Chapter 15
Reinforcements

Jade Palace-Valley of Peace

The sparring hall had been a very lively place as of late. Even this very moment it was occupied by several individuals locked in combat. Master Tigress and her son Hao had been training for quite some time now, and the tidiness of the training hall showed it. Training equipment and debris were scattered across the inside of the structure. A good cleaning was certainly in order for the Palace staff later on in the day. In the meantime, however, the two felines continued to spar against each other with great dedication to their training.

Over the last week Hao had managed to regain many of his lost skills in martial arts and was becoming more of a match for Tigress with each training session. She still had to hold back to avoid injuring him, but his progress was quickly impressing her.

However, after having spent the last few hours in the hall she felt that a break was in order, plus it would give her a good excuse to check up on the rest of her family. "Alright Hao, I think that's enough for now." She stated.

It was good timing for Hao who was beginning to feel fatigued. He bowed in respect and then left the training hall to return to his shop which no doubt was bustling with customers.

Once Hao had left, Tigress did a quick clean up of all the mess they had made to help the Palace staff. She then headed on her way to the barracks where she assumed she'd find the rest.

On her way she reflected on her training with her son. Training of any sort usually interested her, but spending such time with her family felt even better. Ever since Hao had left the Palace to pursue a career in the culinary arts, Tigress had begun to feel lonelier. Of course he was only a few hundred meters away down in the Valley, but it was still hard to watch him grow more distant after the many good memories.

She shook away the thought, this was important for him. To find his place in the world instead of having his destiny paved out for him like hers was. Whether he grew up to be a master of martial arts, or a world class chef, she would always be proud of him.

After arriving at the barracks, she made her way to the dinning area where she found the ones she was looking for. Inside were the rest of her former teammates as well as her daughter Mariko each seated around the dinning table in the middle of a conversation.

Master Monkey was the first to greet her, "Look who it is! How was the early sparring session?"

She made her way into the room and sat along with them. "It was quite nice Master Monkey, how are you all this morning?"

"We were talking about a few things, Mariko was interested in hearing some of our stories from the Lee Da Academy." Answered Master Viper.

"Yeah, like that time where Crane lost his first ever bet to Monkey and had to be the janitor of the place for one more day!" Mantis added with a bit of a chuckle.

All of the group including Crane laughed at this. It was comforting to see the others so carefree, though Tigress knew that while this reunion was refreshing, it likely would not last much longer.

Just a day ago, the Palace had received word from the capital that communications with Chorh Gom Prison had been lost. This was a clear sign that the enemies to the north were making their move. The threat of war was no longer simply a bad dream, it was a harsh reality.

To relieve some of the stress, Tigress fetched herself a cup of tea from the kettle that was still steaming from when the others had used it. She then took a seat next to the others while they were still conversing about their experiences over the last few years away from the Palace.

"I take it you all are keeping up your own training?" She asked as there had been a small pause from all the others.

They all nodded in confirmation, "Don't you worry about us Tigress, we would never pass up our drills. Especially not when the whole country is at stake." Answered Master Crane on behalf of the team.

"Of course we'll never log as many hours as you do in that hall. I'm pretty sure no one can match your level of dedication!" Added Master Monkey, prompting the others to laugh.

Tigress smiled, it was good to have her friends back, and to know that they had not changed much during their absence. As she finished her cup of tea, she excused herself from the table. "I'm going to go find Po. I suggest you all get to your exercises as soon as you can."

"You've got it Mom, by the way, I think Dad was in the courtyard teaching the new Kung Fu students." Stated Mariko, to which Tigress nodded and bid the others farewell as she made her way to the courtyard.

Jade Palace Courtyard

After arriving at the viewing platform, Tigress took a moment to watch the group of trainees performing a series of martial arts movements. Making sure they were in sync with their Master; the Dragon Warrior.

"Very good everyone! Now, we will move onto advanced Wushu techniques-" Said their Master before he looked up and saw the lone observer and paused.

"Actually, I believe it's best if we move to those techniques another time. I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut today's lesson short." He resumed as he turned his attention back to the rows of students behind.

The expressions of the trainees ranged from puzzled to disappointment, though they all understood that the Dragon Warrior had a good reason for canceling the lesson. They bowed all together and proceeded to exit the premise, heading to the entrance to get their belongings and leave for the day.

