "...That would be great. The sooner the better."

---

Mishima Zaibatsu Headquarters

Juri Han had been bored when she decided to visit the Mishima Zaibatsu lounge within their headquarters. Considering it was still slightly early in the day, she had expected to find herself alone.

Instead, she found a poker game being played between Kabal, Bryan, Kano, and Doctrine Dark. Aside from playing cards and a bunch of cash and trinkets, there were also a couple of open beer bottles as well as one ashtray with a smoking cigarette within Bryan's reach. The room smelled exactly as one would expect - stale beer, smoke, and a small hint of B.O.

Juri was then suspicious about something, especially when she noticed both Kabal and Kano sharing the same table. "Weren't you two fighting like a married couple earlier?"

"Ha!" Kabal huffed dryly. "I hardly call this a match made in heaven."

"Maybe a match made in hell?" Juri deadpanned.

"Winner gets to run the Black Dragon," Bryan explained. "That's what this is really all about."

Juri snorted at that. "You're deciding who will lead a clan through a card game? Now I'm interested."

"I'd deal you in," Kabal said to the Taekwondo practitioner. "But we're neck deep in this particular game already."

"Fine by me," Juri answered as she began to rummage through the bar stock. "I'll just grab a soda and watch from the bar."

"No beer?"

"Too early. Besides, I'm a whiskey kind of girl. I wouldn't mind challenging you guys to a drinking contest later."

"I'm a cyborg," Bryan pointed out. He was also not impressed by her challenge. "I'm more than likely to kick your ass in that competition."

Juri grinned almost manically over that as she found a can of soda. "In that case, challenge accepted."

"Ha! You're all right," said Kabal. By then, Juri came around the bar table and sat down on one of the stools in order to get a better view of the poker game. From that vantage point, she could also see both Kano and Kabal's cards whenever they lifted them to peek at what they had. It was nearly tempting to call out their cards if it meant causing an all-out brawl.

"Whatever," Kano grumbled as he threw a chip into the pile. "Raise."

"Ugh, call," grumbled Kabal as he threw a chip into the pile. The other two players followed.

"You know," Kano started. "This game reminds me of my rooftop fight against the 'almighty' Sonya Blade of Special Forces."

"...How the hell does a poker game remind you of that night?"

"Because it was the last thing I did before I came face to face with that bitch."

"Did you kick her ass?" Bryan asked.

Kano growled. "No, she got lucky when she kicked me off the rooftop."

"Sounds like a story," Juri said with some interest as she leaned back against the bar table.

"Nah, it's not much of one," Kano grumbled. "But had I won, I'd be gloatin' about it 'til the day I die." A sadistic grin came over the former Black Dragon leader's face. "However, there were moments when she was at my mercy. It was gratifying having her on her knees, my hand pulling hard on that blonde ponytail, and mocking her for her past mistakes. The look on her face was always worthwhile. Every time."

As Kano told the story, Doctrine Dark - who was silent since the game began - couldn't help but be reminded of a certain event - the very day he was severely injured on a mission that his former superior, Guile, sent him on…

"AMBUSH!" Holger screamed as he and his team were suddenly chased after by a group of soldiers, all wearing yellow uniforms and red berets. What horrified him and his team was the fact that there were A LOT more enemies than what the intelligence report Guile passed to Holger over radio communication the night before this mission.

The enemy soldiers overwhelmed the recon team almost swiftly. As soon as they reached them, they were like lambs to a slaughter. The enemy was quickly and merciless. Holger knew almost right away that the recon mission they were sent on was, to say the least, a disaster.

A simple scruffle had turned into this.

The recon team had almost no chance of retaliating in time. Holger saw only one way out of this mess.

"RETREAT! ABANDON MISSION! I REPEAT! RETREAT!" Holger shouted at those within earshot as well as through his radio. He and the others still alive began to turn and make a run for it. But a sudden explosion sent Holger barreling forward. As he crashed face first into the ground, he could hear the pained cries of those who weren't as lucky as he was as the fire from the explosion burned them to death…

From where she sat, Juri couldn't help but inquire what might've been obvious in Kano's words. She gave him a bored gaze as she said, "Let me guess… you wanted to fuck her."

"No lie, the temptation to dominate her like that came to mind from time to time since our lil' rivalry began," Kano admitted. "But actually, I eventually figured that teasing her with the implication is a hell of a lot more fun."

"That, or you're terrified that she'll rip your balls off with her bare hands if you ever tried," Kabal deadpanned as he looked over his cards. "If you ever give in to temptation and she does that, I'd say it's well deserved."

"...I oughta rip out what remains of your balls and shove 'em down ya oxygen tube for that!" Kano growled.

"Ha! I clearly hit a nerve," Kabal chuckled.

"Hmm," Juri hummed with a smirk. "From everything I'm hearing so far, Sonya sounds like a badass."

"Something tells me that you're the one who started the rivalry, Kano," Bryan guessed as he grabbed for his cigarette. "If so, what did you do to piss her off?"

Kano rolled his eye as Kabal explained. "I left the Black Dragon by that time, but I heard the story. He wiped out her unit single handedly in a mission gone wrong on their end a few years back. Her military partner, whom she was close to apparently, was one of them. Kano gutted him like a fish right in front of her eyes."

