About two weeks after sending his demand, Po finally received a response from the Jade Palace to the subscription he demanded. Time seemed to be completely frozen around him as he pulled the scroll out of its metallic protection. His heartbeat increased more and more as his paws unrolled the response scroll, his mind begging all the gods in heaven to grant him his only wish. "Please! Sweet, pretty please with a little sugar on top, gods! Make that they accept me! I won't ever ask you anything else if you grant my wish!" Once the piece of paper was completely unrolled, he opened his eyes to read it...
And learned that he got accepted!
After reading the answer, Po tossed the scroll to the other side of the room and started jumping everywhere inside his house. Not even an elephant would have been able to stop him. Yonggan couldn't help but smile at the sight of her son in such a state of joy. He even hugged her harder than she ever did before!
The scroll said that Po was expected at the Jade Palace in nine days precisely. This gave him more than enough time to get prepared. Lucky for him, the message scroll included a list of required items, allowed and forbidden ones. First things first, Po needed to prepare his budget with his mother as they didn't have unlimited money and the last thing he wanted was to leave his mother at the restaurant with no money while he left for the Valley of Peace. His mind wouldn't allow him to.
Po started by going to buy himself some books that could help him a bit both with his Kung Fu and Chi powers. While still useful, the only basic kung Fu manual he owned didn't really have anything to teach him anymore. During his time waiting for the Jade Palace's response, Po kept training his quick and strong attacks since they were the only techniques he knew outside of cooking, gaming and studying history. He managed to get them to level 3 both with the limit being level 5. However, from this moment on, it took a lot more time and training to get them to evolve. He once spent a whole day training, and his techniques barely reached half their experience gauge to the next level. It was clear that the more a technique evolved, the more experience it would need to move on to the next. In addition, all this physical work allowed his strength attribute to go from 10 to 11 and his constitution from 14 to 15.
Next were the outfits. It wouldn't take a genius to know that Po wasn't going to fight exclusively with his patched pants and sandals. As much as he wanted to buy himself fancy clothes and look cool before Master Shifu and the Furious Five, he knew that his budget wouldn't allow him to. So, deciding to forget the idea to get new sandals, he settled on a set of orange Kung Fu robes and pants with cobalt-blue trimmings. Unlike his patched pants, these were made of silk that felt very light on him. The young panda could already picture himself doing cool kung Fu moves and poses with it.
With everything he needed bought and brought to his home, Po only had to wait for the day of his departure to come. The day prior, he got two bags charged with his items for the journey, including his clothes, books, posters, action figures, and video games. Apparently, the Jade palace was very strict on personal distractions such as romantic relationships and video games, but they were not forbidden for more.
Then, at last, the big day finally arrived. Po went to the train station of Gongmen City early in the day with his luggage, but not before sharing a moment he would never forget with his mother. "Did you say goodbye to all of your friends?" she asked him after they were done emptying his room.
"Don't worry, mom; I already told them goodbye at least fifty times," Po replied with a chuckle. "They all know I'm leaving, you can be sure of that."
Mother and son shared a laughter before realizing they were standing in Po's now empty room. Yonggan remained silent for a moment before placing a paw on her chest and started sniffing a bit. "Oh, Po..."
Seeing his mother about to cry, Po placed a paw on her shoulder for comfort. "Mom? Mom, it's okay."
"I know, Po. It's just..." Yonggan wiped her tears away and took her son's paws in hers. "It's all happening so fast... It feels like it was yesterday that I was taking care of you, and now... you have your Chi, you finally found a place to learn Kung Fu, and you're leaving home. I just wish I could follow you everywhere you go..."
"Hey, mom, you'll always be with me. Just not physically," Po assured her. "I'll send you messages from the Valley of Peace as often as I can, and I'll pay you visits when I get the chance, okay? I'll never forget you, it's a promise."
"Oh, Po!" Unable to contain herself any longer, Yonggan wrapped her arms around her son for the most heartfelt hug ever. And he returned it with joy.
Po decided to change into his orange and blue Kung Fu set before leaving for the train station as he wanted to make a good first impression with the masters of the Jade Palace. He gave a quick look through his list to make sure he had not forgotten anything, brushed his teeth twice for good measures, and then placed the bag containing what money he had left in his deepest pocket. The last thing he wanted was to get his money stolen by some bandit on the locomotive. Then, it was time to leave.
