Some time passes and it turns to night. Still at the Wu Shi Academy, Jax is smoking a cigar while contemplating recent events with Raiden.
"I do not understand why my amulet is further damaged. "He must win". If not Manado, then who?" Raiden wonders.
"Ya got me. Not sure anybody coulda done what he and Liu Kang did. Made Shang Tsung look like a chump." Jax says.
While they're talking, a much younger looking Shang Tsung walks up to them seemingly unnoticed.
"Here to congratulate us on our victory, sorcerer?" Raiden asks the sorcerer while not looking at him directly.
Jax turns around and throws away his cigar.
"What? Shang Tsung?!" Jax asks, surprised to see him looking different.
"You have been revitalised, I see. I didn't realise your master was in the habit of rewarding failure." Raiden says.
"The emperor has an offer, Raiden. A new tournament." Shang Tsung informs.
"Heh. I see no reason to participate in any plan of yours." Raiden says, not being interested as to what the sorcerer had to say.
"The emperor proposes a single tournament, to replace the current system of ten. It will be held in Outworld. If Earthrealm does not win, Outworld will absorb it. But if Earthrealm wins, Shao Kahn will abandon his claim to it forever." Shang Tsung offers.
"Give your emperor my regards." Raiden replies, declining the offer.
Shang Tsung then smiles and generates a large portal across the courtyard. Out of it emerges hundreds of Tarkatan warriors. Furiously, Raiden begins fighting with Shang Tsung while Jax jumps into the rampaging army. He clotheslines one Tarkatan down, headbutts another, punches and knees yet another, throws him down and finishes him with a head stomp. A fourth Tarkatan sucker punches him, a fifth hits him and the fourth then kicks him in the face, sending him sprawling. As he lies on the ground, the Tarkatan brings his boot down hard on his face, knocking him unconscious.
Some time later as morning arrived, Jax starts hearing Raiden's voice as he comes to, and spots Johnny Cage kneeling over him. The Academy has been devastated by the Tarkatans, but Manado, Liu Kang and Kung Lao as well as Johnny Cage are uninjured.
"He gained a momentary advantage during our kombat and escaped. I now realise what we must do." Raiden says as Jax retains his composure.
"Uggh... Anybody get the number o' that--? Wait. Where's Sonya?" Jax asks, noticing that Sonya is missing from the group.
"Shang Tsung has taken her." Raiden informs.
"We've gotta find her!" Jax says.
"We must follow them!" Kung Lao insists.
"Shang Tsung has made it clear that Earthrealm will be under constant threat unless I agree to a new tournament." Raiden informs.
Raiden then receives another vision; one of Manado punching a hole through Shao Kahn's chest.
"Another vision?" Jax asks.
"Yes. I saw Manado win the proposed tournament. I believe we must attend. But my earlier vision, of your victory over Shang Tsung, was not the solution I sought. Therefore this premonition must show an event I need to change. Perhaps "He must win" refers to another." Raiden explains.
Manado looks a bit downcast at this.
"Hear me, Elder Gods! I accept the terms proposed by Shao Kahn!" Raiden calls out.
Suddenly a light from the heavens briefly absorbs Raiden, which is presumably their acknowledgement of this.
"We go to Outworld." Raiden says.
Later In Outworld, Goro brings what appears to be an amulet with a ying-yang symbol in the center to Shao Kahn. Kahn studies it, then returns it to the Shokan warrior. Raiden then enters the scene with Jax and Johnny Cage behind him.
"I assume that's the Big Man himself." Jax says, pointing at Shao Kahn.
"The wrestler guy with the cow skull on his head? And why aren't the Kung Fu Twins and your champion here helping us?" Johnny asks, seeing that the Shaolin warriors weren't with them.
"I sent Manado, Liu Kang and Kung Lao to free their Shaolin masters. I expected Sonya Blade to be here with Shang Tsung." Raiden explains.
"She'd better not have a scratch on her." Jax says.
Jax then stalks toward the throne.
"Wait! This is a tournament!" Raiden calls out.
"Ah! the Earthrealm delegation has arrived. And we have a volunteer for First Kombat!" Shang Tsung acknowledges.
"What?" Jax asked in confusion.
"The tournament will begin!" Shao Kahn announces.
The Tarkatan crowd in attendance suddenly roars in approval.
"Jackson Briggs! You will face... Baraka!" Shang Tsung announces.
The Tarkatans cheer louder as Baraka unsheathes his blades.
"Damn, you ugly." Jax says, seeing how the Tarkatan warrior looked.
"My blades will find your heart!" Baraka threatens.
They then fight. The match is a brutal, bloody affair, but Jax's strength and power sees him eventually triumph against the Outworld nomad.
"You shouldn't be runnin' with those." Jax advises.
While Baraka tries to pick himself up, Jax approaches Shang Tsung.
"Where's Sonya?" Jax asks, demanding for an answer.
"Tell me, Major Briggs; Do you and she do anything other than rescue one another?" Shang Tsung asks in a joking manner.
Jax growls as the Tarkatans behind him laugh.
"Your next opponent will be–" Shang Tsung says before Reptile appears behind him and starts whispering in his ear. "What is it?" Shang Tsung asks in annoyance.
Reptile continues whispering.
"Excellent. It seems I have a pressing matter to attend to. With the emperor's permission, we will reconvene later." Shang Tsung says while turning towards the emperor.
