G'day!
Welcome to Chapter 2 for Eye of the Tiger
Hope you've been keeping yourselves alive and well. I've been keeping myself very busy, ensuring these first few chapters are ready for their release dates. It was a wonderful feeling returning with this story a few weeks ago, and I'm excited to see what you think of this 2nd chapter, which has been extended significantly compared to the previous version. The previous version of chapter 2 was a mere 1800 words, it was the smallest chapter in the old story. As you may have seen, this chapter certainly isn't 1800 words, but comes in at just over 7000 words. I'll never know how the chapter expanded 4-fold, because it covers the exact same time period as the previous version. I've just expanded on pretty much everything within this chapter. It's amazing how much descriptive narration you can include.
Thank you to those who read the 1st chapter. Your views mean a lot to me. I'd also like to give a special thanks to Starless Echoes and Natescool05 for your reviews on the 1st chapter. Getting such positive feedback is a massive confidence booster for myself. I encourage feedback because it allows me to gauge how the story is being perceived by you guys, my audience. If you like something about the story, let me know. If you think there's something I can improve on, let me know. I'll take the positive feedback with the constructive criticism.
Just a quick note. Seeing this story is set in ancient China... Happy Lunar New Year to you and your family! Just like some of us celebrate New Year's on January 1, The Lunar New Year is a chance to start anew, settle your old debts, forgive grudges and give your neighbour back that tool you borrowed months before, only to never use it. Open your windows to allow good luck to come inside. Light up the lanterns with new hopes and aspirations. Whatever you wish for, I wish you all the best for 2022 - the Year of the Water Tiger. It's quite appropriate for this story that it's now Year of the Tiger. Anyway, that enough dribble for now. As always...
Disclaimer: All characters and settings used in this story are property of DreamWorks (except for the characters/settings randomly created by me throughout the story.)
Without further adieu, here is chapter 2
Please Read, Review & Enjoy!
Chapter 2 - The Dragon Warrior Tournament
Entering my room and closing the door behind me, upon taking a moment to look around, apart from my bamboo bed and the side table containing my training attire, there was nothing else to see. It was almost spotless. Anyone, apart from Master Oogway and Master Shifu, my fellow students, and cleaning servants, who were lucky enough to see inside of my room, would think it was a spare room. It doesn't need to be filled with things that are used once or twice, and never again. That just causes unnecessary clutter. All that's needed to maintain my rank as a kung fu master is a place to rest and space to meditate. Anything more becomes a distraction. That's how my room has remained for over a decade.
I have spent many years in this room sleeping, meditating, praying, crying, healing from injury, playing checkers or mahjong with Master Oogway, talking to Master Shifu or the other members of the Furious Five. The list goes on. This room is my life. Countless dreams and inspirations have originated from this room, but none is bigger than my dream of becoming the Dragon Warrior. To be facing the prospect of coming into this room tonight as the Dragon Warrior is something that has been part of many dreams, but never did it seem imaginable of becoming a reality. My dream is within reach, and the reality of it becoming true is a few hours away.
While meditating in my room, part of me doubted whether any of this was happening. It just didn't seem real. We've all dreamed of the day Master Oogway would pick someone as the Dragon Warrior, but never assumed we'd be lucky enough to be a potential candidate for the historic event. With all due respect to our aging grandmaster, his time in the mortal realm is running out, and over the last few years, the anticipation has grown for when Master Oogway chooses the Dragon Warrior. For it to be happening, and not be a dream, was daunting. The time had come, but the choosing of the Dragon Warrior came with a flip side.
If Master Oogway's vision came true, and most of the time they do, then we had to prepare for the inevitable escape of Tai Lung. Dragon Warrior or not, our duty is to protect the innocent from danger. If Tai Lung finds out Master Oogway is picking the Dragon Warrior, he'll want to return to claim the Dragon Scroll for himself. Having that lingering threat in the back of our minds would create a tense environment. However, with such a historic event beckoning on our doorstep, we cannot ponder on such negativity. This is a significant moment, not just for us, but for kung fu. A thousand-year prophecy, and here I am, facing the possibility of becoming the Dragon Warrior.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
My eyes snapped open, incensed by whoever dared to interrupt me with such a historic event looming overhead. The anger vanished, and my eyes widened upon seeing Master Shifu standing outside of my room. "Master?! Is something wrong?"
