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.

36. Chapter Thirty Five

A/N: Another looong chapter ahead! I figured it makes up for both the delay in releasing this chapter, and the recent hiatus. =P Enjoy!

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Chapter Thirty-Five

Mishima Hotel - Late Into the Night

It was past three thirty in the morning when Cody Travers realized he wasn't going to get much sleep. It was strange because, by this point, he was already adjusted to the timezone between Mishima Island and Metro City.

The rest of the day is going to suck… the Metro City hero thought to himself.

He took a deep breath and made an attempt to sleep again. After what seemed like a while, Cody thought he was starting to fall asleep when he suddenly heard someone shout at the top of their lungs from his right. That promptly startled him to the point that he felt his heartbeat pound frantically against his ribcage. His eyes also snapped open and he found himself staring up at the ceiling.

What the hell? Cody asked himself.

He turned his head and happened to look across the room to his right where Guy's bed was. There, Guy was sitting up with a hand clutching the edge of his blanket, and he was gasping for breath in near desperation. With the moonlight shining into the room from outside, Cody was able to notice the beads of sweat that covered his friend's face, arms, and chest.

Cody frowned as he realized what was going on. He must've just woken up from another nightmare, he thought with concern.

Just prior to the tournament, when they first reunited after over a year apart, Guy warned Cody that the more time passed, the more he remembered things from his duration as a brainwashed enforcer for Outworld. The memories usually came to him through intense nightmares; the kind that left him shaking, sweating, and frantic for air in his lungs.

Since the start of their stay on the island, Cody only woke up a couple of times to Guy shouting in the dark after a nightmare. However, he tended to calm down quite quickly before he returned to sleep. It was also possible that it happened while Cody was asleep, but he didn't bring it up (Cody didn't expect him to).

This time, it seemed much more intense, especially when Cody noticed how wide Guy's eyes were. Whatever was stuck in his mind, it left him absolutely terrified.

After knowing him for all these years, Cody never once saw that look on Guy's face before. Granted, he never saw more than a stoic facade and the occasional close-mouth smile and pained expression during a fight, but that's besides the point.

Cody was starting to wonder if maybe he should say something when Guy suddenly pushed his blanket to one side and swiftly got out of his bed. Wearing only black sweatpants, Guy took a few steps towards the direction where the balcony was before he pushed the curtain aside, unlocked the glass door, and slid it open. As soon as he was outside, he promptly closed it a little more roughly than it was necessary.

Cody frowned as he sat up from his own bed. "Damn…" he muttered. I knew it was bad, but I didn't realize it was this bad…

The former criminal pushed his blanket aside and got out of his bed. Already dressed in boxers and a t-shirt, he made his way to the balcony, which faced the downtown part of the island. There was still some noise and lights from the area, but it was mostly quiet otherwise.

Guy was standing, but he leaned himself against the balcony's barrier with his hands on the edge. His head was bowed, and it was clear that he was trying to focus on breathing.

With a sigh, Cody carefully pulled the door open just enough for him to step through. However, he chose to lean against the door frame - enough to feel the breeze against his face, but also enough to give as much space to his old friend as possible.

"Hey man," Cody murmured after some silence. "You okay?"

Guy was silent for a few moments, and Cody was certain that he was either going to remain quiet, or brush him off. Or maybe he didn't hear him? Either way, Cody chose to not say a word until his old friend did. He didn't want to push him any more than it was necessary.

Eventually, Guy spoke up, though he kept his back to Cody. "I need an honest answer from you. It's important."

Cody furrowed his brows at that. "What about?"

He heard Guy take a deep breath. "Did I…" He took another breath before he asked the question he seemed to dread the answer to. "Did I attack Maki during my brainwash?"

Cody frowned at that as he realized exactly what kind of nightmare Guy had tonight. "...Yeah." He noticed that Guy bowed his head some more, but he continued. "It was while we were staying in Keisei at the time Outworld invaded it. It happened just a few days before you were freed."

Guy bent forward more and moved his arms to rest his elbows at the edge of the balcony. He then covered his face with his hands as the nightmare he woke up from came back to his mind.

"I… I almost killed her," Guy whispered, though Cody was still able to hear him. "I almost killed my fiancée's sister. I promised Rena before she died that I would look out for Maki. And then I go and…" He found that he couldn't finish his sentence.

Cody clenched his fists at his side as anger boiled in his blood. "Guy, that was not your fault," he said firmly. "Anything that happened during that time was not your fault. The only one to blame is that piece of shit bastard who was such a narcissist that he felt the need to conquer and control every aspect of existing life just to boost his self-importance."

Guy slowly removed his hands from his face. Though he looked out towards the downtown area, his mind was somewhere else. "Then maybe I shouldn't have let myself get captured."

"Still not your fault," Cody said with a small shake of his head. "You didn't know what was gonna happen when Sodom attacked you that night. Kahn likely used some kind of energy enhancement to make Sodom more powerful or something, likely with that damn medallion we tried to obtain at the tournament. So don't you dare blame yourself for not being strong enough."

"...Wasn't going to," Guy replied, though Cody had the feeling that it was a lie. He placed one back over his eyes. "I remember it clearly - I was staring right at her, pulling at her hair and about to… crush her face with my fist. She looked so damn terrified, too…"

Cody closed his eyes "Not to play comparison or one-upmanship, but… that was exactly what I went through when I… almost killed you. Except you had an 'I dare you' face instead…"

Guy removed his hand from his face. "I told you before, Cody. I would've understood."

"Yeah, well… still doesn't help since I didn't know that then. I would've spent the rest of my life wondering, well… damn it! We're talking about you right now, not me!"

"You're the one who brought it up."

"Well, my mistake, I shouldn't have…" Cody quickly brushed his fingers through his messy blonde hair. "Listen, Guy, I'm gonna be honest here. I'm not sure how I can help you here."

"I never asked for help," Guy said firmly.

"I know that. What I'm trying to say is that maybe you should seek help. Possibly from someone who has the ability to figure out what it is you need to make this easier to deal with."

Briefly, Guy thought about Zafina and her offer to help sort out his mind during their stay on the island. He had rejected the offer not because he didn't want her help, but because he wasn't ready to see if there was anything even worse than what the nightmares already showed him.

Like nearly killing Maki. And Cody for that matter.

"Or maybe talk to Maki about what happened," Cody suggested. "Last I checked, she wanted to talk to you about it, but she was waiting until you were ready."

Guy took a deep breath at that. "That might be a good idea. I don't know how much it'll help, though…"

"Well, it's better than not trying," Cody said with a small shrug. A yawn escaped him before he proceeded. "Listen, it's still pretty damn late, so I'm gonna hit the hay. You comin' back in?"

Guy shook his head. "Not yet. I think I'm gonna stay out here a little bit longer."

"Okay." Cody replied. He began to leave, but then stopped momentarily. "Just remember; I'm here to listen if you ever need to talk."

"I know. Thanks."

Cody simply nodded before he partially closed the door behind him, leaving Guy with his thoughts.

---

Mishima Forest - Early Morning

As the sun began to rise from the east side of the island, the small group that consisted of Lars, Alisa, Lee, Cyrax, and Yoshimitsu met up at the hilltop near the torii - the very place they had their last meeting two days ago. All were geared up and ready to go.

Accompanying them were two of Yoshimitsu's scouts - Zivis and Dinora. Just like the others, they were also geared up and ready to go. Both of them were also carrying large provision bags in case the mission went on a little longer than they intended.

Lee sniffed the air as he noticed a certain scent. "Is someone here carrying… fish?"

Zivis sighed a little as he used a free hand to pat the provision bag he was carrying. "Yeaaah, that would be me. Let's put it this way - one meeting with a bear during a galactic war has officially assigned me the de facto bear feeder."

Dinora chuckled at Zivis's predicament. "Aside from Master Yoshimitsu, Zivis is the only other Manji Clan member Kuma likes."

"I wouldn't mind hearing the story," said Lars. "But perhaps we can save it for when we return. The sooner we get this mission started, the better."

"I agree," Yoshimitsu agreed as he took his sword out from its scabbard. With his other hand, he also pulled out a short sword before he extended his arms out in front of him, the two weapons close together. "Opening upon portals used to be faster than this. This will take a moment."

Cyrax shook his head a little. "This is going to be really weird - going back to Outworld for the first time since the end of the Universal War. I wonder how much has changed over the past year."

"There have been some improvements according to my scouts who are posted there," the Manji Clan leader confirmed. "But honestly, not by much. Not with that scoundrel Quan Chi as their Emperor."

"Wait!" Alisa suddenly called out. She turned her head towards a certain direction before she spoke again in a lower voice. "Cyrax, operate your thermal vision. Then look at your eleven o'clock up in the trees. Do you see it?"

Cyrax did exactly what Alisa told them - and soon noted what she had noticed. "I see it," he confirmed.

"What is it?" asked Lee with some concern.

"...We're being spied on."

"Kuso," Yoshimitsu cursed. He then promptly got himself in a fighting stance, his swords already out and ready. The others around him also got into their defensive stances. "Come out!" Yoshimitsu yelled. "We know you're out there!"

Moments later, something in the trees moved before a figure dressed in black jumped in front of them just a couple of yards away and crouched in a three-point landing. The others remained in their stance, but soon realized that whoever it was wasn't going to attack (as they would have by this point). Moments later, they straightened themselves up to stare at them.

Cyrax tilted his head as he recognized the figure. "Raven?"

"Cyrax," the ninja agent greeted.

"What are you doing here?" Yoshimitsu ended up asking as he moved his arms to his sides. "And why are you spying on us?"

Through his sunglasses, Raven gave Yoshimitsu a stern gaze as he folded his arms in front of his chest. "Because what you're about to do is not only dangerous, but a security risk."

"Hmph," Lee huffed. "Sounds like you were spying on us two days ago. Why?"

"I have my reasons," Raven responded vaguely. He turned his attention back to Yoshimitsu. "What you said earlier - about your clan keeping Heihachi in Outworld - that was smart. If he was here on Earthrealm right now, it would make this war even worse."

"Then you should understand why we need to go to Outworld," Yoshimitsu started. He briefly looked at Cyrax and beckoned his head towards Raven before the two of them began to walk towards the agent. "There's a possibility that meeting with Heihachi may be the catalyst of bringing morale to a certain group of soldiers fighting to end this war. The sooner we go, the sooner we can raise morale and be one step closer to ending this conflict."

By then, Yoshimitsu and Cyrax were close enough to Raven where the former could drop his voice in a whisper so that the others behind them didn't hear. "I ask you this as a Chosen One; why are you here?"

Raven took a deep breath through his nose as he unfolded his arms. "Members of Yggdrasil asked me to temporarily keep an eye on Lars. That's all I can say."

"Sounds fair," replied Cyrax. "I can see how you got involved in this. But rest assured, we have this under control."

"That's not good enough," Raven balked. "We all know how treacherous Outworld can be, even on a good day. Besides, even if you did succeed, if there's even the slightest chance something followed us back here - like a shokan - it may complicate our main mission here on the island."

"I can understand your concern," answered Yoshimitsu. "But rest assured, it's perfectly safe. I've done this practically a million times."

"...It's best if I accompany you on the mission. The more fighters you have looking out for Lars, the better."

Yoshimitsu sighed at that. "Fine, but only because time is of the essence."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine!" Cyrax called out randomly as he threw his hands up (more out of own amusement). From there, they turned and started back towards their group.

"What's going on?" Lars asked as the trio approached them.

Yoshimitsu gestured a hand at the agent. "This is Raven, a colleague of mine and Cyrax's. He'll be joining us on this mission." From there, he lifted his swords back up in front of him to begin the process of opening the portal to Outworld once more.

"Have you ever been to Outworld before, Mr. Raven?" asked Alisa.

Raven sighed a little. "Twice. Frankly, it was more than enough."

"You're telling me," Cyrax mentioned. "I've been there three times myself. Four if you count that one time I shut down and got trapped in the desert sands. Long story…"

"All right, my sword's just about ready," Yoshimitsu announced. "As soon as I swipe my sword through the air, a portal will unlock. Once it forms, we need to move as quickly as possible. I've set a course near the entrance to the city of Z'unkahrah. Heihachi's hideout will be five miles out."

"Why so far away?" asked Lars.

"One of my scouts is currently posing as a civilian and is 'living there.' We need to meet with her first before we make the journey to Heihachi's hideout. Ready?"

Everyone nodded at that. Satisfied, Yoshimitsu placed his short sword back in its scabbard before he swiped his main sword through the air. It was as though he was slicing through paper. Within moments, a purple portal opened up just large enough for one person to go through at a time.

Raven went in first, followed by Cyrax. Lars went in next with Alisa jumping through just after him. Lee took a deep breath in preparation before he lept. As soon as Dinora and Zivis went through, Yoshimitsu followed after them. The portal closed seconds later.

