Hey! Look, I'm doing a thing! This is a thing! Totally not related to Tales Of China, once again!

...good grief how long has it been since I've done a separate Kung Fu Panda story. It was a one-shot...it's almost been a year.

Wow. Just...just...wow. Good Grief.

...ANYWAY. This has been on my mind for quite a while. A long time after the events of KFP3, something keeps picking at the back of Po's mind. Now that he's older, wiser, and much more kindhearted, he feels as if something was missing. That there was something else that he had to do. And with the assistance of the deceased Master Oogway, he may just achieve this personal goal of his.

If he succeeds, he can move on with his life with less regrets.

Maybe this has been done already. I'm not sure. But if it has...ah geez. That'll suck for me.

Oh, one more thing! This will be my entry to the #KFPFRIEND16 competition. It will definitely be more than one chapter, and unlike my two other oneshots, there will be action. I'll just do my best and hope that it satisfies. Might not be as good as the others, but I'm okay with that.

Anyway, let's do this!

Po was sitting down in his room in a silent meditative position, his eyes gently closed, his breathing soft and practiced. His special staff that Oogway passed down to him was placed against the wall on a special rack. He was trying to treat it with the proper respect that it deserved, so he definitely didn't just play with it as if it were an actual battle staff, even though it might be able to be used that way. And when he does possibly get caught playing with it, he'd get a winded lecture from Shifu about how such a sacred part of Oogway must be treated with he utmost respect and care.

...so he definitely made sure to clean his paws when after he eats lunch. The last time he didn't remember to do such a thing...it didn't end well for his rear. He could still feel the rather immense sting due to how hard Shifu kicked him.

Regardless, he didn't wonder over those ridiculous thoughts for too long. He had important business to attend to. He has become the successor of the Great Master Oogway. And as such, he should be in balance with not just the mortal realm, but the Spirit Realm as well. Oogway's so aligned with the Spirit Realm that it allowed him to sometimes appear in the mortal realm as a spirit. He doesn't always do it for an extended period of time, but long enough to get his message across and return. That was how he let his father know he was alive.

He silently shook his head, trying to regain his focus. He couldn't become distracted. This was something very important to him, and now that he's gotten better at his duties of being the Dragon Warrior, he feels confident enough to try something like this, but humble enough to acknowledge that it might not work the first time. He needed to be focused, he needed to be balanced, and he needed absolute control, and absolute silence-

Grrrr...

...sigh.

...

...Okay, one bowl of dumplings later, NOW he's ready to give this a shot. Everyone else was asleep, so he wouldn't be interrupted in such an unprepared manner. As long as he wasn't gone too long, there would be no need to worry about anyone bursting in on him while he's doing this. Since he's not sure it'll even work, he didn't want to tell anyone just yet.

Po took a deep breath, and slowly releases it, relaxing all of his senses...wait. There was something being blocked. A bit of a disturbance within. It was keeping him from fully focusing on his task, yet he had no idea what it could possibly-

"*Burp*"

Oh! That's better! That takes care of his own distractions for the time being. He tries again, relaxing all of his senses.

Focus. You're treading in a sacred world, big guy. You have to do it with confidence, but at the same time, you gotta be humble. Don't force yourself into this world...let it invite you in. The Dragon Warrior must respect the mysteriousness that is the Spirit Realm...man, those lessons in patience have REALLY paid off! D'oh, stay focused Panda! Breathe. Allow the Spirit Realm to invite you in. Oogway calls it a sacred world...don't be rude by forcing your way in...let it welcome you...

Po kept his eyes closed and his mental and spiritual states calm, even as he felt the world shift around him. It took a few moments, but he didn't move the entire time. He may be the Dragon Warrior, but that didn't give him any more authority than he usually has. He still wishes to be seen as everyone's equal. As a friend. That includes those in the Spirit Realm. Speaking of the Spirit Realm, and speaking of friends...

