"A Trial Before the Lion"


"Inner… peace… inner… peace…. Itchy n - "

"Would you for once - shut it Oogway?"

The old turtle opened his eyes gradually, trying to gain a better look at the figure in front of him. The distance between them was considerable, as were all distances in the Spirit Realm - floating chunks of rock and Chinese insignias permeated the thick air, as Oogway's attentive vision caught a massive bull charging through the air - twin green blades in his hand.

"Kai - old friend," Oogway slowly announced.

The massive, muscular bull snorted a deep spurt of air - displacing dust on the floating rock he was now standing on.

"Master Oogway…" the bull whispered.

"Our battle ended five hundred years ago!" the old turtle exclaimed in anger.

"Well now I'm ready for a rematch…" Kai continued.

Oogway began sheepishly grinning. "Took you long eno - ACK!"

Yet the old tortoise never finished his sentence, as the enormous bull had swiftly shoved himself and the green blades forward - ripping straight though Oogway's ribcage. Blood slowly oozed out of the old master's mouth.

"Yo - you've gotten stronger," Oogway let out, coughing out blood. "Too - too strong for - ergh - how much chi have you stolen?"

Kai laughed triumphantly, pulling Oogway up through his wounds with the blades. "You think my power comes from ordinary chi?"

"Then - then - " Oogway desperately asked, eyes rolling over. "How? Where are you getting this - ergh, power…"

Kai dropped the tortoise, watching him crash down to the floating rock. "It comes from my good friend Omega. You know him - don't you, Oogway?"

The word sent a chill swiveling through Oogway's spine.

The name.

The pronunciation.

It couldn't be anyone else.

It couldn't.

After all this time?

After so many millenia?

Vivid memories - ones that were too short to even properly recall - flashed through Oogway's head.

Blood.

Chaos.

Darkness.

Night.

Omega.

The Seekers.

"He's not lying, you know."

The second voice sent ripping tones through Oogway's heart. He recognized it instantly - having heard it so many times when he was very young.

It still scared him.

Behind Kai - and standing significantly taller than the ginormous bull - came him.

The one Oogway feared.

The one who he associated with death.

He was a Seeker.

His body was muscular. His frame was huge. His eyes were piercing black. Yet the details of his physique still seemed hazy - as if he was under some apparition or spell - foggy clouds formed most of the Seeker's body.

"As you can see, I am not quite close enough to your world to assume a physical presence," Omega noted. "For now - I will have to play ghost. Until my ship nears of course."

"I - I don't understand…" Oogway let out, crying now. "Please - please - leave my world - Kai, old friend - how, how could you ally yourself with this monster?"

"He gave me enough power to break free of the Spirit Realm," Kai noted, grinning sadistically.

"HE WILL KILL YOU AS SOON AS HE AND HIS ARMY LAND ON THIS WORLD!" Oogway shouted. "BROTHER - BREAK THE LINK BETWEEN YOU AND OMEGA NO - ARGH!"

Kai didn't wait.

He shoved the blades forcefully into Oogway's ribs again.

The old tortoise let out a single tear.

"No one can kill me," Kai whispered to Oogway, privately enough so Omega couldn't hear - whilst watching the tortoise's features fade into white smoke. "Especially with the power I have now - I'll kill my little - Seeker friend - as soon as I absorb enough chi."

"You - you - utter - fool…" Oogway squeaked, body relaxing naturally. "... there's no way to defeat Omega… the best we did is - is hide…"

Then his body faded into cloudy white smoke.

"Hmm…" Kai vocalized out loud. "... you think that killed him?"

"Unlikely," Omega refuted. "Killing someone in this - Spirit Realm - seems to send them in quantum limbo."

"Quantum what?" Kai offered, perplexed for the millionth time.

