In a completely understandable way...Shen was not in the best of moods. Far from it, he was beginning to completely seethe.
In retrospect, he should have been happy. He had seemingly killed off his biggest threat to his plans, and should have nothing else to worry about. The Council was subjugated, the people were in fear, and his army has almost completely taken over the city for good. Things shoupd be looking up for him, because he was becoming the victor he was meant to be...except that it was beginning to tear itself apart.
He didn't know where the Soothsayer scurried off to. The moment he began shooting the Tower Of Sacred Flame down and watched it crumble to the ground in an attempt to kill the panda. He had succeeded, and was fully prepared to gloat about his apparent victory in her face. But he couldn't find her anywhere. And for that matter...he couldn't find Zhong, either. This both intensely infuriated him...and he wouldn't admit that he was slightly worried about them. His fortune teller and right-hand wolf have disappeared without a trace and he was sure that no one else knew where they were.
...Shen shook his head. It didn't matter too much that Soothsayer wasn't there. She's been constantly antagonizing his actions and never being in support of him. She was so sure rhat he would fail because he just wouldn't stop. Well he couldn't stop, not when he was so close to victory. So he wouldn't worrg about her too much. Honestly, he could be without her for a while. Good riddance.
Though admittedly, one other thing was bothering him greatly. Rhino, Ox, and Croc hasn't reported back in a very long while. He didn't want to think that they were trying to do something treacherous, not when there were so many lives on the line. He simply refused to believe that they would be foolish enough to try and oppose him now of all times, when his army was being assembled and was about to head out throughout China. That would be a terrible time for them to start being rebellious. Not only would they be outnumbered, but he would still have a difficult time dealing with them, cannon or not. Each of them were a one man army when they weren't holding back. And a Master Rhino who doesn't hold back is a Master Rhino he'd preferably not do battle with.
Rhino would have the most hostility aimed towards him ,due to having a canon aimed towards the civilians for the longest time, keeping them from striking back against him. But if they were brave enough to actually defy him at such a crucial moment, then he would have to deal with them quickly. Before they could do too much damage that could become irreparable.
He paced the floor constantly, his metal talons resounding a menacing clanking sound. This is preposterous. I should have nothing to worry about in the slightest, yet I can feel paranoia coursing through my veins. Something is not right. Didn't I kill the panda already? Then...why does it feel like I'm still in life-threatening danger? Don't tell me the Council is actually thinking of-
"Lord Shen! Lord Shen! We have a situation! A REALLY bad one!" One of the wolves ran up to him, nearly tripping in the process. He was panting wildly, as his fur was slightly rustled. S rolled his eyes as he condescendingly addressed the poor wolf.
"What do you want? I am very busy right not, and I don't have time to be amusing foolishness."
"It's Rhino, Ox, and Croc! They've gone crazy! They suddenly started rampaging on the fleet before any of them could begin to leave!"
"What?!" Shen pushed the wolf aside as he ran outside to see if what he was saying was true. He jumped through and kicked the doors open to see the commotion.
He was right. Chaos has struck his fleet before they could even begin to take off. Rhino, Ox, and Croc were rampaging against the army that was beginning to board the boats, keeping them from boarding. Shen's eye twitched as the realization sunk in. They actually believe that I will let this go...they actually believe that they can resist me and not suffer the consequences. They're fools. But WHY?
Ox forcibly charged through the platoon of wolves horns first. Most of them were simply knocked aside by his sheer bulk, while a couple others were cut by his horns, and a few of them were non-lethally impaled by the same horns. He roared as a couple more wolves tried to pounce on his back, but he swung his mace and all of them had their heads bashed. "We will no longer be your lapdogs, Shen!"
Croc emerged from underwater and lashed his tail in an arc, knocking down a couple wolves as he landed perfectly on one of the boats. "We're forcing ourselves out from under your heel! When the choice comes down to serving you or death, we choose death!"
Rhino was the most difficult to even approach. He was swinging his hammer in such a manner that either the blunt end or the hammer itself would bash into wolves even harder than Ox's mace, and they were sent flying far. Small courses of lightning coursed through the hammer as he applied his chi to the hammer, dealing further damage and watching wolves flying through buildings. Viper has already had the civilians retreat somewhere much safer. It was safe for him to cut loose. "And if our rebellion results in our death, then we'll make sure that we make your progress as difficult as possible before we perish!"
Shen's beak actually dropped from this. They...no longer cared. They were actually choosing death over being stuck serving him. It no longer mattered to them that he had cannons trained on the city. Better for the citizens to willingly accept death than living under Shen's heel. If they were to perish for their resistance, they were basically saying 'so be it'. Why would they suddenly start thinking like that? It couldn't possibly be because of the panda...what if it WAS because of the panda? Whh would they...
