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A long time ago, in a universe far far away...

...nah, just kidding. This place is still pretty far, though And rather simple.

Just a tavern where travelers can wind down and relax. And while it definitely isn't among the worst taverns, that didn't mean it was the best. There was still obvious signs of trouble every now and then to plague the place and it's business.

And this tavern suffers from that annoying trend as much as the others...until today, that is.

It was a relatively simple day, at least for the less peaceful folk. The usual roughhousing, belitting, and outright bullying of the staff was deplorable, but those who earned the joint couldn't do a thing about it...so there was someone who would come and help them.

"And then I said, either you keep quiet about this, or you're gonna be seeing the inside of a tree!" One large boar slammed his arms on the table in front of him while laughing with his buddies. Only one was mildly unimpressed, simply rolling his eyes. In the meanwhile, the patrons were too afraid to simply kick them out. They've been rowdy for days and it's been driving off good-hearted customers.

At this moment, someone simply pushed their way through the doors, and sauntered their way in, waving their fan in front of their face. It was easy to tell that the person was female, she was large, and overall...she was beautiful. Some have stopped their conversations entirely as they gazed at the new entry with entranced eyes following her movement. There was a particularly obvious sway of her hips that emphasized her rather large, jiggly rump.

And given the smug smile she had on her face, she was loving the attention.

Eventually she stopped her teasing sway as she approached the counter, completely ignorant of the more intolerable patrons in the tavern, and takes her seat. Immediately afterwards, the more rowdy patrons would stop what they were doing and made their way towards her...she currently paid them no mind.

"I'd think I'll keep things simple. Nothing too strong, but satisfying overall. Not interested in eating right now...saving room for lunch later."

"A-Are you sure...those ruffians...they..." The owner, a poor yet well-meaning good, gulped nervously.

"Daw, you don't need to worry about them. I'm your main priority right now, so focus on me." She said, leaning closer and fluttering her eyes. "You can do that for me, can't you?~"

"...R-Right! Right away, ma'am! One drink on the way!" He stuttered and blushed as he ran off wings flapping, hurrying to prepare her something.

"Hmhm. Even though I'm getting used to geese, something about them can be just as adorable as rabbits.~" she cooed as she sits back and waits patiently...long enough for said ruffians to lightly surround her by sitting on both sides of her and standing behind her...she still didn't acknowledge their presence.

"Hey, little lady. Heh...or should I say big lady...?" One of them gained the course to say, smirking. Unexpectedly, she turned towards them and smirked back.

"Yup. I'm big. I'm big and beautiful, wouldn't ya say?~"

"Very much so, yeah!"

"Glad you took a notice! So many people are in for the fit and thin! Fun and fat can be alluring too!" She huffed as she spun and clasped her paws. "Anyway, can I help you fine, handsome men with something?~"

"Yes, I believe you can." The lead Ox smirked as he approached her further, a bit menacingly, while her smile didn't waver in the slightest. "Do you mind accompanying us? We'd be more than happy to have you, and I'm sure you would be too."

She pretended to think about it, adorably tapping her lips, before shrugging. "Nah, not interested. Got places to be, family to meet, food to eat, the usual."

The Ox guffawed yet kept his skills, reaching out to grab her wrist. "Come now, we insist-"

Snatch. CRACK.

"AAAAAGH!" A shell cry of pain followed as the female swiftly grabbed HIS wrist instead and squeezed hard enough for obvious signs of bone breaking to be heard. She didn't react to this, she simply sighed.

"You know...I hate men like you. You give the good men a bad name for many stupid reasons, causing others to get both kinds mixed up sometimes. You wanna know what's in the top five? Not taking 'No' for an answer." She released his wrist, his paw now hanging limply from his arm.

He didn't take this well at all. She didn't care.

"Why you...!" He roared as his men all got up and drew their weapons towards her. Her response was a raised eyebrow. "You're going to pay for that!"

"Um. No I'm not. I'm going to pay for my drink, because it costs actual money. Breaking your wrist? Free of charge! You're welcome!~" she beamed while sticking out her tongue.

"Why you cheeky...GET HER!" He shouted as all of his men rushed towards her with weapons in hand/paw. Nine guys attacking one seemingly defenseless female, regardless of how big she was.

They were embarrassingly outmatched.

