These are words of encouragement from the masters after hearing that Musaki made it to the finals.
Chapter 12: Encouraging Letters
At Shanghai Secluded Valley
Musaki and Oak Sung spent time in his parent's old home doing some kung-fu training to get himself ready for the competition as a finalist. It was like make it or break it for him. Musaki sparred with his grandfather and for someone in his mid to late 60's, Oak Sung's kung-fu skills has got the energy of a young master. He hits on the uppercut and tries to block his grandson's move and Musaki tries to spar with him head-on, keeping his focus on the opponent.
Oak Sung went in and said, "Pretty good, Xing-Fu. But try not to think too much. Just focus and concentrate."
Musaki nodded his head at his grandfather's request and went for a more harder approach, but tried to keep himself careful in case he breaks something from his grandfather. As he punched his grandfather's paws, he punched them as hard as he could and as soon as he went faster, he accidently made his way to his hip and his grandfather let out a big groan as he kneeled down to the floor.
Musaki was shocked and alittle nervous thinking that he broke something in him and he said, "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"
As he reached his hand out to him, his grandfather grabbed him by the fist and flipped him down and landed on his back while hitting the ground. Musaki groans heavily and then he looked at his grandfather, letting out a little smirk and he said, "That's how you take down your opponent."
Musaki chuckled at that trick and he said, "Can't believe that I've been outsmarted by my own grandfather."
Oak Sung helped him up while Musaki dusted himself off and his grandfather went on to say, "Above anything, your training is pretty much spot-on. I think a talent like that screams finalist round."
Musaki smiled at his grandfather and he just nodded his head in agreement with everything he said to him and he said, "That was a good one what you just did. I think I might use that."
Both of them started laughing as they walked out of there and with one more glance at the waterfall, Musaki felt like this is completely home and where his roots started off in a pretty epic way from the first three years of his life. He looked at his grandfather and said, "It's awesome to come back there."
"I figured you would like to have started training there, Xing-Fu." his grandfather stated.
As soon as they made their way to the house, Mac comes in out of nowhere and he held out a bag full of scrolls and Oak Sung chuckled and said, "A lot of scrolls there, Mac?"
Mac took a deep breath and he replied, "They're all from the Jade Palace."
That made Musaki excited to hear because if it's from the Jade Palace, it's most likely that he's receiving mounds of messages from his Jade Palace family. Mac looked at the smile and excitement on Musaki's face when he mentioned 'Jade Palace' to him and he lets out a slight chuckle and said, "Little excited to hear from them, huh?"
Musaki nodded his head very quickly and Mac gave him the entire set of messages and made his way to the backyard to read every single message they have written. A bag of emotions were set inside of him; ranging from nervousness, anxiety, excitement, joy and also happiness because he can finally see what the masters have written.
As soon as he reached his private set in Oak Sung's backyard, a little view overlooking the ocean, he sits down on the ground and opens up the first scroll and of course, he sees 'Dragon Warrior' in the middle of it and he immediately knew that it came from Po. As he opened the scroll, he started reading what Po had written.
Hey, Lil' Saki! How's it going at Shanghai Valley? We got your letter that said that you're in the finals for the kung-fu competition. That is just awesome written all over it! Congrats, bro! I know for a fact that you're gonna kick serious butt there and win! I feel like you're gonna rise up like a warrior...with flaming wings! I feel so excited for you, I could pee right now. Anyways, aside from that...everything here is going okay. Gotten some more training and when you asked if Tigress stayed out of trouble...well, let's just say she's in a little bit of trouble. She kinda twisted my arm after she lost out to me and when she threw me all around the training hall, almost everything got messed up...which suddenly hit me; she's not as perfect as I thought I was. Translation: she messed up for the first time instead of me. Don't worry, I'm fine. It's just nothing but a little swelling because of the arm twisting thing. But Shifu totally suspended her from the training hall for a week. And I'll be honest, Tigress was livid. She ended up taking it out on me and of course half of the training equipment was wrecked and she totally scared the Five in a big way...including Monkey. He kinda peed himself after that had happened. But enough about me, how's everything here? How's your grandfather doing? We all miss you a lot since you've been gone, including Tigress. A few nights before the incident, I heard her cry and she admitted that she missed you so badly...in a friendly way, not romantically and wished that she would try her best to be a better person towards you. I told her that no matter what he'll do...he'll make us proud. You've made all of us happy by just being true to yourself and no matter what, as long as you embrace who you are as a warrior, you'll shine brighter than the sun. Whoa, that's pretty big coming from me because I've never given out wisdom advice from anyone before. But this is from a personal perspective because if I were to go back in time and tell myself before I became Dragon Warrior, I would tell him the same thing I said to you. You've grown up in front of our eyes when you came here in the Jade Palace 4 years ago and...I'm very happy to be a part of your life and I always thought I was the only panda here...until you came along. And I thought that we would teach you everything, but it seems to me that you've taught us a lot...even me. Just to embrace who I am, not only as a warrior but as a panda. For someone who's 17, you made a huge impact on us. Just keep ya head up and above all, I'm always gonna be your biggest fan. Can't wait to see you come home...your big bro, Po.
