Learning Strength


37, 38, thirty-niiiiiiiiineeAAH!" Po tossed the weight on his shoulders, and it clattered to the ground. "Awww man! Come on! I was so close!" The panda stumbled up from his squats and stretched out his back while cracking the stiffness in his neck. "Maybe pushing myself too hard. Gotta relax on the weights. Alright, time for-"

"Hey! Po!"

"Huh? Guys? What are you all doing here?" Po asked. Monkey, Viper, Crane, and Mantis swarmed the panda.

"Ah we... we were just thinking about how great you're doing," Monkey smiled.

"Huh? Doing what?"

"Uh... working out!" Crane quickly recovered. "Any reason why you're pumping iron now?"

"Um... just... personal, you know," Po shrugged. "Anyway, where's Tigress?"

"She's on a mission Shifu gave her," Viper smiled a little too widely. Po looked at all of them.

"Guys, are you hiding something from me?"

"Nooooo!" They all said.

"Uh huh," Po shrugged again and walked out. "Well, if you don't need me, I'm gonna go for a run."

"Really? But you were just training. Don't you want to take a rest?" Viper asked.

"I am, but I haven't talked with my dads in a while. I wanna make sure they're okay. Aaaaand I need to walk off this soreness. Aahh Oowowowowow," Whining loudly, Po stumbled out the Training Hall doors. The others sighed in relief.

"We've got to do a better job of keeping him away from the wolf," Monkey muttered. "You guys are horrible at keeping a secret."

"Us?" Mantis barked, "You're the one with the whole, 'Oh good job at doing nothing!'"

"Guys quiet!" Viper hushed. "He might be around the corner. Just... if you see Po going to the prisoner, distract him. Monkey is pretty good at that."

"Hehe yeah, my pranks will have Po running after me as far as the wall of China," Monkey laughed.

"We have to focus," Crane said. "No telling what might happen if Po starts talking with him." The team nodded and went their separate ways. Crane glanced at Viper slithering off. "Uh... V-V-Viper?"

"Yes, Crane?"

"Um... I was just thinking... maybe it would be... best if we kept an eye on Po. Together. That way we don't have to wonder where he is."

"Sure, but... why together?"

Crane gulped a bit, "Uh... it doesn't have to be together if you don't want that! We can watch him in turns or... something." Sweat started pouring down Crane's face.

But Viper smiled, "I didn't mean it that way, Crane. I was just curious."

"Oh."

"We can watch for Po. But why me?"

"Uh... well because... Monkey is... Monkey. Mantis is too blunt. And Tigress... do I even need to say it?" Crane lightly chuckled. The snake giggled and nodded.

"Okay."

"Great! Uh... did you want to do that now or-"

"Not right now," Viper said. "He's just going to his father's place. No need to watch him when he's as far from the wolf as possible, right?"

"Right! Right. Okay so... I'll keep a lookout for him and... I'll tell you what happens."

"That would be lovely," Viper smiled and slithered away. A dazed smile crept onto Crane's beak, but the bird shook his head.

"Come on, Crane. Snap out of it. You're just watching Po. Nothing too serious." Though he told himself that, giddy excitement bubbled up in his feathery chest as he walked out to find Po. The bird caught a glimpse of the panda walking down the stone steps early in the morning. He'd be back soon, so Crane sat on the top step waiting for the panda. "Okay, what am I going to do? Uh... hi Master Viper. No that's ridiculous. Um... you look nice today. No, no, that's something Po would say."

While the bird fretted over his conversation starter, Tigress stood in the Jade Palace dungeon with her hands behind her back, vigilantly watching the wolf. The tiger stood alert and attentive. She didn't need to; there was a stool not five feet away from her, but she didn't know what to make of the canine. He sat peacefully watching the sun's rays move the shadows on the ground as if it was the greatest joy in life. Wolf would often glance at the female warrior, sometimes intrigued, other times worried, and then look back at the sky slowly slipping past him with a small content smile. There were times when Tigress would simply yawn or move her foot, and the dog would snap his head around, anxiously looking for anything worth being troubled over. But when he found just a yawn, a stretch, or a faint sigh, he would smile and return to his careful watch outside.

