Mystery Science Theater En Masse

Special Episode 7: The Scar (Part Ten)

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11. Our Past

The Scar

A Mortal Kombat Fanfiction

A.N. Hey everyone! I was browsing through all of my old reviews and stumbled across something that I felt was too hilarious to be forgotten, so in case you guys hadn't been to the recesses of my stories reviews, I got flamed a long time ago.

Keep in mind! It did not hurt my feelings or anything, I just thought it was funny how someone wrote a full page bashing my story.

Keep sippin on dat Haterade bruh ;D

Sonic: He's gonna hate this riffing.
Keiko: ...we never said that he had no life.
James: We just hate that damn Stu. There's a difference.
Jessie: Even though you hate him the most.

Lol that was the first and only flame review I've ever gotten on any of my Fanfictions and my sister gave me the idea to share it with all those who've never seen it. I think it's incredible how someone could dedicate 1,500 words of hate just to say that they disliked my story. And while I acknowledged certain things he did say later on, I just still think it's incredible. And no I wasn't dramatically damaged by the review,

Mai: Nor did he call the flamer Hitler...
Cassy: Wait, people do that?
Amy: You should've seen the good old days of bad authors reacting poorly to criticism.

I did take it seriously (For professional reasons) and that kind of is what drove me to improve myself, the first flame and hopefully the only one.

Everyone gets hated on at some point, I just happened to get it early in the writing of The Scar.

Jessie: And partially for good reason.

Why am I bringing this up you ask? So I answer, because it's reminded me of how far I've come. I feel so blessed to have so many people who do enjoy my story despite the flaws, despite my wonky update schedule, and despite everything else I do wrong. It's because of you guys that we've come this far, so thank you to everyone who reads and reviews :) You guys are dah real MVP.

Cassy: Dude, every story has their own flaws.
Emi: And this one's flawed as heck. It's still flawed as heck. And it's still not the worst fic that anyone has seen.

ANYWHORE, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter more than that flamer ever will x)

Disclaimer: Go eat a hamburger and choke on a cow dick! ...Or something...I dunno, I don't own Mortal Kombat xD

Day 8 Of The Mortal Kombat Tournament: Black Scar's Dojo

Amy: He owns a dojo on a lost island?
Mai: He took out a mortgage for it.

Crack!

James: I'm surprised that I'm not doing any of it.
Jessie: Oh, shut up.

Yet another wooden pillar had splinters of wood snap out of it as Kyle was knocked backwards colliding into them by Liu Kang's attacks. However he managed to dodge under a follow up kick by him by weaving to the right as the support snapped even further from the impact.

Kyle re-took his stance, not stopping his movement so he could keep up with his trainer. Liu though just seemed to never run out of energy, and was constantly in some form of motion while he honed in on the younger male. He dished out several quick strikes which Kyle struggled trying to parry and block them to the best of his ability.

Liu faked him out by moving in a jumping motion to get Kyle to block high, while his actual attack went low, whacking him beneath the rib cage. This also caused Liu to spot the slightest restraint and hesitation of Kyle's injured arm. He kept it pulled back and away from his mentor while his better limb was doing the brunt majority of the work in this spar. So using this, Liu Kang immediately went on the offensive again, however this time directly targeting the teen's weaker side; testing how he was going to react. And just like he predicted, Kyle tried to dodge and block with his better hand rather than both. "Catastrophic failure."

Emi: Hey, this fic isn't under Catastrophic Failure...
Amy: Good. Let's hope that it never reaches that level.

Liu pointed out in his head, but when he brought it up to his student later, he would word it a bit more nicely. Two quick kicks and a final whirling shot downward broke easily through his defense and put Kyle back onto the floor, still only using his good hand to support him as he fell to a kneel.

