15 Years Later...
The Morning Gong was rung once again...it was morning time in the Valley Of Peace. It has been quite a long time, and not much has changed about the Valley itself. No, not much has changed at all. The people in the Valley, however...had a lot of growing up to experience.
Po's actions 15 years prior to this point have left quite an impact on most denizens of the Valley. And it's the reason for his actions that struck them in a new light. He had stared down Master Thundering Rhino and won his side of their disagreement without trying very hard about it. With an injured shoulder, and nothing but his own defiance, he actually got Rhino, who is usually unmovable on those kinds of decisions, to back off. Not only was that shocking to everyone, but it also showed them that Po is not the kind of panda that they like to look at him as. He stood up for someone who they thought would always be pure evil. Fenghuang's actions, despite her sarcastic wordplay, were entirely genuine, however confused she was that day. It made them think twice about how they think, at least a little bit.
One other noticable change was that they tried to relax a little more(key word on try)and not be so overly paranoid about many things, though they're still very jumpy about many things. Because one of their own being able to stare down a powerful Kung Fu Master and not back down an inch. As Master Rhino says, a steel glare like Po's is not seen in any ordinary child. No, the potential he can bring out definitely lies deep within. He just didn't think that Fenghuang would be the one to help him bring it out. No one expected that, not at all. Except probably Oogway. He somehow knows when things are going to happen, even if it isn't in the order he sees it.
But what was most noticable was a insightful change in attitude in Shifu. He had refused to admit it out loud, but how he reacted to seeing Fenghuang again was quite inappropriate and very immature of him. It was impulse. Her betrayal of Oogway left Shifu very angry at her even when they've seen one another again. Mr. Pings scolding summed it up.
"You don't get it. She DID get locked away. She hid herself away from the world so that she wouldn't get hurt. But she couldn't take it anymore. It doesn't matter if you're good or evil, or even neutral. Anyone will be desparate for compaionship or at the very least some attention, be it good or bad." He closed his eyes. "She got sick of pretending she doesn't exist just to avoid trouble, because she's better than that. What she needed was the courage to face the world again. An outside force needed to pull her away from her barrier...and that outside force is me and my son. And since then, she has done nothing that makes me distrust her. She's confused, sure. Is she a heroic figure? Not quite. But she definitely isn't the evil owl you remember her as. Not anymore."
"And yet you refuse to see that she still has a chance. She told me that you two used to be comrades. You abandoned her. Oogway did not, at least not completely. If there is any fool within this vicinity, it's YOU."
Shifu did not expect to be told off and scolded by a mere cook. Even more unexpected, is for him to be absolutely right. He was being unfair, and a tad foolish, but only because he was hurt that a fellow comrade could turn on he and Oogway, and he didn't believe it when the possibility was shown that she could turn herself around. He was being protective of Oogway. In other words...
I let myself get carried away again. I really am a fool...
Of course, Mr. Pings scolding as well as Fenghuang's offer to train Po, along with the fact that Oogway will not be at the Jade Palace for quite a long time...there was no one else he had left there, for fifteen years.
Well...no one except his daughter Tigress. He was left alone in charge of the Jade Palace with no one but Tigress to keep him company. At first, he was distant like he always was to her. But she never gave up trying to appeal to him, always using Po's relationship with Mr. Ping as inspiration. She never got very far with him.
But then...
(Flashback)
Ten year-old Tigress was pouding away at the ironwood tree in front of her. She's been going at it for hours now, she did not get much sleep, and it didn't look like she's eaten enough, either. She was exhausted, she was sweating, her knuckles were bleeding, and she felt dizzy. But she did not stop. I can't rest. I need to keep going...I need to do this to make my arms stronger...I have to...
Shifu was just walking by the fields to check on Tigress. He didn't see her go to bed this morning, and was checking to make sure she was still around. He was surprised to see that she was still punching the ironwood trees. She semed more excessive than usual. She was still wearing the scarf Po gave to her...she must have been very devoted to him. He was a constant inspiration for her to get stronger so she could look after him when the time comes. She was also overexerting herself so he would notice her more than he udually did, which was barely. She was the only one here with him. He should probably be a bit more easy on her...