Another memory flashed in Doctrine Dark's mind - One of the corporals was swiftly grabbed from behind and dragged through the thick forest. Then another. Then another. Each one screamed out in terror until they were swiftly cut off before the air left their lungs.

"HOLGER!" another cried out with fear as he struggled against whoever held him from behind. "HELP ME! HELP M-"

The blade went so far and deep through his throat that blood sprayed almost everywhere, including on Holger's face…

"Anyway," Kano continued as he grabbed a card to add to the ones already in his hand. "Before she kicked me off the roof, I had the upper hand in our little battle. I even forced her on her back and beat her with an inch of her life."

"And yet, she still got back on her feet and kicked your ass," Kabal pointed out. He then looked at both Bryan. "There was even a rumor that went around for a while that Kano died after Sonya kicked him off the roof."

Bryan couldn't help but let out a low whistle at that as Juri grinned even more over that before she said, "Oh I would love to fight her myself if I ever get the chance." She stared at Kano. "To think you said that it wasn't much of a story to tell. I beg to differ."

"Just make sure Tira doesn't follow you when you decide to challenge Sonya," Kabal teased as he knew how Juri felt about her tag team partner.

Juri rolled her eyes at that. "Ugh, tell me about it. The little brat would probably try to kill her before I have the chance to say 'hello.'"

Doctrine Dark didn't hear any more of what was being said at that point. His mind was clouded by those last moments on that fateful morning. To this day, he never forgot the man responsible for the injury that scarred him for life…

A maniacal grin was on the man's face as he adjusted his red beret while he stood over Holger after beating him with an inch of his life. Despite his eyes being as white as a sheet, the other thing that distinguished the man - the leader of the unit who wiped out Holger's team - was the large scar that ran diagonally across his entire face.

Before everything went black, the last thing Holger remembered, aside from his own screams of terror, was the immense pain as his enemy smashed the tip of his baton with full force into the front of his throat.

Doctrine Dark suddenly stood up and let out what sounded like an inhumane scream - his mind trapped in the past and still believing that he was being beaten with an inch of his life at that moment. Then, without warning, he grabbed for the edge of the poker table and flipped it right over, taking everything with it. The only items that survived intact were Kabal's cards that were in his hand at that moment, and the lit cigarette Bryan held between his teeth.

Everyone in the room - all tough, seasoned, and fearless in their own right - were actually mildly perturbed by their ally's sudden outburst mainly because it came out of nowhere from their point of view. Not even noticing them, Doctrine Dark continued to scream maniacally as he ran through the lounge, kicked the door open, and ran through the hallway outside. Only then did the screaming stop…

There was silence in the room after that as no one was sure how to comprehend Doctrine Dark's sudden outburst. Eventually, it was Kano who sighed before he stood up from his chair. "Sooo, guess I better check on the poor sap before Kazama decides to kick him out of his little club."

"I didn't think you cared about anyone or anything but money," Kabal pointed out.

Kano rolled his only eye at that as he began to depart the room. "We're still in the tournament, aren't we?" he grumbled right before he left the lounge.

"Figured," Kabal growled.

There was a pause before Bryan spoke. "Sooo… want to start another game, or… something?"

"I'd rather go out and destroy shit," mentioned Juri.

Bryan grinned maniacally at that. "Ha! You're all right. I know an abandoned industrial complex not too far from here. Wanna see me throw a 300 pound beam into an old thirty-story abandoned building and watch it crumble to the ground?"

Juri jumped off the bar stool, her own maniacal grin on her face. "Oh this I gotta see!"

With that, the two ran off to head outside, which left Kabal alone in the lounge room. He momentarily looked around the room before he let out an annoyed breath and tossed his cards onto the mess pile Doctrine Dark left behind.

"The one time I get a Four of a Kind…"

---

Over a year ago, Outworld…

The fight between Sheeva and the yoga master Dhalsim ended moments ago after the shokan warrior mercilessly killed the human. When that was done, she used her fire powers to burn the body of her former ally, Kintaro, who she had killed minutes before. The purpose was to hide the evidence that it was her who killed him.

She had needed to 'silence' Kintaro after he revealed that he knew that their deceased ally, Goro, was murdered by her hands - Goro's attempt to make peace with the Edenians and the Earthrealmers would make the Shokan 'weak' had it succeeded, hence why she killed him.

Once that task was done, Sheeva started to run back towards Shao Kahn's fortress. She knew that the three men Dhalsim sent away headed in that direction.

She didn't recognize two of the men with red bandanas - one over the forehead, and one over the eyes and carrying a sword - but she instantly recognized Jin Kazama, one of the finalists in the previous Blood Tournament. She realized quickly that they planned to destroy Shao Kahn.

It took a while, but Sheeva eventually reached the hilltop that overlooked her master's fortress. It didn't take long to take in the scene before her. Shao Kahn was there, along with four other humans.

Shao Kahn had just teleported close to one of them and began to swing his hammer down at…

Empress Ivy?! What?! Why-

But Sheeva's questions were quickly answered as Ivy stood up and stabbed Shao Kahn through the chest with a sword that clearly wasn't hers. There was no hint of remorse on the Empress's face at that moment… only determination.

Sheeva gasped at the sight. She had not expected Shao Kahn of all people to actually be defeated, least of all the one person in the entire universe he trusted implicitly (as much as he tried to hide it, everyone knew the truth anyway). It would've been quite the irony had it not made Sheeva's vision turn red with malice.