Shao Kahn approves with a wave of his hand. As he rises from his throne, Jade and Kitana look knowingly at one another and walk off.
"What was that all about? I think we should follow 'im." Jax suggests.
Raiden suddenly receives another vision; this one of Sonya in shackles.
"You ok?" Jax asks.
"Sonya Blade... she is to be executed. My powers are compromised here in Outworld, but I will be able to transport us near enough to her." Raiden says before they all depart the throne room.
Later, they somehow ended up in Shao Kahn's armoury. Apparently Raiden was unable to teleport them where he wanted to go.
"Maybe you could try for even nearer next time? Where are we?" Johnny asks.
"I will inform you the instant I know." Raiden replies.
Jax tries fiddling with his wrist-comm.
"Wish this damn tracking device worked in here." Jax says to himself.
"This is just like my movie "Time Smashers". We were goin' around in ti–" Johnny says before being cut off.
"Give it a rest, will ya? Makin' my ears hurt." Jax says before Johnny changes the subject.
"So what's the deal with you and Sonya, anyway? She's smokin' hot!" Johnny asks.
"It's not like that. I'm her C.O." Jax explains.
"Honey like that, under my command? Oh I'd be so–" Johnny says before being cut off.
"You'll wanna stop talking now." Jax warns.
"...But if it's not like that, then you won't mind if I–" Johnny tries to ask but Jax has heard enough.
"That's it! Time somebody shut you the hell up!" Jax says, announcing his fighting stance.
The two then fight. Jax shows next to no restraint while beating the crap out of Johnny. After a while he has the movie star beaten and on the floor.
"How you like that, Mr. A-List?" Jax taunts.
"Enough! Jackson Briggs, you will restrain yourself." Raiden orders.
"Yeah well, I–" Jax says before Raiden stops him with a raise of his hand.
"Someone approaches." Raiden informs.
"Good. Maybe somebody else needs their ass whooped." Jax says before he walks up to the newcomer, Jade.
"You lookin' for somethin'?" Jax asks the woman.
"The Armoury is restricted. You will leave now." Jade demands.
"Gonna have to ask nicer than that." Jax says.
They then fight. Jax shows that he's an equal-opportunist when it comes to fighting and doesn't hold back on the Edenian woman. Eventually Jade is put down for the count as well.
"Wrong place, wrong time, lady." Jax says to the unconscious edenian.
Johnny then approaches Jax, rubbing the back of his bruised head.
"Feel better?" Johnny asks.
"Uh, listen, Cage, I–" Jax says, trying to apologize but Johnny stops him.
"Don't worry about it. Guess we know where we are now, thanks to her." Johnny says.
"Yes. And where we must go." Raiden says before walking off.
"Let's do it." Jax says, following the thunder god.
They then take off, leaving Johnny alone.
"Uh, um–" Johnny tries to say something but Jax interrupts him.
"C'mon, Cage." Jax calls out from ahead and then Johnny tries to catch up.
In an underground location, Several guards of an unidentified Outworld species are playing a game in the Dead Pool area with what seems to be several octagon dice with unknown symbols on them. While they're playing the game, Sonya is tied up nearby and being guarded by Sheeva.
"What is it with you Shokan and underground cesspools?" Sony asks the Shokan woman.
"If you had not dishonoured yourself by attempting escape, we would not be here in this sewer." Sheeva says to the prisoner.
Just then Jax, Raiden and Cage show up at the other end of the pool.
"Sonya!" Johnny calls out.
Everyone then turns around and notices them.
"Guards! Stop them!" Sheeva orders as the guards grab their weapons.
"So much for the surprise attack..." Jax says.
Suddenly, The door behind them slams shut. Jax charges forward, ducks some swipes from a guard with a two edged mace, grabs the weapon and clobbers him with it. The guard falls into the pool and is dissolved into nothing but blood within seconds. Jax then throws down the mace and leaps over the remaining guards.
Johnny Cage and Raiden charge from behind and engage them while Jax faces down Sheeva.
"She is the emperor's property, human." Sheeva says.
"She's nobody's property." Jax informs.
They then start to fight. Like all Shokan, Sheeva is powerful and possesses magical abilities, but Jax is not about to let that stop him. Through sheer brute force, he manages to overpower Sheeva and leave her unconscious.
"I guess extra arms don't make a difference." Jax says.
He then walks over to Sonya.
"You sure have a way with women." Sonya jokes.
"You know me. I'm a class act." Jax says.
He then picks her off the hook she's on and cuts her restraints with a knife.
"Thanks. What took you so long?" Sonya asks.
Johnny Cage and Raiden then walk up to them.
"He was busy hitting me in the face." Johnny answers.
Jax and Sonya exchange smiles at this. Something then perks up on her wrist communicator.
"That's weird. I've got two sets of readings, heavy tech signals, both of 'em." Sonya says.
"Technology... Then they cannot be of Outworld. We need to confront the source of each signal. We might discover the one whose victory I must insure." Raiden says.
"Wait. What about us? What are we? Chopped liver?" Johnny asks.
Raiden stares at Cage for a moment.
"What?" Johnny asks.
"Perhaps you are right, Johnny Cage. You will stay close to me." Raiden says.
"Great, I–" Johnny says before Raiden stops him.
"Close as a shadow, and twice as silent." Raiden says.
"Sonya, you're with me. Keepin' my eye on you. Raiden, looks like you'll wanna teleport yourself about thirty klicks that way." Jax says.