The next moment was something that knocked him out of his trance. Tigress threw another punch at the tree...the she collapsed in a heap. Shifu's eyes widened as he jumped down and ran to her. "TIGRESS!"
Later~
The tiger cub opened her eyes and groaned from a headache. She had no idea what happened, she just fainted randomly and didn't know why. She sat up and looked to the left side of her room, her scarf was neatly folded on the floor, and she had a bag of ice on her head. She felt hot, and she felt a bit nauseous. She rubbed her head slightly, while she held the ice bag to her head, then looked to the right of her room.
Shifu was sitting right next to her. Wait...how long was he there...? "Tigress. You worked yourself too hard." She nodded in a bit of embarrassment. Also, being ten years old at this point, she has grown a bit taller than Shifu at this point. He continied on: "You've come down with River Fever, Tigress. It won't go away until tomorrow. I suggest that you take then rest of the day to rest."
"But Father...I'm fine. Really. I just needed the nap is all." She attempted to get up, but she suddenpy got into a coughing fit for a minute. Shifu gently pushed her back down as a result.
"You need to rest." He said quietly. He reached out and placed a paw on her head. "I understand that you want to become stronger for Po. But overworking yourself every single day is not how to go about it. There is nothing weak about resting during training. Now please, just rest for the day. I'll make us some tea." He nods before turning and limping out of her room. She never found it easy to remember that Tai Lung was the one that caused that injury to Shifu. But she has definitely made some progress with Shifu today, considering how he reacted when her health had suddenly took a hit. He showed concern for her once again in a long time, ever since Tai Lung disappeared.
He had spent the majority of the day taking care of her throughout her one day having River Fever. Giving her tea, tissues for her sneezing and coughing, cleaned up after her without complaint when she vomited, and since her muscles felt weak and she tended to spasm, he had to help her bathe.
...which lead to this exchange.
"Father...do you really have to do this?" Tigress pouted, as Shifu stood from the edge of the bath, currently washing her head. She was covered in many bubbles at this point.
"You're feeling weak right now and you have occasional muscle spasms. It would be rather unfortunate if you accidentally hurt yourself." He responded, whilst she could only pout some more. At this moment, she spasms again, and the sudden movement knocked Shifu off balance and he falls into the water with her. He immediately resurfaced, spitting out water, and he sweatdropped. "...of course I didn't take into account that I might accidentally hurt myself..."
He and Tigress looked at one another...then they laughed. Laughing...Shifu hasn't done that either, in a long time. It felt nice. Then Tigress made the move to splash water on him. He frowned a bit. Then he splashed her back. "I am a a legend at this point, Tigress. You would openly challenge me?" Response? Splashed him again, and she laughed louder. Then they continued to splash at one another multiple times, while laughing the entire time.
Having their fun, Shifu dried her off, she dressed herself up, and she went back to bed after eating dinner. She had a hard time falling asleep, so he reached out and softly petted her head. It was a slow process, but she eventually closed her eyes and fell asleep peacefully. Shifu smiled gently. He then kissed her forehead goodnight, blew out the candle in her room, and closed her door.
He sighed as he walked down the halls, alone in the Jade Palace with no one but Tigress, and the recently hired palce servant, Zeng.
He made his way to his room, he asked Zeng to clean up while he wasn't here. "Oh, Master Shifu. I just finished." He sees the deep look on Shifu's face, and he softened up. "Master Shifu...?"
The small Master sighed, as he turned to a wall with paintings of his past relationships. "Zeng...can I tell you something personal?"
"Um...sure, Master."
The red panda looks at each painting. "Zeng...I let my loyalty to Oogway get the better of me, multiple times...(passes by a painting of he and Oogway)I crushed the dreams of my friends(passes by a picture of himself and Taotie)I made bad blood with someone I didn't intend to antagonize(passes by a picture of himself and Junjie, as well as Master Chao)my teammates went their separate ways, one had turned evil...and I didn't try to help her(passes by a painting of himself with the previous Furious Five, Fenghuang included)." Shifu then stopped by a painting of himself and Mei Ling, the latter cheerfully kissing his cheek. He felt a tear leave his eye. "I didn't even try to make things work with my lover..." He then looked to the side, a painting of himself and a young Tai Lung, then himself and an adult Tai Lung. "And I let my pride horribly corrupt my son...and made it worse by not even trying standing up for him..." Shifu sighed. "...and I still did not learn my lesson when Fenghuang returned..." Then he turned and left his room, Zeng following behind him.
