"Shifu...? Shifu...?! SHIFU! Come on, Fufie, don't do this to me..."
Shifu didn't realize he was unconscious...or very critically injured. Until Mei Ling had begun calling his name constantly in his ears. It sounded faded, distant, and it echoed a couple times regardless of the former two. He felt some deep pain on his midsection, and it was a serious challenge for him to actually move and force himself to wake up.
He was met with the face of a concerned Mei Ling, who was now relieved beyond belief. He glanced down and noticed a deep cut across his midsection, and he groaned in both pain and exhaustion. He must have gotten cut by sharp debris. That or Master Ding decided to be cruel and unfair in order to get a cheap shot at him. He then sees one of Jong's tormenting tools, a sharp blade with razor edges, and a blue glow around disappeared...that'll do it. Master Ding wasn't planning on playing fair, even when the Masters were unconscious. The cut hurts so much that he's afraid he might pass out again due to the bleeding. But Mei Ling had a cloth wrapped around him and was pressing down in order to stop the bleeding...the feeling was not pleasant.
"Urgh..."
"Hold still, Fufie. I'm trying to stop the bleeding as soon as possible!" Mei Ling said as she pressed down a bit harder, making him grit his teeth. "Sorry, I'm doing this because I care!"
"I'm...well...aware..." Shifu's teeth clenched as he fought off the urge to faint. He also felt like blushing, but he didn't think that would help his bleeding situation.
"Ha...Shifu. You're such a wimp. A mere cut and a Chi blast and you passed out? I thought you were tougher than that..." Fenghuang said a few spaces away, lying on her back. One of her wings were visibly dislocated, but she didn't look like she cared that much. "All I got is a dislocated wing and a slight headache. I win!" That last word made no logical sense to Shifu.
Then again Fenghuang's thoughts can't be figured out by logic. It may explain Po's behavior...no. Not even Fenghuang's thoughts can explain Po.
Shifi doesn't think anything can explain Po.
"Anyway...Elephant. Snow Leopard, and Rooster are down and out. Probably because the kids somehow managed to do quite a lot of damage to them before the Chi blast. They should wake up soon if we give them enough time. But I'm not too worried about them right now. Speakng of right now...and more interested in what's going on over there. I think we're in for quite a spectacle." Fenghuang leaned her head towards the higher areas of the debris. Shifu and Mei Ling followed her gaze.
Po and the others were currently staring down the spector known as Master Ding, who for the first time ever since he was sealed in the castle...was actually looking nervous. He hasn't even engaged battle with the panda yet and he's already immensely intimidated by him. And he was pretty sure that Po was unaware of it. He was unaware of a lot of things entirely.
But he couldn't care less about what the panda knew or didn't know. What the ghost pig did know was that he needed to be rid of these children soon, and then rebuild his castle. He raised his Spirit Orbs by raising one of his hands.
"Panda...you are seriously unaware of what you are and what your purpose is. But I'm not going to give you enough time to find out. You won't be able to bear what I'm about to dish out."
Po's first reaction was to glare at the ghost pig. Then the grin turned into a small smile...then a wide grin. Until eventually he held his belly and began laughing uncontrollably. Master Ding's serious demeanor slightly faltered when the panda suddenly lost it. He fell to the ground laughing, kicking the air as his eyes shut tightly.
"He said bear what I'm about to dish out! Hahaha! Because I'm a bear that can cook! Pftahaha!"
...Really?
Everyone sweatdropped...except for Monkey, who snickered a bit. At least one of them understood. But other than that, Po's somewhat questionable sense of humor completely emptied out the tension in the area, and now it was close to being nonexistent. Master Ding was probably the most confused, though he shook it off after a certain amount of time passed.
Bah! Enough of this! I'm going to eliminate them now before they can distract me any furth- His eyes widened as Tigress suddenly appeared right in front of him. Then they reflected shock when he sees her reach for one of the Spirit Orbs. "What are you doing?!"
"As long as you have these orbs in your possession, you'll be causing more trouble than you're worth. So I'm going to have to appropriate them from you." She focused on the orbs as both she and Ding began glowing bright blue.
Master Ding huffed at her claim. He did find such naivety from this youth to be amusing. He has have decades to shape his mind to be able to handle the power of the Spirit Orbs. Her own mind would just collapse from the strain of all of that power. He would spare her the trouble and just take control of her mind, then turn her against her friends. The orbs began to glow, and so did his eyes, as well as Tigress's.
"You've left your mind wide open, novice." Ding scoffed, as he vanished for a couple moments, and Tigress landed on the ground then fell to her knees, motionless.
"Tigress!" Viper called out in concern and slithered towards her, but Crane spread his wing to stop her advance.
"Wait. I think she's figured out a plan." Crane said confidently, never taking his eyes off the emotionless tiger.