At exactly noon, the two pandas arrived at Gongmen City's train station. Yonggan helped her son pulling his luggage filled with books, posters, action figures and clothes onto a trolley. Po could have easily done it by himself, but he knew how much his mother wanted to help him with what little time they had left together, so he didn't protest. They pulled the trolley together.
"Let's see... 206... 207... 208! There it is!" Po exclaimed once they found the locomotive he was supposed to take.
Steam escaped the gigantic metal machine and spread above the heads of all the animals gathered around. The sounds of conversations were covered both by the locomotive's screams and the sound of luggage and bags getting carried and pulled away. Po and Yonggan had to fight a little bit before being able to reach one of the locomotive's entrance doors. Of course, the two pandas shared one last hug before the youngest one could get in.
"Make sure to not push yourself too hard, eat lots of vegetables, and let me know if you have any trouble at the valley, okay? I'll do everything I can to help you," Yonggan commanded while holding her son's shoulders.
"Don't worry, mom; I'll be careful," Po assured, adjusting the rice hat on top of his head, and giving her the most sincere, reassuring smile he could.
"Thank you, sweetie... Oh, and one more thing. If I ever learn that you got a girlfriend, got married or had children without telling me right away, I will come straight to your palace and spank you so hard that your chubby little butt will be redder than a tomato. Understood?"
Po swallowed a lump in his throat. "U-Understood!" he quickly replied, realizing any other answer wouldn't have pleased his mother.
"Good!" she said, trading her threatening glare for a satisfied smile.
A loud whistling noise pierced through the crowd and everybody turned to see a little hedgehog wearing the traditional locomotive captain outfit and hat peeking his head out of the control wagon. "Locomotive 208, destination Valley of Peace is taking off in five minutes! Everybody on board, or you'll be left behind!"
"You should go now, Po," Yonggan advised.
"Good idea. I love you mom."
Even outside the machine, Po could see through the windows that the wagon was fully packed. So imagine the difficulty he had trying to find a free compartment. Once he managed to find one, he placed his luggage on a seat before pulling his chubby butt down too, sighing in relief. Now, all he had to do was to wait for the ride to begin.
At last, the locomotive started moving. Po peeked his head outside his compartment's window to see his mother waving her arm at him, crying and laughing at the same time. He returned the gesture, trying not to get his arm too much outside. As the locomotive took more and more speed, she became smaller before being nothing more than a little spot on the horizon, then disappeared.
Po sat back in his compartment seat, looking outside his window to see the beautiful landscape rolling along and the city of Gongmen becoming more and more distant. As he stared down at his rice hat resting in his lap, a sensation of excitation took over his heart. Maybe he was leaving his old life behind... but his dream was waiting just ahead!
"Attention to all passengers!" the captain's voice boomed through the locomotive's speakers. "We will arrive at the Valley of Peace's train station in about twenty minutes! Make sure to gather all your belongings as to not leave anything in the compartments, and hold your kids by the hand, wing or tail!"
A loud yawn escaped Po's mouth as the announcement brought him out of his deep slumber. The travel was so long that he decided to take a nap, but not before using some of his money to buy a snack. And it looked like he slept for quite a long time; if he was to judge by the auburn color of the sky, it was almost nightfall. He rubbed his eyes until they could properly see before looking outside the window and smiling.
Far in the distance, the Valley of Peace was getting closer and closer in his view's range. A large barrier of mountains surrounded the town itself - Po learned during his history lessons that they prevented outside invaders from attacking the people, explaining the name Valley of Peace. While the village served as its main location, the valley had a varied landscape which included sky-reaching mountains, rivers, smaller villages, communities, and other farming areas. To get inside the land itself, the locomotive had to drive through a passage inside a mountain.
After coming out of the dark passageway, the locomotive finally arrived at the train station, meaning it was time for the animals to come down and move their numb legs. The moment where Po got to escape the train station at last couldn't arrive soon enough. A small sheep would have struggled in such a tight crowd that invaded all the station's space... so imagine for a panda like him! It was with the biggest of pleasures that he walked away from the over packed building, hoping to not come back in a long time.
But on the bright side, the Valley of Peace revealed itself to be as beautiful from the inside as it was from the outside. The village itself looked grandiose with its homes and buildings made of good quality wood, clay and metal. The presence of kind-looking pigs, geese, sheeps and goats gave the Valley of Peace an amusing atmosphere. At one point, Po passed before what looked like a restaurant with a circle-shaped opening that seemed very busy. He gave himself a mental note to come there when he would get the chance.
