Chapter 6: The Secret Panda Village
Leonardo sat in his room as he placed a few final items into his bag. Zipping it up, Leo then placed the bag onto his back along with a kasa hat.
He was about to leave his room to meet with the others out in front of the Jade Palace when he heard a faint whisper in the air.
"Leonardo…"
Leo sharply gasped, his eyes widening as he instantly recognized the voice. "Father!" He cried, spinning around…
… and seeing Master Splinter standing right there in front of him.
"Leonardo, I know you feel the weight of leading your family and friends, but remember, I am always with you." Splinter said, his kind loving smile still on his face.
Leo sighed heavily as he looked down. "Sensei, we're facing something we've never encountered before. People we've thought long since gone are now coming back as these jade zombies. And to make things worse, I keep having these weird visions of that yak man, Kai. And it looks like Raph, Donnie, and Mikey have been having them too. So let's just say I can sense something really bad on the horizon." He then looked up at his father with wide begging eyes. "Please, father, I need your guidance now more than ever. What can I do?" He pleaded.
Splinter gently placed a hand on his shoulder, forcing Leo to look up at him. "As I have told you before, find the light within. Learn as much as you can from the pandas and their ways. It is the only thing that can save you and your friends against these creatures of darkness. I cannot tell you much, but know this; these beings are not what they appear to be."
"Then what are they?" Leo asked.
"Uh, Leo?"
Leo's head snapped around to see Mikey standing at the door to his room with an inquisitive look on his face.
"Who're you talking to, man?" Mikey asked.
"It was…" Leo trailed off as he looked to where Splinter was, only to find that he was gone. "... No-one. Come on, let's head out."
Mikey shrugged as he grinned. "Mikey, Leo, and Po. The new A-Team. Let's do this boooooi!" He cheered, causing Leo to roll his eyes with a small smile.
Po placed the panda doll into his bag along with his Tigress action figure before wrapping his bag up.
"Looks like you're going on a road trip."
Po's head shot up, looking to see Tigress leaning against the doorway to the kitchen with a small smile.
"You sure you don't want to come too?" Po asked, smiling back a bit.
Tigress shrugged. "As much as I would like to, I should probably stay here in case of an emergency. Besides, this would probably be a good time to get to know your real father."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Po agreed. He then walked over and lightly hugged his feline friend. "I'll miss you, though."
Tigress quietly chuffed as she hugged him back. "I'll miss you too." She whispered before they finally released. "I wish you good luck."
Po smiled as he walked away, gently placing something in Tigress' paw.
As the panda headed out of the student barracks, Tigress looked down to see what Po had given her. To her surprise, it was a small purple flower, the same one that Po had seen Shifu revive using his chi.
Tigress smiled, somehow that fat lovable panda still managed to surprise her time and time again.
Taking Po's bag and heading into the kitchen, Tigress was slightly surprised to see Mr. Ping leaning against the counter, the food being already prepared.
"Are you okay, Mr. Ping?" Tigress asked worriedly, even though she probably knew the answer already.
Mr. Ping scoffed. "My son is leaving with some panda we don't even know and you're asking me if I'm okay?"
Tigress took a deep breath. "Mr. Ping," She said gently, "Even if Li Shan is his birth father, you still raised him all these years. He's still your son. So why are you so worried?"
"What if he likes it in the secret village and decides to stay there?" Mr. Ping asked, sounding panicked as he looked up at the feline. "You can't tell me you're not worried about that yourself!"
"Po wouldn't leave us." Tigress replied simply.
"What if he meets a girl panda there that he likes?" Mr. Ping asked.
Tigress raised a brow. "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked slowly.
"Aren't you and Po dating?"
Tigress' eyes widened as a bright red blush spread across her cheeks, seeping through her orange fur. "W–No! No, of course not! W-Why would you think that?! We're just friends!" She sputtered, folding her arms over her chest and turning away to hide her blush.
"'Just friends'...?" Mr. Ping asked skeptically. "Even though… you kissed him?"
