Chapter Nine- To Lift Our Spirits
Po lunged for the nearest elephant and panda punched him into the broken wall. The Ladies of the Shade and the Mongolian Fist Demon jumped in to attack. Song stayed behind and glared at the enemies standing with her allies.
"What are you doing here?" she snarled at Junjie.
"Song, now's not the time." Shifu said quickly. "I can't personally explain everything later!" They turned as Jiao-long knocked aside the Mongolian Fist Demon and advanced towards them. Jiao-long shot his hammer down, but it was quickly blocked by large wooden beam. Shifu looked up in surprise.
"Taotie?" he called.
The warthog nodded and thrust his machine's other arm into Jiao-long's, knocking off the spiked helmet. The rest of the Rebel Army charged, fighting off the elephants.
"Orders, sir?" Taotie called to Junjie.
The fox turned to Shifu. "What do you say?"
"We need to retreat." Shifu said reluctantly. "We can take out Jiao-long's men, but the machine is too much."
"We need a distraction." Song suggested. "So Jiao-long won't follow us."
Shifu noticed the Mongolian Fist Demon rise and grab a tree, uprooting it from the ground. Most of Jiao-long's men were knocked out. "I have an idea. Song, tell everyone that when Jiao-long's men are defeated, retreat. Junjie, Fenghuang, and Chao, stay with me to protect Jien." Song nodded and ran off. The twins joined her. Shifu ran up to the Mongolian Fist Demon and stopped him. The demon leaned down to the small master and listened to his plan. The demon seemed to understand, because he then started swinging his tree this way and that, knocking away Jiao-long's men. In moments, the elephants were out cold or knocked many yards away. Everyone began running into the forest.
"You can't escape me!" Jiao-long shouted. He aimed his crossbows. But before he could fire, his vision was shrouded with brown and green. He spit leaves out of his mouth and pushed branches away, realizing the Mongolian Fist Demon and thrown the tree into the machine. He used the hammer to knock it away, but the warriors had disappeared. Grumbling Jiao-long turned his machine around and went back to the castle. "Next time, for sure." He nodded to himself. "They will die."
Shifu, Chao, Fenghuang, and Junjie sprinted through the forest after their armies. The Mongolian Fist Demon trailed after them, gradually getting smaller.
"Well this has been fun." Junjie muttered.
"So much for our plan." Fenghuang added. "We'll have to start from scratch."
Chao skidded to a halt. "We?"
Everyone else stopped. Fenghuang frowned. "Of course. The Rebel Army's goal is to stop Jiao-long, just like you."
"What makes you think I'd believe that?" Chao demanded. "You almost got us killed!"
"We helped you fight off Jiao-long!" Junjie protested. "Now is not the time to fight; we're on your side."
"I don't trust you!" Chao snapped. "Not after what you did." He suddenly shifted into a fighting stance. "You can either leave now, or I can drop kick you to jail."
Fenghuang stood in front of Junjie and raised her wings, pointing her sharp feathers down at Chao. "Just try it."
Shifu and Junjie suddenly jumped between them. "Now stop it!" Shifu yelled. Chao and Fenghuang recoiled.
"Like it or not, we're going to have to work together!" Junjie snapped. "So here are your choices: go home, or shut up and listen to us so we aren't all killed by Jiao-long!" Chao and Fenghuang stared, but relaxed from their stances.
"Alright." Chao nodded. "Alright. So we're working together. Then let's get to our armies before they start attacking each other." They continued back to the camp of the Jade Palace Army. The Jade Palace and Rebel Armies were arguing, but not attacking….yet. Shifu, Chao, Junjie, Fenghuang, and the Mongolian Fist Demon approached them.
"Everyone settle down!" Chao ordered. "Whether we like it or not, we're on the same side, and we must work together to defeat Jiao-long once and for all!"
"Yeah right!" Mantis protested. "Give us one very good reason why we should!"
"How about this: Junjie is the reason I wasn't killed by Jiao-long." Shifu offered. Everyone went silent. Shifu explained to them everything: how Fenghuang, Su, Scorpion, Taotie, and Bian Zao saved him, asked for his help, kept him safe, everything. The only thing he left out was the whole Tri-Dragon of Death thing. At moment, it seemed too weird. When Shifu was finished, everyone was staring. The two armies exchanged looks.
"So what are we supposed to do?" Peng asked.
"The boy's right." Temutai nodded.
"I've never seen anything like Jiao-long's machine." Taotie added. "Just look what it did to mine!"