Shen seemed to be clenching his wings angrily. The panda didn't serve as a warning lile intented...he became a martyr...!
(Metal Factory)
Bian Zao was crouching behind a crate as he sees the metal factory ahead of him. Then he turned to the once who accompanied him. Mei Ling, Song, Lian, Fung, and Peng were alongside him, also crouching from sight. He could see a multitude of wolves guarding the entrance to the factory, and there were a couple of gorillas there as well. Large and menacing, big and scary. Good, Peng could use something big to hit.
"Alright. Just like the other factory, this one has gotta have a lot of heat. Many sparks go lying due to the constant clanking of metal. If we can get some gunpowder just like before. Like, a dozen barrels of it, we can bring this factory down just like we did the other one." Bian Zao explained. "I'm going to go find some of that gunpowder."
"By yourself? Like hell you are!" Lian huffed. "Me and Peng have your back. We'll help you get the gunpowder."
Bian Zao shrugged. "Fine by me, I could use some cover. Just keep them away from me as I try to find some gunpowder. Song, Fung, Mei Ling. If there are any leftover citizens in this area, we're gonna have to get them away from the blast zone. And while you're at it, you can also find us some gunpowder, will ya?"
"Right!" The three of them nod and retreat into three directions. "Shen is gonna regret messin' with this city, and the friends I have living in it!" Fung snarled angrily.
"That anger can be used for something helpful, by getting those komodo dragons out of our way?" Song suggested. Komodo Dragons were hopping off of the roofs, and were attempting to block their way. Fung would not be deterred.
"Move it or lose it!" Fung yelled as he spun and lashed his tail outwards, slamming teo of them into the ground. "There's only room for one big tough lizard on these streets! One big tough lizard that actually cares about other people!"
"What about Master Croc?" Song asked.
"I'm not counting him, I'm still not completely over him letting my men get hurt the way they did." Fung grumbled.
"That's a bit fair. A leader looks after his men. Since Fung wasn't here to do it, he was entrusting Master Croc to that role." Mei Ling said as she ducked under an axe swing from one of the komodo dragons and smacking him in the head with her staff. "While these guys, their own leaders are willing to leave them to slaughter. That's not very good leadership material at all."
Song was the most evasive of the trio. Many weapons were slashing her way, she was able to avoid most of the strikes with such grace and agility. Then when they were recovering to take a breather, she would impale some of the approaching wolves with the sharp knife on her parasol, in a nonlethal manner of course. But still...there was that unnerving sense of satisfaction in her eyes when she sees the sharp blade penetrate their skins, and watching the blood drip from the wounds afterwards. Fung made no comment on it, or just didn't notice at all.
Mei Ling and Song collaborated a little, forcing their way through the crowd of wolves, eventually leading to Fung running right in-between then and bowling over the wolves that stood in their way. Eventually they were able to locate a couple barrels of gunpowder up ahead of them. Fung grabbed a couple of them in his arms and tail, and also managed to stuff one in his jaws without breaking the barrel.
Song smiles as she turns towards the enemy crowd and aimed her parasol. "We've gotten what we've came for. Bye-Bye~" The parasol suddenly opens up and releases a purple gas that obscured their vision. They tried waving it away in an attempt to find the trio. But when they managed it, they discover that they were already gone.
They've already reached the top of a faraway roof, having a couple barrels of gunpowder on paw. Fung dropped the barrel in his jaws into Mei Ling's paws, and gagged a little.
"Uck...gross...some of it got on my tongue...gunpowder does NOT taste good..."
"That's because gunpowder isn't edible, Fung~" Song lightly patted his cheek, unknowingly making him blush, as she jumped across the rooftops. "Come on! We gotta gather them up so we can ready for the explosions!"
"It's lucky that this is for the greater good, or we might be stopped by authorities..." Mei Ling wondered as she followed Song. Fung struggled a bit due to the amount of barrels he has, but was able to keep up with the girls easily enough.
Fung blinked when he heard familiar voices, and stopped when he could see Gahri gently gesturing leftover civilians through the streets. Wong, Irwin, and Wall-Eye(with a lot of assistence) were also carrying them away from much of the danger zones, where most of the fighting would be taking place. They may not be in fighting condition, but they weren't too injured to help the innocent out of danger. With this display, he couldn't help but smirk proudly.
Good job, boys. I'm treating you all to some great grub when this is all over.
