An Hour Earlier…
"Sure don't need anymore surprises like them."
After Sonya defeats Kitana and Jade, she walks over to Maliza who was trying her best to support Jax. "How is he holding up?" She asked, "He seems-"
"I'm fine." Jax suddenly interjects and Maliza frowns at him.
"Liar. After I get you to base, I'm coming back. Kano's still here somewhere." Said Sonya. "Your obsession with him is gonna get you killed." Jax warns her.
Sonya: "I trusted him."
Jax: "Yeah, we all did."
"But I was the one he used." As they spoke, a light coming from Maliza's bag began to glow. "The Amulet…" She thought but she and Sonya then looked up when the sound of a helicopter could be heard in the sky.
"I think our ride's here." As she got up. She begins waving to the approaching helicopter. As she does so, a gigantic fireball shoots up from nowhere and blasts it into pieces. Sonya can only watch as the chopper crashes in the distance in flames. "No!!" Sonya yells out.
"Sonya!" Maliza calls out. Sonya turns to Maliza's warning and sees a laughing Shang Tsung alongside Kano. Tsung's hand is still glowing with fire, hinting that he was the one who fired the fireball.
"Damn you!" She yelled in anger. Maliza gets up and walks to Sonya but Jax grabs her hand, "Hey, kid! Stay outta it, this is not-"
He tries to warn her but Maliza shoves her hand away, "I'm not a kid! Stop calling me that!" Maliza walks to Sonya.
"You have a chall- UH!"
Maliza fires a ki-ball at Shang Tsung but he dodges it. "Enough!! This tournament is over!!" Maliza fumes as she stands next to Sonya. "Hah! This little bitch again!" Kano says as he steps forward.
Maliza steps in front of Sonya, "Back off, we're getting off this island whether you like it or not!" She yells. "I don't give a shit what you want, princess."
Enraged, Maliza is about to fight him but Sonya stops her. "Maliza, stay with Jax. Kano is mine to take down." She said, At first Maliza is hesitant but she nods slightly and stands her ground.
Sonya steps forward and assumes her fighting stance.
"Pretty Boy and Little Princess ain't gonna save ya this time." Said Kano.
They fight. With plenty of anger in her this time, Sonya shows that she doesn't need saving and beats Kano to the floor. "You're coming with me." She said,
As she moves in to arrest Kano, Tsung stops her by blasting a fireball into her path. "Kano is not your prisoner." He said.
"At least help Jax. He needs a medic!" Said Sonya but the sorcerer only laughs at her as he walks off, followed by Kano, Kitana and Jade.
"Bastard." Sonya grunts. Maliza stands close to her, "You'll get him next time, I know it." She said,
"There they are!" They both turn around to see Johnny walking toward her, followed by Raiden and
Liu Kang.
"You girls all right? Hey, looks like you found 'im." Johnny then throws a salute at Jax. "S'up, Sarge?" He said.
"He's a ma-" She stops as she looks at Raiden walking toward her commanding officer.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Sonya questions but Maliza touches her shoulder, "It's alright. He's not a foe."
Raiden then charges up lightning in his palms. As the electricity nears Jax, he starts to glow with blue energy. Sonya attempts to intervene but Johnny grabs her arm. "What the?" Said Jax.
Sonya: "Jax!"
Johnny: "It's ok. He's cool."
The process takes a few moments, and after Raiden has finished, Jax has been completely healed of his injuries. He examines his arms and seems quite astounded at the difference.
"That's amazing!" He said.
"Told ya! Turns out he's a god!" Said Johnny. Maliza is stunned, "Geez, guess I really need to practise my healing charm." She thought. As Jax rises to his feet, Sonya is also quite astounded as Raiden approaches her. "Thank you... Raiden." She said,
"Gratitude is unnecessary. I have foreseen events, like memories of my future. They lead me to believe that you are all connected to Earthrealm's fate." Said Raiden.
Liu Kang asks, "What have you foreseen?"
Raiden answered, "In my visions, Shao Kahn becomes invincible. He destroys all life in Earthrealm. We will all die. I believe these flashes are a guide to defeating Shao Kahn. But disrupting the flow of time can have serious consequences."
"I'm not worried. I bet you could win this thing no problem." Said Johnny.
"Unless directly challenged, I cannot participate."
As the group are talking, the inside of Maliza's bag begins glowing again. When she notices, she turns her back and looks inside and sees the amulet glowing uncontrollably. "Sheesh… this thing has been glowing since-"
"What should we do besides standing around looking pretty?" Johnny asked Raiden. "For now, the tournament must run its course."