"You're too concerned with your wound." Liu said, not even sparing him a second glance as he walked away towards one of the benches where two leather canteen pouches rested among other supplies. "Even if you thought you were hiding it, it's painfully obvious you're weaker there. You're protecting yourself in all of the wrong ways." He picked up both of the containers and turned back to the recovering fighter, who now was rising back to his feet. "And..." Liu tossed a bottle to Kyle, "You're still slow. More so than usual today."

Sonic: Well, he was already kinda dense, so...

Hastily Kyle caught the offered drink and pulled the top free to drink the contents down. The two combatants had arrived in the dojo very soon after daybreak and had been practicing all morning. Both of them were sweaty and to say he was parched was an understatement.

After they each took a good long swig Kyle quickly spoke, "I didn't get any sleep ok?" Then resumed drinking.

"Well you'll have to make sure that doesn't happen, when you're tired you get slow, and when you're slow..." Without warning, Liu swiftly shot a spin kick at Kyle knocking the bottle clean from his hands spraying water about, then bringing his leg up again in another kicking motion, but he didn't make contact with him. Instead opting to just let his boot hang there beside the teen's face to get his point across. "You die."

Keiko: ...sounds almost like my early training days.

Kyle stared at his mentor as if he had a label branded into his head that read 'king of the assholes' in large bold letters.

James: I see that we're back to pissing and moaning again.
Cassy: Character development? The hell is that?

Liu just gave a cocky smirk and lowered his leg, moving to collect the poor canteen he practically obliterated. Kyle licked his lips catching a few of the remaining water droplets there, "No instructor's ever kicked water in my face before."

Emi: This is the part where Master Kyo would've dumped him.
Sonic: I think he would've thrown him out to pasture much earlier than that.
Emi: Precisely. His training methods are quite... unorthodox.

Liu chuckled, "Never had any good instructors than." Kyle rolled his eyes as Liu gathered up the water bottle and also a towel. "Five minutes, then we continue." The younger of the two nodded accepting the offered towel and began drying himself off, still being wary of not putting to much pressure on his bandaged arm. Still wrapped in the blue Edenian cloth. It wasn't only the lack of sleep that was slowing Kyle down, but also his

Cassy: ...dick.
Mai: *whacks Cassy with her rolled-up newspaper* Bad Cassy!
Cassy: Ow, dude!

encounter with the Princess the night before. He just couldn't get her out of his head causing him to lack focus. Her face, her voice, everything about her was stunning, and he was still eagerly hoping she would keep to her word and return for another night. There was so much more they could talk about. "What did you're instructors teach you?"

Emi: "Don't quit on me," and... "You owe me food".
Cassy: *cracks up*

The question roused Kyle from his thoughts, "Oh um, well I started when I was fourteen with just basic Karate till I got a black belt in it. But after that I started learning Ju-Jistu, I was still taking lessons on that though when I got the invitation to come to the island." He leaned up against the far wall of the dojo beneath the ceiling and beside the bench where Liu was seated. "And of course, my brother in law is in the military and he was teaching me some close quarter techniques too."

Jessie: Uh-huh.
James: He left out the part where he fucking killed people, too.

At that Liu got a questioning look on his face, "So, you've had no...truely formal training in the art of combat. No actual masters or...great fighter heritage?"

Sonic: *points to Emi and Keiko*
Emi: My sister's been training since the age of five. I've been training since... well... it's not that long.

Kyle shook his head, "No, My Dad's a tow truck driver and my Mom works at Target." The mention of his family almost caused him to falter for a second, but he continued. "Um...Grandpa's a carpenter, and Grandma was always a stay at home mom. Don't know anything after that far though so, hey maybe I do have some ancient warrior in my blood somewhere. I guess that would explain what the Hell I'm doing here."

Again, his teacher looked at him confused. "You're here to defend Earthrealm."

Mai: He is now. I love how this fic keeps trying to erase his original reason--

"I know, I know but...honestly Liu why me?" He asked, genuinely wondering. "When I first got here I thought it was because I was becoming a vigilante.