Once the area had been cleared, the Dragon Warrior ascended the steps up to the platform to meet up with the waiting feline. "You know it's not nice to interrupt someone who's at work." Po said with a tone that either sounded annoyed or sarcastic.

"You would know all about that wouldn't you Dragon Warrior." Tigress wittingly replied.

"Fair point." Said Po, lightening up from the comment. "So why are you here anyway? I thought you were sparring with Hao." He asked while the two began to walk down the steps back into the arena.

"His training has come along well these past few weeks. I believe he has earned his break. After all I can hardly keep him away from his shop as it is. That being said, it isn't the reason I let him off early today." She answered, following at the Panda's pace as they made their way through to the main gates.

"Then what is?" Po replied with a question of his own.

She took a moment before explaining, "Even with everyone, the Masters, and the military, I still fear we're severely outnumbered. I came to talk to you about an idea I have to help improve our chances for winning this war."

Po nodded, she had a fair point. That being said, he had a feasible solution to the problem. "I feel the same way, which was why I was planning on searching for Tai Lung and Peng."

She also nodded, "Yes. They could help even the odds, and I suspect that since they are traveling around the country teaching martial arts that they might also have a number of kung fu trainees to aid in the effort."

"The only problem is that I have no idea where to start looking for them. They never seem to linger in a town very long, and even when they do they keep a low profile to avoid trouble." Po stated, stroking his chin.

Tigress took a moment to think while the two descended the stairs to the valley bellow. He had a point, it would be tough to locate the two as they had not kept in contact with either of the feline warriors since their departure from the Palace. Po only knew that Tai Lung had reunited with Peng from the rumors passed along in the Capital. They just had too few leads to go off of to even begin to search.

'Or do we? There has to be someone who knows their whereabouts...' Her thoughts keeping her in a sort of trance as she walked down the steps without even really looking, almost instinctively.

"Shifu. He would know." She stated out of the blue, capturing Po's attention.

"How can you be sure?" The Panda asked.

"Do you even have to ask? Shifu cares about Tai Lung more than anyone, he would absolutely know where his son is in the world." She answered factually.

"Yeah, that might be true..." Po trailed, seeming unsure.

"What is it?" Tigress asked, knowing that he wasn't completely for this idea.

"It's just that, well… Shifu's kind of dead..." He answered truthfully, though sounding as if he were keeping something to himself.

"That doesn't stop you from going to the Spirit Realm to talk to Oogway now does it? No. There's another reason you don't want to talk to Shifu, isn't there?" She answered, her tone becoming more stern with every word.

He rubbed his head and twiddled his fingers, clearly trying to stall for time. But this was Tigress, there was perhaps no one better at making him tell the truth than her. He looked away to avoid her prying eyes, which were clearly trying to search for the reason he definitely didn't want to reveal. It was no use however, as she was always able to make him break like a child and their parent.

He sighed in defeat, "Fine. I'm afraid to ask Shifu because I may or may not have made a comment last time I saw him that kind of upset him…"

She rubbed her eyes and sighed, "Aren't you always saying things that upset him? Why is this time any different?"

"Just take my word for it. Look, I'll take us to the Spirit Realm to ask him, but don't blame me for what happens when we get there." He stated as he stopped walking.

She rolled her eyes but nodded nonetheless and put a paw on his shoulder as he performed the Wuxi Fingerhold on himself making both warriors vanish in a stream of pink petals and golden life force energy.

? - Spirit Realm

"For someone as fast as you, you seem to take forever making a move Master Shifu." Stated a voice all too familiar to the aged Red Panda.

"Patience is a virtue, Master Rhino. Surely your father taught you this important lesson?" Countered yet another familiar voice. Though this did little to put Shifu's flustered mind at ease.

"The other fact in the matter that I think we can all agree on is that he is simply terrible at board games." Stated several nearly identical voices in unison.

Laughter ensued, much to the Red Panda's dismay. He couldn't deny this, he without a doubt was one of the worst among all he knew at board games. He had even been beaten multiple times by his grandson Hao before, an embarrassing fact that few other than him knew. Though this didn't discourage him from trying anyway. If there was something he could not stand in the world, it was certainly being beaten, no less by people who could not defeat him in a fight, with only few exceptions.

