KUNG FU PANDA: Kung Fu White Tiger.

Chapter Two: No Time Like the Present.


Jade Palace: The Hall of Warriors.

After transporting her all the way to the Jade Palace, they opened the doors and lowered the chariot, tilting it so she was almost thrown off balance. They then backed away and closed the doors, locking her in.

Lotus immediately rushed to the doors and began banging her fists against the mahogany doors, but they were sealed tight.

"Excuse me? I'd like to speak to my grandfather! There has been a mistake! I never intended to be named the Dragon Warrior!" No-one answered her calls. She sighed, and decided to wait for Oogway or Shifu, or even Tiger to come and let her out. Until then, she might as well have a wander around.

She smiled as she looked at the different artifacts that lined the halls of the Hall of Warriors. And there were many. Master Rhino's Armor, the Sword of Heroes, the Invisible Trident of Destiny, paintings hung up on the wall, and the Urn of Whispering Warriors.

Before finally she came up to the Moon Pool. It right now represented her current emotions. She was confused and scared, wondering why on earth Oogway appointed her Dragon Warrior. All she did was throw a lucky punch and defeated the Juggernaut. That was nothing to be appointed for!

And what happened back there anyhow? One minute she was scared that the Juggernaut was gonna wreak havoc on the Valley, but then she saw Ping in danger and it felt like she was a whole different person. Her mind just blacked out and her body seemed to have a mind of it's own.

Looking down at the Pool, she slowly reached forward and tapped it. The ripple effect occurred and the Pool steadied. And showed the reflection of the very thing that started it all. That started Tai Lung's corruption. That started the Dragon Tournament. The very thing that she is supposedly destined to read to gain limitless power.

The Dragon Scroll.

Lotus sighed. "What were you thinking, Grandfather?"

"I've been wondering the same thing."

Lotus let out a startled yelp, and then a small growl, the blue in her eyes fading away to give way to a black void with golden dots.

Shifu raised a curious eyebrow as his morphed into one of surprise, before Lotus realized what she was doing and stood up and bowed her head in embarrassment.

Shifu shook away the surprise and placed his hands behind his back in a formal manner. "So, I suppose your the Dragon Warrior, hmm?" Lotus scoffed. She knew that Shifu wasn't happy about Oogway's choice.

"Don't sugarcoat it, Shifu. I know your just as upset about this predicament as I am."

"Upset?! Furious, more so. I've failed to train you-know-who to be the Dragon Warrior, and look where he is now. I had the chance to make things right, to train the true Dragon Warrior! And I'm stuck with you?! The Palace Physician who only threw a lucky punch?!"

"Okay, Master Shifu, you've made your-"

"How can you possibly wield limitless power with so little training?!"

"I get it, Shifu! You can stop now-"

"How could you possibly fight enemies when all you do is make medicine and crush herbs?!"

Lotus was starting to get angry. Yes, she knew that Shifu had a right to be mad. After Tai Lung's imprisonment, he's been wasting his years trying to train the Five to be the true Dragon Warrior. And he gets stuck with the Palace Physician? But his insulting prods was starting to get to her skin. True she may not have any proper training and the only thing that could be helpful as Dragon Warrior was to heal herself, but Shifu had no right whatsoever to insult her this way.

She felt that unsettling feeling swirling in her stomach again. The same feeling she got when the Juggernaut was about to hurt Ping. Her fist clench as Shifu went on insulting her, her knuckles cracking under the pressure. Her eyes went back to that strange glow from before when Shifu startled her. Her fist became colored in that same golden aura that felled the Juggernaut.

With a roar, she threw a punch in Shifu's direction. Shifu heard her growl and dodged at the last second, but the fist hit the floor, making a crater and a shockwave, sending Shifu back threw the air, but he flipped and landed gracefully.

Lotus huffed and puffed, her currently glowing eyes glaring at Shifu's direction, until she took in his startled expression. With a shuddering sigh, she stood up, her eyes returning to normal as she bowed her head.

Shifu looked curious, and perhaps a bit frightened, but stood up and brushed off the dust.

He stared at her for a bit, before he sighed. "I suppose we can make this work." he said finally, "Come to the Training Hall. Let's see what we can do."

Lotus raised an eyebrow. What was he playing at?


Jade Palace: Training Hall.

Shifu opened the doors and Lotus followed behind him as they entered the room. And the Five were there right now, training.

Crane was flying through the air, dodging arrows before landing on the Jade Tortoise of Wisdom and deflecting the arrows with his wings. Tiger soon joined him and they started to spar, having excellent balance on them. Mantis was up against the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors and hit each one with great speed and passed with no injury. Viper was in the Field of Fiery Death and was dodging each fiery blast with grace. Monkey was swinging on the Seven-Talon Rings, swerving and spinning through each one.

Tiger got back to his original test: The Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion. He dodged, kicked and punched his way to victory, even punching splinters towards Lotus, who ducked in time before a big chunk could hit her. Lotus looked at the spot the chunk hit the door, before glaring at the orange tiger. Tiger looked like a startled kitten when she growled softly, before he got hit in the face by a swinging club and he roared, getting back in the game.

Shifu noticed and sighed, placing his hands together. "Unfortunately, a death glare won't save you in battle. If you are to be the Dragon Warrior we must improve your skills. So," he gave an evil chuckle as he stared at the arena. "Let's us begin." Lotus stared in shock at him, before looking out into the arena as well.