Meanwhile with the other trio, Bian Zao was carrying a couple barrels in his arms, setting them down. He sighed. "This is so lame...but it's gotta be done. Now if we only had a cart, then we'd be able to just roll it right in and they won't be able to stop it. Just like before."
"Operation Special Delivery!" Lian pumped her fists.
"Exactly. All we need is a cart. There's gotta be one around here somewhere." The warthog turned around and passed a building. He was blindsided by a gorilla swiping him aside with his large fist, and he impacted the wall enough to crack it.
"BIAN ZAO!" Lian and Peng shouted. The former ran to help him up while Peng blocked the fist of the gorilla throwing another punch. Lian ran by his side and helped the warthog up, worried when he began bleeding at his forehead. "Bian Zao, are you alright?!"
"Ugh...was not...ready...for giant monkey fist...really...really...lame..."
Lian turned around and glared at the offending gorilla. "You went and pushed it! This is my best buddy you just hit, he's not strong like me and Peng! You and your canine and lizard friends are going DOWN!"
"...Lemme go, Lian..." Bian Zao asked her, gaining a look of surprise from the feline. "It's really lame, and I feel like taking a nap for a couple hours...but I gotta stay focused. Gotta get that gunpowder and blow up that factory..."
"But you're hurt. You should find a safe place to rest..."
"Lian...if we don't blow up that factory, they're gonna keep making those cannons. And if they keep making those cannons, then China will be in for a world of hurt. THAT, will be really lame." Bian Zao grumbled as he forced himself to stand on his own. "Whether I'm weak or not doesn't change what I need to do. The only thing I ask of you both right now is to watch me back as I do so."
"Bian Zao..." Lian said quietly with worry. Reluctantly, she lets go of him, and almost grabs him again when he stumbled a little. But he reassured her that he was alright.
"I'll be fine...they won't sneak up on me again."
"...If you say so." Lian nodded as she turned and ran on all fours to help Peng, as Bian Zao kept stumbling around, but continued to try and find a cart to carry the explosives into the factory.
Peng blocked another punched from the gorilla, and Lian took the opening to kick him in the face, making him stumble backwards. Though as he stumbled, he swung his arm outward and grabbed her by the arms. She gasped as he roughly pulled her close to her.
"You're being a troublesome little girl..."
"Paws off, asshole!" Lian growled as she kicked at his face again, distracting him long enough for Peng to take yet another opening. But before he could take it, he was blocked off by multiple wolves slashing at him with swords and knives. He gasped as he jumped back, only suffering a minor cut on his paw.
Peng ignored the cut as he clenched his fists. "Standing in-between me and my girlfriend is not a wise idea. I suggest you get out of my way, because I'm very certain that you don't want me to force my way through." All the wolves simply laughed st his threat as they continued to brandish his blades. He looks ahead to see Lian still in the gorilla's clutches, and he growled. "Fine...have it your way." He took a deep breath, and suddenly jumps upwards, forceful enough to crack the ground beneath him. The wolves were confused by his actions for a couple moments, then their eyes widened as they see him coming back down with devastating force, fists first. Since no civilians were around, he could afford to be a bit less restrictive. He slammed down onto the ground, pushing all of the wolves back, flying through walls, hitting their heads on pans, and landing on top of roofs.
The gorilla holding Lian seemed dumbfounded, while she just had a smug smirk. "Yep. I'm dating that small powerhouse. And to be honest, I'm not slouch either." She kicked at his face one more time, and he finally lets go to hold his aching face. She lands on the ground with practiced grace, and she dusted herself off. "He also gets a bit protective of me sometimes. Sort of...like that "
"Huh...?"
Peng ran on all fours, stopped right in front of him, jumped up, and delivered a powerful uppercut to the unsuspecting ape, making him flip backwards into the sir for a couple moments before landing on his face, then slumping onto the ground unconscious. He panted a little bit as he rubbed the paw he punched him with.
Lian smiled as she walked up to him and patted his shoulder. "I think you cracked his skull with that one."
"R-Really?! I didn't...I was just...you were...he was..." Peng stumbled on his words and began to blush. Lian giggled at this and kissed his lips to calm him down.
"Relax, I'm sure he's only gonna have minor headaches. Come on, let's see how Bian Zao's holding up."
Bian Zao nodded with folded arms as Fung, Song, and Mei Ling returned with the barrels. Mei Ling blinked as she saw blood on the warthog's forehead. "Woah, that looks bad."
"I'll bandadge it up, later. Right now, we've got everything we need." Bian Zao insisted as he stepped away from the cart. "Okay, load it up."
