"This is anything but ideal, Shang Tsung." Shao Kahn scolded, "Ermac eliminated so soon as well as your pathetic Saurian failing to defeat the actor."
"Enough of this!" The sorcerer yelled, finally retaliating to his master's abuse, "It was YOUR decision to make Ermac bite off more than he could chew."
"Excuse me?!" Shao Kahn stood from his throne, while he was aware that Shang Tsung was right, he wouldn't show any signs in admitting it.
"One moment." Shang Tsung cut him off to announce the winner of the fight that the two were arguing over, "Kung Lao wins!"
"That was for the Shaolin." Kung Lao referred to his opponent, Kollector and how he was involved in his temples attack.
"From the ashes of your pathetic temple will be a palace in tribute of Shao Kahn." The fallen Naknadan spouted, angering Kung Lao who began delivering countless punches to Kollector.
"Enough!" Shang Tsung ordered, "Our next match shall be- "
"Liu Kang versus Shang Tsung!" Shao Kahn interrupted, reminding Shang Tsung that this time he was the tournament host.
"What?!" Tsung yelled aloud.
"Prove your worth to me, Tsung." Shao Kahn demanded, "Eliminate Liu Kang, become champion!"
"Very well then." Shang Tsung said, morphing into the emperor himself.
"No." Shao Kahn denied him shapeshifting into himself, "You don't have my skill."
"Worried I'll ruin your reputation?" Shang Tsung asked as he morphed back into his younger self.
"I know you will." Kahn remarked, "Use your OWN skills, it'll benefit you."
Shang Tsung concluded that his actions would speak louder than words, he stepped off the stage and entered his fighting stance.
"FIGHT!"
Unlike their previous encounter, this fight was much more one sided in Liu Kang's favour. Enraged by Shang Tsung's association in the Shaolin temples raid, he pummelled Shang Tsung, his flaming fists becoming a bright blue as he struck down the sorcerer. It took just minutes for Liu Kang to beat Shang Tsung into submission.
"You suck!" Kahn insulted as Shang Tsung staggered back to his emperor's side.
"Liu... Kang... wins." Shang Tsung announced, drily coughing between words.
"Well you certainly aren't wasting any of my time, Liu Kang." Shao Kahn surprisingly complimented.
"I'll have you defeated in merely a couple passing moons." Came the hostile reply.
"A fiery temper, like your elemental powers." Kahn analysed, "But foolish to think you can defeat me."
"An attack on the White Lotus Society won't go unpunished." Liu Kang informed, flames still emitting from his fists.
"We shall see." Kahn dismissed him and moved on to the next bout, "Our next fight will be: Nightwolf versus Li Mei!"
The resident of Sun Do hopped off the stage, dressed in an elegant gown of sorts. She wielded a sword called the 'Kunlun Dao' in her right arm.
The fight begun with the two fighters trading blows, Nightwolf utilizing a lot of punches and Li Mei using kicks. The fight progressed once Li Mei began swinging her Kunlun Dao only for Nightwolf to dodge the attacks and then parry the final attempt with his tomahawk, disarming her momentarily.
Li Mei's now lost guard caused her to be kicked onto her knees, Nightwolf intended on kneeing Li Mei in the face but Mei drew a Sai that was hidden in her garbs and quickly stabbed it into the incoming knee.
Li Mei rolled over to retrieve her Kunlun Dao and clashed it with Nightwolf's tomahawk, the two struggling as they used their strength to push each other's weapons at one another, Li Mei's resiliency and desperation to win was enough to overpower Nightwolf and send him collapsing to the floor.
"I'm sorry." Li Mei genuinely apologized as she took a moment of hesitation, before realizing she what she had to do. This brief moment was long enough for Nightwolf to roll aside of the sword that only ended up impaling the sand rather than Nightwolf's heart. Nightwolf kicked the sword out of Li Mei's hands while she was attempting to pry the Kunlun Dao out the sand, causing her to stumble.
Nightwolf recovered and performed a shoulder bash to a still staggered Li Mei, a green ancestral energy emitting from Nightwolf's side as he collided into Li Mei. Still resilient, Li Mei tried to recover, tears beginning to build in her eyes. Nightwolf, feeling sorry for her, allowed her to retrieve her weapon, then he intentionally moved himself into Li Mei's blade before collapsing in pain.
"Very good, Li Mei." Kahn praised, "Finish him!"
"I-I can't!" She refused.
"Do it!" Shao Kahn ordered, "Or your people will be finished instead."
"Stab me again." Nightwolf whispered to her, "I'll pretend it's a fatal blow and act dead."
"Th-thank you." Li Mei whispered gratefully before reluctantly stabbing Nightwolf again, causing him to squirm in pain for a couple moments prior to lying, playing dead.
"Nightwolf!" Cried out a concerned Raiden who quickly ran to the aid of his friend, scooping him up in his arms before walking off to the rest of his allies.
"Is he... gone?" Liu Kang asked worryingly.