The red-panda re-entered Tigress' room, and knelt beside her. He began to pet her head again, and saw that it brought a smile on her fave in her sleep. "I am not that big a fool. Sooner or later, I will have to face the consequences for every single one of my betrayals...but right now...I just want to be here for Tigress." He nods. "Fenghuang was right about me...I spent so long being loyal to Oogway...that I allowed him to completely overshadow me. Most decisions I made was in an effort to please him. I lost more than I gained..."
Zeng seemed a bit lightheaded, as Shifu was opening his heart to him. It may have something to do with the fact that he was new here. Wanted someone with a clean slate when it comes to knowing him, so that he wouldn't negatively judge him. "And...what does these revelations do for you, Master Shifu?"
He keeps his eyes on Tigress. "I promise, Tigress. I'm going to try to be better...for you. I won't chase you away like I did everyone else. With Oogway gone for a long while, it will give me plenty of time to regain my confidence in making decisions for myself. I can't always follow his examples...I must become my own leader for a change." He says, as he smiles gently at his slumbering daughter.
Now matter how painful it is for me...I must be a father again. (Flash to Po and Mr. Pings relationship) I can still have a connection like that...if I try...indeed. I HAVE to try.
(Present Time)
Tigress opened her eyes at the sound of the Gong, and she sat up and yawned, raising her paws in the air. She got up from her bed and was getting ready to start her day. She went to her closet and opens it, while getting a hold of her clothes. She reached out and grabbed her sleeveless red training vest with yellow flowers, and black training pants. Though she put off her training vest for a second to wrap bindings around her chest.
There was a good reason for this. That short conversation she had with Fenghuang finally began to make sense to her. She was currently 22 years old, a growing young woman. Of course Shifu expected her body mature over time, and was able to delicately, patiently, and effectively help her through those changes.(Having Mrs. Yoon visit REALLY helps in these awkward conversations) So she knew what she needed to know. But she didn't really know what to think about it on a certain level. So she just pulled through it.
Said changes involved the following: she noticed herself getting somewhat slimmer and curvy, yet still well-toned, given her training, and her fur has grown to that of a grown tiger at this point. Her tail has gotten longer, and her crimson eyes have grown more fierce due to training, though there was also gentleness behind them as well. Her whiskers have also gotten a bit longer. But the most embarassing(at least to her) feature was the reason why she puts on her wrap. Her chest has...well...developed, and they're bigger than she expected them to be. She was understandably shocked at the growth, but Shifu looked horrified at the discovery, only because neither of them want her to attract...unsavory attention. Nonetheless...they were getting in the way of her training, so she always wore a wrap around her chest so that she herself could train unhindered. She doesn't fully deny them,(Mrs. Yun says it's nothing ashamed of, it's merely natural development) she just doesn't want them getting in her way. Overall, she'd say that she definitely looked like a female, so there's no need to be concerned about childish comments about her gender...unless they like to be jerks.
Enough about that now. She tightened her wrap to a comfortable degree, put on her vest, and left her room in a quiet and calm manner. She didn't forget to put on her scarf, either. She takes it everywhere she goes. Walking down the hallway, she could see Shifu waiting for her.
"Good Morning, Tigress."
"Good Morning, Master." He had the slightly serious face on him, so she was focused on business.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Indeed I did."
"Did you remember to put on your binding?" She blushed at this, and nodded. "Ah yes, very good. Now if you wish, you're allowed to go on your daily patrol. Be careful "
"I will, Master." She bows gently, then leaves out the Jade Palace doors, while remembering to say good morning to Zeng. She took a deep breath and jumped off the steps. She was feeling a bit impatient and just wanted to get things done. She feels the breeze pass through her fur smoothly, and she lands on all fours, landing on her feet like cats usually do. After dusting herself off and adjusting her scarf, she pressed on.
