A Better World?
Chapter 15- The Most Dangerous Weapon
The Dragon Warrior seareched through the rubble looking for his stone, "I know Crane might have got away but that wound will definately finish him off, now I just need to find the stone and then I can leave, after all I still need to get Mantis as well".
He suddenly saw a light from underneath a tile, he walked over to it and lifted it up to reveal the stone laying neatly on the ground.
Before picking it up he had a thought, "Hmmm, maybe I can save this world too?, this world is the mess mine used to be, it's settled then, I'm going to save this world too".
Po picked it up the stone, held it aloft and laughed, his laugh rippled through the Valley like thunder.
xxxxx
Po and Tigress were still sat by Crane's recently lifeless body.
Po suddenly stood up, "C'mon Tigress, we have to move him and give him a proper burial" he looked at Crane sadly, "He deserves that at least".
Tigress stood up as well, walked over to Po and embraced him.
"Po, we don't have time, your future self is still out there and neither you or Master Shifu could beat him, we need to find the others and come up with a plan", she gripped Po's paw tightly and looked into his eyes as if she was pleading with him.
Po refused to make eye contact with her, did he feel guilty or was he angry? Tigress couldn't tell.
Po nodded and Tigress led him out of the training hall, Po looked back one last time at Crane and sighed.
xxxxx
Down in the Valley everyone was in a panic after seeing and hearing the Palace suddenly collapse.
Mr Ping was standing in the market getting supplies for the restaurant when it happened.
Mr Ping looked up at where the palace once stood and prayed for Po's safety.
"I hope that you're okay son" he said sadly.
xxxxx
The five had taken Shifu into the barracks and put him in Po's room on his bed.
Viper bandaged his cuts, Monkey and Mantis were sitting in the room with them just in case The Dragon Warrior attempted to finish him off.
Crane was sat in the kitchen with his head in his wings, "This is a nightmare, the palace is gone so any mystical weapons we would've used are probably gone, Po and Tigress are missing while we're facing the most powerful enemy that we've ever fought, I'm a nutcase when I get older and I don't know how to tell Viper how I feel about her, although that last one isn't so important right now".
He looked up when he heard Po and Tigress enter the kitchen, "Ok Po and Tigress aren't missing, but everything else still sucks".
He sighed with relief at Po and Tigress's well being, Tigress stepped forward "Where is everyone?" she asked.
Crane got out of the chair and lead them to Po's room.
When everyone was gathered in Po's room Po decided to bring them up to speed.
He took a deep breath, "Crane is dead" he announced in a emotionless voice.
Everyone apart from Shifu and Tigress gasped, "How?" asked Viper who looked close to crying.
"My evil self did it, he easily stood up to me and Master Shifu so we need to come up with a game plan".
Everyone was surprised at how competently and seriously Po was talking.
Tigress gazed at him "This is a very attractive side to him, stop it Tigress for god's sake! You're acting like a schoolgirl around her first crush".
Po didn't notice Tigress conflicted demeanor, Monkey coughed to get everyone's attention.
"Maybe we could all attack him at once, it doesn't matter how strong he is he can't take us all on at once".
Po shook his head "I'm not in any condition to fight anyone at the moment, and he's trained and fought with your future selfs for years so he'll know all of your strengths and weaknesses".
"I'm afraid Po is correct" said Master Shifu weakly.
"MASTER SHIFU!" Po yelled happily, he and the others crowded around Shifu to help him up but he waved them away.
"I'm fine students, albeit I will be sore for a while", Shifu stood up with a groan.
He turned to Po, "Po, does he still have the stone?".
Po shrugged "I don't know, I managed to knock it out of his hand but he might of found it by now".
Tigress decided it was as good a time as any to tell Shifu of the fate of the palace.
"Master" she said softly.
"Yes Tigress" he replied glancing at her.
"The palace was destroyed by Po's counterpart in an attempt to kill us" she bowed before him "I'm sorry but we couldn't save any of the artifacts that were inside".