"Again, beyond your species' intellectual capacity," Omega assuaged, patting Kai on the shoulder. "Now - in exchange for freeing you, you must…"

"Go after the Dragon Warrior's panda father," Kai noted. "I know…"

"See that you fully accomplish the task," Omega reiterated. "The snow leopard partially failed me, and even giving ancient human technology to the peacock did nothing…"

"You've interacted with our world before?" Kai queried, dazed by this admission. "And what the hell does human mean?"

"Again, only in-spirit," Omega noted. "The snow leopard activated the beacon for me, notifying where your world was - and the peacock and a human - your lifeforms call them Seekers - on your world helped secure a dimensional path… it won't be long now till my compatriot and I reach…"

The enormous bull swiped upwards with one of his fierce blades, opening a tear in the Spirit Realm fabric. A hazy grassfield was seen through the small dimensional tear, as the bull looked through it with satisfaction.

"Been ages since I've gotten back to the Mortal Realm…" Kai whispered to himself. "Heh - too bad my fleshling friend has no idea what I have in store for him…"

He looked back at Omega's spirit, which merely nodded at him with a smile.

Kai smiled back in betrayal, about to jump through the tear before turning back - sudden curiosity hitting him.

"What did Oogway mean when he said you and your army are coming to this world?" Kai asked.

Omega merely smiled, not appearing to give an answer.

Kai growled, jumping through the dimensional tear whilst firmly resolving to kill the Seeker somehow later on.

. . .

It had been two years since Shen had been defeated.

The struggles of the Jade Palace in defeating a peacock - who possessed machines that spit metal and breathed fire - grew in antiquity so much that all of China had been exposed to the legend one way or another. This tale seemed to rival, and perhaps even exceed the heroism over how Tai Lung had been defeated - focusing all of China to pay respects to Grandmaster Shifu and his team of warriors - the Furious Five, and the Dragon Warrior. Although the Valley of Peace had previously occupied a relatively well-known position amongst the Chinese provinces - news of Shen's defeat had propelled the Jade Palace, and by extension - the Valley of Peace as the de facto political capital of China. This had two broad categories of effects or consequences: some demographically, while others were practical.

The practical consequences of Shen's defeat washed across China in waves: after great minds spent time studying how easily China's previous financial capital, Gongmen - had fallen to Shen's cannons - a great deal of engineering and technological advancement flushed over all the provinces. Having carefully studied the mechanism and firing capabilities of perhaps hundreds of unused and seized cannons - the cleverest and most brilliant of Chinese inventors had banded together to commercialize the technology. Guard forces from nearly every province in China were now mandatorily equipped and well-trained in the usage of cannon warfare - which had made infighting and battles in Chinese provinces infinitely more bloody, but much more spectacular. The cannons' unique firing mechanism, and conversion of black powder into deadly bursts of fire and metal - were also reverse-engineered, quickly finding its place in basic technology such as houses, rudimentary clay ovens, and factories. From a technological standpoint, Shen's cannons had truly revolutionized the Chinese landscape - transforming previously green, vibrant landscapes of grassland into harsh, efficient factories which belted out deep puffs of smoke into the air. Cities all across China were now more advanced, almost plunged twenty years into the future with factories, new jobs, and new social classes all borne out of a deep predilection for metal work. There was even talk of mimicking a weapon - a weapon that had long since fallen into myths and broken stories - that could fire "faster than an eye could blink", and tear through flesh effortlessly. Citizens seemed to remember it being quite small - and having a chamber that rotated, or revolved with every shot - but even the brightest of Chinese ingenuity couldn't quite condense such powerful technology into such a form - yet.