(Tigress's Mindscape)
Ding landed in the center of a large room, and cautiously searched around. This room was filled with many portraits of Tigress growing up during her training years. Various fighting poses, excessive workouts, enduring the glares of her fellow villagers, spending quality father-daughter time with Shifu, finding comfort in the scarf that Po left for her, constantly hoping they'd meet again alongside Fung.
And of course, there was a locked door with a 'Do Not' enter sign on it. There was a vibe that these held Tigress's emotions about being a growing woman, and embarrassment was the strongest vibe emitting from it.
She's more introverted than Master Ding expected her to be.
"Hey! Master Ding!" He turned around...to see a seven-year old Tigress with her tiger scarf wrapped around her neck. She had an adorable pouting face as she pointed at the ghost pig childishly. Trying to act like a fierce warrior in a seven-year old's body might not be the best form of intimidation. "Your defeat is inevitable!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Master Ding grew in size in the mindscape, as the walls of the room fell apart, replacing it with a void filled with ruins. "What can you possibly expect to do to me here? With your tiny form?" He made a mistake he'd regret in a couple moments. He got cocky. He raised his giant foot above her, a circled shadow hovering over her. "My mental powers are supreme, and always have been. You are nothing to me, child! I'll destroy your consciousness and take over your body! It's sheer strength is a perfect match for my incredible mind powers! And there's nothing you can do about it!"
His foot stomps the ground where she was, picking up a cloud of dust that rang out throughout the area. The dust cleared, as well as the sound of the earthquake. Ding smirked and focused on relishing in his victory.
"Okay. Now...there are three problems with that plan of yours that I'd like to address." His eyes widened at the sound of her voice, he was sure he had crushed her...!
"One...you just haven't learned your lesson. Your lack of patience is what got you banished in your little castle in the first place." Tigress's aura pulsed a fiery red, once, shocking Ding. "Two...your plan to possess my body is wrong in more ways than one. The one most disturbing, that i'm a female. You're an old guy trying to possess said female. And you have NO problem with that?" She pursed her lips and turned her head to the side with a huff. "Creepy Perverted Pig..." Ding...had little to no idea how to respond to that without shredding whatever self-respect he might still have. "And for the third..." Her fiery aura flashed red again, this time completely throwing Ding off and making him crash along the ground and on his face. He stood up to recover, looking up...and jawdropped.
Seven-Year old Tigress stood up and blew a raspberry...as she stood on the shoulder of a giant Tigress who was all black, white, and gray. "My mental prowess surpasses yours by a long shot! Mind tricks and mind control are completely ineffective on me! Now..." The giant Tigress reached down and swiped Ding before he could offer any kind of resistance. She held him in both her paws, and began squeezing him tightly, causing him large amounts of pain. The shock on his face tells Tigress all she needs to know. "I'm taking the Spirit Orbs. They have a new master now." Younger Tigress stuck her tongue out as her larger self let Ding slowly fall. Then she pulled back her fist, and threw a devastating punch that threw him so far that he blinked out of her mind in an instant.
Younger Tigress cheered as she patted her giant self's cheek. And meanwhile, the real Tigress smiled up to them with a thumbs up. "Excellent work, girls. I can take it from here." She declared as she disappeared from her mental realm, so she could awaken in the actual one.
(Reality)
Ding suddenly blinked into the air with a blue flash, and he tumbled across the ground a couple moments before skidding to a stop. His fsce was definitely not receiving fair treatment. He looked up and snarled as Tigress regained consciousness and slowly stood up, her tiger scarf flowing in the wind. Gritting his teeth, he held his palm out to call upon the Spirit Orbs...
They stayed where they were.
"Impossible..."
"Is it really?" Tigress smirked as she placed a paw on her hip, the Spirit Orbs levitating in the air around her. "You've lost your right to use these orbs a long time ago. But they were unable to find a suitable master with strong enough mental training to overcome your influence. As you can see, Shifu gave me plenty of that." Tigress explained. She then thrusted one of the orbs into Ding's cheek, making him cry out and hold it in pain. "That hurt? Good. That hypothesis worked out for me as well."
"Wha...what hypothesis...?!"
"If the Spirit Orbs could give you the ability to shift between the Spirit Realm and Mortal Realm whenever you wish, which is made even easier because you're already deceased...then surely it must have the ability to negate your ghostly form. You may still be a ghost...but now physical attacks can harm you!"
Ding was trying to pass this off as a bluff, but then he realized that she couldn't be. His strength has decreased, he felt tired, and he's lost control of the Spirit Orbs. Though...he can at least take some sort of comfort in the fact that her actually mastering the orbs would be nothing short of impossible.
But wait...her concentration...her mind isn't influenced at all by their power! She has full control of them, yet the only thing she's acknowledging is that I no longer have them! This is bad...
"Aha...so he can't phase through our hits like a ghost, huh..?" Monkey and Mantis grinned evilly.
"Which means we can do stuff like THIS!" Ding felt himself fly backwards as a blast of wind smashed into his back and sent him tumbling across the ground in the rubble. Po's paw was emitting green Chi as he smirked under his hat.