Master Shifu took a few steps into my room with a scroll clutched in his right hand. "I apologise for disrupting your preparations, Tigress. I'm here to provide you the rules"—Master Shifu handed me the scroll he was holding—"and to ask what equipment you require for today's tournament."
Gazing down at the scroll in my right paw, the Dragon Warrior must prove their worth by achieving the highest level of kung fu before being given the Dragon Scroll. No one knows what will happen once the Dragon Warrior reads the Dragon Scroll, nor does anyone know what secrets lie inside. Only Master Oogway knows as he created the Dragon Scroll. Legend says by reading the Dragon Scroll, it will grant the Dragon Warrior with limitless power, allowing them to feel the universe in motion around them. Therefore, displaying the highest level of kung fu would show why I'm worthy of being deemed the Dragon Warrior. With that concluded, I looked back up to Master Shifu. "You decide for me, master. I want to prove I can face anything and everything with little preparation."
A soft smile formed on Master Shifu's face. "Just as I thought. I'll ensure you're provided with the toughest challenge, and I'm sure you won't disappoint. The tournament will start soon." Master Shifu left my room, closing the door on his way out, allowing me to resume meditating in private. Ever since learning about the prophecy of the Dragon Warrior, I have dedicated my life to this opportunity. Even before knowing about the Dragon Warrior, my life revolved around kung fu. The day Master Shifu adopted me from the Bao Gu Orphanage and brought me back to the Jade Palace changed my life. By finding a passion in kung fu, it gave me a place to escape, a way to vent my anger, while providing a sense of purpose.
Despite the traumatic scarring caused by Tai Lung's rage attacks, Master Shifu never gave up on me. Nothing can repay what Master Shifu has done for me over the years. When Master Shifu first visited the orphanage, he would have seen how they treated me, and even after training me to control my strength, when no one else wanted me, he stepped up and adopted me. By adopting me, he got me away from that sickening orphanage, and will forever be thankful for the sacrifices he has made to give me a chance at life. Having the opportunity of becoming the Dragon Warrior would prove to Master Shifu that his arduous work, and the hours he spent training me, would not be a waste.
After having spent twenty years training day and night, preparing myself for this day, this is my chance to become the warrior Master Shifu has always seen in me. I have spent twenty years punching ironwood trees, making myself immune from pain. Physical and emotional. All the blood, sweat and tears lost, the broken bones suffered, everything having endured, been through, sacrificed to get to where I am today, could pay off. After all these years, I may be proud of myself and the achievements made. Paramount to all of that, this is my opportunity to make Master Shifu proud of me. Not only would it be disheartening, but not becoming the Dragon Warrior would demoralise my reputation.
The thought of being a failure is one that doesn't sit well with me. Having dedicated my entire life to perfection, failing was not an option. For one-thousand years, the world of kung fu has waited for this moment, and soon, someone would fulfill the prophecy and be named the Dragon Warrior. While it is imperative to respect Master Oogway's choosing and be happy for whoever he selects as the Dragon Warrior, my hunger was greater. Spending the past twenty years torturing my body beyond its breaking point hasn't been for nothing. This was my moment, and nothing could stop me from doing everything within my control to get what's mine.
When something increases my stress levels, training in the Training Hall helps release such pressures, but today is different. With the Dragon Warrior tournament, something we've waited a thousand years for, imminent, it was crucial to preserve my energy. By training, it would increase my fatigue levels, diminishing my judgement and abilities. Preserving every ounce of energy now and expelling everything during the tournament was more important. Once my turn is over, nothing is to be left. Nothing! The sound of cracking brought my attention down to the scroll clutched in my right paw. Easing my grip, while the tournament should be straight-forward, it would be best to take a glance at the rules. Upon opening the scroll, the rules for the Dragon Warrior tournament laid inside.
Dragon Warrior Tournament Rules
Rule 1: Meet at the Arena Platform prior to the tournament commencing.
Rule 2: Disperse around the Palace Arena, and upon the conclusion of my introduction, launch yourselves high above the Palace Arena, showcasing your skills.
Rule 3: The order of the tournament will be decided by me, and you must be ready to enact your turn when called upon. Failing to do so will result in your disqualification from the tournament.
Rule 4: Your turn will conclude when either you defeat your opponent, your opponent defeats you, or a time of thirty seconds has lapsed.
Rule 5: While you are not performing, you must stand on the edge of the Palace Arena to provide sufficient space for whoever is partaking their turn.