Sheeva was about to run down the hill to confront Ivy, Jin, and the other two and destroy them in Shao Kahn's name. But what sounded like a thousand shrieks at once suddenly echoed through her surroundings, its pitch forcing Sheeva to cover her ears and fall to her knees as it overwhelmed her.

Soon, there was an explosion, which was promptly followed by a yellow wall of light that eventually spread all through Outworld. Sheeva would later find out that the wall of light was responsible for freeing the warriors who were brainwashed to serve Shao Kahn. When it hit her, it ripped her consciousness from her.

It was several hours later when Sheeva finally woke up. By then, the fortress was destroyed and The Four were long gone…

---

Present Day…

The memory of the past faded from her mind as Sheeva looked over the forested area outside of the building she stayed in. Two of her arms were folded in front of her while her two free hands were placed on her hips.

A grim look etched her face as Sheeva thought more about that fateful day in Outworld. Her world had been in disarray since that morning and for a few days after as she and the rest of the remaining Outworld Forces tried to figure out the next step.

When Sheeva and the other shokans joined the Outworld Resistance, it was because of two things; one, she always distrusted Quan Chi from the very beginning, as did most of those in her group. Two, which was more of a cherry on top than anything, the Centaurians joined Quan Chi's side. She would rather slit her own throat with dishonor than to ever join with those inferior beings.

Considering Shao Kahn's demise, when the opportunity came for the resistance to join the Mishima Zaibatsu, Sheeva was more than eager to agree to the alliance. Primarily, the resistance joined the Zaibatsu since the Outworld Forces made an alliance with their enemies, G-Corporation. It was simply another means of eliminating their enemies.

There was another reason she was willing to join the Zaibatsu, one that she didn't hide from her Resistance allies; to get close to Jin Kazama and eliminate him for the death of Shao Kahn. Initially, she was in the belief that she and the others should just kill Jin and get it over with.

As time passed, however, she realized that it was best to remain patient not just because of the Resistance's mission. After all, Sheeva also needed to figure out both Ivy's whereabouts and the identity of the other two who were with them that day. One of them at least - the sword wielder with the red blindfold - would be the easiest to identify if she ever saw him again. The fourth one was a lot trickier to figure out, but she imagined that he'll be revealed sooner or later.

In the name of the TRUE Emperor, Sheeva swore in her mind. The Four will be eliminated when the time comes.

---

In the lower levels of the Mishima Zaibatsu Headquarters, Baraka couldn't believe what he was seeing…

Mileena - whom he tried to mate with mere minutes ago before they were disrupted - was quite… chatty with one of their Black Dragon allies, specifically the Keiseian Tira. Mileena and Tira, both who met each other just a year ago when the Black Dragon allied with the Outworld Forces, were talking about their respective kills like they were two chatty adolescents talking about the best fashion in existence.

Baraka knew Mileena was a worthy and capable warrior, and she took things seriously when necessary. But when it came to interacting with the likes of Tira, Baraka occasionally had it in mind to cut his own head off with his blades.

Worse, the Cleric of Chaos Havik, who stood nearby, was encouraging it! Of course, in hindsight, Baraka should've seen that part coming. He could've sworn he was grinning maniacally despite having no skin on the lower half of his face.

"So one time, I managed to hunt down some guards who tried to betray Shao Kahn," Mileena said. "But of course, I managed to catch up with them and slaughtered them like the dogs they were. I then ate their livers for breakfast. They were quite tasty."

"The kill alone must've been amazing," said Tira as she grinned over the thought. "That reminds me of the time I cut off the head of this soldier who tried to hunt me down for a previous killing. I didn't even give him a chance to defend himself, either."

"Ah, the chaos in this conversation is marvelous!" Havik called out. "Tell more, tell more!"

Baraka growled as he threw his arms up in the air and turned on his heel. "I can only take so much of this chatter. I'm out of here," he grumbled as he left the room.

"See you around, my tarkatan friend!" Havik called out. Baraka rolled his eyes as he exited the room. Even from there, he could still hear Mileena and Tira chatting away.

I swear, Havik did this on purpose! the tarkatan general concluded.

Unknown to anyone (even Baraka), Reptile was in invisible mode and spying on the situation (initially, he found Baraka and Mileena in their… compromising position and was actually going to leave because the last thing he wanted to do was subject his eyes to that before Havik and Tira showed up). However, he got bored after a while and decided to explore the building some more while still invisible.

As he went up to the next level, he suddenly heard a terrified scream somewhere above him where the lounge was. What was that about? Reptile thought. But then the screaming stopped. He tried to listen to see if the screams would return. After a while of not hearing anything else, he simply shrugged and went on his way.

Reptile went up a few more stairs before he picked the one where the sleeping quarters were. He figured it wouldn't hurt to check up on his allies without the need to make himself known…

Even better if anyone revealed their intentions to betray the Outworld Resistance. Thinking back on Mileena and Tira's conversation, he couldn't remember the last time he got in a good kill. Definitely before he came to Earthrealm, he was certain of that at least.

At the end of the sleeping quarters was a common room. It was mainly used by the humans with the Zaibatsu to hang out in when they were off-duty. Reptile heard some noise from that area and decided to check it out.

It didn't take Reptile long to get to the end of the hallway. When he did, his eyes caught something he hadn't expected.