They soon began loading all of the barrels of gunpowder into the cart. It looked filled to the brim with the barrels, it seemed to be more than enough. It was probably for the best, even if it's a bit risky. Soon, they were ready to light it up, leaving only one of them open. Bian Zao made sure that the cart was leading into a straight path into the opening to the factory. With a nod, he lit the fuse. He turned to Peng and Lian.
"Wanna do the honors?"
"I couldn't possibly do that. It's your plan, Bian Zao. You should do it."
"Boys...how about all three of us do it?" Lian grinned.
"...Heh. That idea doesn't sound so lame." Bian Zao shrugged. They all nodded together. Each of them placed their right foot on the end of the cart, and pushed it forward. They watched with anticipation as they watched the cart roll down the path and right into the factory. They counted down the couple seconds that were left...
BOOM!
The explosion was loud and and widespread, followed by multiple smaller explosions from around the first large one. They could see the sparks flying, and the wolves and gorillas flying out of the building, screaming in panic. Debris landed harmlessky all around the area that's already been evacuated.
Bian Zao narrowed his eyes a bit to see it all better, then shrugged. "Eh. It could have been a bit better. But regardless, we've completed our objective." He sighed. "Too bad I can't take a nap just yet...there's still a lot to take care of."
"Right. We're needed elsewhere. Like, to the main battle!" Mei Ling said strongly as she pointed in the general direction of where a majority of the battle is taking place. "This is going to be tough. But Crane, Po and the others are gonns be there, and both of them are most likely still pretty hurt. We've gotta help everyone the best we can."
"Bian Zao...are you sure you're up for this?" Lian patted his shoulder.
"I'll be fine. Let's go."
"We're comin' for you, Shen's army! You're going DOWN!" Fung shouted as he charged ahead. Mei Ling and Song rolled their eyes as they followed him. Bian Zao, Lian, and Peng all stuck together as they helped the warthog wobble along since he was still feeling woozy. But they greatly respected his will to continue regardless.
(Gongmen Harbor)
Shen's eyes widened in disbelief as he turned towards the source of the loud explosion that could be heard all over the city. It was his metal factory...it's been completely destroyed in a fiery inferno.
"W-What the devil?! How?! More rebels?!" Shen glared. This was unacceptable. Without that factory, he can no longer create anymore cannons until they would construct more factories for them. But that was the last one he currently had. This enraged him beyond possible belief. "Dammit all the hell! Why is everything coming apart NOW of all times!?" He shook his head rapidly. No...this changes nothing. He's still in control. He still has his weapons. He won't be overcome so easily. "WOLVES! TAKE AIM!"
Rhino sent another wolf flying with a swing of his hammer. That's when Ox realized that one of the cannons were aiming towards his Master. His eyes widened as he tried to reach him, but he was blocked off by three gorillas. Croc was being held back by multiple wolves piling on top of him. They tried forcing them off, but they wouldn't reach him in time.
"MASTER RHINO!"
The elder master turned around, eyes wide, but it was too late by then.
"FIRE!"
The fiery ball of metal shoots out of the cannon, leaving a sparkling trail of smoke and fire trailing behind it. Rhino held his palm out, highly expecting death. He was surrounded, with little time to get out of the way. The cannon was moving fast. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, ready, accepting his fate.
...then came the fate-changer.
"HEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRREEEE COMES THE THUNDAH!"
Rhino's eyes widened again as he sees a blur of black and white land right in front of him and hold his paws outward. Then the entire army stood stupefied as the mass of black and white caught the cannonball in his paws. He smirked under his hat as he lifted his head to reveal his jade-colored eyes, his red scarf flowing with the incoming wind.
Shen felt his soul get colder, not bothering to hide his horrified expression. "No..."
"Yeah!" Po exclaimed. "Here's a scolding hot dumpling, comin' at ya!" Po spun around once, and threw the cannonball right back at the sender. The next thing Shen knew, one of the boats hsve immediately exploded and begun sinking into the water. Po whistled as he tipped his hat. "Direct hit!"
"PO! CAN YOU STOP ACTING INSANE FOR ONE SECOND?!" Crane exclaimed as he landed next to him. Mantis and Viper eased off of his back, Tigress and Monkey landed a couple feet next to him. "You can't just go jumping into things like this without a plan! And since when could you throw cannonballs back?!"
"Oh, that?" Po rubbed his neck. "I kinda just winged it, ya know? Hehehe!"
"HAH!" Monkey cracked up at the pun, quickly wiping a tear away.
"You mean you didn't know that you could do that now, and just took a leap of faith?!"
"Yep!"
Crane groaned as he briefly took off his hat and rubbed his head to soothe an incoming headache. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?"