"This is ridiculous," Tigress grumbled. Wolf turned his head. "I should be training to keep people like you inside that prison, not standing as guard duty. If it weren't for Po being... Po..." She stopped and recomposed herself. "It doesn't matter. What matters is that you're far away from him." Wolf only tilted his head. He wordlessly questioned, Why? "It doesn't matter why," Tigress spoke firmly. The air chilled under her glare. "You're staying here. Do I make myself clear?"

"Hehehe," The wolf nervously chuckled and nodded. Strange, the wolf wasn't scared of the others, but Tigress had an effect on him.

You know how he is around certain species, especially feline.

Mr. Three and Mr. Four had warned them that this criminal was... fond of felines. "I don't care who you are or what you did, you're not hurting any of my friends, especially Po."

Wolf nodded and quietly returned to watching the sun's rays while Master Shifu stepped into the dungeon. "That will be all, Master Tigress. I'll relieve you from your position. I think the others are having trouble keeping Po distracted. He's in the village right now."

"I'll be sure to take care of him."

"That won't be necessary. He seems to be-" Shifu's ear twitched mid-sentence. He stopped and looked around the dungeon. "Hmm."

"Is something wrong, Master Shifu?" Tigress asked. Even Wolf glanced at the red panda.

"Ever since the prisoner came, I've been hearing... things. I hope having him here isn't a bad omen," Shifu said, looking at the canine. The wolf shook his head, giving a small smile before glancing back at the window. "Keep an eye out, Master Tigress. We're dealing with... unusual circumstances here."

"Yes, Master Shifu."

Meanwhile, Po strolled down the village crowded street, thinking about his teammates' weird actions. The sun was still rising and ducks, pigs, and goats waved and welcomed the panda's presence. Po gave short replies back. His head was still consumed by the whole "Wolf" situation. He was doing a thoughtful puzzle with his fingers dancing about in the small imaginary bubble in front of him when he bumped into someone with a dark brown cloak. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"It-it's okay," Said the hooded man. He came to Po's upper torso, and two points were poking out from his cloak. Maybe horns or antlers? The hooded man glanced around.

"Are you looking for someone?" Po asked.

"Yes, I lost my escor... I mean my friends. They're going to worry if they know I'm gone. I'm sorry, I'm just worried." The man darted his cloaked face around, clicking his "hands" together; his brown cloak had long sleeves, but the clicking sounded like hooves.

"Heh, don't worry," Po said. "I'm sure we can find them."

"You'd help a stranger?" The man asked.

"Of course. Come on. I'm Po by the way. Do you have a name or is that a part of your secret identity thing with the whole spooky cloak?"

"Ahh, uh. I don't really like attracting attention," The hooded man grasped his cloak tighter, revealing his deer hoof. Po rose his eyebrow but shrugged.

"So what do your friends look like?"

"Two big gorillas."

"How did you lose gorillas?!"

"It was crowded! Don't judge me," The hooded man muttered. Po rolled his eyes but scanned the busy streets for any sign. They walked down dirt alleys and winding roads to no avail. Po helped the cloaked figure onto one of the houses to get a better look. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Po smiled. "So why did you come to the Valley of Peace anyway if you didn't want attention?"

The hooded man lowered his head. "My father doesn't believe it's safe to go out and visit the comm- I mean, other people. He's a..."

"A nobleman?" Po guessed. The hooded deer nodded. "Yeah, I get it. I've helped a lot of rich guys."

"You have?"

Po looked around. Since they were up on a rooftop, he whispered to the deer. "I'm the Dragon Warrior."

"Wh-Wh-What?"

"Yeah," Po smiled. "Bet you didn't see that coming."

"No way! I didn't think the Dragon Warrior would be... like you... I'm sorry if I offended you, but-"

"Haha, no. It's okay. I get that a lot," Po smiled. Just then, he spotted something dark move in the distance. Along the cluttered disarray of houses, he saw a dust cloud rise on the outskirts of the village. "Come on! I think I found your friends." Po and the hooded deer raced over and found two armored gorillas with a large bright red sedan chair next to them.