Rule 6: The Dragon Warrior will be decided when either Master Oogway signals for the tournament to be stopped or when you all have performed your turns.
Rule 7: When the time comes to choose the Dragon Warrior, you shall stand in a line in the middle of the Palace Arena and wait for Master Oogway to make his decision.
Rule 8: Whoever is chosen as the Dragon Warrior will be transported to the Hall of Warriors where they will receive the Dragon Scroll.
Rule 9: You are NOT ALLOWED, under any circumstances, to share the contents of the Dragon Scroll with anyone. Only the Dragon Warrior is permitted to know what lies inside of that scroll.
Best of luck, students!
Master Shifu & Master Oogway
GONG! GONG!
At the sound of the two gongs, I tossed the scroll onto my bed before springing up from the floor and sprinted out of my room. While reaching for the door handle, something stopped me from opening the door. Withdrawing my paw from the handle, upon turning around and taking one last look at my room, the biggest moment of my life had arrived. Whatever happened today, I closed my eyes, praying it would be for the best. My dreams may be in Master Oogway's hands, but there was no point standing here hoping Master Oogway would proclaim me as the Dragon Warrior. It was time to make it happen.
After taking one last deep breath and exhaling, I opened my eyes, knowing the time had come. This was my moment to shine. Upon opening the door and bolting out of the student barracks, the others joined me as we sprinted to the Palace Arena. As we drew closer to the Palace Arena, the citizens' screams grew louder and louder, making the place feel electric. It settled any nerves and replaced them with pure determination. To see the Jade Palace packed with villagers made the reality of the situation sink in a little further. This was no dream, or at least hoped it wasn't. In the next hour, the Dragon Warrior would be revealed.
While waiting for Master Shifu on the Arena Platform, just above the Palace Arena, the excitement coming from the citizens was almost overwhelming. They knew how to create an electrifying atmosphere for a historic event, and in return, it made me focused on one thing, and one thing only. "Students!" Master Shifu's shouts caused us to turn around to see him running down the stairs from the Hall of Warriors. He hurried over, stopping in front of us. "I just wanted to say how honoured I am to be standing here today to witness one of you become the Dragon Warrior. To have watched you grow as masters, dedicating your lives to this, I could not be any prouder of you all."
Master Shifu looked at me as he spoke the last part, as if he were directing the words straight to me. Despite the compliment from Master Shifu, it would not distract me from the upcoming task. Knowing Master Shifu was proud of me was all he needed to say. My hunger to make him proud had reached new heights. "The tournament will begin in five minutes. Please take your places around the Palace Arena and be ready for when the tournament starts. I must meet with Master Oogway now. Best of luck, students!" Master Shifu smiled and bowed to us, which we returned, before he turned around and sprinted up the stairs leading to the Hall of Warriors.
"Well, I guess this is it. Best of luck, guys. May the best be crowned the Dragon Warrior," Mantis said.
After bowing to one another, we left the Arena Platform to take our positions around the Palace Arena. Crane flew over the arena and landed on the paifang, at the entrance of the Palace Arena, and the Jade Palace, while Monkey and Mantis hid behind the western stands. Viper followed me as we climbed the rocks behind the eastern stands. "Best of luck, Tigress!" Viper said, as she slithered past me and positioned herself on some rocks about twenty-five feet away. I nodded at Viper, acknowledging her, before turning my focus back on to the tournament that was moments away from starting.
While waiting for Master Shifu to introduce us, some nerves still lingered in my body, forcing me to focus on my breathing and calm myself down. Despite how surreal the situation felt, everything still seemed like a dream, but knew this was no dream. This was the real deal. Countless dreams about the Dragon Warrior tournament have tormented many nights, and none of them end well. Either the dream ends just before the tournament starts or when the Dragon Warrior is being chosen. Not once have my dreams chosen me as the Dragon Warrior. These dreams, no matter how strange they are, haven't deterred my hopes, but have fuelled my drive to prove my dreams wrong and show the Dragon Warrior is my destiny to fulfill.
"LET THE TOURNAMENT BEGIN!" the tournament announcer declared before hitting a gong, snapping me back into reality. This is it! This is my moment to shine. And this time, it was no dream.
"Citizens of the Valley of Peace!" Master Shifu shouted. "It is my great honour to present to you… Tigress! Viper! Crane! Monkey! Mantis! The Furious Five!"