Demographically, the Valley had shifted from its previous persona of "sleepy little town" that just happened to be affiliated with the Jade Palace to an enormous cultural hub, with a fresh influx of immigrants from all over China - and some from even farther - who desperately had traveled there to "meet" with the famous Grandmaster and team that had managed to take down one of the most vicious warlords in all of China. Gone were the days when the Valley was sparsely occupied with a small, local population of farmers and trade workers - now, the Valley of Peace boasted a thriving tourism industry, along with heavy financial and banking or loan sectors, an incredible pool of visiting and recurring kung fu masters who were experts in their styles, a nightclub scene, a privatized weapons industry, its own standing rhino guard and local government, and a drastically enhanced population which was nearly twice the size of Gongmen City. Even the Valley's architecture was changed - the humble clay buildings and narrow street paths were gone, replaced with a bustling, red, and tall array of roofs and buildings that expanded the area by at least five times - and the streets were paved with exquisite rocky paths rather than just average stone. To top it all off, the Valley itself had a completely different feel to it - now it was a hustling and bustling metropolis, with a gregarious and massive, technologically "new age" population of highly-skilled workers or visiting kung fu masters. Shen's defeat had metaphorically killed the Valley of Peace - and had constructed a sprawling urban utopia in its place, or as the new population often called it: The Valley of Riches and Opportunity. It was - by far - the geopolitical "head" of China.

And of course, everyone came to see the Seeker.

Not that the rest of the Jade Palace wasn't as intriguing. The Dragon Warrior was amazing, the Furious Five were phenomenal, and Shifu was utterly riveting - but since Shen's defeat, and the Seeker's subsequent open admission into the world - ever since then, everything had changed.

Sadly, despite the insistence of many of Gongmen's citizens (perhaps the only major city somewhat sympathetic to the Seeker) - most of China was still quite infuriated with the discovery. The existence of the fleshling, one that had been openly tied with the Jade Palace for nearly five years, brought upon the wrath of negative publicity from the masses. There was, to some degree, a small but growing minority that had begun to question the instant assumption of "hatred towards all Seekers" - but this tiny opinion was clouded out by legions of hate-mongering and alarmist media. As it stood right now, there were heavy investigative operations and constant surveillance over the Seeker of the Valley.

The most popular of them happened in the courts.

. . .

"Masters presiding - Grandmaster Sing, Grandmaster Wei Ling, Grandmaster Chung."

"Grandmaster Chung will be the first line of inquiry."

"Defendant's name is Alfalfa Ping."

"Case recurrence: 189."

The courthouse itself was beautiful by any stretch of the imagination. The large, wooden amphitheater setup allowed hundreds of Valley of Peace citizens - mostly skilled business workers or high-level kung fu masters - to sit in an expansive circle. The judges presiding sat at the front of the oval room, towering above everyone else because of the podium they sat on whilst serving on a small table panel. The defendant was customarily relegated to the center of the room, intensifying the scrutinization of the guilty or not guilty party. He or she would be surrounded by citizens and kung fu masters, with a large force of rhino guards standing close behind to provide restraint - if needed.

The notable exception today - although they had been here enough times that it wasn't even an exception anymore - were the Furious Five, the Dragon Warrior, Shifu, and a relatively unknown (to the public) fox: all of whom stood on a separate platform than the Seeker, yet still in the relative center of the room.

The Seeker was tall and slim. He had a dark black metal collar fastened securely around his neck, and wore casual grey robes. Just the beginnings of a few facial hairs were sprouting atop his upper lips and chin, forming a rudimentary but light goatee. His hair was spiky and onyx-flavored, sticking out at odd angles to give him a defined, edgy look.

"State your full name and age for the record please," a sheep asked from the center of the judges' panel, staring at the Seeker in the center of the room.

"Oh come on Chung," Alf begged, groaning. "I've been here enough times where - "

"Please answer the questions Mr. Ping," Chung reiterated, staring perfectly calmly at the Seeker.

Alf flashed a tired glance to the Five and Shifu, who audibly groaned as well. Po merely smacked his forehead and mouthed a just do it to Alf. The Seeker looked at his giant crowd, who predictably gave him ugly stares from all around the theater-like courtroom. Only Chung and other two Grandmasters appeared neutral from atop their elevated podium.