Musaki was touched with what Po had to say in that letter and it really made him inspired to see that the Dragon Warrior inspired him throughout the 4 years he lived in the Jade Palace and he was that he learned a lot from him. And it also tickled him to see that Tigress got herself into trouble...as expected. He sets down the scroll and moves onto the next one and this one came from Master Shifu. He was anxious but excited to see what Shifu had written for him. He opens up and starts reading Shifu's words.
Musaki...how have you been? Are you keeping focused on your skills at the competition? What am I talking about, of course you have. I've never been more proud of you than ever before in my life. And to hear you've made it to the finals...blows my mind. I still don't know how you've managed to have your skills being the way they are and with everything you do, it leaves me and my students awe-struck and blown away. Congratulations on what you're doing right now. I look at you and everything you've gone through in your life with losing your parents, being an orphan...it must be horrifying for someone that will have a negative effect on their lives in the future, but not you. You've kept yourself positive even in the most darkest times while you were grieving. And all of the things you've been taught while you were with us really made me understand how much of an aspiring kung-fu master should be. Most students don't have that personality you have; you care for others, always accept whatever life throws at you, take a loss after sparring very maturely, always be forgiving and compassionate, help out others that are in need, give advice that will change their lives, take direction very seriously, let go of certain things from your past...but most importantly, give people a lot of comfort when troubled. It shows that you're a talented, brilliant and compassionate kung-fu master who's got his whole life ahead of him and that's you. If only my students could learn a lot from you...and I wish I could've learned from you a long time ago before you came into the Jade Palace. I have Po for that, but from someone who's younger...it just made me feel like I'm a better master than I thought I was. Your parents would be so proud of you...especially all of my students and myself. I not only see you as a student, but also my son...the son that I would've wanted after Tai Lung. You turned out to be a better person than me. Everyone around here is doing well, wishing you all the best in this competition and and we all can't wait to see you come home as a winner...to all of us, I mean. Good luck! Master Shifu.
P.S.: To your response about Tigress getting into trouble, she's currently suspended from training until she manages to keep her anger in check. Maybe you can teach her how to take loss like a true warrior. But like the rest of my students, she does miss you a lot. She just doesn't want to admit it because she knows that we already figured it out. Nothing fools the grandmaster's eyes and sixth sense. Glad to see that you can handle things more maturely than Tigress or Po.
The latter part is what tickled Musaki the most but everything else, he can tell that it came straight from the heart. Like Shifu really appreciated everything Musaki has taught him and he never really thought of it very highly, but he's glad he did anyway. He picks up another scroll and on the center, he sees Viper's name on it and he was excited to see what she had to say, so he opened it up and began reading.
Saki...words cannot express how proud I am of you to hear that you made it to the finals! Congratulations! I cannot believe that you're growing up so fast. It's like one day you're a shy 13 year old orphan and when we weren't looking, you grew into a 17 year old well-skilled warrior...skilled than half of us, even at a young age. Everything around here is going well and we all miss you a lot, even me. I know you told me you had a crush on me when you were young and it seems as though I've got my first admirer. You living here with us...I look to you as a brother and a son to me. It was like I was a mother figure to you all these years. Now that you're growing up, I guess I've learned a few things from you. Always stay true to yourself and no matter what, even when you fall down, you can get up and still keep going. We've always been taught that and for you to realize that, that's a big one. Looks like we've done a few things right. I love you and I am still very proud of you! Come home soon! Viper.
Then, he noticed the little 'xoxoxoxo's underneath it and he started smiling that Viper would say something heartwarming towards him and it was like she fufilled a life-long dream for him; have Viper admit that she loves him...as a son and brother, of course. He sets down the letter and reads another one and it had Mantis' name on the side of it. Although it was very small, Musaki could see what he's got written.
