The Question


"I am truly sorry," Tigress apologized, releasing his forearm. "I didn't mean to-"

"That... that's alright," Platon said, nursing his forearm. His smile left him as he stared at his forearm like a huge bug had ripped out his muscles while he gawked at the horror.

"Is something troubling you, Councilman Platon?"

"Hmm? Nothing, nothing. Just... surprised at your pupil's strength," Platon briefly smiled to Master Shifu. "And Master Viper. I would shake your hand, but uh."

"Hehe, I understand," She replied sweetly. The guards still stared at each other as Platon continued.

"Well, now that we've gotten the pleasantries out of the way, I would love to see the famous Jade Palace in its entirety."

"Huh?" Po said.

"He wants a tour," Tigress whispered to him.

"Oh, why didn't he just say that?"

Tigress sighed, "Not everyone talks the same, Po." The group walked down the halls and chambers of the Jade Palace with their new Councilman. The guards acted like his shadows, pressing near him everywhere he went.

"Uh... excuse me. Just need to squeezy bye," Po grunted as he tried to slip by the enormous rhinos.

"You're the Dragon Warrior, right?" Asked the guard on the right, the one he was squeezing by. Po nodded. "How strong are you?"

"Oh uh... strong, I guess. You know after fighting Kai and stuff you get strong. Not that I like the brag or anything."

"Are you as strong as that tiger woman there?" The guard pointed to Tigress, who was in the front of the train alongside Shifu.

"Well, maybe not that kind of strong," Po chuckled. "I mean, come on. Tigress is the Master of awesome muscle strength. She could break someone just by looking at them! I should know," The panda nervously chuckled. "Besides, I'm good at my own thing."

"Which might not be enough," muttered the guard on the left.

"Shhhh!" Hushed the right guard.

"Huh?" Po asked.

"What my friend here is trying to say is that it doesn't hurt to boost your strength. You always have to improve as a master, right?"

"I... I guess. Why do you care about my strength... Mr...?"

"Mr. Three and this is my counterpart, Mr. Four." Po's head tilted to the side. "They're codenames we use to protect our identities. Criminals... or other people, might harm us and our families if we're not careful."

"But why three and four?" Po asked.

"Because one and two died under mysterious circumstances," Mr. Four said. Po gulped.

"Don't let my friend bother you," Mr. Three counseled, "He embodies the mother of death and grief combined. I ask about your strength because of the... criminal. He's very powerful with very powerful enemies. It could mean the end of your life if you're not strong enough." Po's eyes widened into saucers as a heavy hoofed hand from the rhino rested on his shoulder. "But don't worry, I'm sure you'll get there with some training."

"Hehe, okay?" The panda uneasily tapped his fingers together as the guards proceed on with Platon to the Training Hall. As Master Shifu explained how the system worked, Po sat back and fixated on the floor, crossing his arms and legs.

"Po?"

"AHHH! Oh! Ugh! Geez, Tigress stop scaring me like that."

"Are you okay? You look angry," Tigress said.

"Uh, nothing. Just... thinking," Po replied. Tigress sat down next to him. "Anyway, the noble guy likes you. Must be nice to get complimented like that." Po grinned.

"It is... nice. There aren't many female Kung Fu masters. I've worked hard to get here." She glanced at her open hand and silently told her hand to clench into a mighty fist. "I've sacrificed a lot, too."

"Like what?" Po asked. Tigress briefly looked at the panda before sighing quietly. She straightened her back against the wall, looking straight ahead and crossing her arms.

"What were you talking to the guards about?"

"Hm? Oh! We were just talking about strength and stuff and... Wait a minute... Uh Tigress? Do you think I can be as strong as you?"

Tigress rose her eyebrow at him. "You are as strong as me. It takes a lot of strength to hurl a cannonball back at-"

"Not that. That's inner peace or whatever. I mean muscles and lifting and chucking things across the globe and stuff. Do you think I'll be able to do the stuff you do?"

Tigress turned her head towards him, scanning his figure. His wide green eyes spoke a hopeful song, but his fingers tapped nervously together. Tigress gritted her teeth. How was she supposed to say this? This was her dear friend. She had to let him down easily. She smiled, saying, "I think everyone's born with a something inside that makes them... unique. Crane's the best at ariel flight. Monkey, maneuverability. You're good at... you. Strength is something you're born with, but everyone has a different kind of strength. Besides, not everything is about strength."

"Oh," Po frowned, "So you think I'll never be as strong as you?"

"You already are in your own way, Po." She rested her hand on his shoulder and smiled. Po briefly returned the smile but as she walked back over to her master, he couldn't help the sullen spirit sagging his shoulders. The idea of being better was tantalizing and tempting. Why Po wanted it, he didn't know well, but he could come up with several reasons: To protect others, there would always be a stronger villain, he couldn't always rely on whatever crazy luck he had, he could impress his friends, he could be strong enough to protect his loved one.

But that didn't matter if all he could do was be the quirky panda with universe juice coursing through him.

Po shook his head. He tried his best to keep up appearances as the tour group continued on and briefly passed the Official Records Room and finally back to the Hall of Heroes.

"Thank you so much for the tour. The Jade Palace is exactly everything that I dreamed of... with the greatest warriors around," Platon said, looking at Tigress. The tiger nodded and smiled, making Po roll his eyes and grumble under his breath. "Now onto business. I need all-"

"Two," Said Mr. Three. Platon looked back at his guard. "Only two. Any more will cause bandits to notice." The lion's eyes hardened as he slowly turned towards the rhino.