"Alfalfa Ping," Alf droned on for what seemed like the millionth time - or precisely - the 189th time. "Turned eighteen nearly a week ago."

Although Po had already thrown him a private celebration a few days ago, Alf still wasn't used to being eighteen - for some reason, it felt like some number that should mean something to him. He had been most surprised with the physical changes over the past year - nearly five years ago, when Po had just been chosen as the Dragon Warrior - Alf barely got up to the panda's shoulders. Even two years ago, when they had been in Gongmen fighting that crazy peacock - Alf was still roughly the same height, perhaps a bit taller.

Now he was almost on Tigress' eyeline. Po still outstripped the others by a fair margin - but in reality, no one knew the growth patterns that Seekers were under, so estimating his "adult height" seemed to be a fool's errand.

"Could you please state the length of your involvement with the Jade Palace?" Chung queried, adjusting her spectacles.

Alf eyes the scribe, who was carefully writing all the details down next to him.

He sighed. "Four months."

"OBJECTION!" Grandmaster Sing interrupted, from the left of Grandmaster Chung. "You have been serving with the Jade Palace for nearly five years!"

Whispers grew from the large crowd around Alf. He began shaking his head in frustration.

"We do this every time…" Alf groaned under his breath.

Shifu stood up, addressing the panel. "With respect, fellow Grandmasters - the Seeker only started official work with the Palace as of - as he said, four months ago."

Chung pursed her lips. "Then how long would you say - Mr. Ping - have you served with the Palace - unofficially?"

"Five years," Alf promptly replied, bored at this question.

"And Grandmaster Shifu… you did not think it prudent to notify the Supreme Council that the Jade Palace was harboring a Seeker?" Chung questioned. "One could argue that if it weren't for - let's see here - your victory and subsequent exposure of your Seeker in Gongmen City, nearly two years prior… the public might not have even known about him."

The red panda grimaced. "I - I did not think it necessary to cause public outcry… and alarm people…"

More hushed whispers from the crowd all around them. The citizens at the front and lowest rows seemed to be the most upset, eyeing Alf with a death stare.

"Very well… " Chung admitted, then turned to address Alf once more. "Mr. Ping - do you now - as of four months ago… have the official designation as Master?"

Alf growled. "No - I can't - because of a cool piece of legal paperwork that made it forbidden for Seekers to get any formal titles…"

Alf eyes the large rhino sitting next to Chung on the panel. "All thanks to big baldy over there…"

"FLESHLINGS CANNOT SERVE AS KUNG FU MASTERS!" Grandmaster Wei Ling roared, to tumultuous applause from the crowd. "I WILL NOT DIE KNOWING A FLESHLING COULD - "

"Grandmaster, I urge you to keep calm…" Chung emphasized, quieting the crowd as well with a wave of her hand. "Mr. Ping - do you realize that the actions you have taken last night may be - illegal to do, for someone of your status?"

"What, saving a kid from some bandits and stopping an active raid?" Alf called out. "Sorry - didn't know kicking ass was illegal."

Mild chuckles came from the audience, and certainly from the table consisting of the Five, Po, and Shifu. The fox giggled with delight, eyeing the Seeker with a bored but amused expression.

"Yes Mr. Ping, but as you so know - " Chung tried again. " - participating in violent missions, especially as an undefined member of the Palace - "

"His position isn't undefined, your honor," Shifu spoke up again. "He acts as our - reserve guard."

This seemed to shock everyone in the courtroom, and even Alf. Usually he would have to make up some explanation for himself every time this happened - when he and the Five, and Po would go save someone - then immediately a witness would snitch on the Seeker, culminating in a boring "criminal" trial - where the prosecutors would try every and each method to try to somehow indict Alf.

And every single one of those 189 times, Alf had managed to slip away. Having Shifu rush to his defense - with a believable excuse - was a first.

