Notes From The Underground

The Owl And The Panda Part 3

Po, now empowered by Fenghuang's chi, hit Ke-Pa in the chest, sending the dragon stumbling back a few feet.

"Omph!"

Ke-Pa looked down, noting that his armor had been slightly dented.

"You… you actually hurt me," Ke-Pa said softly but angrily.

Three spears appeared in three portals above Ke-Pa's head.

"No one hurts me!" Ke-Pa cried, launching the spears at Po.

The three spears struck Po dead in the chest as the dragon grinned.

"Po!" Tigress cried.

Ke-Pa's smile soon vanished as Po grabbed the three spears and yanked them out of his chest. The corrupted version of Fenghuang's chi that was now acting in place of or perhaps combined with his Hero's Chi instantly healed those wounds.

"What?!" Ke-Pa cried.

"Whoo! Go Po!" Lu Kang cheered.

Ke-Pa flew into the air and blasted Po instantly with an onslaught of green flames.

"I don't know what you've become and I don't care," Ke-Pa roared. "I promised you total annihilation, Dragon Master! And I will deliver on that promise!"

Finally, Ke-Pa stopped. On the ground was a crater with green flames surrounding the blast zone. To his great surprise, Ke-Pa saw that Po had not been incinerated. The panda's body continued to glow as Po roared. His body then began to transform, growing bigger and bigger. Soon, the thing that used to be Po had a body that resembled a monstrous bear, rather than the more chubby form of a panda.

"What did you do to him?" Ke-Pa turned his head to Fenghuang. "What did you do?!"

Even Fenghuang looked lost. She had not expected Po to transform into this.

Finally, Po raised his head. His face was ursine, with two black patches across his now-glowing eyes. However, his mouth had been replaced by a sharp owl's beak, filled with equally sharp teeth.

"Seriously, what did you do to Po?" Tigress looked at Fenghuang.

"I… I had no idea my chi would turn him into this," Fenghuang confessed. "Perhaps something about my chi was incompatible with his."

"Or maybe it was a little too compatible," Xiao pointed out.

At once, the savage owl-panda hybrid beast that was once Po leaped up at Ke-Pa who swerved to the side to avoid getting hit.

"I don't care what you call yourself," Ke-Pa told him. "I don't care what you turn into. I will annihilate every atom of your soul!"

The dragon knight raised his hand, summoning multiple lava blasts from the ground at were-owl Po who roared and weaved past all the lava bursts, instinctively knowing when to move.

"Try this!" Ke-Pa lifted several large chunks of rock from the ground into the air and hurled them at Po.

The savage owl-beast leaped past the rocks but this time, leaped onto some of the ones that were being telekinetically thrown at him, this time using them as stepping stones to reach Ke-Pa. By the time the dragon knight realized what he had done, Po pounced onto him, tackling him onto the ground.

Reacting quickly, Ke-Pa planted both feet under Po's stomach as his back hit the ground and flipped the savage owl/panda hybrid over.

As Po raised his head, Ke-Pa had opened several portals, all of them surrounding Po and all of them armed with various swords, spears, and sharp weapons.

Additionally, several smaller portals opened up closer to the savage beast as several chains emerged from those portals and wrapped Po up, tying him up from every angle.

"I give you a storm tempest of blades!" Ke-Pa roared. "Take that with you to the eternal grave!"

Every last sword flew out from the portal and struck Po from all sides.

Fenghuang noticed Tigress and the others wanting to go to Po's aid.

"Wait, he's not done yet," Fenghuang told them.

Suddenly, a purple light surrounded the impaled Po. With another devastating roar, Po got up, dislodging every blade stuck in his body in a huge burst of power and breaking the chains that had bound him.

"What are you?!" demanded Ke-Pa.

Now in a savage, bestial state, Po knew no other answer than to continue his assault. He opened his mouth and blasted Ke-Pa in the chest with a powerful chi burst, knocking the dragon down.

Ke-Pa was now the one in shock, realizing Po could not only hurt him but also attack him from a distance. Getting up, the dragon knight created two portals next to him and grabbed twin swords from both, going on the offensive.

Both Po and Ke-Pa charged at each other. Ke-Pa was the first to swing. Immediately, Po countered and slashed with his claws. Both sword and claws clanged against each other.

"I will NEVER fall to you!" Ke-Pa shouted, going faster and faster with each swing.

In turn, Po was keeping up with him, progressively amping up his own powerful slashes, blocking Ke-Pa's moves while going faster and faster. Something had to eventually give and finally, Po shattered one of the swords with a powerful blow. He followed up with a powerful strike across Ke-Pa's jaws that made the dragon knight dazed for a moment, causing him to drop his sword.