"Yanshi! Shang!" The cloaked man ran out to one of the gorillas and hugged his arm; their arms were about the size of a tree log. This gorilla had a long scar running down his dome-like shoulder. He had large spiked cuffs around his wrists, but his big wide smile felt warm and jovial. "I missed you guys!" The man's hood fell off and revealed his royal necklace; he looked like Po's age. He rubbed his head into Yanshi's arm, careful not to stab him with his upright antlers.

"Ah, there's our runaway prince," said the other gorilla.

"Prince?" Po asked.

"Prince Yueding, you can't run away like that," Yanshi gently scolded. "We were worried sick about you."

"I'm sorry," The deer said as a small tear ran down his face, "I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to make a mess of things."

"Sh, sh, sh, it's okay," said Yanshi. Then he spotted Po. "Who are you?" He asked harshly.

"Huh? Oh! I'm Po. I was helping... your prince friend?"

"This is the Dragon Warrior, Yanshi," Yueding said. The gorilla froze, scanned Po over again and again, and shook his head. "But he is the Dragon Warrior, right?"

"I don't doubt you, prince," Yanshi chuckled. "I just didn't think I would see another panda again."

"Guys, we have to go," Said the other gorilla. "No telling if bandits will spot us."

"Wait, you said your name was Yueding?" Po said. "As in Emperor Fu's son, Yueding! THAT YUEDING!"

"Yes, and we'd appreciate it if you didn't announce it to the rooftops!" Yanshi growled. "But thank you so much for keeping Yueding safe and secret. I don't know what we would do if he got harmed."

"We would be killed by the emperor, or we would feel so guilty we would kill ourselves! HA!" laughed the other gorilla.

"Shang, don't joke like that," Yueding fussed. "You two are my closest bodyguards. I couldn't live with myself if you guys got hurt."

"Hehe, sorry to spook you, young prince." The large gorilla stood up and pulled up his pants a bit. Po glanced and noticed something marked on his lower back before he covered it up. "Alright, let's go."

"Wait, uh... Mr. Yanshi? What's that thing on your lower back? It looks like a bruise," Po said. The gorilla turned back and sighed.

"No, bear. That's a tattoo. I got it when I was young."

"It says...Strong."

"Yep." The gorilla groaned as he stood up. "Something my parents told me I had to be before they died."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Po said.

Yanshi smiled, "Ah, it's long gone now. Anyway, if it weren't for that little issue, I wouldn't be as strong as I am now."

"Woooww. How did you get so strong?" Po asked.

"I trained up for it."

"Come on, old man," Shang smirked. "We better go."

"Eh, call me old again and I'll pound you like I did that boar thief," Yanshi shot back. Shang laughed.

"Thank you, Po. I'm in your debt," Yueding said. "If there is anything you need from me."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. No need to be that generous," Po chuckled. "I'm good. If I think of something, I'll let you know." The royal deer bowed and covered himself with his hood as he entered the sedan chair. The mighty gorillas lifted the chair onto their shoulders and walked on. "Take care. Try not to lose your guards next time!"

"I won't!" Yueding called back. Po waved the small procession off, watching them travel into the woods with a small smile.

"Well, that was a random... thing," Po mumbled, "Hmm, so he trained. Oh shoot! I forgot! The dads!" He darted over to the noodle shop where a squabbling goose and chuckling panda dad were waiting to put him to work.

The sun quickly made its way across the sky, and Crane was resting on the ground, napping under the rising moon. "Crane?"

"Wha, what? What's wrong?" Crane squawked and looked up. "Tigress, Viper? What happened?"

"Have you been sitting here all this time?" Tigress asked.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, I guess I did," Crane yawned.

Viper looked around the mountain top. "Where's Po? I thought you said he was going to his dad's shop?"

"He was. He hasn't come up yet," Crane said. Just then, they saw a black and white figure climbing up the stairs. "Ah! There you are, Po."

Po rose his eyebrow. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We were just wondering where you went," Viper said.