"Grandmaster Shifu, you are indeed saying that this position allows the Seeker to use force when apprehending dangerous individuals?" Chung questioned again. "And this position is a legitimate position in the Jade Palace hierarchy?"

Shifu audibly gulped. "Yes, it allows him to apprehend - persons of interest."

"Answer the second question please."

"The position is - is legitimate."

Bullshit, Alf thought privately. Why the hell is Shifu - of all the dudes in the world - perjuring himself to get me outta this?

All of a sudden? He'd NEVER do it before.

Chung adjusted her glasses, staring hard at the old red panda. "Master Shifu - do I need to remind you that you are under sacred oath - to tell the truth no matter the consequences?"

Shifu nodded his head slowly. "I am aware of that."

Chung was obviously not satisfied, but was forced to relegate to another line of questioning. "Very well - Grandmaster Wei Ling, will have the next line of questioning."

The massive old rhino smiled evilly, taking the time to flash a death glance at Alf before addressing the table next to him. "I would like to call Master Tigress to the witness stand."

The crowd gave small cheers and claps as Tigress stood up in boredom. Alf was always impressed with how much appreciation she had gotten from the localites, even people beyond - Tigress was very much a household name, one that occasionally even rivaled Po's legendary fame sometimes.

In fact, their action figures were roughly the same price. Alf grinned.

"Master Tigress, please state your full name and age for the record," Wei Ling asked, the irony of this question's phrasing lost on him.

"Tigress. 22." she coolly answered.

"I would like your full name and age precisely in years, please…" Wei Ling asked again.

"Ti - gress," Tigress enunciated mockingly. "Twen - tee - to - "

"Alright alright I got it thanks," Wei Ling cut across.

Fierce laughter from the crowd, as well as from the rest of the Five and Po.

Alf grinned. The only good point in all of this legal nonsense was that everyone seemed to hate it - including Tigress, Po, Shifu, the Five, Yu, and anyone else who were forcibly brought to the court and compelled to testify for a "case" against the Seeker that was little more than legalized defamation suits.

Wei Ling began looking at a scroll in front of him, clearly having written down his questions. "And how long have you kn - "

"Five years, like she said," Tigress let out with a smirk, stressing the pronoun as Alf scowled.

"Wait I'm sorry - objection," Chung started. "The witness pointed to a she - Master Tigress, who are you referring to?"

Tigress again pointed at the scowling Alf. "Lil' Anastasia over there."

"Sorry, who?" Chung attempted to clarify, now addressing the scribe. "Scribe, what did Mr. Ping say his name was?"

And Alf watched the poor scribe actually search for an Anastasia in the record.

"Your honor, if I may - it was just a joke," Alf interrupted.

"Mr. Ping - you are under oath - "

"Yeah yeah I know, my name's Alfalfa, alright…"

"Actually I think her name might be Abigail," Tigress interrupted with a pretending stare. "I don't know. It changes based on my mood - I guess…"

"Ti... " Alf addressed, frustrated. "Now isn't really the time for practice your comedy routine…"

"You try being in the middle of mastering one of the Seven Forbidden Techniques when you get pulled out of training to testify," Tigress spat. "That won't piss you off?"

"It's not like I have a choice who they pull and who they don't!" Alf addressed, referring to the panel of judges.

"This is getting to be a big problem Anna," Tigress dismally vowed. "So many wasted trips…"

"Yeah, all 189 of them…"

"Scribe, could you please search for Anna in the record?"

"Oh for Scroll's sake - it's a joke!" Tigress fired back, earning more laughter from the crowd. "Listen we've done this before so can we speed things up? Ask me another pointless question."

Wei Ling adjusted his collar. "And how - "

"How would I describe the defendant?" Tigress cut across, having been questioned this a million times before. "Competent. Reliable. Not a threat to the public…"

Alf smiled, knowing that it literally took an entire court case to make Tigress succumb to giving him a begrudging compliment. That was another useful plus to these things.

