Chapter 6 : The Test Begins Now
Another sound from the morning gong echoes through the palace and to my ears, I instantly woke up, get dressed and slide open the door. We waited for Shifu to arrival in the bunkhouse.
"Good morning Master!" Me and the others greeted in a union as we saw Shifu arrives.
"Good morning my students, I see that you're all eager to see what today's offers." He spoke.
"So what's the special training for Lukas today Master Shifu." Po asked excitedly.
"You'll see after you have breakfast and head to the Palace Arena." He said.
"Yes Master!" We said in a union and head to the kitchen.
After breakfast
I was resting on the chair for me to rest. Soon I heard Master Shifu is calling the Five and the panda. I was wondering on what are they're discussing or maybe even planning something. As minutes pass by, I finally can't handle the boredom in the kitchen anymore, which I left the kitchen and see what are they're up to. I kept walking to the Palace Arena... which took a while to find the place since I'm new here. After asking the servants that works in the Jade Palace for guidance, I finally made it to the Palace Arena as I opens the double wooden and saw the Five and the Po standing on lines as Shifu at the middle.
"So today's gonna be a 'friendly battle' huh?" I spoke what a lifted eyebrow.
"Indeed Lukas, if you wanna be proved that you can stay in the Jade Palace, you must challenge the Furious Five and I'll be watching how you fight very closely." He said with a stern, yet serious tone.
"Guess today is gonna be very interesting after all." I grinned while cracking my knuckles and stretched my limbs to get ready. "Alright! Bring it on!" I yelled loudly. Shifu released an irritated grunt at my attitude and snaps his finger as Viper slithers towards me with her fighting stance on.
"Ready?" She asked.
"C'mon don't worry me, let's fight-" I was cut off as she lash her tail out to me, but I side stepped to block her attack and dash backward for evading further attack from her. She starts to slither toward me fast and launches multiple tail strikes. I countered and dodged her tail whips and attacks, I soon bashes her with my arm as I knocked her back.
"I'm surprised you can handle my flexibility and speed." She complimented while trying to hit me. I soon switches to offensive, I tried to do a grabbing move on her, but kept using her flexibility to evade me. As many attempts as been tried, I finally catch her off guard as I dash towards her. She countered my plan by coiling herself around my whole body. I felt I was been tied by a thick rope as I can't move any part of my body at all. Something unexpectedly has happened, she can somehow manipulated my own fist to hit myself. I kinda felt stupid while I'm hitting myself, but soon enough, I swiftly move my head around as it resulting my fast fist hitting which she's controlling punches her head instead, releasing me from her grasp and sents her flying and hit the wooden wall. I then walked to the serpent and give her an hands up.
"Are you okay?" I asked concerned.
"Yeah, don't worry about me, I'll be fine." She assured.
"Well then, who's next?" I looked at the others. Shifu snaps his finger again and Monkey has joined the fight. "Looks like we got a sneaky monkey here." I smirked. While we both wait for who's gonna be the one gonna make a move, he charges at me with a wooden staff, he kept hitting me but I blocked it with my hands and damn this has to sting a lot.
"Already sore?" He spoke mockingly while kept hitting me at the side of my abdomen and shoulder. He then tried to pull my pants off to humiliate me, but I got my trusty belt which tightens my pant good and protects me from "these" kind of tricks.
"Alright you sneaky monkey, you hit me with a weapon and now it's my turn." I said releasing my belt from my jeans and whip him at his back which made him do the "monkey scream". He was now immobilized from the whip of my belt, so I take the opportunity and grabs his shoulder and throw him down to the ground as dust flies off. Later, I helped him up and escorted him to an near seat. "Now where even?" I said with a smirk.
"I think my back is gonna sting for a couple of days." He groaned. I chuckled lightly at his comment and head back to the arena. I heard an finger snap coming from Shifu as Crane entered the fight. As we both kept waiting for the first move, I got impatient and make my first move as I go for a downward punch. He then flies up and dives towards me and as soon he was near me, he launched series of kicks at me that pushing me back. I tried to punch him but he kept dodging and using flying moves on me. Now he is circle around me in the air and preparing an lightning fast kick on me. Crap, if that kick hits me, I'm gonna get K.O. horrible. I then decided to use one of my "enchanced" techniques for this situation I'm in. "Tenshi... TATSUMAKI SENPUKYAKU!" I chanted and shouts as my body covered by the leaves and gust of wind as I'm turning into a spiral mini-tornado and it appears to be effective against him as the tornado kept pulling him near me, as he struggles to fly off but it too late. The avian is now got caught by the tornado and that tornado is giving him some strong repeating kicks and I finished it with an somersault kick on mid air. As soon my tornado is gone now I gently landed on the ground. "You alright?" I asked while giving him an hands up.