"Stop Shen now, complain about Po's recklessness later." Tigress ordered as she charged threw the wolves, easily knocking them out of her way. Crane and Monkey moved in direction as the former kicked down a couple other wolves. Mantis and Viper sped out of the way of upcoming weapons, joining Ox and Croc and helping them away from the crowds hindering them.
Rhino was standing in shock as he looked down on the panda who just saved his life, and in a very surprising manner. He didn't get to express his gratitude, as he immediately went after Shen with a mighty bound. He was then surprised again as another cannon was thrown into another boat, causing it to explode and the wolves to scatter. Tai Lung jumped right in front of Rhino and dusted off his left arm.
"Greetings once again, Master Rhino." Tai Lung said politely. "Unfortunately, we don't have time for pleasantries. Mind helping me destroy these weapons before they can deal more damage to the city? And do make your choice quickly, before they take aim again."
Rhino was greatly surprised and was trying to keep up with everything happening so fast. But not wanting to risk any more city damage, he nodded quickly and follwed Tai Lung on the boats with cannons on them.
Shen hopped away from the boats and landed on the rooftops, breathing heavily. He heard a loud thump in front of him. His eyes widened as he quickly looked upwards to see Po a few feet away. His eyes jade eyes were bright under the shade of his hat as he stared at Shen with a mostly blank expression. He folded his arms.
"Ya know...if it wasn't for the one-eyed wolf guy...I would have died. Yeah...dying woulda sucked."
"So someone else DID betray me. That makes sense." Shen snarled.
"Can you blame him, though? Dude, I'm not sure you can see it as well as I can, but you're not that good a boss."
Shen brandished his guandao and held it towards Po. "Do you believe that I'm afraid of you? I have struggled for far too long and far too hard just to fail now. I'm going to conquer China, like I was meant to!"
Po cracked his neck. "Yeeeaaah...that's a pretty big goal you have there. I have nothing against traveling all over China and having adventures. It's a fun journey. Though...I'm not a fan of you actually trying to conquer it. So...here's the deal, Shen." Po pushed his hat back, letting it hang by it's string, and he tightened his scarf to it wouldn't fall off. Then he pounded his fist into his palm. "You wanna conquer China? You'll have to go through me."
Shen grinned sadistically. "So...that is how it's going to be?"
"That's how it must be. You've gotta remember that tiis is what you wanted, Shen. This is what you decided on 20 years ago when you thought that it was a good idea to try and kill off my species." Po slowly slid into a fighting stance. "I'm not letting you to run away from this a second time."
"Oh, do not worry. I'm done retreating from you. I want to kill you personally...by my blade." Shen slowly rosed his guandao to the level of his head, until a reflection of Po appeared on it.
Silence surrounded the two as they stood on the rooftop. They ignored the fighting around them, just focusing on one another. Po's scarf flowed with the wind and his hat shook slightly. Shen's feathers rustled as he kept his train closed. One's eyes looked ready to deliver justice, while the other looked ready to kill.
The Dragon has come to clash with the Phoenix.
Without another word, the two charged each other.
Shen swung his guandao at Po's head, though the panda narrowly dodges it by sliding on his knees and ducking backwards, the blade just barely missing his snout. He propped bsck on his feet and spin-kicked him in the back. Shen grunted as he managed to prop himself back up himself, turning around and throwing multiple throwing knives towards Po. Po dodged each of the knives, and also deflected a few wirh the back of his paw before running towards him again.
Shen narrowed his eyes again as he jumped back on another roof and called out to the wolves. "Fire!"
The wolves heeded his call as they aimed the cannon towards Po. The panda sighed. "Yep. I knew you were gonna do that. Luckily I'm ready for it!" Po got into position, ready to throw the cannonball back. The cannon booms as a firey cannonball launches towards Po...and everyone was surprised as a sudden purple blur kicked it away into another boat, destroying it without a hitch. Po's eyes widened as he sensed the chi of the figure. "Master Fenghuang?!"
"WHAT?!" Ox and Crane shouted in shock, even as they were holding off other wolves.
Fenghuang suddenly landed on the concrete ground, cracking it enough for some of it to launch upwards. She slowly rose her head as her eyes were slitted, and she was emitting a mass amount of threatening intent. "You filthy dogs and moronic apes should be more worried about yourselves. That isn't your fight, it's my student's. I suggest you not interfere."
"It's rare for us to agree on something, Fenghuang!" A blur of white slammed down on the edge of a cannon before it could properpy fire, leaving it to blow up the boat it was sitting on. The blur then reappeared on another boat, and Shifu lifted his head, his cloak flowing behind him.