"Objection," Chung interrupted.

"Stand down Chung," Wei Ling fought. "I'm doing the questio - "

"It'll just be a moment," Chung forced. "Master Shifu - you previously testified that you were responsible for overseeing the Seeker."

"I never said that," Shifu replied. "I implied that he was part of our hierarchy - you made that assumption."

This drew ire from the crowd, and the panel of judges as well. Shifu seemed to have known he had made a mistake, because he audibly groaned at delaying this torturous process even longer.

"I'm responsible for him," Tigress admitted with a sigh. "I'm his legally entitled - master."

Alf also smiled in satisfaction - watching the level of cringe in Tigress' face elevate past infinity. He gave Po a mental fist bump as the panda suppressed laughs across the table.

"Very well then," Wei Ling continued. "Could you give us a breakdown on how the Seeker is ensured to be - non-threatening to the public… kept docile?"

"Shock collar around his neck, that could instantly kill him if we so choose, not to mention he's surrounded by literally seven of the best kung fu masters in the world…" Tigress mentioned, again to applause from the crowd.

"...plus I guess there's always these things, courts and stuff," Tigress noted sarcastically. "I know I'd be docile - or at least have brain damage - answering so many idiotic questions like this."

Again more laughter from the crowd.

Wei Ling frowned. "And you - you are confident in your abilities - in the Jade Palace's abilities - to restrain and keep control over the Seeker?"

Tigress smirked. "I'd kick his ass any day, if that's what you're asking."

Again more cheers from the equally stupid crowd. Their awkward laughter bounced off the theater's high walls and ceilings, refracting back to Alf in annoying fashion.

"Ahem, I've outsparred you more than once," Alf addressed with a glare.

"Mhm, what's the score now?" Tigress mocked, pretending to think hard. "100-1?"

"More like 87-14," Alf corrected, though he realized that sounded just as pathetic. "Still better than anyone else…"

"Oh please - I gave you those match - "

"Order!" Wei Ling imposed harshly. "Ergh - thank you, Master Tigress - you may - "

Tigress had already sat down, rubbing her paws through her fur and playing around with her golden tunic - although Alf had always preferred the traditionally red and black ones.

"Grandmaster Sing will now do the last line of inquiry."

Wei Ling sat back in his regal chair, as Sing - an old ox that reminded everyone of the late Master Ox - stared into the defendants' tables.

"I call Master Po to the witness stand," Sing addressed.

A huge noise. Cheering. Screams of praise. Thrown roses. Alf sighed.

There was no denying it. Every time he had been summoned, and by extension - the rest of the Jade Palace - no one got a bigger clap and appreciation than Po.

Nobody.

The panda cockily stood up, flashing Alf a sarcastic brow raise. Alf promptly flipped him off, as the panda smiled back.

"Please state your full - "

"ARE YOU GUYS KIDDING?!" a small sheep screamed from the crowd of citizens seated in the amphitheater. "EVERYBODY KNOWS HIM! HE'S THE DRAGON WARRIOR!"

Raucous applause burst again. Po kept up the cocky grin. To Alf's mild amusement, the Five and Shifu grumbled at their own table. Only Yu seemed pleased, flashing another eye wink at Alf.

"I suppose I can just ask you straight out… " Sing continued. "Master Po - you are 20 years old - do you believe the Seeker is a threat to public safety?"

"Nah," Po casually answered. "He's not a threat to anybody except Mr. Weewee."

Suppressed giggles from the Five and Po, as well as Yu. Shifu didn't seem to understand, while Alf snorted at the panda.

"That never happened…" Alf groaned.

"Mr. Weewee says different…" Po again giggled, as his entire table (sans Shifu) began snickering as well.

"Objection," Chung broke in. "Master Po, could you explain who is this Mr. Wee - "

"It's an inside joke by the Scrolls…" the panda sighed, realizing all of this was just inevitably delaying the process.

