Chapter 6 Leo's Training Begin
Leo opens his eyes as he let out long yawn. He sat up, rubbing his right hand. "Man..." Leo muttered, staring at the spot where Ben stood last night. The teen couldn't help but wonder if Tigress and the others have reach the bridge by then. But was it right for him to let them go or stop them? Shaking his head, Leo left the room to have breakfast in the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen, he can see Po sitting at the table eating rice.
"Good morning, Po." Leo said.
"Morning, Leo." Po said. "I got you a plate of rice for you."
"Thank you." Leo said, sitting down next to the panda."
After they were finished eating, Leo picks up their dishes. "I'll wash the dishes." Leo said.
Po nodded and left the kitchen. It didn't take long to wash the dishes as Leo went to the training hall. He stood in the middle of the room. Leo took out his IPhone and puts on My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up) by the Fall Out Boys. Leo took a deep breath as he was remembering the moves from Tigress. It caused him to feel a power rising within him as the beat came in, but it also reminds him of his past. Leo lunges forward at the spike dummies, attacking them with ease. He blocks each attack and jumps backward on the moving pillars. With two spike rings coming in, Leo grabs one of them and lets go as he flew towards the door, with his back turned.
He turns around to see the panda and Shifu surprised. Leo turns the music off.
"How did you do all that?" Shifu asked. "Those moves are advanced and you have never tried to do this yesterday."
"I've studied a little bit of Tiger style with Master Lee." Leo said. "The song reminded me of my past."
"Gather your things." Shifu said. "You, Po and I are going to a special place."
Leo nodded and left the room to grab his stuff. After getting his clothes and his diamond storm, Leo met Po and Shifu outside the barracks. Shifu led them away from the Jade Palace and the Valley Of Peace. As Leo was walking behind Shifu and in front of Po, he looks over his shoulder to admire the view at the valley.
They continue to climb on the side of the mountain on a trail until Po spoke. "I know you're trying to be all mystical and Kung Fuey, but could you at least tell us where we're going?" Po asked.
After walking for two hours, Shifu sat down and began to meditate next to a pool of water. Leo set his stuff down as Po fell on his side and takes the bag off next to Shifu. He crawls to the small pool. "You drag me all the way out here for a bath?" Po panted. Po puts his paw in the water and brought it to his arm pits.
"Panda, we do not wash our pits in the Pool Of Sacred Tears." Shifu said.
"The Pool of..."Po gasps as Shifu walks past him.
"This is where Oogway discovered the harmony and focus." Shifu said. "This is the birthplace of Kung Fu."
The panda felt like he was having a heart attack as the fog clears up. Shifu jumps onto a tall rock, looking down at them. "Do you want to learn Kung Fu?" he asks.
"Yeah!" Po cheered.
Leo simply nodded.
"Then I am your master." Shifu said.
"Okay." Po said. He look like he was about to cry.
"Don't cry." Shifu said.
"Okay." Po said.
Shifu led them father into the mountain, upon entering a grassy field. Shifu stands on the rock, staring at Po and Leo. "When you focus on kung fu, when you concentrate, you stink." Shifu said. "Perhaps that is my fault. I cannot train you the way I have trained the Five. I now see that the way to get through to you is with this." He takes out a bowl of dumplings.
"Oh, great." Po sighed happily. "Cause I am hungry."
"Ha ha." Shifu chuckled. "Good. When you have been trained, you may eat." He stares at Leo. "It seems you have the same strength of Tigress. I can tell you have the instincts of a tiger. The moves and the song must've made you to remind what happen in the past."
"I know." Leo said.
"Let us begin." Shifu said, eating a dumpling and walking away.
Po and Leo's training began for the first three days and nights with small amounts of sleep. They went through many sessions that includes sit-ups on branches, sneak attacks, holding food away from Po, doing push-ups over coal and balancing on mountains in flexible ways. But Leo did have a difficult time remembering the forms and Shifu was patient. When Leo got the forms and the moves right, Po cheered as Shifu smiled, nodding his head.
