"The Choices We Make"
As it turned out, the Jade Palace's mysterious guest was even more mysterious than he had let on.
The two wolves that accompanied him were pretty much impossible to talk to, so they were quickly dumped as a source of useful information. Wang the lion however - was every bit as pleasant and gracious as his demeanor suggested. He would fix and prepare his own breakfast, make brief small talk with whoever was in proximity to him - then sit in the Palace's guest room all day with his wolf companions while the Five, Po, and Alf trained. Compared to the look of Wang's gargantuan body and hard, muscled frame - he had a strangely disarming personality. Thus, everyone was eager to see the lion show off his skills in a training session - and had in fact, invited him numerous times to one - but Wang had gently refused, and had retreated back to the guest room. Interestingly, Shifu would approach and talk at length in his room - but this was never revealed by the old Grandmaster, and his students knew better than to intrude on something seemingly confidential. If there was a need for everyone to know - Shifu would tell. Everyone was guessing that the ambiguous "threat" that Wang had been referencing - hadn't come up yet in conversation. Noticeably however, Shifu had always looked quite "spooked" - as Monkey had put it many times - once walking out of Wang's room, at times appearing shocked beyond belief. Again however, Po had assured everyone that if Shifu wanted to tell them something - he would.
The real issue was Tigress' persistent silence when interrogated by the rest of the Five, Po, Yu, and even Zeng on her previous relationship with the enormous lion. Every time in breakfast or lunch, or even sometimes if someone was brave enough to step into her room - and proceed to fire off questions on their previous relationship - Tigress would either change the conversation, or punch away her interrogator with a nonchalant swipe of her paw. In many ways, she was acting even more closed off than usual - which was particularly frustrating for the panda, whose obvious and blatant jealousy over the significantly older, more powerfully-built lion was beginning to bleed through in every conversation. It was notable that Tigress had shown absolutely no interest in Wang since he had arrived - yet the lion himself had gone out of his way to show her extra courtesy, complete with long smiles and occasional winks.
And on another normal day, with Shifu overlooking everyone in the Training Hall perform sparring sessions with each other - Wang had made a surprise cameo, beckoning Tigress to the side as she groaned - eventually only acquiescing to the demand because of Shifu's insistence. No one complained however, seeing as taking Tigress out of a sparring session meant that the whole thing would be a lot less one-sided. Exceptions existed: Po watched in anger as Wang and Tigress went off to the back wall of the Training Hall, watching from a distance as sparring took place between Alf, the panda, and the rest of the Five in the center of the Hall as Shifu looked on.
"I can't even convey how glad I am to run into you again," Wang offered gently, smiling at Tigress. "I thought we'd never meet again."
"You totally overstated how much we knew each other," Tigress forced, watching Mantis soundly flip Po over and slam him onto the ground. "We knew each other at Bao Gu - that's all."
"We had a splendid date too at the orphanage," Wang reminded her, grinning sheepishly as he watched Viper pelt Monkey into the air.
"We were barely six…" Tigress growled. "... that doesn't count. And you left before I got adopted…"
"Awww…" Wang vocalized, mocking her. "Is that why you're mad - because I left a girl hanging?"
Crane spun into the air, slamming down on Viper's tail to force a tap from her.
"I'm mad because you keep acting like we know each other - we don't," Tigress firmly assured. "You got adopted by some creepy cult before we could even start to know each other."
Tigress ran a sarcastic eye over Wang's towering frame. "And they apparently injected you with some magic, super-grower potion - or something. You were a runt at the orphanage."
Wang smiled, wincing as Monkey struggled to fight off Mantis and Po by himself. "Yanno after all these years - I still love it."
"Love what?" Tigress forced, annoyed.
"Love your icy, prickly, don't talk to me attitude," Wang noted. "Nothing more attractive about a woman than the feeling that she could knock you out."
"Maybe you should take the hint," Tigress spat back, smirking.
Alf had begun sparring now, immediately engaging with Po first at the center of the Training Hall. Shifu as usual - preemptively kept his finger on the device, the button - the one that could instantly send the Seeker into spasming bouts of pain when he wanted.
"Anyway, ancient history is not why I pulled you aside," Wang recalled, watching the sparring session with much more interest now. "My real concern is with your Seeker friend over there."
"What, Angelina?" Tigress laughed, smirk coming even more strongly now. "What in the Scrolls could you want with her?"
