Disclaimer: All characters belong to Dreamworks, except for Hunter, Ryo, and the Ryoichi.
Chapter 3: Story Time
"I have to hand it to you, Hunter. You're probably the coolest 5-foot-9-inch, blonde haired, blue eyed 14-year old I've ever seen!" Po had welcomed Hunter with wide arms, because he had shown he was trustworthy by protecting them from a being that was beyond their level of skill. Monkey, Mantis, Viper and Crane had also warmed up to him, but Tigress still doubted that he was trustworthy. After all, he had just arrived.
"Thanks, Po." Hunter was a tad bit shy, considering all of the attention he was getting. They were all in the dining room, eating Po's noodles, and for Hunter, it was the first time.
"Go ahead, Hunter. Try it." Viper said.
Hunter brought the noodles in between his chopsticks, and quickly put the noodles inside his mouth. He chewed…. And then he swallowed.
And then he spoke: "This is really… Wow. I've never tasted anything as amazing as this!"
The five the cheered, and ate some more.
"No comments, Mantis?" Crane said.
"No, I'm too busy stuffing myself. You, however, can make all the comments you want."
They just kept eating, figuring that time spent talking is time wasted when you're supposed to be eating. Finally, Hunter spoke up.
"So, the reason I came here was to help train and aid you in the defense of China against an evil known as the Ryoichi."
Monkey spoke up. "Aren't they the…?"
"The ten men in the fairy tale that your parents told you? Yes. Except they are much darker and black-hearted than the version you heard. They each have a special ability that gives them a distinct advantage over their opponent. There are ways to counter their advantages, but let's start plain and simple, with the basics. I'm going to train you how to become even more sufficient in combat, and I will teach you the elements of Spiritual Pressure. The energy wave that my blade launched? That uses spiritual pressure."
"This is all fine and dandy," Mantis said, "But how are we going to master this stuff? I mean, it sounds like something Master Oogway would have taught us."
Hunter seemed to take this response as normal as possible. "That's true. But it's actually relatively simple; you just need to channel your inner self first. Depending on who you are, though, the challenge differs. If you are tough to the core, like Tigress…"
Tigress gave an annoyed look.
"…then you will not have much of a hard time. However, if you are soft and kind on the inside, like Po, then it will probably be an extremely difficult challenge."
"Why is that?" Po said.
"Because, Po. You will have to face your complete opposite in your mind."
Po, and the others, were mind-blown. Channeling was one thing, but fighting yourself? For Po, it was a new level of cool.
"So… If that's that, training will start tomorrow. By the way, if you don't defeat your opposite, it will consume you and you will die. Goodnight, everyone! I'll be sleeping on the roof if you need me."
So he then left the Five and Po, with wide eyes.
Crane spoke up with a frightened voice. "We'll… die?"
Even Shifu was in shock. I mean, who wouldn't be? Risking their life to become better in the martial arts, and contact their spiritual powers. But they had to, in order to save the valley. And so they ended the night, with a few worried hearts and souls.
The Next Day
The gong rang at precisely 6 A.M. The students arose, but with more… fear in their eyes than usual. Usually, harsh training was enough to put most of them in worry, but they would be fighting for their lives today. They said their usual "Good morning master," and then headed off to the training hall.
When they got there, Hunter gave them a warm welcome, and sat them all down.
"Okay, so… Who wants to go first? Rise of hands?"
No one dared to do such a thing. Finally, Tigress volunteered to go first.
"I'll go first," she said. With a brave look, she headed toward Hunter to start her training.
"Great…. Let's begin, then."
Oh snap, it's about to get good! The next chapter should be up either later tonight or tomorrow. R&R welcome! Night, y'all!