---

Mishima Gardens

"You know," started Miharu as she walked alongside Xiaoyu and their new friends R. Mika, Asuka, Cassandra, Elena, Karin, Sakura, and Talim. The group were walking through the stone pathway of the gardens located just behind the hotel they were staying at. "I was thinking I might go back home."

That got a small gasp from Xiaoyu. "How come?"

"Well," Miharu started. "When I came to the island initially, I was here to cheer you on, Xiaoyu. Of course that was before you roped me into being a participant. But we're both not in the tournament anymore, sooo…"

"Hey, there is a reason for you to stay," Xiaoyu started. She then gestured a hand at the rest of the group. "To cheer on the rest of our new friends."

"Well, not me at least," mentioned Elena. "But war or no war, I plan to stick around to cheer all of you on, too."

"Well, except me since I'm also out of the tournament," Cassandra grumbled. She then tenderly touched one side of her head where her own shield hit her during that particular match. "Damn that Yun…"

"And even if my tag team partner and I lose," said R. Mika. "I plan to stick around the island until the very end."

"Speaking of which," started Sakura. "You haven't introduced us to Jaycee yet. Why is that?"

R. Mika gave her friends a sheepish grin. Of all the Chosen Ones, only she and Ryu knew that it was Julia Chang - as a favor to the real Jaycee's sister - who was behind the pink and white mask. "She's like King - luchador through and through. She pretty much plans to stay in-character during her stay here, so unfortunately you won't be meeting her."

"Ah, I think I understand," replied Karin. "From what little I know about it, if a luchador's real identity is revealed to the world, it could possibly signify the end of their career."

"Exactly!"

Talim gave the girls a perplexed gaze. "I'm not certain I understand. Just because someone's mask is taken off, it means that they would be done with… fighting? Why should that stop anyone?"

Asuka placed a finger on her chin thoughtfully as she tried her best to describe the concept to Talim. "It's not quite the same, buuut some fighters prefer to keep their identities a secret. It keeps them and their loved ones safe. If the world finds out who they are, it could put them and their families in danger."

Talim smiled after that explanation. "I think I understand now. I think they're like the shinobis of the Nippon Kingdom - working in secret."

"That sounds about right," agreed Cassandra. "I actually met a shinobi years ago. She didn't hide her face or anything, but she had this air of mystery to her. At the end of the day, however, I'll always be grateful to her as she was the one who saved Sophitia's life and brought her home safely."

"That sounds like quite a story," said Xiaoyu. "Do you mind telling us the whole thing?"

Cassandra smiled over the memory. "I don't know all the details, but it all started when Sophitia was visited by -"

The Keiseian was suddenly cut off as the girls heard shouting from behind them. Unsure of what was going on, the nine of them turned around before they spotted Blanka running towards them. His eyes were a little wide and he looked almost frantic as he scanned his surroundings. It didn't take him long to spot the girls. From there, he ran towards where they stood.

"Hi Blanka," Elena greeted cheerfully just as he reached them. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but…" Blanka started - and it was clear that he was nearly out of breath from all the running he did. "Have any of you seen Dan? He said he'll be practicing his katas in the gardens, but I haven't been able to find him."

"Not yet," answered Sakura. "But I'm sure Hibiki-san is around here somewhere if he said he'd be here."

"I heard my name!" the voice of Dan suddenly shouted. The girls turned in his direction and saw the pink-clad man sprint towards the group. He only stopped once he was a few feet away. He took a moment to catch his breath and he rested his hands on his knees.

"There you are, Dan!" Blanka yelled out. "I was looking all over for you!"

"Is everything all right?" Dan asked nervously.

"Yes!" Blanka yelled. "Nothing's wrong! Actually, I'm really excited that I can hardly contain it!"

"About what?"

Blanka waved his arm forward before he turned around and started to run off. "It's better if I showed you. Come on!"

Dan started to run after his friend, but he suddenly stopped before he turned to the girls - all who gave him confused gazes. "You can come with us if you want," he offered.

"Sure, only because I'm curious to know what he found that made him excited," Asuka mentioned with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"Whatever it is," Elena said. "I bet it's something very nice."

"Don't just stand there!" Blanka screamed twenty feet away. "Follow me!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Dan shouted as he began to run after his friend.

R. Mika, Asuka, Cassandra, Elena, Sakura, Talim, Xiaoyu, and Miharu began to follow as well. Karin stood there for a few moments before she groaned and started to go after her friends. "This better be worth it!" she hollered.

---

The Docks

Close to lunch time, Hilde found herself walking the boardwalk alongside Sindel and Kitana. The former had invited Hilde to join her and her daughter to check out the shops and enjoy some food samples that were being offered around that time.

At one particular stall, Hilde found herself staring at the food she held on a stick. At the very least, it was aesthetically pleasing - three round-shaped foods in three different colors - pink, white and green. "I'm sorry," she began to say to the person who gave the offering to her. "What is this called?"

"We call it Hanami Dango," the shopkeeper explained. "It's very popular in Japan, especially during this spring season."

"What is it made of?"

"Just sweet rice flour."

Hilde decided to take a small bite of the pink dango. She let herself savor the taste for a moment before her eyes lit up a little. "Hmm… that is pretty good. I like it."

"Thank you," the shopkeeper replied. "Enjoy your day, miss."

"You, too."

Hilde then turned around and walked a couple of feet before she spotted the familiar face of her comrade, Siegfried. Since they met, Hilde had grown accustomed to seeing him in armor. So it threw her off - not for the first time since their arrival on Earthrealm - to see him in Earthrealm clothing in order to blend in with the rest of the crowd. In this case, he was wearing a dark brown collared shirt and blue slacks - or 'jeans' as the Earthrealmers called them - and a pair of loafers that matched the color of his shirt.

"Hello, Siegfried," the Wolfkrone Princess greeted.

"Hello," the Keiseian answered. He tilted his head slightly as he spotted the food in her hand. "What are you eating?"

"The shopkeeper calls it a hanami dango. It's kind of hard to describe - it's sweet, but not overly so. It's quite good, otherwise."

"Hmm, I may try some later." He then happened to look over her shoulder. That made Hilde curious and she turned herself around to see what he was staring at.

"There you are," said Sindel as she gave Hilde a warm smile. She then noticed Siegfried behind her and gave him a respectful nod. "Good morning, Siegfried."

"Good morning, Queen Sindel," Siegfried acknowledged. He then turned his head to the Queen's daughter. "Hello, Princess."

"Hello, Siegfried," Kitana replied. She gave him a small smile. "I seem to recall that there was no need to address me by my title while we're outside of Edenia. That still stands."

"Ah. Then… it is good to see you, Kitana. Well, I should be off-"

"Walk with us," Kitana offered. "We haven't spoken much since we arrived on Earthrealm. I'd like to know what you've been up to since the end of last year's war."

Siegfried paused momentarily before he finally nodded to her. "I'd like that. But first, tell me about Edenia's progress."

From there, Siegfried and Kitana began walking side by side as the latter began to give him updates on Edenia. As they did, Sindel and Hilde happened to look at each other before the Queen gave the Princess a knowing smirk. "Have you spoken to him about my daughter since we last spoke about the subject?"

"No, but that's all right," Hilde answered. "Siegfried and I are great comrades and we respect each other very much. However, our personal lives are simply that. If he wishes to speak to me of his past with your daughter, then I'd say, 'by all means.'"

A curious gaze came over Sindel's eyes as a thought occurred to her. "Then I'm guessing there's no romantic feelings between you two."

Hilde chuckled at that. "I admit, Siegfried is noble and quite handsome, as you yourself proclaimed when we last spoke about him." The young woman took a quick bite of her sweet dumpling before she continued. "However, I should tell you that not only am I spoken for, but I am also betrothed."

"Oh!" Sindel called out. "I didn't know. Congratulations! When do you plan your wedding day?"

"Not for a while, I'm afraid. With everything going on back in Wolfkrone, and all of Keisei, Wilhelm and I are more focused on restoring our lands to their former glory…"

The two women continued to talk as they followed Siegfried and Kitana along the boardwalk…

Not far from the boardwalk shops, a ferry arrived from mainland Japan and was starting to dock at Mishima Island. The small group consisting of Ryu, Ken, Julia, Guile, Wagner, Juli, and Cammy waited at the docks near the spot where the new arrivals would disembark.

"Well, they're finally here," said Julia. She turned to head to where both Ken and Guile stood. "I bet you two will be happy to see your family again."

"Of course," Ken replied. "Although let's be honest here, the last two weeks or so were pretty nice and quiet. Still, I did miss Eliza and Mel." Ken gave his friend a warm smile. "So to answer your question, yes. I'm very happy to be seeing them again."

"There's no question about it," added Guile. "Though I can't help but wonder how much Chris has grown since."

"That's right," started Wagner. "This is going to be the first time you'll be seeing Jane and the girls in over three months." He then gave his mentor a grin as he playfully nudged his arm. "Bet Chris is already running around on her own two feet."

Guile narrowed his eyes at the younger man. "Scott, she's only four months old. It hasn't been that long."

Wagner pointed a finger at him. "I know, I said that because we both know how much time likes to fly right by us. You more than me, I bet, since time goes by faster the older you get, right old man?" He ended that sentence with a light nudge of his elbow to Guile's arm. The Brigadier General silently glared at his protégé, who gave him a sly grin that told him he was kidding around.

"Scott," started Juli. "You don't need to rub it in." Her voice had a serious tone, but even she had to use up all of her energy to try not to giggle.

Wagner gestured a hand in his girlfriend's direction. "But it's true."

"Here they are!" Cammy quickly called out.

It didn't take long for everyone to spot the two sisters and their children. Eliza Masters and Jane Guile were chatting away while Jane pushed a stroller that held her four-month-old daughter, Christine 'Chris' Guile. The seat of Chris's stroller was reclined back, but not too far back to where she couldn't see her surroundings. Though she was wide awake, the baby was more interested in gnawing on the round, yellow teething toy she held in her hand.

Just in front of the sisters and the baby were nine-year-old Amy Guile and her five-year-old cousin, Mel Masters. Mel was chatting away while Amy listened intently… or at least was pretending to, it was hard to tell. Eventually, the young boy's eyes wandered to take in his surroundings - and he soon spotted a familiar face not too far from him.

"DAD!" Mel shouted with excitement right before he bolted forward at full speed. Ken watched with wide eyes as his young son ran underneath what were normally the line barriers to get to him. Because of that, it only took the boy less than twenty seconds to reach his father.

Ken got down on one knee just as Mel reached him and gave his Dad the biggest hug his little arms could muster. Ken couldn't help the big smile on his face as his heart filled with joy over seeing his family again.

"Hey Buddy," Ken greeted as he pulled his head back to look at him. "I know you're excited to see me, but you shouldn't run off from your Mom like that."

"But I missed you, Dad!" Mel pointed out.

Ken smiled more as he hugged his son once more. "I missed you too, Mel."

By then, Ken's wife, Eliza, reached him. He stood up, taking Mel with him in his arms, and he didn't hesitate to pull her into a hug with one arm, while he held Mel in the other. "There's my favorite girl," he said to her. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," Eliza said before she took a moment to kiss him. "How is everything here?"

"Well, so far so good," Ken admitted. "Though the short version is that we haven't had too much progress since this tournament started." He then gave her a warm smile. "At least we're reunited, now."

Eliza sighed as she nodded in agreement. "That we are."

It was at that point that Eliza noticed both Ryu and Julia waiting just a few feet away. She turned to face them before she said jokingly, "Hope Ken wasn't too much trouble these last couple of weeks."

"Not at all," Ryu said truthfully - for the most part.

"Hi, Eliza," Julia greeted with a smile. "It's good to see you."

"Same here, Julia," the blonde-haired woman responded with her own smile. She then asked, "How were the flowers Ryu gave you?"

"Beautiful," Julia giggled. "You have great taste, by the way."

"And thanks for, eh… helping to pick them out," Ryu said a little sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his own neck with his hand.

"It was my pleasure," Eliza assured him with a pat on his shoulder. "Ken said you two would tell me all about your date night when I got here."

"Oh did he now?" Julia said as she turned to stare at Ken.

Ken chuckled at Julia's reaction. "Hey, I could've very well gone off and embellished the evening."

Ryu narrowed his eyes a little at his long-time friend. "I wonder what that would've entailed…"

"Good things, pal," Ken said. "Only good things."

"That's assuming bad things actually happened during the evening," Eliza guessed as she raised a brow with some curiosity.

"Weeell," Julia hummed as she rubbed the side of her neck. Her cheeks also flushed slightly red with a little embarrassment. "Let's just say that I got a little too carried away with the wine… but I promise that's the worst of it."

Before Eliza said anything, Mel suddenly shouted. "Daaad! You said you gonna teach me 'hojoken' when Mommy and me got off the boat!"

Ken laughed as he patted his son on top of his head. "We will soon, Mel, I promise. But right now, we should eat first. I bet you're reeeally hungry."

