"Man, where's Po?" Mantis groaned, impatiently tapping his chopsticks on the table.
"Yeah, he should already be back by now," Monkey agreed, caressing his growling tummy.
"Don't be so impatient, boys," Viper attempted to calm them down. "I'm sure he has a good reason to justify his delay. Oh? Speaking of which, you can ask him right now!"
Indeed, Po rushed down the corridor until he arrived at the kitchen's entrance. The Furious Five were already seated around the table with no plates. "Hey guys! Sorry I'm late!" the panda quickly apologized and immediately rushed to the other side of the kitchen so he could start making dinner.
"About time! Where've you been, dude?" Mantis asked, not doing any effort to hide his dissatisfaction.
"I was with Shi Xin outside the village!" Po replied while getting to work on his watermelon and corn noodle soup recipe. He asked Master Shifu to augment the variety of ingredients the Jade Palace received on a weekly basis so that he could develop his cooking skill as well as offer a wider range of meals to the Furious Five. If he hesitated at first, the red panda became more... 'inclined' to accept this demand after trying one of Po's meals. The Jade Palace had the budget for it, apparently. "We went hunting a Yokai!"
"A Yokai?" Crane asked. "Po, I understand you like helping people and that this wolf is your friend, but don't you think it would be better to just let him handle those monsters on his own? All that supernatural stuff is supposed to be his domain of expertise."
"Sure, but he's my teammate now," Po replied over his shoulder while keeping up the work. "If I decided to help him only when it's convenient, that wouldn't make me a good teammate, don't you think?"
Following this statement, Po heard a snorting noise and didn't need to turn around to know where it came from. Master Tigress had the habit of reacting that way whenever Po talked about Shi Xin around dinner or during training. He tried not to pay attention to it, but it was clear to him that the Master of Tiger Style seemed to have something against his Yokai Hunter friend.
Before long, dinner was ready. Po filled the bowls with soup and distributed them to his friends. He noticed Tigress' plate of tofu just before he could sit down. He had no idea how she could be content with something so raw and... devoid of taste.
"Hey, Master Tigress, wanna try some watermelon and corn soup? I made it with particular success tonight," Po offered.
"Thank you, but I am very content with tea and tofu," the feline simply replied with her back straight and her eyes locked on her meal.
Mantis, meanwhile, had already hopped into his bowl and started slurping everything. This unhygienic behavior earned the little bug a glare from Viper, but he didn't notice it. "You don't know what you're missing, Tigress. It feels like bathing in a world of flavors and wonders!"
"If you say so, but a true warrior can survive for months at a time on nothing but the dew of a single gingko leaf and the energy of the universe... Or so we say," the Master of Tiger Style replied with grabbing a piece of tofu with her chopsticks and eating it. "You should try it; maybe it'd do you some good," she added in Po's direction.
This comment earned her uneasy looks from her friends. Po just stared at her without saying anything before nodding and eating his soup.
Dinner went by smoothly after that rough start. Po and the Furious Five discussed various topics, such as how their day went, their plans for the weekend or the latest rumors going around the Valley, while listening to the sound of heavy raindrops falling on the building's rooftop. Good thing Po managed to return before the thunderstorm got too bad.
Master Tigress was the first one to finish her meal; she took her plate, pulled it in the sink, and headed towards the exit. "Goodnight, everyone. I'm gonna train in the courtyard."
"What? But it's raining hard outside," Po pointed out.
Monkey patted his panda friend on the shoulder. "You really think a little rain'll stop her from training? Dude, you clearly don't know Tigress at all..."
The skies turned grey and dark, unleashing heavy water upon the valley down below. This eternal darkness got pierced by the occasional lightning coming down from the heavens, accompanied by a rumbling worthy of an earthquake. By such a time, not a single soul in the Valley of Peace could be seen standing outside the safety of their residence.
All but one orange soul.
Master Tigress moved her paws and legs in slow, elegant Tai Chi moves. Her red vest and black trousers were beyond soaked, and the raindrops hit her skin like nails. Yet, in spite of all this, her concentration did not crack nor did her moves stop. She seemed to be just at ease in this weather as she would be on a beautiful, sunny day. Most animals feared the rage from above for a number of reasons: they didn't like getting wet, didn't want to catch a cold, feared the violent weather could destroy their homes or cause landslides, etc. However, where most saw dread and annoyance, Tigress found serenity. She didn't mind her feet stomping in the mud nor the heavy water hitting then strolling down her fur.
One thing did bother her though. An irregularity in the storm's noise that made her ears twitch a bit. The sound of steps in the mud that weren't from her didn't go unnoticed either. "Who's there?" she asked, turning her head with her eyes still closed.
"Hum, hi, it's just me!"
An annoyed sigh escaped the feline's lips. "What are you doing out here?" she demanded, not even bothering to turn around nor open her eyes to look at Po.
