Shifu didn't know what it was, but something had begun to nag him at the back of his mind. He was sure that it wasn't because of the pandas that were now (still unofficially) residing at the Jade Palace. It was something else, and something big. Something that he couldn't quite explain, especially since it had come on so suddenly and unexpected; even strong enough to give him a minor headache.
"What are you trying to tell me?" he murmured, glancing up at the fixed statue of Master Oogway as he began to relax into a meditative state. Thanks to Po and his experience in the Spirit Realm, he knew now that the old tortoise was the one behind "Universe Messages," the one who had told Li that his son was still alive. The one who had told him that something terrible had happened to Po in Gongmen City before the panda had nearly gotten blown to bits by Shen's cannon, letting him know that he had to go and help the Dragon Warrior and the Five defeat that deranged peacock. But the thing that had Shifu so confused and even a bit saddened was...
If he had the ability to return to the mortal realm like Po...why didn't he?
The panda had explained that Oogway told him he'd simply never tried it. Shifu wouldn't put it past his master to respond in such a way, but it still...hurt. It would certainly make communicating a bit easier for the turtle to return, but Shifu guessed that was exactly the reason why he stayed behind: not to make things difficult (well, maybe that too) but so his students could figure things out in their own time and way.
His thoughts were interrupted by a voice screaming from nearby, up at the Jade Palace steps. Glancing over the statue, Shifu could see Bao running towards him in what looked like a big rush.
"Help! Help!" the panda cub yelled, his little voice urgent.
"What's wrong?" Shifu asked, staring down at the cub in confusion. What could have happened to make him so anxious?
"It's Po! He fell over and wouldn't get up!" Bao cried.
Shifu's eyes widened and he looked back towards the Oogway statue. Maybe this was the reason for his headache. "Where?"
"The Hall of Heroes!"
"Will he be okay, Master?" Tigress asked Shifu as she knelt beside Po, Bao wrapped gently in her arms as an attempt to help calm the cub.
"He's still breathing," Shifu responded as he checked over the fainted Dragon Warrior; Po still hadn't woken up from the spot where he'd fallen. "His vitals seem normal. It looks like he just passed out."
But passing out was definitely a cause for concern. Po's expression looked strained, his eyes closed as if he was in pain.
"It's all my fault!" Bao cried, his face turned away from Po and hiding in Tigress's shoulder.
"What?" Tigress asked, shocked that the cub would even think of blaming himself for something that he had nothing to do with.
"I—I told him to use his Chi," Bao sobbed, unable to form his words correctly from the tears that were streaming down his face and onto her fur. Tigress attempted to comfort the cub by bringing him in closer to her for a small hug, but he resisted.
"What do you mean, Bao?" she asked in confusion. What did Chi have to do with any of this?
"I tried using my Chi to fix that broken vase," he explained, nodding towards the Urn of Whispering Warriors. Shifu and Tigress followed his gaze and their eyes widened at the sight, that the vase was completely back to normal and not shattered into thousands of pieces.
Sure, Shifu had brought a flower or two back to life, but he'd never thought of the other possibilities that came with having such a power.
"—so then I told him to try using his, and then it looked all weird and he..."
"None of this is your fault, Bao," Tigress told the cub in a firm, yet gentle tone. He allowed her to lift him up so that they could face each other, wet still dripping down his fluffy cheeks. "I know for a fact that Po wouldn't blame you for any of this."
Bao sniffled. "Really?"
Tigress nodded. "It's a good thing you ran to get help when you did."
Bao managed a small smile through his tears, hugging Tigress closer. She didn't resist, wouldn't resist a little panda cub in distress.
"So he was using his Chi when he dropped," Tigress said, trying to come up with an explanation. Maybe this new power had something to do with it. "Do you think he used too much at once?"
"We don't know exactly how our Chi works yet," Shifu mused thoughtfully while keeping his eyes trained on the panda. He still hadn't budged. "It's a brand new ability for all of us..." They still had a lot to learn, and Shifu had no idea if their Chi had any kind of limits—or even a maximum of how much they were able to use at a time; he realized then that it was something they should probably start to look into, especially to prevent this kind of thing from happening again.
A noise suddenly interrupted the two, a noise like someone was trying to get his breath back.
"Po!" Shifu and Tigress exclaimed when the Dragon Warrior gasped and opened his eyes.
"Uggh..." he groaned, looking up at Shifu with weary green eyes. "What happened?"
"You fainted," Tigress explained, relief sweeping through her now that Po was finally awake. Bao climbed out of her arms to sit next to the Dragon Warrior, ready to help him stand.
"I did? How long was I out of it?"
"Just a few minutes. How are you feeling?"
Po tired to move and get up, but instantly stopped when a shooting pain ran down his arm. Tigress noticed his cringe.
"A little sore, but I think I'm okay..." he answered honestly, stopping to give Bao a small and reassuring pat on the head. The smaller panda let out another sniffle. "I'm okay, Bao! Look!"
He gave himself a little flick. The panda let out a choked sob and bounded into Po's lap, wrapping his arms around the Dragon Warrior in a gentle hug, relieved that he appeared to be okay. Po gladly returned it, ruffling the top of the cub's head once more and knowing that he wasn't going to be able to 'play dead' around Bao and the cubs again anytime soon, if at all.
"Bao said you were using Chi when this happened," Shifu told him in an attempt to jog his memory.
"Oh, yeah...but I've used Chi lots of times before. He just found out that we can use it to fix stuff that's been broken! How cool is that?!"
"I think that's the problem."
"Fixing things?" Po questioned. How could fixing stuff be a bad thing?
Shifu shook his head. "Using too much Chi."
"Ohhh." That made sense. But he hadn't used that much, had he? He only wanted to fix Master Flying Rhino's broken armor. But then he remembered all the times he'd shown the kids their newfound ability. Had all that led up to what happened today? He doubted that small, simple things such as flowers were too much for him to handle. Heck, he'd even taken on Kai—Master of Pain, Beast of Vengeance, Maker of Widows! He was totally fine after that, why would now be any different?
"Maybe you shouldn't be using your Chi for awhile, Po," Tigress suggested, watching as the Dragon Warrior let Bao down so they could start heading back outside the palace.
He was finally on two feet. Albeit unsteady, but on two feet. He was already feeling better for having just fainted to the floor. Maybe Chi had nothing to do with what happened at all; it was probably just because of an empty stomach.
"I'm fine, really," he told Shifu and Tigress with a smile, softly rubbing his belly. "I'm just a little hungry, that's all. I haven't really eaten anything today 'cause of the tour and everything..."
Shifu eyed the Dragon Warrior and Bao warily as they left the Hall of Heroes. He himself still had a headache. It wasn't as strong as before, but it was still there—including the nagging feeling in the back of his mind. He was sure that Oogway was trying to tell him something, and something important...and he doubted that it was Po's empty stomach.