"This... criminal is extremely dangerous, soldier," Platon said slowly yet with a heavy weight, "Strength in numbers is important."

"But sir, you should also know how he is around certain species, especially felines," Mr. Three said even more grave than Platon. Po and Furious Five looked at Tigress whose only reaction was a widening of her eyes. The brown-maned cat faltered, and he stared at the ground, tapping his chin.

"You make a good point. Then which-"

"The Dragon Warrior and Master... Monkey."

Platon rose his eyebrow. "Why?"

"They're the most unpredictable people on this team," Mr. Three said.

"Wait, how could you possibly know that just by looking at them?" Shifu asked.

"A soldier trusts his gut." Mr. Three quickly smiled. Mr. Four nodded.

Platon gazed at the two rhinos before slowly nodding. "I agree. Well then, I'll brief Master Monkey and the Dragon Warrior on the situation tomorrow." He yawned, though the yawn came out like a little boyish cat, making Po chuckle a bit. "But for now, I'm tired."

"We have lodgings for guests right around the corner. Students, you are dismissed," Shifu said. The team left, but Po caught up with the lion.

"Excuse me, sir."

"Yes, Dragon Warrior?" The Councilman smiled, a little amused at the panda's child-like attitude.

"I was wondering, is it okay if I could ask you some questions?"

"Po," Shifu sternly said, "The Councilman has no time for-"

"No, no, it's okay, Master Shifu. Mr. Four, why don't you go with Master Shifu to the room," Platon said. The rhino nodded and followed the red panda to his room. "Now what is it that you wanted to ask me?"

"Well... where are you from? I mean, you said you weren't from around here sooooo?"

"Ah," The lion sighed, "I come from a distant clan. A mighty ancient clan that used to be made up of the strongest warriors, both great and small."

"Coooooll! Who were they?" Po asked.

"That's uh... that's not necessary," Platon slightly stammered. He cleared his throat from the thick sadness stuck inside. "My clan sadly rebelled against the emperor and now... well, I have no clan now."

"Wait, this emperor? Emperor Fu?" Platon nodded. "Whoa. How did you escape?"

Platon smiled warmly, "I didn't have to. I gave my allegiance to Emperor Fu early on. I tried to convince my clan, but... there were dangerous repercussions if I hadn't joined the Emperor and... I'm sorry it's... it's a lot."

Po saw the lion's eyes start to water, but not one tear dare drop. "I'm so sorry. I know what it's like."

"You do?" Platon asked. "That's right. Lord Shen did ambush the pandas." Po nodded and sighed. The lion placed his hand on the panda's shoulder. "Let's leave sad stories in the past. They do little to help with the present or the future."

"Just one more question," Po called, "You're a strong warrior, right?" Platon nodded. "I was just wondering, are you born with strength or can you work for it?" The panda asked. Platon squinted his eyes as the creases on his forehead form a stormy thoughtful sea. He crossed his arms and rubbed his finger against his muzzle. Finally, he gave a large sigh,

"I think you can only be born with it. Some people have an innate ability to be great. Others... not so much."

"Oh," Po said dejectedly.

"I'm sorry if that wasn't the answer you wanted," Platon replied, "It's just... in my line of work, there is a limit. If you're not strong, then you're crafty. If you're not either, then you're lucky."

"Oh." Po felt his heart sink to his feet. He looked at his flabby black furry arms and sighed loudly. "Oh."

The big lion offered a kind smile and firmly rested his hand on Po's shoulder. "Everyone has their own type of strength," he said, "Find the one that's yours and you'll be fine."

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Po weakly smiled. Platon nodded and walked towards where Shifu and Mr. Four were. Po looked down, sadly kicking at the little brown dust clumps in the ground. Of course, he would say that. Except for Shifu, Tigress and Platon seemed to know everything about strength. And if strength was something given to you-

The panda frowned harder, sighing his despair into the open wind.

"Bull." Po lifted his head and looked at Mr. Three. "You know that's bull, right?"

"Huh?"

"What he said," Mr. Three clarified, "Sure, there's a limit, but that's what pushing your boundaries is all about: Breaking limits. Sure, you're not going to be as tall as the nearest gorilla, but you can be as tall or as strong as you want." The rhino leaned on his tall spear and grinned dangerously yet somehow mischievously. "Look, people like Platon are used to seeing things the way they are, which is true. There's going to be a limit to your strengths. But you don't know where the limit is until you start pushing up against it, right?"

Po only blinked a response before nodding his head. "Listen, you're at a disadvantage because you're not born with an incredible amount of strength. Okay, so what? In this world, if you're at a snag because of others or your birth, you work smarter and harder. Sometimes you have to work twice as hard to be equal with someone and three times as hard to be better. Remember that."

"Oh uh... okay," Po said.

"Now why did you ask about strength?" Mr. Three asked.

"Because of what you said. I mean, I know I am the Dragon Warrior with 'untold power' but... that doesn't help me all the time."

"No, but it can allow you to get stronger." Mr. Three rested his hand on Po's shoulder. "And learn control and strength together. Makes no sense to break a wall and crush children on the other end."

"R-Right. Right! Thanks." The rhino smiled and turned to leave. "Mr. Three, is that bad guy really that powerful?"

The rhino stopped, stood perfectly still for a minute, and turned around with the most serious face Po had ever seen. "Don't worry about beating him. Worry about his enemies." With that new nightmare freshly in Po's skull, Mr. Three left the panda outside on the Jade Palace courtyard.

Continued.