"Pardon?" as a fire blast went off. "Now?"

"Yes. Now. Unless you believe the great Master Oogway and your grandfather that you are not the Dragon Warrior." Shifu swayed.

Shifu wanted Lotus to give up the title. Not because he wanted her too. He truly believed that with the proper skill, she could actually hold Tai Lung off in a fair fight. But Tai Lung doesn't play fair anymore. His belief has clouded his mind and he will do anything to get the scroll. And Lotus wasn't trained to fight the likes of Tai Lung. Lotus knew that too.

"I understand and respect Oogway as much as you do, Shifu. But you and I both know that I can't do any of the skills they presented." Shifu chuckled.

"Well, we don't know if we don't try, do we?"

"I overheard you and Grandfather before the tournament, Shifu." Shifu froze at Lotus's whisper. "I know what the stakes are. I don't believe I could possibly be the Dragon Warrior, but I trust Grandfather. If I'm ever gonna fight," she looked at the Five still training, before leaning down to him, "You-Know-Who, then I'm gonna have to start from the basics and go from there."

Shifu stared at her, surprised and oddly impressed by the amount of wisdom of her words. Perhaps this could work.

But he would have a lot of work to do.


Later that Night: Student Barracks.

Lotus was on her way to her room, rubbing her shoulder in pain. She had done a bit of sparring with Crane and Viper, but it did little to improve her skill. They kept going easy on her. She tried to tell them not to, but they were concerned that they would hurt her. She sighed. Maybe tomorrow would bring more promise.

As she strode up the stairs, she heard voices coming from behind her. Panicking for whatever reason, she jumped up some rocks and hide her body. It was the Five. And they were talking about her.

"I don't understand what Master Oogway was thinking." she heard Viper say, "What happens if she gets hurt? Or worse?!" wow, that hurt. Lotus thought, but stayed quiet as she lifted herself up to get a better view.

"Viper, relax. Lotus can take care of herself. She's a full grown Tigress now. And even if she does get hurt, she's an expert in healing. So, if she ever does get in a fight, she'll be fine." Crane reassured, trying to stay positive on the subject.

"yeah," Mantis joined the conversation, "And she knows pretty much all the basic moves of Kung Fu, so she can hold her own until back up comes. Right?"

"She did beat the Juggernaut. You should hear the stories going on in the Valley." Monkey started, making Lotus curious. "They're saying that she was fueled by the Dragon's Fury and attacked with such furiosity as one. That she came down on the Juggernaut in a ball of fire! That she is the snowy blizzard in a tiger's body!" the guys chuckled at the stories, while Lotus looked perplexed. They really said all that?

"Tiger?" her ears perked at the mention of her ex-friend's name and listened in, "What do you think about all this?" the Five turned their heads to him, and even the lantern Geese leaned in, curious as to what the leader of the Furious Five had to say. Even Lotus was curious. What would he think about all of this?

At last, Tiger sighed. "I just hope Master Oogway knows what he's doing. For Lotus's sake." he said finally, before walking ahead of them all. The rest of the Five exchanged looks, before following him to the Student Barracks. Lotus slowly slid down from the rock and stared at Tiger's path in surprise.

She thought that he would chew her out behind her back. That he would insult her or something. Anything but worry about her well being. She felt the wall that she put around her heart especially for Tiger crumble a bit.

Could it be possibly that he still... cares about her?

Lotus shook her head and ran away on her fours.

She needed time to think.


The Peace Tree of Heavenly Wisdom.

Lotus tried to take deep breathes as she searched for inner peace.

So many conflicting emotions was happening all at once and it was starting to scare her. What was this mysterious force that seemed to appear when she gets upset? Why did Oogway choose her? When was Tiger suddenly concerned for her? She didn't know. She just hoped this inner peace thing would kick soon.

"You are upset, my flower."

Lotus jumped a second time that day, but this time, didn't growl. Instead, she stared in surprise at Oogway.

"Grandfather! Wait... Upset? I'm not upset. What makes you think I'm upset?" Oogway smiled comfortingly. "Lotus, I raised you. I know when you are unhappy. So, what troubles you, my flower?" Lotus sighed, as Oogway sat down beside her.

"I'm probably the most hopeless student in the history of Kung Fu. And the Five! They're too concerned! They think I'm gonna get myself killed!"

"Perhaps. But not for a long time, I hope." Lotus chuckled, before ranting again.

"And Tiger. He's confusing me the most. He seems the most concerned, and we're not even friends anymore! Grandfather, what made you think that I could ever be the Dragon Warrior?" she asked, "My claws aren't for scratching. They're for pulling small needles out of a kid's paw. My teeth aren't for biting. They're for eating my meals so I don't starve. My fists!" she clenched them for empathizes, before dropping them on her sides, dejectedly. "They aren't punching training dummies, they're made for crushing herbs." with that final rant, she sat down, staring at the stars.

Oogway placed a hand on her shoulder. "Scratch, don't scratch. Herbs, don't herbs." Lotus looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. What? "My flower, you are too concerned of what was and what will be." he told her, before leaning closer, "There's a saying: Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That is why it is called the present." he whispered, before patting her head, making her purr a bit, before he walked off, tapping the tree with his staff.

A peace fell into her paw and she looked at it, before looking at where her Grandfather walked off.

She smiled.

She was here to stay. Time for the real training to begin.

And there's no time like the present.

Meanwhile, a certain snow leopard was a step closer to getting what he desires.

The Dragon Scroll.