The panda stopped a fair distance away from Tigress. His rice hat did a good job shielding him from the rain, but he still had to hold it in place with a paw because of the strong wind. Good thing he was only wearing his patched pants; he wouldn't have liked to get his orange robes wet. "Well... I..."
"Well? Spit it out," the feline warrior urged, visibly getting irritated by the panda disturbing her Tai Chi practice.
Po gulped, feeling nervous at Tigress' hostile behavior. "It's... I was just wondering... Why do you hate me so much?" Master Tigress froze upon hearing this question. "I've been here for a long time now. I would've expected you to warm up a bit to me... but you're still acting dry and distant with me. It makes me feel like you don't want me around here. And I just don't understand why... Did I do something that upset you?"
Master Tigress remained still for many seconds, the atmosphere around the two animals getting tense... and not because of the storm. It seemed like she was taking in the question, trying to come up with a response. For a moment, Po thought he had pulled on a sensitive string and would get a beat up for it. His legs trembled at the thought.
Then, after what felt like an eternity in the rain, Tigress released her Tai Chi stance and turned around to look at Po with a serious expression. "You really wish to know the reason I behave toward you the way I do?"
"Y-Yes... I do," Po responded, trying his best not to look intimidated... Well, not too much at least.
"Very well, then, I will tell you everything." Master Tigress crossed her arms, making Po understand he would not like the next words that would come out of her mouth. "You don't take Kung Fu seriously. You're always waking up late - so late that we always have to get you out of bed so that you can start training at the same time as us. Not only that, but you're always questioning Master Shifu's teaching and directions when you should have complete faith in him. In fact, you should even be grateful that a great master like him was willing to teach a commoner like you in the first place." She pointed an accusing finger at Po. "As if that wasn't enough, you also have no care for the Jade Palace's reputation, tarnishing our image by befriending a Yokai Hunter!"
"Shi Xin? What does he have to do in all of this?" Po asked, not seeing what the Master of Tiger Style could possibly hold against his friend.
"Are you really that clueless? Yokai Hunters are half-demon hybrids! What will the Kung Fu community, and the rest of China for that matter, think when they learn that the prestigious Kung Fu temple founded by Grandmaster Oogway himself has begun associating itself with such creatures? They're all gonna think we're crazy! You should have paid him his due and never interact with him again once the contract finished! But what really disgusts me the most about you is how you dared making a promise to Oogway in person and prefer wasting your time messing around like an idiot, laughing and playing video games rather than TRYING to fulfil it! Can you be any more offensive than that?!"
Po froze on the spot, letting the rain hit his hat and fur. His face displayed a confused, hurt expression at first... But soon, his features twisted into an offended one. "What the heck are you talking about?! So what, if Shi Xin's a Yokai Hunter? He's still a good guy with dreams, just like me! I don't see why I should kick him out of my life just for some stupid prejudices!" he replied in a revolted tone. "And, sorry for contradicting your saying, Master Tigress, but everything you said in that last part is completely false! I've been working my butt off day in and day out for months to get better at Kung Fu - I must've lost at least twenty pounds!" he exclaimed, showing his tummy. "Believe me, I have no intention of getting back on the promise I made to Oogway: one day, I'm gonna be the greatest Kung Fu master in the world!" To put emphasis on the seriousness of his words, Po adjusted the rice hat on his head.
Tigress' hard expression softened a bit as she kept her amber eyes locked with Po's jade ones. His response did not change her mind... Yet, she couldn't deny the intensity and seriousness behind his words. It was clear that he really had that goal set in stone. But in spite of this, a part of her found it difficult to accept him due to his way of practicing Kung Fu and his lack of discipline. Before she could say anything else, an idea popped into her mind.
"I have a proposition for you," she told him.
"A proposition? What is it?" Po asked, his paw never leaving his rice hat.
"You really want to prove your determination, show that you're worthy of the Jade Palace, and be accepted as a comrade by me?"
"Yeah, more than anything!"
"Very well then, I'm gonna give you a chance," Tigress said, crossing her arms with a serious expression. "In one month, starting tomorrow, we're gonna have a one on one sparing duel. This will be your chance to show me how strong you are, both physically and mentally. If you really want to prove yourself worthy of being the Furious Five's comrade, I don't see a better way to do it than by facing its strongest member."
A heavy silence befell the courtyard. Nothing could be heard except for the rain and the occasional roar from the skies. "A... A duel?" Po managed to mumble after a long moment of silence.
"Yes," Tigress confirmed. "If you can defeat me, then I will acknowledge you as a comrade. But if you lose...," she narrowed her eyes into an almost soul-piercing glare, "... you can kiss that idea goodbye forever. What do you say?"