At the conclusion of Master Shifu's introduction, I leapt across the rocks before using the top of the eastern stand to launch myself into the air, high above the Palace Arena. Viper followed suit, with the others meeting us mid-air. Upon reaching peak height, Viper zoomed around me while I performed an Arabian flip. This is a type of somersault that starts out with a backward entry, into a half twist after take-off, and then continues into a front flip. In my case, the take-off was in mid-air, rather than on the ground. A difficult technique to pull off on the ground, let alone in the air, but one that would present my capabilities of perfecting such complex manoeuvres.
After performing the Arabian flip, I held my feet and paws together while letting gravity play its part as it dragged me back towards the ground. With the ground fast approaching, I broke out of the hold, performing a forward somersault followed by several side flips. After landing on the ground with my left foot, I twirled around to execute a signature move of mine: the roundhouse kick. From there, while performing a few extra moves, the other masters landed in the Palace Arena before I leapt forward with a straddle split jump, displaying my flexibility. We gathered in the centre of the Palace Arena, posing into our defensive stances, while the crowd cheered as Crane blew a gust of wind around the arena with his wings.
"Warriors, prepare!" Master Shifu said, causing us to turn to face him, ready to begin the Dragon Warrior tournament. "Ready for battle! First to take centre stage will be Master Crane! Up against The Thousand Tongues of Fire!"
Crane took centre stage, preparing for his turn while the rest of us moved to the side of the Palace Arena. The palace servants brought out Crane's opponent, the Thousand Tongues of Fire, positioning it in front of the eastern stand. Seeing Crane's opponent made me realise I hadn't seen what equipment Master Shifu had chosen for me, and while seeing my opponent would help my preparations, leaving it as a surprise would be better for my battle. Not only could it cost me the opportunity of becoming the Dragon Warrior, but looking at my opponent would contradict my reasonings for wanting it to be a surprise. There are reasons for not choosing to see my opponent. The Dragon Warrior must be prepared to face anything and everything with little preparation.
With the Thousand Tongues of Fire in place, Crane positioned himself in his defensive stance, ready for battle. The door on the Thousand Tongues of Fire opened, revealing many fire rockets waiting for the palace servant standing on top of the machine to ignite them. As the palace servant lit the fuse, Crane lifted himself into the air before the fire rockets launched out of the Thousand Tongues of Fire. Crane weaved and dodged his way around the fire rockets, turning himself upside down, as he continued ascending into the air, displaying his immaculate evasive skills. The fire rockets whizzed around in the air as Crane hovered above the Palace Arena, waiting for the fire rockets to make their final charge at him.
Upon u-turning on the spot, the fire rockets beelined straight for Crane, but halted in their tracks for a few seconds, surrounding Crane, before propelling themselves towards their target at high speeds. Crane twisted, flipped, and whirled around in the air, displaying his lightning-fast defensive capabilities, deflecting the fire rockets into one another, making them collide and explode. After defeating the last two fire rockets, Crane descended back to the ground as the citizens applauded and cheered his performance. Once on the ground, Crane bowed to Master Shifu and Master Oogway, then to each section where the villagers gathered before walking over to us, ending his turn.
Crane's turn may not have lasted long, but the length of your battle depends on your opponent, as well as the strategy you install. For Crane, his opponent, the fire rockets, forced his battle to move at a fast pace, ending it well before the thirty seconds had transpired. As per rule 4 stated in the scroll Master Shifu gave me, your turn ends when either you defeat your opponent, your opponent defeats you, or a time of thirty seconds has lapsed. This means you have a maximum of thirty seconds to display all your skills and defeat your opponent.
"Next to take their place is Master Viper!" Master Shifu said. "Facing the Fiery Pit of Death!"
Viper slithered over, waiting for the palace servants to push the Fiery Pit of Death into the centre of the Palace Arena. The Fiery Pit of Death is much like the Field of Fiery Death that is in the Training Hall, but unlike that, the Fiery Pit of Death is portable. It presents quite a mouthful, differing between the two, and one often forgets the difference, but once you learn how to distinguish the two, it's easy to remember. With the Fiery Pit of Death in position, Viper took her place on top of it, waiting for it to activate. Unlike Crane, Viper cannot defeat her opponent. Instead, she must defeat time itself.