"W...Wind Hammer...?" He recovered slightly, standing up as best as he could while he coughed slightly, which amounted to small drops of blood from the impact.
"And what do you know, another hypothesis, proven correct." Tigress smiled. "You've been able to effortlessly overpower anyone who comes across this mountain with your mind powers and taking advantage of the fact that your deceased. And after all these years...you've forgotten what physical pain feels like, did you?" She leapt at him while jumping high in the air, and bringing her heel down. He barely dodged, and he sees her crack the ground from her axe kick. "And I can also bet that because of this, you haven't worked on your reflexes in years."
"Which means you can't see THIS coming!" Ding grunted as Monkey hopped on his back and pinned his arms behind his back.
"Or THIS!" Mantis shot forward with a two-legged kick to Ding's face, possibly breaking his jaw. Monkey let him go at the right moment, and he was sent flying inti a still stable wall. The boys grinned at their handiwork. "You're a bit too slow compared to us."
"Don't...get...so overconfident!" He recovered, standing in the ground as his eyes were once again glowing blue. He lifted his hands as rubbe began compiling together and forming a large debris ball. "I still have my telekinesis, my natural skill! I don't need the Spirit Orbs for that!" He growled as he tosses the large debris at Monkey and Mantis.
Crane swooped over and kicked the large ball of rubble to the side, and off the mountain. A loid crash was heard and echod just three times to signify it's impact. "That may be true...but like Tigress said, the Spirit Orbs are what enhance that 'Natural Skill' of yours!" Crane said, his eyes hidden by his hat. "Your power isn't the only thing that decreased. Your range just got smaller and your concentration has been disrupted."
"So even if you have that power, you won't be able to use it potently enough to do actual damage to us!" Viper leapt up and lashed her tail at his face, causing him to stagger and hold the stinging slot where the attack landed.
He snarled as he looked through one eye. This was getting preposterous beyond measure. That blasted Tiger was strategically correct to take the Spirit Orbs from him. He's always used them to mentally overpower his enemies before they could actually try and stop him. Whenever he saw someone like Fenghuang, who was immune to his mind powers because of her immense free will, he would take them out outright. But Tigress took a step further and completely left him with almost no offensive techniques that will deal significant damage to his opponents. Defense was his only chance, but they'll break through that sooner or later.
He almost gasped as Po was running towards him with a blank look of seriousness. Ding panicked as he raised his hand forward, shooting a plethora of large rocks from the debris towards him. Po smashed the first one with his fist, obliterated the rec nd with a side kick, then completely ducked under the third one while sliding. Then he sucked in his gut when he stopped sliding right in front of Ding...
And he thrusted it out, bouncing against the pig and sending him across the destroyed area once again. Ding struggled to recover as he managed to hold himself up with his arms, if only to stare blankly at Po, who was casually adjusting his hat.
"What? You didn't think I was all about mystic attacks, did you? Nah, I sometimes get physical. And my belly is not only huge, jiggly, and totally huggable, it's also the larger of my two large physical weapons that suit my fighting style juuuusssst fine." Ding nearly paled as the pands began running towards him again, this time jumping up as high as he can go, until his shadow loomed over the pigs body. He adjusted himself mid-flight as he began to fall quickly, rear first.
"PANDA POUND!"
What resulted next was a large buildup of dust the moment the attack made contact. Monkey had a hold on Mantis so he wouldn't be swept away on accident. There were a couple tremors, as well as leftover walls falling over due to the force. When the dust finally cleared up, Po was getting off of Ding, who had more blood dribbling from his mouth. However, he forced himself to stand again his eyes narrowed and glowing blue again.
"Curse...you...panda. I'm not...going to lose to you!"
"Man. That's one angry pig." Po muttered as he nonchalantly dodged a telekinetic powered punch from Ding, which destroyed yet another portion of his now destroyed castle. Po whistled a little. "Man, I gotta say, telekinesis is pretty awesome-looking. It's too bad you decided to be a jerk about using them and the Spirit Orbs. I mean...I'm not really good at being patient for a very long time, either. But to get all crazy evil over it...that's a it over the top, don't you think?"
"To hell...with you..." He coughed, as he raised his hand again to lift a large amount of rubble, just barely being able to concentrate hard enough to hold it together. He then slowly began shifting it over to where Fung and Song were still unconscious. Po narrowed his eyes at this.
"Not on your undead life, Ghost Pig!" Po threw a hard punch to Ding's cheek, breaking his concentration and sending him into the ground. The rubble landed harmlessly next to Song. "They were out of commission, man! Not cool!" He then sighed as he shook his head, looking down on Ding with disappointment. "I knew you were desperate to win, but really?" He tilted his hat up and turned towards Tigress. "Do you have any ideas on what to do with him? Like having him tell you how to free the others?"
"I think I'll be able to figure it out." Tigress nodded confidently.