"...Po. It's alright. You safely crossed over with no incidents, so you may open your eyes now." A soft chuckle followed afterwards. "There is no need to feel so worried. The Spirit Realm has grown acquainted to you after your last time here."

Recognizing the voice easily, Po opened his eyes to see Oogway standing before him. He also recognized that he was back in his Spirit Warrior garbs when he had his final showdown with Kai. But that mattered little right now, the tortoise in front of him comes first.

"Oogway!" Po stood up quickly, placed one paw in his fist and bowed respectfully. Oogway did the same, bowing before Po. Now those words of pleasantries was out of the way, Po rushed him and picked the tortoise up in a friendly bear hug.

"Ooh! Hehehe~It's good to see you too, my friend." Oogway smiles warmly, patting Po's back. "I see that you have helped the pandas integrate into the Valley of Peace quite nicely."

"Yup! Everything's been fine and dandy for the most part! I have to say, I didn't think that being your successor could be so difficult, and yet...so rewarding. It is AWESOME!" Po grinned giddily, hopping around a bit with glee and excitement, feeling proud of himself. Oogway chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"Ah yes. You have grown so much, Po. I am indeed proud of you. Of course you already know this, hm~" Oogway chuckles again, holding a paw to his mouth. Once it died down, however, his eyes narrowed with seriousness. "Are you sure that this is what you want to do?"

Po's jolly face disappeared, also replaced with a look of utmost seriousness. "I'm sure. You don't doubt me, do you?"

"Never. I'm simply worried."

"Appreciated. But I'm already here, aren't I? No sense in turnin' back now. I have to see this through. There's...there's still something I have to do here. And you know what that is already, don't you?"

"Indeed I do."

"Good. Do you know where he is?"

"Grab hold of my shoulder. I will take you to him." Po nodded as he gently placed a paw on his shoulder, signifying that he was ready. He wasn't totally tuned with the Spirit Realm as much as Oogway was, at least not yet. So the tortoise would have to assist him for now. With a nod of finality, Oogway tapped his staff onto the water twice, and they both disappeared in a golden flash of light.

Po always found it strange and yet fascinating, how immense the Spirit Realm was and how it seemed to go on forever, unlike the mortal realm. Always brimming with many bright colors, fold being the primary one, and many spiritual creatures of many shapes and sizes. There was even old structures of Ancient China that never would have survived withering away in the mortal realm, so they were moved where they could be carefully preserved and be treated with utmost care. It was a strange concept to Po, but then again, he was new at this whole thing.

"...Did you tell your loved ones that you would be doing something like this?" Oogway asked him.

Po shakes his head. "No. If this actually works out in my favor, I'll tell them afterwards. I'd rather not tell them that it didn't and see their disappointed faces. I know it's not the best way to go about this, Master Oogway..."

"No, it is quite alright. I respect your judgement. Because even if you fail, when it comes to significant matters like this one, you're fully willing to admit this without complaint. Your humbleness has improved to the point where you no longer have to constantly yourself down to prove it." Oogway looked forward again. Po realized that the colors of the Spirit Reapm were fading away, replaced by darker colors that were closely representing chaos and evil. They immediately stopped in front of a long floating path of stone, leading into a dark chamber. "We are here. Do you wish for me to accompany you?"

"No, that's okay. Just be here for me when I'm done. I'll signal you." Po nodded reassuringly. Oogway nodded back, and disappeared in a golden ray of light.

The panda turned towards the chamber. There was no going back now. He had to face the first one before he could move onto the other. He couldn't expect to talk him down, not immediately. The best he can do is weaken him enough so that he wouldn't fight back anymore. But that was weighing on a pretty significant guess. Which will decide if he'll be returning to his mortal body with a couple bruises, hopefully not a lot. He didn't need to be explaining that kind of thing to Tigress, she'll never stop interrogating him until he breaks.