Tai Lung was honestly surprised. Tigress just as much. "Shifu?!/Father?!"
"And just what do you heathens think you're trying to do to my son and daughter?" Shifu demanded. He first crouched, then he sped forward. Wolves were sent flying in his wake as he went right to them before sliding to a stop. "Are you two alright?"
"Glad to see you, Shifu. But...how did you get here so quickly?" Tai Lung asked, casually backhanded a komodo dragong thug approaching them.
"Taotie gathered up another one of his contraptions. The others are there too, but they're making sure Mr. Ping doesn't fly off on his own and try to find Po before the battle was over."
"You brought Mr. Ping here?! That's SO not a good idea!" Mantis shouted as he swung Viper by the neck, using her to tail slap an incoming gorilla in the face. "He's gonna freak out when he figures out that a majority of this army is singling out Po!"
"WINGS OF JUSTICE!"
A powerful gust of wind blew most of the wolves away, making room for most of the Masters to breathe and find each other. Crane landed on the ground with a sigh. "I dunno about you all, but I'd rather face an army of vicious wolves and rampaging gorillas than Mr. Ping's wrath. So let's try ending this quickly."
"That, I can assist with." Fenghuang flew upwards a couple feet, flapping her wings a couple times, before she came flying down on one of the boats and stomping right through it. It was strong enough to break the boat in half and sink on it's own, as well as destroying it's cannon.
Shen was watching the entire scene with shock and awe, in complete disbelief at what was going on.
"Hey, Shen! We're not done here!" Po jumped up from his rooftop and onto Shen's, before leaping forward and kicking him away.
Shen's talons scratched the roof as he glared at Po angrily. Po didn't seem fazed by the infuriated glare at all. "THIS! CHANGES! NOTHING!"
"Dude! Why are you so damn angry at everything?!" Po shouted, raising his paws. "And why do you have to take it out on me?!"
"Because you're my final obstacle!" Shen shouted as he jabbed his guandao at Po, who dodges it cleanly. "The Warrior Of Black and White is my final challenge before I'm considered worthy! I will not stop now, not when I taste victory!" He spat. "How are you even still around!? I know you've been to the panda village! I know you know the truth by know! You should have been emotionally distraught! Filled with despair! DESPONDENT! Even when you're currently fighting me, you still feel more peaceful than ever! HOW?!"
"You think I wasn't distraught about what happened back there?! Of COURSE I was emotionally distraught! You burned down my home and killed most of my species! Of course that's gonna make me distraught! I was deeply hurt by all the recurring memories!" Po placed a paw on his chest. "But I can't let that haunt me for the rest of my life! I have to accept that what happened happened, and move on! I can't let my past define who I am right now!"
Shen was angrily clutching onto his guandao as the panda stared him down. Even when he was sternly reprimanding him, his eyes were still filled with peace. He wasn't angry, he wasn't enraged. He was simply trying to defeat his current enemy and keep his loved ones safe. It wasn't fair. Shen didn't have any family left. He didn't have any true friends, even Zhong is more of a close second-in-command than an actual friend. And if they were, that bond is also gone. Soothsayer will probably never speak to him again.
His family. His friendships. His happiness. He's discarded all of them for the sake of becoming a conqueror, to rule China the way he sees fit. No matter how many bodies he had to step over, friend or foe. His obsession rendered an entire species close to extinction. His obsession forced his parents to drive him away. Soothsayer knew his obsession would lead to all of this, but he still refuses to listen.
Shen has lost everything once, and it filled him with rage. And as a result, he kept driving everyone away until he truly had no one left.
Po lost everything twice, and he still has the heart to keep on going with a smile on his face. Even after all the hell he's been through, he still chooses to smile rather than give into darkness. He's filled with more strength than Shen could ever take from others. Shen had to take happiness away just to feel it. Po was just filled with it.
Po was strong enough to let go of his past, while Shen was too weak to do the same for his own.
...it wasn't fair. It just. Wasn't. Fair.
Po didn't speak harshly this time. This time he spoke softly, as he was speaking to another one of his friends. "Maybe if you let go of your past, you could be happy too. I've made the choice of who I want to be. Now it's time for you to choose."
Shen cackled lowly, a sinister grin on his face. "You're right...and I choose...THIS!" Shen suddenly leap over Po and used a rope dart to entangle his arms and throw him onto a boat. He then left off the roof and landed on top of his bac to keep him from moving, making him cry out in pain. "FIRE!"
One of the last remaining cannons aimed towards them. Po's eyes widened. "Shen are you crazy?! You're going to kill us both!"