"Ya hear that? You're not needed in order to fix your own mess, Ding!" Monkey taunted. "But judging by your eyes, you're not down for the count yet. We'd better keeping going, as a precaution." Ding knew what those words meant...make sure he doesn't get back up. He tried to struggle, but it was no use, they were already upon him. He backed away, only to be stopped by Po grabbing his shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going, Ghost Pig?" Po smiled, as he threw the pig up, jumped slightly, and kicked him into the ground in the middle of the group, who were surrounding him.
"Mantis!"
Mantis zipped all around Ding's body, as his eyes went wide as his arms suddenly stopped functioning, along with his legs. He couldn't move anything, and he didn't sense his Chi flowing anymore. One of them...knows how to Chi-Block?! And with expert precision!
"Viper!"
She slithered quickly around his legs, wrapping her tail around one of them as she leapt up and slammed him into the ground, on his face. She then flipped him over and slammed him again, this time likely breaking his back. Then she turned again and slammed him through the debris by swinging him in an arc.
"Monkey!"
The simian hopped onto Ding's back while Viper swung him, right when she released him. His extra weight along with the velocity Viper tossed Ding resulted in Monkey basically grinding Ding's face through travel for a long as he could in one direction. Then when he finally stopped, he swiftly lifted the pig onto his feet, balanced himself on his tail, and punched Ding's faces making him stagger away from him.
"Crane!"
The avian nodded as he flew towards Ding and grilled him by his shoulders, his talons digging into the fabric to get a decent grip on him. He then flew away from the mountain and onto nearby ones. He passed by one nearby mountain, and flew just close enough for Ding's face to crash into it and render his face more broken than it already was. Then he flew straight back to Ding's castle, kicked him further into the air, and flew back down to the ground.
"Tigress!"
Ding looked around frantically as he was falling...? Why wasn't he falling? He then noticed that he was just floating in the air in a small whirlwind likely left behind by Crane, unable to move anything but his head, which was in so much pain that he felt like they LIKED hitting his face. But he wasn't worried about that. He was worried about the feline right above him, her sharp slitted eyes glaring down on him as she was descending towards him. She must had Po give her a boost, which amounted into a super jump. His eyes shifted towards her right fist, which was glowing with her natural red chi. She channeled her fury aimed at the pig. For his evilness, for his harmful impatience, his selfishness, his greed. But most of all, he tried to kill her father and friends.
Those who aim harm at my loved ones...will have no mercy from me.
With this in mind, Tigress rapidly flew down to earth, pulled her glowing red fist back, and threw it right into his mid-section once again. They kept going until they crashed into the earth, picking up even more dust, as well as sending a small shockwave of red chi throughou the area, which was felt by nearly everyone present there. Crane coughed a bit before flapping his wings once to release a powerful gust of wind that blew away the dust.
Everyone but Po gaped as there was an even larger crater than before, and Tigress was in the middle, lifting her fist from Ding's stomach, who's blood basically covered his mouth and a bit of his chin, and his eyes were closed. There was no doubt about it, this pig was not getting up anytime soon. Tigress huffed as she turned and walked away from the unconscious pig, the Spirit Orbs flowing around her, always having her right in the center.
The Spirit Orbs have truly found their new Master.
She emerged from the crater, dusting off her arms. "I don't think he'll be recovering from that one."
"You could have at least WARNED US that you put a whole in the mountain with your bare fist!" Monkey shouted at her, a comedic angry vein pulsing from his head, as he and Po managed to get Fung, Jong, and Song out of the way in time.
"I don't know what you mean. We turned out fine."
"You're certainly all business when it comes to the enemy, eh Tigress?" Crane laughed awkwardly.
"...Orbs..." Tigress's ears shifted a little when she heard the voice. "...Spirit Orbs...they are mine...they are my right...you are just a mere child...you think you can master them more efficiently than I ever have...ridiculous..." She narrowed her eyes as she turned around slightly, only to see Ding hover over her, a rock reformed into a spear, hovering over his head and aimed at her heart. "GIVE THEM BACK TO ME!"
"Tch..!" Tigress grunted in both annoyance and shock as her fists clenched up, her reflexes readying her to avoid the makeshift weapon.
"Wind Hammer!"
CRASH!
Po had come down on Master Ding with his fist glowing with green chi, and he smashed it into his back and into the ground, picking up more dust as well as leftover pieces of debris. Tigress and the others once again had to jump out of the way to be sure the shockwave didn't send them flying off the mountain. The dust settled once more, with Ding lying limp and unconscious, his eyes now completely white. This time for certain...he wasn't going to get up from this.
Po got up again, readjusted his hat and pouted disappointingly at Ding. "Now look what you made me do! I had to take Tigress's win so that you didn't impale her with stone shrapnel. Man...you suck, Master Ding. Not giving up is one thing, but that there was just being a sore loser." He turned to Tigress. "Are you okay, Tigress?"