Mel nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"

Meanwhile, not too far from them, Guile's eldest daughter, Amy, also gave him her biggest hug. "Daddy, I've missed you!" Amy all but shouted.

"I missed you too, sweetie," Guile replied before he pulled back to look at her. "How was the remainder of your school year?"

"Sooo boooring," Amy grumbled, but then she grinned. "Now we're reunited and on vacation, just like you and Mommy promised!"

"Well, I'm still technically working," Guile told her truthfully. "But the good news is, except for when I'm fighting in the tournament, I'm not going anywhere else any time soon."

Amy pulled back from her father and nodded to him. "Good."

The young girl then happened to look over Guile's shoulders and noticed the other three adults who were there to greet her. "Scott! Cammy! Juli!" she called out with excitement.

"Hey, kiddo!" Wagner greeted as Amy ran to them.

While that was going on, Guile straightened himself up a little before his eyes spotted his wife, Jane, who stood behind the stroller that contained their baby daughter, Chris. His heart swelled with pride as soon as Chris looked up at him with curiosity - and it was only then that he noticed that she had his shade of blue eyes. He smiled at her as he got down on one knee so that he was eye level with her.

"Hey there, little one," Guile greeted quietly.

Chris continued to stare at him, though she did move her left hand in a way that made it look like she was waving at her father. Guile was certain it was just a coincidence, but he'd like to think she was saying 'hello' to him. He smiled more at that.

"Wow," Guile said aloud with astonishment. "I know you sent pictures as recently as yesterday, but I just realized only now how much hair she has on her head. The last time I saw her in person, she only had a few strands."

Jane chuckled at that. "Even her pediatrician said a few days ago that she has more hair than the average six-month-old. So you can say that she's two months ahead."

Guile laughed a little at that as he stood back up. "Did she do all right on the flight?"

"Mostly," Jane admitted. "Only time she cried was during take-off and landing, which was to be expected."

"Good," Guile said. It was then that Jane chose that moment to close the space between herself and Guile and the two held each other in an embrace. There was a bit of a height difference between them, but Jane still managed to rest her chin on top of Guile's shoulder.

"The girls kept me busy," Jane admitted. "But I've really missed you."

"I've missed you, too," Guile replied. "I missed all three of you. But at least we're together now while this tournament is underway."

"Hopefully this war ends sooner than later…"

"I doubt that," Guile sighed. "But it would be nice."

While that was going on, Amy was enthusiastically telling Juli about the boat ride between mainland Japan and Mishima Island. Wagner was listening in as well, but at one point, he turned his head and noticed that Cammy was leaning against a utility pole. She was facing everyone, but her eyes were unfocused as though her mind was somewhere else. He decided to join Cammy and walked over to stand next to her right side.

"Everything okay?" Wagner asked as he gave Cammy a small nudge with his elbow.

"What?" Cammy breathed as she blinked rapidly. Her eyes then focused on Wagner. "Oh. Yeah, I'm fine."

"Liar," Wagner said with a raised brow.

Cammy frowned at him. "Seriously, I'm fine. I was just thinking…" She then gestured a hand to both the Guiles and the Masters as they basked in their respective reunions. "There was a time - after I was freed from Shadaloo - when the concept of families confused me. As you know, I never had one."

"Until the last few years," Wagner pointed out. "If the last fifteen years of my life taught me anything, there's more than one kind of family."

"Really?" Cammy asked.

Wagner slowly nodded at that. "Yeah. You got the usual-traditional family of course - two parents and whatever number of kids they have. That's what I had for the first eleven years of my life. Then there's the people who have the heart to care for you despite not being blood-related. To you and I, that's the Guiles. Then there's 'found families' - those we have great camaraderie with."

Cammy frowned as she found herself thinking about three people in particular - Colonel Keith Wolfman, Major Matt McCoy, and Tech Expert George Ginzu - all part of the Delta Red team she and Lita were a part of. Three brave men who had since met their ends during their time in Outworld right after the Blood Tournament.

"Family isn't always the one you were given," Wagner continued. "Sometimes, they're the ones you pick for yourself. But at the end of the day, no two families are the same."

An amusing thought came to Cammy as she turned her head to Wagner. "I guess you and I always worked out as non-blood-related siblings."

Wagner chuckled at that. "Yeah. I imagine that wouldn't be the case had Guile not taken us both in. I bet he regretted it from time to time whenever he had to deal with two troublemaking teenagers."

"You more than me," Cammy reminded him. "I swear, I got into more trouble in one year than I ever had in my lifetime thanks to you."

Wagner gave her a shit-eating grin. "I had to keep you on your toes somehow. You're still pretty moody, but dayum you were moody back then that I took it as a challenge. Sometimes, even I can't believe that it took six months to get a smirk out of you."

Cammy rolled her eyes, but managed to suppress a smile as another thought came to her. "If I call Lisa right now, how many stories will she have of you getting yourself in trouble and driving her mad?"

Wagner snorted at the mention of his older sister. "A novel's worth, though she may exaggerate greatly over some aspects."

Cammy chuckled at that. "I'm not surprised. How is she, by the way? I haven't spoken to her since before this war began."

"Good, all things considered," Wagner replied. "When I spoke to her three days ago, I was surprised to learn that Knott's Berry Farm was still operational. Lisa and some friends from night school went down there for a fun weekend and had a blast. She also mentioned in that same phone call that her friends have become like sisters to her."

That mention made Cammy think of something. "Is it possible to be part of two families at once?"

Wagner thought over that for a moment as he looked over at where Guile and Jane stood as the married couple quietly spoke to each other. Staring at them - and thinking about Lisa - he came to his own conclusion. "I don't see why not."

Meanwhile, not too far from the group, the wrestler Alex was also at the docks as he expected his found family to arrive today. The duo ended up being the last to disembark the ferry.

Of course, the young man was happy to see his trainer and his trainer's teenage daughter - Tom and Patricia - since he left Manhattan a couple of weeks ago. Still, he couldn't help the mild disappointment on his face considering what happened a couple of days ago. He was also still feeling the physical repercussions from that - his body remained sore from the fight. At least he felt better compared to the day after the match.

Naturally, Tom and Patricia noticed his grim gaze and immediately became concerned. "What's wrong?" the older man asked.

Alex took a deep breath before he answered. "I'm sorry to say that you pretty much made this trip for nothing. While you two were traveling, I lost my last match a couple of days ago…"

Patricia gasped at that. Her blue eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hands in dismay. "Oh no! I'm so sorry, Alex! I was so sure you would make it far."

"So did, I…"

"Who did you lose to?" Tom asked curiously.

Alex groaned a little before he answered. "This crazy powerhouse of a wrestler named Hugo Andore. You know I've wrestled big guys before. Heck, I wrestled this huge wrestler in my first match. But this guy? I'm pretty sure he's a mutant."

"...You let your overconfidence get to you again, didn't you?" Tom asked in a matter of fact.

Alex rolled his eyes at that. "Believe it or not, he managed to crush my tag team partner. And he's a heck of a powerhouse himself who actually fought the guy a few years back."

"From what I saw on TV, your tag team partner was the former wrestler Mike 'Macho' Haggar."

"That's so cool that you met him and fought alongside him," Patricia mentioned with some enthusiasm. "I saw that first match, you two really kicked ass!"

"Pat, language," Tom warned his daughter.

"Oops!" Patricia gasped sheepishly. "Sorry, Dad."

"Anyway," Tom continued as he turned back to Alex. "Why does the name Andore sound familiar?"

"He used to run with the Andore crime family, who joined the Mad Gear gang back when they were running Metro City," Alex explained. He then furrowed his brows. "I'm not sure what his story is now since Mad Gear went defunct… but I plan to demand a rematch from him one of these days."

Tom sighed a little at that. "That's your decision. But make sure you're absolutely ready for him before you actually demand a rematch from him. The last thing you need is to not be prepared and have him injure you worse than before."

Alex nodded a little. "Yeah. Thanks."

Tom then decided to change the subject as he thought of something. "Since you lost the tournament, do you want to go back to Manhattan in a couple of days?"

For the first time since his trainer and his daughter arrived on the island, a smirk came over the wrestler's face. "Naaah, not yet. I told you before that I wanted to find a way to stop this war. Tournament or no tournament, I'm sticking to that. Besides… let's just say I met up with this ragtag group of warriors who are just as determined as I am to end this war. Haggar is part of the group too, believe it or not. I'm not sure how we'll stop the war, but we're gonna try to find a way."

Tom nodded after that. "At least you're not alone in this fight. I'm confident you'll find a way to stop it somehow."

"Thanks," the younger man replied with a smile. "That means a lot coming from you."

"You're welcome." Tom then let out a breath as he gazed at his surroundings. "Well then, since we're here, we might as well make a vacation out of it. How much longer will the remaining tournament last?"

"Well, Round Three starts tomorrow," Alex started. "And it's supposed to be eight rounds, plus a bonus round against the creator of the war. With that, eeh… honestly, I'm not sure. Probably a while, or until we end this war."

"However long that takes."

"This place does look fun," Patricia pointed out.

"They do have a few neat restaurants off the beaten path that I think you'll like," Alex mentioned. "And Tom, the hotel we're staying at has a great gym with state of the art equipment. There's one or two in there I personally think we should add to your gym once we're back in Manhattan."

Tom smiled. "I'll check it out once we're settled in. And maybe after, we can spar before dinner."

"Sounds fun." Alex then looked down at Patricia and gave her a big grin before he took his hand and quickly rubbed the top of her head with his knuckles. "I missed ya, kiddo!"

"AH!" Patricia shouted as he messed up her red hair, but she smiled nevertheless at the man she considered like a big brother since childhood. "I missed you, too! You do realize I had to deal with my fear of flying just to see you, right?" She took a finger and poked it at Alex's arm. "Don't make me regret it!"

Alex laughed at that. "I'll try not to."

---

Mishima Island - Opposite Side of the Resort

In a seemingly isolated part of the island, the white sands practically sparkled under the sun, which was mostly risen and surrounded by scattered clouds in the sky. The Sea of Japan was a jewel-blue and it's waves gently glided back and forth along the shore, the sound soothing to the ears. A rock wall led upwards towards the edge that contained the outer edge of the island's forest.

Yesterday, Smoke had the idea of exploring this particular area. He managed to convince Sub-Zero to relax and enjoy the day. Of course, the ice warrior also invited Sareena, who in turn invited her tag team partner, Shura, to join them.

"I wonder if my new skin can get sunburn like it used to," Smoke wondered aloud as the four of them trekked along the shore.

"I'm pretty sure it can," replied Sareena.

"Well, at least I'm wearing sunblock, just in case," Smoke pointed out.

"Sunblock?" asked a confused Shura.

"Oh, they don't have sunblock in Keisei?" Smoke asked. Shura shook her head before he continued. "It's basically a cream that you lather over your skin to keep the sun from damaging it."

"How can a cream do that?" Shura asked with perplexion.

Smoke suddenly drew a blank. Sure, he could pull up the information with his tech, but he didn't quite feel like doing that at the moment. "You know, that's a really good question…"

Shura suddenly burst into laughter before she lightly slapped Smoke's shoulder. "The look on your face was priceless! Yes, Keisei has sunblock, it's just more of an oil than a cream."

"Oh… oh!" Smoke called out as he realized that Shura was teasing him. He started to chuckle a little nervously. "So you do have a sense of humor."

Shura suddenly gave Smoke a coy smile. "Of course. And just so you know, I possess more than just a sense of humor."

Smoke could've sworn that the air around him got slightly warmer. He hadn't expected Shura to be so… forward. "Ehh…"

Shura's words also got a raised eyebrow from Sub-Zero. He then looked at Sareena and spoke low enough that only she heard him. "Shura doesn't hide her flirting very well, does she?"

"True, but what's the harm as long as Smoke is okay with it?" Sareena quietly asked.

"Well, eh… nevermind." He then gazed up to where the cliffs were above them. "I can only wonder how much worse this war may get if it's not stopped soon…"

Sareena gently took his hand in hers. "Relax, Kuai. Remember what Smoke said; today, we forget about work and enjoy the day. I know it's hard since all four of us are trained assassins, but we need to be reminded that we're also human beings."

Sub-Zero took a deep breath before he finally nodded. "I guess I'm too used to the old ways."

"Yeah, because as we all knew, Oniro was 'fun' at parties," Smoke grumbled sarcastically. He briefly turned to Shura. "Oniro was the name of Sub-Zero's predecessor."

"Ah, I see," Shura answered.

"Growing up, we were lucky to get an hour of free time at most," Smoke explained. "Of course, it was the only life I knew for many years."

"Really?" Shura said with some curiosity.

Smoke nodded. "I ended up joining when I was about… ten, maybe eleven years old. To be honest, that first year was a little hazy."

"Why so?"

A quiet sigh escaped Smoke's lips. "To be honest, I have no memory of my life before the Lin Kuei except for my name. All I know is that I was found in a city called Prague, brought over to the Himalayan Mountains, and was raised to be a Lin Kuei assassin."