Chung stared hard at Alf. "Mr. Ping - I am getting the impression that you and your compatriots are not taking these charges - or this process - seriously."

Hushed agreement came in the form of whispers and head nods from the surrounding crowd of citizens.

"That's because we don't," Alf honestly reported. "Like you said - we've done this 189 times. Every time you bring some random-ass charge against me… then we have to waste a few hours of our lives, every week at least - answering to some dumbass bureaucrats who - "

Outbursts of anger from the crowd, as well as Grandmaster Wei Ling - who stood up and started unsheathing an axe behind his back. Chung managed to calm them all down again with more hand motions, addressing the Seeker with a deadly finality in her voice.

"Meeting adjourned. Your follow up trial will be in a week."

"What a surprise…" Alf noted, having completely predicted this. "Can't say I'm lookin' forward to it…"

BANG.

And with the sound of gavel hitting wood, the meeting was over like that.

Not that the decision was unanimously loved. The crowd slowly pooled off their seats and onto the grand chamber floor - striding across large stretched of pale wood while most citizens took the chance to give Alf a last, dirty stare. The exits were opened as voluminous sunlight came crashing in through the gates, signaling noontime.

Alf was disappointed that he had missed lunch for this. He waited for the packed crowd and three judges to slowly exit out their grand amphitheater, watching the other table situated a bit farther from him with the Five, Yu, Po, and Shifu waiting in similar reasoning.

"Mr. Ping, Soo Lin here from Chinese Daily," a large female jackal let out, staring at Alf close to his podium - unmoved by the crowd exiting.

"Yeah Soo Lin - I don't really do interviews, alright?" Alf groaned.

"It's not an interview sir," Soo Lin corrected, walking closer whilst talking louder to speak over the sound of three hundred citizens shuffling out of a grand hall. "We represent a unique think tank of free intellectuals who are morally outraged by the treatment of Seekers in our society…"

"So you're some kinda new age, hippy group, like half of the guys and gals in the Valley," Alf bemoaned. "Sorry, but you're gonna have to forgive the cynicism… I've dealt with scam artists who do similar things."

"I assure you, we only want to fight for your rights sir," Soo Lin assured with a smile. "Contact us at this address if you're interested."

The jackal handed him a small card, before disappearing into the crowd of citizens exiting the chamber. She was easily replaced by the rest of Alf's visitors - primarily, Yu, Po, the Five, and Shifu.

"Well that was probably the worst one yet," Yu acknowledged, planting a quick kiss on Alf's cheek before sighing. "189 of these damn things…"

"Really must wear on your self-esteem, huh Alf?" Viper indicated.

"To be repeatedly criminalized in the press and in media…" Crane continued.

"Meh, this is the New Valley of Peace now," Alf simply observed, smiling. "New age. Media-infused. Globalized. Who cares…"

"It all seemed to get worse after we took down Shen," Po recalled vividly. "Remember a month after Gongmen - we saw the Valley's first nightclub?!"

"I've been in there," Monkey grinned with a devilish smile. "Entertainment's not bad…"

"This Valley has become freaking the new Gongmen," Yu observed. "No privacy here anymore…"

"Pervert…" Mantis spat, addressing Monkey.

"Mantis, you were there with me…"

"Don't let Shifu hear any of you idiots," Tigress quickly corrected.

Alf watched the red panda in question, talking with the ever-present Jade Palace messenger - Zeng. He seemed anxious and worried, then proceeded to walk quickly towards the group - brushing past many citizens.

"We apparently have visitors at the Palace," Shifu noted. "We better hurry back."

"Who?" Po questioned.

"Some enormous lion, and a few of his entourage," Shifu stated. "It looks important. Hurry."

Shifu led the way, as a highly confused Five and Po followed behind him - moving with the crowd as they all sought to exit the courthouse. Alf and Yu stayed back a bit, relishing the privacy of being in a crowd - yet feeling completely separate.

