Crane was carrying Emily and a wounded snake back to the palace, flying as fast as he could.
"Viper..." Emily sighed, worried, holding her friend close. "I hope you'll forgive me... I let everyone down..."
Crane complained; he couldn't tolerate how much she blamed herself. "Don't be. You did something great. We're proud of you."
The fox slightly raised her head from Viper. "I believe I could have done more..."
"Wasn't what you showed us today enough?" the bird muttered, "You turned invisible, then the clones...was that a chi technique? Where did you learn it?"
"Thank you, but it wasn't me..." She removed her necklace and showed it to him. "That's what saved us..."
Crane tilted his head. "Maybe it is, but your love triggered it."
Emily smiled, putting her stone on. "Thank you."
Meanwhile, Po and Tigress were moving an unconscious Fenghuang. They tied her up against a log and the two warriors carried her, holding the edges.
The panda panted, trying to get a break. "I always hated weight lifting!"
"You can't do anything that involves climbing or lifting; this time you have to strive!" Tigress mocked him, accelerating. It forced Po to move faster.
"That's not it!" Po mumbled, "The only things I've done these days was carrying around people and excessive amounts of food. I deserve some rest..."
Tigress chuckled. "I would have carried her alone, but you saw it..." The owl turned out to be weirdly heavier than she was. "Maybe that gun wasn't just a stun gun as he called it..."
"Taotie said it was a prototype, but who knows. He could have lied..." Po breathed out, trying to keep up.
"Look what I found!" Mantis shouted, walking inside the training hall. He handed over a little, slightly damaged, white ball.
Leo widened his eyes. "That's it! This is perfect!" He quickly grabbed it, opened it, and checked inside.
"So...how long it will take?" the bug asked again, seeing his friend ignoring them.
"Ten minutes." Leo muttered, shoving him away. "Let me finish..."
Rebecca walked inside, handling a ladle. "Hey guys..." she stepped closer shyly. "Sorry about...going away without telling you anything."
They didn't listen and didn't notice her approaching. "HEY LISTEN TO ME!" she shouted.
Leo raised his eyes, then quickly moved them back to the bullet. The others turned their faces at her, confused about what she was doing. "Is something wrong?" Mark asked.
"I have a better question," Simon cut in, "What were you doing with that thing?"
The girl didn't know what he meant, then she glanced at her hand. "Oh...I thought I laid it down..." She tilted her head. "Forget about it. I wanted to apologize. I kinda freaked out and left, but now I feel better."
"Were you cooking again?" the brown skinned human asked, turning to face Leo. "We skipped breakfast, so..."
"That's the only thing you care about!" Rebecca huffed, upset. "But...yeah. I usually cook to chill down..."
"Don't blame yourself for leaving," Simon added coldly, "You wouldn't be useful in this situation." Rebecca seemed offended, but the human hadn't finished speaking. "At least you did something to help us all."
The girl frowned, not sure how she should have taken it. "Uh...thanks?"
"So? What did you cook for us this time?" Mark smirked, heading over to her.
Rebecca smacked his hand with the ladle. "I didn't cook for you," she clarified, "I prepared them for my injured friends."
"I AM injured!" he said, showing his recently wounded hand.
"That doesn't count." She smiled nonchalantly. "Has Leo finished?" Rebecca asked, peeking on her friend's work.
"Please stop..." Leo begged, "Once I've finished I'll tell you."
Simon couldn't hold himself back and mocked him. "Is it done now?" Then laughed looking at his annoyed face.
"Not funny," he commented coldly, putting the bullet inside the weapon.
Crane and Emily were the first ones to arrive. The fox headed towards Viper's room to let her friend rest; then they headed to the training hall.
"GUYS!" she screamed while walking in. "THE WEAPON! IS IT READY?"
As soon as they saw them, Rebecca ran to hug her friend. "You okay? Did you get her? Where are the others?" The girl machine-gunned Emily with questions.
"We did our part..." Emily commented, struggling free. "That's what matters now."
"What happened?" Simon instantly questioned, but it sounded more like a demand. He needed to know how it went.
Crane commented, reluctantly, "It didn't go as well as planned, but...Po and Tigress will be soon here with Fenghuang."
Emily went towards Leo, eager to know if everything was ready. "Leo."
He sighed, trying to not rage on her. "The bullet is done, the weapon as well. I'm checking if everything is in order."
"Ok, thank you Leo." She nodded, stepping away.
Mark complained, "You aren't fast enough. That's what happens when someone takes it easy."
Leo snapped, "I'M DOING MY BEST HERE! I WON'T STAY HERE ANY LONGER LISTENING TO YOUR WORTHLESS ACCUSATIONS ABOUT MY WAY OF WORKING!"
Simon chuckled in the background while the others looked at him, surprised. "The weapon is ready," Leo added, recovering his composure and talking like nothing happened in the meantime.
"Leo..." Mark said, pointing at his stone.