Their training was complete as the third day rolls in. Leo climbs down the tree and landed on all four before standing up. He notices the bowl of dumplings have been eaten and looks behind him to see a single chopstick sticking to a tree. The past three days were amazing. On cue, he ducks down and did a backflip, landing several feet away from Shifu's bamboo sneak attack. Leo engages Shifu by swinging his diamond sword at the master. Shifu chuckled as he blocks the sword with his hands. Leo did a quick axe kick until it was block by Po's foot. Shifu moved quickly and knocks the diamond sword out of Leo's hand. Leo did a side kick to Po's stomach, leaving him wide open. Shifu sweep Leo's foot as he jumps underneath Leo and sent several kicks to his back. Leo grunted a bit as Po grabs his foot and threw him over his head. He runs toward Leo to attack. Leo knocks Po's hand away with his arm before doing a spinning back kick at the panda's stomach. He rolled over the panda's back and jumps high into the air and punches Shifu's fist with his own. As Leo landed in front of Shifu, Shifu stands in place as Po walks past him up to Leo.
Leo bowed to his master. "Master." Leo said.
Shifu smiles at him and bows to his student. With their training finished, they gathered their things and head down the mountain back to the Jade Palace. "You have done well, Panda." Shifu said entering the courtyard.
"Done well?" Po asked. "Done well? I've done awesome!" Po hits Shifu with his belly.
"The mark of a true hero is humility." Shifu said. "Yes, you have done awesome." He hits Po's stomach as the two of them chuckled.
As they were near the steps, they can hear a flapping sound. Po, Shifu and Leo turns around and watches in shock as Crane crashes on the ground, dropping his four friends. Po begins to freak out as he was staring at him.
"We were no match for his nerve attack..." Crane said to Shifu, panting.
Shifu walks over to Mantis. "He's gotten stronger." Shifu said, beginning to undo the nerve attack.
"Who?" Po asked worried. "Tai Lung? Stronger?"
Shifu walks over to Monkey and undo the nerve attack.
Leo walks over to Tigress and knelt down next to her. She was badly hurt than most of them.
"Gah!" Tigress gasps. She looks at Shifu. "I thought we could stop them." Tigress tells Shifu.
"All you alright, Tigress?" Leo asks her. "You look banged up."
"Don't worry about me." Tigress said, trying to get up. "We don't die easily. We're the Furious Five."
She tries to get up but fell on the ground sideways. Leo helps her to get on her knees.
"You can defeat him, panda." Shifu said, looking up at Po.
"Are you kidding?" Po asked. "If they can't? They're five masters. I'm just me. Leo..."
Leo knew where Po was going with this. He trained with Po and Shifu for only three days.
"But you two will have the one thing that no one else will have." Shifu said. "Come with me."
The Furious Five, Po and Leo follows Shifu into the Hall of Heroes. "You really think we're ready?" Po asks Shifu, looking at him.
"Yes, Po." Shifu said, looking back at him and Leo. He turns around and walks over to the painting of Oogway and picks up his master's staff.
Shifu walks to the edge of the pool, looking up at the golden dragon in the ceiling. He began to use swift movements to pick up the blossom leaves from the water's surface. Shifu controls the wind and the blossom leaves floats to the ceiling. One leaf gently lands on the edge of the scroll and the scroll fell sideways. Shifu outstretches the staff as the scroll landed on the staff, creating a single ripple of the surface. Po and Leo took a couple steps as Shifu turns around with the Dragon Scroll in hand. "Leo." Shifu said. "Your sword."
Leo looked a bit confused as he handed his weapon. Shifu turns the weapon around and opens a small compartment. He takes something out and closed. "Behold the Dragon Scroll." Shifu said. "And the Eye Of The Tiger." He opens his hand as a small round orange-black-white crystal laid in his palm. "These are yours."
"Wait." Po said. "What happens when I read it?"
"No one knows." Shifu said. "But legend says you will able to hear a butterfly's wingbeat."
"Really?" Po asked amazed. "That's cool."