He stared at the star shaped board covered in marbles of six different colors contemplating his next move. Every move he saw had a downside, which was a reoccurring theme for him. But after having scanned the board for more than three minutes, he made the only move he could see with the fewest possible drawbacks. Moving one of his red marbles one space diagonally to the upper left of the board, coming up right next to one of Master Porcupine's Green marbles.

Again, laughter ensued, this did little to put him at ease. And not a moment later the spiked mammal took his turn, taking the adjacent green marble and hoping it over 5 of Shifu's red ones while subsequently reaching the opposite triangle. A brilliant move which the wise Master had definitely foresaw many turns prior. Shifu placed his small paws on his face in embarrassment.

"How is it that I can crack boulders with my fists, yet I can't win a stupid game!?" He ranted, yet again prompting laughter from the other Masters.

The only one among them not to laugh was his lifelong companion and mentor who placed a scaly hand on the small mammal's shoulder, "The trick, my friend, is to have fun." He whispered into Shifu's large ear.

"But how can I have fun when I am losing!?" He replied with humiliation littering his expression.

"Hey, we can't all be perfect at everything now can we Shifu? Lighten up a bit, and perhaps luck might find its way to you." Stated Master Rhino in reassurance.

Shifu grumbled, he knew the large mammal was just trying to cheer him up. But the other Master had a point, being irate would certainly not help him to improve at Chinese Checkers. He decided to take the advice of the Masters and to enjoy himself, or at least try to.

The Master Badger twins proceeded to take their turns one after the other very quickly, the first moving a white marble a space to the right of the board, with the other moving a black marble over top of two of Shifu's red marbles to be that much closer to victory.

It was then Oogway's turn, with the board looking quite convoluted after everyone having made over 4 moves. The Tortoise was hardly known for being impulsive, and this game was no exception, every time it was his turn, he would take many minutes before making a move. It was something that bothered Shifu to no end.

The other Masters felt Shifu's agony, though they were all too polite to mention it aloud, that along with their undeniable respect for the accomplished Reptilian. It wasn't all bad, however, as it gave them a good chance to study the board and plan their next moves.

After nearly five minutes of patiently waiting, they were relieved to see Oogway seemed ready to take his turn and move one of his blue marbles. He slowly reached his clawed hand to the board and was about to pick up the marble when all of a sudden they heard a very sudden and unexpected sound from nearby. A brief 'Ding' that rang throughout the area while also sending a beam of energy across the plain.

The experienced masters knew very well what had caused this commotion, though they were still disappointed when they noticed that the board and the marbles had been blown over, effectively ruining the game.

Once they materialized, Po and Tigress made their way to the group of Masters.

"Hi everyone, I hope we aren't interrupting anything." The Panda greeted as they arrived.

"Well, you only ruined our game that was 30 minutes in…" Master Rhino replied sarcastically.

Po looked down and noticed the scattered marbles. He rubbed the back of his neck, "Oh… Uh, sorry about that."

The horned mammal rolled his eyes, "One day when you've passed from the world you'll appreciate the subtleties of peace and quiet, Dragon Master."

Po looked about to reply before Master Tigress cut in, "We'd love to talk for longer Master Rhino, but we do not have the time right now. China is in grave danger and we must speak to Master Shifu, does anyone know where he is?"

"Tigress, by now you must realize that I am no longer your Master." The Red Panda stated, appearing from behind Master Porcupine.

She smiled, "I know, but you will always be Master Shifu to me."

He returned the gesture, but when his eyes landed on the Panda beside her, it instantly turned to a scowl. "What is it you need?" He asked, sounding obviously irritated.

"We need to know where to find Tai Lung-"

"Oh do you now!? You want MY help after what you said when last you were here!?" Shifu interrupted, clearly livid with the Panda.

The Panda flailed his paws up in self defense, "Hey! I was only speaking the truth!"

"It is a dirty lie and you know it Panda! My son would never attempt to pursue a romantic relationship with a crime lord! I wont tolerate anyone demeaning my son!"

"But it's true! If he were here he'd agree with me! Plus, wasn't he a criminal himself for a long time anyway?" The other Masters laughed at this, it wasn't meant maliciously, but Po had definitely hit Shifu hard with that statement. The Red Panda's look was more furious than Po had ever seen the elder Master.