"I guess I went too far," he admitted, thinking that reaction was for his behavior. "You don't understand how hard it is to do such-"
"What are you talking about?" Mark cut in, "Your necklace, Leo, was shining some seconds ago before turning off."
"R-REALLY?!" he mumbled enthusiastically, looking at his stone, but so much excitement distracted him and the weapon slipped.
Time froze and everyone was looking at the falling gun; if it broke, they wouldn't be able to save Fulvio and bring things back to normal.
"If it so important to you then you should be careful with it, am I right?" Mark said, catching the weapon with a nonchalant expression, as if he didn't even think that it could have been broken.
Everyone felt relieved that nothing happened and Rebecca hugged him happily. "Thank god you saved us."
"Did I?" Mark blinked, confused.
"I'll wait for them outside..." Crane explained, "They'll probably need some help climbing back here with Fenghuang."
Simon followed the bird. "Coming."
Mantis wanted to come along, but Rebecca grabbed him. "Sorry, but I need your help now."
The bug wanted to struggle free, but he had a feeling that he couldn't oppose her request. "This is kidnapping! Hey! I want to help differently! Not by cooking or playing doctor!"
Po and Tigress were on the middle of the thousand steps; the Dragon Warrior couldn't continue and Tigress was trying to return on her own.
"I'm coming Tigress!" he shouted, panting heavily. His body was soaked completely in sweat.
"I know it's getting harder..." she added, "Her body is getting heavier. I need your help..."
"PO! TIGRESS!" Crane shouted as soon as he found them, landing next to his friends.
Simon got off Crane and reached Po. "Okay, get up. We're here now."
They lifted Fenghuang up together and climbed back to the palace.
"WHY IS SHE SO HEAVY?!" Simon cried out, surprised.
"It's probably the chi she absorbed. Maybe it's fighting back somehow?" Po guessed, panting.
Tigress noticed the owl moving. "She's waking up! We have to bring her to Leo."
Crane tied her against a column while the others called their friends who were waiting inside the training hall.
Tigress headed outside, ready to shoot her. "Time to end this." She aimed at Fenghuang and clicked, but nothing came out. "What's wrong?!" She checked the weapon to witness some lights appearing. It was charging.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't do better with the time I had," Leo explained, "We have only one chance and it takes three minutes to load."
She threw the weapon back to him. "Then this is your call."
"What?!" Leo commented, shocked, "I can't do it!"
"You have to, I can't-"
"Tigress!" Po called her, seeing the owl waking up.
"CRANE, SIMON, EMILY! WE HAVE TO HOLD HER!" Tigress ordered, running back to Po.
Fenghuang woke up and the first thing she saw was a human holding the gun, now pointed at her, she had thrown away. "Don't you da-" She wanted to move, to catch him and probably get the weapon, but as soon as she tried she realized the others holding her back. "LET ME GO!"
"You wish!" Po grinned.
The owl glowed again with her green aura, ready to push everyone out of her way, but they had already seen that attack. Crane, Po, Tigress and Emily moved away as Tigress dragged Simon along. This time her explosion didn't hit anyone, but she was free. Fenghuang flew straight at Leo.
"No you don't!" Po kicked her away. Leo slowly inhaled, shaking completely seeing that scene so close.
The owl planted her claws on the ground, stopping her slide. "You'll pay for this!" She slashed several times against the panda with her claws everywhere until he kneeled down, hurt and weakened. She finished by kicking him back towards a column.
"PO!" Tigress painfully called his name, running to him. "Are you alright? Can you continue?"
"I'm fine..." Po coughed, whispering, "But you have to keep fighting without me..."
Simon and Emily were trying to hit Fenghuang, but she easily dodged and blocked every attack while laughing. "What were you hoping to do?" She threw the fox away, leaving only the crocodile. "You worthless humans. You don't deserve the power you have!"
The crocodile frowned. "You shouldn't underestimate us." He moved his tail and whipped the owl's back. She slightly bent on the ground, suffering.
While Fenghuang tried to stand up, Simon used her own strength to throw her up into the sky. "GO FOR IT CRANE!" he shouted.
"Wings of Justice!" Crane cried out, flapping his wings and generating incredible energy so strong as to cut the air. The owl couldn't dodge, therefore losing control over her body.
Tigress jumped, caught her and blocked Fenghuang, holding her wings as strongly as she could. "LEO! YOU HAVE TO SHOOT NOW!"
The human aimed towards the owl; his hands were shaking. Leo was afraid, scared to miss her. His heart was pounding so fast that he could have been passed out at any moment. Mark supported him, putting his hand on his arm. "Ok..." he breathed out, "Just a few seconds more..."
She tried to struggle free from the feline, using everything she had. Tigress got several wounds from her claws and her wings, but she didn't let her go. "THE WEAPON WILL GET US BOTH! YOU'RE CRAZY!" Fenghuang yelled, hoping to make her hesitate somehow.