Tigress notices Leo staring at the crystal in Shifu's palm.
"It can't... be..." Leo said, slowly shaking his head. "Master Zen destroyed the crystal that night."
Shifu shook his head. "No." Shifu said. "The crystal Zen destroyed was a fake the night he died. Zen hid the real crystal inside the diamond sword."
Tigress walks behind Leo.
"When Zhao was sent to prison, Zen knew he would come back one day." Shifu explains. "It was their decision to hide the Eye Of The Tiger inside the diamond sword in case Zhao breaks out of prison. They chose you to protect the crystal without ever suspecting it."
"But why didn't they tell me?" Leo asked.
"Zen knew Zhao will find it by any means necessary." Shifu explains. "Your master decided to hide the truth so that by destroying the fake crystal would convince Zhao that he can not have it." Shifu hands the crystal in Leo's palm.
Leo's breath became more slowly as he stares the crystal in his palm. He couldn't believe that the crystal was safe, let alone it was in the diamond sword all this time. With the crystal in his hand, Leo can hear the screams of people and the roars of tigers.
Shifu opens the cap on the scroll and hands the scroll to Po.
"I probably loosen it up for you though." Po muttered, taking the scroll out of its container. He took a deep breath as everyone was watching him. As Po opens the scroll, he screams. "AAAAHH!" Po screamed terrified.
The Furious Five gasps.
Po stops screaming, looking at the scroll. "It's blank." Po said, looking up at Shifu.
"What?" Shifu asked confused.
"Here, look." Po said, lowering the scroll in Shifu's face.
"No." Shifu said, turning around. "I am forbidden to look upon..." He snatches the scroll from Po's hands, opening and closing the scroll. "Blank..." Shifu said, looking up from the scroll before he looks up to his students. "I don't... I don't understand."
"Okay." Po said. "So, like, Oogway was just a crazy old turtle after all."
"No." Shifu said. "Oogway was wiser than us all."
"Oh, come on!" Po complains. "Face it, he picked me by accident. Of course I'm not the Dragon Warrior." He sat down on the floor. "Who am I kidding?"
"What about Leo?" Mantis suggested.
Leo shook his head as he turns his head over. "I only had three days of training with Shifu." Leo said. "My master has said that the crystal holds a mysterious power that has the strength of tigers and the instincts. If Zhao gets ahold of this, everyone will be killed."
"But who will stop Tai Lung and Zhao?" Tigress asked.
"Tai Lung will destroy everything and Zhao will kill everyone." Crane said.
Shifu has said nothing, gazing at his reflection as he close the cap on the scroll. "No." Shifu said, turning around to look at them. He hands the scroll back to Po. "Evacuate the valley. You must protect the villagers from their rage."
"What about you, Master?" Tigress asks him.
"I will fight Tai Lung." Shifu said.
"What?" Po gasps.
"I can hold him off long enough for everyone to escape." Shifu said.
"But Shifu." Po said. "He'll kill you."
Shifu turns around to face Po. "Then I have finally paid for my mistake." Shifu said sadly. "Listen to me, all of you. It is time for you to continue your journey without me. I am very proud to have been you master." Shifu bowed to his students as his students bowed back.
"What about Zhao, Master?" Viper asks.
"Zhao is only after the crystal." Leo said. "We'll see what happens."
With that said, Leo and Tigress passes Viper, Monkey and Mantis as Crane pulls Po away with him. Leo opens the doors as they all left Shifu. He puts the crystal back inside the sword and stops as they walk past him. If the crystal stays with Leo, the villagers will be killed. Zhao never did care for the safety of others. Leo has seen what happen in the past. He didn't want to see everyone die, especially Tigress.
"Are you coming?" Crane asked, walking back to him with Viper.
"You guys go on ahead." Leo said. "I'm going to get my stuff. I'll meet you down there."
"Don't take too long." Viper said turning around.
Leo sighed as he heads back to the barracks.
Now having to learn the truth, they prepare themselves to leave the valley. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to leave a review!