Progress
"Hiya!" Their feet smashed together before jumping back. The panda crouched into his fighting stance while the tiger readied hers. They stood still, each itching for movement. The slightest sound could trigger their reflexes. Amber eyes bore into Jade. Smirk harmonized grin. The sand between them shifted a grain, and the two clashed again, the tiger striking his forearm, the panda grabbing her shoulder.
Crane and Viper watched from the sidelines, over where the pillars held up the Training Hall. Tigress jumped and extended her foot. Po ducked right, rolling out of the way. He bounced back up, struck Tigress's side. She blocked but skidded several feet. Her smirk widened into a grin as she rammed her fists into Po's pudgy gut. Po flew back, bounced off a pillar, and belly bumped the tiger back. She stumbled. Po roundhouse kicked her back. She triple backflipped, sticking the landing. Her grin grew wider.
"Whoa, those two are really going at it," Crane said.
"Well, at least they're not fighting each other."
"Well..."
"Oh Crane," Viper smiled, slapping the tip of her tail against his leg. "You know what I mean."
"Right, right." Crane chuckled. The bird's chest grew tight, making him cough into his wings.
"Crane? Is something wrong? You seem on edge?"
"What? No, no, no, I'm fine."
"Crane," That voice could turn stern at any time. It wasn't as scary as Tigress's but it was enough to stiffen him.
"It... it's a dumb question."
"Hm?"
"I was wondering," Crane began, "Would you ever, you know... see yourself with... someone else?"
"Oh!" Crane whipped his head down to her. Her shocked face was a little too noticeable. Viper quickly recovered and snapped her head away, but Crane focused on her harder. It wasn't like the snake to hide things. Especially from him. "I... I don't know. But... I have had someone on... my sights."
"What?! Who?"
"I... I can't say."
"Oh," Crane muttered darkly. He turned his head back to the fighting tiger and bear. His eyes narrowed unnaturally. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he was this upset.
"It's just," Viper continued, "I don't think he would notice me."
"You're kidding right?" Viper looked up at Crane whose head was still "focused" on the spar. "You're Master Viper of the Jade Palace. One of the Furious Five. Trained under Grandmaster Shifu. Who wouldn't want to be with you?" Crane winced internally. It probably sounded more vexed than he intended. Knowing Viper, she probably felt hurt, but she could also feel flattered.
But when the bird looked down at the snake to see which face she bore, he found a face he wasn't prepared to see. Her eyes shrunk into a scowl, not too scary, but highly annoyed. As she spoke, her tongue flickered dangerously at him. "I don't know, Crane. He seems to avoid me a lot. Maybe he doesn't believe any of those titles are impressive enough."
"Then he's an idiot."
"Maybe he is," She hissed. Crane rose an eyebrow. Why was she directing her anger at him?
Suddenly, Crane eyes went wide. His face of realization shooked the snake out of her small rage, and she hid into her snake body.
"Viper... do you-"
"HIYA!" A hard punch and a strong block sent wind tumbling over to the sidelines. Crane held his hat in place.
"Oooookay, those two are starting to scare me. Why don't we finish up somewhere else?" Crane asked. Viper quickly nodded. As the two left, Po jumped back into a pillar as Tigress charged forward. The panda ducked, letting Tigress's hand punch the pillar, leaving a large hole. Po swept her legs. She fell to the ground and rolled out of the way of Po's body slam. Tigress jumped back up, stormed him with a fury of punches until they got into a locked stalemate. The two pushed each other, struggling to pin the other to the ground. Tigress's smirk grew wider and wider until she was outright grinning. Though he kept pushing back with all his might, the grin unnerved Po a bit.
And excited him.
Suddenly, a burst of strength seemed to enter Tigress's body, and she got the upper hand. She started pushing down, sending Po's knees crashing to the sand. "Uh! Tigress!" Po cried out, but the tiger wasn't listening. Tigress pushed Po onto his back and pinned his arms down. Her low growl rumbled out of her ever-widening grin. Wild eyes glared into Po, ones he had never seen before.