Standing there was a cyborg. It was looking at their arms as though they were inspecting them. At first, Reptile thought it was one of Sektor's Tekunin minions. But the more he stared at it, the more Reptile had a strange feeling about this particular cyborg. So just in case, he watched.

The cyborg itself was mostly black with red accents along its body. It stood quite tall, over six feet if Reptile had to guess. Its 'eyes' glowed in a white color like a pair of miniature beacons. It then occurred to Reptile why this cyborg seemed so strange to him. He just began to notice the faded black aura that surrounded its body. That he had never seen on any cyborg he had ever met.

What kind of cyborg are they? he ended up asking himself.

Then without warning, the figure suddenly seemed to split into two. It startled Reptile for just a moment, but he remained where he was as he continued to investigate with his eyes. He was able to see the beings more clearly - one was a cyborg but with a lot more red, and the other was a humanoid being who wore all black and possessed glowing white eyes.

Only then did the saurian recognize who they were - Sektor and Noob Saibot.

Reptile's eyes went wide at the revelation. Since when… he started, but his thoughts were disrupted when one of them spoke aloud.

"It still works," Noob Saibot announced. "The fusion power can still be used to our advantage."

"I calculate that the power level when combined is the same as before," Sektor concluded.

"Good," Noob Saibot answered. "Then all is prepared when the right opportunity presents itself."

What are they planning? Reptile thought.

However, nothing more was elaborated as Noob Saibot disappeared in a black mist while Sektor remained in the room. Deciding to take his leave before either of them realized he was here (especially in case Sektor's tech detected him), Reptile scurried away while he remained invisible.

---

Okan Bar and Grill

At the bar area within the Mishima Hotel, Guile and Jax decided to meet up for a couple beers around lunch time. The two of them had been mostly in work mode since they arrived on the island. There had been a few instances where they forced themselves to take breaks and enjoy themselves, including on this day.

After the two men ordered their beers, Jax's cell phone beeped. He took it out of his pocket to look at the text he received. Moments later, a fond smile came over his face.

"Family?" Guile guessed.

"Yeah, my wife Vera," Jax replied as a small smile appeared on his face. He then turned his phone around to show the screen to the Brigadier General. "She just sent a picture to me of our daughter."

Guile leaned forward in his seat to get a better look at the picture on Jax's phone. In it, a little girl - no older than two years old - with short and thick curly black hair showed off a big smile as she looked just past the camera.

"I remember when Amy was that little," Guile mentioned as Jax pulled his phone away and placed it back in his pocket. "And then within a blink of an eye, nine years had gone back. I'm sure it'll happen with my youngest daughter, Chris, soon enough."

"Tell me about it," Jax said. "Jacqui was so damn tiny when she was born. I swear she was about half the size of my forearm. Now she's walking. And running. And jumping. And running. And laughing."

"You forgot to mention running," Guile quipped.

"I sometimes think she's trying to get away from me whenever she runs," Jax chuckled. "I know Jacqui's just exploring her surroundings, but…"

"Well, get used to it," Guile said. "Soon enough, our girls will start seeing us as out-of-touch old geezers and eventually hole up in their bedrooms while loudly listening to music from Dee Bee or Dee Jay or whatever his name is."

"Heeey I actually like Dee Jay," Jax mentioned. "Even if you don't like his music, his breakdancing style is quite something to behold."

Guile shrugged a little. "I guess I'm just stuck in my old ways."

"Yeah, I know what ya mean."

That was when they both heard footsteps approaching from behind. They both turned around and it didn't take long for them to spot one of the newcomers of the Chosen Ones.

"I thought I recognized you two," Crimson Viper said as her greeting. "Off duty today?"

"More like taking a break," mentioned Jax. "Here to have lunch?"

"Actually, I was going to have lunch at Kyaputen."

"That little family restaurant across the hall?"

"Yeah. Lauren really likes it, so I try to take her there for lunch every couple of days. At the moment, however, she's a bit preoccupied."

"With what?" Guile asked with a raised eyebrow.

Crimson Viper didn't answer, but she did move her head a little towards a particular direction. The two men followed her direction, which led out towards the outside of the bar and grill. To their surprise, Crimson Viper's daughter, Lauren, was riding piggyback around the hotel lobby - and the one giving her the piggyback ride was none other than Jax's teammate, Cyrax.

"WHEE!" Lauren called out with excitement. "This is better than riding a pony!"

"Well, as long as you're happy," Cyrax said. "I'm still trying to figure out how you roped me into this. Heck, how do you kids rope me into this?"

Jax chuckled at that. "I am SO never going to let Cyrax live that down."

"That reminds me," Guile started as he brought his attention back to Crimson Viper. "My family will be arriving here in five days. My oldest daughter, Amy, is about Lauren's age. It might do them both good if they had the chance to hang out together while they wait around for us to finish our mission."

"That would be great," Crimson Viper said. "Lauren was just starting to miss her friends. Since we'll be on this island for a while, it would be good for her to make some new friends to keep her occupied."

"That makes me wish my family could be here," Jax sighed. "But we own a farm outside of Los Angeles and there's pretty much no one else to look after it unless we want all the vegetables and animals to die off." He smiled sheepishly. "Besides, I don't think Lauren and Amy would be interested in a play date with my daughter. Jacqui is not even two yet."

Crimson Viper smirked a little over that. "Well, before you know it, she'll be all grown up."