Mai: ...oh. I spoke too soon.
Jessie: Even though it was finally mentioned after, what, four or five chapters?

But now, I honestly don't have a clue why. You've seen how I fight, I can't beat you, I barely beat Reptile...

Sonic: No, you didn't! All we got was that dumb "his armor bailed him out" stuff!
Amy: And the fact that the narration spat at him at every opportunity.

and I beat Savage by accident." He let a slight snicker escape him, "Irony at it's finest."

Keiko: More like her incompetence got her killed.

He was staring down at his towel at this point, forgetting why he even had it to begin with. Too busy feeling in over his head still. Liu Kang thought about what he said for a minute, pondering over what he could tell him. It was true what he said, Kyle's fighting skills were only slightly above street brawler level with some discipline and armor. Why was he brought to this island?

Liu stood up, "Perhaps they see the same potential in you Lord Raiden does." Kyle met eyes with his teacher, "You said you thought that you were brought here due to your past endeavors in the streets of your hometown, right?"

Kyle nodded, "Yeah, I was taking on street thugs. I...I killed my first mugger when I just turned sixteen."

Emi: Happy birthday, here's a corpse!

He recalled, but didn't like fishing around in his memory for that. That was a very bad night.

Almost recoiling a bit at that statement, Liu was suddenly very aware of Kyle's age. He was essentially still a child despite being in his late teens,

All: *stares at the screen*
Jessie: Getting real tired of the "he's just a kid" excuse...

and a child soldier could at times be more dangerous than adult ones.

Jessie, James: Tell us about it...
Cassy: I could only let this pass if he was being blackmailed, forced to do it, or trained since birth or something. He willingly killed people and gloated about it.

This was something he would bring up to Raiden later, for now he would only focus on helping Kyle, "Our past is

Sonic: ...a title drop.

not what defines us, it's only what we do in the present that defines the future, both ours and the worlds. I can only guess what the Elder Gods saw in you,

James: A pure hunk of fuckin' nothing. Then again, they are the ones who just sit on their arses all day long.

but if you're here it means they've dubbed you worthy to fight for Earthrealm for a reason."

Emi: *confused* ...the Elder Gods know how to send mail through the United States Postal Service?
Mai: Well, they do watch everything, I guess.

He paused to put a reassuring hand on Kyle's shoulder, "You'll find out what that reason was in time but for now, don't focus on the past, don't think about how you feel inferior to the other combatants. You are yes,"

Jessie: But what if he's no?
Keiko: I'm usually a no... on almost everything.

He added just giving a playful jab making sure that the teen still knew his place. "But focusing on what you will become is what you need to do, to drive you towards being a true soldier of Earthrealm. And I'm going to do whatever I can to give you the strength to do so."

That was maybe one of the nicest things Liu had ever said to him, and it did soften Kyle's somber outlook on things. Maybe he wasn't totally screwed, if Liu could teach him to survive maybe he really could become a fighter.

Maybe he could win.

Cassy: And then his next opponent was Goro.
Sonic: *laughs loudly, wipes a few tears away* Oh, that hurt my ribs a bit.

Putting his own hand on Liu's shoulder Kyle replied, "Thanks Liu."

Mentor patted students shoulder then stepped back, "Now, we resume Scar." He said and turned away not noticing Kyle visibly grimaced hearing that name, then lead him back to the center of the dojo. "You can't be overprotective of your weaknesses, like an arm injury. If I can see it your enemies will see it, and they will exploit it. You need to learn how to absorb your pain, channel it, and camouflage it so that your foe won't be able to use it against you."

"And how do I do tha-" Kyle was cut off by a surprise fist to the face, Liu spun on his heel and gave a good straight shot to Kyle who reeled back and clutched his nose in pain.

All: *eyes widening*
James: Well, fuck me! I know that we all wanted to punch him in the face, but that came right out of nowhere!

