He clenched his fist, staring at the large scar trailing down his arm. That all happened? Every second. He turned his head upwards, looking across the ceiling and then the wall. His heart pounded against his chest. What is happening? He was taking deep breaths now— that is, until he saw his neighbor from across the alleyway staring at him with concern. Quickly, he offered an uneasy smile and retreated back into his room.

He clutched his head. This was not happening! Everything was so different than he remembered. He was back in his old room, with everything the way it had been years ago. Yet, his body remained the same. He clenched his fist and punched forward. Yep, definitely the same.

He took a deep breath, calming himself. Perhaps nothing had changed, maybe he had just fainted? Po closed his eyes, his shoulders shaking. Concentrate. Focus, Po! He took another deep breath, stretching out his senses. Below him, he could feel his father, energy upbeat, yet hardened. Po shook his head, stretching out the ability to sense chi.

Shifu and the furious five, energies tight and far weaker than he remembered. He would have pushed it off as being tired from training if he didn't see Tigress die with his own eyes. And that energy he felt, even weaker, he could tell it was her. He bit his tongue, holding back tears.

He was so confused. What was going on? His eyes widened. The Eye of Huīchén had glowed in response to his words. Po echoed the words, "I just wish I had another chance." His gaze hardened, self-hatred bubbling to the surface. "Just had to say that, Po. Couldn't have just wished her back or just keep your damn mouth shut." His clenched fists shook, "This is all my doing."

"Po! What are you saying up there?"

"Nothing!" Po eyed the stairs down to the kitchen. He took a deep breath, Guess there is only one way to find out for sure if I'm really back in time. He walked down the stairs, eyes laying on the goose, "Sorry, Dad."

Mr. Ping was scooping out bowls of noodles. The goose sent a side glance at his son, "Is everything alright, Po? You usually make more noise when you wake up. I barely heard the wood creak."

"Oh." Po walked over and Mr. Ping moved out of the way to let Po take over, moving on to chop vegetables for the next batch. Po had gotten lighter on his feet over the years, along with losing weight. Perhaps, he had been sent back in time. Still, he had to make sure. "I was just . . . dreaming." His eyes narrowed. A radish basket was tucked under the counter. The one Ping had found Po in. He forgot that was there. He shook his head slightly, tearing his gaze away from it as he scooped some soup into a bowl and handed it off to a customer.

smiled, "Really? Must've been some dream, what was it about?" It was a normal curiously and Po knew this, but he lied about it being a noodle dream before. If things really were the same, perhaps his father would react in the same way. Po hesiated just a bit, lying to his father didn't feel right before, nor would it now.

"Noodles."

Mr. Ping gasped, "Noodles? Really?"

"Yeah. What else would I dream about?" He bit his lip at the deafening silence.

That was until his father started to dance around, rambling about how Po had the 'Noodle Dream'. Po, however, felt a heavy burden on his shoulders with the prospect. It was true. He had wished on the Eye. Po found himself asking about his dad's old dreams. Tofu. His dad had wanted to open a Tofu establishment when he was younger.

He eyed the scar on his arm, not to mention the others he had obtained as well. The one on his stomach from Shen's cannons— he even had a few small ones hiding under the fur on his face. He wondered, why didn't his father mention them yet? His father always berated him for any new injuries. "Hey, Dad?"

The goose still hummed to himself, "Yes, Po?"

"I think I got a scar."

"Really?" He walked over to Po, "Where?"

Po stared at him with confusions, a dumbfounded look on his face. "You . . . didn't notice?" His dad only glared at him, so Po held his arm forward.

Mr. Ping took Po's arm, examining his paw, flipping over his arm a few times. "I don't see anything, must be small. Did you cut yourself on a knife?"

Po looked at his arm for a few seconds before answering, "Must've."

Soon, he found himself bringing orders to the customers at the tables. It had been a long time since he had done this with his father. He found himself too distracted to enjoy it. Too caught up in the nation that he destroyed everything and rewound time and that his own father couldn't see his scars. The gong caught his attention as a servant of the Jade Palace placed a poster— a familiar one.