"We can't just keep attacking and then retreating." Crane said.
"It's getting embarrassing." Monkey nodded.
"With everyone here, we can go with a full-scale attack!" Scorpion suggested.
"Jiao-long will expect that." Jong said.
"We need something smarter." Song said. Everyone looked towards the generals of the armies.
Chao sighed. "The addition of this new machine is definitely a disadvantage."
"It's obviously powered by the Siren's Gem." Fenghuang said. "There's no way it can have that much power without it."
"Let's go over our plans." Shifu said. "We'll have to figure something out." He walked off to the main tent with Chao, Junjie, and Fenghuang following. The two armies lounged around, discouraged.
"What's the point of all this?" Fung asked hopelessly. "This Jiao-long guy will murder us!"
"I hate to say this." Po shook his head. "But Fung's right."
"We can't give up." Su said.
"It can't be that hopeless." Hundun encouraged. "Can it?"
"We've seen Jiao-long's machine ourselves." Bian Zao sighed. "It's big, scary, and made of metal."
"Its weaponry is pretty strong." Su added.
"And if it's being powered by this Siren's Gem thing, I don't see how we can beat it without its power source." Tong Fo nodded.
"Then we take out the Siren's Gem!" Song urged.
"But how?" Tigress asked. "We don't even know what it is." She sighed. "Let's face it: this may be a battle we can't win."
"You can't talk like that!" Po suddenly shouted. "Come on, look at us! The Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior! The Ladies of the Shade!" The dancers smiled a little. "The legendary Temutai and Jong Sung Jai Kai Chow and their warriors!" Temutai and Jong stood up a little straighter. "Fung, you and your bandits are a great help!" Fung didn't seem too enthusiastic."Dosu and Sai So, I'm still sore from the last time you guys beat me up!" The red mantis stood proudly. "And the Mongolian Fist Demon and Peng! Pure awesomeness!" The little blue demon growled happily and Peng smiled. "Lily, Ling, you're the best twins I know!" The panthers giggled. "We're the best warriors China has to offer!"
Po turned to the Rebel Army. "I know you guys are our enemies, but even I have to admit how strong you really are. Taotie, you're machines are amazing and strong!" Taotie smirked proudly. "Su, you were once the leader of the Ladies of the Shade! You could take me out in two seconds!" Su nodded teasingly. "Tong Fo, you're a pure genius!" Tong Fo shrugged humbly. "Scorpion, you honestly scare me!" Scorpion laughed. "Hundun, you aren't necessarily the smartest rhino I know, but you're definitely one of the strongest." Hundun frowned at first, but then smiled. "You guys saved Master Shifu's life. And I thank you for it.
"Don't you see?" Po called to everyone. "We're the best warriors in all of China! No stupid lizard is going to beat us!" He turned in the direction of Jiao-long's castle. "So just try and beat us you scaly freak of nature! We're the Rebel Army and the Jade Palace Army, led by Masters Shifu, Chao, Junjie, and Fenghuang! We're gonna take you down and you'll learn not to mess with us!"
There was silence. Po smiled triumphantly. For a moment, there was a tiny flame of hope.
"An inspiring speech." Song admitted. "But you're forgetting what Jiao-long has: the Siren's Gem."
Out went the proverbial flame of hope.
Any smile that was present disappeared. Song continued talking. "We can go in there and fight until we die, but Jiao-long will win. It even said so in the prophecy: the army will fall to Jiao-long. And then Jiao-long will go on to destroy China." Song swallowed the lump in her throat. "And we will all die, knowing we had failed in saving our home."
Everyone reluctantly nodded their heads in agreement. They began settling down into their thoughts of hopelessness. Po flopped down onto the ground, leaning against a tree. He started tapping on a rock near him; he tapped a bright and happy tune, but it was slow and lifeless. After a minute, Tigress growled.
"Panda, what are you doing?" She growled.
Po jumped a little. "Tapping….."
"Why?"
"I'm bored?" Po offered. "I don't know, I'm just-"
"Wait a minute." Ling piped up. She turned to Po. "Do that again; that tapping, but quicker." Po was confused, but started tapping his fingers on the rock. The song sounded upbeat.