The villagers were not being unreasonably hostile of her anymore, but they kept their distance out of caution as well as not getting in her way. After all, training under Shifu managed to make her stronger, and she was able to make the Valley safe, even if it's only a bit. After all it was just her and Shifu, and sometimes it was very irritating to do most of this on their own. She never complained, not even once. But it was very clear that the constant threats were becoming an increasingly annoying hassle. She was just going to deal with the threat and go on with her day.
...except this day wouldn't be like any other day.
Tigress was stopping by a local restaurant somewhere not too far from the Valley Of Peace. Since Mr. Ping was not present, they found over places to eat. Travelers usually stop by here to rest from long journies. She listened intently as she could hear something related to a ruckus. Narrowing her eyes, she stepped inside.
"Will you please leave the premises, sir?! You're scaring everyone here!" One of the patient yet intimidated geese in the room were begging the rather rough curren occupant of the place. The others were just trying to relax and eat their food, though now it was quite difficult to relax with bandits messing things up here. It was a group of boars, ten in total, and they don't look nice. With mean glares, weapon in their hands, and the supposed leader currently choking the owner of the inn. This earned a glare from Tigress, and she began moving forward...but stopped. Everyone just went silent.
They were silent because someone began eating...VERY LOUDLY. Everyone turned to the large figure in the corner. Whoever the person was, was currently eating his serving of food as if he had little to no table manners, not that he was sitting on a table. Technically he was at a counter, but the meanings are the same. Loud chomps, munches, slurps, and other noises sounded out through the room, and it annoyed the bandits who were in the middle of business. No one could see his clear features because his straw hat created a shadow over his face. He really seemed entirely focused on his food to not notice the bandits leaving the goose alone and standing right behind him.
"Hey. Hey you! We're talking to you!" The lead boar shouted, though the stranger barely paid attention. "Hey, didn't ypu hear me?! I'm saying this is a theft, and you're just sitting there eating!" Again, he was not heard, the person just kept eating. Now all of them were glaring at this person. "Are you ignoring us?!"
After another moment of large eating, the person finishes eating signified by a large belch. "Ah, that was good..." This person was male, according to the voice. He sat back in his seat a little and patted his belly. "It's a good thing all that was prepaid..."
"Are you done yet?" The boars asked all at once, now completely irritated.
The figure turned around and lifted his straw hat with a grin. Tigress froze up when he did. Jade Eyes...black and white fur...that large belly, the even large grin on his face...
Po...?
The panda cocked his head to the side. "Hey, did you guys need something?" All ten boars face-faulted, and he sweatdropped. "Was it something I said...?"
"WE'RE TRYING TO GET YOUR ATTENTION YOU DUMBASS!" They all said at once.
"...Oh. Sorry about that." Po said blankly. His head turned to the side, and his smile and eyes sparkled with immense delight. "TIGRESS!" He got up his seat and ran straight past the boars who were failing spectacularly to intimidate him. He closed his arms around the surprised tiger and got her into his bear hug. "It's been a while! I'm so glad to see you!"
"Er...um...it's great to see you too, Po." Tigress genuinely smiled. She would have hugged him back, but his affectionate and gentle bear hug pinned her arms to her sides, paired with being lifted into the air. She couldn't believe that the panda managed to get even jollier than he was when he was a child. He certainly has the warm smile and large belly to back it up. She could also see that he has grown in strength, seeing that he can lift her without any difficulty.
...Plus, she could barely breathe. "Po...breathing...difficult...please...let go."
"Oh, my bad." He set her down and dusted her off. "Just look at you! You look all mature and strong and a pro at Kung Fu...and mature."
Tigress chuckled lightly. "Thanks Po. And I have to say, I'm surprised at you. Aside from being jollier and more cheerful, you haven't changed much."
"Not true! I have become...50% percent more fluffy and cuddly!" He patted his belly, watching it jiggle for a bit. "And apparently jiggly on the gut..."
She raised her eyebrow in amusement. "And the other 50%?"