"I'm good, but my head is spinning." He said. I gave him a light chuckle and head back to the arena, as Shifu snapped his finger again, but somehow he seemed impressed by my skills. I looked down and saw I'm gonna fight Mantis, oh man, I was literally gonna laugh my ass off.
"Lukas! Do not underestimate your opponent!" Shifu shouted at me. I turned to Shifu.
"Oh cmon Master Shifu, what can this little guy do? Fricking beat me to a bloody pulp-" I then felt something crawling on my arm, I instantly react to as I noticed it was Mantis. I tried to get him off my hand but Mantis grabbed one of my hand. "Oh Shi-" I was cut off by the little guys lifts me up high and then planting my whole body to the ground... repeatedly. "AAAAAGGHH, GAAHH, OOOFFFFFFFF, HHUUUFFGGHH." I yelled as Mantis kept throwing me on the ground over and over again. I soon had enough of this and smack him off precisely with my other free hand. "Hmm... weird, you have lots of strength for that size of you." I said. He recovered and starts attacking me with his claws while doing jump attacks on me. An idea came to my head, I start my idea by gathering ki energy on my right thumb and mostly on my right middle finger. I waited for Mantis to jump at me, preparing to launch his multi-combos, I quickly used my 'charged' fingers and perform a strong flick on his forehead . As my powerful force knocked him back greatly at the ground. I approached him. "You sure are fast and strong, but you can't even handle an flick." I teased. I then turned my attention to the others. "So who's still ready to lose at the hands of me?" I said as I felt my pride slipping out.
"Hey Lukas can I be your opponent please!" Po asked from a distance.
"Po, you fought Lukas already in the Hall Of Warrior, now this is Tigress's turn." Shifu said.
"Awww fine then, good luck Tigress!" Po said while wishing her good luck.
"I don't need luck, especially I'm gonna crush this creature myself." She walked to the arena.
"I saw some moves you did on your training, guess you'll be quite an interesting opponent for me indeed." I sheepishly said and i was kinda scared to fight her, but I must not be frighten by her, I then gather all my courage and prepared my fighting stance.
"I'll make you quit soon enough." She said coldly, I almost yelp, but I must stay cool and show no fear. As we both slowly walking circling around the arena. She then jump several feet high in the air, I looked up and it's hard to see her, due to the sunlight shining on my eyes, as soon she is close enough to me she launch an heavy 'hammer-style' kick on me, as soon I catch her kick, she immediately shrugs off and delivering lots of punches and kicked at my abdomen and shoulder, damm she definitely hits extremely hard, and fast as fuck. I instantly do an X shape block as she punched me, her hits are almost breaking my block, I then charged at her and start throwing my fist and kicks at her, she blocks them and soon grabbed my left arm and twisted.
"GAAAGGHHHH!" I yelled at pain. I quickly dashed backward and looked at my twisted hand. I start fixing it by reversing it and damm, it hurt so much. After finished fixing my twisted arm, I run towards her, I see she gonna try hitting me, so I countered her with a Tatsumaki Senpukyaku by surprise, my spinning kicks hits her cheek multiple times, but didn't even knocked her back, it only caused her to stumbles back and quickly recovered from that. She run at me like an tiger with four legs. She jumps high and does an strong diagonal kick at my face, causing me flying several meters away from the arena.
"That enough Lukas!" Shifu said.
"No... I... I-I can't give up, even if im getting beat up like a punching bag!" I yelled furiously.
"You got high determination and spirits human, but that's enoug-" She was cut off as I got up and kept throwing my fist at her.
"NEVER GIVE UP!" I shouted while kept punching and kicking her, I then do a rising Shoryuken o her and she... no way... this is absoluteness of possible in anyways! My rising fist hits her chin, but it looks like she didn't even feel a thing, that completely stops my Shoryuken and fuck! It felt like I punched an solid stone! She launches an palm strikes at my chest resulting knocking me back further, as I got up from my feet. All of a sudden, I felt an very calm, relaxing sensation around me, as I tried to figure what is happening to me all of a sudden, I realized, maybe it was the power that master Gouken taught me once before, he called it the Power Of Nothingness. I've never felt so calm since that day. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and widens my stance and patiently gathering Ki for my right fist.