Hey, Saki-man! It's your time to shine on the competition! Congrats on making the finals! Do all of us in the Jade Palace proud, dude! Kick some serious butt! We're all doing good here and as for Tigress getting into trouble...yeah, she did. Thanks to her, the training hall is currently in repairs so we had to train outside. Bet she would've taken that loss to Po a lot lightly than you, but we all knew her temper would get her into trouble. And I was right. But we all miss you a lot, man. We are very proud of the person you're becoming. Even Tigress is proud of you, although she would never admit it to any of us. I think she needs to stop hiding everything and just open up. It's not that hard. Well, gotta head out for a bit, but just remember to stay true to you and be an inspiration to everyone...the same way as you have inspired me to embrace who I am. I'll never forget that quote. I know you'll shine a lot brighter and be a great kung-fu master. I can see it! See ya later, buddy! Mantis.
Mantis' letter definitely touch Musaki the most after hearing that he inspired him to embrace who he is regardless of size. That completely made the sense how much of an impact he made of them. He sets it down and grabbed another scroll where he sees Crane's name in the middle. He immediately opened up the scroll and read what Crane wrote.
Musaki...life in the Jade Palace is going extremely well. We're training, of course...but the only difference is we're training outside because a certain tiger merely destroyed most of the training equipment due to her rage after losing to Po in a sparring match. Tigress got suspended for a week and her reaction was furious after she took it out on Po...yet again. I think she sees the Dragon Warrior as her punching bag...only she's tackling a real panda. So barbaric and immature. But other than that, we're good. Heard you're in the finals of the kung-fu competition, I see. Congratulations! Your skills have been taken up top-notch and someone like you is very much able to do anything you set your mind to. I could see you as a leader of the new Furious Five in the future. Hope you can be a better one than Tigress. Just keep ya head up and stay as amazing as you are right now. The maturity you've gained over the years gave us a lot of respect and admiration for you. But most importanly, your optimistic look on life and how you took everything that had happened in stride as you grew older. Looks like we've learned a lot from you as you learned a lot from us. Proud of you, buddy. Best of luck in all you do. Crane.
Musaki chuckled softly as he saw the words 'immature' and 'barbaric' to descibe Tigress' actions. He sighly heavily and asked, "She'll never learn to keep her temper low, won't she?"
He sets the scroll aside and moved onto the next one and it's from Monkey. He was quick to open the scroll and read what Monkey had to say.
Hey...Lil' Saki-man! How's my best brother buddy doing? Congratulations on being in the finals in the kung-fu competition, man! I know you'll kick some insane kung-fu ass! We're all doing pretty good, just doing some training. And for the first time...Tigress totally screwed up big time when she threw Po all over the training hall after she lost by him. She destructed most parts of it, even when Po dodged her. Wow, did that scare me. Now I cannot even get anywhere near her without her busting my head off. There's not a day that goes by that we don't think of you. We all miss you so freakin' badly, man. But I also know that you'll do whatever it takes to make us proud. Can't believe you're growing up to be an adult. I still see you as this shy little kid that came here in the palace and when I saw you maturing, I thought 'is this the same person that was so shy and timid when he first came here? Where'd he go?' Then, I realized that that kid is growing up so quickly. Man, time flies by so quickly, doesn't it? For so long, you've been taught by us, the coolest kung-fu masters and now...seeing what you've gone through in your life and willing to become the person you are right now...you're a kung-fu master to us and for making it this far, I don't know how, but I'm glad it did. We are so lucky you came into our lives and we've never been this proud of you...especially me. You've definitely taught this monkey a lot. And for that, I thank you. Until we see each other again, my friend. Monkey.
Monkey's combination of heartfelt words and humor totally lit up Musaki the most and he's never seen Monkey express it the way he did. He chuckled softly and puts the scroll down and then, he received one from Arizona. He was definitely excited to see what he's got written and as he opened the scroll, he began reading Arizona's words.
Hey, Musaki. It's Arizona. How ya been doing? I heard in your letter that you've made it to the finals in the kung-fu competition. Congrats, man! I hope you come home victorious. I decided to take some time to write you this letter to say how awesome it is to have you in my life after so many years of loneliness. I never thought anyone would come out of their way to pull me out of the dark hole I was forced to live in for a long time and bring me into the light like you did. A year has passed by and I still think to myself that all of it was just a dream, but it's anything but. Thank you for giving me a chance at life and for making this young wolf's life change for the better and I can't think of a better friend than you. You're the reason why I strive for redemption for myself to be a better person. You didn't see me as just a wolf, but you saw me as a person. Maybe that's the reason why you saw me as one because you gave me something I never thought I would have; a good life. If I can find another expression to say or do other than thank you, that's something I would do and I'll carry this with me for the rest of my life. Good luck in what you do! Your best friend, Arizona.