"Ha! That's what Guile and I were just talking about."

"Mommy!" Lauren called out from the lobby. "I'm finished!"

Crimson Viper waved to the two men as she started to walk away. "Sounds like she's ready. See you two around."

Once Crimson Viper was out of ear shot, Jax suddenly groaned as he placed one of his metal hands over his forehead. "Ah, just great…" he grumbled.

"What's wrong?" Guile asked with some concern.

"I just had a terrible thought. Not only will Jacqui soon be grown up, but it won't be long before she starts… dating…" Jax put a bitter emphasis on that last word. "I don't want her to date…"

"Well, I don't want my girls to date when they grow up either, but it's gonna happen whether we like it or not. We just have to hope we raised them well, and whoever they pick is an upstanding citizen who will treat them right for many years to come."

Jax groaned at that. "I think I need another beer…"

---

Mishima Forest, Hilltop

Initially, Zafina headed to the location of the torii that was on top of the highest peak of Mishima Island to enjoy the nature of beauty in the morning. The young woman had been up here a few times since she discovered it. It was one of the most peaceful spots on the entire island, at least as far as she knew.

However, just as she reached the spot, she noticed a small amount of white smoke that lifted from the ground and up towards the sky. It was clearly a campfire that someone had set up. Zafina had an inkling as to whom it may be. As far as she knew, only one other person had been up here before.

As soon as Zafina spotted the steps that led up to the torii, she spotted the familiar face of the man in the red-orange gi - Guy Hinato.

Aside from seeing him around the island, including the evening the wrestler Alex was recruited, Zafina hadn't seen Guy up here since they first met one-on-one - the day she discovered this spot, no less. That day, she offered to help him sort out his state of mind after he somewhat hinted that he was once a brainwashed soldier for Shao Kahn during the Universal War. Of course, she didn't plan to push it.

"Good morning," Zafina greeted as she showed up within his viewpoint.

Guy looked up from the campfire that was in front of him and spotted the young woman who approached him. "Morning," he replied. "What brings you up here?"

"I just wanted to enjoy this island's nature," she admitted. "I thought it would be nice to take it in as much as possible during our stay here before I return to my village in the desert."

Guy nodded at that. Then silently, he gestured a hand at the empty space next to him. It was an invitation to join him, Zafina realized. She approached the spot before she carefully sat down on the grass and leaned back a little against the stone that served as the first step towards the torii.

"I apologize," Guy started as he reached for the kettle that was set on the raised grate over the campfire he set up not too long ago. He pointed to the single cup in front of him. "I wasn't expecting company. I only have one yunomi with me."

"That's all right," Zafina assured him as she sat down next to him on the ground. She sat in a lotus pose as Guy - who was kneeled in a seiza pose - carefully poured some tea into the white cup he held in his other hand.

Zafina got a whiff of the tea's scent. It was quite different from what she was used to back home. It almost reminded her of a mix of freshly cut grass and the ocean, but more fresh and lighter in scent. There was also a note of something else that she couldn't pinpoint.

Guy went to take a sip of his tea before he stopped and looked at it momentarily. He then gazed over at Zafina before he extended his arm out to offer her some of the tea.

Zafina went ahead and carefully took the cup into her hands. The young woman brought it to her lips and took a short sip. Considering its hot temperature, she swallowed it quickly. Still, she managed to get an idea of its taste. It was exactly like how it smelled, only there was a sweet note to it as well. That was the part she couldn't figure out before. It also left a mild bitterness at the back of her throat.

"This is… different from what I'm used to. Good, but different."

"I assume you don't get green tea where you live?" Guy guessed.

"No," Zafina confirmed as she gave the cup back to him. "Being in an isolated village in the middle of the desert limits us on resources. Karkade is our preferred tea. It's a sweet tea made from hibiscus petals. It gives the tea a hint of cranberry flavor."

"Hm," Guy hummed. "I'll have to try it someday."

"I haven't seen any on the island yet, but if I do, I'll bring some to you."

Guy nodded in appreciation before the two fell into a comfortable silence. Aside from the crackling of the campfire, the only sound around them was the light wind that brushed against the trees and bushes, and a few birds that chipped somewhere within the forest in front of them.

Zafina closed her eyes as she relished the breeze that brushed against her face. The wildflowers that grew nearby were starting to fade away, but their flowery scent still lingered in the air. I could get used to this, she thought.

"I'm certain you figured out by now that I was one of Shao Kahn's brainwashed soldiers during the Universal War," Guy suddenly said as he broke the silence between them. As he spoke, his brown eyes stared directly at the campfire in front of them.

Zafina opened her eyes and she slowly nodded at his words. She, too, stared at the campfire. "I had an inkling from our last conversation here. I assume it lasted a couple of months like the others?"

Guy shook his head. "No. Mine lasted for eight months."

Zafina's eyebrows raised at that. "That's since…"

"Since the end of the Blood Tournament," he confirmed. "I remember bits and pieces of those months. They tend to haunt me in my nightmares. That includes the day I became free. I fought against my long-time best friend during the last couple of months. I was ordered by Shao Kahn himself to kill him - a sick and twisted means of pitting two friends against each other to test one's loyalty." That last sentence was said with a hint of bitterness. "And he nearly killed me because he believed that after so long, it was the only way to free me from the brainwash. I remember that moment too well… likely because it was the last thing that happened before the wall of light from Shao Kahn's death freed me and the others."