First she gracefully dodged a sword slash, and suddenly takes something from out of her robes. The next moment, the boar's nose has been broken by the sudden strike of ribbons swiftly smacking him. She then kicked him back, causing him to roughly knock down two more of his comrades. She then swiftly jumped over the entire group and landed on a table, surprising a bunny couple and their small child, who could only look at the large female in awe.

"Wooooaaah...beautiful..."

The female smirked and winked playfully at her, before staring at the gang again.

"Alright boys! Who's gonna be humiliated next?" she taunted confidently. They responded in kind, charging towards her in blind fury. She noticed one of them attempting to impale her with a spear; she instead used her ribbon to wrap around the spear and divert it away from the bunnies, then proceeded to properly herself towards him and kicking him in the face, immediately knocking him out.

But she wasn't done.

She wrapped her ribbon around his wrist and swung him around before throwing him right I to another comrade, smashing into his ribs and knocking them both down. She then stood up straight and yawned as she avoided two more men's attacks with a twirl, kicking both of them in the skills and roughly knocking them down, before landing on her feet with a gracefully-and taunting-bow.

The ox was not amused.

"Why you...stop mocking us like this!"

She blinked, innocently tilting her head. "Really? Then how would you like me to mock you? I take requests.~"

The Ox roared as he furiously tries to rush her with his wrist still broken. His target target smirks as she easily moves out of the way with it with a twirl. Growling to the point of having steam blowing from his nostrils, he turns around and charges against, which she dodges once again with another twirl, this time spinning much faster. Roaring this time, he makes one final charge towards her, only for her to jump upwards once again, spinning faster than the other two times.

The ribbon was still in her paws, and as a result she chose to show off in the meantime; every twirl she made while jumping in flipping, she made sure her ribbon followed an alluring pattern for the others to enjoy. Spirals to gently entrance then, a swiftly flick to snap them back into focus, and a few circles in order to both get an invested audience and to mock her attacks for not landing a single hit on her. And her last action while spiraling upwards was for her ribbon to create a spiral around herself without too significant effort, smiling gracefully all the way. Once she stopped spinning, she simply falls right back down to earth, stomping her feet right onto the ox's back.

SMASH!

After greatly cracking the ground, and the Ox's spine, she gave a graceful bow to those applauding her, casually dragged him back to the counter until dropping him, them propped herself up and sits on his back, making herself comfy while smiling as the rabbit-awestruck-gave her her requested drink. "It's...it's on the house..."

"Wow really? Thanks! You're SO sweet!~" She beamed as she takes aid drink and gives it a few sips with one paw lightly pressing onto her makeshift seat, making the ox groaning painfully under her. "Ah...sometimes ya need a drink or too to relax after such a long time traveling. Wouldn't you agree?"

"You...you're... you're sadistic..."

She blinked at the word, finishing her drink rather quickly and sets the cup down, before sliding off his back and humming. "Sadistic...I don't mind if you call me that. You're the ones who attacked me when I warned you not to." She stretched a bit as she rolls her shoulders and hops a bit. She then blinks and lightly slaps the side of her head. "Oh duh! Silly me! I almost forgot!" She turned back towards the still surprised bunny. "Hey there, do you know-"

"AHAHAHA!" There was the mad shouts of the tenth member, the large boar from before. "You think you can just beat up my buddies and just forget all about me?!" He shouted in rage as he leaps towards her aiming for a punch. "Well you've got another thing co-"

Boing!~

Was the cute sound right when she twirled one more time, resulting in the boar being bounced off of her bouncy bum and sent flying upwards through the ceiling, causing a bit of wood chips to fall down on the ground from the damage. She barely noticed, and continued as if nothing happened.

"-which direction leads to the Imperial City? I've been traveling for a while now, and would rather not get any more lost than I probably am." She asked, nonchalant of the damage, nor the sound of the boar crashing back down moments later, completely unconscious. The owner didn't mind too much, it was a surprisingly easy fix when he actually made time for it.

"U-Um...it's still pretty far from here. At least about a few weeks journey on foot. Two being the least." He said while cleaning the cup the female has previously set down. "I heard that a lot of things have been going down over there...heard was almost destroyed outright and..." He shook his head. "I-I'm getting too into this, I already told you what you needed..."