"And I assume that was before you became a cyborg."

"Exactly."

"Weren't you the one who suggested we forget both the past and the future for today?" Sub-Zero suddenly questioned with a small hint of mirth.

Smoke huffed dryly at that. "You're the one who brought up 'the old ways.'"

As the conversation went on, Sareena happened to walk closer to the water. Already walking barefooted, Sareena let the waves glide over her feet as she walked towards the sea. There, the water was clear, and she could see some of the fishes that swam close by, all tiny and gray.

She gazed at the sight for some time, at least until she heard someone join her on her right. She gazed up and noticed Sub-Zero staring down at the fishes as well. "Enjoying the marine life?" he asked her.

"Yeah," Sareena answered. "There's a bit of tranquility to it. Despite the chaos around us, there really are places you can find calm and peace." A frown came over her face. "Obviously, the Netherrealm didn't have that no matter where you went."

Before Sub-Zero could respond, Sareena quickly shook her head and changed the subject as an idea came to her. "I wouldn't mind going out further into the water if you don't mind."

"Sure," he replied. "But it's probably best if we only let the water go up to our knees."

"Lack of bathing suits. Right."

From there, the two of them walked further out into the sea. At shore, Shura started to go after the two, but suddenly stopped as she realized that Smoke wasn't following them. She turned to him and smiled. "Not going in?"

"Heck no," Smoke answered. "I just realized that my tech may or may not be waterproof. The last thing I need is to find out the hard way."

"Ah, too bad," Shura said… right before she reached down, grabbed a handful of water, gave a big grin, and splashed the water in Smoke's direction lazily.

"Hey!" Smoke shouted as he jumped back instinctively. The water missed him by a few feet. "Not cool!"

"Well, it would be if the water actually hit you," Shura teased with a laugh. "Besides, it wasn't that close. I'm not that cruel."

Smoke laughed as well over her first sentence. "Funny. Except you do realize now that I need to get my revenge for that."

"If you do," Shura started as her grin grew bigger. "I'll just go for a swim. Do you really want to risk it?"

"Touché."

That word made Shura furrow her brows and tilt her head slightly. "Okay, as a Keiseian, I must ask for real - what does 'touché' mean?"

"Just a short way of saying that you made a clever point."

That made Shura smile more. "So you're saying that I'm clever?"

"...Maybe."

"Maybe?" Shura then pointed a finger at the cyborg. "That's the kind of question that should have either a yes or no answer. No in-between."

"Ooor maybe I wanted you to try to guess the real answer to your question."

"...Oh you clever bastard."

"Ha! Clearly you think I'm the clever one."

"Hey!"

As the two of them continued to talk, they didn't realize that Sub-Zero and Sareena could hear them loud and clear from the sea. Sareena chuckled as she turned to the ice warrior. "You know… I never thought Smoke was the flirting type."

Sub-Zero huffed with humor at that. "For as long as I've known him, though it's actually a rare occurrence. The last time was, I think, before his cybernation. Otherwise, let's just say he's had some practice on days whenever we were sent to the nearby village for supplies in our young adulthood days. Unless we were out on assignments, it was the only time any of us in the Lin Kuei saw a woman."

"Riiight, women weren't part of the Lin Kuei until you took over," Sareena remembered. She smiled at him. "Glad that changed."

Sub-Zero simply nodded at her in reply.

---

Mishima Hotel

With the one-day break between rounds underway, Yang, Maki, Yun, and Yun's girlfriend Hoimei decided to simply stay within the suite the four of them shared together. Yang accessed the streaming service he and Yun shared to watch a show Yang had been putting off for a while.

"Just two episodes to start," Yang told them. "Then we'll go downstairs for lunch."

"Sounds good," agreed Maki.

…They all lost track of time eight episodes later. At least each episode was barely thirty minutes long.

Yun spoke aloud as soon as the latest episode ended and he paused the streaming service. "Who knew Korean dramas could be so… enthralling."

"You're telling me," agreed Maki. "They're so addicting I'm almost ashamed of it."

"At least it'll only affect your life," mentioned Hoimei.

"Weeeell," Maki started. "It could potentially get bad since I could easily ignore everything else around me. At least, for right now, I have the excuse of having some time to kill since I recently lost the tournament…"

Yang frowned at that. "Hey, I still feel bad about that, you know."

"I know, but you know I forgave you," Maki said as she leaned in to give Yang a kiss on the cheek. A sudden thought came over her as she pulled away. "Oh! That reminds me." She turned to her boyfriend's twin brother. "Yun, you ehhh… might wanna watch your back for the next few days. After our match, Cassandra has been, well… you know how she likes to bonk people over the head with her shield."

Yun rolled his eyes at that. "Remind her that we both KO'd each other at the same time. And while you're at it, remind her of how I had to deal with her complaining too much during the mug raid incident."

"Mug raid incident?" Hoimei asked with confusion.

Yang chuckled at the memory as Yun explained. "Ugh… basically, this bickering couple kept breaking the mugs at the place we were staying at during the Blood Tournament. At one point, we were out of mugs and had to go to the local kitchen to raid for more. Cassandra and I got roped into it along with Ken Masters and Cody Travers. We would've succeeded too had we not been caught. We were forced to drop all the mugs and make a run for it."

"That's not the way I heard it," Maki said. "You guys dropped the mugs after you got spooked by the guards who were guarding the place you raided the mugs from."

"Hey, you weren't there," Yun pointed out.

Hoimei nudged her boyfriend's arm and grinned at him. "That would've been quite a sight, especially your face after you dropped the mugs."

Yun groaned as he adjusted his blue and yellow cap over his face. "Of course you would love that, dear…"

"Sooo," Yang started as he decided to change the subject. "How many more episodes of this show do you want to watch?"

"Maybe two more," Hoimei suggested. "Then after, maybe we can-"

She was cut off when they heard a knock at the door. The four of them looked at each other with some confusion as no one expected anyone to approach their suite at any time today.

"Was anyone expecting someone, or food delivery?" Yang asked.

Everyone shook their heads before Maki said, "Yun, go answer it."

Yun furrowed his eyebrows. "Why me?"

"Because you're closer to the door."

Yun rolled his eyes as he stood up from the couch. "Fine. But next time, you're answering the door, Maki. I wanna know if Sung-ho chooses Chae-Won. Because if he chooses Nari, I'm gonna be pissed."

"Fine," Maki said, though she attempted not to snicker over Yun's admission of enjoying the show they were watching.

Yun walked out of the living room area and through the kitchenette to reach the door that led out of the suite. He unlocked the door's bolt before he partially pulled it open.

He was somewhat astonished to see Guy waiting on the other side of the door. Of course, Yun knew of the longtime friendship he had with Maki, so he supposed it shouldn't be all that surprising. Still, as far as Yun knew, the man never once sought out his friend in her own dwelling before.

"Hey Guy," Yun greeted as he opened the door more. "What can I do for you?"

Guy went straight to the point. "Is Maki here?"

"Yeah, let me get her." Yun turned around and raised his voice a little. "Maki! Guy's here!" He turned back to him. "Want anything to drink while you're here?"

Guy shook his head. "No, thank you."

Upon hearing Yun, Maki was a little astonished to know who came by. Granted they've interacted since he came back into her life after he spent the last year isolating himself. But even as far back as their days as students in training, it was rare for Guy to seek her out for anything.

It must be really important if he's seeking me out now, Maki guessed.

"I'll be back," Maki promised as she stood up from the couch and walked over to the door. There, just past the door's threshold was her fellow long-time Bushin clan ally. Maki had long grown used to Guy's serious expression, but upon looking at his eyes, she suddenly realized that there was something there - something she couldn't describe, but it somehow added some weight in the pit of her stomach.

It made her pause momentarily.

"Hey," she soon greeted. "What's going on?"

There was a brief pause before Guy answered. "I was hoping we could talk. Could we take a walk?"

"Of course," Maki agreed. She briefly turned to her boyfriend and roommates. "I'll be gone for a bit. Go ahead and order a late lunch. And don't you dare restart the show without me!"

"I'll make sure of that," Hoimei promised.

Without another word, Maki left the suite. Once the two started to head down the hallway and towards the nearby elevators, Yun promptly closed and locked the door behind her.

"Who's that?" Hoimei asked with some curiosity.

"A friend of Maki's," Yang briefly explained.

"Friend, huh?" Hoimei started. She then gave Yang a teasing grin. "Well, he's a pretty good-looking friend. Hopefully he doesn't try to whisk Maki away from you, Yang."

Yang knew she was kidding with that statement, but he personally didn't find it funny. Even Yun, who was still in the kitchenette to fetch a bottle of water from the refrigerator, hissed underneath his breath at the comment. Neither twin held it against Hoimei, however. After all, she only knew Maki for a short time, so she wasn't aware of Maki's past.

It was Yang who explained it to her. "Yeeeah no. Because not only did those two grow up training together in the same clan, but Guy used to be engaged to Maki's older sister."

Hoimei's eyebrows went up at that. "Oh. Um… I'm sorry, I didn't know. I also didn't realize Maki has a sister. But I assume by the past tense that the engagement didn't work out."

"Only because she died," Yun answered with some gloom as he returned to the living room to rejoin his brother and girlfriend. He looked at his brother. "Cancer, wasn't it?"

"Yeah…" Yang sighed.

Hoimei quickly frowned upon hearing that. "...I feel even worse because of my attempted jest. I'm really sorry, Yang."

"Don't worry about it," Yang assured her. "Like you said, you didn't know about it, and we never talked about it with you either. Just don't bring it up to Maki. Even though her sister's death happened a while ago, she still doesn't like to talk about it much. Not even to me."

Hoimei sighed as she got up from the couch. "Okay, I feel slightly better. I need to use the bathroom, so go ahead and start ordering lunch."

The brothers were silent as Hoimei went into the room she shared with Yun, where their bathroom was located. As soon as the door clicked closed, Yang turned his head to Yun. "This all reminds me… did you ever talk to Hoimei about… the Universal War?"

"There's nothing to talk about," Yun replied promptly, his words a bit firm. He briefly adjusted his hat, which Yang knew was his brother's personal way of clamping down on any semblance of stress that came over him. "She doesn't need to know all the details. Especially not me being brainwashed. Besides, she wouldn't believe it anyway."

"Even with the nightmares?" Yang guessed with concern. "Don't think Maki and I haven't heard you scream in the middle of the night on multiple nights over the past year back home."

Yun furrowed his eyebrows with annoyance. "So I have nightmares. So what? Everyone does, some more than others. I'm fine, Yang! Just drop the subject, okay?"

Yang raised his hands up. "Okay, okay, I got it! But seriously… I'm here if you need to talk."

"I appreciate it," Yun said simply. He then went over to the suite's main door and grabbed his skateboard that was against the wall. "Listen, I'm gonna go around downtown to get some fresh air real quick. Tell Hoimei I'll be back. Order our lunch in the meantime. You know what I like."

"Fine," Yang grumbled as Yun left the suite, but not before he shut the door with a little more force than it was necessary.

Yang sighed once he was alone in the room and leaned his back against the couch. A frown came over his face as he recalled that, for the last year, Yun barely talked about his time as a brainwashed soldier for the Outworld Forces. Yang could only hope that his brother wasn't truly haunted by the nightmares that plagued him over the past year.

I just hope Yun knows that he's not alone in this, Yang thought sadly.

---

Five Miles Outside the City of Z'unkahrah

Outworld

Over two hours ago, the crew consisting of Yoshimitsu, Raven, Lee, Lars, Alisa, Cyrax, Zivis, and Dinora arrived at the entrance to the Outworld city of Z'unkahrah - a city that barely survived the Universal War and was the first to thrive since that war's end. One of the two guards that stood by the entrance quickly recognized Yoshimitsu and let him and the others in without hesitation.

To no surprise to the three Chosen Ones in the group, not only were the local Outworlders staring at them with suspicion, but the three newcomers visiting for the first time couldn't help but stare at their surroundings.

"Everything here looks so… old," mentioned Lars.

"Tell me about it," replied Dinora.

"I've been saying that from day one," added Zivis.

"It strangely matches my records of early Shang Dynasty periods in China back on Earthrealm in terms of aesthetics," mentioned Alisa. "Otherwise, I do not have any records on Outworld aside from three tournaments and two invasions, including the Universal War."

"The sky is… violet," muttered Lee. "And yet the water nearby is blue. As most of you know when it comes to science, the sky represents a mirror of sorts and reflects the color that is most presented. On Earthrealm, it's mostly blue because of our vast oceans, sooo… why is the sky purple here?"

"My theory is the mixture of blue waters and the amount of red lava beds around the realm," guessed Cyrax. "As you probably know from color theory, mix red and blue and you get…" He finished that by gesturing a hand up towards the purple sky.

"...That actually never occurred to me until now," Raven admitted. He then went straight to business and looked at the Manji Clan leader. "You said Heihachi's hideout is five miles out?"