Zafina gave him a concerned gaze. "That must've been hard on both of you."

"More for him than for me, it seems," Guy mentioned. "Cody and I don't really talk about it, but I've assured him after the battle that I would've understood. At the time, he didn't see any other way."

There was a moment's pause before Guy proceeded upon realizing something. "Strange. I haven't shared this much of my mind with anyone in a long time. Not since…" He trailed off on that last sentence and didn't try to finish it.

"I get the sense that you're a private person," Zafina assumed. "To be honest, I didn't expect you to share as much as you did this morning. May I ask why?"

Guy was briefly silent before he replied. "We barely know each other as we just met, and yet something within me is telling me that I can trust you. The people in my life have had to work to earn it. With you, I can't explain." He chose that moment to turn his head a little to look at her. "I hope that doesn't sound strange to you."

Zafina shook her head as a small smile appeared at the corner of her lips. "No. It doesn't."

Once more, they fell quiet. Neither of them were sure of what else to say, but they were also okay with enjoying the silence. Zafina almost considered bringing up the offer she made to him when they first met on this hilltop. She thought back briefly on that conversation;

"Perhaps, whenever you're ready, I can help you sort whatever is on your mind with a tarot reading session."

"I appreciate the offer, but it won't be necessary," Guy had said.

"I understand," she responded. "But the offer will stand during our stay here if you change your mind."

Upon being reminded of this, Zafina chose to stay silent on the matter instead. Whenever Guy was ready, she was confident that he would tell her.

---

Mishima Hotel, Lobby

After an early lunch at one of the downtown restaurants, Lars and Alisa just entered the lobby of their hotel. Neither of them said a word to each other the whole way back as they found themselves in a comfortable silence. When they reached the door, Lars pulled the door open and let Alisa walk through first before he followed after.

However, it didn't take them long to notice a man standing just a few yards away and staring at them. His face looked somewhat youthful despite his full gray hair. He wore an all-white business suit save for the purple handkerchief that was pressed and folded nearly in his left breast pocket.

Alisa went into a whisper after a couple of seconds. "I suspect that the man in front of us is interested in us. He is looking straight at us and has yet to take his eyes off since we entered this lobby."

"Well… let's figure out why," Lars suggested.

The two of them approached the stranger and stopped just a couple of feet away. The man didn't move once in those few seconds. "Eh," Lars began as he approached the man. "We couldn't help but notice you staring at us. Did you need something?"

"I do," the older man said as he smiled warmly at them. "Forgive my staring. But I must admit, I saw you at the Okan Bar and Grill the other day and couldn't help but wonder why you seem so familiar to me. Have we met before?"

"I don't think so," Lars sighed while he rubbed the back of his neck. "Even if we had, I don't remember. I'm suffering from amnesia at this time, and the only thing I remember is my name - Lars Alexanderrson… amongst very few other things."

Alisa suddenly spoke up. "According to my scans, you are Lee Chaolan, CEO of Violet Systems. According to the records I pulled up, you used to also be associated with the Mishima Zaibatsu as far back as your own childhood. You also used to fight in the underground with the nicknamed 'The Silver-Haired Devil.'"

Lee's smile quickly dropped during her speech and he narrowed his eyes on the young woman. "And what kind of scans are you using to detect who I am and what my past is?"

"She's an android," Lars explained simply. "She was found in an old Zaibatsu facility a few weeks ago."

"Ah! That makes sense now," Lee said with a little enthusiasm, his smile returning. "I of all people should've guessed. But what your scans also missed is that I'm a shareholder of G-Corp. They're part of the reason why I'm at this tournament."

"Are you fighting for them?" Lars inquired.

Lee huffed dryly at them. "I admit, I'm interested in their finances. That was long before their current 'mysterious' CEO took over the company." Of course, Lee knew the CEO was Kazuya, but he wasn't about to reveal that just yet. "But to be frank, I have my personal reasons for fighting in this tournament."

"Alisa mentioned your connections to the Mishima Zaibatsu," Lars said. "You wouldn't happen to know who Heihachi Mishima is, do you?"

Lee's smile disappeared again and he quickly scanned their surroundings before he lowered his voice. "Not here. Let's go upstairs to my room. We'll talk there."

Lee quickly whirled around and headed towards the nearby elevator. Lars turned to Alisa momentarily. She gave him a brief nod before the two of them followed Lee to the elevator.

A few minutes later, they entered Lee's room on the fourth floor of the hotel room. It was one of only four corner rooms in the entire building with a half panoramic view through the floor-to-ceiling windows. All the furniture was made of ebony wood and decorated with a mix of white and olive green cushions and coverings. The shades for the windows were white and could be closed with remote control access. The entire room was like a studio apartment, save for the bathroom located to the right of the initial entrance.

"Please excuse the look of this room," Lee mentioned after he closed the door behind her. "I personally prefer a classier room than this one, but the private suite on the top floor was already taken by someone from the Kanzuki Dynasty before I had the chance to claim it. Not surprising given their own level of wealth and influence in this part of the world."

"That's okay, this is fine," Lars assured him.

"Now then," Lee started as he walked over to the mini bar that was located in the living room area. "Before I answer any questions, is there a reason you're asking about Heihachi?"