They were choosing the Dragon Warrior! He brought the rest of the soup to the customers before turning to the poster. He smiled as he walked up to it. "I can't believe it. I'm actually getting a bit excited." It didn't take long for most of the people to file out, ready to watch the spectacle.

"Precisely!" Po turned his head, looking at his dad. "Think of all the hungry customers! Everyone will be there to see the Dragon Warrior. We need to be there— " He gasped, smiling wide. "Your dream. I think you're ready for the Noodle Cart."

Po rolled his eyes as his dad disappeared. He turned back to the poster, from here on out everything would be the same, including— Tai lung! His mouth ran dry. Tai lung would escape from prison. People would get hurt, possibly even die. He looked up at the Jade Palace. He hadn't really thought about the events leading up to his battle with Shijie. He would have to keep everything the same. No screw ups or slips of the tongue. A daunting task for Po.

Once again, he closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. He listened as the universe whispered to him. Oogway. He could feel the turtles presence immediately. It was strange, feeling the old master. He never really had felt Oogway when he was alive.

He shifted his senses, feeling outwards in a different direction, towards Chorh-Gom. Tai lung. It was strange, he felt . . . different than Po thought he would. Stronger than he had expected. He frowned, if Tai lung was always this strong then how did he defeat him before? This time around he may need to use inner peace or even chi.

He cupped his paws together, slowly pulling them apart, a small orb of chi forming in between his palms. His chi swirled in front of his eyes, golden smoke rising from its surface. No. He narrowed his eyes. I don't need this. I didn't need chi before to fight Tai lung and I don't need it now.

A cart raddled behind him and he whipped around, startled. His chi dispersed as he stared at the noodle cart. His first thought was how his dad managed to get it all together so fast before he put on a fake smile. His dad rambled on about how the entire valley would be there and giving Po the chance to sell them noodles. Po's thoughts fell to the stairs and how it would be literally impossible to take the cart up there, but he chose not to say anything.

If he wanted to become the Dragon Warrior then he would have to go with the flow and recite every action he took in the past- that was if he could remember everything he did. He nodded to his dad before scolding himself. Carelessly, he mentioned the bean buns, about to go bad. This was going to be harder than he thought.

"It is an historic day, isn't it, Master Oogway?"

Oogway nodded slowly, deep in thought. That small speck of energy he sensed, a small burst of chi being activated, had caught his attention. Had his mind not been clear he would have missed it. Chi itself was an incredibly rare technique. Not even Shifu knew how to manipulate it correctly yet. And yet, he felt it. A brief flicker of life, before being snuffed out abruptly. A villager, no doubt. They could use chi, but only himself, Kai, and the village from centuries ago knew the practise. In fact, he had never sensed chi in the valley before. Could it be a visitor? His eyes widened, he made a mistake. The furious five had no chance to become the Dragon Warrior, this unknown villager would inherit that title.

Still, how would he tell Shifu and his students. Would he just let things continue or would he search the village for this chi user? He shook his head, bring his claws up to rest on his forehead. No, he would continue. The Dragon Warrior would show themself.

"Master Oogway?"

Oogway let his arm drop, "Sorry, my friend, I was just thinking." He turned to Shifu, "Whomever I pick, Shifu, will bring peace to the Valley." He looked into Shifu's eyes, "Not only that, but they will also bring peace to you." He smiled and gestured his hand forward, "Now then, would you like to do the honors?"

Po had ditched the noodle cart a while ago. He had made a real effort to carry it up the stairs, but it was near impossible. He vaguely remembered doing the same before. His goal was to make sure the events he remembered as close to the past as possible. That meant waiting for the right time to begin his ascent. He had already prepared the chair by the time it was Tigress's turn to show off her skills. Still, he had to wait a bit longer, until his dad showed up to actually light the fuse.

He had forgone the shenanigans he had originally gone through, instead opting to sit still and wait. He closed his eyes as he sat in the chair, tuning his ears to the noise around. He was waiting for the quiet feet of his father. A very distinct sound. There wasn't one quite like it. His ears twitched and his mouth twitched into a smile. Now. He lit the fireworks, watching as his dad climbed the stairs.