"Yes, but we need to speak to my scout first before we go there. This way, she can update and, potentially, prepare us for whatever is to come."

"As I said before," started Lars. "The sooner we start, the better."

"Agreed."

From there, the eight of them entered the city with ease. They ignored the stares they received and, thankfully, the scout's home was only three minutes from the gate. The scout welcomed Yoshimitsu and his crew, and the clan leader explained the situation. The scout promptly accommodated everyone by first providing them with Outworld-made cloaks. Only Yoshimitsu declined as he didn't plan to see the old man himself.

After that, the eight of them made the five mile trek to Heihachi's new sanctuary. Of course, all of them were cautious as the area they were walking through was the infamous 'living forest.'

"If you ever find yourself in the Wastelands," Cyrax spoke up at one point. "Just… don't. It's not worth your life."

"What's in the Wastelands?" asked Lars.

"Nothing good," Raven replied. "Just… take Cyrax's advice and try not to ever end up there."

"That bad, I assume…" said Lee.

None of them really talked again until they reached what they learned from the scout back in the city; a place that was called 'Honmaru II.' It was a two story building completely made of wood save for the glass windows.

"That's… not exactly sturdy looking," said Cyrax.

Just as they reached the front door, three men dressed in robes came out of the building and met with them. They immediately turned their attention to Yoshimitsu and bowed to him, which he did as well.

"Master Yoshimitsu," the one leading the trio greeted. "It's been quite some time since we've last seen you."

"That it has, Haoyu," Yoshimitsu replied. "Things on Earthrealm have been… chaotic to say the least."

"We've been hearing about a civil war of sorts," Haoyu mentioned. "We've only heard bits and pieces about it, so we don't know exactly what's going on."

"I can explain it all momentarily," Yoshimitsu promised. "But right now, it's best if we get down to the reason for my visit." He turned his head to his left where Lars stood. "This man next to me needs to see Heihachi. Believe it not, the reason pertains to the aforementioned war."

Haoyu and the other two with him looked at each other momentarily before Haoyu nodded and turned back to his leader. "He still doesn't suspect that the Manji Clan is looking after him. And I imagine that being approached by a group of strangers would not bode well for your goal."

"Of course," the leader agreed. "In that case, Lars will go up with me and one other person. The second person and I will stay in invisible mode in case there's any trouble. Zivis will go part of the way to -"

"Feed Kuma," Haoyu quickly finished. He grinned at the young warrior. "I'm pretty sure Kuma will be very delighted to see you again."

"Uh huh," Zivis grumbled. That caused Dinora to giggle a little and Zivis glared at her through his mask.

"And I assume the rest of us will be staying here?" Cyrax guessed.

"To keep an eye on things in case there's trouble," Yoshimitsu said. He then turned to the Violet Systems CEO. "You can be the one to accompany Lars if you like."

Lee shook his head. "No, I'll stay here. The Jiji- is still alive. That's all I needed to know."

"The what?" Cyrax suddenly asked.

"Derogatory term for 'old man,'" Raven explained.

Alisa stepped forward to stand next to Lars. "I'll go then."

"Sounds good," Yoshimitsu said. "Let's hope we're able to jog your memory with this meeting."

Lars nodded. "Here's hoping."

Yoshimitsu turned to his scout. "Haoyu, take us to Heihachi."

Haoyu nodded and turned to Honmaru II. "He's on the second level doing some training on the platform. It'll only take a minute to get there."

He waved a hand to encourage Yoshimitsu, Lars, Alisa, and Zivis to follow him into the main foyer of the retreat while the others remained outside on watch duty. "Kuma's straight ahead in the zen garden," Haoyu directed.

Zivis sighed as he went in the direction Haoyu pointed at. "I'm so going to smell like fish by the time this is over," he grumbled before he disappeared down the hall.

"Mr. Zivis doesn't seem to like his task very much," Alisa pointed out.

"Only because Kuma once gave him such a big bear hug it nearly broke his back," Yoshimitsu replied. "And I mean that literally. But aside from myself, he's the only other Manji Kuma likes, sooo…"

They fell silent again as they headed upstairs. As soon as they reached the top, they got a panoramic view of the outside. There, training in the middle of the wooden platform was Heihachi Mishima himself. He was in full focus of his kata training and had yet to notice that anyone was approaching him.

"It really is best if only Lars and I go," Haoyu advised. "Even after all this time, Heihachi still only trusts me and the other scouts."

"And he still thinks you're Outworlders?"

Haoyu nodded. "If he has any suspicions, he's yet to hint at it."

"Got it," Yoshimitsu said. "Good luck, Lars." He then placed a hand on Alisa's shoulder. "Hold still," he advised - and promptly got them both in invisible mode.

Haoyu started to make his way towards the door that led outside. Lars took a deep breath before he followed. It was only then that he got a good look at Heihachi Mishima - for an old man, he was very well built in muscle mass. Wearing a black karate gi with a tiger's roaring face on his back and pair of steel genta shoes, his white hair was seemingly gelled upward on either side of his head. The middle of his head was bald otherwise.

It nearly reminded Lars of his own hairstyle… and on that thought, he felt a sharp pang of a headache coming on, but he ignored it for the time being.

Lars and Haoyu soon approached the platform, and it didn't take long for Heihachi to notice the duo. He stopped his kata training and turned to stare at them. "Who is this?" Heihachi asked firmly.

Haoyu bowed to him before he answered. "Sir, this man is named Lars. He came here specifically to see you."

Lars chose that moment to remove the hood of his cloak to reveal his face and hair. He noticed the way Heihachi narrowed his eyes as though with suspicion.

"I doubt you know who I am," Lars started. "But I once served your Tekken Force as a Lieutenant when you were CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu."

Heihachi glared at Lars momentarily before he turned to Haoyu. "Leave us!" he demanded. Haoyu momentarily bowed to him before he turned to depart and leave both Heihachi and Lars alone.

"So," Heihachi started as a thought dawned on him. "You're Tekken Force. Have you come to finally take me back to Earthrealm?"

"...Not exactly," Lars said. "And I was Tekken Force. Not anymore."

"...Then what use are you to me?"

"I was hoping to talk to you," Lars said. "You see, I-"

"Stop right there!" Heihachi cut in, his voice raised. He then promptly got into a fighting stance. "If you want to talk, you have to 'earn' that right first. Knock me off my feet first. If you do, then we can 'talk.' If not, then you bring me back to Earthrealm, no questions asked."

Lars sighed at that as he took off his cloak before he dropped it to the floor. He then got himself into a fighting stance. "All right. Challenge accepted."

Heihachi smirked a little. "Good. You do not hesitate." His smirk suddenly dropped. "Fight!"

From there, Lars quickly launched forward to begin their battle.

---

Mishima Forest

In a flatter area of the forest near the main trail, Leo was sitting on the ground with their back against a fallen log. They were reading a book they brought with them for their stay on the island, which contained various accounts from people who have gone spelunking. Between that and the forest, Leo felt right at home. Meanwhile, a few feet away, Makoto chose to practice her Rindo-kan style katas. She, too, was feeling a bit nostalgic, mainly for home.

"Now this is more like it," Makoto commented as she slowly stretched her arm up and raised her fist above her head. "All nice and quiet. No noises, no crowds. Nothing but nature for the next… mile or so."

Leo felt a small smirk at the edge of their lips. "I almost feel like I'm back home."

"Where's home?" Makoto asked curiously.

"In a little town outside of Munich. How about you?"

"In the countryside just outside of Tosa. It's in southern Japan. These woods kind of remind me of home. Countless trees and plenty of fresh air. The only thing missing is a big rice field."

"The mention of fresh air alone makes it sound really nice."

Makoto lifted her leg to kick upward before she pivoted around, planted her foot onto the ground, and then extended her fist forward. "It really is. Granted, I sometimes wonder if moving to a city would be better in order to promote Rindo-kan. But I put in a lot of work into rebuilding the one my Dad left behind after he died, so I'm not about to abandon it now. Besides, I grew up there. It wouldn't be the same if I went somewhere else to teach."

"I'm guessing there's no one else to help with the dojo since your father died?" Leo guessed.

"Well… yes and no. My grandpa helps when he can, but he's almost ninety, so he can only do so much these days. My older brother became a businessman and would give advice whenever I asked."

Leo sighed as they placed a bookmark in between the pages of their book before they closed it. They didn't bother to look up at Makoto as they said, "It must be nice. To still have family around, I mean."

That made Makoto frown a little as she turned to face her tag team partner. "I'm guessing you're the last one left in your family?"

Leo confirmed that with a nod. "I was an only child, so I have no siblings. My father was a spelunker who went missing during an expedition when I was still a child. To this day, no one knows exactly what happened to him. As for my mother… let's just say her death was very sudden."

Before Makoto even thought about inquiring what Leo meant by that, the two of them suddenly heard some yelling. There were also a bunch of footsteps that sounded as though the small group was running like their lives depended on it.

The group soon came up the hill, and Makoto immediately recognized Blanka and Dan. Blanka was in a full run while Dan seemed to struggle to keep up with his friend.

"Hey Jimmy, wait up!" Dan shouted. "I'm barely catching up here!"

Makoto furrowed her eyebrows as she began to wonder what that was about - at least until she saw some of her other friends who were also running behind Blanka.

"I don't know about the rest of you!" shouted R. Mika. "But I sure am getting my exercise to last me for the rest of the day!"

"This is awful!" cried Karin. "He should've mentioned how far away it was!"

"You're telling me!" agreed Cassandra.

"I bet it'll be all worth it once we're there!" called out Elena.

"I love your optimism, Elena!" yelled Asuka. "But I'm with Karin on this one!"

"Relax!" Sakura cut in. "We'll be there in no time!"

"How can I relax at a time like this?!" screeched Miharu.

"I'm with Mika, I'm enjoying the exercise!" shouted Xiaoyu.

Poor Talim, who was the shortest in the group, was barely catching up with the others. "Wait for me!"

Makoto's eyebrows went up after witnessing that spectacle. She then began to turn her head to where Leo was sitting - only for her to see nothing but the book Leo was reading a few moments ago on the ground.

"Leo?" she called out - only to to quickly spot her tag team partner hiding behind a nearby tree with their head barely peeking out, their light blue eyes as wide as saucers. "Eh, Leo? Are you okay?" the Rindo-kan fighter asked.

"Was that… a green alien with orange hair?" Leo asked a bit nervously.

"What? Oh! No, that's just Blanka," Makoto answered casually. "Though we sometimes call him Jimmy."

"Um… huh?" Leo uttered with confusion.

Makoto started to pace away and towards the nearby hiking trail her friends were on. "I'll explain later! Now my friends got me curious over what all that fuss is about." She waved her hand and began to run into a sprint up the hill. "Come on!"

Leo shook their head for a moment before they began to follow Makoto. "This… should be interesting…"

From there, the two of them started to catch up with the others. And it wasn't long before they were over the hill, past the torii, and back into the woods, where they started to run down the hill somewhat. They soon reached a clearing, and it was only they that everyone stopped running (only because Blanka did).

"Why…" Dan started in between breaths. He barely kept himself upright as his hands were on his knees. "Did we… run… all this… way?"

Blanka answered his question by gesturing both of his arms out from either side of him at their surroundings. "Ta daaa!" he shouted with excitement.

Only then did everyone notice where they were; amongst the clearing were wildflowers that grew in random spots on the ground. Just to the right was a wooden, black painted gazebo with a red yosemune-style roof. And beyond that was a near panoramic view of the Sea of Japan - nothing but blue water as far as the eyes could see.

"Wow!" called out Elena. "It's so pretty."

"The view is incredible!" exclaimed R. Mika.

"It's almost worth all that running," pointed out Asuka.

"Why did we come up here anyway?" asked Miharu.

"Seriously, why?" Cassandra said. Her cheeks were flushed red from all the running they did. "The view is nice and everything, but I don't know if all that running was worth it."

"Well," Blanka began to explain. "A little while ago, Dan and I thought it was a good idea to train together the way he and his mentor used to. Except neither of us could figure out a suitable place to train - a place that's not too crowded and that wasn't unnerving to either of us. And then this morning, I was exploring the island when I found this spot! Dan, this is the perfect place to train!"

"Yahoo!" Dan shouted with excitement while he raised a fist in the air. "Blanka, this is genius! This spot is beyond perfect!" He then turned to everyone who followed him and Blanka up to the spot. "And all of you are more than welcome to visit and train here anytime."

"Thank you, Dan," said Elena.

"The wind up here is very nice," Talim mentioned. "And now come to think of it, the view almost reminds me of my home."

"It is a very nice spot," said Karin. "I wouldn't mind coming back here for a picnic in the near future."

Asuka turned to Sakura with an eye roll. "Hopefully not with Miss Prim and Proper," she muttered in a whisper. Sakura knew she was talking about Lili and managed to suppress a giggle lest Karin noticed.