Lars decided to be somewhat vague with the information. "An informant I know - someone from my past - told me that before I lost my memories, I had wanted to meet with him. I was hoping it would jog my memory somehow."

Lee let out a low whistle at that as he grabbed for a bottle of one of the finer champagnes in the mini bar. "Sorry to say that you're likely out of luck. You see, Heihachi went missing after the Universal War last year. Rumor has it that he likely became trapped in a realm called Outworld and is likely lost somewhere there. In case you don't know, Outworld was where that attempted conqueror of the realms came from and that's where the war ended by some small group called, 'The Four,' according to some news sources. Don't ask me about The Four as I have no information on who they are and what they're about beyond the media's vague information. The only thing we can be grateful for is that they saved the universe." He briefly showed them the bottle he picked out. "Champagne?"

"No, thank you," Alisa answered cheerfully.

"I'm good," Lars replied. "Hmm… My informant did say something about that concerning Heihachi. I was hoping that status would've changed since he told me."

"Unfortunately, you know just as much as I do," Lee said as he poured himself a glass of champagne.

"Well… in that case, maybe you can help me with something else. I was also advised to seek out the leader of the Manji Clan, Yoshimitsu. Apparently, he might have information on Heihachi's whereabouts, and… maybe information about myself, if possible."

Lee grinned at that just as he finished pouring his drink. He placed the cork back on the bottle. "I don't know the man personally, but I know the clan name well. To the Zaibatsu, the Manji Clan are a thorn in their side. To many others, they are an eccentric but honorable clan who steal from the undeserving rich and give to the needy."

"Like the story of Robin Hood," Alisa pointed out.

"Exactly."

"We know that Yoshimitsu is here on the island as a tournament competitor," the android mentioned. "But Lars and I believe that finding him will not be very easy."

Lee thought over this as he took a moment to sip on his champagne. "You know," he soon started as a thought came to him. "My tag team partner, Cyrax, may have some information. He hasn't gone into details with me since we began our partnership, but he mentioned having 'connections' from around the world and beyond."

"That's not much to go on," Lars pointed out.

"No," Lee agreed. "But it's better to check on his network list than to ignore it altogether. If we're lucky, one of his connections may, in fact, be a member of the Manji Clan. And if that's the case, and we explain the situation, it could very well lead us to Yoshimitsu himself. From there, you may get the information you need."

Lars sighed a little. "Well. That's a start, I suppose. After you talk with this 'Cyrax,' contact me as soon as possible. I'm staying in this hotel, Room 206. And just in case, Alisa is in Room 208."

"Excellent!" Lee called out with some enthusiasm.

---

Mishima Forest

Since they began their walk, neither Liu Kang nor Kitana had said a word. The only sound that was around them were chirping birds, the light wind that brushed against the trees and bushes, and their light footsteps which made small echoes with each step.

In his mind, Liu Kang surprised himself when he found that he wanted nothing more than to hold Kitana close to him, but he remained a respectful distance between them as they walked side by side. It had been so long since he last held her. Back then, it was a goodbye hug when they both went their separate ways after the Netherrealm War. Neither of them knew that they would never see each other again until just merely a couple of weeks ago when he recruited her to join the other Chosen Ones to stop the war on Earthrealm.

At the time, Kitana had done a good job keeping herself composed when she saw him for the first time as an immortal. But Liu Kang saw it in those brown eyes that day - she was in shock by his return.

Maybe things would have been different had I accepted her offer to join her in Edenia, Liu Kang thought to himself. But I had my duty to protect Earthrealm. Ironic, given the circumstances that came after…

After what seemed like a long time, Kitana finally spoke. "I admit, I have… a mix array of feelings over your return. I'm happy and relieved of course. So few are so lucky to reunite like this, even after death. I'm twice as lucky. First my mother, now you. I can only thank the Elder Gods."

"Well," Liu Kang said and he couldn't help but smile. "Three of them were the ones who wanted to appoint me as the newest Protector of Earthrealm and managed to get the other seven on board. So for once, they really do deserve the credit."

Kitana chuckled a little at that. "That is true. But honestly, I also feel… angry and confused." Her eyebrows furrowed a bit as she stopped her walk and spun a little to look at him. "You said that you've been a God since the end of the Universal War. If you've been a God for that long… why didn't you tell me about it before? Why didn't you show up until you did in Edenia?!"

Liu Kang knew the answer to that. "Because until then, the time wasn't right," he replied without hesitation. "The realms were in desperate need of stability after the war."

Kitana gestured a hand at their surroundings. "No offense, but that's hardly an excuse when we're here to stop a potential threat to the realms."

Liu Kang sighed at that. "I understand where you're coming from. But this was different. It wasn't just about Earthrealm despite my status, but of all the realms, including your own. All of us Gods formed a union under Fujin's guidance to secure some semblance of stability after the great damage Shao Kahn left behind. Had we not, it would have had lasting effects with severe consequences."

Kitana frowned upon that revelation, and she averted her eyes from him. "I'm sorry… I didn't realize. That was selfish of me…"

"No," Liu Kang said. He dared himself to reach a hand to cup her chin, which he tipped back a little so that she looked at him. "It wasn't."

As Liu Kang pulled his hand away, he decided to inquire about something that occurred at the end of the last war. "Did… anyone ever tell you how you became free from Shao Kahn's brainwash?"