"Precisely! Then we can both burn in hell together!" Shen didn't care about victory anymore. All that mattered to him was that the panda lost, and that he dies. That's the only victory that will satisfy him at this point, and he's no longer caring if he dies as well.
Tigress turned towards the commotion, as she and Fenghuang hastily tried to stop the cannon from firing. "PO!"
The cannon fired. The two females watched in horror as the cannonball blows up the boat containing Po and Shen.
For Po, everything went black.
(?)
Ugh...wh...what...? Po blinked as he got a better sense of his surroundings...and the fact that there were no surroundings Just an endless void of white. What the?! What the hell?! Where am I?! Did I...did I die? Oh come ON! I just came BACK from the brink of death! Why was I placed back on it?!
Po stopped ranting when he heard crying. A child's crying. That instantly made him abandon all of his thoughts and try to find the source of it. He needed to find the voice of the child. To silence the cries of immense emotional pain he felt, and comfort him. The voice belonged to a boy. It was just impulse for Po to comfort children.
Soon after he walked a couple paces in pure white, he found the child he was looking for. A young peacock chick in what looked like royal robes. White robes. He was wiping his eyes with his wings, not allowing for his eyes to be seen. Po walked up to him.
"Hey...it's okay." Po said gently, reaching his hand out to the chick. The child saw him approachinf, and flinched, instinctively flashing his young train at him.
Then Po heard the voices.
"He looks so small, fragile and helpless."
"What's with the color of his feathers?"
"Shouldn't peacocks be colorful, and not pure white?"
"It looks like he might die at any moment."
"I feel so sorry for his parents, they were expecting a child with colorful feathers and a beautiful train, like themselves."
"Hmph, what makes you think YOU deserve to be part of the Royal Family? Nothing's special about you except that you're a peacock who's as white as a ghost!"
"A peacock without color is unheard of. Guess that makes you a freak, huh?"
"Someone so drained of color and life doesn't deserve live!"
"Get out of here! You shame the Royal Family with your very existence!"
"Your parents were disappointed in you the moment you were born. Face it. No matter what you do or how much you grow, you'll always be the same peacock. A failure. A freak of nature. A grave mistake."
"...I...I'm n-not a mistake..." The young peacock sniffled into his wings. "I-I'm not a mistake...I'm not a freak...I'm...I'm not a failure...so why...why do I feel like all of those mean things, even though I know they're true...?" Shen curled up a bit, freeky allowing his tears to flow as his hiccups echoed through the void. "Why...does everyone have to hate me...?"
Po stood still as the voices echoed through his head. These weren't just Shen's insecurities, people have actually said these things to him, as a child. They thought that him dying at a young age would have made his parents much better off. Shen has been lured into darkness because he was exposed to the cruelty of the world when he wasn't ready for it.
...Po just realized how similar they are. The world was cruel to them at a young age, and it drastically changed them both. Except...Po had Mr. Ping. He had Tigress and Fung. And he had Fenghuang. Then everyone else years later. He wasn't alone anymore. No matter how many times the world was cruel to him, he always gave it another chance.
But Shen...everyone kept their distance from him as if he were a plague. The more they distanced themselves, the darker his heart grew, and the more he distanced himself from them. It grew to the point where not even his parents, Soothsayer, or Zhong could reach him. He was simply too far gone for the light to ever reach him again. Everyone gave up on him and considered him a lost cause, and a threat that must be destroyed at any cost. The world drove him away, so he drove himself away from the world, and tried to conquer it for treating him so horribly.
With a deep sigh, Po clenched his fists as a determined expression crossed his eyes. He was standing on the white side of the void, while Shen was beginning to be dragged off to the now approaching dark side of the void.
He's made his decision.
He ran forward, reached his paw outward towards the peacock...
(Reality)
...and grabbed Shen by the robes as he was doing his best to bring them both back to the surface. They were deep underwater, and Po was in a hurry to get them both back up before they drowned. The sun was starting to come up, he could tell due to the ball of lighr seen even underwater. Spesking of underwater, that would be Shen's grave, to sink into underwater darkness where no one will ever try to bring him back up.
...Po refused.
I'm not gonna let you die, Shen! Ya hear me?! Po mentally shouted as he continued to swim towards the surface. Then what he saw neck made his eyes widen. ...Oh dumplings...
A boat was still sinking, and heading towards them. Po had to move Shen out of the way as he swam in another direction. It didn't seem like any more debris would fall and deter him.