"You know, I'm just glad the courts haven't called up Zhong yet," Yu affirmed. "Can you imagine the - "

"None of our buddies at the Jade Palace like him," Alf observed. "The courts would rip him to shreds in testimonies and character assassinations - considering his - history."

Yu frowned. "It was a brave move for him, you know? Coming here after everything that happened in Gongmen… and then living at the Palace…"

"Been two years since then," Alf sighed. "Everyone still freakin' hates him… it's a miracle Shifu's even allowing him to stay there…"

"His birthday's today, yanno?" Yu emphasized. "We should do something nice for a change for him."

"Yeah… we should…"

Alf turned to follow the Five and Po now, who were a distance away and already beckoning him to follow close behind.

"Alf?"

"Yu?"

"Who was that jackal girl who was talking to you?"

Alf snickered, immediately thinking of a way to annoy Yu. "This thing we have - it's not an exclusive thing, right?"

Yu cackled in laughter, following his gait off the podium and into the disappearing crowd. "Dream on idiot - you don't have the balls to cheat on me…"

"She gave me her address…"

"Oh I'm sure Alf… I'm sure."

The Seeker grinned.


A/N

I think you can guess who the lion is. ;) (hint, it's the only lion I've ever mentioned in this fic)

WEEEEE FINALLY ON KFP 3! Long awaited! (hopefully)

Oogway and Omega know each other, surprise surprise. Yes, Omega's a Seeker - now as to what the "army" is - I hope the image is getting clearer… some major backstory is being implied here, that'll build up over KFP 3 - so enjoy speculations!

A long running theme is whenever I have a "time jump" - like 2 years since KFP 2 finished - I want to sorta transition smoothly, give a slow build up into how life has changed for our heroes since Shen. I jump into the action, of course - but over time you'll see a lot of the setting and overall thematic points have changed… I hope it feels like time has passed since the end of KFP 2! (2 weeks in real life, but let's just pretend 2 years in-fic!) So no, I haven't forgotten any plotlines from KFP 2… I'm just slowly taking my time with them!

In this chapter, it was important for me to show how the events of Gongmen significantly impacted KFP 3. You can't just show up with cannons, and introduce that into a world without there being consequences! The army forces and combat in China has changed, shifted more towards cannon warfare. The fact that Gongmen's events were so publicized - and so popular because it exposed Alf to the world - this meant that the Valley has changed!

Second, the continuing legend of the Jade Palace would realistically transform the place - no less a small sanctuary, but more like a huge tourist spot where people travel to meet their fav. heroes! It's no longer some random, bumf- town in the middle of nowhere - it's a haven of tourism, industrialization, and modern thought. I am unsure how historically accurate this is, but frankly none of my fic is accurate to anything so enjoy, hehe! The metaphor I'd like to use is that picture this - the Valley has turned into Gongmen 2.0. And considering all the crazy sh- Po and company did - the evolution of their home town is not all that surprising.

Thirdly, I wanted to advance the next stage of Alf's relationship with people. In KFP 1, everyone just hated him - in KFP 2, he was like this myth that people couldn't really confirm - in KFP 3, as we'll see - he's no longer some legend or story. He's real. And people deal with him the way I think real people do - esp. When dealing with prejudice - they try to screw him at every possible turn, hence the dirty tactics via courts and stuff. Important however, in every prejudiced society there ARE people who are more open-minded (like Soo Lin) - which will be a key theme moving forward. A LOT of this is drawn from historical parallels - and although I'm certainly the worst guy to do social commentary, I do think it adds a layer of fun (writing-wise) to the fic.

Point is, everything is connecting and everything's getting bigger and better. (I hope).

Your support sweetens my heart the way sugar sweetens drinks. :D

~TW

P.S: I'm going to get back to the 3k word chapters. 6k should really be reserved for opening/ending/major chapters - stuff in between can be less dense. :)