Ke-Pa quickly got his wits back and slashed were-owl Po across the chest, eliciting a yelp of pain.

Retaliating, Po slashed at Ke-Pa again with is claws but the dragon knight dodged and struck Po in the chin with an upper cut, sending him stumbling back.

"I've come too far to let it all fall apart!" Ke-Pa continued punching Po over and over again, raining devastating blow after blow on the savage hybrid beast.

Po looked to legitimately be hurting from the onslaught and this only made Ke-Pa happier.

"Having the title of Dragon Warrior does not make you a true dragon!" Ke-Pa punched Po hard enough, sending him flying into a boulder, destroying it completely.

Slowly, Po began to rise from the rubble.

"In this realm, I rule all spirits!" Ke-Pa created a giant ball of energy. "I have power over life and death! Now die!"

He hurled the ball of energy at Po.

For a moment, it looked like a small moment of clarity had crossed Po's eyes. Tigress recognized it as the moment where Po had re-directed Shen's cannons.

"Is he actually going to do it in this state?" Tigress stared in shock.

As if energized by pure muscle memory, the savage bestial werebeast briefly took a stance as the chi blast soared towards him. At once, Po caught the blast, re-directing it, and sending it back to Ke-Pa who was completely taken aback.

"No!" Ke-Pa cried.

The energy ball struck him, searing his armor. The ensuing explosion knocked him back, sending him skidding across the ground and molten lava.

"W-What was that?!" cried Ke-Pa.

Immediately Po leaped at him. Ke-Pa summoned more blades and telekinetically shot them at Po. Po deflected those swords with his massive paws, destroying some of them on contact.

"Stay away!" Ke-Pa cried, floating back as he summoned more portals to blast at Po with more weaponry.

Po moved in on him, growling savagely. Ke-Pa cupped both hands together, unleashing a powerful blast that seared everything in front of him.

However, after the smoke cleared, the giant werebeast that Po had become emerged from the smoke.

"This cannot be happening!" Ke-Pa cried, reaching into another portal that appeared next to his right arm.

Ke-Pa grabbed a sword and swung it at Po's head. The giant wereowl opened his jaws and caught the sword with his teeth.

"No!" Ke-Pa cried.

Po applied pressure with his powerful fangs and broke the sword, shattering it with only the slightest amount of pressure. A desperate Ke-Pa unleashed a powerful punch across Po's face, staggering him briefly. He swung again but this time Po caught his punch.

This time, Po bit down on Ke-Pa's shoulder, eliciting a scream of pain from the red dragon. Biting down hard, Po ripped Ke-Pa's left arm from his socket.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Ke-Pa screamed.

Po then knocked Ke-Pa to the ground, mauling him savagely. Desperately, Ke-Pa fought back.

"I swear upon the forces of darkness, I will never fall to you!" Ke-Pa swore angrily.

Ke-Pa then blasted Po in the face with another chi-blast but the were-owl creature only roared in anger and annoyance, as the dragon's power was fading. Po brought his skull down, head-butting Ke-Pa with enough force to make him stop his attack. Po then lifted Ke-Pa up into the air. He grabbed Ke-Pa's head with his other massive hand and began pulling as hard as he could.

"Stop!" Ke-Pa cried in pain. "I will not stand for—"

In an instant, Po ripped Ke-Pa's head from his shoulders, separating the dragon knight's helmeted head from his body completely. The armored body of Ke-Pa slid to the floor, now completely lifeless.

"That was savage," Tigress admitted.

At that point, Ke-Pa's body had gone limp. Po roared savagely, holding Ke-Pa's severed head in the air.

"Po, buddy," Lu Kang called out. "You still in there?"

The were-owl panda creature turned to his companions, throwing Ke-Pa's head aside and stomping towards them.

"I don't like the looks of this," Kang Zi got in front of his daughter.

"Fenghuang, you gave him your power," Xiao told her. "Now would be a good time to take it back."

"In my injured state, I'm not sure I can," Fenghuang admitted, limping back to her feet.

The savage, bestial Po with owl features got in front of the gang and roared savagely.

"Stop, Po!" Tigress got in front of him. "Remember why you came down here in the first place! You wanted answers to your dreams and you got them! Xiao, Kang Zi, and Lu Kang… you saved them from an endless cycle of misery in the afterlife!"

Po pause at seeing Tigress in front of him. It was as if he was recalling who she was.

"We once fought a spiritual battle in your mind against Master Ding," Tigress told him, walking towards Po slowly in a non-threatening manner. "And I can help you again."