Po's gaze fell down on his muddied feet. He, defeating Master Tigress in a duel? Impossible! Of course, he wanted to earn the feline's respect, but how could he, a mere student who started practicing Kung Fu at a serious level in not even the span of six months, stand a chance against a natural who practiced Kung Fu since childhood, perfected the Tiger Style, and became the leader of one of the toughest Kung Fu groups in all of China? That was like asking a newborn baby to outsmart an academic genius!
"Huh... I don't know...," the panda mumbled with rubbing the back of his head.
"You can refuse if you're too afraid to accept. Kung Fu is reserved for animals with courage, after all."
This remark felt like a punch to Po's heart. His blood boiled a bit, his face twisting into a frown he didn't even try to hide under his hat. "Are you saying I have no courage?! That's not true at all! I have so much courage that even the members of the Kung Fu Council are lacking in comparison!" He pointed a challenging finger at Master Tigress. "I will take on your challenge! In one month, I will have become so strong that you'll consider me to be the greatest Kung Fu comrade you'll ever have! And you will respect me!"
A grin formed in the corner of Tigress' lips. She couldn't have hoped for a better response from the panda. "Very well, in a month, then. You should go to sleep now if you wanna be in good shape to train tomorrow. Because, believe me, you'll need a lot of training for our match..."
Seeing a glimpse of malice in the feline's amber eyes, Po just gave a quick nod, his determination vanishing within seconds, and started walking away while mentally scolding himself for the decision he just took. "What kind of trouble did I just get myself into?!"
Tigress watched the panda returning inside the palace. At the same moment, the raindrops stopped falling down. She looked up to see the night sky clearing up, allowing the stars and moon to come out. Looked like it was time to put an end to her training session...
The sun slowly rose over the horizon, its rays reaching the Jade Palace. As soon as her face got illuminated, Master Tigress' eyes shot wide open. She immediately stood up from her bed and left her bedroom after a quick change of attire. All of her comrades liked to rest and recover from the week of intense training on peaceful weekend mornings like this. But not her.
As she crossed the corridor of the students' barracks, Tigress passed before Po's bedroom, frowning as she could hear him snoring through the paper walls. How her comrades neighborhood to his bedroom could withstand this every morning was a mystery she could not comprehend. However, she tried not to pay too much attention and left to go do her morning training routine in the training courtyard.
Tigress returned to the barracks about two hours later. By now, her comrades were probably all awake, their breakfast already taken, and off to go do their things for their weekend day. She was heading for the kitchen, hoping to fill her stomach with a good meal of tofu and rice after such a long training. She had expected to find the kitchen empty at this time, but not to find a meal already prepared and waiting on the table.
"What's this?" the feline master wondered as she approached the table, noticing a piece of paper next to the plate. She reached her paw to grab it and proceeded to unfold the soft material so that she could read its content.
"Dear Master Tigress,
Since you left to train on your own, we had to eat without you. However, I couldn't live knowing all your hard work would leave you with a terrible hunger. That's why I decided to stay behind and make you a good meal with our leftovers. I sincerely hope you'll like it.
Yours truly, Po."
Pulling the paper down, Tigress inspected the meal in question. A plate of tofu carefully cut into slices and just the right amount of rice to avoid making the all heavy. Right next to it was a cup of steaming tea. All in all, this was exactly what the Master of Tiger Style had the habit of consuming every day.
A scoff escaped her mouth. "The panda must really want to get on my good side after last night's conversation. He thinks being nice with me means I won't be too hard on him for our sparing match. Yeah, big chance, panda...," In spite of this thought, Tigress appreciated Po saving some food for her and decided it would be rude to refuse. She sat down and proceeded to eat everything, finishing with the cup of tea. It somewhat tasted different from usual. Po probably added one of his ingredients to make it tastier.
Once the meal was over, Tigress put the plate and cup in the sink, washed everything, and got ready to leave. However, before she could leave the kitchen, a warm feeling took over her heart. A warm feeling she had never experienced before. What was this? Tigress clutched her chest where the warmth kept spreading, eventually reaching her cheeks, turning them red. Soon, her gold-yellow eyes became pink, and her black lips pulled up into a smile.
Her body filled with energy, Tigress started running out of the kitchen and through the barracks' corridor. By some sort of coincidence, Po just happened to be on her way. "Oh, hi, Master Tigress," he quickly greeted her with a nervous smile. "I was just going to my bedroom to-" He didn't get to finish his sentence, as she simply pushed him out of the way and kept running. "... get my stuff?" Po completed with a confused expression. Why was Tigress in such a hurry? Too curious about it, he decided to follow on her steps to see what was going on.
Following the Master of Tiger Style was difficult for the panda, but he managed to push himself through the effort. His chase ended at the Jade Palace's entrance, where he saw the feline warrior dashing down the thousand steps like a predator chasing its prey. "Master Tigress, wait! Where are you going?!" he called, only to receive no response.
"What's going on, Po?" The panda turned around to see Master Viper slithering out of the palace and up to him. "I heard you yelling."