"You took a while at your father's shop," Tigress mentioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I... uh... yeah... I uh was at my dad's shop for a while. Long dinner rush," Po nervously chuckled. He was told by Yanshi to keep Yueding a secret. "Yeeeeaaah, long dinner rush." Viper, Tigress, and Crane looked at each other and stared at the panda.

"Po, are you sure nothing else happened?" Tigress asked.

"No, no, no, no, no," Po said. The tiger crossed her arms. Her stare never wavered. Viper tilted her head in confusion while Crane simply rolled his eyes. "Uh... so... I think it's my turn to guard Wolf, right?"

"No, no, no, no!" All of them blocked his way.

"Huh?"

"Ah... you don't have to do that anymore. Master Shifu told us that we should take care of him. You know, uh..."

"We know you've been working so hard and... we didn't want you to... worry about the wolf," Viper finished for Crane. Po blinked several times and then looked at Tigress.

"It is true, Po," Tigress said a little bit calmer than the other two, "You have been exercising a considerable amount. Is there any reason why?"

"Ah, you know. I just... wanna keep my game up," Po said, scratching the back of his head. Just then, Master Shifu walked up behind them. "Master Shifu?"

"Po, I hope you're doing well. Master Tigress, it is your turn to take charge of the prisoner."

Tigress lightly sighed, bowing, "Yes, Master Shifu." She walked off, but Po could faintly hear her grumble to herself.

"Maybe I should keep her company."

"No, no, Po. That won't be necessary," Shifu smiled warmly. Po huffed, but then his face lit up.

"Actually, that reminds me. Master Shifu, I need to talk to you."

"Me?" Po nodded. Master Shifu looked at Viper and Crane. The bird and snake took their cue to leave. "What seems to be the problem, Po?"

"I... I've been asking a lot of people this question and... I want your help," Po sighed, wincing a bit. What would his own master say? The same as everyone else that seemed to have strength nailed down? Po took a deep breath and said, "Are you born with strength or can you become strong? Like, do you think I can be as strong as Tigress?" Shifu opened his mouth, "And please don't say anything about how I'm not Tigress or any weird cosmic wisdom like that. I just want your opinion."

Shifu stood silent for a while before he spoke, "Why does my opinion matter?"

"Because I want to be stronger... If there are people as strong as Sho, I need to get stronger."

"We all need to grow Po. You're not the only one who-"

"Argh! You know that's not what I mean," Po slightly yelled. "Can I get as strong as Tigress, yes or no? Or is being Dragon Warrior only good when I've got everybody's lives on my back and at the last minute something works?!" His voice jumped from mountain to mountain on the night breeze. Po had a small hope that the wind would carry away his worry, but it was too heavy. So it was stuck with him, visible to him and to his master.

"Po," Shifu said after a long pause. "Why are you asking this?"

"I told you. I want to be stronger. Much stronger. So I can protect people, protect you guys. If the wolf is as dangerous as you guys say," Po stopped for a moment to catch his breath, "Then I want to be able to do something about it."

His master stared at him for a while. Every word from Po's speech rested on his mind like a mountain. He scanned the panda's body for a moment and sighed.

"Not without the right training."

Po frowned a bit but then perked up. "You... you mean?"

"But Po," Shifu interrupted, "You do know that there are some things you can't control, no matter how strong you are."

"I know," Po quickly said. "But I can control how to react to things, right?"

Shifu gave a small smile. "Of course, you can."

"So... does that mean..."

"You could be stronger than Tigress," Shifu smirked. "With the right training."

Po's face fell. "You're just excited that there's something else you can teach me."

"I'm always excited when my pupils have something to learn."

"And you're excited to start wailing on me, aren't you?"

"Hehe, well I wouldn't say that," Shifu smiled.

"But you wouldn't stop it if it happened, would you?" Po muttered. The red panda only smiled and turned away. "So... tomorrow, then?"

"Tomorrow."

"YESS!" Po pumped his fist into the air, dancing on the steps. "WHAAAOOOO! Okay, I'm okay. Just... nearly fell."

Shifu chuckled and shook his head.

Continued.