Alf flipped the panda over his back, swiveling around to kick him ferociously - the panda flew out of the small, painted red circle to land flat on his back near Shifu.
"I wasn't kidding once I mentioned the existence of a threat about to touch our world," Wang reinitiated. "It's strong. Powerful. More dangerous than anything our - our organization can stop alone."
"What, your creepy cult?" Tigress affirmed, grinning as next Mantis and Viper tried to engage Alf, two on one. "Yeah, I can't see how - "
"I'm part of a legitimate international group," Wang forced, sighing as Alf did a split-kick to knock both masters out of the ring. "My predecessors talked with Oogway! We were watching when Tai Lung ransacked the Valley! We kept watch on Shen…"
"Funny, I don't seem to remember getting any help from you or your stupid cult when all of that stuff was going down," Tigress emphasized, as Monkey got into the ring with Alf. "Very legitimate indeed…"
"We only interfere for the big stuff," Wang stated casually.
"Tai Lung wasn't big enough?" Tigress spat, angered now. "Shen and his army of death cannons wasn't big enough?"
"Your team quite handily defeated both threats, as I recall," Wang countered, surprised as Alf elegantly swung to the side and spin-kicked Monkey into the ground. "You didn't need the Yongshi's help."
"And what - we need you guys this time around?" Tigress asked, again smiling in pride as Alf did a double punch inspired by her own Double Dragon Strike on Monkey. "No thanks. Whatever the stupid threat you keep talking about - we can take it. Alone."
Alf handily punched Monkey off his feet. Groaning, Shifu ordered the combined efforts of Crane, Monkey, Viper, and Mantis - basically the rest of the Five - to begin sparring with the Seeker.
"Not this one," Wang noted sadly. "To be honest - I don't even know if our combined efforts will be enough."
"Can you drop the vague, mystical nonsense and just say it?" Tigress growled, annoyed. "What are we up against?"
Wang sighed, watching Alf defend skillfully against several combined attacks and kicks. "A - A Seeker army."
The words hung on Tigress' ears, confusing her. Alf continued the spar, finding it difficult to repel all their attacks at once.
"ACCURACY OVER SPEED ANABELLE!" Tigress roared, irritated with Alf's apparently "poor" performance. "DON'T MAKE MY TRAINING METHODS LOOK BAD!"
Perhaps in fear of sparring with Tigress herself, Alf fought harder - managing to score a few punches against Crane and Monkey, although Mantis and Viper were still giving him trouble. Shifu waved Po into the mix, as the panda began a furious spar against Alf as well.
"The Seekers are dead," Tigress concluded confidently. "All except for Agatha, of course…"
"Whatever this girls' names joke is, drop it now," Wang forced, a bit angered now. "This is serious."
"And I'm seriously telling you," Tigress insisted, annoying herself now - as Alf spun Po around like a bat. "There are no Seekers left, except for ours - is that what you've been scaring Shifu with? A Seeker army coming to invade our world…"
"No, I've been telling him about Kai," Wang corrected, a bit curious as Alf managed to jump over Po's back, swiveling some more. "An old - but evil - friend of Oogway's."
"Kai?" Tigress asked, confused. "Never heard of him."
"Apparently neither has Shifu," Wang noted. "But the Yongshi has been tracking this threat for a time - it seems like one of the Seekers has sent this Kai down to our world."
"Heh," Tigress let out, clearly not taking this seriously. "And how powerful is this - Kai?"
"Very much so," Wang enforced. "He's been given many of his powers from the Seekers. And, with his mastery of chi… he would need the combined forces of the Yongshi and the Jade Palace to defeat him."
"Great story," Tigress cut across casually. "I still don't believe a word you say."
Alf spun around, jumping into the air to engage Crane and Monkey. He grabbed both, barreling down to the ground to send a small shockwave across the red circle, stumbling all the masters back.
Tigress grinned in pride. "I taught him that, ha!"
Wang watched the lengthy spar continue. "Listen Tigress - we don't have much time. By the Yongshi's predictions - Kai will reach here very soon. And in a year or so - the Seekers will arrive on our world."
"And do you have any proof of all this mystical garbage?" Tigress forced, sneering. "Anything other than the Yongshi said so, Oogway said so, my left ear told my right ear…"
"I can show you and your friends all the proof, the research, and all the work the Yongshi have been doing - in tracking this threat," Wang noted, tone suddenly grave. "Trust me - you won't deny it once we tell you."