"It's Tigress; I met her in the barracks, but she didn't respond to me and just started running away like she was in a hurry or something," Po explained.
"Really?" Viper tapped her chin with her tail. "That's weird; usually, Tigress never leaves the Jade Palace unless it's for a mission or an important event. Did she say anything to you?"
"Nope."
Viper looked down the steps. "In that case, I think we should follow her and see if anything's wrong. Let's go." She started slithering down the thousand steps with Po behind her.
In spite of her feline speed, the two Kung Fu warriors managed to keep trail of their friend, mostly thanks to villagers telling them where she was heading. Their chase led them all the way out of their village and to the Pink Flower Village. It wore its name well, as tens of hundreds of lotus trees laid all around, each of them having branches covered in pink flowers. Not only were they giving a sweet, pleasant smell, but thanks to the rays of the sun, the entire village was bathed in a pink/purple light. It almost looked like the setting of a romantic movie.
"This place is amazing!" Po exclaimed in awe. "If I ever get a girlfriend one day, I'll bring her here!"
"I don't understand, why would Tigress come here?" Viper asked while still slithering ahead. "If there was something wrong going in here, Master Shifu would've informed all of us about it."
"Maybe Tigress has a secret admirer that she accepted to meet here?" Po's remark caused Viper to snicker a bit in spite of her confusion. Eventually, the two warriors reached the very end of the village, where a villager told them Tigress went to. They came across a large bush separating them from an open area. Upon crossing it, they came across a rather unexpected sight.
Master Tigress was present... in the company of many evil-looking foxes, wolves and crocodiles. All of them were armed with weapons and grinning at the feline. Viper quickly grabbed Po by the arm with her tail and pulled him back behind the bushes for cover.
"What's going on, Viper?" the panda asked, only to be shushed by the Master of Viper Style. She looked at the scene while making sure not to be spotted. Po did the same. "Who are those guys?"
"I recognize them; they're members of the Lang Clan," Viper mumbled to her panda companion. "A group of criminals that specialize in the art of ninjutsu. They're not as strong as the Lin Kuei, but that doesn't make them any less dangerous. I just wonder why they're here and what reason brought Tigress to them..."
At that moment, another animal joined the scene. A wolf who was about the same size as Master Shifu. His body was covered by a blue and silver armor with a medallion displaying a strange pink and purple symbol on his chest - probably the Lang Clan's banner. The upper half of his face was covered by a skull-shaped mask that did not conceal his burning red eyes. To his back was strapped a giant sword that was longer than his body and whose blade was covered in bandages. This canine emanated a somewhat imposing presence, like those of fierce warriors.
"Who's that guy?" Po asked.
"It's Big Jun, the leader of the Lang Clan," Viper responded without looking away from the scene.
Po blinked his eyes at this. "Big Jun? But he's not big at all. In fact, he even seems to be the smaller guy in his gang. Are you sure it's not Little Jun?" The panda chuckled at his own joke.
"Shh, Po! I'm trying to listen to what they're saying!" Viper once again silenced her panda companion.
Due to her limited hearing range, the Master of Snake Style could not hear what they were saying. However, she could see the wolf named Big Jun saying things to Tigress, who looked at him with interest. In fact, it almost looked like... admiration? If she didn't know better, Viper could swear Tigress was looking at the small wolf like a teenage girl watching her crush. At one point, Big Jun took her paws with his while still talking... which made things even weirder as Tigress usually never let anybody touch her. The feline and canine's faces got closer to one another until they...
... kissed.
Po and Viper's eyes comically turned white, their jaws dropping to the ground. It almost looked like they had seen a ghost... No, even a ghost would be more believable than what they just witnessed. They returned to the real world at the same time Tigress' lips parted ways with Big Jun's.
"... What... the... dumpling?! Tigress has a boyfriend?! Who would've thought? I was certain she was married only to Kung Fu!" Po exclaimed in awe.
"No, no, no, that's not it, Po," Viper denied with a shake of her head. "I don't know what's going on, but if Tigress had been in a relationship, I would have definitely seen signs of it in her attitude. I'm ready to bet my lily pads that Big Jun has done something to her... and we're going to find out what!"
Without another word, the two warriors jumped out of their hiding spot, letting their presence known. "What? Intruders!" Big Jun exclaimed with a glare. "How did you find out about our location?"
"We didn't; we just followed Tigress here," Po responded.
"... Oh, yeah, makes sense...," Big Jun said with rubbing the back of his head. "Anyway, attack the intruders!"
"Wait, wait, wait, not so fast!" Po quickly halted the criminals by rising his paws in defense. "Don't you forget to do your whole bad guy monologue?"
"What?" Big Jun asked, rising an eyebrow in confusion. Everybody else also looked at the panda with a similar expression.
"You know, since you're a bad guy and all, shouldn't you make a villainous speech telling us your plan, what you did to Tigress and why?"