"You're going to learn to take a hit, and keep moving as expertly as you were before that hit. Absorb it, and show as little pain as possible." Liu said then stood in a rest position immediately in front of the teen, "Like so, I want you to punch me right in the face." Kyle hesitated, "Go ahead, think of it as a revenge shot." Liu added with a smile.

Emi: Well, thank goodness that he didn't ask Miyuki to punch him...

Anxious wasn't enough to describe how he was feeling. Was he going to flip him? Or counter in some unique Kung Fu manner? He didn't know for sure, but the now throbbing pain in his nose made him want that revenge shot. "What the hell, what's the worst that could happen?" He thought, heading his teachers command and swinging a right hook right across Liu Kangs face.

Keiko: I don't know, maybe a broken hand because you punched incorrectly?

His head took the impact and turned several inches to the side in the direction of Kyle's attack, but other than that Liu retained the same expression and rest position. "Like that you see?"

Kyle looked on confused, "You didn't feel that?"

Amy: If he didn't... that would mean that he's dead.

"No of course I felt it, but with the proper training and discipline you learn how to focus and absorb the force of each hit without letting it slow you down or make you look hurt." Liu answered standing to his full height and changing to a fighting stance, "Now it's your turn."

Kyle went on edge right away, "Wait, how do I-"

Sonic: He has a right to panic. I mean, he was already punched in the face less than five minutes ago.
Mai: I just have the feeling that he'll instantly learn to absorb the pain after a five minute lesson.

"Just take a breath." Liu stopped him, "Channel yourself, this is just the start. You'll learn with time, pain has nothing to do with the body, it's all up here." He tapped his temple,

Jessie: What if there's nothing up there? Is he screwed?

"Ready?" He did take a deep breath albeit nervously, it wasn't exactly something you looked forward to, getting hit in the face.

James: Even though I'll enjoy this.
Cassy: Dude, you wanted this more than the rest of us.

But blowing the air out from his lips Kyle nodded, and not a second later Liu threw a blur of a punch into the students face stumbling him backwards a few steps. Kyle yelped and bit down on his teeth trying to stay quiet, trying not to show his obvious pain. "Again!" Liu said and right away Kyle went back to his solid stance, allowing his teacher to again hit him dead center noggin.

Amy: Emi? Did Mr. Kusanagi ever do that?
Emi: Harsh training sessions, yes. Blatantly punching us in the face? No. *mutters* Actually, the "punching in the face" part does occur during those practice sparring sessions every once in a while...

After the first few hits, Kyle kept tumbling away trying harder and harder to remain still and just focus enough to channel the energy from each blow. But it got harder as every hit hurt worse than the last.

Cassy: He's gonna have a crater in his face if this keeps up.
Keiko: ...too late.

But he wouldn't quit, he would prove he could do it. "I'm not a quitter, I'm fucking Black Scar damn it!" But even the sound of his masked self's name didn't sit right during this beating. But it at least helped him get a single statement out after the fifth or sixth hit, he lost count after a while.

Kyle readied himself again before Liu, but only this time to try and show he was going to tough this out; he spit some drops of blood out from his mouth and onto the white dojo floor, along with sputtering the words, "You hit like a bitch."

Sonic: *hides behind the couch*
James: What in the world are you doing?
Sonic: I've dealt with six angry women who blew up a screen for good reason. Five of them are here, and the sixth is in the stands. I'm just getting out of the way so I don't get hurt in the process.
James: You know he's going to get hit right after saying that. Get your spiny arse back in your seat, mate.

Liu grinned, "There you go." Then hit him hard.

Sonic: *slowly climbs back into his seat* So that's why nobody budged.

Kombatant's Tower: Bridge

Amy: Stop the presses, I think I'm gonna have a heart attack.
Keiko: All because the "K" was finally used.

Sonya Blade stood pacing back and forth listening to nothing but loud white noise and the garbled sounding voice of HQ sending delayed messages. "What do you mean there's no signal? Just lock onto my comm damn it!"

"...So-...there's no...gone..."