Mantis powerfully slammed Alf into the ground, as the rest of the masters and Po proceeded to savagely begin kicking him on the ground. As Shifu would have it - sparring was to go as hard as possible.
"Let's say I believe your crazy story about the Seekers and about this weird Kai," Tigress emphasized. "What does any of that have to do with Alf?"
"The Yongshi need him," Wang simply stated. "We need him - as soon as possible - to come with us."
"Come with you and your creepy cult?" Tigres queried in suspicion. "Heh - you've got a better chance of getting my father to give out chocolates..."
"I beg to differ," Wang rejected, confident in his assumptions. "I think this boy knows all too well the reality of his situation here. Convincing him shouldn't be hard..."
"What reality?!" Tigress roared back, voice threatening to break past the whisper tone they both had been maintaining up until now.
Alf spun around on his hands, kicking all masters powerfully out of the ring. Shifu growled, ordering the masters and Po to get back into the ring immediately. The sparring session commenced, but already Alf had gotten the upper hand - already disabling Mantis straight away with a punch, then proceeding to out-spar the other three masters - and even Po.
"Look at him," Wang supported, a bit in awe as Alf skillfully began winning the exchanges against five simultaneously, omni-directionally attacking masters.
"He's well-trained," Tigress corrected, a bit of pride again slipping through. "You should be going after me, by that logic."
"No…" Wang refused, shaking his head as Alf jumped over all the masters and begun another fierce fight. "... his speed, his athleticism, the power… you can't train that. He's been different from day one, hasn't he?"
"No," Tigress firmly denied, albeit a bit unsure of her answer. "I - I don't know. Maybe."
"Precisely the problem!" Wang emphasized. "From what I can see - Shifu underfeeds him. The Valley and most of China despises him. He sleeps next to the sewer line of the Valley, for Scrolls' sake… and yet…"
Alf punched powerfully, launching Monkey into Crane - both masters flew out of the ring. He spun to his right, kick simply too fast for Viper and Mantis to react - they smashed into Po, forcing all three masters out of the ring.
Shifu, growing increasingly upset with all of this - immediately turned on the button.
Everyone's faces - even Wang's - molded into quiet sadness.
Alf cried in pain. The blue sparks came back, bursting from his collar.
He rolled on the floor, begging for mercy.
Shifu watched him in agony for a bit.
Then some more.
Then only when Alf seemed just at the tip of losing consciousness - Shifu turned the collar off by releasing his finger off the button.
Alf stopped squirming, blue sparks gone. He merely shook in the center of the ring.
"Again," Shifu silently commanded. "Don't go easy on the Seeker this time."
The rest of the Five and Po shrugged, waiting for Alf to get up before proceeding back into the ring.
And just like that - the spar continued.
Like it was routine.
"...and yet," Wang recognized, shocked as Alf still managed to spar evenly with everyone else. "The boy's grown quite strong... "
"Not stronger than me," Tigress confidently noted, smiling as Alf kept up a good fight.
"For now," Wang emphasized. "How long till you think that milestone will get broken? One month? One year? Three years?"
Tigress merely kept quiet.
"He's destined for more, Tigress," Wang offered. "Destined to do great things. Greater than just fighting Shifu's snow-leopard son, greater than fighting the peacock, or even fighting Kai… he's destined to help us stop the Seeker army just a year away from destroying our world..."
Tigress watched Alf - still very much a young boy in her eyes - effortlessly repeat one of many kicks she had taught him, as all five masters again launched out of the ring, Po's belly shielding most of his fall ironically.
And just then, Tigress noted that it wasn't that the rest of her comrades and Po were going "easy" on Alf…
...it was that he was just moving too fast for them.
His attacks were too forceful.
His technique was too damn good.
This wasn't the first time.
It had been happening for a while.
Shifu of course, repeated the button press as Alf began squirming - the rest of the Five and Po powerless to help.
"Look at the life he's leading here," Wang forced, watching in disgust as Alf writhed in pain on the floor as everyone looked on. "Constantly starved, tortured, hated, imprisoned by a society that doesn't understand his value… the Yongshi however, know exactly what he is."
"He's just a kid," Tigress countered, desperate to not see Alf this way.