Kitana furrowed her brows again, this time with confusion. "No. One minute I was fighting against the Outworld Forces in Edenia, then I suddenly woke up on a battlefield in Outworld. However, there was a wall of light that flew over the battlefield after The Four killed him. It freed anyone who was still under the brainwash. By then, I was already free."

"Yes, the remaining brainwashed fighters experienced that. Before, however, I personally saw to the freedom of four of you. It was my first act as Protector of Earthrealm. You and your mother were among them along with Yun Lee and Jax Briggs. I would've freed all of you had it not been for Outworld's environment weakening my powers. I needed to save what remained to heal the injured."

Kitana's eyes widened at that. "You… you freed me? Personally?"

Liu Kang nodded. "It was lucky that I saw you on the battlefield that morning. You were the first, in fact…"

Kitana averted her eyes once more. "That… explains the dreams I've been having since I became free. I thought I was going crazy, but… now I understand. Not that I should be complaining, considering the other monstrous dreams I've been having since I became free of my brainwash…"

Liu Kang frowned. "I'm sorry. If I had known at the start of Shao Kahn's war, I would've freed all of you sooner."

Kitana smiled a little. "The thought is enough. Thank you. And… Thank you for freeing me and my mother. I'm sure Yun and Jax will appreciate your kindness as well if you haven't told them yet."

"You're welcome. Like I said, I only wished I had enough powers to free everyone during the final battle."

Kitana nodded. "At least the others were freed later that same day."

"Except Rose..."

Kitana sighed at that. "Yeah…"

The Princess then suddenly looked up at him. "I - I tried to move on, Liu Kang. I really did. I even met a Keiseian and, well..."

That surprised Liu Kang and he couldn't help the small sting in his heart. However, he understood - he was dead, and she needed to go on with her life. Given the fact that Edenians lived very, very long lives, he would have wanted her to find someone who made her happy.

"Are you two still…" Liu Kang started to ask.

"No," Kitana quickly answered, which strangely was a relief for him to hear. "It didn't work out. He had too much to deal with in his personal life at the time, and we decided to remain friends. Besides, I… I missed you, Liu Kang. More than I missed anyone in all my years of living."

She then let out a shaky breath before she said her next words. "But now standing here and talking to you, I came to realize that… that I need more time. It's been so long since we last saw each other, and… I'm still trying to figure out what I want. I think I know the answer, but… I need to be sure."

Liu Kang was disappointed to hear that, but he still nodded to her. "I understand. Take all the time you need. When you are ready, we'll talk some more."

"Thank you for understanding," Kitana answered.

Despite needing more time, however, that didn't stop Kitana from closing the space between them and enclosed her arms around his shoulders. This surprised Liu Kang momentarily before he returned the embrace by wrapping his arms around her waist.

Well, Liu Kang thought. It's a start.

---

Mishima Zaibatsu Headquarters

In his office, Jin Kazama was silent, his face emotionless as he watched a match that was taking place at that very moment. It took place in an abandoned warehouse somewhere in Slovakia. Of course, the fight itself was much more remarkable. Both teams were quite even in their match, but Jin was confident as to which team was going to win this fight.

He had been so focused on the match that he hadn't heard his two bodyguards, Nina and Eddy, approach his desk. It wasn't until Nina said, "Kazama?" when he finally noticed them at all. Immediately, Jin pressed the pause button on his laptop. It managed to hide the fact that he was somewhat startled by their sudden presence.

Clearly I should've never let these two come and go as they please, he thought to himself.

"What is it?" he asked with some boredom in his voice as he gazed up at his bodyguards.

"Just a couple of reports as you requested," answered Nina. "Some of our soldiers posted undercover on the island managed to spot a few G-Corp spys. They were caught attempting to infiltrate some of the secret facilities on the island. Naturally, they were… taken care of. No civilian casualties in the process."

"Good," Jin replied. "Anything else?"

"Well…" Eddy started as he started to rub the back of his neck. "About a half hour ago, one of the Outworld rebels, Kabal, reported that Doctrine Dark had a… meltdown to say the least."

"Is it something that may affect our overall operation?" Jin asked.

"It might be based on the way he 'freaked out' as Kabal put it," Eddy continued. "Considering his history, it's likely a violent episode in response to whatever triggered his PTSD. Needless to say, he left the lounge area quite a mess in his wake."

Jin thought over this for a moment before he gazed up at Eddy. "Check on him. Make sure his head is back in the game just enough to continue under my employment. Report back to me either way. I'll make a decision then."

"Understood."

The CEO then turned his attention to Nina. "Talk to the others who were there. Try to figure out what set Doctrine Dark off. We cannot afford to let it happen again."

Nina only replied with a single nod.

"You're both dismissed," Jin concluded as leaned back against his seat.

He remained hushed as his two bodyguards made their departure. As soon as the door to his large office closed, Jin's amber eyes shifted back to the laptop on top of his desk, the feed he watched moments before paused in the middle of the match he was watching.

There, on the screen, was the face of Cammy White.

She was looking past the drone camera and clearly focused on her opponent. There was determination in those light blue eyes, just as one would expect from a warrior in the middle of a tournament match. Her and Sonya Blade's win in their match was inevitable.

Jin stared at Cammy's face on the screen for just a few moments - his expression completely emotionless - before he grabbed for the top half of the laptop and promptly closed it, which shut the machine down in the process.