Maliza looks back at everyone and closes her bag before turning back towards them. "All right then. We're with you, Raiden." Said Sonya. Johnny notices Maliza standing next to Sonya, "By the way, what about the kid? I mean, isn't this a-"
When Maliza heard Johnny say "kid" again, she frowns and punches his shoulder. "Ow! Hey!"
"Oh yeah, that reminds me. Don't call her kid." Sonya said as a small smirk grew on her face.
"Oh, c'mon! We can't just let-... her stick around. I mean, look at her…" Everyone then looks at Maliza when Johnny says this. "I mean, don't you think she's a bit… too innocent and fragile for this tournament?"
"How can you say that?... I'm not innocent. And I'm definitely not fragile…" Said Maliza.
Sonya sighs, "Well, if she can fight and defend herself then we wouldn't have to worry. I mean, she is old enough to attend the tournament."
"Old enough?... No way." As Johnny doubts Sonya's word, Maliza then asks, "Well, then how old do I look to you?"
"I don't know… 12? 13?... 15?"
"19." Said Sonya when he guessed Maliza's age wrongly. "19!?... Sh*t…" Johnny was shocked by Sonya's answer. Liu Kang walks towards him, "Looks can be deceiving, Johnny."
"It sure can." Said Jax.
As Jax, Liu Kang and Sonya both chuckled, Johnny crossed his arms and frowned, "Alright, fine. The…girl can stay, I guess."
Maliza smiles at Johnny's exchange. Jax then looks towards Maliza, "By the way, girl. We… didn't really catch your name."
Maliza then puts her hand behind her back and chuckles, "My name is Maliza."
As Raiden sees this, he then takes a look at his amulet once more but this time, the cracks were getting bigger. This causes him to worry but he leaves it for the time being.
Present Time
Back at the island's arena, Shang Tsung, his bodyguards and the monks have taken their places once again. Notably, Quan Chi now stands by the Grandmaster's throne. The kombatants present at the last fight are back again, waiting for the next match. One masked guard catches the eye of Raiden. He gasps and receives another vision; this one reveals Kung Lao running at Baraka. Raiden realises the true identity of the guard at once and leaves his place.
Maliza then notices him walking away, "Somethings up with Raiden… I wonder…" She thought until her bag suddenly glows again. "Is something wrong?" Liu Kang asked when he noticed Maliza looking inside her bag. She blushes in embarrassment, "Sorry, it's just this darn amulet has been glowing like crazy since I got here."
"You have an amulet?"
"Yeah… It's… not really mine. It was my sisters."
When the glowing stops, Maliza closes the zip. "Maliza, is everything alright?" When Liu Kang asked, Maliza drew back and put her head down. "I… don't wanna talk about it." She said,
"Kombatants! The next match will now begin!" Announced Shang Tsung. In a burst of hellfire, Scorpion teleports onto the arena floor. Johnny Cage gasped in awe, and even Liu Kang looked impressed.
Shang Tsung then introduces him to everyone, "Scorpion! Specter of the Netherrealm! Resurrected by the sorcerer Quan Chi! Who among you is worthy of this challenge?"
"Where is the Lin Kuei Sub-Zero? He killed my family and clan. I will have his head!" Said Scorpion.
Raiden approaches the masked guard, "I know it is you, Kung Lao. The Shaolin monks chose Liu Kang to represent your order in this tournament."
"I am Liu Kang's equal!" Said Kung Lao.
"That remains to be seen." Said Raiden. "Watch and see." Kung Lao promptly walks onto the arena floor, discarding his disguise as he does so. "I accept the challenge!"
"Kung Lao?"
Maliza looks at Liu Kang when he says this. "You know him?" She asked and he nodded.
Shang Tsung looked quite disturbed at this new turn of events. Kung Lao faces Scorpion, "Nevermind the Lin Kuei. Now you face a Shaolin."
He accentuates his point by running two fingers across his razor-sharp hat and assuming a fighting stance. "You will regret your impulsiveness." Said Scorpion.
They fight. Although Kung Lao is an expert fighter in the Shaolin arts, the powers of the Netherrealm prove too much to cope with for him. Scorpion soon beats him into an unconscious form on the ground. "You are not yet a warrior." He said.
"Kung Lao!" Liu Kang rushes to the aid of his Shaolin brother. Raiden walks over and begins to admonish Kung Lao. "Listen when your elders speak! You could not win this fight."
When Maliza notices Kung Lao's hat on the ground beside him and Liu Kang, she goes over and picks it up. As Liu Kang helps him get back on his feet, she walks towards him, "You… drop this." Said Maliza as she held it in front of him. "Who are you?" Kung Lao asked when he saw Maliza holding his hat. Liu Kang introduces her, "Kung Lao, this is Maliza…"
"Well… You dr-Ow!!" Maliza suddenly drops the hat when Lao's razor-sharp hat cuts her palm."Hey! Are you alright?" He asked as she held her hand in pain. Maliza slowly opens her hand up and shows an open cut in the middle of her palm. "Eh… did that just happen?" She said in shock as her blood slowly filled her open wound. Kung Lao picks up his hat, "Sorry about that. My hat… it's razor sharp." He said as he put his hat back on his head. "Well you could'a warned me! Geez…" Maliza said.