"Alright, let's see...," the panda mumbled to himself while checking a map of the Valley of Peace. "So, according to you, little piece of paper, the Jade Palace should be located... right here!" he exclaimed, rising his gaze up... and immediately widening his jade eyes afterwards.
Before him stretched possibly the longest set of stairs he had ever seen, leading the way up a mountain onto which proudly stood what looked like a temple. Even without consulting the map, Po could tell this was the Jade Palace. But why so far away from the village? The young panda made a quick inspection around the mountain to see if there was any elevator he could use or something. His stomach dropped after realizing there wasn't any...
A loud sigh escaped his mouth. "Okay then, looks like there's no other way for me to get up there. I'm gonna have to walk up all these steps..."
Doing a few warm-up moves in anticipation, the panda launched himself at the heavy task ahead. At first, there wasn't any problem as he was used to climbing steps like any normal animal. However, after a while, it started getting hard due to exhaustion setting in. And the lack of air from getting so high didn't help at all. The young panda started regretting not using his last days in Gongmen to learn how to increase his constitution.
"Jeez... louise... Couldn't they have built their palace... closer to the ground?" Po asked himself, stopping in the middle of the steps to catch his breath. Once his heartbeat regained a normal rhythm, he decided to turn around and check his progression. The spot at the feet of the mountain where he started his ascension was pretty far below, meaning he was probably close to reach his destination.
Or so he thought. Once he turned his eyes away from the ground and looked up at the skies... he saw that the Jade Palace had to still be at least five hundred steps away. No. They were kidding him, right? How was he supposed to go so far?! He... He just didn't have the required endurance or stamina... Maybe it would be better if he just turned around, spent the night at an inn, and tried again when-
His train of thoughts got interrupted when his rice hat slipped off his head and fell down on the step his paw was currently resting on. All of a sudden, his thoughts faded away and his eyes locked onto the item. His rice hat... The promise he made to Grandmaster Oogway... The tiredness he was experiencing right now...
In a matter of seconds, the air of fatigue on his face melted away, getting replaced by a solid wall of determination. "... No!" he exclaimed louder than a whisper, putting his rice hat back on his head, and standing up on his two weak legs. "I made a promise to Oogway! This is the chance to finally accomplish my dream and become a great kung Fu master! I won't let all of this getting ruined by some stupid steps!"
And so, with newfound determination, Po resumed running up the endless steps.
###
By the time he arrived at the top of the steps, Po no longer had the slightest ounce of energy in his body. He collapsed on his back, his chest rising and falling with every breath he took. The way his fur was drenched with sweat made it look like he just walked through a heavy rain. All of his muscles were burning hotter than lava, and he felt like he would never move again. At least, that's what he thought before looking up beside him.
There it was. The Jade Palace. True to its name, most of the monument was jade-green in colors, but other colors such as blue, red, orange and yellow were also decorating it, just to a lesser extent. The pillars supporting the lower roof were red with golden dragons spiraling down them - Po heard it was to reflect an ancient prophecy created by Oogway himself that concerned a being called the Dragon Warrior. But he didn't know more about it. Every element was crafted and created with the highest durable materials, ensuring this monument will remain an important aspect of the Valley of Peace's spirit for many more years.
"I'm... here... Oh my gosh, I'M ACTUALLY HERE!" Po beamed, somehow finding the strength to stand up once more despite having ran a vertical marathon. "I'm at the freakin' Jade Palace!"
"Hum, yes you are." Lost in his joy and excitation, Po failed to notice a little dark-feathered goose wearing what looked like a palace staff uniform standing between him and the building's gate. "Are you okay? You look tired."
"Well, I just climbed a thousand steps, and my whole body's burning, but except that, I'm fine," Po replied, taking a water bottle out of his pocket and emptying out in one go.
"Don't worry; everybody feels almost dead on their first time, but you'll get used to it," the little goose assured with a chuckle. "My name is Zeng, and I am the Jade Palace's official servant. You must be Po, right?"
"Yup, that's me."
"I thought so too; Master Shifu informed me that we were going to receive a new panda student late today." Zeng turned around and made a following gesture to Po with his wing. "Follow me; I will lead you on a visit of the Jade Palace."
