Johnny Cage decided to join the Mortal Kombat tournament to prove himself as a fighter. He went to the harbor and waited for the ship that would take him to Shang Tsung's island, along with his agent and personal secretary. Both were fearful about his security, and tried to convince him to not attend the tournament. Cage, however, said that no one would even touch him. After he boarded the ship, Cage was harassed by the Black Dragon leader known as Kano and his allies. A fellow Shaolin Monk named Liu Kang managed to help Cage, beating several of the thugs, while the superstar attacked a distracted Kano, knocking him down with a Shadow Kick. After the brawl, Cage and Kang presented each other. Arriving at the island, Cage joined forces with Liu Kang and Sonya, a member of the United States