Viper can only succeed by surviving the full thirty seconds without the Fiery Pit of Death catching her out. Doing so would show the capabilities of sustaining evasive skills while being in a dangerous situation. When you're in battle, it is not all about being on the offence. You need to know how to maintain a strong defence too. That way, when your opponent weakens, you can turn defence into attack. Master Shifu has encoded this tactic into our brains, as you should never initiate battle unless it provides an advantage. Moments after Viper slithered onto the Fiery Pit of Death, flames erupted from the platform at random. Viper danced her way around the platform, weaving and dodging the flames to perfection.
Her evasive skills were on full display during this performance as she continued to manoeuvre around the flames, making it look effortless. As the end of Viper's turn neared, the pace at which the flames erupted from the platform increased. Viper moved at such speeds it was almost impossible to keep up with her. The performance concluded when the entire platform erupted with fire, which Viper somehow evaded. It was unclear how she had done so, but had shown impeccable skill during her performance. The citizens roared in applause as Viper slithered off the platform with no part of her body charred. Viper bowed to Master Shifu and Master Oogway, and then to each section of the crowd, just like Crane had done, before slithering over to us, looking proud, and for good reasons, too.
"Our next warrior is Master Mantis! Facing the Formidable Spiked Bandit!" Master Shifu said, causing the audience to erupt in another round of applause. "When you are ready!"
Mantis hopped to the centre of the Palace Arena while palace servants took away the Fiery Pit of Death before bringing out Mantis' opponent. For anyone unfamiliar with the Formidable Spiked Bandit, also known as the Bandit, it is a machine that stands ten feet tall and is several hundred times the size of Mantis. Sharp spikes cover its body, similar to those that cover one side of the Swinging Spiked Clubs, while it carried a Mjölnir in each hand. A palace servant sits inside the hub of the Formidable Spiked Bandit and controls the Mjölnir's. With everything in position, the Bandit initiated battle with Mantis, slamming its left Mjölnir onto the ground where Mantis was standing.
The Mjölnir struck nothing but the ground as Mantis jumped out of the way, before weaving and dodging his way through the Bandit's attacks at lightning speeds. Like Viper, the evasive skills of Mantis were hard to follow, as his form was a green blur zooming around the Palace Arena. After showing his blistering speeds and defensive capabilities, Mantis dodged one last Mjölnir before leaping up the body of the Bandit, striking it in the head multiple times. The attacks of Mantis destroyed the Bandit's wooden head before it tipped over and crashed onto the ground, shattering into many pieces. A loud round of applause erupted from the citizens as Mantis hopped off the Bandit, or what he had left of it, and bowed to Master Shifu and Master Oogway.
After showing his gratitude to the citizens, Mantis made his way over to us as the palace servants cleaned up the mess Mantis had left behind. With Crane, Viper, and Mantis having completed their turns, two of us remained. Monkey and me. While the anticipation grew, it didn't make me feel anxious, but the chance to show my skills caused my body to tingle with excitement. Plus, having told Master Shifu to pick my opponent made me curious to see what he had selected. Despite being eager to perform next, my instincts were telling me that Master Shifu planned on leaving me last. "Our second last competitor, facing the Army of Flaming Arrows, will be Master Monkey!" Master Shifu said, proving my instincts correct.
Another round of applause rang out around the Palace Arena as Monkey bounded into the middle of the arena, waiting for the palace servants to drag the Army of Flaming Arrows into position. The Army of Flaming Arrows was designed like the Thousand Tongues of Fire, but with two distinctive differences. As its name suggests, instead of shooting out fire rockets, the Army of Flaming Arrows launches fire arrows. In addition, it isn't just one machine, but two. These machines are independent of one another, allowing the user to position them wherever they wished. For today's tournament, the palace servants placed the two machines on opposite sides of the Palace Arena, facing inwards at Monkey.
Much like the other machines used in today's tournament, except for the Fiery Pit of Death, the palace servants control the Army of Flaming Arrows. However, just as Viper had done, Monkey had to survive the entire thirty seconds to complete his turn. It would be another display of strong defence, but as mentioned earlier, having a strong defence is key to kung fu. You win battles on the back of defence. Without a strong defence, you become an easy target, and that's something you cannot be as a kung fu master, let alone the Dragon Warrior. As Monkey positioned himself in his defensive stance, the Army of Flaming Arrows opened fire, shooting arrows at random from both directions.