"... Well, it's very rare to hear someone saying that, but fine, if you insist," Big Jun conceded. "Master Tigress has always been the girl of my dreams. Everything about her is just so... perfect." While talking, he made the feline in question lean down, so he could stroke her cheek. This action caused Viper to frown hard. "Not only her smooth fur, the stripes running down her back, her arms as hard as steel, or her flamboyant amber eyes... But also because of her fierce personality. This fire that takes over her entire being whenever she practices Kung Fu or gets into a fight... There isn't another girl like her in China nor the entire world."
The smile left Jun's face as he pulled his paw away from Tigress. "However, in an ironic twist of fate, I knew that our love would be impossible. Not only because we are on different sides of the law, but also because of her solid nature, how she likes being alone and is too closed on herself to get involved in anything romantic. She would never accept a criminal like me as her boyfriend. Then, in another twist of fate, I heard many women across the valley talking about a mystical flower that was said to be able to make anybody fall in love with its user. A flower so powerful that even the solid walls around Tigress' heart would melt against its power. This flower was named the Lotus of Love. I had to get it at any cost. After a lot of research, I managed to locate it inside a temple at the far end of the valley. It did cost me some men, but we managed to break through the traps and finally get the mystical flower. All I had to do was to find a way to make Tigress consume it. Obviously, I couldn't just show up to the Jade Palace, say 'hi, here's a candy for you, bye!' and leave. So, I waited for many days until the occasion came for me to sneak inside your palace's kitchen, put the Lotus of Love in a cup of tea, make it pass for a meal prepared by the panda, and then get out as fast as possible. This is how we ended up here, with my beloved Tigress finally at my sides." He kissed the feline again.
"Stop doing that!" Po groaned. "Kissing someone against their will is just sick and disgusting, dude!"
"I agree," Viper said with a nod. "Now, free Tigress from this spell and let her free!"
Big Jun stared at them for a moment before breaking into a fit of laughter. "Really? After all the pain I just told you I went through to get Tigress on my side, you think I'm just gonna let her go because you order me to? Yeah, not a chance. Men! Take out these two so that Tigress and I can go on our honeymoon!"
The Lang Clan members charged at the two Kung Fu warriors to begin the unavoidable fight. A group of crocs wearing armors similar to Big Jun's with the Lang Clan symbol attacked first, snapping their wide jaws at their enemies. While Viper had no problem avoiding the attacks thanks to her slender body, things were a bit harder for Po, who had to jump and dodge for his survival.
"Would you knock it off?! I'm a panda; not a big dumpling!" Po exclaimed, eventually fighting back with a series of strikes into one of the crocs' abdomen and a belly smack that sent him flying away. When another croc swung his tail at him, Po managed to catch it with his arms, started swinging him to gain momentum, and then tossed him into his reptile companions, who all fell like dominoes. His Imperial Bear Style training really came in handy!
"Stay still!" exclaimed one of the crocs, who tried to smack Viper down, only to hit the ground.
The Master of Snake Style had no trouble whatsoever slithering around the bigger reptile's attacks. At one point, she managed to slither up the croc's arms and wrap her body around both of them and his shoulders, taking control over him. The poor croc could only yelp as his fists were unwillingly sent hitting his comrades in the face.
"Dude! Why are you hitting us?! The boss wants us to beat the Kung Fu guys; not ourselves!" one of his friends exclaimed.
"You moron, I'm not punching you! It's the snake girl that's doing it!" he defended himself.
Once every croc was out, Viper proceeded to repeatedly punch the croc she was controlling in the face with his own fist. "Why're you hitting yourself? Why're you hitting yourself?" she asked with every punch until the croc was out cold. "... Okay, I know it's unladylike to say something so childish," she admitted, covering her lips with her tail as she giggled a bit.
With all the crocs out, it was the foxes' turn to take action. Three of them advanced forward and all blew purple smoke out of their mouths n unison, creating a large cloud advancing toward Po. Viper interfered in time by grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the way before the cloud could touch him.
"Don't let this smoke touch you, Po! It's poison!" Viper warned her companion.
Taking out these foxes was harder than taking out the crocs, as they moved around pretty quickly and spat poisoned smoke whenever their enemies would get too close. They kept running, jumping up, spitting poison, and resumed running, not giving the two warriors a chance to fight back.
"That's not good! If this keeps up, they're gonna poison us before we can even land a single hit!" Viper remarked after dodging another poison smoke. An idea then popped into her mind and she quickly turned toward her panda comrade. "Po! I think I know how to get us out of this situation! Do you trust me?"
"Of course I do! What is it?" Po asked. The Master of Snake Style mumbled something into his ear that made him widen his eyes for a moment, but he then nodded and grabbed both ends of her bodies before rising her up. He waited for the foxes to approach them once again. "... NOW!" Viper exclaimed.