"I know that song!" Ling said. "They play it at the bar all the time!" She grabbed a stick and broke it in half. She tossed the pieces to Po. "Play it again!" Po smiled a little and started playing the rock like a drum. Ling reached to her hips and took out her twin battle fans. She leaped into the air, did a flip, and landing lightly on the balls of her feet. Po caught on and kept playing. Ling waved her fans about, twisted and turned, and her feet glided across the ground, performing a beautiful dance. Lily smiled and took out her own fans, joining her sister's dance. Slowly, everyone turned and watched. Bian Zao climbed into his father's machine and came out with pipa*, strumming it. Monkey broke another stick and tapped the pieces on the axe on Taotie's machine. The combined noises raised into upbeat and joyful music that Lily and Ling began dancing to. At times, Ling would cast a seductive smile, making the male population of the two armies drool. One by one, the members of the armies began to smile and laugh. The tiny flame of hope had been rekindled and flamed brighter.
Confused by the noise, Shifu, Chao, Junjie, and Fenghuang walked out of their tent.
"They're insane." Junjie shook his head. The four of them journeyed over to the group.
"What are you two doing?" Chao asked Lily and Ling, who were still dancing. The Ladies of the Shade had joined in with their parasols.
"We're lifting our spirits." Ling replied.
"With beautiful dancing." Lily finished.
"Care to join us?" Ling asked.
"I hear you're quite the dancer, Shifu." Lily smirked.
"Not in the least." Shifu said dully.
Ling flipped into the air and landed in a split position in front of the masters. "Don't make me force you….." She teased.
"Touch me and you die." Shifu growled. Ling shrugged and twirled away. "Can you believe them?"
"It's a way to raise their spirits." Junjie shrugged. "Can't blame them. Fenghuang used to be a pretty good dancer, right Fenghuang?" No answer. Suddenly, the owl was spotted high above them, flipping and twirling before landing between Lily and Ling.
"Whoever said I used to be good?" Fenghuang smirked. She began dancing with the panther twins, flying into the air and performing acrobatic feats. Lily and Ling would jump after her, using their fans to flutter to the ground like birds.
"Amazing." Chao breathed. Siren would've loved this.
The music got faster and swelled in sound. The Ladies of the Shade, including Song and Su, created a pyramid with their parasols. Lily and Ling each gave huge leaps and landed on the top. Fenghuang flew round and round the pyramid before landing on the top in the grand finale.
Po finished his drumming and threw his makeshift drumsticks into the air. Unfortunately, one flew towards the pyramid and hit a Lady of the Shade. She fell, and the unbalanced pyramid followed. Fenghuang flapped her wings to stay in the air, but all the female cats that made the pyramid fell in a heap on the ground. Bian Zao and Monkey stopped their playing and everyone stared. They expected the cats to shout or attack the Dragon Warrior.
Then, Lily and Ling began to laugh. The Ladies of the Shade giggled and soon joined laughing; so did the rest of the armies.
"That was so fun!" Lily cried happily.
"Let's do it again!" Ling clapped. The army cheered encouragingly.
"Hey Po!" Song tossed the panda his makeshift drumsticks. "Try to not throw those again, huh?" Everyone laughed. Bian Zao, Po, and Monkey started playing again. The cats danced once more. Fenghuang flew down to Shifu, Junjie, and Chao.
"She's right." The owl nodded. "That was fun."
"And it lifted everyone's spirits." Junjie noted. "Everyone's so happy now."
Chao smiled. "Ren would've loved to see this."
Shifu and Junjie nodded, remembering Chao's wife. Then, Shifu felt something ice cold on his chest. He reached into his collar and touched the golden locket Chao had given him. Instantly, multiple visions flooded his eyesight. The Jade Palace and Rebel Armies fighting Jiao-long's men; the black and the white dragons battling in the sky: Jiao-long and Chao clashing together, both with swords in hand; him, Junjie, and Fenghuang in fighting stances, their marks glowing. The last vision was a young girl with black hair and pale skin standing on a mountain. She turned to Shifu and stared at him with her piercing green eyes.
"You promised." She whispered.
The visions faded. Shifu panted a little, startled by the visions. Junjie turned to him.
"Something wrong?" he asked. Fenghuang turned as well, just as Shifu spun around and ran to the main tent. Junjie and Fenghuang were right behind him. Shifu ran in and saw Jien sitting in a lotus position, breathing evenly. His wounds had been dressed and he had been well rested. Shifu bowed to him.
"I'm sorry to disturb your meditation, but I have something to ask you." Shifu said quickly. Junjie and Fenghuang stood behind him.
Jien opened his eyes and smiled at Shifu. "What is your question?"
Shifu glared a little. "What, or rather, who is the Siren's Gem?"
*A pipa is like the guitar thing Po played in the episode Big Bro Po.