The sudden switch between realms was a bit disorienting. Po didn't know what was exactly disorienting about it; he had expected to get to the Spirit Realm after using the Wuxi Finger Hold on himself and Kai the first time, and he'd been more excited and shocked that it had actually worked than confused upon arriving.
Maybe it was because of his second visit to the Spirit Realm after he had 'died,' but he figured it wasn't that either as he remembered feeling the best he had after being sick for so long.
But then Po realized why he was so disoriented.
He was still a dragon.
He hadn't reverted back to his panda form in the Spirit Realm as he'd expected. He had been ready to take control of the dragon like a puppet again in his original body, and then control it like he had during his first visit.
The fact didn't really bother him; he was finally used to his dragon body. But he had still expected to change back into a panda at least while he was in the Spirit Realm.
Maybe Master Oogway will change me back when this is all over, Po thought to himself as he dragged Kai kicking and screaming through the realm, all the while trying to get used to the new yet familiar floating sensation in his current form; it was different than being able to fly in the Mortal Realm where gravity was not as unpredictable as it was now.
"You brought me back again," Kai snarled as he dangled from Po's clawed grip.
The dragon simply rolled his eyes and continued to move forward, flying smoothly as he could through the golden air and the surrounding islands that dotted the ever-changing 'landscape.' He was lucky that, apparently, his staff had the ability to transport them back to the Spirit Realm; he wouldn't have known what to do otherwise since he didn't have fingers to do the Wuxi Finger Hold again. But it was like instinct, like second nature to him that the staff would act as a portal between worlds.
Well, we're never able to finish things in the regular realm, so—
But then Po felt a searing hot pain in his side, similar to the pain he'd felt when he was hit by the arrow.
The dragon screeched and instantly dropped the spirit warrior, astounded to see that Kai's eyes were back to their normal green color instead of yellow—the color of Po's Chi.
Kai had regained his swords, the jade swords, and the chains that were attached so that he could pull his victims closer and steal their Chi. During the time that he had the Dragon Warrior's Chi, he had never needed them; Po's Chi was so strong that he had never needed to steal from anyone else.
But now he didn't have any Chi.
And he was furious. He instantly threw the chained swords towards Po, who barely had time to react and get out of the way. He stood upon a floating rock that he'd managed to land on, the chains keeping him from floating back into the air.
He's going to try and take my Chi again, Po realized. He also realized that he couldn't exactly fight back like last time. He didn't want to risk giving away his Chi by accident.
He was totally defenseless besides breathing fire, and he doubted that breathing fire would be a good idea in a realm such as this; it would most likely come out as Chi instead of fire, anyway. He just couldn't take that risk again!
Thinking fast, Po swirled around and avoided being caught by the chains that would pull him closer to Kai.
Unsure of what to do next, Po attempted to blend in with his surroundings. The golden surroundings camouflaged the dragon of the same color, and Kai could no longer see the Dragon Warrior as he managed to blend in to buy him time, almost invisible to the yak's eyes. He moved away from the spirit warrior quickly as he could without making too much movement that Kai could possibly see. The Maker of Widows snorted in annoyance and looked every which way around the realm, trying his best to find the now-invisible dragon. But he couldn't see a thing.
Po knew he had to think of something, and fast. He had to stay away from Kai and avoid being caught by said chains that would surely be his end.
Wait...his end...
"All good things come to an end," Master Oogway had said after he'd talked to his mother. Po had wondered how being dead could possibly be good. But throwing that thought aside...
The Spirit Realm had an end.
He just had to get Kai to that end, and make sure that he was never going to be able to get out again. Which way was the end, exactly? Po had no idea. But just like he'd trusted his gut instinct to take him to the Spirit Realm by using his staff, he trusted his gut instinct to choose the right direction that would lead him and Kai to the End.
"There you are," Kai said with a smug grin as he saw Po's staff floating in midair—a major giveaway.
Oops, Po thought. But now was his chance.
With a great rumble, Po remained in his camouflaged state even though Kai could see him by pinpointing his staff, anyway. He shot quickly in the other direction and Kai followed, jumping along the islands and rocks behind the (almost) invisible dragon; Po knew that if he stayed camouflaged besides having his staff giving him away, Kai would still have a harder time seeing and hitting him, let alone grab him with his chains like he was grabbing the rocks to make his way across the realm.
It seemed like hours before the air around them suddenly had a change in atmosphere. Po didn't know how to describe it, everything felt...darker and not as pleasant. He slowed his pace and Kai slowed as well, the two finally coming to a stop near a gigantic corner of rock and floating matter; it was all so close together and closing in, and with his gigantic size, Po knew he wouldn't be able to fly ahead any further. He was stuck between the wall and Kai—there was nowhere else to 'run'—he was trapped.
"Now you have nowhere else to go," Kai said as he gazed at their new surroundings and Po revealed himself at last. Well, he had no choice but to reveal himself; he wasn't able to blend in anymore. Not with everything as dark as it was now. Kai's eyes widened, and if Po didn't know any better, the Master of Pain actually looked afraid. Po wondered if it was because he had been to this exact same spot before when Oogway had first banished him to the Spirit Realm, before he had collected the Chi of all the masters and had the ability to go to the Mortal Realm. If anything, a look of familiarity had crossed his face.
And he was starting to back up, like he was going to make a move to run in the opposite direction.
Po didn't want to. He didn't want to use his newly returned powers for evil and wouldn't wish what he had experienced at Kai's hand on anyone; not even Kai himself.
But he had to. He had to make sure that Kai was never going to return to the Mortal Realm where he could hurt innocent people like his master, friends and family.
Ever. Again.
An image of Kai hurting Bao flashed through his mind, and he snorted in anger. He thought of being trapped in his house while Tigress and his fathers watched him grow sicker and sicker without his Chi until...Then an image of the shield that Shifu had created to keep Kai from getting out as easily while they had tried to heal his arrow wound. If Kai had made his own shield last for as long as it did with Po's powers, then he had a feeling he could make another that would last just as long.
Before he could turn and really make a break for it, Po stared directly into Kai's eyes, and the collector found himself standing stock-still on the rock and unable to move one bone in his body.
No...Kai thought desperately as the Dragon Warrior began to take him over. He couldn't control any of his own movements, his body wasn't listening to him and it was now being shoved towards the End of the Spirit Realm.
He was being pushed towards the End of the Spirit Realm where he was never going to be able to escape again, and Po was creating a personal prison for him using his returned Chi that would absolutely make sure that he could never escape again.
Kai screamed as he was being pulled by an invisible force and thrust up against the dark, floating rubble. A bright, golden shield was being built up all around him at the same time, connecting itself to its surroundings and every possible escape route until it finally closed itself off, leaving Kai trapped inside of the corner that Po himself had been stuck between only moments before.
He was trapped.
Po released his hold on Kai. With all the strength he had left, he let out a roar just as ear-splitting as the one when he had first arrived in the Mortal Realm as a dragon, a roar that confirmed and let Kai know just who the real Dragon Warrior was.
And then he left the immortal Master of Pain alone.
He panted, out of breath, and finally collapsed onto a nearby floating island. He barely made it onto land, and his tail was left hanging in shiny golden water.
He had just gotten his Chi back.
Then just as quickly, he'd lost it, having used up all his energy by taking control of Kai and creating a shield that would last forever. If not forever, then a very, very long time.
He'd used too much, just as Shifu had warned.
Darkness was closing in around the edges of his vision.
He just felt so dizzy and tired.
I'm sorry, dad.