Raiden walks towards her and Maliza sighs, "I guess this really isn't a friendly tournament after all…" She said as her face saddens. Raiden the charges up lightning and hovers he hand over hers but as he tries healing Maliza's palm, nothing happens.
"This is… strange." He said.
Raiden seemed confused as to why his god powers weren't healing Maliza's wound but she then pretends like it was nothing. "No, it's fine Raiden. I can heal myself." She said but she takes one last glance at Kung Lao before walking to Sonya and Johnny.
Scorpion watches the exchange without emotion and then turns to face Shang Tsung. "I have defeated the challenger, Shang Tsung. I demand Sub-Zero!"
Raiden gets another vision at that moment; first of Scorpion holding Sub-Zero's removed head along with his spinal cord, then the head morphs into the visage of the wraith Noob Saibot.
"You will demand nothing! Nightwolf!" Said Shang Tsung. A native American walks over to Scorpion and addresses him. "Your aggression is misplaced."
"What do you know of my pa–"
"You are not the only one whose people have been victimised. But I have found a new purpose in serving the Spirits. I do not cling to the past." Said Nightwolf.
"You no longer seek retribution? You dishonour your kind. I will honour the memory of my fallen." Scorpion said,
As they fought, Nightwolf's powers proved more of a match for Scorpion than Kung Lao did, but even he cannot withstand the fury of the vengeful ninja. Scorpion once again emerges victorious and leaves Nightwolf unconscious on the ground.
"The spirits have forsaken you, Shaman." He said.
Shang Tsung then compliments, "An impressive start!" Scorpion clenches his fist at Shang Tsung that bursts into flames. "You waste my time, sorcerer!"
Quan Chi holds up his hand. "Restraint, Scorpion." He said.
Although not pleased about it, Scorpion acknowledges the order and his hand returns to normal.
"You will fight Sub-Zero soon enough." Shang Tsung stands up and takes his leave, with Quan Chi following.
As Scorpion lowers his head and ponders recent events, Raiden attracts his attention. "Scorpion, I understand your desire for revenge. But Nightwolf is right. There are other ways in which you may find peace."
"Sub-Zero deserves death." Said Scorpion.
"Defeat Sub-Zero if you must, but do not kill him. I fear his death will give rise to a more treacherous foe." Raiden warns him but Scorpion was too consumed by his need for vengeance to heed his warning. "I will have my revenge!"
"Spare Sub-Zero's life and I will request that the Elder Gods return the Shirai Ryu to the realm of mortals." Said Raiden. Scorpion takes a few moments to contemplate this new turn of events. He eventually looks Raiden in the eyes and nods his consent. Raiden nods back and walks off with Liu Kang and Kung Lao, leaving the spectre alone.
Meanwhile…
(Dragon Ball Realm) - Orang Star Junior High
During recess, Malisha couldn't really stop thinking about what happened. As she sat down on the bench and ate with Ava, Imani, Danni and Hikari, her mind goes back to that night that she saw that post.
Flashback - Last Night
"We're gonna have to report it." Said Malisha as she comforted Ava.
Ava sobs, "Are you kidding me!? You know Jamie gets away with almost everything. Her family is like the richest families in the city and she obviously gets away with anything, so what's the point!?"
It hurt her to see her friend like that. Malisha really wanted to do something about it but Ava had a point. The school that they were in are very well-known to covering up incidents that involved bullying and suicide. After troubled students were becoming enabled to bully their classmates both in school and online, a lot of child victims were forced to be removed from the school. Most victims suffered in silence while others that got bullied worse were driven to suicide. When the suicide rate increased to 58%, the school had no choice but to hire psychiatrists and social workers to handle with the victims that were experiencing this type of bullying both in and out of school in silence to stop the suicide rate from increasing any further and at that time the ratings were dropping down to 23%, which appeared to be good news for the schoolboard and their reputation was kept clean from the rumors. But that didn't stop the bullying from continuing behind closed doors.
Malisha grunts, "So what do we do? We just do nothing?"
She was really frustrated about the situation but she takes a back when Ava lowers her head and cries into her hands.
End of Flashback
"So you're living with Ava now?" Imani asked and Malisha snapped out of her thoughts. "What?" She asked. Imani then repeats, "So, you're living with Ava now?"
"Yeah. Ava's wasn't… feeling well last night so I decided to move in." Said Malisha.