"What? No no no! You can totally talk about it with me! I LOVE a bit of gossip!" She said while once again sitting on the ox-to his great annoyance-and laid her chin in her paws with eyes sparkling and full of wonder. It was positively adorable.

"Well...things got a bit crazy around there. The Emperor decided it would be a good idea if he had many of China's Kung Fu Masters-good and bad, mind you-to participate in a tournament that would decide who would teach his grandson Kung-Fu. Obviously the risks were ridiculously high, but at the time he didn't seem to care."

"Oh, that does sound pretty stupid. Then again, we all tend to do stuff in desperate situations. But that one feels particularly noteworthy."

"R-Right. Anyway, things were mostly fine. That is...until they appeared."

"Who appeared? Tell me tell me tell me!~" She begged excitedly, bouncing up and down, which did wonders for the good-natured but still...'observant' men looking at her from afar.

"Well, it's this same faction that's been causing a ruckus all over China for months, usually taking down numerous evil or malevolent names along the way, and even clashing with some neutral figures when they come to a disagreement. They're a very chaotic bunch, but a heroic one. Even if they don't claim to be." He said while finished cleaning the cup, setting it down and turning his full attention to her. "A few things are very noteworthy about that bunch. What appeared as more important of note is the fact that Legendary Masters Shifu and Fenghuang are the mentors of the younger parts of the faction, and there's quite a handful of them."

She tilted her head. "Really now? Legendary Masters taking care of a couple kids, at least in age compared to them. Seems pretty exhausting."

"I'm quite positive that it is. Anyway, that's not the most surprising part. The most surprising part is the leader of the entire faction, who also serves as their heart. His name his Po. And... he's a panda."

"WHAAAAAAAAT?!" She exclaimed in surprise.

"No joke! He's seen better days, but he's definitely a real, flesh and blood giant panda...like yourself."

The now identified female panda blinked as she sheepishly rubbed her neck. At better inspection, she wore a red robe and pink dress with a blue sash, and a gold headdress on her head. She also wore blue mascara, and carried around a ribbon stick, along with a pink fan with butterfly designs. "Oh...guess I counted too much on a majority of China haven't seen pandas in a long while...that might be an insult to intelligence." She chuckled awkwardly. "When in reality, we pandas aren't exactly known for our intelligence...but one thing we ARE known for, aside from our large sizes, larger hearts, and love for food...we tend to bring a vicious storm of trouble along with us...and only towards those that deserve it. Then we'll want everyone to get along afterwards and be happy in peace. This 'Po' is definitely a panda."

There's no doubt about it anymore. That's GOT to be Little Lotus!

"By the way, you seem to be seeking this very panda out, aren't you?" The rabbit asked, tilting his head.

"You bet I am! I have never gotten to really know him. Being separated as Cubs who could barely speak doesn't do very well for forming a bond. But now that I know for sure that he's alive. I'm now pumped, more than I've ever been before! I'm definitely gonna find him now! Even if he is...around...two weeks away..." She pouted as she realized how much walking she would have to do. "Damn...well, I didn't expect it to be easy. Besides, I came this far with little complaints. Ain't gonna start now!" Her mood did improve quite a bit, not just from her perking herself up again, but a hug from behind, on her behind. She blinked and turned to see the smaller rabbit child from before. She smiled coyly. "Hey there! Whaddya doin', hugging my bum like that?~"

"It's soft and cushy. Bouncy. Very round and very big, like a super pillow! And ah, thank you for helping us, Miss Panda Lady!"

"Aw! Thank you! AND you're welcome!" She turned around and lightly Pat's the child on the head, giving her head a gentle kiss, making her giggle. She giggled as well and pulled her into a cuddly hug. She can't help it. Little kids like her were simply too cute NOT to cuddle. "You're such a cutie! And with so many polite and true things to say!~"

The child's nearby parents chuckled. They could tell that the feminine panda definitely had slight hints of narcissism, but she's nonetheless a genuinely nice and energetic woman. The feel she was giving off was incredibly confident, vibrant and bright.

Afterwards, she sets the child down as she stared at the bigger woman, head tilted. "Miss...may we know your name...?"

