PART 18: THE DECIDER

The huge heels of Jax and Extendar scattered the evil warriors about. Shang Tsung and Evil-Lyn fled to the other side of the room from the giants.
"Give in, Skeletor!" Evil-Lyn called to her master. "There is no way we can defeat those giants- especially when they fight alongside He-Man!"
"Are you going out of your mind, Evil-Lyn?" snapped Skeletor in reply. "How many times do I have to say that the Lord of Destruction never gives in?"
"Why keep fighting when you can live to destroy them another day?" she answered.
Skeletor stopped fighting for a second, backed away from He-Man and lowered his havoc staff. She was right. He had to admit it himself- there was no way he could defeat He-Man when he was backed with two giants, a powerful martial arts champion, a fearless warrior princess and the former queen of Outworld! He would meet his death amongst them. So he had to escape- he could still live to destroy them- but maybe sooner than another day..
He turned his back on the heroic warriors and made for the door.
"Follow me, evil warriors!" he called. "It is unwise to continue to fight against enemies we cannot defeat!"
"Are you mad, Skeletor?" growled Khan. "Why should we give in against such fools?"
"You cannot win, Khan." replied Skeletor. "You have lost against Liu Kang before, you will lose again- and you have no chance against He-Man. Why continue fighting when your defeat is ensured?"
Khan stopped and turned to face Skeletor, who was standing by the door.
"Yes- you're right, Skeletor!" he called to his companions. "Tsung- Chameleon- follow me!"
Tsung, Chameleon, and then Evil-Lyn, turned to follow their masters out of the hall.
"We did it!" cried out Liu Kang, throwing his arms in the air. "Another Mortal Kombat won- and this time they gave in!"
"Do not rejoice yet, Liu." said Kitana. "I fear there is more than this than meets the eye."
"You are right, Kitana." said the Sorceress. "Skeletor doesn't give in that easily.."
The evil warriors ascended the staircase.
"Have we given in?" asked Chameleon. "Are you going back to your homeworld?"
"Do you take me for a fool, ninja?" replied Skeletor. "We can still destroy those warriors- by combining our powers."
"I will do so, Skeletor." said Khan, "but remember- you will be dead soon after we have destroyed them!"
"Or WE shall be fighting." replied Skeletor. "But that is of no importance just now. We need to think of some trick we can use to destroy them.."
"I can turn invisible!" cried Chameleon. "Virtually invisible, I can blend in with the background!"
"Then we shall use that for our trick!" said Khan. "I think they may follow us- so we must act quickly.."
"I think maybe we should follow them." said Sindel to He-Man, back in the hall. "You never know what trick they may be hatching.."
"You are right," said He-Man, and brandished the sword of power. "I will go after them. You can accompany me, Liu Kang."
"I will, He-Man." replied Liu. "Sonya- Sub Zero- you guard the entrance to this hall! Jax and Extendar can stay inside to stomp on anyone if they get past you!"
"The rest of us should accompany you." said Kabal. "You may need us for backup."
"Then you follow behind- but only strike if we need you!" said He-Man.
So He-Man, Kang, the Sorceress, Kitana, Sindel and Kabal ascended the staircase. It was the only place the evil warriors could have gone. Eventually they reached a dark room, resembling the caverns they'd been in before- lit up by a strange, glowing green fungus.
"We'll investigate this room." said He-Man. "You four can continue up the stairs and we'll shout if we need you."
"Good luck, He-Man." said the Sorceress, and she continued up the stairs with the other warriors.
He-Man and Extendar stepped into the dark room. There was no sign of any evil warriors. They explored the room for a few minutes, and noticed that there was a large drop down into a pit full of strange reptilian creatures. But nowhere was there any sign of their enemies.
"It doesn't seem like they're in here." said He-Man.
"Yes," replied Kang- "Seems we picked the wrong room. Let's go up and join the others.."
Just then, Kang felt an unseen force tug at his arm. Before he could react, it flung him over the edge, spiralling towards the pit below.
"Liu!" shouted He-Man, thinking Kang had merely slipped off. "Do not fear- I'll rescue you!"
"Then get down there to save him!" came a sinister voice from out of nowhere, and He-Man was pushed off the ledge and down into the pit.
Up above, the Sorceress and the others were exploring another room where human bones lay scattered about. They had not yet seen any sign of the evil warriors.
But all of a sudden, He-Man emerged from the blackness. "Thank goodness you're all safe!" he said.