Grinning, Po pulled his abdomen back before smacking Viper at full strength with it, sending her flying at tremendous speed towards the foxes. Before they could even attempt to dodge, the snake collided with all three of them at once. She quickly wrapped her body around their necks and contracted it to smack all of their heads together at once, knocking them out cold.
"Dang it, why do I even bother paying those guys?" Big Jun annoyingly groaned. "Alright, bombers, you turn to play!"
At this order, a group of wolves (who stood many inches taller than their leader) carrying what looked like cannons on their back stepped forward. They kneeled down and used matches to lit up the fuses and shoot cannonballs that exploded upon touching the ground. This forced Po and Viper to fall back and take cover behind a big stone.
"They have cannons! They have cannons! How the heck can they have freakin' CANNONS?!" Po panicked while keeping his head low.
"Stay calm, Po; we're gonna find a way out of this!" Viper yelled at her friend and over the sound of explosions. She tried to quickly think of a solution. Maybe she could try to blend with the grass and sneak around the enemies? No, there was too big of an open area around them; they were sure to spot her as soon as she would get out and blow her to bits. Plus, even if she managed to get out unseen, by the time she would reach the bombers, the stone protecting Po would be completely destroyed, leaving him defenseless. What to do?
Whilst the Master of Snake Style was looking for a solution, Po thought back about the first time he teamed up with Viper, and an idea popped in his mind. "Hey, Viper, you remember that time we fought against Mei Ling and that evil harp?"
The snake turned her head to look at him. "Yeah, why?"
"You remember what we did to take Mei Ling out? How about we do the same thing now?"
Viper's face twisted into a confused expression. However, she quickly understood and smiled. "Yes! That's a good idea! Let's do it!"
The snake slithered away a bit so that she would get a good momentum. Po, meanwhile, took position, stretching one arm backward and the other forward, both of them being perfectly aligned. Then, Viper started slithering forward, picking up as much speed as she could. Upon reaching him, she slithered up Po's arm, made her way across his shoulders, and then used his other arm as a propeller to fly over the stone and into the skies - exactly as the duo did when they faced Mei Ling. She gracefully avoided the cannonballs by spinning her body as she started her ascent towards the bombers.
Viper noticed that the bomber she landed on had just lit up the fuse of his cannon, meaning it would shoot in a few seconds. This gave her an idea. She quickly slithered over the bomber, wrapping her body around his. "Argh! Take her off me! Take her off me!" the bomber panicked. Viper forced him to bend down, his cannon pointing at the ground. When the ball came out, it caused an explosion that sent both he and all the other bombers flying away. While in the air, Viper hopped off her 'puppet' and safely landed on the ground.
"Nice one, Viper!" Po beamed as he came out of his cover and went to exchange a high-five with his snake companion.
"I wouldn't have done it without your long arms," she responded, giving a wink.
Big Jun's eye twitched as he looked at all his defeated henchmen. "... Are you kidding me?! You guys had the numbers, the force, poison, and even freakin' bombs... AND YOU STILL CAN'T TAKE OUT TWO STUPID KUNG FU WARRIORS?!"
"Those two 'stupid Kung Fu warriors', as you say, are masters of the Jade Palace, pal!" Po pointed out. "If you don't want to end up like your friends here, I suggest you free Master Tigress of your love mind control and surrender to the local police forces."
"Who do you think you are?! You might have defeated my men, but as long as the leader stands, the Lang Clan will survive!" He grabbed Tigress' paw and brought her forward. "With me now, my beautiful Tigress! We will take out those two anti-lovers and cement our union once and for all!"
"Yes, my dear Jun!" Tigress replied in an unusual girly tone as she took place next to her 'lover' and assumed her fighting stance.
"Looks like we have no choice but to fight Tigress here," Viper remarked with a clearly unhappy expression at the idea. "Po, I'm gonna take care of Tigress since she and I are about on the same level. Meanwhile, you neutralize Jun and, if possible, force him to tell us what the antidote is."
"You got it!" Po responded, giving two thumbs up to his reptile friend.
"Attack, Tigress!" Big Jun commanded, prompting the Master of Tiger Style to charge forward, targeting her fellow Furious Five comrade. She unsheathed her claws and swung them at the snake, forcing her to get on the defensive. Thanks to her slender body, the attacks were relatively easy to avoid, but unfortunately also left her very little space to counterattack.
Po, meanwhile, assumed his fighting stance, grinning at Big Jun. "Wow, would you look at that? Big Jun is not very... big," he remarked to taunt his opponent.
A nerve appeared on the side of Big Jun's head (though it was hard to see because of his mask). "Don't... mock... my... SIZE!" he exclaimed, leaping in the air and unsheathing his sword. Despite being covered in bandages, it looked quite sharp. Rising it over his head, the little canine vertically brought it down towards his enemy.