Danni worries, "Did something happen last night?"
Unable to explain the situation in words, Malisha takes out her phone and shows an image of what Jamie posted to the group. They all cover their mouths in shock. "Are you serious!? Jamie did that?" Imani asked and Malisha slightly nodded.
"Where did you get that screenshot? Did someone send it to you guys?" Danni asked. "It was sent to me anonymously." Said Ava as she put her head down.
Imani then rubs her back, "Hey, I'm really sorry about Jamie. She really is a bully."
Danni agreed, "Geez, tell us about it. Every time something personal comes up or rumours start going around school, she always has to be the one to feed in the drama. First Ava's parents are in hospital, then the rumour with Malisha's powers and then-"
"Wait! The rumour about my powers?" Malisha interjects. "Yeah… I mean, everyone knows about it." Said Danni.
Hikari then adds, "Speaking of rumours, Jamie started spreading the rumour that Melly can actually see in the dark like a cat…"
"Wait, really? She can do that?" Danni asked and Hikari shrugs, "I don't know. I mean, Jamie really is the kind of person to start drama and bully anyone who is the source of it. Even if it's not true."
There was silence for a moment.
"So are you guys going to Bratt's… you know?" Imani asks the group and Malisha nods. As well as Ava, Danni and Hikari. Imani then concludes, "Then I guess we're done here."
After School
As everyone leaves their class and heads for their lockers, Malisha goes to the bathroom to use the toilet but when just got done and flushed, she then hears Imani call out to her. "Hey! Malisha! Are you in here?"
Malisha opens the toilet door and sees Imani standing by the sinks, "What is it, Imani?"
She didn't really understand what was up with Imani but when she looked at her face, Malisha could tell something was bothering her. She walks towards her, "What's wrong?"
Meanwhile, outside the girl's bathroom, Ava walks to go get her backpack from her locker but sees other kids surrounding it. She goes over to see and is shocked to see graffiti all over her locker. When Malisha and Imani come out from the bathroom, they see kids surrounding Ava's locker. They went over to see what was going on and saw Ava standing in front of her locker with the look of dread on her face. "Ava, wha-" Malisha stops when she sees the graffiti painted all over her locker's door.
"Ava, let's just go home." Malisha takes Ava's hand and she walks away as the sounds of chuckling from the other kids filled Ava's ears.
Ava's Home
After Malisha went home with Ava, they soon got started with their homework but Ava was unable to concentrate due to what she saw back at school. Malisha notices her hand shaking and she comforts her by rubbing her back, "It's gonna be okay." She said but Ava sighs and puts her head down. She then closes her book, "Malisha… I'm gonna call in sick tomorrow."
"...What?... Are you sure?" Malisha asked and Ava nodded slightly. She gets up from bed and takes a towel from one of her drawers. Ava walks but stops by the door and looks at Malisha, "Can you… help me with my hair? I… don't really know how to wash it on my own." she asked.
"Why are you asking me?..." Malisha asked out of curiosity.
"It's Friday tomorrow, remember? Bratt's birthday?" Said Ava.
"Oh, right…"
A 20 minutes later, Ava and Malisha had washed, they both got dressed into their pyjamas and went straight to bed. Malisha slept on the sofa close to Ava's bed.
As Malisha stared at the ceiling, Ava sighs. "What's up?" Malisha asked.
"You sure it's nothing between you and Bratt?" When Ava questions, Malisha blushes. "I'm telling you, it's nothing, Ava." She insisted. "Alright. I believe you… It's not like you're thinking about smooching him tomorrow… Are you?" Chuckled Ava.
"S-Shut up! That's not it!" Malisha's face flashes red when Ava teased.
"That's… that's not…" As she stared at the ceiling once more, she then remembered. The stuff she found in her brother's room that night. "Crap… I can't believe I'm thinking about it now…" She thought.
"Is something on your mind, Malisha?" When Ava asks, Malisha sits up and puts her hands on both sides of her face. "My brother… I… I found stuff that… I wasn't supposed to see. Now… I'm worried about him and I can't stop thinking about it."
Ava suddenly opens up her bed and pats the clear space, "C'mon… there's enough room."
Malisha hesitates at first but after a minute of blushing at this exchange, she gets in the bed and Ava pulls the blanket over her. "Heh… comfy." Said Ava.
Malisha blushes, "I… I never shared a bed with anyone like this."
"You never slept next to anyone?" Ava asked. "Only my siblings. I never really slept next to anyone else." Malisha admits.
Ava then cuddles beside her. "Ava?..." Malisha is confused by her friend's sudden affection. She attempts to move away but is awed by Ava's face as she rests beside her. After a few minutes of lying beside each other, Malisha and Ava slowly fall asleep.
To Be Continued…