And unlike the many people who's tried, no one got answers out of him faster than her.

Po shook his head again and took a deep breath again, slowly closing his eyes.

No turning back now. This was what he wanted. He needed to see it through.

"...I know you're in there. You might as well come out and at least look me in the eye." Po said strongly, devoid of fear, and also of hostility. His cape slowly flows to the side as he gently tips his straw hat upward, eyes narrowing.

There was one minute of silence. Then two minutes. Three.

...

...

"...Er...hellooooo?" Po blinked, waving his paw in front of the chamber. "Hey, uh...are you really in there? Oogway said that you would be." Po rubbed his chin, head tilted curiously to the side. "Then again, Oogway isn't always right about these kinds of things, but I don't wanna doubt him. I'll just wait here until he decides to come out. Good thing this is a spiritual body, I won't even get hungry." Po said, twirling his on staff, and setting it to the side. He then sits down on the stone and gets into a meditative position, closing his eyes. From then on, he waited patiently. He had plenty of time on his paws, there was no need to rush this.

Personally, he's been thinking about doing this for a long time. This man would be the first, then he'll be going after the second one soon enough. This was something he felt like he has to do. As happy as he's made most of his loved ones, he felt like it still wasn't complerely over. Sure he still has quite a journey ahead of him, but he should deal with the remains of what has been done in the past, then face the future with a much clearer head and less weight riding on his shoulders.

Oogway, while thinking that this was a bit risky on a personal level, trusted Po enough to allow him to do what he believes he should do.

Po's been waiting a long time now, he continued to wonder if he'd even show up. His patience paid off, as he suddenly felt the familiar dark chi slowly approahing him. Nodding affirmatively, Po stood up. Alright. Let's do this.

The figure slowly emerged from the darkness, his crimson eyes piercing them without pause. "Well look at who we have here...I wasn't expecting a visitor. Especially not you."

"Yeah, well I kinda get around a lot more now. Been to plenty of places in the mortal realm already. Why not try exploring the Spirit Realm a bit?"

"Hmph. I should consider myself lucky, shouldn't I? No one in your position would have bothered to deal with rotten scum like me."

"I'm not no one. I'm Po. And I'm here on my own accord."

"I figured that. I can at least give you credit for being honest with me. It makes this much less confusing. I'm very curious as to why you'd go so far as to visit me here in the Spirit Realm. Last time you saw me, I bet you didn't notice. But I was one Kai's trinkets. I don't think I can get over that humiliation."

Po shrugged. "Maybe if you had practiced humility when you were alive, you wouldn't be here in the first place."

"Ohoho! The panda's gotten wiser! That's VERY interesting. Though I do wonder...have you grown stronger as well? Because I certainly have. Being in the Spirit Realm for so long has it's perks."

Here we go.

"I just wanna talk to you personally. We don't have to fight. I don't think this is the time for yet another Spirit Realm battle. I noticed that things tend to break around here when that happens...a lot."

"That's too bad, because now that you're here, I can finally request a rematch. Spoilers...it's not a request."

Po sighed, shaking his head. It was inevitable after all. Welp. It was worth a shot, I guess.

The shadow revealed itself fully. Po slowly lifted his head so his had no longer covered his eyes. Across from him was none other than his first adversary, the one he was forced to put down before he endangered more innocent lives. Shifu's previous greatest student of all time before he fell into the darkness. Across from him...stood Tai Lung. His face was calm, but Po knew better. Just looking into his eyes was enough to tell Po that he was furious at seeing him here. If they were going to talk, he needed to quell that fury so that he'll be able to listen.

Tai Lung cracked his knuckles. "It's been a while...Dragon Warrior."

Soooooo! Here's my entry to #KFPFRIEND16 competition! We reach Po's first obstacle, Tai Lung! He doesn't wanna fight...but Tai Lung clearly isn't having any of that. A legendary rematch is in order!

...in the next chapter. See ya then!