"Po!" The goose rushed forward, fear coating his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Sitting in a chair made of fireworks about to launch into the sky to enter a stadium full of people watching the furious five. It was a bit long-winded, if you asked him. "I have to get in there! To watch . . . and stuff." He frowned, he didn't really remember exactly what he said before.

Mr. Ping rushed forward, desperately trying to blow out the fireworks. Quickly, Po pushed him back, causing the goose to stumble for a few steps before regaining his footing. Momentary, he was surprised at how strong Po was, but he refocused his concerns. "I-I don't understand! You had the dream."

"I lied!" Multiple times, really. "I've never dreamed about noodles— well, exclusively. Sometimes I get hungry . . . look, Dad, I have to get in there." He was still trying to remember what he ultimately said to his father.

Mr. Ping, again, took a step forward. "And why is it so important that you do?!"

That was new. He was positive that his father never asked that question before. He tried to think of what to say, but instead his thoughts fell back to the threats he had faced and bested. Tai lung. Shen and his army. Kai and his jade horrors. Shijie. They all burned fresh in his mind.

Mr. Ping sighed, seeing pain and fear flash through Po's eyes. "Po . . . what did you dream about? What did you see?"

Po tensed up, looking down at his father. He saw my eyes. "I . . ." Dream? His shoulders sunk. He couldn't tell him of any dream, but . . . he was already diverging off course anyways, perhaps he could tell his father, even if just a little. "People will get hurt."

Po immediately scolded himself for letting himself differ from the original path. He should have let himself fall into dramatics from the start, but instead his tone was far more serious than it should have been. He cast his gaze down to the ground, gritting his teeth.

"Oh, Po." Mr. Ping took a step forward, "I— " They both froze as the fireworks ignited. "Oh! Po!" Mr. Ping rushed forward.

Po stuck his arm out, "Stand back, it's not safe!" No, no, no. It's not supposed to be like this. He turned his head up. Not straight up! That's not how it's supposed to be! The fireworks exploded in the chair launched into the air. Po's grip on the chair tightened, watching as he soared higher and higher. He was going too high.

Po narrowed his eyes. He should have wasted a good portion of the trip by having the rocket chair point towards the wall. Instead, it went much higher than it needed to. He let out a deep breath, golden mist flowing from his lips. He carefully stood up in the chair, careful not to fall off. I won't leave it to chance this time. He grit his teeth, his eyes shining a deep golden color. With the height he was at now, this fall would kill him.

So, he was doing the only thing he could think of without showing to the others that he could manipulate chi. He would heal his body in the instant it connected with the ground.

Not his best plan.

Oogway silently watched as the furious five displayed their skills, strengths, and weaknesses. Shifu had done a fine job with training them and hge dreaded to see their fallen faces when none of them would be chosen as the fabled warrior of legend.

He stole a glance over at Shifu without the red panda noticing. His old student wasn't watching as intensely as he was, instead he seemed tense, almost afraid. Oogway sighed, "Tai lung isn't here yet, my friend. There is no need to be afraid."

"I'm not afraid, Master."

"There is no use in hiding it, Shifu. Fear is natural." He smiled, "And trust me, Shifu, it is one emotion I am very intimate with."

"Master?"

"In our line of work, fear is an emotion almost as common as happiness or satisfaction. To push a feeling aside, is to cause disaster and ache."

Shifu straightened his back, keeping his eyes on his students. "Fear is a weakness."

Oogway shook his head, "And, yet, it could aid you in battle. It's an indicator, Shifu. When things go wrong, or when your life is in danger, fear lets you know. We're not talking about it overtaking you, my friend, but you burying it, along with other emotions."

"Is this really the time?"

Oogway shrugged, "I don't know. But when is the right time, Shifu?" He sighed, looking down at Tigress. "Young Tigress . . . I'm sure you don't need me to say it. For a lack of better term, you've buried her along with your own emotions and feelings. What does that do to a child, Shifu? Your child."