In truth, a lot of her suspicions about Alf were being confirmed: it seemed every single sparring session she had with him - although she soundly won most exchanges - Alf was learning with every attempt.
The first time she had sparred with him, the day after his first "date" with the fox and the month they had come back from Gongmen...
...she had beaten him, without even trying.
Now, after two years of Alf training under her - he won at least once out of five rounds.
And although she would never admit it to him - she was fighting hard. Tigress usually went easier on any other opponent, even Shifu - but never Alf.
Every single time she had sparred with him, Tigress was fighting at maximum.
Maximum aggression. Maximum speed. Maximum skill.
As if she was fighting some reincarnated Tai Lung.
And yet, Alf always managed to win at least one round out of five.
And she was still training as hard as she possibly could in between their spars.
He was simply growing too fast to keep up with.
"This Valley…" Wang broke Tigress' monologue, happy to see Shifu finally release the button as he ordered the rest of the Five and Po to spar with Alf again. "... this country… maybe even this continent…"
"...it's just holding him back," Tigress noted, gradual realization slowly coming to her.
She didn't know why, but it felt a bit sad to admit that to herself. Tigress had always assumed that Alf was still the same fourteen-year old kid back at the Dragon Warrior Tournament, crying as Shifu pinned his arm against his back.
But reality was hitting hard. And so was Alf.
"At the end of the day, he will - and will forever be - a Seeker," Wang silently noted. "And as much as he would love to just blend in - it seems like he's rapidly approaching the point of no return. Exactly the point where the Yongshi can come and guide him..."
"Guide him into what?" Tigress asked in frustration.
"We can guide him to achieving his destiny," Wang simply retorted. "Perhaps the only chance our world has against the Seeker army - indeed, the only chance - must lie within that eighteen-year old boy. It must lie in his skills, his body, his past... none of which have been even remotely explored yet."
"You're saying..." Tigress started, staring at Alf's rapid sparring movements with interest. "... wait, what are you saying?"
Wang merely smiled.
Tigress fought against it. She couldn't see Alf as anything other than the "inexperienced newbie" - the eternal punchline, or perhaps more instinctually - just her begrudgingly subservient student.
"He's the only Seeker on our world," Wang reinforced with a grin. "Who has no idea why he's here, how he got here, or what happened to the rest of the Seekers... you really think he's destined for anything remotely close to an ordinary life?"
Tigress sighed, head hurting a bit now. "Why - why are you telling me all of this? Shouldn't you be talking to Alf?"
Wang watched the Seeker again - for the third time - successfully hold his own against five other masters. Po in particular was getting frustrated, fighting even more aggressively against Alf.
"Under Chinese law, Seekers aren't considered - unfortunately - living creatures," Wang stated sadly. "And as such, they fall under Chinese property law…"
"Property…" Tigress let out, disgusted.
"Well, anyway under property law…" Wang continued. "... possession and/or guardianship I suppose - retroactively falls on the eldest citizen with legal ties with the… property."
Tigress sighed. "Shifu. Of course… He's never gonna let Alf go with you guys… or even let Alf think about it, really…. "
She groaned even more, watching the red panda strictly observe Alf's sparring session - but Tigress was surprised to see Wang shake his head.
"No, not Shifu…" Wang corrected. "... if Shifu has informed me correctly, he transferred the title of the Seeker's master to someone else…"
Tigress got confused again.
Then shock ran through her.
Followed by an uncomfortable awkwardness.
"Me?" Tigress let out, shocked as Alf successfully kicked Po into the air as Crane managed to subdue the Seeker's arms. "No… no! I - I - I just train him! I don't do any - "
"Under Chinese law, training the Seeker qualifies as a legal tie to him," Wang concluded confidently. "Sorry if you're just now figuring this out."
Tigress didn't feel sorry - it felt disgusting.
Revulsive.
Owning another creature seemed - wrong.
She was shocked the law even allowed that.
She was even more apprehensive at where this dialogue was leading into.
"The Yongshi need a contract from you, signifying it's okay to - to transfer guardianship to us," Wang promised. "Trust me - it's the best move for his future. For his destiny. For helping us stop the Seeker army."
"What the hell can you and your stupid cult give him?" Tigress spat, an odd protectiveness shining through.
Wang huffed, as if the question seemed foolish. "An actual room. Good food. Better training. A life away - away from all the bigots of the world..."