His fanboy side giving him yet another boost of energy at the prospect of visiting the legendary Jade Palace, Po ran after the avian, struggling to stand in place. As soon as he pulled the palace's gates open with his two wings, Po's jaw dropped to the ground.
The Hall of Warriors looked even more wonderful in person than on art scrolls. Its jade floor and pillars were so polished that he could see his own reflection into it. Aligned on the sides and along the walls were some of the most famous Kung Fu artifacts in the world such as the Sword of Heroes, the Golden Spear and Shield, the Urn of Whispering Warriors, the Invisible Trident of Destiny, and even Lady Wind Song's fan! At the far end of the hall was the Moon Pool with the golden dragon head holding the legendary Dragon Scroll in its mouth. And right behind it, the shelves containing the Thousand Scrolls of kung Fu.
"Wow! The Hall of Warriors, I must be dreaming!" Po exclaimed, looking all around in excitation as his steps echoed through the whole hall.
"Eh, eh, you are not dreaming, I can assure you," Zeng affirmed, amused by the panda's reaction. "Follow me; I will show you the rest of the palace. Unless you wanna stay in this hall until introduction times."
As much as he would've wanted to say yes, Po knew this would only make him look dumb. So he just followed Zeng who furnished explanations and anecdotes on every room and locations they visited. Po attempted to listen as much as he could, giving him the occasional nod, but his mind was still trying to process the fact that he truly was at the Jade Palace, the home of Grandmaster Oogway and countless heroes... such as the Furious Five! And he would get to see them every day!
"... And this concludes the tour of the place," Zeng said after making Po visit the students' barracks. He then slid a paper door open and led Po inside. "This is the bedroom Master Shifu as assigned you to. From this day on, this is where you will be sleeping in."
Po stepped in and analyzed the square room. It was pretty small compared to his bedroom in Gongmen City, but he would be able to live there. It was still welcoming.
"I will let you unpack your belongings now," Zeng resumed. "Once you are done, I will lead you to the training courtyard of the palace; Master Shifu and the Five should be about to be done with their training for the day."
Po's heart skipped a beat. He was going to finally meet his heroes in just a matter of moment! Nodding to the goose, he quickly opened his luggage and proceeded to take out all of his belongings, placing them on the little desks that were already present, and finishing by putting his bag away. He made sure to adjust his robes, pants and rice hat correctly as to look the least ridiculous possible. Then, once he was confident enough in his appearance, he stepped outside his new bedroom to join Zeng. "Okay, I'm ready!"
Even before they entered the training courtyard, Po could hear the sound of battles and physical efforts on the other side of the stone wall. He noticed that Zeng took a more formal posture unlike the friendly, more relaxed one he used in Po's company before pulling the doors open and entering the training courtyard, inviting Po to do the same.
The first one they encountered was none other than Master Shifu himself. His straight back filled with dignity faced them as he was busy watching his five students going through what seemed to be an intense physical training. However, everything came to a halt once he lifted one paw, the five students stopping what they were doing and gathering in line before him in a matter of seconds.
"This will be all for today, students. It seems we're having some visit," Master Shifu calmly said, turning around to face the goose and panda who arrived. The latter couldn't help but feel a bit nervous under the stare of the firm Kung Fu master.
"Master Shifu," Zeng formally said, bowing before the red panda. "I did everything as you instructed me to. Allow me to introduce to you Po, the student you had been expecting."
Getting his cue, Po slammed a fist into the palm of his paw and bowed forward in the traditional greeting gesture for Kung Fu practitioners. Still, he couldn't prevent himself from peeking up to see the red panda staring at him with a serious expression, running his gaze from head to toe as if analyzing him. It took the young panda all of his inner will to not get overcome by his fanboy side.
"Panda," Shifu softly said. "You submitted a demand to be trained in the art of Kung Fu here at the Jade Palace two weeks ago, correct?"
"Y-Yes, Master," Po confirmed with a nod.
"In that case, you must know from reading the conditions of admission that there is no specific requirement to be trained under my tutelage. However, do not think for a second that it means training here is easy," Master Shifu said, taking a suddenly serious expression. "I take Kung Fu more seriously than any other master in China and always push my students beyond their limits. By training here, your body will suffer, your bones will break, and your will shall constantly be put to test. If you don't feel ready to go through hardships, then I strongly recommend you to change your mind and leave this palace at once."