Tigress sighed, she often had to be the voice of reason when Po got into arguments, "Po, we don't have time for this. Master, we need to know Tai Lung's whereabouts if we are to recruit him for the cause."

Shifu rolled his eyes, "Nanjing, that is where you will find him and his nephew. Though I cannot guarantee they will stay there for long."

She bowed in respect, "Thank you Master, we will be on our way now. Po?"

He nodded, but refused to take his eyes off Shifu, he knew the elder Master would occasionally hold grudges, and he would be damned if he let the Red Panda get the jump on him.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the shoulder, dragging him off while he kept his eyes fixed on the infuriated Master.

Kung Fu Fighting Club-Nanjing

The crowd cheered loudly, it was quite the bustling setting. Even from outdoors anyone would know this to be some sort of important event or gathering.

"Does anyone else wish to challenge Mater Lian? Anyone!?" Called out a strong male voice.

"I do." Called out another.

The crowd looked towards the culprit, a middle aged female Asian Golden Cat with a turquoise colored outfit. The previously rowdy crowd instantly went silent upon seeing exactly who this challenger was. They proceeded to get out of the Feline's way as she made her way to the ring.

As she stepped onto the fighting platform, the Golden Cat asked, "Rules?"

Her opponent, a young adult Snow Leopardess with similar attire, only in red answered, "The only rules for this club are as follows: first, always show respect to your opponent. Second, do not use any lethal attacks or moves. And lastly, fight until the other submits, or cannot fight anymore."

The Golden Cat smiled, "Done."

The Leopardess nodded, and proceeded to make her way to the middle of the ring, to which the challenger did the same. Lian bowed in respect, the challenger did the same, then they each took 12 steps backwards towards the edges of the ring. They each struck a combat pose, preparing for the fight to begin.

The same strong male voice called, "Combatants? Are you ready!?"

Each fighter nodded, prompting the voice to continue, "Then let the match begin!"

The cheers then resumed with both fighters engaging each other in combat, each using a different martial arts style, but looking very similar due to their near identical size and aesthetic.

Outside the rowdy building, Master Tigress and Po could hear the commotion very clearly. "Well, at least we know we're at the right place." Po stated.

She nodded, "Yes. It no doubt has to be their fight club, let's not waste any more time."

Po agreed, and Tigress led the way, opening the door to the building and exposing them to the true noise and clamor inside. Animals of all types were spectating, the majority of the large ones in the back with the smaller ones up front, an odd amount of courtesy for such an unrestrained place.

"Start looking around, the sooner we can find them the sooner we can get out of here." Master Tigress stated, clearly not liking this loud atmosphere.

Po nodded and made his way into the crowd. At first, no one seemed to notice his presence due to how focused everyone was on the ensuing entertainment. Normally he would focus solely on the task at hand, however this excitement seemed to interest him, and he looked up to see who the combatants were. He saw a relatively young Snow Leopardess locked in combat with a middle aged Asian Golden Cat. "Crane is not going to believe this." He muttered to himself as he returned his attention to finding the ones they had come here for.

However, the longer he spent looking, the more he could tell that his presence wasn't going unnoticed. These citizens no doubt knew the Dragon Warrior when they saw him. After all, it wasn't like he was disguising himself. Very soon, the cheering crowd died down and focused their attention instead on the two high profile figures that had entered.

The combatants had hardly even noticed the change in the atmosphere as they were too focused on the fight. The Golden Cat held a slight advantage over the Leopardess having landed more blows, but Lian was determined to keep fighting. However, before they could continue, the announcer interrupted, "It would seem we are in the presence of the Dragon Warrior, and Master Tigress of the Jade Palace!"

Everyone in the building looked towards them, including the fighters.

"We are here for Masters Peng and Tai Lung." Stated Master Tigress, looking around to try to find either of the Leopards.

Out of the crowd came a Snow Leopard wearing an olive green vest with indigo colored slacks. He had yellow eyes, and familiar looking markings. Along with him, came another Snow Leopard, though this one looked much more aged, and rather than a vest, he had a tan colored robe that covered much of his body. His markings and eye color looked nearly identical to the other, with few variations.