"I'm fine." Nightwolf said in reassurance, "It's an act."
"Holy shit that's some good acting." Johnny Cage complimented, oddly jealous.
"What was that for?" Kung Lao asked, irritated by the fake death.
"Li Mei, I let her win." Nightwolf explained, "She seemed... Unwilling."
"In what way?" Raiden questioned as he healed Nightwolf's stab wounds.
"I don't know." Was all Nightwolf could answer with.
"Unfortunately, she's matched up against Liu Kang in the next round." Raiden informed, "I cannot let my chosen one throw the tournament."
"I understand." Nightwolf said humbly.
"Perhaps the supposed death of yourself will be enough to keep Shao Kahn satisfied of her performance." Raiden hoped as he continued to carry Nightwolf out the coliseum, as he walked out the gates there stood two twin assassins suspiciously lingering near the exit, this concerned Raiden.
After making some distance away from any of Kahn's minions, Raiden finally put down Nightwolf, the two exchanging goodbyes before the former Grey Cloud returned to his Matokan tribe.
Meanwhile in the coliseum, what would be considered the final battle of the opening round was about to occur.
"Our next battle will be: Erron Black versus Bo' Rai Cho!" Kahn announced per usual.
"Actually, I was thinking Bo Rai Cho is ineligible to compete." Shang Tsung informed.
"Ah, that has reminded me." Shao Kahn pretended to recall, playing along with Shang Tsung's fantasy rules, "Bo' Rai Cho is from Outworld, he can't possibly compete for Earthrealm!"
"You're deluded to think I'll buy that this dishonourable cowboy originated in Outworld." Bo' Rai Cho reacted, frustrated by the hypocrisy of the emperor.
"As the tournament host, I forbid you from participating." Shao Kahn confirmed his decision, "Leave my coliseum or I will personally detach your limbs."
"Besides, I consider myself as more of an Outworlder." Erron Black defended the decision, a smile hidden beneath his old face mask upon the realization that he was receiving a free pass to the next round.
"You pretend to be something you're not." Bo' Rai Cho scolded before stumbling towards the front gate.
Once Bo' Rai Cho exited the gate, he was quickly assaulted by the two sisters, Mileena and Kitana. This was just what Shao Kahn wanted, his assassins taking out his enemies so they'd never become a problem to him again. The drunken master would've been able to defeat either of them if they were separated but in this scenario the numbers caused his defeat.
Raiden, having his usual suspicions, teleported in front of the coliseum gate, where his eyes immediately lay on his injured ally, who lay on the floor, Kitana and Mileena prepared to execute him.
"Look out!" Kitana warned her sister, who immediately ran into Raiden and received a lightning shock that went through her entire body, the electricity revealing her skeleton, her tarkatan teeth being noticeable to Kitana but despite the bizarre revelation she quickly made the save, slashing Raiden's back so he'd let go of Mileena.
"Leave Bo' Rai Cho alone." Raiden commanded, "Or you will receive further punishment."
"This isn't worth it, Mileena." Kitana said after noticing her sister began growling at the thunder god, "Come on, let's leave."
Mileena didn't respond and instead she drew her Sai blades, slowly approaching Raiden as she thought of a calculated attack she could utilize until Kitana held her back.
"Help me kill him!" Mileena cried out for her sister's aid, "Father will be overjoyed if we bring him the thunder god's head!"
"We can't!" Kitana said realistically, "Leave him."
"Fine." Submitted Mileena who stropped away with Kitana following.
"Can you take off your mask, please?" Kitana specifically requested, only now had she truly acknowledged the fact that she hadn't even seen her sisters face since they were children.
"Wh-what?!" Mileena stuttered, her face turning red.
"May I?" Kitana asked as she went to take her sisters mask of herself, only for Mileena to shove her hands away from her face.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Mileena asked, as if Kitana had just committed a violation.
"Your skeleton." Kitana informed, "Do you have the teeth of a... Tarkatan?"
The even more specific questions made it clear that Mileena couldn't hide mouth from her sister any longer, she pulled her mask down revealing what Kitana indeed had speculated: A mouth with Tarkatan teeth that had grown to both sides of her lips, the teeth hiding behind her lips while being smaller were still sharpened.
"Oh god..." Kitana sympathized.
"Now you know..." Mileena muttered, slouching on the desert floor, leaning against the outer walls of the coliseum.
"How did this happen to you?" Kitana asked, kneeling by her sister, "Your face was... normal... when we were young."
"It just... developed." Mileena began explaining, struggling to give answers herself, "It started with just one of these tooth's, and then over the years more grew."
"I'm sorry." Kitana politely made sure to apologize before pressing further questions, "Have you told father?"
"No." Mileena shook her head, "I'll be a failure to him if he saw something so hideous."
"We can't hide this forever, Mileena." Kitana said, again being realistic over even the strangest of scenarios.
"I know... I'm just afraid." Mileena admitted.
"I will help you." Kitana promised.