Tigress was buying absolutely none of this - although Wang's confident demeanor was throwing her off. "You haven't talked to Alf yet, haven't you? That's why you're telling me."
Wang sighed. "Obviously if you're a reasonable person - you'll want to mention all of this to the Seeker - but just for your information - under law, we can repossess him as long we get your approval… his willing consent is a mere formality - although one we would obviously like to get from him."
Tigress held the words in her head, bouncing them around. Her gaze still fell on Alf, who was now deliberately fighting less hard to prevent himself from inevitably out sparring everyone - clearly trying to avoid Shifu's button presses. This sadly backfired, as Shifu immediately noted the reduced effort and with a few button presses and crackles of electricity - Alf was fighting at his fullest again.
Tigress definitely saw what Wang was saying.
Shifu. The Valley. The horrible food - and Alf's horrible room.
The courts. The trials. The new attention Alf was getting.
The vicious cycle.
Alf was caught in it.
He had been caught in it for five years.
And despite taking down Tai Lung, Shen, and countless enemies and bandits, saving an insane amount of citizens' lives - nothing had changed.
Alf's life in the Valley was just as horrible as it had been back at the Dragon Warrior Tournament.
"And what life could he lead with the Yongshi?" Tigress asked, weight of these realizations coming in waves.
Wang sensed that in some way, Tigress was just stalling for time, clearly too stressed to say anything definitive now. "A better one."
He didn't want to press her. "It is still yours - and ideally - the boy's choice."
Tigress nodded, agreeing with the huge lion.
"Just - just think about it - a lot rests on his shoulders… though he may not know it now," Wang emphasized. "And - and just think about the life you want him to have. If you're fine with having him shocked, underfed, pissed on in the court, and beaten up every second of his waking life…"
Alf continued the spar, magnificently somehow managing to keep up rapid movements as even the rest of the Five and Po were beginning to tire.
Tigress sighed.
"... then by all means, you both can reject my offer flat out," Wang admitted.
But then the lion had a knowing, but gentle smile flash at Tigress. "But if you care about him - even in the tiniest portion of that cold, beautiful heart… you'll think on it. Promise me that."
Wang stared straight into Tigress' normally ferocious amber eyes - taken aback by their relative softness now.
"Well, to be honest I don't care that much what happens to him," Tigress lied, trying to resume her usual standoffish and cold demeanor - but Wang saw right through this.
"Of course you don't," Wang grinned mockingly. "But you don't have to care about someone to have their best interests at heart."
Wang smiled, watching her amber eyes flicker gently in mild apprehension - perhaps even fear.
He turned to leave, walking out of the Training Hall double doors before a sudden instinct compelled him to turn back, staring at Tigress - who merely stood in place, dumbfounded at Wang. There was shock in her expression, assuredly at the revelations as Alf continued his hard spars, managing to again outstrike Mantis and Crane, and was rapidly approaching that point with Monkey, Viper, and Po. Shifu as per usual - seemed irritated by the Seekers' prodigious talent.
"He reminds me of you," Wang addressed to Tigress.
"Obviously," Tigress emphasized with a mild smile. "I've been training him."
"Apart from the training," Wang clarified, gazing at Alf spar even harder. "The ferocity. The heart. A lot more than just punching or kicking."
Tigress gave a sad, stressed nod at Wang as he finally turned to walk out of the doors. She kept up her confused, and utterly lost gaze at Alf - who was powerless to stop his superior fighting skills from bursting through.
"He is my student," Tigress finally whispered to herself, wondering when exactly the feeble boy she knew five years ago had been replaced by the young man fighting in front of her.
A/N
One long scene. Plenty of details. Plenty of foreshadowing. Plenty of symbolism. And I hope - some genuine emotions.
I'll just say this - this chapter is VERY important for KFP 3.
'Nuff said.
I wanted to tell that at some point - there will be a turning point in Alf's story. In his journey, so to speak. At some point - as SO MANY FANS have pointed out - has he ever thought about leaving the Valley behind? Has he ever thought about doing something else?
Well the previous two arcs (KFP 1 and KFP 2) I hope - served as great buildup to this one scene.
It was all just under the surface.
Now everything's turning.
The Choices We Make.
Hehe.
And next chapter will have some good action - so enjoy. :D
Support is fantabulous. LOL.
~TW