Po and Tigress each shared a smile as they bowed in respect towards the two Leopards. The spotted felines did the same, rising their heads once the others did. "It's been a long time Dragon Warrior. How can we help you?" The younger one said on behalf of them both.

Po nodded, "I could say the same, last time we saw you you were about half the size you are now Peng. You've really grown up!"

Peng smiled at the complement, it felt odd thinking about how much time had gone by since he had seen the legendary warrior. Last he had seen the Jade Palace Masters was when they had discovered his undercover Kung Fu club and had decided to legalize the clubs throughout China. He was grateful that the Masters had been understanding, but wondered why they had come back after so much time had passed.

"I'm afraid we have little time for small talk. The country is in serious danger, and we need your help." Stated Master Tigress, stepping forward and talking on behalf of the two.

Tai Lung raised a brow, "Again? What's the threat this time?"

Po was skeptical about revealing the cause in front of so many other citizens, he worried that they would not believe him, but also that even if they did, the thought of a war with the north would cause mass panic. But before he could form an answer, Tigress chimed in, "Invasion."

Everyone in the room was shocked. They had heard all about the cataclysmic events of recent times, the attempted coup of the former Lord Shen being the most significant, but they had never thought the word invasion would be uttered by one of the Jade Palace Masters.

Even the Leopards were shocked with this news, "You can't be serious." Tai Lung stated, figuring the Master of the Tiger style was simply fabricating a lie.

The Panda and the Tiger shook their heads. "Yes. I am serious. The enemies to the north are preparing for an invasion, and we only stand a chance if everyone stands together."

The room went silent. The only sounds heard were whispers among the spectators, no doubt questioning whether Master Tigress was telling the truth. She was a respected Master of the Kung Fu Council, and had a substantial amount of trust from the general public. But the thought of invasion? And under such short notice? It seemed too absurd to be sure.

"But the threat of the Mongols is gone! The Dragon Warrior and I saw to that many years ago!" Tai Lung reasoned.

Po again shook his head, "I know Tai, but it'd be foolish to think they wouldn't have held a grudge. They've already taken Chorh Gom prison, after that they're coming for us."

Worried expressions throughout the room suggested that the spectators were now starting to come to grips with the severity of things. The Dragon Warrior was certainly not one to lie about such a serious matter.

"How can we help you then, Dragon Warrior?" Asked Master Peng in a confident and selfless tone.

Po smiled, Peng had grown up to be a noble Master just like Shifu would have wanted.

"By joining us and the other Masters to defend China. For only together do we stand a chance." Answered Master Tigress.

The warriors looked at one another, "We're with you Dragon Warrior. Until the end." They each stated without a single doubt in their minds.

They were then joined at each side by the combatants who until recently had been fighting, "As are we." Said both the female feline Masters who also bowed in respect.

'This is fantastic. With the help of them, our chances have just gone up by a great margin!' Po thought as he returned a bow in respect. Though even though they had succeeded to recruit Masters Tai Lung, Peng, Lian, and Mei Ling, he still feared it would not be enough to take down an entire army.

"So what do we do now?" Asked Master Peng again with a determined expression.

"We get ready. This isn't just about us. We're fighting for all of China, the stakes have never been higher, and we will need everyone's support if we are to prevail. Is anyone else here proficient in martial arts?" Asked Master Tigress, clearly referring to the large gathering of animals.

To their surprise, many paws, wings, and hands shot up. It seemed that nearly this whole setting was filled with animals that had some degree of martial arts training. It was a very good sign.

"Wow, you guys have really been busy, haven't you?" Po stated with a smile.

"20 years and some very loyal enthusiasts does wonders Dragon Warrior, now, let's get to work, shall we?" Answered Tai Lung with a knowing smile.

A/N: Wow, it took me way longer to finish this chapter than expected. It might be because of college, but also it's because I'm in the process of rewriting the prequel to this story on Archive of Our Own. If you're interested in seeing the changes I've made to Dark-Bright 1, be sure to check out my AO3 profile! Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I focused a lot more on buildup rather than on action like in chapter 14, I hope it helps to set up the coming events :)

If you liked this chapter and look forward to reading the rest of the story, leave a favorite, follow and review to let me know your thoughts and where you'd like to see the series go.

Cheers,
-Ace_Risk