Leaping into the air, Monkey kicked and blocked the first wave of arrows away, displaying his impervious defences, before landing on the ground, ready for the next wave. The Army of Flaming Arrows released its second round of attack, ejecting twice as many arrows as before, but this didn't faze Monkey. He twisted his way through the labyrinth of arrows, deflecting a few, but leaving most unharmed, perfecting his display of evasive skills. Monkey had passed the first two rounds, but he had time for two more rounds, and these would push his capabilities to their limits. Both machines fired waves of arrows, in higher quantities and velocities, making it seem near impossible for Monkey to defend, and survive, against.
Despite the odds, Monkey manoeuvred his way through the barrage of arrows at speeds you would miss if you blinked. Monkey showed great speed and flexibility throughout the first three rounds, but it was time for his fourth and final test. The final round begun when both machines fired a wall of arrows at Monkey, leaving no room to escape. Given how compact the arrows were, Monkey would have to defeat the impossible and dig his way out of them. There was no space to be evasive, nor was there any room for error. One wrong move could spell the end of Monkey. A brave move, one would say, but as the arrows closed in within a few feet from Monkey, it's a move that could pay off for him.
Monkey sprung up into the air, deflecting the arrows in all directions at speeds that were impossible to keep up with. It was a perfect display of precision and skill. When it seemed impossible, Monkey emerged from the cloud of arrows, unscathed, and landed on the ground as the citizens erupted with a thunderous round of applause. Monkey bowed to Master Shifu and Master Oogway before displaying his appreciation to the citizens, bowing to each section before re-joining us at the side of the Palace Arena. With Monkey's turn ending, the time had come to show the world why Master Oogway should crown me as the Dragon Warrior. This is my moment to shine.
"And, finally, Master Tigress!" Master Shifu said, as the palace servants brought out my opponent. The sight of it made me smile. Something within me knew Master Shifu wouldn't disappoint me with his selection, and my battle won't disappoint Master Shifu. "And, believe me, citizens, you have not seen anything yet!" I walked to the centre of the Palace Arena, fist in paw and eyes closed, waiting to take on my blade swinging, maniac opponent. "Master Tigress! Face Iron Ox and his Blades of Death!"
Upon opening my eyes, they narrowed, locking onto my opponent, studying its movements, before moving into my defensive stance, ready to take on this beast. While getting into position, my peripheral vision caught something flying across the front of the Jade Palace, but couldn't take my eyes off Iron Ox to see what it was, if it was anything. It disappeared before being able to take a glance, but the swinging blades brought my immediate attention back to my opponent. Nothing should distract me from battle, otherwise it'll ruin my chances of being named the Dragon Warrior. That is something that would not sit well with me, if it were the reason to fail earning the prestigious title.
Iron Ox and his Blades of Death resemble a giant Ox, with four large, mechanical, axe-wielding arms attached to its wooden body. Unlike the other designs, palace servants do not need to control Iron Ox's limbs, given they're mechanical. It's a confronting sight for anyone unprepared, but for me, it creates the perfect situation to showcase my skills. While it is possible to defeat Iron Ox within a few seconds, dragging the contest out for the entire thirty seconds would provide enough time to display my skills. Iron Ox advanced upon me, forcing me to retreat backwards. Before engaging in battle with Iron Ox, the crowd went silent, and the palace servants stopped the machine without warning.
Curious to know what had caught the attention of the citizens, I glanced over my shoulder, seeing Master Oogway had raised his hand. "I sense the Dragon Warrior is among us."
Confused about what was happening, upon looking at Master Shifu for clarification, he looked at me and nodded, confirming this was legitimate. Shifting my focus to the others, they also seemed confused, before rushing into the centre of the Palace Arena, joining me. Realising this was the moment we had been waiting for, I jumped over Viper, as she slithered under me, and took my place in the line we formed. With one last glance at the others, my attention shifted back to Master Shifu as we waited for Master Oogway to come down to the Palace Arena and choose the Dragon Warrior.
"Citizens of the Valley of Peace! Master Oogway will now choose the Dragon Warrior!" Master Shifu said, declaring the biggest moment of our lives had arrived.
You could feel the anticipation from the citizens as Master Oogway slowly made his way down the stairs to the Palace Arena. While this was the historic moment we had been waiting for, my mind couldn't figure out why Master Oogway stopped the tournament before my performance. It gave me a bad feeling, as these negative thoughts kept saying it wasn't me who Master Oogway envisioned as the Dragon Warrior. This was turning out to be another one of those nightmares. My facial features may not have been showing it, but the nerves had returned to my body, and were peaking at an all-time high. Something didn't seem right, and whatever was about to transpire gave the sense it would be the unexpected.