If he wanted to make Po shiver in fear, it worked. The mere thought of breaking his knuckles and the pain of his bones snapping was enough to make the young panda get a lump in his throat. However, he quickly remembered that it was the only way for him to follow his goal, accomplish his dream, and hold the promise he made to Grandmaster Oogway. So, taking a deep breath and holding his most determined expression, he declared: "Don't worry, Master; I know perfectly what I signed up for. My goal is to become a great Kung Fu master and I want you as my teacher!"
Without breaking his emotionless expression, Shifu gave a nod of approbation. "Very well, then. Now that your decision has been taken, it is time for you to meet your fellow students." He turned toward the Five. "Students, you may now introduce yourselves to your new comrade."
The first one to step (or rather slit) forward was a green snake who gave Po a warm, toothless smile. Master Viper. Even in the darkness of the night, Po had no difficulty distinguishing her apple-green scales, red lips and turquoise eyes. A lot of folks in Gongmen told him about both the Master of Snake Styles' kindness and beauty... And he could confirm it; she truly was beautiful. Specially with the moonlight reflecting over her scales and eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Po," she politely said, extending her tail forward for a handshake. "I'm looking forward to training with you."
"S-Same here, Master Viper!" Po declared with maybe too much enthusiasm, shaking her tail with his paw.
With the introduction done, Master Monkey took his reptile friend's place. Po heard that the Master of Monkey Style was as good with Kung Fu as he was with the art of pranking. The golden-furred primate gave a big grin, lifting himself on his knuckles as he reached one foot forward. "Welcome to the Dojo of Pain, man. Good luck surviving here."
"Hum... Thanks, I guess," Po mumbled, shaking Master Monkey's foot. He wasn't sure if this was supposed to be positive or not though.
A green figure hopped onto the simian's shoulder, staring at Po with its little golden eyes. Master Mantis was supposedly one of - if not THE - fastest Kung Fu masters in all of China. Po heard that a group of warriors could get wiped away by the Master of Mantis Style in a split-second without understanding what happened to them. "So you're the new guy, eh? I don't know how far you'll go, but I salute your courage for choosing the Jade Palace of all places to learn Kung Fu."
"Thanks, Master Mantis. Coming from you, it means a lot," Po assured, taking the little bug's pincer between his thumb and index finger to shake it.
Mantis nodded before hopping off Monkey's shoulder, allowing Master Crane to take their place. Po had to recognize that, of all the Furious Five members, he certainly was the most graceful of them all, the small glimpse of his aerial fighting he saw moments ago being enough to convince him. "Well, welcome to the Jade Palace, I guess."
Po could tell the Master of Crane Style wasn't too much of a talker. So, he just nodded, shook his wing, and allowed him to walk away. The final member of the Five, and the one Po looked forward to meeting the most, Master Tigress. Her fiery orange, black-striped fur shone under the moonlight, but not as much as her amber eyes that seemed to burn harder than fire. The stiff frown in her face made it look like she was continuously glaring forward.
As the Master of Tiger Style approached him, Po found himself between strong excitation and terrifying nervousness. She was smaller than him, but he felt rather tiny in her presence. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he decided to be polite and extend his paw forward first. The feline stared at his paw for a moment, but instead of shaking it, she just gave him the same bow he gave to Master Shifu earlier. "Welcome to the Jade Palace," she said with a deep voice, not sounding particularly happy nor angry.
With the official presentation done, Tigress returned to her comrades' side, the five of them staring at Po. The panda took a deep breath followed by a serious expression. "Master Shifu, Furious Five, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for accepting me as a student. It's truly an honor for me to train here, and I promise you to give my best."
Author's note: We have moved away from Gongmen City to the Valley of Peace and Po will now officially begin his Kung Fu training starting next chapter! I guess you can say that the previous chapters served as a prologue and this one is the beginning of the true main story.
As you probably noticed by now, technology is a lot more advanced in this story than it is in the canon timeline. There are video games and locomotives, but don't worry, we're not at streaming services and smartphones yet. I don't wanna take away from the ancient China atmosphere after all.
Starting next chapter, we're gonna follow Po as he starts bonding with the members of the Jade Palace, tries to survive Master Shifu's training ways, and fights against small fries in a 'villain of the week' formula. Until then, I wish you good fortune, I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas, and, of course, may the gods watch over you all.