At once, Tigress placed her hand on Po's head, allowing her own chi to flow into his. Finally, Po's eyes opened wide in realization.

Slowly but surely, Po calmed down, realizing what was going on. As the dark chi left him, his body shrunk down until he was back to his old self. In his hand, he held a purple ball of energy after having expelled Fenghuang's chi that had enabled him to defeat Ke-Pa.

"Wow, you cured him?" Xiao asked Tigress.

"I've been through this with Po before against a villain who could take over minds," Tigress replied. "These past few years, I've increased my mental chi training just in case this happened with Po again."

"Fenghuang, I believe this belongs to you," Po told her, handing it back.

Po leaned down and pushed the ball of energy back into Fenghuang's body the same way she did with his.

"I… thank you," Fenghuang told him.

"So is it over?" asked Xiao.

Tigress looked around. All the undead that Ke-Pa had summoned seemed to be in a state of non-movement. She theorized it was possible they were this way now because their leader had been defeated.

"It looks that way," Tigress glanced around the battlefield but noticed that they still didn't have a way to make it back to the world of the living.

Po looked over at Ke-Pa's fallen body and head.

"Whoa, did I do that?" Po asked.

"To be frank, yes," Lu Kang told him. "And to be even more frank, we were afraid you were going to do the same to us when Fenghuang turned you into some kind of were-owl monster."

"So what do we do now?" asked Kang Zi.

"Only one thing left now," Fenghuang flew towards the section of the temple that was still intact and picked up the Spirit Urn on display.

She opened up the jar, setting free the spirit of the real King Yama. Before long, a green energy emitted from the jar and soon, a giant elephant was shaking his head on the ground.

"H-How long was I in there?" King Yama exclaimed. "Fenghuang, is that you?"

"Yes, and it's thanks to the Dragon Master that you're free now," the owl told him.

King Yama looked around, realizing just how much damage Ke-Pa had done.

"Excuse me for one moment," King Yama told them.

Focusing intently, King Yama sat down in a meditation stance. Soon, a golden chi enveloped his body and engulfed the entire land around them, undoing the entire hellscape that Ke-Pa had created, bringing it back to normal. Before long, Po and his friends found themselves back in King Yama's normal palace.

King Yama then walked towards the fallen body of Ke-Pa and mystically removed the soul of the dragon from the lifeless husk. In his hands was the spirit of a tiny dragon that had once been Ke-Pa.

"No!" Ke-Pa's vengeful spirit howled in a squeaky voice. "You can't do this to me! I must have my vengeance! Against Po! Against the Jade Palace! You must all suffer!"

"That's enough out of you," King Yama opened up the Spirit Urn and placed Ke-Pa's soul inside.

"Something tells me life inside an urn isn't going to be the ideal life for Ke-Pa," Po smiled. "Maybe he and Jindiao can become pen pals."

"Dragon Master," King Yama finally sat down on his chair, relieved that he had been freed. "I must thank you for helping me regain control of this realm once again."

"Well, it was a team effort," Po smiled. "I couldn't have done it without my friends. And I really couldn't have done it without Fenghuang."

"Is everything back to its natural place, King Yama?" asked Fenghuang.

"Yes," the elephant nodded. "The villains that Ke-Pa freed are back in their cells and order has been restored once again."

"I got the closure down here I was looking for," Po told him. "But there's just one more thing I want to ask you, King Yama. Will Lu Kang, Xiao, and her father be able to return to the world of the living?"

"That dragon did say these three wouldn't be able to return without disappearing," Tigress pointed out.

King Yama looked down seriously for a second before answering.

"I'm afraid Ke-Pa was not lying," King Yama finally told them. "These spirits have been erased from history through cosmic doings that even I cannot undo. If you bring them back to the mortal realm, they will certainly disappear and enter into non-existence."

Lu Kang, Xiao, and Kang Zi looked crestfallen.

"Is… is there something we can do for them at least?" asked Po.

"As long as they do not leave the underworld, I believe they can still experience bliss in a place you're quite familiar with, Po," King Yama told them.

"Really?" asked Po. "Where?"

"It's a realm you've been to before," Yama told him. "I believe you're acquainted with Oogway and the spirit realm he inhabits."

"Whoa, really?" Po smiled.

"So there's a place for us after all?" asked Xiao.

"Hey, I'm good for anything at this point," Lu Kang agreed.

Po then recalled his students who had once also been friends with Xiao.

"Also King Yama," Po inquired. "Would it be possible for the living to visit the dead? Without traveling all the way down here, that is."