"On the cheek!" Tigress quickly added as she took the food Mr. Ping had cooked and placed it into the bag. She was about to close it when Mr. Ping suddenly climbed in.
"What are you doing?" Tigress asked.
"Going with Po." Mr. Ping said stubbornly as he made himself comfortable in the bag. "Now could you tie it up?"
"What if he asks where you are?" Tigress questioned.
"Just tell him I went out to rest my mind." Mr. Ping told her as he closed the lid, Tigress quickly tying it shut.
It was at that time that Po wandered into the kitchen. "Dad?" He called out before spotting the feline in the kitchen.
"Hey, Tigress, have you seen dad?" Po asked.
"Which one?" Tigress asked.
"You know, my dad dad. The goose." Po responded.
"He… went out to clear his head." Tigress lied as she handed him his bag. "But he wishes you good luck."
Po smiled, taking the bag. "Thanks." He said, putting the bag on his back. "I figured dad wouldn't take this so easily."
"He's worried, Po."
"About what?"
"He's worried you won't come back."
Po blinked in honest surprise. "Why wouldn't I come back?" He asked with a small laugh. "I grew up here, my home is here in this valley, not in a village in the mountains that I'm just finding out about. Besides, I wouldn't go anywhere without telling you guys first. Not to mention, Leo and Mikey are gonna be with us and their awesome kick-butt ninjas! I think we can handle ourselves."
Tigress playfully rolled her eyes. "Just… don't do anything stupid out there, okay?" She asked softly, gently placing her paw on his cheek.
Po playfully pouted. "But stupidity is my specialty!"
Tigress chuckled. "Well, you're just going to have to put your speciality to rest."
The two shared a quick laugh before shortly hugging again one last time.
After saying their goodbyes, Tigress, Donnie, Raph, Shifu, Viper, Crane, Monkey, Mantis, April, and Casey watched as Leo, Po, Mikey and Li Shan departed, heading down the steps of the Jade Palace and towards the outskirts of the valley.
"Do you really think Po, Leo, and Mikey can master chi in time?" Viper asked.
"Well, if we're going to stop Kai, they're going to have to." April stated.
"Doesn't matter what we think." Shifu said wisely, gazing up at the sky. "It only matters what the universe thinks."
There was a long drawn out silence.
"So… was that a yes or a no?" Raph questioned.
Shifu frowned with a slight grumble.
"Master, what are we going to do?" Crane asked.
"You are going to find out where Kai is." Shifu said, pointing directly at the bird. "Follow the trail of these jade creatures, but do not engage. For with every foe he faces, Kai becomes stronger."
"Why me?" Crane questioned. "Is it because I asked?"
"No, it is because you can fly. Go!" Shifu ordered, pointing out to the horizon.
"Should've kept your beak shut." Mantis remarked while Crane let out a groan and Casey let out a laugh.
"And take Mantis and Casey with you." Shifu added.
"What?" Mantis asked as he and Casey stared at the red panda in surprise. "Oh man, is it because I–?"
"Yes." Shifu answered.
"And is it because Casey–"
"Yes."
Mantis groaned while Casey frowned, crossing his arms. "Aw, weak!" Casey grumbled.
Far away from the valley outskirts, Leo, Po, Mikey, and Li Shan followed the rivers through the long grasslands and over the hills before eventually going into the mountains.
The hills and mountains were treacherous as the wooden bridges they used to cross some of the larger gaps eventually ceased, leaving them to resort to hiking and climbing.
Despite all the trouble they went through, it was a very scenic trip. The hills were filled with healthy grass, beautiful white snow, and gorgeous fields of lotus flowers.
Po panted heavily as they walked through a small forest of blue blossom trees, the ground having evened out slightly. He didn't know how much longer he could keep walking before his stomach suddenly growled.
"Oh, lunch break?" Li Shan asked as they all came to a stop.
"You don't have to tell me twice." Po panted.
"Alright, well, let's stop here and rest for a bit." Leo suggested, sitting down on a small rock.
"Phew!" Mikey sighed with relief. "Thank the great pizza-maker in the sky because I'm starving!"