Shifu turned his head away, instead opting to scan the crowd. "She did not need the distraction."

Oogway sadly shook his head at Shifu. Or you didn't need another Tai lung. He looked back at Tigress before low murmur caught his attention. He tilted his head to the wind, a soft whisper brushed up against him. Softely, he whispered, "He's here."

"What was that, Master Oogway?"

The old turtle looked over at his old student, "I . . . am ready, Shifu. I can feel it. The Dragon Warrior is among us."

Shifu's eyes widened, "Right." He nodded to his students and Tigress, who was demonstrating her skill, stopped and stood still, waiting for the others to line up next to her.

Oogway watched intently, each of the five had prepared for this day, but none wanted the title more than Tigress. Though, sadly none of them would be happy with the outcome— at least, not at first. He smiled at the thought. Finally, someone would be able to take his place.

He closed his eyes, walking down the steps. Every motion, every step he took was guided. A soft whisper in his ear, a small tug on his limbs, the universe guided him. He waved his finger about,the whispering getting louder and louder as he approached the five. He could feel it, he was about to—

He stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes opened in shock, his finger dropping and his mouth opening slightly. Slowly, he titled his head upwards, just in times to see fireworks go off. He had no doubt the other's had looked up as well, but they couldn't feel what he could. He took a step back, at first not knowing how to process it, but he could feel it.

The Dragon Warrior's chi. He was astonished— amazed! To think that amount of chi had been hiding from him this whole time was . . . incredible. To think such skill existed. On the other hand, he was disappointed in himself. He should've known by now that someone with that

amount of power lived amongst his village.

That mount of chi wasn't larger than his, and even Shifu rivaled this newcomers chi, even at his current level. However, it took so much skill, too much, to be able to hide it from someone as learned as Oogway. He was impressed.

And a bit concerned when the black and white mass slammed into the ground in front of him. He heard someone shout out his name, but Oogway only stared down at the fallen figure. He blinked, not once, but twice. They weren't moving.

Worry clogged his throat. He took a step closer, even as Shifu yelled for him to back away. He held his hand over the figure, ready to heal as quick as he could. That was— until he saw a whiff of golden smoke. Slowly, he drew his hand back, now knowing he was unneeded.

Oogway watched as the panda, breathed out golden smoke. Panda? Oogway smiled. A panda! He must've been from that old village where he fought Kai. Oogway suddenly found himself in a good mood. Of course the panda knew chi, he was a panda, afterall. Chi was their birthright.

In fact, the last time he was a panda was— before Shen. He suddenly felt his mood

plummet. What if the panda was from that village? The one he failed to protect? Could there even have been any survivors?

He snapped to attention as the panda pushed himself up, hoarsely coughing. He was facing Oogway, so the others didn't see the golden shine in his eyes before it disappeared. Once on his feet, Oogway examined him. He was . . . exhausted, to say the least. If Oogway's assumption was correct, than the panda had just literally revived himself from death. No small feat. How exciting.

The panda's eyes turned fearful when his sight landed on Oogway. The turtle himself didn't show it, but this caught him off guard, instead he kept a passive face. Fear was crawling inside him, as well. He didn't know why, but for some reason he didn't see the boy's scars before. Some of them— how does one even get a scar like that?!

He was startled when the panda scuttled to the side, "Sorry. Sorry! I-I didn't mean to get so close— I mean in the way!" He definitely sounded frightened. "I just wanted to see the Dragon Warrior."

"Right." Oogway turned his head to Shifu as the red panda spoke. "Aren't we all. Master Oogway, you were about to pick someone. If I saw correctly, were you . . ." Shifu bit his tongue, he did not want to make assumptions.

Tigress stepped forward, "Master . . . were you going to pick me?"

Oogway hadn't seen her eyes so hold so much joy in years. It hurt to squash it. Instead, he pointed at the panda, "Him."

"What?" Despite the panda's exclaim in alarm and confusion, that was mimicked by Shifu, he saw the panda's eyes. He was not surprised, not in the slightest. In fact, he only looked tired. Oogway mused, How curious.