She smiled and puffed out her chest. "You sure can! The name is Mei Mei! China's soon to be best ribbon dancer, and avid supporter of big butt pride! Be sure to remember it!" She says proudly as she flips her fan open and begins fanning herself, turning around to leave the premises. "Well, this was a fun little break, everyone, thanks for watching my dazzling performance, and I'm very happy to make your ass-quaintance. BAM! Best pun! Good job, Mei Mei! Good for you!" She pumped her fist while leaving the tavern. Authorities came and picked up the ruffians a short while after.

As she walked out, she turns to the side to see...yet another panda. This time a male, and much older than she was, with his face slightly obscured by his straw hat. He smiled tiredly. "Ya took a bit too long in there...indulged your showboating again?~"

"Oh come on, Li! I'm practicing performing in front of audiences that aren't all other pandas! Variety is important! And besides, I got the information, didn't I?" She pouted.

"I know I know, I'm sorry." He chuckled with placating paws.

Mei Mei huffed again, though she calmed down as her expression softened. "It's alright, Li. Because now we've got confirmation. Lotus is in Imperial City. He and his friends aren't likely to leave there for quite a while. The trips gonna be long and annoyingly boring...but we might be able to catch him. You'll be able to see him."

"...Hah. I hope so, Mei Mei. I agree it would be a bit...disheartening if we were to travel all that way and not find him there.j"

"But that's not really gonna stop you, is it? Nothing has so far." Mei Mei said with a point to his nose. "You've been apart for over twenty years. Trust me when I say I have faith in you bearing it for a few more weeks."

"...Right. You're right. We can definitely do this! We...simply need the right attitude, is all!"

"That's the spirit, Li!" She beamed while slapping his back a few times. "Now, let's get going! The positive I take after this, I have time to practice my dancing with different audiences! It's gonna be awesome!"

Li chuckled softly as he soon began following the younger, significantly more chipper panda. He'll admit, while he'd like to meet with 'Po' as soon as he could, he would also take these two weeks to gather his nerves. He'd be meeting someone dear to him after believing him to be lost. Now that it isn't the case, he focused on composing himself for the big meeting. They have a lot to talk about, but he was mostly interested in the latter. How he has been doing. What friends has he made. Deeper details into the kind of trouble he gets into.

...Why he spared Shen's life.

Ina way, he was happy Lotus grew up to have such a kind and merciful soul. Li...wouldn't have been so nice. And he felt a bit guilty for that. As much as he might disagree with such a decision, he'd approach that conversation calmly when he gets to it, not judging him for a decision he made on his own.

Li sighed. "Alive...my son is alive." Even though he's alrighty heard and confirmed it for himself, it still felt like a dream. But it's reality. He couldn't wait to see him.

From the knapsack he was carrying on his back, he slightly turned his head towards the sound of shuffling...a third panda, this time a cub, yawned and lightly rubbed her eyes. She took them away to reveal her blue eyes as well, deep beautiful blue eyes.

"...there yet...Li...?" She asked sluggishly, blinking at a slow pace.

Li smiled and lightly patted her head. "Not yet, Lei Lei. It's going to take a little while longer. Don't worry though, we've got a definite location now, and we're heading there soon." Li WAS planning on leaving her with the others...but the sneaky girl sneaked and hid into his bag. And he didn't notice the change in weight too much since he was pretty strong. By the time he actually noticed, the distance decided for them. She would be coming with them even if they didn't plan on it.

The cub smiled tiredly yet brightly. "Yeh...!~" Li chuckled softly while catching up with Mei Mei.

The long journey was not over...but it would certainly be worth it.

Heya! New chapter, but not one you'd probably expect! Now, I remember I said much earlier in this story that I wouldn't include anything from KFP3...but I can't help it. So I changed my mind, and here we are, with three star pandas that aren't Po. Pretty surprised? Taking a break from the main cast in this chap in order to preview what's to come much later. And for some fun, take a guess as to which of the three I'll have the most fun writing in a slightly different light. Might not be very obvious...

Also, I want to get as many chapters out for this as I can. For I'm gonna be participating in something very important and private for the summer. And depending on the circumstances-and if I actually get in-I won't be updating any stories during that period. So before and if that happens, I'll update this much as I can, and try not to leave on a cliffhanger chapter, but I can't say for sure.

Hope ya understand, and hope you're having a good day even more!

Until next time, readers!