All of them sat down on the smooth ground as Po took off his backpack and roughly placed it on the ground.
"Ow." A muffled voice came from Po's backpack, much to everyone's confusion.
"Dad?" Po asked, recognizing the voice.
"Yes?" Li Shan asked, looking up from his travel bag.
"Dad…" Po groaned, opening up his bag and finding a sheepish looking Mr. Ping inside.
"Yes?" Mr. Ping asked, smiling nervously.
"Mr. Ping?" Leo asked in surprise.
"Looks like we got a stowaway." Mikey remarked.
"What are you doing here?" Po asked his goose father.
"What am I doing?" Mr. Ping questioned, getting out of the bag and cracking his back. "Getting a backache. Did you have to step on every rock?"
"No, I mean why are you here?" Po said.
"What was I supposed to do, huh? What if the pandas don't have any food you like? You're never gonna be able to save the world on an empty stomach." Mr. Ping then turned to Li Shan. "I consider my presence mission critical."
"Oh yes, about that. We can't share the location of the village with others, so…" Li Shan said.
"But you're taking Leonardo and Michelangelo with you!" Mr. Ping reminded him.
"Well, they seem like people you can trust." Li Shan replied.
"Yeah, plus they're my guardians." Po added.
"And it's our job to protect him." Leo stated.
"Yeah, if anyone wants to mess with us, I'll give 'em a taste of my hot nunchuck fury!" Mikey said with a grin, taking out one of his nunchucks and flipping and spinning it around so fast that all of them could only see a red and yellow blur before flipping his nunchaku expertly back into his belt.
"So you think I can't keep a secret, huh?" Mr. Ping scoffed at Li Shan, holding Po's arm defensively. "I raised Po for twenty years before I told him he was adopted."
Li Shan blinked in surprise. "Seriously?"
"Yeah." Po smiled with a nod.
Leo and Mikey both nodded as well as they too knew the story themselves.
Li Shan sat for a moment before he shrugged. "Okay, I guess it would be cruel to make you fly back." He said.
Po gasped at that revelation as he handed Leo and Mikey some food. "You can fly?" He asked his adoptive father.
"I'm a bird, Po." Mr. Ping said, glancing over his shoulder as the small group of five continued on their journey.
With their break over, the group climbed higher and higher into the mountains. And as they climbed, it began to get colder and colder as the snow fell more and more.
Po and Li Shan were fine in the snow, their big fur coats keeping them warm. Leo and Mikey, however, did not have fur, so instead they put on their hemp/straw coats to keep warm and their kasa hats to keep the snow out of their eyes. The path through the mountains was perilous as they had to climb steep slippery hills, shimming across narrow cliff sides, and crossing crumbling ice bridges.
They were forced to walk through the deep snowdrift that went all the way up to their waists in a mighty blizzard. The only one who wasn't struggling was Mr. Ping since his webbed feet allowed him to stay above the snow.
Eventually after much walking, the group came to a stop at a large ice wall.
"We're here." Li Shan said, gazing up at the large icy mountain in front of them.
Mikey looked around curiously. "You live here?" He asked. "But, I don't see any houses."
"That's because it's right on top of that mountain." Li Shan explained, pointing up to the mountain right in front of them.
"Sure looks like a long way up there." Mr. Ping mused with a small chuckle. "And my son hates stairs. So let's go home."
Leo lightly grabbed Mr. Ping by the collar of his shirt, keeping him from leaving. "Not so fast, Mr. Ping." He said with a small smile. "We're not leaving just yet."
"That's right." Li Shan agreed. "Besides, me and Lotus are pandas. We don't do stairs."
"I've waited my whole life to hear those words." Po said happily.
Li Shan then pulled on a rope hanging down low from the top of the mountain, giving it a little tug. Almost instantly, a little raft popped out from under the snow, carrying all of them up into the mountain.
"Rats." Mr. Ping grumbled.
Eventually, the raft reached the top of the mountain, allowing the group to get off onto a small dock. The whole area was covered in a thick snowy layer of fog as they walked off the dock and went through a small round gate.