And never would see again if he didn't do something quick. "TIGRESS!"
The tiger's body halted, finally listening to what the brain had to say. Tigress shook her head and looked at the panda, calm and collected but filled with horror. "I... I'm so sorry. I..." She snatched her arms away from him and stood up, clutching her body tightly. She couldn't do that. She didn't do that. Her mind shamed her over and over. Her heart pounding against her chest only elevated her anxieties. "Po I-"
"THAT WAS AWESOMENESS SAUCE!" Po shouted. With a bewildered face, Tigress whipped her head around and watched the panda stand up. "I knew you had it in you!"
"Wha-"
"That's the strength I was talking about. I knew you were holding back."
"Obviously for good reasons," Tigress grunted, crossing her arms with a stern lip. "Po, that... that shouldn't have happened."
"Why?"
"I could have hurt you."
Po blinked, returning with, "How is that different from all the other times you've spared with me and hurt me?"
"Because I was in control."
"So you hurt me on purpose?" Po frowned, placing his hands on his hips. Tigress rolled her eyes, growling again.
"Po! This is serious! I... I didn't realize I held so much of my strength back, but I don't want to use that strength to hurt you!"
"I know," Po said after a long silence. "But you're gonna have to find a way to use it when we're fighting Sho." Tigress fell quiet. She always did so when Po spoke the truth. "Tigress, we're going to need your strength to fight those guys. I'm sure Sho isn't the only one that we're going to fight. Besides, we're Kung fu warriors! Strength is supposed to be our thing! Well, your thing really. I'm just more... weird... universe energy... thing," The panda trailed off, leaving Tigress room to voice her question.
"And what if I can't control myself? Or... what if I'm not strong enough?" Her voice barely reached the panda's ears. Her frame sank closer to the floor. As the Master of Strength, there was an invisible yoke around Tigress's neck which threatened to choke her if she failed. Now, with her hands still shaking from the rush of rage, power, and an unknown taint, she didn't know if she had what it took to keep that yoke on her. She looked at Po, quietly gazing back at her, and pursed her lips together. What would happen if the yoke broke anyway?
"Then WE get stronger together," Po smiled. Tigress's eyes stayed on him until breaking out into a small smile.
But it didn't last long. Bursting through the doors, Monkey ran straight into the hall. "Sho! He's here!"
"What?" Tigress and Po said.
"He's terrorizing the village. We need everyone!" Monkey shouted.
"He's trying to lure out the wolf. We have to push him back. Po," Tigress called out. "Are you ready?" The panda looked at his hand before balling it into a fist.
"Let's do this."
Down in the village, a large hammer swept through carts, wagons, and vending stands. Splinters scattered all around while villagers screamed at the top of their lungs. The brown bear grinned widely and slung his long hammer onto his shoulders. The road was littered with smashed melons, fruits, and coins that his bandit soldiers were cleaning up. "Boss! This is a score! We'll have more money than all the provinces combined! Uh... boss?" Sho didn't respond. He simply gazed up past the clouds. The green glint of the Jade Palace caught his eyes while his lips parted into a wide nasty grin with last night's dinner on full display in his teeth.
"He's here," Sho mumbled to himself, "I know it."
"Boss!" Said a bandit from the top of one of the houses. "We got trouble! It's the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior!"
"Hehe, old tubby and his friends, huh? Good. Now it's a party," Sho smirked. "You guys get back to the camp. I'll hold these 'heroes' off." The soldiers followed his orders to the letter and scattered before the warriors could catch up with them. The Furious Five and Shifu screeched to a halt, facing the bear on the wide-open street. The villagers ducked behind their homes, peeping behind shutters and stone corners. Mothers clutched their babies close to them while the children hushed their voices.
Sho scanned the Furious Five, immediately seeing Monkey. "Ah, so you survived my hit, chimp? You're one lucky monkey."
"What are you doing here, Sho?" Shifu demanded.
"Who are you?" Sho barked back but shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'm here to collect a stowaway that you've been hiding. A certain black wolf."