"Hi Makoto!" Xiaoyu suddenly called out. That got everyone's attention and they soon turned to see Makoto just a couple of feet behind them. Xiaoyu continued, "When did you get here?"

"You practically ran right past me about five to ten minutes ago," Makoto pointed out.

Elena suddenly looked past Makoto's shoulder and noticed her tag team partner ten feet away. "Hi Leo! We haven't seen you in a while."

Leo suddenly felt a little shy. They only met Makoto's friends once at the very start of the tournament, but that was the only time and it was very brief. The truth was that Leo wasn't big on socializing. However, fate seemed to have other plans.

"Um, hi," Leo soon greeted with a small wave of their hand.

"It's nice to see you again, Leo," Sakura said cheerfully. "Makoto has said nothing but nice things about you. You should hang out with us more often."

"After all the running we did, I'm starving!" R. Mika suddenly announced. "Why don't we head back down and get some lunch. My treat!"

"Sounds great," replied Talim.

R. Mika then looked at Leo. "You're invited too, Leo, if you'd like to join us."

Upon the invitation, Leo felt more relaxed and managed to smile. "That sounds nice."

---

Mishima Hotel - Gym

"Hey Travers," began Marshall Law as he stood behind his friend after he walked over to him. "That boxing bag has more craters than the moon right about now."

"What about it?" Cody questioned him with annoyance before he unleashed another flurry of punches on the bag.

Noting that it wasn't a good time to talk to him, Marshall raised both his hands up in defeat. "Eh, nothing, I was just curious, that's all."

With that, Marshall stepped away and headed back to the sidelines of the small wrestling right in the gym where Paul and Forest were. In the ring, Fei Long and Abel were sparring within the wrestling ring. The only other people in the gym were Kung Lao and Kai, who were sparring on the training mat nearby.

In the wrestling ring, Fei Long gave Abel a brief pointer. "Just a quick piece of advice; when it comes to preparing to fight, keep yourself relaxed. If your muscles remain tense before the fight begins, it'll just cause unnecessary strain that you'll really feel the next morning."

"I appreciate it," Abel answered. "By the way, do you think you could teach me that high kick you performed the way you did in that climatic battle in your movie, Street Tournament?"

"I could try, but it might take all day," Fei Long warned.

Back at the sideline, Marshall rejoined Paul and Forest before he looked back at where Cody was punching at the boxing bag he was using. "Just as I suspected. He's in a sour mood."

"Why?" Forest asked.

Marshall shrugged. "I have no idea, and I doubt he'll want to talk about it."

"Hey, if he doesn't want to talk about it, then leave him be," Paul suggested. He then gestured a thumb at the wrestling ring next to him. "Besides, I don't want to miss my chance to spar with the Fei Long."

"You do realize he's a Chosen One like us, right?" Marshall pointed out.

"And how do I know that's not just your way to wanting to jump in the ring as soon as Abel's done training with him?"

Marshall furrowed his eyebrows at his old friend. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh come on," Paul began to tease. He pointed at both father and son. "The two of you have the same haircut as Fei Long. You're definitely fanboys of his."

Forest rolled his eyes. "That's just the fashion that's been popular for more than fifty years. It's not any of our fault, it's just a coincidence."

"Whatever," Paul grumbled before he brushed a hand along the side of his head. "At least my hairstyle is unique."

"Guile called, he wants his haircut back," Marshall joked.

It was Paul's turn to roll his eyes. "Pretty sure I did it first since I'm older than he is. And besides, we style it differently."

While their conversation was going on, Cody continued to punch at the boxing bag - enough to get some frustration out of his system, but not enough to destroy the bag. Not only was he tired from lack of sleep, but he couldn't help but worry about Guy after what happened last night.

Cody recalled a time, during the days of Mad Gear ruling Metro City, of having a worried friend who saw him going down a dark path and tried all he could to reach out and help him. Cody never once accepted Guy's help. He even went as far as pushing him away enough to where they didn't talk for a long time. Even then, Guy never gave up on him and admittingly hoped that, someday, Cody would accept his help. That day never came, but one thing was for sure; aside from Haggar, Guy was the only friend Cody still had both when he was in prison and immediately after his release.

At that moment of thought, Cody realized that their roles were switched. The nightmares and the what-ifs were enough to start cracking the stoic facade Guy usually held and hinted at how much it was all haunting him. And as of last night, even though Cody didn't outright offer to help - just like Guy had all those years ago - his friend already rejected it.

Just like Cody had all those years ago.

He wondered if Guy had all the same, hopeless thoughts of not knowing what to do to pull his friend out of the darkness he was falling into.

Cody's thoughts suddenly stopped when the door to the gym opened up, which caught his attention. Despite that, he didn't bother to turn to see who walked in. However, the noise did catch the attention of everyone else in the room, and all of them turned to see who walked in. As soon as they eye the beautiful young woman with long and wild pink hair, crystal blue eyes, short jeans, sneakers, and mid-drift tank top, all of them stopped what they were doing to gawk. It amused the woman as they all looked like children who just walked into a cake shop. Even the two monks in the room stopped what they were doing to stare, though they were more curious than anything else.

The young woman smiled sweetly at everyone in the room. "Hello, boys," she greeted. "Nice day for a workout, am I right?"

"Ehh…" was all Forest could utter.

"Uh… yeah, it is," Paul managed to say.

I'm a married man I'm a married man I'm a married man I'm a married man, Marshall repeated in his head frantically.

"I like your hair," Abel suddenly mentioned to the young woman.

"Thank you, that's sweet of you to say," the woman said. She then began to pace around and scanned her eyes over her surroundings. "You all look like capable fighters. My tag team partner and I are moving forward to Round Three of this tournament and were hoping to practice today in order to keep us both in shape. He should be here any mi-"

She suddenly stopped both her pacing and sentence and nearly gasped upon seeing the man who was punching at the boxing bag. His face was one she had not seen in more than six years.

"Cody Travers?" she called out suddenly. "Is that you?" She noticed how his eyebrows furrowed with confusion at first, at least until he turned to look at her.

"You," Cody growled. "Of all the time to show up…"

The pink-haired woman frowned at his reaction to seeing her. "Cody, I-"

"I see you two know each other," Forest suddenly cut in.

"Yeah," Cody seethed. "Poison here was the reason I went to prison in the first place."

That made everyone's eyebrows shoot up with surprise as they all turned to look at Poison. "Really?" questioned Paul.

"Well, I'm clearly out of the loop," Kai called out. "Cody, you went to prison?"

"Only because this bitch and her Mad Gear companion, who happens to be a corrupt cop, took advantage of my vigilantism to cover up her crimes." Cody glared at Poison. "Yeah, Edi. E bragged about it during my time behind bars."

Poison shook her head at that. "I swear, I told him that I wanted nothing to do with his plan! He roped me into it and used my crimes to frame you!"

"You're about six years too late to try to beg for forgiveness," Cody pointed out. "And today, of all days, is NOT the best day for me to deal with you. So I suggest you get the fuck out of here. Now."

Poison scowled at him. "Don't you fucking tell me what to do! I'll go and stay where I like whether you're here or not! And if you don't like it…" Poison pointed to the exit. "Then you can leave!"

At that moment, the doors to the gym quickly swung open and hit the walls. Everyone turned their heads to see who entered - only for most of their eyes to nearly fall out of their heads as soon as they saw a huge and muscular man step in.

"Poison, I heard yelling from the lobby," the large man called out with concern. "Are they bothering you?"

"We're just having a disagreement, that's all," was all Poison said as her face relaxed somewhat.

While the duo spoke, Paul let out a low whistle. "And I thought Ogre was big…"

"He could crush us like a bug," Forest suddenly said.

Nearby, Kai immediately turned to Kung Lao with wide eyes. "With his size alone, he could absolutely give Goro a run for his money if he was still alive."

Kung Lao quickly nodded in agreement. "You said it."

Paul then pointed a thumb at Hugo and looked at Poison. "Is that your tag team partner? I gotta admit, I didn't expect such a big lug to walk in."

"Are you implying that I'm ugly?!" Hugo accused. He stretched both his arms out wide and out on either side of him to make himself look more imposing. "Now I'm really mad!"

"...Oh fuck," Paul uttered as he realized what he just caused.

"Shit!" Poison suddenly shouted as she recognized what was about to happen. Sure, she wanted her and Hugo to spar with them, but not like this! "Hugo, stop! You misunderstood him!"

Unfortunately, Hugo didn't hear her as he let out a battle cry and ran forward. At the same time, Paul, Marshall, Forest, Fei Long, and Abel decided to meet him halfway. However, as soon as they reached him, he lifted one arm and managed to swipe away both Abel and Fei Long as though they were nothing more than flies. The two of them flew back until they crashed back first against the outer side of the wrestling ring. Hugo then turned right around and backhanded Marshall with enough force that the man flew across the gym until his back hit the wall.

"Dad!" Forest called out with concern. He then turned back to Hugo and clenched his teeth with anger. "You'll pay for that!" he yelled right before he closed the space between them. To Forest's shock, Hugo not only blocked the punch with the palm of his hand, but he quickly enclosed his fingers around the fist. Only then did Forest notice how huge Hugo's hand was.

"Oh SHIT!" Forest yelled out just before Hugo lifted him off the ground, his hand still enclosed around Forest's fist.

"RAGH!" Paul shouted as he attempted to throw his own punch - only for Hugo to catch his fist with his free hand the same way he did with Forest before he lifted Paul off the ground. Both Forest and Paul fought with all they could to get out of the large wrestler's grip.

"Heh, puny fighters," Hugo said with a big grin on his face as Paul and Forest struggled to get out of his grip.

"Hugo! Let them go! Now!" Poison shouted, but to no avail.

From the training mat, Kung Lao let out a low whistle after seeing that display. "I must admit, I'm quite impressed with his strength."

"Same here," Kai agreed. "But, either way, I think we really should try to help them."

"HEY!" Cody suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs as he approached the former Mad Gear gang member. He waited until Hugo turned to him - while still holding on to both Paul and Forest - and stared directly at him. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

"Like who? You?" Hugo chuckled.

Cody raised a brow at that, but shrugged regardless. "Sure, why the hell not? I'm itching for a fight anyway!"

"Hey Travers!" Paul yelled out as he continued to try to fight out of Hugo's hold. "Need I remind you that I'm bigger and taller than you!"

"Your hair doesn't count, Paul!" screamed Forest.

"Shut up!"

"Hey, don't yell at my son like that!" called out Marshall as he barely managed to jog back to the fight. "Even if he is speaking the truth!"

"You guys always talk so much?" Hugo suddenly asked.

By the time both Fei Long and Abel also returned to the fight, the double doors to the gym swung open with such force that they slammed against the wall they were connected to, just as Hugo did to them a few minutes ago. It caught everyone's attention, and they turned in time to see Haggar at the doors' threshold. There was confusion on his face at first… until he noted all the familiar faces in the room.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Haggar suddenly shouted at everyone.

"I'll have you know that Kai and I had nothing to do with this," Kung Lao pointed out. "Just in case Liu Kang asks."

Poison immediately scowled at Haggar and turned her back to him. "Nobody asked you to butt in!" she called out as she folded her arms in front of her. She then gazed over at Cody. "Seriously, I'm telling the truth! Edi. E was the one who set up that ambush to make it look like it was you. He blackmailed me into helping him."

"That still doesn't make up for the six years I lost," Cody growled. He then let out a huff as he waved a hand and began to leave the gym. "Forget this. I'm outta here!"

Unknown to him, Poison didn't bother to hide the regretful frown on her face… before she remembered what just transpired and turned to glare at her tag team partner. "Hugo, I told you to stop and you didn't listen to me! We need to do better with getting you to remain calm even over the slightest implication!"

Hugo gave her a disappointed gaze. "But Poison-"

"Put. Them. Down. Now!"

"...Oh, all right," Hugo finally relented… right before he dropped both Forest and Paul onto the floor with a thud.

"Ow…" Paul grumbled.

By then, Cody was just reaching the doors when Haggar tried to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Cody-"

"Not now, Mike," Cody murmured. He didn't bother to look up at the wrestler. "It's been a long day." He then pushed the doors open with force and stepped out into the hallway with the intention of heading back to his room.

He was soon out of sight of those in the gym and was just reaching the corner of the hallway when Jessica appeared around it. He barely noticed the brief smile on her face as she was about to say hello - only for that smile to be replaced with concern. "Cody-" she started.

Cody shook his head. The last thing he needed was sympathy. "I'm fine." he called out a little louder and with some edge than he meant to.

Jessica quickly scowled at him. "You don't have to talk about it, but you don't have to be an ass about it either!"

"If you knew what kind of day I've been having, you'd understand!"

"So you're actually not fine?"

"No, and I don't want to talk about it!"

"Fine!" Jessica shouted before she turned her back to him and stormed off.

For a few moments, Cody stood in his spot as he was suddenly reminded of the past - specifically those last few weeks of his relationship with Jessica prior to being thrown into prison. They seemed to do nothing but fight during that time, especially when it came to all the nights he spent being a vigilante in the weeks after taking down Belger and most of the Mad Gear gang.