"This is the secret panda village?" Mr. Ping said, looking around as Li Shan, Leo, and Mikey took off their hats and the two ninja turtles stored away their coats. "No wonder you kept it secret. If I lived here, I wouldn't tell anyone either."
Li Shan chuckled as the fog began to clear. "Now you can whoa." He said proudly as the fog completely cleared away.
"Whoa…" Po, Leo, and Mikey gasped at what they saw.
Right in front of them was a massive beautiful village sitting in the middle of the icy mountain with long fields of grass, beautiful trees, elaborate well-built houses…
… and dozens of pandas, all of them men, women, and even children. Some flying kites, others pushing carts, and others sleeping in hammocks.
"Wow, there's so many of them!" Mikey let out.
"Guess Shen really didn't wipe them all out." Leo murmured.
It was then that the panda villagers finally noticed the group as they all immediately stopped what they were doing and rushed down to greet the group, murmuring amongst themselves.
"Li? Everyone, Li is back!"
"They're both back!"
"He found his son!"
"Wait, who are those strangers?"
"Are those turtles?"
"Why are we running?"
"Li Shan is back!"
The entire village ran down the hills towards the group… and stopped halfway from meeting them, already exhausted from running as they caught their breath, before going down to approach them.
"Everyone, everyone gather around! This is my son!" Li Shan announced, giving Po a pat on the back. "And these are two of his guardians, Masters Leonardo and Michelangelo!"
"Hi!" Mikey greeted, happily waving his hand while Leo gave a friendly smile.
Three panda cubs climbed up on Po's shoulders, all of them giggling happily. "Triplets!" Po exclaimed happily.
"Hi, I'm Ku Ku." One of the cubs said.
"I'm Meng Meng." The second cub said.
"I'm Shuai Shuai." The third cub said.
"Your fur is soft." Meng Meng said, stroking Po's fur.
"He smells like cookies." Shuai Shuai giggiled, nuzzling her face into Po's shoulder.
"Aww! They're so cute!" Mikey squealed as he gently picked up Ku Ku while Leo picked up Meng Meng and Shuai Shuai.
"Wow, you're so green!" Ku Ku said in awe, poking Mikey's arm.
"Your armor looks so cool!" Shuai Shuai exclaimed, poking at Leo's armored shoulder pad.
"Why are your masks different colors?" Meng Meng asked, playfully tugging on Leo's mask tails and causing the blue clad turtle to chuckle fondly.
"He's so handsome. Just like his father." An elderly panda woman complimented Po.
"Oh, thank you." Mr. Ping said, appearing from behind Po.
"Son, these are your cousins, Dim and Sum." Li Shan introduced, gesturing to two panda twins.
"I have cousins!" Po squealed excitedly.
"Welcome!" Both Dim and Sum exclaimed.
Sum then put a necklace made entirely of buns on Po. "Whoa, buns on a string." Po said.
"We call it a snacklace." Sum said.
"That's right." Dim added.
Then, all of a sudden, Dim, Sum, and two other villagers ate off the snacklace, leaving only the string around Po's neck.
"Dah… we'll make you another one." Dim said, wiping his mouth while Po, Leo, and Mikey stared at him in surprise.
Just then, another panda villager, one much larger than Po, walked up to them. "It's you." He laughed, squeezing Po in a tight hug.
"Oh, that's nice. Hi." Po wheezed in pain as he could feel his spine cracking a little.
"So who's the hugger?" Leo asked curiously.
"That's Big Fun." Li Shan answered.
From the crowd, a small panda cub found Po's Tigress action figure sticking out of his bag. "Oh, stripy baby. So beautiful." She giggled, picking the figure up.
Po looked down and almost instantly panicked. "Okay, careful with that." He said worriedly. "That's my action figure."
"Can I keep her?" The panda cub asked.
"No…" Po started, but trailed off when he saw her giving the puppy eyes. "... problem. Of course. Yeah. That's why I brought her. Take good care of her."
The panda cub giggled, hugging the Tigress action figure tightly. "Yes, stripy baby."