"Me learning some top-notch awesome Kung-Fu from Master Fenghuang! You just can NOT tell me that I'm not awesome!" It wasn't arrogance talking, due to the amount of playfulness in his voice.
While the two friends were casually catching up, the boar bandits have completely escaped from their attention. This has gone too far. "He's ignoring us again! Grr...that's it! I'm sick of this guy! HEY!" Po turned around and waved.
"Hey, did you guys need something?"
"YOU SAID THAT ALREADY!" They all said in exasperation.
"Oh. Hehe, my bad. Anyway, what do you guys want?"
"We're trying to rob the joint, and you're just eating and sitting around like nothing here is happening at all! Are we not worth your attention?!"
Po folded his arms with a thoughtful look. "Well...my master did say that I don't always have to waste my time fighting guys that don't have any real strength. That I should never intentionally do harm...(pounds fist into open palm) unless I intend to do harm, then I get to do LOTS of harm." Tigress sweatdropped. What the heck did that owl tell him...?
"Are you saying we have no strength?! You bastard!"
"Buuuut on the other hand...I'm a nice guy. I like helping people, and things like that. So come on bros, you don't wanna rob this place. Just sit back and relax, then leave quietly. Because if you don't, and continue to harass these good people, I'll have no choice but to knock you all out. So whaddya say, fellas?"
They all just glared at him. He's treated them like a joke by being Mr. Nice Guy! "You're going down, chubby!"
Po sighed. "Tigress...do you often be fighting criminals on your own?"
"Huh? Well, yes." She nodded, not understanding his point.
"Alright. Lemme take care if all ten of them for you." Tigress looked surprised at his bold statement. Filled with loads of confidence.
"Gonna take care of all ten of us, will you? You're a bigger moron than I thought!" The leader and his gang laugjed.
Po didn't falter. He just tilted his straw hat and smirked. "Heh. You guys are just goons. Bet that I can beat all of you, one blow each."
"That's it!" The first bandit charged at Po and thrusted his sword at him, but it impaled nothing. "What...?! Where did he-"
"Didn't expect a panda to be so quick?" Po said from behind him. He could only look for a couple moments before Po knocked him out with a punch to the face.
"Grr! Get him!" The rest of them said. Po merely stood by and waited for them. The first two charged at him from both sides and tried to hit him with their respective maces, though he was able to block the both of them without effort, and bashed their heads together, and they fell to the ground. Another three charged him with small knives, which didn't help them with reaching him. He just jumped up and spin kicked all three of them at once, knocking them all to the ground. Four of them were growing rather impatient, but they charged with reckless abandon and tried physical attacks, which was a momumental mistake on their part. He countered every single one of their blows, grabs one by the arm and spins him in an arc, making him crash into all the others and knocking them out as well.
After all of this, he dusted himself off and looks towards the leader. "Now then. How should I deal with you?"
The boar looked extremely hesitant at seeing his gang get taken down so easily, but nonetheless grabbed his own sword. "Don't be so cocky!"
"It's not being cocky, it's just me asking a question. And I just found the answer." Po said, as he waited for him to try and cut him down. He predicted correctly, as the gang leader tried to slice him with the sword. He ducked casually and held his paw back.
Po struck his chest, putting more force behind the punch. The impact was severe, and the bandit's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fell forward in a heap. Tigress was understandably shocked at the display as Po adjusted his Straw Hat with a smile. "Sorry about the mess, guys. I'll stay and clean up."
"Po...that was amazing." Was all she could say at the moment. Po sheepishly rubbed his neck.
"Panda! Let's go!" They looked up to see Fenghuang come down from the stairs. She sees Tigress and her eyes twinkled with interest. "Oh. Lookie here, the tiger cub is growing up."
"Hello Master Fenghuang." Tigress said with a bow.
"Save the formalities, child. I was never too into that stuff anyway." She waved off. She then tucked in her wings and walked around Tigress in a circle, examining her. "Hm...not bad, not bad at all. You have definitely worked out a lot, and it's done you wonders." She stopped in front of her. "You even got taller than me. Growth spurt just like the panda, huh?"
Tigress nodded. "I guess so."