"That prisoner was given to the guards at Chor-gom-"
"Don't act stupid with me!" Sho shouted. "I know he's here. No one makes a mess like that squirt. Hehehe." The bandit's eyes looked right and left. "And where's your panda friend? Did I scare him off?"
"You're dealing with us, Sho," Tigress growled. Sho paused. His eyes focused harder as he studied Tigress's features. A shiver ran down his spine.
"You...nah, couldn't be," Sho rubbed his eyes. "Too much partying. Alright then, I tried doing this the easy way. Let's try the hard way."
"Gladly," Tigress growled. She leapt at the bear, striking him right in the chest. Sho actually skirted back.
"What the-"
"Hiya!" Tigress kicked the bear's side. Sho clutched his side while Monkey and Mantis attacked the other side. Sho swung his hammer around, forcing Monkey back. He grabbed Mantis and chucked him away.
"AVENGE ME!" Mantis shouted through the air. Shifu ran up and expertly struck the bear in several places. Sho grunted in pain but didn't budge. He swung his hammer, knocking Shifu far back.
"Master!" Tigress growled and launched her fist right at the bear's face. Sho blocked but got forced back several feet.
"What the?" Sho grunted. Suddenly, Viper slithered around and struck the bear's neck. Sho quickly grabbed her into a bundle and tossed her into a wall. The poor snake knocked her head on the hard surface and stopped moving.
"VIPER!" Crane shouted. A shadow moved over him. He looked up as Sho lifted his hammer high.
"Batter up!" Sho clocked the bird clear into the sky, past the clouds. "Huh, that's weird. Didn't think I hit him that hard."
"Hiya!"
"GAHH!" A blow to the gut made Sho take a knee, but he quickly got back up, glaring at the feline's raging face. He stumbled back more. "No... it can't be."
"I'm going to make you pay for what you did to my friends," Tigress snarled. The bear shook his surprise off and grinned.
"Please, your punches might actually sting more than your friends, but they're nothing to what I can take."
"Let's test-" Before she finished, she heard a high-pitched squeal. Sho looked around too.
"That's... not his demons," He mumbled. "Where is that-" The sound grew louder and louder until-
Sling!
"GAHHHH!" Sho fell flat on his butt and dust billowed into the air. Tigress covered her eyes. As the dust settled, she saw her bird friend standing angry and tall over the bear. Sho shook his head awake and looked at the scratch across his chest. "Gah, geez. Those talons are sharp."
"That was my wing," Crane said. His voice was low, even, and held a dangerous power to it. Sho looked up into the bird's eye. Only his right eye was visible. The other was shielded by the shadow of his tilted hat and beak. The very tip of his right wing had a deep red tint to it. As the dust settled to the ground, Crane stood perfectly still. "But I will gladly use my talons if you want."
"Oh? You have a thing for the snake?" Sho chuckled. Crane's eyes widened as the bear got up. "I've seen the wolf get tangled up for those he cared about. Got him into a lot of trouble." Sho swung his hammer and knocked the bird back, crashing into Tigress. "And I'm sure it'll get you into trouble too."
"Whatever," Crane strained as he struggled to get up with Tigress's help. "Getting people out of trouble... is our job."
Sho scoffed out a smirk. "I'll give it to ya, bird. Most can't keep up with me. A scrawny bird like you cutting a scratch through me is a major achievement," He pointed to Crane, "and I don't make that compliment lightly." The bird breathed heavily, clutching his stomach in pain while Tigress held him up.
"What about me?"
"Hm?" Sho spun around and met a fist clobbering him into the wall next to him. He shook himself up and saw a familiar black and white bear.
"Ahh, I was wondering when you'd show up," Sho grinned, lifting himself up with his hammer. "Your friends were just entertaining me."
"Yeah? Well now I've got a little show for you. It's called Flaming Fists of Justice!" Po roundhouse kicked Sho's face. Sho shot down to his knees and his body nearly tilted over, but he caught himself before hitting the ground. "Darn it!"