"Aww, who's this little cutie?" Mikey cooed, gently picking up the panda cub, who giggled in response.
"That's Lei Lei." Li Shan answered.
"You look just like me, but a baby." Po said to Lei Lei. He then turned to an elderly panda. "You look like me, but old." He then turned to Big Fun. "You're like me, but fatter." He then turned to a larger panda with a straw hat and crooked teeth. "You're like me, but… with a hat." He said awkwardly, making the other pandas laugh.
"You all look like me." Po said with a smile.
Behind him, both Leo and Mikey couldn't help but feel happy for their friend as they smiled.
Li Shan wrapped an arm around his son's shoulder. "Let's feast in my son's honor." He declared.
The villagers then departed… by rolling down the hill, much to Po, Leo, Mikey, and Mr. Ping's surprise.
"What the…?" Po said in confusion.
Li Shan laughed. "Pandas don't walk. We roll!" He said as he got down rolled down the hill as well.
"Awesome! Wait for me!" Mikey cheered before getting a running starting and getting down, rolling down the hill with the other pandas.
"Have you ever seen anyone look so ridiculous?" Mr. Ping asked with a slight laugh. His expression changed, however, when saw Po getting down on the ground. "Po, what are you doing? Po?!"
Not listening, Po rolled down the hill like a beachball. But he did not roll in a straight line as he crashed into a tree and then a rock and then another tree as he rolled down.
Leo shrugged with a grin. "Well, that's Po and Mikey for you." He said, walking down the hill after them.
Meanwhile, Po crashed through another bush before coming to a stop at the bottom of the hill right next to Mikey as they sat in front of a large table with the other pandas.
"You're right. That is better than walking." Po said, sitting up and looking a little dizzy as the other pandas laughed.
"Heck yeah, man!" Mikey laughed as he and Po shared a high five while Leo and Mr. Ping finally reached the bottom of the hill, sitting down next to them.
The feast was huge, mainly consisting of dumplings, buns, and many many vegetables, all of which looked quite delicious. There were no chopsticks at all on the table as apparently all the pandas ate with their hands, something Mikey was all too eager to do as he gobbled down his dinner with the rest of the pandas while Leo calmly sat and ate his food in a more reserved and polite way.
"What kind of panda doesn't know how to roll?" A small panda cub named Boa asked Po.
"Well, I'm kinda new at this whole being a panda thing." Po said sheepishly.
Bao then noticed Mr. Ping standing on the table. "And what kind of panda are you?" He asked. "You have a funny neck."
"I'm not a panda at all." Mr. Ping said indignantly.
"What's that?" Bao asked, pointing to Mr. Ping's noodle hat.
"My hat." He answered.
"What's that?" Bao asked, pointing to Mr. Ping's beak.
"My beak." He answered.
"What's that?" Bao again asked, pointing to Mr. Ping's arm.
"My wing." He answered.
"What's that?" Bao asked, pointing down.
"My dumplings." Mr. Ping replied, holding up a bowl of dumplings. "No more questions. Go away, kid." He then walked over to Po, pulling out a pair of chopsticks. "Here, son, I packed your chopsticks."
All of the villagers gasped in surprise at the chopsticks.
"Thanks, dad." Po smiled, picking up the chopsticks before he noticed the other villagers staring at him. "What?"
"What are those for?" Bao asked.
"These? These are chopsticks. They're for picking up dumplings." Po explained.
"You mean you only eat them one at a time?" Bao asked incredulously.
Po looked around the table and saw many pandas eating more than one dumpling at a time. He gasped in realization. "I knew I wasn't eating up to my potential!" He said in amazement, tossing away the chopsticks as he began to dig in.
"I love this place!" Mikey cheered, grabbing several dumplings and stuffing them into his mouth like all the other pandas.
Leo rolled his eyes but still smiled as he continued to eat his food slowly.
As they all ate, the sounds of flutes and drums filled the air, getting everyone's attention as they all looked to a stage in front of the table.
On the stage emerged a female panda wearing a pink kimono and holding a red ribbon, giving everyone the sign that she was a ribbon dancer. And one thing all of them noticed was that she was staring directly at Po.