Cody shook his head as he clenched his teeth with frustration. No wonder why we broke up then. I was the fucking idiot who took us for granted!

With a yell, Cody turned to a nearby wall and punched it hard enough to leave a hole behind. He drew in a sharp breath as he pulled his fist out. Even after that, he still felt some pent up energy he knew he needed to unleash.

Cody then decided to visit a gym he knew was in the downtown area and began to head out of the hotel. He needed the alone time anyway.

---

Outworld

When he found himself in battle with Heihachi Mishima, Lars Alexandersson had a feeling in the back of his head that he was in for a tough battle. After all, Heihachi's reputation of being a formidable warrior for his age was vastly well known amongst the Tekken Forces and -

…How did I recall all that? Lars suddenly thought as he blocked another incoming punch. Are my memories starting to return to me?

He didn't have time to ponder over the questions as Heihachi went in for an overhead punch, which Lars blocked with ease. Lars then attempted to follow through with a fist to the old man's face, but Heihachi ducked underneath the attack before he shoved a palm strike right into Lars' chest with enough force to make him stumble back a few feet. Only the railings on the platform prevented him from falling to the ground one story below him.

From there, Heihachi quickly covered the distance between them before he threw various punches at Lars in different directions. This forced Lars to either block or parry the attacks. As he did, the younger fighter noticed the power behind each punch, which kept him on his toes.

At one point, Lars ducked underneath a strike, which left Heihachi wide open. Lars took the opportunity and landed his own punch at the man's side, which caused him to gasp with pain. Still, Lars didn't let up as he delivered blow after blow at the older man's midsection until, finally, he delivered an uppercut that hurled the man back and a few feet in the air before he crashed back first onto the wooden platform. The sudden crashing weight shook the platform momentarily.

The younger fighter raised a brow and took a few steps forward when Heihachi didn't get up right away. As they agreed, Heihachi would be willing to talk if Lars knocked him off his feet - and he did. It can't be over that quickly? he thought. Lars did, however, hear a grunt coming from Heihachi, so he at least knew that the former Mishima Zaibatsu CEO was still breathing. Not that he expected him to be dead or anything, but stranger things have happened…

It was then that the old man lifted his legs up before he performed a kip up, the move promptly getting him back on his feet. He then straightened himself - a surge of blue electricity briefly surrounding his body - before he posed in a fighting stance, ready for more.

Looks like he might be going back on his word… Lars thought. Shame…

Lars then felt brief, but sharp pangs in his head. He forced himself to ignore the pain as he slowly got into his own fighting stance, his eyes never leaving his opponent's.

Then, in a blink of an eye, red colored electricity surged over Lars' fists - and it took all of Heihachi's energy not to raise a brow at that.

The pain in Lars' head grew worse - and he barely managed to stay standing as his vision started to blur. As he slowly raised a hand to his temple in an attempt to ease it… that was when everything hit him all at once…

His childhood.

His friends.

His training.

His education.

All those he knew and lost over the years.

His time in the Tekken Force.

His time leading Yggdrasil.

His best friend Tougou.

His mother.

His…

Lars' eyes snapped open as the pangs ended, but the dull headache remained. He gazed at the floor momentarily before he shifted his attention to Heihachi, who continued to remain in his stance as he waited for Lars to make his next move.

…And at that moment, Lars noticed the… similarities.

After what felt like a very long time, Heihachi finally spoke up. "How could you have the strength and skill to overpower me?" His brows furrowed as he seemingly tried to fit the puzzles in his head. "Unless you were…"

"Yeah… I remember everything now," Lars responded. "Seems like meeting you really has jogged my memory, just as I had hoped."

"Is that all?" Heihachi asked, almost with boredom.

Lars answered as he narrowed his blue eyes at Heihachi - and straightened himself up from his stance. "I hope that the blood in my veins doesn't mean that I wind up as useless and decrepit as you, old man!"

That made Heihachi's brows furrow more than before. "What?!"

Lars nearly smirked over his next words. "I guess it's my turn to jog your memory. You remember the operation in Scandinavia that you commanded?"

Heihachi's eyebrows went up at that - clearly, he remembered. And it was his turn to straighten himself up out of his fighting stance. "But that means…"

Lars gave him a single nod. "Now you get it."

Heihachi shook his head after that. "I always had my suspicions." He then narrowed his eyes as he folded his arms in front of his chest. "Now that we have that out of the way… what's next? Bring me back to Earthrealm? Join forces? Not that I need it, but I'm sure we can work out something if you so desire."

Lars huffed dryly at that. "I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but you'll have to stay here a little while longer before you're allowed to return to Earthrealm. The reasons are classified, by the way."

"...So that's it then? You're just going to walk away? Leave your father right where you found him?" That last sentence made Lars wince a little, but he kept his composure regardless. "I imagine your mother had some colorful things to say about me over the years."

Lars kept himself from frowning over that. "Actually, she never once spoke badly of you. Then again, she didn't exactly dish out high praises, either. From everything I learned of you… I can understand why. And to make myself clear, I didn't initially join the Tekken Force to be like you. Far from it. I joined in order to get answers to questions I've had since childhood.

"But now, standing here, I realized something. Everything I know about you up to this point… that's all I need to know. My long-standing questions no longer need to be answered."

Lars was just about to take his leave, but then Heihachi threw a question at him. "Who is ruling the Zaibatsu now? Kazuya? Or some incompetent whelp who has no idea how to run a business?"

"...I can say that it's not Kazuya," Lars said simply. "But once more, that information is… classified. Maybe once you find a way to get it back, you'll have your answer then."

Lars then began to walk away. After the first few steps, Heihachi called out to him. "When the Zaibatsu is back in my control, you will regret turning your back on me!"

Lars stopped in his tracks momentarily before he turned to face him. "Just wait, old man." He lifted a hand to point a finger at Heihachi. "When that time comes, mine will be the last face you'll ever see!"

Heihachi's only response to that was to hold his head high and stare back at Lars with contempt. The younger man chose to ignore this as he continued to walk away and back inside Honmaru II.

Lars moved past Alisa and Yoshimitsu - both who were still in invisible mode and who followed right after him. As soon as they were out of Heihachi's sight, they were visible once more. Lars knew they were behind him, but he didn't bother to acknowledge them. Soon, the three of them were downstairs and out the front door where Cyrax, Lee, Raven, and Dinora waited.

"So," Cyrax started. "How did it go?"

Lars took a moment to calm the nerves he didn't realize he had until that moment. "Well… the good news is that the plan worked. I remember everything now."

"That's wonderful!" Alisa said happily.

"In other words, the journey was worthwhile," Yoshimitsu added. "And Yggdrasil will get the morale boost they desperately need."

"Now we just have to make sure nothing follows us back to Earthrealm," mentioned Raven.

"Were you able to remember why you needed to meet with Heihachi?" Lee asked.

Lars was hesitant to answer briefly… but he figured that they were going to find out sooner or later. Might as well get it over with… "I wanted to meet him to get some questions answered, but… turns out that what I know about him is all I should know."

"Not a fan?" asked Dinora.

Lars paused for a moment before he said his next words. "I've known for many years but… he's my father."

Everyone reacted right off the bad. Alisa frowned and gave him a sympathetic gaze. Both Yoshimitsu and Cyrax took a small step back. Dinora tilted her head slightly. Even Raven's eyebrows went up to where creases appeared on his forehead. And Lee frowned a little as he rubbed his chin almost thoughtfully over the revelation.

"I… I don't know what to say," Yoshimitsu finally said after a long pause. "I mean, I-"

"There's nothing to say, really," Lars said with a small shrug of his shoulders. "I got what I came here for. Mission accomplished. Simple as that."

It was then that the door to the wooden home swung open quickly. The group turned their heads and saw Zivis step outside before he slammed the door closed behind him. Even with his gear and mask on, the poor man looked disheveled. The fact that he reeked of fish didn't help the matter either.

Yoshimitsu nearly chuckled at his comrade's predicament. "Kuma hugged you again, didn't he?"

"...Yeah. But either way, Kuma is now well-fed and happy," Zivis informed the group. "He's also taking his after-lunch nap as we speak."

"Ugh, you really stink," grumbled Dinora as she fanned her hand in front of her masked face.

"Yeah yeah," Zivis groaned. "Can we go home now?"

"Let me talk to Haoyu and his crew first. After that, we just need to get out of sight of this place in case Heihachi sees us," Yoshimitsu advised. "Otherwise, yes. We can go home."

Meanwhile, unknown to the group, Yoshimitsu's comrade Haoyu approached Heihachi as soon as Lars disappeared into the house. In feigned loyalty - and as a means of distraction to give Yoshimitsu and the others time to leave - he asked the old man about Lars, "Should we pursue him?"

"Don't bother," Heihachi responded firmly. A smirk came over his lips. "I'll take care of him soon enough."

---

Mishima Island - Opposite Side of the Resort

For the last few minutes, Sub-Zero and Sareena found themselves gazing down at the small amount of marine life they could see through the clear crystal water of the sea. They were far enough from shore that the water was up to their knees.

"I think those are anchovies," Sub-Zero pointed out as tiny gray fishes swam nearby. "But I could be wrong."

"They do look like the ones we ate at that Korean restaurant downtown a few days ago," Sareena mentioned.

Eventually, the school of fishes began to swim away and further out towards the sea. With nothing but rocks to look at under the water, Sareena once more took Sub-Zero's hand in hers before she gazed up at him. "You know… I wouldn't mind coming back here after sunset one evening. Especially if there's a full moon."

"I'll think about it," Sub-Zero said nonchalantly.

"Heey," Sareena started as she moved so that they were face to face. "What is there to think about?"

Sub-Zero shrugged, but gave her a small smirk. That made Sareena roll her eyes, but she chuckled regardless of the ice warrior's indifference. "Would this change your mind?" she asked - right before she wrapped her arms around his shoulders before she leaned up to leave a kiss on his lips. He returned the kiss as his own arms went around her waist. Sareena let herself enjoy the intimate moment before she pulled back to stare up at him and waited for him to answer her question.

"...Maybe," Sub-Zero soon replied.

Sareena's jaw dropped in farce shock before she playfully slapped his shoulder. "Kuai!"

Sub-Zero chuckled - something Sareena knew came rarely from him. It meant that he really was relaxed. Mission accomplished, Smoke, she thought.

"Of course, I wouldn't mind coming back one night," Sub-Zero soon concurred. "As long as no one else is around, of course."

Sareena nodded in agreement. "Deal."

Meanwhile back on shore, Smoke and Shura decided to sit down on the sand. They weren't too far from where Sub-Zero and Sareena stood, but they kept enough distance so that the waves didn't reach them too closely.

"So, you really don't know much about your life before the Lin Kuei?" Shura asked with some seriousness in her voice.

"Nope," Smoke replied with a shake of his head. "Just my name. And the one who found me was a member of the Lin Kuei who took pity on me. I ended up traveling with him back to the Himalayas to join the clan. If I had a family, their identity is long lost to me."

"Guess there's no use in chatting about the past from either of us then," Shura said with a small sigh.

"No," Smoke agreed. A smirk suddenly came over his face as an idea came to him. "But we can chat about the present if you like. Say… over dinner?"

Shura turned her head to him as both her eyebrows went up with a little surprise. "When?"

"Maybe tonight?"

Shura frowned a little. "I can't. It's a bad time."

"Oh…" Smoke said with a hint of disappointment. He started to turn his head away to stare out at the sea.

"Buuut," Shura continued as a smile appeared on her face. "I'm willing to reschedule for our date night tomorrow if that's okay with you."

Smoke gave her a perplexed gaze as he looked back at her. "Did I say it was a 'date night?'"

"No," Shura answered playfully as she nudged her shoulder against his. "But isn't that what it is?"

Smoke chuckled at her question. "I guess so. So just to be clear, you're good with tomorrow evening then?"

Shura smiled more. "It sounds great."

---

Botanical Gardens

For a while after leaving the hotel, Guy and Maki were silent as they reached the Botanical Gardens that were not too far from where they were staying. The Botanical Gardens, located at the start of the trail up to the top of the hill, was larger and had more private spots compared to the Mishima Gardens behind the hotel. During their walk, Maki wanted to say something, but she found herself lost for words. So she decided to let him lead her wherever and let him start the conversation when he was ready.

She also realized that they hadn't had this kind of one-on-one talk in a long time. Not since those first couple of years after Rena died. Maki frowned over the thought of her sister, and the Bushin warrior couldn't help but wonder what Rena would think of everything that's happened to Guy these last two years.

Eventually, they found a quiet spot near a small stone fountain in the middle of the gardens. Surrounded by purple and green wisteria trees, Maki chose to sit down at a nearby wooden bench while her long-time friend chose to stand a few feet away with his back turned to her. From there, Maki simply waited patiently, though she knew the silence would drive her crazy after a few minutes. Still, for her old friend's sake, she did her best to remain calm.