"Holy dumpling!" Po managed to roll out of the way in time to get away from where the sword clashed with the ground. The leader of the Lang Clan did not stop there and charged forward to press on his attack. Po found himself stepping back and moving in every direction to avoid the sharp swings. Despite the difference in size, Big Jun could move pretty quickly with his weapon.
After ducking a swing, Po jumped back to put some distance between Big Jun and himself. The little canine, however, did not plan on letting him catch his breath and actually launched his big sword at him. Po sidestepped to avoid it and grinned. "Ha! You missed!" At least, that's what Po thought. Why was Big Jun smirking? A whistling noise reached Po's ears, and he turned around just in time to see the bandaged sword flying back at him. Mumbling a swear, he ducked a few milliseconds away from losing his head. The blade did touch his cheek and leave a cut there, though.
"What the heck?! How did you do that?!" Po asked, rubbing the blood that flowed out of his cut.
"There are a lot of things the Lang Clan can do, fat boy!" Big Jun mocked after catching his sword by the handle. He charged toward the panda, ready to cut him down to pieces.
"Alright, time to even the field!" Po mumbled to himself. Opening his inventory, he quickly pulled out his broomstick (which confused Big Jun as it came out of nowhere to him) and used it to deflect the swings of the giant sword.
"W-Where did you pull that broomstick from?!" Big Jun asked, trying to keep attacking through his confusion.
"I could tell you... but I don't want to!" Po childishly responded. After deflecting another swing, he delivered rapid strikes to Jun's cheeks with both ends of his broomstick before smacking him with his butt, sending him flying away. He decided to take this brief moment of victory to check on his comrade. To his surprise, Viper seemed to be doing great, whereas Tigress seemed very tired. "Hey, Viper, is everything alright on your side?"
"Yeah!" the snake responded, dodging a palm strike with ease and slapping the feline across the face with her tail. "I don't know why, but Tigress isn't as strong or focused as usual. Maybe it's an effect of the Lotus of Love. Anyway, I think I can win this!"
"Cool!" Po gave her a thumb's up before looking at Big Jun, who hadn't gotten up yet. Seeing a chance to take him out, he charged forward, hopped into the air, and spread his limbs out. "Here I come! PANDA QUAKE!"
Unfortunately, if he thought he had won the encounter, he was wrong. Big Jun's eyes shot open at the last second, and he jumped away in time, letting Po smack the ground with his tummy. Taking advantage of the close distance, Big Jun ran up to Po, spat some purple mist in his face, and then immediately jumped away.
"What is this?" Po asked as he got back up and coughed.
"A special poison courtesy of the Lang Clan!" Big Jun responded with a grin. "It will slowly drain your energy until you can no longer stay conscious. When that happens, all I'll have to do will be to cut your head off and offer it to my Tigress as a trophy!"
Big Jun was right; Po could feel himself getting tired by the seconds. He had to win the fight quickly, or he'd end up being dead meat. Pushing a cry, he charged forward and clashed his broomstick with Big Jun's sword. Viper, meanwhile, managed to avoid another one of Tigress' now sloppy attacks, caused by her tiredness, and then slithered up her arms to wrap her body around her neck. Tigress struggled for a few seconds, but at that point, she no longer had the energy to fight back and slowly allowed herself to slip into the world of dreams.
After smacking Big Jun with his tummy, Po took notice of Viper's victory. It gave him an idea. "Hey, Jun! I don't understand why people call you Big Jun. You're not that big at all - in fact, even Master Shifu is taller than you, I think!"
"Shut up!" Big Jun bellowed, attacking more aggressively than before. Po's plan was working; he just needed to keep going on a bit longer.
"Honestly, I think people call you that only out of pity. Because they know that your fragile little ego would shatter in tiny pieces if they were to remind you all the time how small you are... Little Jun!"
Jun snapped. Pushing a loud growl of anger, he charged at Po with the intention to cut him in half. Unbeknownst to him, this action sealed his defeat. Po sidestepped to avoid the powerful swing and slipped one arm under the canine's jaw, trapping him into a rear naked choke. The Lang Clan leader groaned and fought like crazy to break free. However, Po's big arms were giving him a huge advantage in this situation, his Imperial Bear Style training once again coming in handy. It took an entire minute of struggle before Jun started showing signs of fatigue and ultimately stopped struggling. Po kept the hold for a few extra seconds for good measures before letting him go. The canine's eyes were closed, indicating he was indeed out for good.
"Yeah! I won! I won! I-oh boy, I'm tired!" Po exclaimed, feeling his rush of energy falling down quickly. Only then did he remember the poison Jun infected him with earlier.
"Po? Are you alright?" Viper inquired as she slithered over to her friend. "You look pale! Are you hurt?"
"No, but that Big Jun guy has poisoned by with his mist...," Po weakly replied. "I don't... think I can... stand for very long..."