She rolled her eyes, "They've got Jax, and if I don't fight in this fucking Tournament they're gonna kill him. Why haven't you sent reinforcements? I've sent you the coordinates to my location like nineteen fucking times!" Angrily she swatted at her wrist communicator trying to get a more clear message.

Keiko: If you need to have more urgency, simply drop the "F" bomb.
Mai: Doesn't that usually fail?
Keiko: It always fails.

To her surprise, it helped a bit, "Liuten-...reinforcements were sen-...ays ago...there's no island..."

"Wait what?" Sonya caught the last statement and stopped pacing in her tracks, "Repeat that last, repeat?"

Through the static, the voice said, "...Search parties...dispatched forty days ag-...no island...you disappeared Son..."

"Forty days ago?"

Sonic: And forty nights ago, too.
Cassy: *boos Sonic*

The blonde stood there in stunned silence putting the pieces of the message together in her head. The mission's estimated time of completion was three to five days. With a planned rescue dispatch team set to move in for them on day six if no communication was established.

Sonya and the others had only been on the island for eight days...

Jessie: What kind of messed up time zone is that?
Amy: I think it's that Greenwich Time Zone. Or the weird funky part of the International Date Line. Or the Bermuda Triangle.
Jessie: Let's go with the third one.

A.N. Rushed the ending cuz I want it up NAO!

James: Damn it, don't admit that you rushed it! It's like sex; you gotta do it nice and slow.
Sonic: Um. *coughs* Too much info, buddy.

xD In case you didn't get the ending though there's a time difference between the realms, and that's all I'll say about it for right now.

Amy: I thought that we were still on Earthrealm... *scratches her head* I'm probably wrong here.

So this chapter had kind of a lot of filler and some backstory, not much exciting stuff but it will get more exciting I promise! More Kitana/Kyle meetings and other characters interacting as well :) I hope you guys enjoy it

Emi: Actually, backstory is pretty much needed. It's better than rushing into plotlines like a lost child.
Cassy: Or falling over a cliff.

Don't ask me when the next chapter's coming out because I do not yet know lol, I'm hoping this month but you guys know how I am with my release dates x) Hey, at least I got this chappy up while it was still July LIKE I SAID I WOULD.

ALSO, this chapter is actually over 3,000 words, I made a mistake and didn't finish the authors notes and uploaded it by accident xD so it's not under three thousand, just so you know.

So anyways, leave a review below and let me know what you'd like to see in the future, are you guys fans of the sort of student/mentor bromance that's forming? Kyle and Liu Kang definitely started off as 'I hate you very much' people to each other,

Keiko: Even though that was mostly one-sided on a certain someone's part...

but now we'll see if they can get a solid friendship out of being forced to train each other. And no, Liu isn't being hard on Kyle, he's trying to ready him for the fights ahead so there isn't enough time to baby him the whole way through.

Sometimes you gotta shed some blood to get things done.

Mai: I get that, yes, but by punching a crater into his face?
James: Hey, people bleed more blood than an average person in that universe. Crater faces are par for the course.

And like I said guys, more interactions will show up next chapter and things are finally going to start getting a little 'steamy' but don't get your hopes up toooooo high, I'm going for realism here, remember that. Flirting does not mean immediate sex xD baby steps guys, baby steps.

All: *stunned*
Cassy: Wait, so this isn't a typical badfic?
Jessie: It's a sad day when we're stunned at the fact that there isn't any instant coitus.

Did you guys like it so far though? What do you think, comment below, let me know :)

Next Chapter: An Interesting Feeling

James: I have a question! Where's the sex scene so I can snark the hell out of it?
Keiko: You do not want to riff poorly written sex scenes.
Amy: Oh. Right. Bad sex fics are the Neo Esaka's specialty.
Sonic: How do you all get through those fics without gargling bleach all the time?
Emi: We just listen to Master Kyo's disgusted reactions. It helps us most of the time.

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