Guy eventually spoke, though quietly. "The memories of my time under the brainwash have been slowly coming back to me," he revealed. "Last night, I had a really intense nightmare and, well…" He bowed his head a little. "You were in it. We were fighting and I… I think I almost killed you. I asked Cody about it later and he confirmed it. You and I fought in Keisei."

Maki quietly sucked in a breath at that. She hadn't been sure what he had planned to talk to her about. That was not one of them. "I… I didn't know," she managed to say. However, in her mind, Yun's recent late night shouts over his own nightmares started to make sense - he was remembering his own time in his brainwashed state as well.

I wonder if he talked to Yang about them, she thought sadly.

Guy slightly turned his head to her. "Why didn't you tell me about it?" he asked.

Maki sighed. "Because I wasn't ready. I only saw you for the first time in over a year just a couple of weeks ago. I was trying to find the right time to tell you."

Guy let out a quiet breath. "Fair enough." There was a brief pause before he forced himself to ask, "Were you hurt?"

"I had some bruises and my head hurt a little bit, but otherwise I was okay, nothing the God of Wind himself couldn't fix," Maki assured him. She forced a smile as she tried to joke with her next words. "There have been plenty of times when you really gave me a run for my money. That day in Keisei was not one of them."

After a few seconds, Maki's smile faded once she realized that Guy didn't share the same humor - granted it would've been nothing more than a huff and maybe a shake of his head… but in this case, there was nothing.

"I'm sorry," the young woman said sadly. "I was trying to lighten the mood."

"I know," Guy answered as he turned his head back to face the fountain. He barely noticed the fact that there was no water within the structure. "I never told you this, and I doubt Rena did either, but… before she died, she asked me to promise that I would look out for you. And I kept that promise… until after the Blood Tournament."

Under normal circumstances, Maki would've been annoyed, mainly with her sister for even thinking that she needed to be protected. But considering the circumstances at the time, Maki silently forgave Rena for it.

However, after hearing Guy's words, Maki came to realize how much guilt was within him with the way he bowed his head and the way his shoulders slightly hunched as though they were weighed down by a bag of stones. It was subtle, but she knew him long enough to catch the signs.

The last time those signs were there was after Rena's death. It scared her to see, and she could only wonder how deep the wound went… and whether or not it could be healed.

Maki chose that moment to stand up and walk towards Guy. She stopped a couple of feet behind him. "None of this was your fault," she tried to convince him. "You had absolutely no control of your actions during those eight months. For what it's worth, Guy, I knew we'd face each other at some point during the war. Even before that, I forgave you."

"Would she have forgiven me if I had ended up killing you?" Guy pointed out with a hint of bitterness.

"Yes," Maki said without hesitation. "Because Rena would've understood why. Considering our family history, death has been kind of a… tradition. Rena and I accepted many years ago that Dad would die in a duel someday when one of his students became strong enough to replace him in the clan." She smiled a little over a thought. "Of course, that was before Master Zeku decided to break tradition and spare his life."

"Because Master Zeku couldn't go through with it. He saw your father as though he was his own father," Guy reminded her.

"And then you followed his way," Maki pointed out.

"He saved my life. It was only fitting that I repaid him."

"...Have you seen him since you came back last year?" Maki asked.

"Once," Guy admitted. "Two months after my return. I'm aware that after you told him what happened to me after the Blood Tournament, he temporarily took over the clan until I was able to return. Master Zeku's aware that I'm not ready and he will continue to hold the fort, so to speak, until the time comes for me to prove that I can still lead the clan."

"Yeah, he told me about that before I left for Hong Kong," Maki mentioned. Another frown came over her. "He… also didn't hide the fact that he's been very worried about you. So is the rest of the clan, in fact." She nearly went quiet at her next words. "I'm worried, too…"

"You don't need to be," Guy tried to tell her as he finally turned to face her. "I'll be alright, Maki. Really."

As always, his stoic facade remained on his face. But the strange look in his eyes was still there, the one Maki couldn't figure out. Despite what he told her, Maki still felt the slight dread in the pit of her stomach.

Eventually, Maki took a deep breath and decided to not push him further for the time being. She did, however, plan to talk to Cody the next time she saw him. "Okay. I'll take your word for it."

---

Mishima Forest

As Yoshimitsu and his crew made their return to Earthrealm, Lars found that the only thing he could focus on was making sure that they weren't being followed by anyone. Otherwise, he was still reeling from getting his memories back.

Why is this more overwhelming than it should be? He thought to himself.

It wasn't long before Yoshimitsu opened up a portal back to Earthrealm. From there, everyone promptly jumped through it and were soon back at the torii they departed from earlier in the day. By the direction of the sun, it was mid-afternoon upon their return.

No one expected the Protect of Earthrealm to be waiting for them on the other side.

"Liu Kang!" Yoshimitsu called out with surprise. "I… wasn't expecting you."

"...Why do I suddenly feel like a little kid who just got caught with their hand in the cookie jar?" Cyrax asked aloud.

Liu Kang managed to not smirk with amusement at those words. "As God and Protector of Earthrealm, a portal opening and closing - like the one from earlier this morning - would catch my attention. I monitored the area until it happened again and… here I am."

The Manji Clan leader turned to Zivis and Dinora. "You two - head back to the hotel and report what happened to Ukon and Sakon. Tell them I'll be there momentarily."

"Will do," Dinora said as she and Zivis began to head down the hill and back towards the hotel.

"There's a very good reason for this," Yoshimitsu started as soon as his scouts were out of earshot.

"You mean to tell me that you didn't tell him what you were up to?" asked an annoyed Raven.

"Because what happened doesn't pertain to our main mission," the clan leader answered.

Lee suddenly let out a loud whistle that echoed around the forest and caught everyone's attention. They all turned to him before he spoke aloud. "I think now is a good time to explain what the hell you're talking about. Because I am absolutely lost and confused."

"Before we do," Liu Kang started. "I think it's best if you all explained why you left the island today through a portal and came back through one."

Yoshimitsu gestured a hand at the young man next to him. "This is Lars Alexandersson. He's the reason we traveled to Outworld briefly."

Liu Kang furrowed his brows at that. "You went to Outworld? I'm sure you have a good reason, but… that was very risky."

"That's what I told him," said Raven.

From there, Yoshimitsu told Liu Kang everything that happened from Cyrax setting up a meeting until moments before they returned to Mishima Island. The God of Fire didn't say a single word and simply listened.

When the clan leader was finished, a smirk came over Liu Kang's face. "I understand now. And I must admit, that's quite a story." He then turned to the lieutenant. "Are you well?"

"I think so," Lars quietly said. He raised a hand up to rub his temple. "It's… a lot. It might take some time for it all to sink in."

"Then I guess now's a bad time to tell you that I'm kind of your brother," Lee suddenly revealed.

Lars widened his eyes at that. "Wait… we're brothers?!"

"Not really. You see, I was adopted by Heihachi as a child," Lee explained. "I was living on the streets before that, sooo… that makes me your adoptive brother."

"Ah, that explains why you called Heihachi Jiji -," Cyrax said.

"Yeah, I wasn't going to say anything at first… until I found out I have another brother," Lee admitted.

"Wait," Cyrax said. "Lars… if you're Heihachi's son, then that also makes you…"

"Kazuya's half brother and Jin's uncle," Yoshimitsu finished for him.

Raven let out a low whistle at that revelation. "That sounds very complicated."

"I know that feeling all too well," Lee mentioned. He suddenly smiled and raised his arms up at Lars. "...Welcome to the family!"

"...That sounds more menacing than warming," Lars pointed out.

Lee sighed as he dropped his arm to his sides. "Because, unfortunately, it is. By the way, are you ready for one more big reveal?"

"Not really, but… do I have a choice?"

"Not really because the sooner the better. Plus, this is a good way to test your memory. Previously, when we officially met, I mentioned that I had my personal reasons for attending this tournament. Now then… Do you recall Yggdrasil's five hundred million dollar anonymous sponsorship that helped in the creation of your military coup?"

"...Yes, I do. How did you know about the amount the sponsorship gave?"

Lee smiled again, spread his arms out, and slightly bowed to him. "You're welcome. Now you know where I officially stand in this war."

Lars' eyes widened again before he raised his hands to his temples as his headache grew worse. "Yeah… this is too much to take in…"

Liu Kang decided to step in at that point. "I guess this is a good time to say that I wasn't completely truthful about what I said earlier. I did notice your departure earlier, but… I was there, hidden since before your arrival. So I was there long enough to know where you were going, what you were doing, and why."

Yoshimitsu tilted his head at that. "You already knew? Why the secret?"

"Because I spend that time… evaluating." He then turned his attention to Lars, Alisa, and Lee. "And I'd like to extend an invitation to the three of you to join us in our fight against this war as a Chosen One."

"Are we not already fighting against this war?" asked a confused Alisa.

"You're correct," Liu Kang said. "But… this war is causing more damage than anyone realizes." From there, the Protector of Earthrealm explained everything from the beginning - from the Blood Tournament to the Universal War, from the events that led up to the current war, and all the information on Azazel, the Outworld Forces, and the Outworld Rebellion.

Once Liu Kang finished, Lee was the first to speak. "I must admit, I never thought I'd find myself being asked to join such an endeavor."

"Your large sponsorship alone probably upped your chances," Cyrax half joked.

"Well, either way, count me in. I admit, I'm very intrigued, not to mention honored."

"I've said this a million times already, but… it's a lot to take in," Lars admitted. Still, he gave Liu Kang a determined look. "All right, I accept your offer. And you can count on my troops to help as well."

"Technically, you alone would be a Chosen One," Liu Kang explained to Lars. "Although we would not reject their aid if it calls for it."

"I'm with you," Alisa declared as she joined Lars' side. "I imagine the more you have on your side, the more chances you have of ending this war. And I am honored to have been chosen despite being an android."

Liu Kang smiled at them. "I'm glad to hear it. At this point, go on with your time here on the island as usual. You'll be summoned for meetings in the future. You'll likely meet the rest of the group at our next meeting not too far from here."

"Ooor I can introduce you to some of them before that," suggested Cyrax. "Alisa, there's a particular group in our Chosen Ones circle who I think you'll fit in with just fine."

Alisa smiled. "I look forward to meeting them."

"Let's head back to the hotel," Yoshimitsu suggested. "Most of us, I'm sure, need the rest after the journey we've had."

From there, everyone took their leave, but Liu Kang noticed how Lars kind of hung back from the group as he walked forward. As he also let himself fall back from the group, Liu Kang chose to turn around to look at the young man.

"Are you all right?" the God of Fire asked. His question caught Lee's attention, and he stopped to turn towards the conversation. Neither Liu Kang nor Lars had noticed him just yet.

Lars sighed a little and shook his head. "I think I will be. It's just… it's nice to get my memories back, but… it just feels like an overload. Some things I can accept, but others… not so much." He looked up at him. "It might take a while for me to process everything."

"It's all right," Liu Kang assured him as he placed a comforting hand on Lars' shoulder. "If it makes you feel better, some of the other Chosen Ones are going through some rough patches too, particularly those who've been with us from the very beginning. Some of them were even brainwashed by Shao Kahn to serve him during the Universal War."

"Really?" Lars muttered in astonishment. "That's terrible…"

Liu Kang nodded solemnly. "Yes, it is. So in a way, they know what that's like - remembering things and processing them. Obviously, the process is different for everyone but… the theme is just the same. Slow down and take the time you need. Unfortunately, this sort of thing doesn't happen overnight. If you need to talk, just come find me here."

"Or me as well," Lee spoke up as he stepped towards them. "Especially if it concerns anything family-related. I imagine you have a lot of questions and I can answer them to the best of my ability."

Lars nodded at the both of them. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Liu Kang said as he removed his hand. He soon disappeared in a burst of flames.

Lars shook his head at that. "That was… something to see."

"Well, we both saw some strange stuff today," Lee said. "However, I get the feeling - now that we're Chosen Ones - that this is far from over."

Lars then remembered something from one of their previous conversations. "You said earlier that I looked familiar to you. I'm guessing, well…"

"Yeah, it all came to me as soon as you told us. Aside from your swooped up hairstyle, you have Heihachi's nose and eyebrows. Same menacing stare, too, except your eyes are blue, so it's less of a… reminder."

Lars frowned as he realized something. "I'm sorry. I can't imagine growing up under that man…"

"Be lucky you didn't," Lee said. He then smiled and gave Lars a light slap on the back. "Come, brother. There's a bottle of Chianti in my room with our names on it. I think we both deserve it after the day we had."

Lars took a deep breath at that. "Brother… that's going to take some getting used to."

---

A/N: Round 3 of the tournament begins in the next chapter!

The bad news is that, like Round 2, half of the fights still involve jobbers. However, Round 3 will be the last time this occurs before we begin to fully focus on our favorite characters for the remainder of the tournament.