"He-Man!" she cried in astonishment. "How did you get here? We left you down there.."
"I found a secret passage leading up here!" said He-Man. "Skeletor and his evil companions were hiding in there, and Liu and I defeated them in no time! We've won now!"
"Where's Liu?" asked Kitana.
"Just cleaning away Shao Khan's remains!" replied He-Man. "He'll be with you soon- but we can be on our way home." He stepped forward to shake her hand- at the same time paralysing her completely. He picked up her body, and threw her into a steel net!
Then his body began to change form- and he turned into the evil sorcerer Shang Tsung! "Who's next?" Tsung said evilly.
"They're all next!" came the voice of Evil-Lyn. She appeared behind the warriors, spread out her arms and trapped them in her force field. Tsung threw them one by one into the net, then used his magic to open up the floor, sending them plummeting down, all caught up in the net! He grasped the net tightly and looked down below at He-Man and Liu Kang in the reptile pit!
As he and Liu Kang battled to get free from the savage, poisonous reptiles, He-Man looked up and saw Shang Tsung gripping a steel net- with his friends caught inside it! Up on the ledge, Chameleon appeared out of nowhere. It must have been him that pushed He-Man and Kang off the ledge!
But surely not all was lost- the Sorceress should be able to use her power to escape!
"Sorceress-" he called, "can you not escape?"
"Not while she is trapped in my paralysis field!" came the voice of Evil-Lyn. Then the gruesome forms of Skeletor and Shao Khan came out of a hidden doorway in the wall. Their figures stood upon the ledge, and looked down at He-Man, like two gods of evil looking down on their inferiors.
"So, He-Man." said Skeletor triumphantly. "You still lose. Those reptiles will make a meal of you and Kang!"
"And evil wins Mortal Kombat again!" laughed Khan. "Once the reptiles have destroyed you, your friends shall all meet their fate at my hands!"
He-Man struggled against the powerful, deadly reptiles, which slithered around his body, squeezing him tight and biting through his muscular flesh. Was all really lost? He looked over at Kang, whose throat was about to be torn out by a snake-like creature..
He had to struggle his hardest- or all was lost for Outworld, Earth- and if Skeletor defeated Khan, Eternia. And He-Man could not let that happen. He just managed to wrench his arm free of the reptile's clutches, and he reached behind his back and drew his power sword. He had to call for extra power from the elders to break free.
"BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!" he called. There followed a blinding burst of light, which scattered the reptiles in terror. Feeling more powerful than ever, He-Man swished his power sword through the air, and sliced one of the snake-creatures in half!
"I HAVE THE POWER!" he called as parts from the reptile's body flew to opposite sides of the pit. Then he went over to Kang, and cut through the body of the reptile crouched over him! Kang was safe, and the reptiles fled from the two warriors, frightened by the burst of light and He-Man's power.
Kang and He-Man looked up to their enemies. "Care to try any more tricks?" asked Kang, sarcastically.
Khan laughed in mockery. "You are weak, Kang." he said. "And as for you, He-Man, you have caused me too much trouble. How can Skeletor put up with you on Eternia?! I will make sure you bother neither of us ever again!"
He threw a huge fireball at He-Man from his helmet- but He-Man dodged aside and it burnt away some reptiles instead. Then he used his powerful legs to propel him upwards- and with one blow of the mighty power sword, he knocked Khan over the edge into the pit of reptiles! Khan gave a loud scream, landed heavily, and his large body was covered up by the slimy reptiles.
Free from the reptiles, Kang used a bicycle kick to propel him upwards and join He-Man on the ledge. Now only Skeletor stood in their way. They knew that Tsung, Evil-Lyn and Scorpion posed no real threat.
"Care to face us, Skeletor?" said Kang. "I hope you do- because I challenge you to a fight!"
"You fool.." hissed Skeletor, "you may have beaten Khan before- but I am more powerful. I will be the cause of your destruction!"
Skeletor brandished his havoc staff, and charged at Kang like a raging animal. But Kang was too quick for him- he ducked and threw a low fireball at Skeletor, blowing the warlord straight across the room! Skeletor hit his skull on the rocky wall, and collapsed to the ground, motionless.
He-Man patted Kang on the back. "Well done, Liu." he congratulated him.
"You haven't won yet.." came Tsung's voice. "We still have your friends- and they will meet their doom amongst the reptiles!" He let go of the steel net, which plummeted towards the reptile pit!