Tigress was still a bit shaken, and a bit disappointed that she allowed Ding to sneak up on her. But nonetheless, she smiled at Po. "I'm fine. I just allowed my guard to fall and he nearly took advantage of that. Thank you for your help, Po."
"Heehee~" Po snickered, placing his arms paws around his neck. "So, are you gonna undo whatever Ding did?"
"I can try..." Tigress said as the Spirit Orbs rose above her. "Focus..." She chanted as they began glowing brightly, all three of them. She focused on finding a connection to Jong's son, and all of the monk's that suffered at Ding's hands. She knew for a fact that they were still alive. She just needed to concentrate hard enough...her eyes widened. "I found them. All of them!" The orbs glowed even brighter, to the point of being blinding.
Shifu, Fenghuang, and Mei Ling, who were watching the entire battle from where theynwere with amazed looks in their eyes, also saw the light become blinding, and did their best to block it out as much as they could. Fenghuang was the first one to open her eyes, and they shined with curiosity and confusion.
"No...way..."
The sounds of groaning and headscratching followed soon after the owl's silent gasp, as Shifu turned around, and found out why. There were many primates dressed up in ancient robes. They were surprisingly...monk-like...Shifu's eyes widened when his memory returned to him.
"These are the monks that disappeared after Master Ding's rampage...!"
Said monks began blinking owlishly at one another, feeling their own bodies, as well as each other's bodies. Their eyes were wide with disbelief and at the same time, renewed hope. "Could this...could this truly be the Mortal Realm...? Have we finally been freed from Limbo...?"
"So he never actually killed them. He just wanted to be a jerk because unlike them, he was impatient." Fenghuang guessed. "He placed them in Limbo so he wouldn't have to deal with them anymore. When Ding was defeated and lost control over the Spirit Orbs, the spell must have been undone. Now without power for himself, and still being cursed on this mountain without the power to possess a physical body, it's very likely that he'll remain trapped here forever, regardless on if the castle is destroyed or not."
"We're...we're free..." one of the other monks said, tears leaking out of their eyes. "We knew you wouldn't give up on us. Thank you, Master Shifu and Master Fenghuang! I'm certain that Master Snow Leopard, Elephant, and Rooster tried their best, seeing as they're all unconscious right now!"
Mei Ling scratched her ear awkwardly. "Um...hate to burst your bubble, pal...but they weren't the ones who saved you all." The Monks around them raised their eyebrows at this, as the fox pointed to a higher point of the mountain where the heroes were. "Those young ones are the saviors?"
"You speak the truth?" One of the monks said as they gazed up at the heroes. Their eyes widened at the animal-themed scarves of Tigress, Monkey, Crane, Mantis, and Viper. Then they lowered again in realization. "Ah, I see. That explains it, and it also makes the situation that more ironic...and even more amazing."
"So, what are you guys gonna do about it?" Fenghuang raised an eyebrow.
"Is that even a question? We're going to show our gratitude, of course!"
Meanwhile, Fung finally began to open his eyes, groaning as he reached for his helmet. He looked around and noticed that the castle has been completely and utterly destroyed. His jaw dropped and was left hanging as a result of his immense shock. Tigress walked over and closed his maw for him. "Many unsavory things could get into your mouth if you're not prepared for it, Fung." She said coolly, as he nodded slowly.
"What the heck happened whike I was unconscious...? The place looks like it's been decimated by an explosion.
"That's because it WAS, via telekinetic energy."
"Oh...that must have hurt a lot."
"A very unpleasant experience, but we survived it. And we defeated Master Ding in the process." She pointed her thumb behind her, the unconscious ghost pig utterly unconscious. "I took away his advantages as a ghost. So despite his initial and commendable resistance, his defeat was inevitable nonetheless."
"We were totally awesome!" Po and Monkry exclaimed, high-fiving one another.
"Indeed, you lot were...awesome." They both turned their heads to meet Jong's eyes, whose leg was still heavily damaged, but luckily there were a couple of skilled healers among the monks, and they offered to help him heal. In Jong's arms, was his son unconscious, but the important thing is that he's unharmed. "I...I would like to thank you...for saving my son. Despite the crimes I've indirectly dealt to you, and the problems you're most likely to face in the future."
"...Whatever." Monkey rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "You got your kid back, be happy about that. Me? I'll take comfort in the fact that after today I'll never have to see you again."
"Monkey..."
"I'm not going to lay my paws on him, Po. Fighting for my life, even if we got lucky, has mellowed mr out a bit." Monkey held a paw up to stop Po, his eyes never leaving Jong. "Being on the streets isn't easy, you know. I didn't have a lot of peoplr to back me up, because most loved ones that I knew I had, were gone. All because YOU decided to make a petty grudge out of something ridiculous, and then take it out on someone innocent." He narrowed his eyes. "Thanks to you, my mother is dead, and I have no idea where my brother could have gone, and even if I could find him, he's completely cut me off to spare me anymore trouble. Hell, he might not even BE in China anymore for all that I know."