"GRAHH!" Sho swung his hammer at Po, but the panda blocked it, skidding across the ground a few feet. Po jumped back and readied himself, waiting for Sho to get up. The brown bear laughed loudly, "HAHA! I got to admit. You're definitely getting stronger. Haven't been hit like that since-"
"Yesterday?" Po smirked. Sho's smile disappeared. "Word on the street is that you got beat by some old man. Looks like you're not the strongest after all."
"Don't you get beat up by Shifu all the time?" Groaned Monkey from a rooftop.
"Hush Monkey!"
Growls trickled out of the bear's throat. He threw his hammer straight at Po, who caught it with both hands. "Whaahahah! Yes! Uh oh." Sho came right behind his hammer, grabbed the handle, and forced Po back into a wooden house, breaking through the wall. The wood clattered to the ground as Po struggled out of the heap. "Ugh, that hammer is really getting annoying."
"You like it? It's a family heirloom," Sho smirked. "Now, about that wolf."
"Uhhh what wolf? Hehe."
"Wrong answer," Sho gritted his teeth and smashed the ground with his hammer. A large crack spread towards Po, but the panda rolled out of the heap, letting the broken wood fall into the newly formed hole.
"Whoa! This would be so awesome if I weren't trying to survive," Po gasped.
"Hello!" Sho's hammer sang through the air above Po's head. Po rolled out of the way before the hammer touched the ground. He jumped onto the large hammer's head and kicked Sho's face. The brown bear stumbled back and crashed into a vendor's cart selling peaches.
"That'll be five yuan!" cried the goose vendor.
"Grrr, put it on my tab," Sho muttered, getting back up. Po panted heavily. His back ached and while his punches were forcing the bear back, Po still couldn't seem to wear Sho out. Suddenly, Sho charged towards Po, hammer head first. The panda saw a small bunny family behind him. "Dodge or take it, which is it going to be?" Sho shouted. Po jumped over Sho, latched onto the helm of the brown bear's pants, and pulled Sho into a stop. The tip of his hammer lightly tapped the small bunny girl's head.
"Hammy!" said the girl.
"Nice to see you too, Haizi." Po pulled harder until both of them heard a tear.
"QUIT IT!" Sho shouted, swinging his hammer across Po's face. The panda flung into a brick wall, groaning and caressing his bruised face.
"Ahh, well, I guess I'm getting tougher."
"And smarter. Which is a lot when talking about you," Sho grunted, standing over him. "Now, I'll ask again. Where is-"
BARK!
Sho turned right only to have his side kicked. The bear tumbled all the way down the road, about 5 yards. He crashed into another cart with his hammer scrapping the floor and sliding to a stop. "Found him," Sho muttered. He clutched his side that was probably internally bleeding and stood up out of the broken timber. "Ugh, darn half-pint."
Wolf pulled Po off the ground. "Hehe, thanks. But I had him." Wolf made a face. "Okay, but I was doing better than last time."
The wolf's reply was a slightly pleased grunt. His eyes turned to the bear. He bore into Sho's frame, clutching his fists after surveying the damage. "Ah, so it is you. So the rumors are true," Sho smirked.
"There's no way you can beat us, Sho," Tigress said, standing next to Wolf with Crane struggling to stand by her side. Viper, Shifu, Mantis, and Monkey hobbled alongside. "We'll protect him from you with whatever it takes." Her glare sent a shiver down Sho's spine. Tigress couldn't think why she, of all people, had this effect on him. Could it be because she was a woman?
It didn't matter in the end. Sho shook off his nerves and grinned wide. "Well, who said anything about taking him?" The bear reached into his pocket and threw down a small ball. "We'll meet again, squirt. HAHAHAHAHAHAH!" A cloud of white smoke swelled out. Wolf jumped at the cloud of smoke but found no bear inside. His faint laughter still sung in the air. As the smoke cleared, the only sign of Sho left was the indented ground with a mark of the bear from his hammer smudged into the dirt.
Continued...