But that was no problem for He-Man. He leapt towards the falling net, caught it, then embedded his sword in the rocky wall to keep him from falling. He reached out the net, Liu grabbed hold of it, and laid it on the ledge. Then He-Man leapt back to join Liu on the ledge.
"They're still under Evil-Lyn's spell!" said Liu.
"I'll change that!" said He-Man. "My power sword can undo that spell!" he fired a blast from his power sword at Evil-Lyn, and she fell back, losing her concentration, and releasing the warriors from her spell. With a burst of heroic might, they smashed themselves out of the steel net, setting themselves free.
"You've still got me to deal with!" said Tsung.
"And me!" added Chameleon, appearing beside Tsung.
"Against all of us?" asked the Sorceress. "I wouldn't say you stood much chance.."
"And against us!" added Sonya, entering the room with Sub Zero and Jax and Extendar, now back to normal size.
Tsung and Chameleon backed off. They had no chance. The Mortal Kombat tournament was over- and won by good again.
Tsung spread his arms, said "I declare Mortal Kombat- over!" and he and Chameleon and Evil-Lyn vanished into thin air.
In came Stryker and Smoke, in one piece. "Blade and Saurod have had it!" said Stryker. "They're out there collapsed on the rocks- exhausted!"
"Then we've won!" cried Liu Kang. "Victory is ours- again!"
"It is indeed!" said Rayden, teleporting inside. "I knew you would not fail."
"You.. spoilt my plans.. again." said Skeletor, groggily, rising to his feet, dazed and battered. "He-Man.. I curse you.. you follow me everywhere" then he took a deep breath, and shouted "BUT I WILL DESTROY YOU IN THE END!"
"I'm amazed you haven't surrendered." said He-Man. "You should know by now that you can never defeat the power of good!"
Skeletor turned away. "Someday, He-Man.. someday.." he flicked on his wrist- radio. "Comtech.. teleport us back.. to Eternia.."
The dimensional door opened within seconds, swallowing up Skeletor and Evil-Lyn, then spreading out to consume the other defeated Eternian warriors.
Rayden spread his arms across He-Man's and Kang's shoulders.
"I really am proud of you two." he said.
"And so am I." said Sonya to He-Man, in admiration. "Well done- you really are amazing."
"Now let's go home!"
The heroic warriors emerged on Earth, in the streets of Chicago, by the remains of what was once the Shao Khan tower. They looked strange amongst the normal people of Earth- but they were truly victorious.
"Well done, He-Man." congratulated Kang. "You've got us one step closer to defeating the evil of Outworld!"
"And you've got us one step closer to defeating Skeletor!" he shook Liu's hand.
"You warriors of Earth have helped us greatly." said the Sorceress, "and you deserve some rewards!" She spread her arms around Smoke, and his robot form vanished, replaced by a new, handsome human form.
"Thank you very much!" he said, and shook her hand. "You've done the best thing anyone's ever done for me!"
Sub Zero slung his arm round the all-new Smoke's shoulders. "Now we can be normal again!" he said.
Liu Kang and Kitana embraced one another passionately, pleased to be free again from evil. Sindel joined them, and said "We can go home now- and I'm never joining Khan's side again!"
"And we can go back to stopping riots!" said Stryker, patting Kabal on the back.
"Would you like me to restore your face?" the Sorceress asked Kabal.
"No thanks," the warrior replied- "I quite like this face now! It's the best weapon I've ever had- and it can defeat evil in seconds!"
"You are a true warrior." said the Sorceress- "You all are, and if we ever need your help- we'll call for you!"
"We're always at your service!" said Kang. "I'd like to see this Eternia someday!"
"Then I look forward to meeting you again!" said He-Man.
"Eternia's a nice place, Liu." said Rayden- "and I'd better be going there now- I'm sure I can celebrate with He-Man back on his homeworld!"
"We shall be going back now-" said He-Man, "but maybe I will return here someday- it's been interesting to see some of my mother's planet! I'm sure we will meet again!"
"I'll look forward to it!" said Sonya.
"Goodbye, Eternians!" said Liu.
"Good journey, my friends!" replied He-Man. "May the first be with you!"
The Sorceress spread her arms, and her and He-Man and Extendar, along with Rayden, were engulfed by a bright light, waving goodbye to their new-found allies as they teleported back to Eternia, leaving the Earth warriors in peace and harmony, to celebrate their supreme victory over evil. For the moment, the greatest evil forces in the universe were defeated, and the universe blossomed with peace as the forces of good reigned supremely over all that was evil.