Jong didn't flinch, though his eyes did carry a sense of guilt. Perhaps losing ALL of his wealth in one fell swoop to save his son, cleared his eyes a little bit on what he now realizes that he's done. "And...you're sure you do not want to claim vengeance on the man who's at fault for your mother's death and your brother's disowning of you?"
"No. And for three reasons." Monkey said with a sigh. "Even if I wanted to, and I still do as a matter of fact...beating you into a bloody pulp doesn't appeal to me anymore. Not after this. Second, you have a kid. And I'm not that pissed off that I'd try to beat up the father of someone who has nothing to do with this. Thirdly, I can't really let this grudge mess with my life forever. I am NOT forgiving you." He made that excruciatingly clear with his glare. "But...with the way things are...I've got plenty of reasons to get over it and move on."
"I see..."
"Plus the Lin Kuei sucked your wealth dry. You're completely broke and without the money you always flaunt in somebody's face behind the whole 'gentlemen' facade. You're more poor right now than I ever was at a kid." He shrugged. "And in the end, I guess that's good enough for me."
Viper slithered up to him, placing a tail on his shoulder. "Wow, Monkey...you're being very mature about this. More than any if us expected."
"He wronged my mom, my brother, and myself. Since the former is dead and the latter could be anywhere, that leaves me to be the bigger person for this situation. No matter how much I still want to punch the guy. But then I'd probably wake up his kid...see where I'm going with this?"
"I...I guess so, yeah."
"Cool."
"Hey. Takin guy. Monkey gave you a pass." Mantis said while hopping on the primate's shoulders. "You might wanna take advantage of that chance and not be a total asshole anymore. Because now you can't afford it. Maybe now you'll understand how the poor usually have a very hard time. Think about that, and just get out of here."
"I...very well." Jong hung his head silently as he limped away, carrying his unconscious child in his arms.
"Mantis, wasn't that a bit much?" Viper asked.
"That's as far as I was willing to go without getting physical. He's responsible for some seriously bad stuff, whether he was following someone else's order's or not. And some of that bad stuff can't be undone no matter how hard we try. So yeah, I gave him the cold shoulder. Tell me he doesn't deserve more than that."
"He probably does, but we're not gonna give it to him." Monkey relaxed as Jong was finally out of his sight. "Whatever he does next is his call. He no longer had the resources to be any sort of threat to anyone. Now that that's out of the way...what do these guys want?' He turned around and jabbed a thumb at the minks staring at them in awe. And on a much deeper level, gratitude.
"Eh? What's going on with you guys?" Mantis blinked. "Why are you staring at us?" There was a long silence, and suddenly the very first monk in front of them fell to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably. "Woah woah! I didn't mean it with hostile intentions or anything like that! It's just an honest question!"
"N...No. My apologies, young warrior. I should've kept my composure a bit better than this." He wiped his tears away, then cleared his throat. Though Tigress could still hear how shaken his voice was. "It's just that...we've spent so long trapped within Limbo...we've lost all hope of ever getting out."
"Limbo...?" Po asked.
"It's the very center of The Mortal Realm, The Spirit Realm, and the Underworld." Fenghuang cut in. "If something gets in there...there's a horribly minuscule chance of escape. The only way to escape that realm...is to never enter it in the first place. There's nothing there."
"Then how is it so horrible?" Monkey asked. "It's empty, so what's there to be afraid of?"
"Nothing."
"...what...?"
"Think real heard, Primate. There's nothing there. No sound. No people. No sense of direction. No sense of time. No light. No dark. No environment. Nothing. It can also be called the Void. Or Oblivion. Anything that relates to the concept of nothingness. You can't escape, you can't call for help...your sanity will be lost, sooner or later. There is no mind in this universe that can withstand that type of psychological torment and leave, unscathed."
Silence...
"...that sounds...well...suckish." Mantis couldn't find anything else to say to that.
"But if that's so...then how was Tigress able to pull them all out?" Monkey pointed out to Tigress. The Spirit Orbs were floating around her gently, as she stood calmly with her paws on her hips.
"...that, my primate friend, is Stripes being successful at defying the impossible." Fenghuang deduced. "First she was able to handle Fu-Xi's mind control venom, and now she's gained close to expert control over the Spirit Orbs after only using them once." She folded her wings. "She definitely has the brains AND the brawn. The brawn was already there and was enhanced from punching ironhood trees. Seeing how she almost broke the entire mountsin just for hitting it hard enough. And she also seems to have a mind of pure steel, taking the fact that she resisted Ding's mind control with miniscule effort. That's different from intense free will, like me. It doesn't affect me, period. Stripes here...her mentality was too powerful, it resisted Ding's control AND she turned his trick against him by taking the orbs and purging him from her mind, simultaneously."
Viper stared at Tigress in awe. "So she has the brain to direct her brawn...and the brawn to enforce her brain..."