Shifu gestured for her to rise "Tigress, it doesn't matter, as I was taught by a certain panda the real treasures are not material, I'm just glad none of you were hurt", he smiled at Tigress which alleviated her guilt somewhat, she stood back up and resumed her place at Po's side.
Shifu became stern one again "Now onto more pressing matters, I agree with Po that rushing him is not the wisest course of action, I believe we should try and lower his defenses first and catch him off guard".
Crane interjected "But how Master?, we have nothing to use against him".
Shifu looked at him "You couldn't be more wrong Crane, we have the one weapon in the world that can defeat him, though I admit this tactic is a bit...juvenile, there's no reason it shouldn't work".
"And what weapon is that Master?" asked Viper.
Shifu looked at Tigress and smirked "We have the power of love".
xxxxx
Po started to make his way towards the stairs down to the Valley to begin his conquest.
He froze in shock when he saw Tigress leap gracefully to the top of them.
When she saw Po she started to walk towards him.
"Tigress" Po muttered with no emotion in his voice. He was conflicted on the inside, he knew full well what she thought of him but he wanted her to change her mind and side with him desperately, "If she does, everything I've done will be justified".
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
She ignored his question and kept walking towards him, Po started to get hostile. "Stay back Tigress, I don't want to hurt y-".
Tigress cut him off by kissing him full on the lips, they stayed like that for several minutes locked in a passionate embrace, for Po it was everything he ever thought it would be.
Tigress pulled away and left Po with a longing and shocked expression, she looked deeply into his eyes.
"Po you need to leave, they're going to kill you, I managed to sneak away to tell you this, I know what you've done but I don't want you to die, take me with you to your world so we can be together, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you".
Po beamed at her, "I love you too Tigress, we can go later I want to make this place better first".
Tigress smiled at him "Ok my love".
He turned his back to Tigress and started to walk to the Valley.
"NOW!" Tigress suddenly kicked Po's legs from underneath him so he landed on his back, she put all of her weight on his stomuch to hold him down.
Crane swooped down from the sky carrying Monkey, Mantis and Viper approached Po from behind.
Each of them grabbed a limb and held it down, Monkey his left leg, Mantis his right, Viper grabbed his right paw and Crane got his left paw.
Po struggled violently but he was well pinned, Shifu and the good Po appeared and rushed over.
"Po grab the stone off of his person quickly!" ordered Shifu, Po nodded and advanced.
"Why Tigress?" yelled the older Po.
She ignored him and refused to make eye contact with him, she just focused on her mission.
Po had almost found the stone until his counterpart yelled "NO! I WILL NOT BE DENIED BY YOU WEAKLINGS", he threw off the five with a frightening level of strength.
Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey hit the ground roughly, Tigress crashed into Po and they ended up on the ground in a heap.
Shifu gasped, the plan had failed, only a miracle could save them now.
The Dragon Warrior furiously advanced on the grounded five to finish them off, he took the stone out of his pocket and pointed it towards them.
Po saw his friends were in trouble, he saw that Tigress wasn't conscious.
Po sighed "I'm going to have to get involved, I might die here", Po resigned himself to his fate, he kissed Tigress's forehead gently moved her off of him.
He stood up slowly.
"Leave them alone you coward" he yelled at his counterpart, Po dashed towards him and kicked him away.
"Oww, I'm still injured from earlier I've got to finish this quickly" Po thought while clutching his leg.
The Dragon Warrior quickly recovered "That was not wise, why throw away your life so recklessly?".
Po shifted into a fighting stance "That's a question you should ask yourself".
The Dragon Warrior aimed the stone at Po, Po's injured leg prevented him from moving.
The stone glowed red and shot a thin beam out of it, Shifu quickly pushed Po out of the way.
Po and Shifu hit the ground hard, "Are you okay Master?" Po asked.
Shifu groaned "I'm afraid that's all I have left, the rest is up to you".
Po nodded and stood up.
The Dragon Warrior laughed, "You have nothing left now, your friends are down and your Master is beaten and broken, how exactly do you plan on winning?".
Po scowled "I guess we'll find out faker".