"I don't care," she quickly replied, "I would die to protect the ones I care about."
Leo held the gun tighter, focused and shot. "Time to end this in the best way."
"NO! I WON'T LET YOU WIN SO EASILY!" the owl cried out, unleashing a gigantic aura made out of her hate. Crane gathered the humans and shielded them with his body.
The projectile penetrated the aura, making a weird explosion. A white fog surrounded them, they were all blinded.
"Crane! Simon! Emily!" Mark tried to call them all one by one, but nobody replied.
Leo was the only one visible next to Mark, the others simply disappeared. "Please tell me I got her..." he mumbled to himself.
Silence. The two humans stood there, waiting for something to happen, waiting for someone to come who didn't. "What should we-"
Leo hushed him; he heard a bouncing sound coming from the area surrounded by that fog. "Did you hear that?"
Mark shot his eyes open. "That's the sphere! You did it!"
The human walked towards the fog ready to get it back, but Mark grabbed him by his shoulder, concerned. "What are you doing? We can't go in there!"
"You're right..." Leo commented, weirdly quiet. "Go get Mantis and Shifu. I'll stay here and keep an eye on the situation."
Mark nodded and ran away. Leo waited until he disappeared as well to walk inside the fog. As he predicted, he couldn't see anything in there, but the ball was rolling somewhere deeper in that area. He could have followed it by listening to the sound. He was worried to meet anyone in there and maybe being mistaken for Fenghuang, or even worse, facing the owl alone, but Leo wanted to continue for his friends who saved and supported him.
Leo found it. 'I'll take it and run away. Once I leave the fog I'm technically okay wherever I end up,' he thought before moving away but stopped hearing someone approaching. It could have been anyone. He moved slowly in the opposite direction, sensing their presence.
"Give...it...back," the owl mumbled, crawling towards him. She grabbed his leg.
Leo tried to set himself free, moving his leg, but she didn't let him. "Stay away! This is not yours!"
"You're such a nuisance," Fenghuang muttered, climbing her way back to him. "A burden like you should know his place."
Those two phrases she said to him triggered a memory, something that always hurt him.
"Hey Dad! I've got a ball! See?" A ten years old spoke to his father, handing him a ball. "Would you like to play with me today instead? We always study..."
"I thought we already talked about this." An old man glared at him. "You are much more valuable than the other children! You have something important to do and you can't waste time in these useless activities."
"But…" he worthlessly opposed, "It won't be for so long…just a break." The kid was on verge of tears.
"You're such a nuisance," his father replied, upset. "Do you really want to be a burden for this family?" Then he scolded him, shouting, "You should know your place!"
"I-I know where my place is!" Leo replied to Fenghuang, tears appearing on his eyes.
The owl looked at him, annoyed, ready to take him out even in that weakened condition. "You're standing IN MY WAY!"
Fenghuang tried to plant her claws on his body, but Leo, led by his anger, punched her in the face. His chi stone glowed with golden lights. What struck the owl wasn't a human fist anymore. "Go away now while you still can."
"I'll never accept defeat from someone like you!" she panted, "You worthless piece of junk..." the owl stood up again, even if it took some time.
Leo couldn't control himself anymore; her manners and way of thinking drove him insane.
"PEOPLE LIKE YOU DO NOT EVEN DESERVE TO LIVE!" he shouted, unleashing an incredibly powerful roar to clear the fog and to throw Fenghuang away. She flew outside the palace.
Even if she hated that thought, she couldn't fight anymore and that was the perfect occasion to leave. Leo literally set her up to fly away. "I'll get my revenge one day..." she commented loudly, trying to fly correctly, but couldn't move straight.
Mark came back, bringing Shifu and Mantis. "Leo I'm h-" He widened his eyes, surprised to see a lion standing in front of them holding the sphere.
"I...am..." Leo tried to talk, but fell on the ground, losing consciousness and shape-shifting back to normal. The ball bounced towards them.
Mantis glanced around the place, shocked. Everyone was on the ground wounded, tired, and passed out except for Emily, who was sitting on the ground heavily breathing. "Are you kidding me?"
Shifu picked up the humans. "Don't worry. We'll all help you."
Mark grabbed the sphere. "I think you should do this." He walked towards Emily. "We'll take care of the rest."
Emily nodded, getting up. "Okay, thanks," she said before leaving towards Po's room.
Rebecca walked over, following Mantis. "Oh my god..." she gasped, shocked. The feeling of being useless overwhelmed her.
Mark glanced over to her. "I hope you cooked enough food now..." he smiled, "Everyone's wounded."
The girl looked away, demoralized; simply cooking wasn't enough for her. "Yeah...I did."
While moving his friends back to their beds, Mantis muttered, "I'd like to have a doctor for the doctor!" He cringed, looking at Po's wounds. "This is the only thing I did today! Healing, fixing and repairing! I'm tired..."