"That alone makes her a much more balanced warrior than Po. Not better, per se, but more balanced."
"...There's no doubt about it...it had to be them." one of the monks whispered. "The Chi emitting off them...there's no doubt about it. They're...they're the new Furious Five!"
Fenghuang and Shifu's eyes widened considerably. Snow Leopard, Elephant, and Rooster managed to wake up at that moment and overhead this, and they were just as shocked as everyone else. Especially the proclaimed new 'Furious Five' themselves. Tigress's eyes widened, Viper's eyes also widened, Mantis fell off a frozen Monkey's shoulder, and Crane's beak hung in the sir. While Po looked...completely confused.
"Did I miss something?"
"Perhaps...we should discuss this...in another place." One of the monks recognized the awkwardness taking over the air. "Is there someplace secure we can temporarily take residence?"
(Ladies Of The Shades Camp)
"Woah. So that's the explosion we heard from that direction. That must have been really intense." Lian said while sitting comfortably on Peng's lap, as everyone was gathered in the camp, whether it be reluctant or otherwise. "We also managed to chase those Lin Kuei wolves off in record time, if you're wondering about that. They didn't bother chasing us after Bian Zao outsmarted them with their own artifact. Pretty clever, best buddy!~"
"Oh wow, she's really not gonna drop that, is she?" The teen groaned.
"Furious Five...us?" Crane murmured, his face overshadowed by his hat. "That definitely wasn't expected."
"And these scarves of ours seems to be marking it as official. They appeared out of nowhere." Monkey stated, feeling the scarf around his neck. "But I gotta admit...I make this look REALLY good."
"As if." Mantis scoffed.
"So...um...no one is gonna do anything about this? Seriously?" Fung mumbled, a heavy blush on his cheeks. Since Song was the only one who was still unconscious, Fung had to carry her down the mountain himself. The problem...she hasn't let go of him ever since. Her arms were wrapped around his waist as she snuggled his chest, thinking he was a scaly but soft and warm pillow. He didn't take this as humorously as the others.
Su raised an eyebrow...and smirked. "Oh...but I wouldn't want to disturb my beloved daughters beauty sleep. And she looks sooooo comfy with you being a pillow...I just don't have the heart to tear her off you."
Fung sweatdropped. "You're her foster mother aren't you?! Don't you find this a bit-"
"Do you have your claws in an inappropriate place on her body?" she asked suddenly, polishing the blade on her parasol without looking at him.
"Huh? N-No."
"Are you planning on putting your claws somewhere inappropriate on her body?"
"No!"
"Do you intend to harm her? Or did you harm her yourself already and intentionally?"
"Of course not!"
"Then I don't see a reason for me to step in. Carry on." She waved off his complaints, ignoring the desperate look in his eyes.
"Darn it...she's doing this on purpose...leaving me here like this..." Fung grumble, turning towards Viper. "Viper, help me out! Reptile to reptile!"
"I think you two look adorable!"
"...traitor."
"Anyway, about this Furious Five, thing." Tigress folded her arms. "Myself, Monkey, Crane, Mantis, and Viper are apparently the newest generation. What makes this true are these scarves that formed out of Chi when our wills and determination shined brightest?"
"Precisely."
"So we're the second generation after Fenghuang, Shifu, Elephant, Snow Leopard, and Rooster?"
"Ah, you misunderstand. The Furious Five has reformed with different members many times over the years. And since Oogway was past one thousand years old...there have been many different versions of them over the years. Some were fierce, some were gentle. Some were malevolent, others were benevolent. Some were orderly, others were chaotic. Some were good, others..." he allowed the thought to hang in the air, but everyone got the idea already. Fenghuang hung her head to avoid looks shifting towards her. "The most powerful member has always succumbed to the darkness and as a result, defects from the team. A while longer after that, the whole team collapses and separates, never to be seen again."
"...Oh..." Tigress said blankly.
One of the female monks smiled as she placed a paw on Tigress's shoulder. "But we have a feeling that you all will be the ones to break and end that cursed tradition." The feline's eyes widened at this. "You have nothing but goodness in your heart, young one. Pain, perhaps. But nothing evil will stem from it. And I doubt evil ever will seep into your heart. Whether consciously or unconsciously, your spirit will always refuse to give into evil."
"Wow. Tigress. This monk lady says you have a lot of willpower residing in you." Viper says, her head slightly tilted. "But wait...not that I doubt Tigress or anything, it's just that...you sound so certain that she won't become evil. I just want to know why you're very positive that she won't?"
"Because you all have something that none of the others had." One of the other monks pointed outside. Mr. Ping was going into crazy concerned parent mode as he saw Po covered in a lot of bruises, and his forehead bled a little. Po was adamantly trying in vain to calm his father down and reassure him that he's fine. Little success was made. "Him."
"Po?"