Fenghuang smirked playfully, as she raised one wing up to Tigress and poked her in the chest. The feline yelped in surprise when she stepped back a couple feet. "As I thought, you're wearing a wrap."
"What?! N-No I'm not!"
"You totally are! You wouldn't need one if you didn't grow there!" Fenghuang laughed loudly, embarrassing Tigress further. "Alright. I'll cease with the teasing, we better check in to the Valley Of Peace." She waved as she walked out the door first, followed by Tigress and Po(after he cleaned the place up) and then the entire place was silent.
Until Mr. Ping came out from the room he rented and blinked at the sight of bandits collapsed on the floor. "...Sheesh, and I thought this inn was supposed to be high rated..."
(Jade Palace)
The quartet eventually made it back to the Valley Of Peace, with Mr. Ping rushing off to check on his empty noodle shop which was untouched for 15 years. The other three continued onward to the Jade Palace, where Shifu would be waiting for them, though he was surprised to see that Po and Fenghuang were with Tigress as well. He would do what he can-
"Long time no see, Big Ears."
-to keep his patience. Though her snarky tone would not be easy to ignore. He sighed. "Hello, Fenghuang. Po. And I see that you're back, Tigress. And that you've reunited with Po."
"Hi Shifu!" Po waved. It seems that Shifu's hostile attention towards Po's decision to defend Fenghuang didn't faze the pands in the slightest. "Wow...you look so small now!"
"That's because you grew, Po..." He deadpanned.
"Oh, yeah."
"Anyway, we don't have much time for chit chat. Zeng?"
"Of course, Master Shifu." Zeng was holding two scrolls in his wings he handed one to Tigress, and the other one to Po. "Oogway has returned recently, but he's meditating at the Peach Tree for the moment. He wanted you to have these messages. They're both important. One of them is from Fung."
Po nods enthusiastically, and opens the scroll to read it.
Dear Po and Tigress,
Hey, what's up guys? Hope you're doing fine like I am. I have become quite amazing at Croc-Style Kung Fu, and I'm currently kicking back with Master Croc, Ox, and Rhino in Gongmen City. Place is pretty amazing, really. I make a pretty awesome prison guard! No one has gotten past me! I'm just that cool! I even got my own crew to help me out. They're a bit ditzy, but they're cool.
...except for Gah-ri. GOSH. He irks me in so many ways! Always pointing out my errors, which is NOT constructive criticism, shooting down my confidence, and overall just being a pain in the ass! And even worse, he doesn't realize that he's doing it! I just...GRAH! I SPILLED SOME INK! DARN IT!
Ha...Anyway, you two probably have some important stuff to get to right now, whenever you get this message. I'm gonna be held back, but I promise to be there before you leave, because Oogway told me you guys got something going down, and I want in. Well, that's all from me. See ya guys.
Sincerely, Fung.
P.S.: Hi guys, Gah-ri here. Can we be friends? My boss is a jerk.
DARN IT GAH-RI! GET YOUR GRUBBY CLAWS OFF MY MESSENGER SCROLL!
Po and Tigress sweatdropped. He left those last parts in the message instead of redoing it. Yep, this was their Fung, alright. They chuckled out loud. Well they wouldn't see each other for a bit, but at least they know he's on his way.
"Alright, so we know that Fung is doing well." Tigress says, gazing at the other scroll. "But what significance does this one have?"
"Open it and find out." Shifu nods. Tigress follows the advice and opens the scroll:
When you young ones get this, I will be resting for the time being near the Peach Tree. My journey has been very taxing, but I was able to succeed in the end. What I have on this scroll...is a roster.
"Roster?" Po and Tigress said together, as they continued reading.