To know that Arizona wrote some powerful words in that letter to Musaki touched his heartstrings really hard and he couldn't explain how to put it in words other than he was definitely a pillar in Arizona's life and he would always be grateful for that amazing moment. He sets down the scroll and went to the last one.
He was immediately anxious to know that the last one would be from Tigress and when he picked up that last scroll and saw Tigress' name on the center, he knew it was from her. He thought that she would write some unemotional words towards him and some of the things she might say were just said from her mind instead of the heart as he always expected and probably not support him from being in the finals, but the minute he opened the letter, it was totally different from what he expected.
Musaki, heard you're in the finals for the kung-fu competition. Congratulations. I know I should be excited for you, but I'm not sure how to. If I did, it might make you make an opinion about me thinking that it was really out of conduct. But I'm really, really happy for you. Really, I am. I just don't want to admit it to everyone else because of how everyone will really see me as...just a person with a multiple personality. I knew that they might be right about me missing you, but I don't want them to be because it would make me feel like I am stupid and that they're right and I'm not. The reason why I gave you such a hard time over the past 4 years is because I am afraid...afraid that if I might hurt you that you might end up the same way I did and I didn't want you to be that way. I'm afraid of what you might really think of me, afraid that if you leave the Jade Palace and never come back because of me, afraid that everything I put you through, physically and emotionally, might affect you for the rest of your life. I wouldn't live with that and I would never forgive myself if I ever did that. I've never been this way before while I'm writing this to you. Warriors are not supposed to feel anything and I've closed myself off from the world all my life because everything might hurt me in life because I don't want to feel like I've been rejected or hated as I have a thousand times before in the past. And I guess I've been that way because I didn't want to open up those old wounds again and have everyone think second thoughts about me because they don't understand what I've been through and what I am going through. Just like Po, you've seen everything I've been feeling is just nothing but a facade and I know sometimes they crack, but it's hard to hold it in. I try everything I can to strive for perfection, but it fails miserably. When I look at you, it's like I saw a warrior that is the complete opposite of who others are; compassionate, kind, forgiving, easy-going, happy and a caring person. I don't know how you do it. Really, I don't. If I only learned how to be that forgiving from you. If I hurt your feelings, I'm sorry. If I made you feel like you're unwanted for 4 years, I am deeply sorry. I know that you might never forgive me for this because after everything I did to you, I don't deserve your kindness, your respect, your compassion and your forgiving nature. I deserve to be pushed away, hated, yelled at because I felt like it's what I get. Why am I crying now? I know you said crying is for the strength, but I shouldn't feel like I'm weak. I'm not supposed to be weak. But I know that when I look at you and at Po, I see that you two are really good friends to me and all of us...including me. I hope you become victorious and each and every day you train, I can tell you've grown a lot stronger than anyone of us...which is what scares me. That everyone will look up to you and shove me to the side because of what we taught you. But how do you get through so many things in your past and still smile about it like it's nothing to you? But I guess everything you showed have taught us all to believe in ourselves...although I self-doubt myself like I'll never be as good enough as you or Po or everyone else. I wish nothing but the best for you and thank you for trying to help me out, even when I tell myself that I don't want anyone's help or that I'll never get this or that I don't believe in myself. And I know that if I keep doing that, I'll lose the people that are considered my only family. Best wishes, Tigress.
P.S.: I'm guessing you've noticed that I'm suspended from training. Not fair! If I had been more like you, maybe I should've learned how to handle loss lightly and more maturely and not let my violent temper take control over the little things. No one deserves that. You're too good a person that I'll ever hurt.
Musaki's heart broke for Tigress after expressing the way she felt in that letter and had always thought so much of her, but he realized that she was a lonely person that doesn't know how to love or even feel anything. And he always accepts any apology coming from someone else. He slowly puts away the scroll and whispered, "Apology accepted, Tigress."
As he looked at the other scrolls, he could see that it gave him so much support and love that the masters gave him and it gave him the drive to go forward with the finals and be a champion, win or lose.
"Thank you guys...so much." Musaki also whispered.
How was that? It kinda took me two hours to completely write this. Longest chapter ever! There's more coming up!