...then he felt his right arm get stuck between debris within some of the confusion. He tried to pull himself free, but was lacking the strength to do so during his fight with Shen, being hit with another cannon blast, and being underwater where he had very limited oxygen. You have GOT to be kidding me right now! He and Shen were both going to drown at this rate. He needed to act quickly.
Think, Po! You and Shen are about to drown, there's no time to wait for the others, and you can't pull yourself free. What do you do? He thought for a couple second, as he looked towards the debris. Most of it looked jagged and very sharp due to being broken apart by the battles happening above. His arm was too big to pull out, and the space was too tight. If he couldn't pull his arm out, maybe he could push the debris out of the way. But it's all too tightly packed together to actually go anywhere.
He then sees chains floating slowly next to him, and a cannon sinking faster than the chains. The canon was sinking fast, of course it was very heavy. The chains were pretty long, and they look very sturdy. He looked at his arm, then to the chains and quickly sinking cannon, then up to Shen. He had an idea...but everyone else was gonna chew him out so hard, later. If he weren't underwater, he'd sigh. He grabbed the long chain that was connected to the cannon, then wrapped it around his trapped arm until it was locked around it. Then he tightly closed his eyes
Think about dumplings! Think about bean buns! Think about noodles! Think abou-!
(Three Days Later...)
Shen didn't know where he was, and why he felt so much pain...and he didn't know why he still felt pain. He had the wolf manning the cannon aimed towards him, and he knew that it fired towards him. He should have been dead, the panda should be dead. Maybe he was successful with the panda and he himself to survive...?
...No. Fate wasn't that nice to Shen. Fate hated Shen. It wanted to see him destroyed by any means necessary. He got up, but groaned as he felt sharp pain in his ribs. Great, now that was something he had to deal with. Though when he held his side, there were bandages. Someone was treating him.
"...Are you alright, Shen?" He blinked when he saw the Soothsayer standing in the corner, eying him with worry. Though he simply glared at her with disdain. "I wouldn't bother with your knives. I had to take everything sharo out of the room so you wouldn't do anything drastic."
"What the hell do you want, you crazy old hag?" Shen turned away from her. "Hmph. Don't tell me that you saved my life. What for?"
"I merely treated you. Saving you was not my doing."
Shen raised an eyebrow. He shook his head as he looked into a nearby bucket of water. His eyes widened as he saw what his face looked like now. The right was just fine. The left...
...the left was completely black, his left eye only able to squint.
...No...NO...NO! He mentally shouted as he slapped the bucket away from bim, breathing erratically. Why would destiny be so cruel to him!? He couldn't be deserving of this, could he?! This was madness! Why would it mock him so severely like this?! This was the worst thing they could possibly afflict him with!
What type of hell has been placed on me?! Now you've made me a constant reminder of my failures! Damn it! Damn it all!
"Where is he...where is that obese moronic abomination...?" Shen snarled as he struggled to stand. "I don't care if I don't have my weapons...I will kill him. I. WILL. KILL HIM!"
"Shen. You have lost. And the panda has shown you mercy." Soothsayer said calmly. "Don't make a mockery of his kindness by blindly attacking him. Besides, his comrades will not allow you to do such a thing."
Shen wasn't listening. The panda refused to die like he commanded him to, and now he had a permanent scar on half of his face. Black and White. Those two colors have haunted him for years, and now they'll never truly go away. He will pay for this. Dearly.
He stormed out of the hut, and could see the panda in question sitting a couple feet away from him. Perfect. He had no weapons, so he'll just have to settle for tearing his beak into his jugular and violently rip it right out. Yes. He could live with that. Shen doesn't need weapons. He WAS a weapon. And he was about to inflict his wrath upon the moronic bear, and he would make sure he didn't survive. He refused to watch him breathe air any longer. It's now become an eyesore just to see him exist. He has to audacity to reprimand him for his life choices, then show him mercy. His pride will never recover from such an insult.
"PANDA! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! THIS ENDS RIGHT HERE! RIGHT-" Shen's eyes widened, well his right one widened. His left one only widened slightly. "...now...?"
The panda turned to him, and waved cheerfully. "Shen! You're finally awake! Man, I was getting worried that you wouldn't pull through!" Once again, Shen was briefly blown away by the panda's behavior. He was waving to him and greeting to him as if they didn't just have a battle to the death, and it was clear that neither of them won, since they were both still alive.
Ignoring the fact that Po completely disregarded his threat, Shen could only look at Po with his lower beak hanging in shock. "...Panda...how...the hell...can you be so calm right now?"
Po tilted his head, blinking owlishly. "I don't know what you mean...?"
Shen seemed to currently be the only one to be completely and utterly petrified that half of Po's right arm was now a bandadged, bloody stump.