I sense the winds changing around China, my friends. It is time we prepare for a new generation. These are the names of young ones with great potential. Some around your age group, others are younger, and a couple are older. I wish for you to seek these young ones out, and allow them to join you in training. Some of their strengths are similar, others are exclusive only to them. And the main similarity between you and them is that they each know what it's like to feel alone in the world. Some got by with the help of others, some did not. Here are their names:
Monkey
Crane
Mei Ling
Viper
Mantis
Song
Bian Zao
Peng
Lian
Fung
Ànyǐng(OC)
Xuě(OC)
These are recommended people, but you're free to do your own analysis on other potential recruits. Seek out these people, young ones. Befriend them. Connect with them. Have fun with them. So that when the time comes, they will stand by your side and fight alongside you, without hesitation. Because I sense a mighty storm is coming. I do not know when it will be upon us, but it's inevitable. And you need to be prepared to face it.
I bid you good luck, young ones.
Oogway
Po and Tigress looked over the roster a couple times, making sure that it was clear for them to read. When they finished looking it over, they looked towards Shifu and Fenghuang.
"Oogway wants us to form a team..." Po starts.
"...who is best suited to represent the next generation of heroes..." Tigress finished.
Shifu nods. "And he wants the two of you to be the leaders of such a team."
Po blinked. "We'll be...Co-Leaders?"
"...Ha...yes Po, Co-Leaders." Fenghuang sighed.
"...So cool!"
"I'm not so sure about this, though..." Shifu rubbed his beard. Fenghuang sighed.
"We have to take this risk, Shifu. Take the fact that the Lin Kuei are after Po's head, Tai Lung is still out there, most of your friends are now bitter enemies besides myself. I just don't like you." Shifu's eyebrow twitched in irritation. "My point is that it's better that turtle brought this up sooner rather than later. Po and Tigress have to go on this journey. In order to prepare unknown, they need the team to help them face it." Shifu looked troubled. Some of these problems were indeed getting out of hand. Old long time threats as well as arising new ones...some can only take so much. "Shifu. I've made peace with the fact that we can't stay as the big dogs forever. But I at least need to know that the new generation has the potential of doing better than we did. Don't you think so?" The owl sighed. "Look, once the tortoise wakes up, HE can protect the Valley, he's powerful enough. We'll watch Po and Tigress, evaluate their performance. We only interfere when we seriously have to."
Po keeps staring at the list. Then he begins to crack a wide smile. "Sooo...you mean that our mission is to find some more friends to hang out with? That's so awesome!" Fung was already a friend of theirs, so that was one down already. Good progress so far.
"It's not that simple, Po."
"But it's an overall goal, isn't it?"
"...Well-"
"Of course it is! Plus Oogway said all of them know what it's like to be alone in the world. We can totally relate to that. So...we'll connect easier that way. Tigress...I know that we're tough, but we can't do this alone. We need this team. On a fighting scale, and an emotional one. I know I want more friends to hang out with. Don't you?"
Tigress sighed, before meeting his eyes and nods. "Yes, Po. I do."
"Then we know what we must do. We are going on this awesome journey to recruit some awesome friends for a goal to be among the awesome of awesome! Isn't that awesome?!"
"Does he say that a lot?" Shifu asked.
"What? Awesome?" Fenghuang looked at him as he nods, then she facewinged. "Every...damn...day..."
"Alright, we got this. We so got this Tigress! High five!" Po raises his paw up with a grin. Tugress thought for a moment before she smiled and complied, high-fiving him. He wasn't quite ready. "GAGH! Hurt paw! Hurt paw! Hurt paw!"
"Sorry Po!" Tigress said in concern. She was actually as excited as he was. So much that she forgot to cut back on her strength the moment she high-fived him.
Po kneeled to the ground, nursing his paw. "Geez, with high physical power like yours...this will be a breeze!" Po chuckled, though winced a bit. The feline sighed, smiling nervously. Shifu and Fenghuang merely chuckled st the sight, forgetting their mutual hostility for the moment.
This was going to be quite a rocky road, that much is certain. But it is a road worth walking on.
Well, I told you you'd find out how I'd make the cast. At least, the ones with notable main focus. I could have just kept the names secret...but that's not my intention, nope. I want the recruits to be known. HOW they join the group is where I mix things up, even if it is only by a little bit. That's the part that truly matters. Plus...Oogway's the one who got the information, so of course he knows their names. The point is that Po and Tigress don't know ANY of them yet besides Fung. That'll change once they find them all, for sure. Look forward to it.~
See ya then!