"Yes. We may not know what exactly makes this boy special aside from his skillful use of the Impossible Moves...but we know that he's not like any warrior we've ever seen before. And being a panda has nothing to do with it." He closed his eyes. "And bringing all of you together is definite proof that he is something special. And what makes him even more special...is his influence over Fenghuang." He turned towards the owl. "Years ago we sensed that your heart was beginning to become corrupted with darkness. And when we come back from Limbo after so many years, that darkness is gone. What do you think happened to it?"
Fenghuang turned towards everyone, including her former teammates. Shifu was the one paying the most attention. She glared. "I don't need the boy to worry over me. If you even entertain the thought of telling him ANYTHING about what I'm about to say, I'll skin you alive. Then I'll leave your corpes to the vulture bandits." Everyone shivered, but nodded affirmatively. Fenghuang sighed. "If...I had never met Po and Mr. Ping when I did...I..."
A huge gust of wind passed by, making a loud whistling noise as Fenghuang told the others her message. All of their eyes widened at her declaration, while Po remained oblivious outside, rustled by the wind while hanging onto his father. Seconds after she finished, the winds conviently stopped, and there was peace. Peaceful, was the environment. Everyone's hearts...were not.
"Woah...that's...that's heavy." Monkey eventually said to break the silence.
"Fenghuang...this isn't something you should be keeping from others." Snow Leopard told her sternly. "Don't you think Po's old enough to know now?"
"I'm keeping this a secret, ESPECIALLY from him! And for the record, I've already told Mr. Ping, but that's as far as I'm willing to go." The owl said irritably. "I mean it. Don't breathe a word about what I said to him. The more clueless he is about it, the less concerned he'll be."
The monks didn't appear to agree with the owl's judgment, but it was her own to make, not theirs. So they dropped the issue and continued to speak to Tigress. "Even if the Valley of Peace is gone, you all can still protect China. And it doesn't even require you to be an official team."
"It doesn't?"
"There are many counts in history where the people who were not acting out of duty, but out of their own personal judgement. While their methods were rather...chaotic...the results end up better than anyone anticipates them to be." He nodded. "So you all can continue to do good wherever you go, and the strengths within you will build over time during your experiences."
"I see. That's pretty handy advice." Crane sighed. "Which means we'll have to follow Po into trouble wherever he takes us, then..."
"But we'll take it like the super tough tough guys and gals that we are!" Mantis cheered.
"Of course. Just because the list is one person away from being completed, that doesn't mean that our journey is over. If anything...it's just beginning."
"I can vouch for that." Po pointed out, entering the tent and gaining a grin from the Newest Five. "So, we only have one person left. Guess we'd better go find them then, huh?"
Tigress gazed at Po with a thoughtful smile, as she nodded. "Of course, Po. The more traveling we do, the better."
Fung tapped his jaw a bit in order to think of a destination to try and find their last candidate on the list, then they're free to do whatever they wish. He turned to another monk. "Hey...you said someone was passing by after assaulting Jong...any idea where she went?"
"We did sense someone heading south from here..."
"That's perfect! Because that's the direction of our next destination!"
"Destination? Where are we going, Fung?" Po asked curiously.
Fung wrapped an arm around Po and Tigress, grinning widely. "You all are heading back to the place where I was trained personally by Master Croc." He said excitedly.
Mei Ling the Golden Cat's eyes lit up. "You mean...?!"
Fung nodded. "Gongmen City!"
Well that's said an taken care of! The Final Part of 'The Furious Five' has been completed. Therefore, the arc is done!
Yeah, I might have said somewhere near the beginning that I wouldn't be doing this, but I changed my mind. I figured I should have SOME sort of way to organize this inevitably long tale. It'll probably get all ziz-zagged at some point, so I'll apologize about that now. So I took the time to think this over, and named the arcs that's well said and done, including this one:
Alternate Beginnings Arc: 1-5
Recruitment Arc: 6-20
Avenge The Valley Arc: 21-40
Ooh boy...that last one was long. As far as KFP fics go, probably. That won't be a problem if they get longer or shorter, right...? Anyway, after this chapter starts the new arc: Gongmen Crisis Arc.
The real mastermind of the Valley of Peace's unexpected destruction, Master Ding, has been defeated. However, the Lin Kuei escaped. Jong is now poor and homeless, but at least he has his son back. The team, after plenty of rest, will be heading to Gongmen City soon, while trying to find the last recruit on their list, which is Xue, a beautiful anthro goat with ice powers(if I wasn't able to make that clear in earlier chapters). And of course, the journey there will be long. The reasons WHY it's gonna be long, however...Well, you'll just have to find out after this, won't ya?
Anyway, with the new arc, there will be another custom intro from me, which will most likely be from an anime...probably not, but there's a high chance that it will. It's just the way I do things in this particular story.
Legit question...are my fight scenes getting better? I know I'm not the best at them, just wanna know if I'm improving or not.
Anyway, I'll be working on the next chapter, which will officially introduce the next arc! See you then!