"You speak of the Four Constellations, yes?" King Yama smiled. "There is a way for them to be able to visit Xiao down here. And additionally, there is a way for you to also return and spend time with your friend Lu Kang."

"Sweet!" Po cried.

"Yeah, we can hang out again!" Lu Kang smiled, high-fiving Po.

"Take this," King Yama handed Po a scroll. "This will make your journey possible."

"Well guys," Po turned to Lu Kang, Xiao, and Kang Zi. "I didn't find a perfect solution. But is this okay with you?"

"We're in your debt for rescuing us and giving us some degree of closure," Kang Zi told him.

"Yeah, sorry for haunting you, Po," Lu Kang said. "Let's just say we weren't in our right minds at the time."

"We'll always remember what you've done for us, Po," Xiao told him in gratitude.

"Well guys," Po asked Fenghuang and Tigress. "You two ready to head back up?"

"About time," Fenghuang huffed, ruffling her feathers.

"Thank you King Yama," Po bowed before the lord of the underworld.

"There is one more thing I wish to impart to you before you leave," King Yama told the panda. "You see, I'm not just the lord of the underworld. I also specialize in prophecy and augury."

"What do you need me to do?" asked a puzzled Po.

"I know you're residing with your goose father out in the countryside," Yama told him. "For the time being, could you reside at the location for a bit longer?"

"Uh, sure," Po agreed. "Any particular reason?"

"You've had a lot of wonderful and spectacular adventures in China," Yama informed him. "However, I get the feeling destiny is about to take a different turn for you."

oooo

As Shifu and the other members of the Furious Five waited, the gates to Diyu finally opened as Po, Tigress, and Fenghuang emerged.

"So Po," asked Shifu. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"I did," Po told him. "And I got the closure I needed."

"Who was it that was haunting you from beyond the grave?" asked Viper.

"Let's just say they were old friends who were lost to time," Po told her. "But luckily, they've found new purpose and meaning again."

"So Po, I know it's been a long time since we've been together," Monkey reminded him. "Now that your mission is done, do you want to stay with us at the Jade Palace again?"

"I'd love to," Po told them. "But right now, that's not gonna be in the cards."

"You heading back to the panda village?" asked Mantis.

"Not that either," Po told everyone who was surprised. "I think I'm gonna stay in that countryside town with my dad for a while."

"Any particular reason?" asked Crane.

"Eh, no particular reason," Po smiled. "Just need some quiet time for a while so I can catch up on some better sleep."

"So, what would you have me do?" Fenghuang asked Po.

From what he could tell, it seemed like she was willing to turn herself for her past crimes.

"You know what?" Po told her. "I think you and I are square. On this journey, you've shown me that you've changed. You're redeemed in my eyes, Fenghuang."

"I can vouch for her," Tigress told Shifu and the others. "If it weren't for her help, we'd all be dead."

"You'd… you'd allow me a second chance?" Fenghuang asked, clearly touched by Po's reaction.

"You helped me and the other spirits find peace so yes," Po told her. "We don't have to be defined by the past. From here on out, you have the chance to define your own future. And you can do it without old burdens chaining you down."

"Thank you, Dragon Master," Fenghuang finally bowed before Po who bowed back. "I'll remember what you've done for me on this day and on this journey."

Po smiled at her and nodded. Without another word, Fenghuang flew into the air through the window and soon disappeared into the sky above.

"I wonder how she'll turn her life around now?" asked Chou. "In some places, I believe there are still wanted posters for her."

"She'll find a way," Po acknowledged. "So guys, before I head home, there's a town about two miles away. Wanna get some noodles there?"

"Po, anything you want, we're all in," Shifu told him.

"One more banquet for old time's sake?" asked Po.

"Absolutely buddy!" Monkey slapped Po on the back.

"You're paying, right Po?" asked Tigress.

"Well, I did drag you guys out here so maybe I do kinda owe you," Po looked inside his pockets and only found enough money for two potential meals.

"Alright Tigress, you did go the extra mile and journey to the underworld to help me against Ke-Pa," Po told her. "Your meal's on me tonight!"

Tigress smiled as the gang headed out.

"See you later, Chou," Po waved at the deer. "And thanks!"

"Farewell Dragon Master," Chou waved back.

"Thanks Po," Tigress told him.

"Anytime, Tigress!" Po put his arm around her shoulders as the gang headed out.

Immediately, Po found his hand in a wrist lock as Tigress held him in a slightly painful hold.

"Ouchie!" Po cried.

"My meal may be on you," Tigress smiled. "But did I say your arm gets to be on me?"

"Heh heh, touché," Po smiled weakly.

To be continued.