"What are you waiting for coward? Come forth and face ME!" Tigress said impatiently. As 3 minutes of waiting, she finally had enough waiting and start running at me on four as she's ready to pounce on me, as she is leaped high and been close enough. I release my Ki-imbued fist on her abdomen, as my fist punches her and released all the blue energy. It stunned her for A PRECIOUS SECOND and I'll finish it with this!
"Tenshi..." I chanted while punched her on the stomach with my left hand as air goes out of her mouth. "SHO..." I punched her stomach again but why right hand this time. "RYU..." soon my left hand punches her at her lower chest. "KEN!" then finished this by punching her chin with my right hand as I soon forced all my strenght and force into that it lifted her fifteen meter into the air. As I landed on the ground safety, the tiger eventually fell down and was groaning in great pain.
"TIGRESS!" Po yelled as he sprinted to the injured feline.
"Lukas... your performances is greater than I imagined, well done." Shifu said heing impressed by my performance.
"Thank you Master Shifu." I said.
"Come, proceed to the kitchen and have dinner." Shifu said. I respectfully bowed to him and head to the kitchen with the guys and Po seems to escorting Tigress back to her room.
At The Kitchen
As we are sitting at kitchen, conversation are ringing through my ears. As Po returned, he gave me an amazed face.
"Lukas... you literally did the impossible!" Po said enthusiastically.
"Yeah, you beat us all fair and square with your own strength and power, your more skillful than we thought, we could use a guy like you of we're re gonna face an big threat soon." Viper complimented me.
"Guys please, enough, I gotta go apologize to Tigress for that brutal move I used on her." I said in a guilty tone. I get up from my seat and walked to the Hall Of Warriors and saw Master Shifu meditating at the middle of the Moon Pool, The red panda appears to be standing on one feet on top of his staff, I then step forward and saw his ear twitched.
"Hello there Lukas." He said with his eyes closed.
"Well today sparring was going pretty." I sheepishly said while scratching my left side of my neck.
"Yes and what about it?" He asked.
"Well ugghhhmm... I was kinda being too rough on Tigress, I want to go apologize to her, where is she?" I finally spilled the beans.
"Yes, you should go apologize to her, she is feeling down for a bit, you can find her at the Peach Tree Of Heavenly Wisdom." He explained while pointing his finger to the door at the other hall.
"Thank you Master Shifu." I said while bow to him and left the room. I was then searching for Tigress at the Peach Tree, but I didn't see her there, I then gaze my eyes on the beautiful view I'm seeing, I could see the amazing mountains hills of the Valley Of Peace and especially the moonlight. I then finished admiring the beautiful view and walked back to the Jade Palace, I then sensed that Tigress was sitting on top of the branches.
"What is it do you want human?" She asked coldly with a blank expression.
"Well... I came to... apologize for what I did today." I said while guilt is building up. She remained silenced and ignored me. "Look... if you can't forgive me, I'm fine with that." I said while frowning and walking back to the Jade Palace. I was then greeted by the red panda who is giving me an concerned look.
"Well, did she accepts your apology?" He asked.
"She ignored it, but I'm okay with that, but... what's up with her attitude towards me anyway?' I asked. I literally don't know what I did to her or anything, I feel like she's going kill if I get anywhere near her. Shifu signed before speaking.
"Master Tigress, an silent, serious and cold-hearted warrior as you think, but she's not all of that, she can be very kind and compassionate if you get to know her. I hope you and her can get along soon, good night Lukas." Shifu said. I smiled at his words.
"Thanks, I think I'm feel a lot better now. Good night Master, I'll see ya tomorrow." I bowed and entered the Jade Palace while give him an peace sign. As many steps I took and finally reached my room. I then remove my jacket, my shoes and socks off, and hit the bed. I then closed my tiring eyes and let the blackness covered my vision.
(Hey guys, thanks for taking your time reading my very first story, that means a lot to me. And also I got big news, once it's near the end of Christmas, maybe around 30th or 31th of December, I'm gonna do something special, by releasing 3 CHAPTERS! And also don't forget to leave a review!)