Po shifted slightly, looking behind him before realizing the female panda was staring at him.
"I… am Mei Mei. Wow, she's amazing. She's so beautiful." The female panda said dramatically, holding her fan in front of her mouth. "That's sweet, Po. But please try to save all other compliments until after the performance."
"Me? No, I didn't say-" Po stammered in confusion.
Mei Mei shushed loudly. "Shut it." She said as she whipped her ribbon. "After the performance."
"Has it started yet?" Mr. Ping asked.
She then woke the two sleeping musicians with a slap from her ribbon, getting them to play the music.
"Ah, Mei Mei." Li Shan sighed. "Best ribbon dancer in the world. At least, that's what she says."
"Meh," Mikey said with an unimpressed shrug as they continued to watch, "she's got nothing on Viper."
"Look away, look away. No, you can't, can you?" Mei Mei said dramatically, twirling her ribbon.
"Dad, why does she keep staring at me like…" Po whispered to Mr. Ping when Mei Mei suddenly appeared right in front of him. "... that?"
"Try to keep up." Mei Mei said as wrapped her ribbon around Po and pulled him onto the stage.
"I don't really know how to dance." Po protested.
"Of course you do. All pandas dance." Mei Mei brushed off, pulling Po closer. "I know what you're thinking." She said.
"... you do?" Po asked nervously.
"How can a panda be so beautiful?" Mei Mei asked dramatically before forcing Po to grab some flowers from the table and pulling him back. "For me?" She fake gasped. With a flick of her wrist, she forced Po to kiss her hand multiple times. "Po…" She said dramatically as she pushed him back to the eating table.
"Please help me, dads." Po begged, sounding very very uncomfortable.
"Yeah, no. You're on your own." Li Shan chuckled.
"You're doing great, son." Mr. Ping added.
Po then turned to his two guardians. "Leo, Mikey? Please?"
Leo chuckled as he ate another dumpling. "Sorry, Po." He said apologetically.
Mei Mei then dragged Po back onto the stage, unwrapping him before giving him the ribbon. "Your turn."
"Aw yeah, Po! Show 'em your moves!" Mikey cheered, pumping his fist in the air.
Clumsily, Po began to play with the ribbon, accidentally grabbing the cymbal from one of the musicians and causing him to hit himself in the face.
"Ooh…!" Leo and Mikey winced at their friend's pain before Po tripped over the ribbon, falling flat on his face.
Mei Mei quickly took back the ribbon, using it to lift Po over her head, causing the villagers, Li Shan, and even Mr. Ping, Leo, and Mikey to applaud.
"Yay, Po!" Mr. Ping cheered as Mei Mei tossed the dizzy Po onto the table.
"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it." Li Shan chuckled, giving Po a friendly slap on the back.
"I have so much to learn." Po muttered as he got himself untangled from the ribbon.
Leo and Mikey still sat in their seats as they watched Mei Mei walk away, giving Po one last flirtatious wink before going off on her own.
"Whoa. Looks like Mei Mei's really got the hots for Po, huh?" Mikey said.
Leo huffed slightly. "Well, I highly doubt he returns those feelings." He said with an amused grin as he noticed how uncomfortable and embarrassed their friend looked. "Besides, he's already got eyes for someone else."
"Who?" Mikey asked cluelessly.
Leo chuckled. "You know who."
Mikey tapped his chin in deep thought before he shook his head.
Leo slightly deadpanned at his younger brother's obliviousness but still kept his smile. "A certain feline kung fu master?"
Mikey still shook his head cluelessly.
Leo sweatdropped, slightly astounded that Mikey hadn't caught on yet. "Tigress?"
Mikey's face lit up like a light bulb. "Oh yeah!" He exclaimed with a slight laugh. "Boy, if she were here, she'd be sooooo jealous."
Leo chuckled. "Maybe." He said.
"But still, I can't help but wonder how the others are doing back at the Jade Palace." Leo spoke before he and Mikey gazed outwards into the wilderness, both curious about what was going on with the others.