"Hold on, Po!" Viper exclaimed, reassuringly touching her friend with her tail. "There must be a formula for an antidote somewhere in Jun's base; I'll go take a look! Just hold on until then, okay?"
"I...don't feel... well." Po's body lurched forward, landing face down on the ground.
Po blinked his green eyes, slowly returning to the world of the living. His head was still aching from the poison that invaded his system. "Dumpling and noodles...," he groaned, standing up in a sitting position. "I think my little body doesn't like poison. I'll try to stay clean of it for the future... At least they had the kindness to put me in a comfortable bed. It's as comfy as the one in my bedroom..." Po then realized something. "Wait a minute!"
The young panda was, in fact, INSIDE his bedroom! Judging by the weak light, it had to be around evening time. How did Viper manage to get him all the way back to the Jade Palace? He would have to ask her once he got the strength to get out of his bed.
"You have finally awakened."
This voiced caused Po to freeze on the spot. How could he have failed to notice someone else being in his bedroom? Especially when this someone happened to be a certain orange feline. Indeed, Master Tigress was standing in a kneeled position right next to his bed, her amber eyes glowing in the slightly dark room.
"M-Master Tigress? What are you doing here?" he nervously asked.
"I was waiting for you to wake up," she responded in a low, serious tone. "The poison in your system was a strong one. Thankfully, Viper managed to make a cure for you in time... just as she did for me. You can thank her mastery of poisons for this."
Now that she mentioned it, Po remembered passing out from the poison after defeating Big Jun and Viper saying she would try to find the formula for an antidote inside his hideout. "So Viper managed to find a cure in Big Jun's base?"
"Yes. She saved your life first, then released me from that mind control. Once it was done, she called for the valley's local police forces to apprehend the Lang Clan and help to carry you back all the way here. You should be thankful; two of them ended up with a backache for you."
"Oh, okay," Po mumbled. After all these explanations, an uncomfortable silence befell Po's bedroom, the panda looking all around whilst the feline kept her gaze fixated on him. "... Is there something you wanted to tell me?"
"As a matter of fact, there is," Tigress confirmed, her expression almost softening. "Viper told me everything that happened, how the leader of the Lang Clan used a plant to brainwash me and make me fall in love with him. He even made me kiss him against my will." She shivered at the thought. "She also told me everything the both of you did to free me from his control, and... I thank you for it." The feline politely bowed to the panda.
Po blinked his eyes multiple times. Was he really receiving thanks from Master Tigress? His mind had so much trouble processing the information, he didn't know how to respond. "Huh... I... N-No problem, that's what Kung Fu warriors must do, eh, eh," he nervously chuckled.
Nodding, Master Tigress stood back up and started walking out of Po's bedroom. But not without stopping at the door, her back facing him. "Po?"
Once again, the panda's head perked up, this time from hearing the Master of Tiger Style calling him by his name for the first time. "Y-Yes?"
She turned to look at him over her shoulder. "I'm looking forward to our match in one month. Be sure to be ready at this moment, okay?"
Po started trembling. Not from the poison, but from an even more powerful source: excitation. A grin formed on his face as he enthusiastically gave her a thumb's up. "Alright! I'll give my best, it's a promise!"
Author's note: The first chapter I publish for this story since December. You might think this is due to neglecting this story; actually, it's because I deeply care about it - so much so that I want every single chapter to be good and enjoyable to read. In the months since my last chapter, I've taken many notes that are actually filling computer docs and real life notebooks. I want this story to be so good that I try to plan everything ahead at the cost of chapters coming out a snail's pace. But think about it: would you rather have a slow story that remains good on the long term, or one that gets updated quickly at the cost of being rushed?
This chapter was based on the 'Lotus of Love' chapter from Tales of Po. In this chapter, Big Jun of the Lang Clan uses the Lotus of Love to brainwash Tigress and turn her into one of the bosses (alongside Big Jun) at the end of the level. Outside his love for Tigress, Big Jun didn't display a lot of personality traits. So, my guess was that he had size issues, like Mantis, hence why he forced everyone to call him Big Jun.
While I'm satisfied with how the story is turning out so far, I took the realization that I neglected something important: the relationship between Po and Tigress, which is supposed to be one of the main relationships in the KFP franchise. In the movies, Po wins Tigress' respect upon defeating Tai Lung, which hasn't happened yet. I didn't want Po and Tigress to become buddies after time skips because that would have been anti-climatic, in my opinion. Then I thought: what's the one thing Tigress can bond with others through? Fighting, of course! This is where I got the idea of her challenging Po to a match for a shot at gaining her respect.
Now, I'd like to tell you the long waits will be over and that the chapters will come out faster from now on, but that won't be the case. I only have about three months of school left, and I'd like to progress as much as possible before summer. That being said, I'll keep taking notes and plan things ahead for this story; you can be sure of that!