Why did Master Oogway not let my battle play out? Had he seen enough? Has his mind already chosen the Dragon Warrior? Nothing would help me understand why he had stopped the tournament when he did. Not being able to show my skills was disappointing, but that was the least of my worries. From observing the other's performances, if it were me who had the privilege of choosing the Dragon Warrior, Crane would be my choice. He showed everything you needed to succeed as the Dragon Warrior. Great agility, flexibility, evasiveness, and displayed how to use someone's attack against them. In saying that, each one of us deserved to be the Dragon Warrior.
As Master Oogway sauntered down the stairs onto the Palace Arena at his desired pace, the moment was drawing nearer and nearer. Despite being eager to witness how this unfolded, no fibres within my body could feel impatient as Master Oogway showed no signs of urgency. This was his decision. A decision he had been keeping for a thousand years, and a decision he could only make once. We must respect the time Master Oogway required to gather his final thoughts before declaring the Dragon Warrior. It was something Master Oogway would not rush, and until he was ready to reveal the Dragon Warrior, all we could do was wait.
While approaching us, Master Oogway swayed his arms back and forth in a slow, rhythmic dance, appearing reserved and gentle by his approach. With Master Oogway in no hurry, my immediate attention turned to my breathing, ensuring it was at a calm rate. It was important to remain calm while being aware of the situation, and vigilant of my surroundings. Before knowing it, Master Oogway stood a few feet in front of us, continuing to sway his arms back and forth. The time had almost come for Master Oogway to choose the Dragon Warrior. My hopes were in an internal battle, but the odds of being selected possessed greater chances-
!BOOOOOOOM!
!WIIIIIIIIZZZZ!
!CRAAAAAAAAKLE!
!BOOOOOOOOOM!
Explosions, of an unknown source, erupted behind us, causing me, and the others, to jump around into a defensive stance, ready to protect everyone from the threat. For all we knew, it could have been an attempted assassination, but it became clear fireworks had been set off outside the arena, causing the explosions. Amid the confusion, it was obvious this was no attempted assassination, but someone trying to disrupt the most historic event in kung fu history. What kind of dumb, thick-headed imbecile does something like this? Whoever they were, deserved-
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" someone screamed as the fireworks soared high into the sky above the Palace Arena. Watching, both confused and infuriated, as the fireworks exploded in the sky, it made no sense what this person was trying to do. Even if someone had requested this person to supply fireworks, nothing could put sense into what we were witnessing. Someone had launched themselves into the sky with fireworks. What on earth were they trying to achieve? Perhaps it was an accident that turned horribly wrong, but if they were trying to disrupt the most historic event in kung fu history, then mission accomplished!
The exploding fireworks entertained the citizens, but once they stopped, only the creature that had launched itself into the sky remained. It was difficult to identify who had launched themselves into the sky, given how high they were, but they had a black and white appearance. With the fireworks ending, gravity took over, dragging the creature back to the ground. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the creature screamed, flailing its limbs about attempting to stop itself from falling with no success. As it plummeted back to the ground, realising it was falling towards us, I took a step back to avoid being crushed. While stepping back, my eyes shifted down, seeing Master Oogway standing in front of me-
!CRASHHHHHHHH!
The creature crash-landed between master Oogway and me, shaking the ground with the same magnitude as a powerful earthquake. Its impact caused dust to explode up from the ground, forcing me to close my eyes and protect my face with a paw. After a few seconds, upon opening my eyes, an enormous dust cloud engulfed us, obscuring the surrounding view. The high volume of dust suspended in the air made it impossible to see the creature that laid before us, but as the dust particles settled, its identity became clear. It was a panda! That should have been obvious after noticing its black and white appearance, but confusion fogged my mind, and still is.
There's only one known panda living in the Valley of Peace, and unless this panda has come from outside the valley, it works down at the noodle shop in the valley. Master Oogway often orders food from there, but what the hell was this panda thinking? It had just interrupted the most historic moment in kung fu history. While nothing could explain what this panda's motives were, I stood there in my defensive stance, ready to act in case the panda attacked. However, after standing there for a minute, the panda hadn't moved since it almost flattened us. My mind became curious, wondering if the panda was unconscious, or had done more damaged than anticipated.
Mantis hopped over and poked the panda's face. Nothing happened at first, making me ease out of my stance, thinking the panda had killed itself, but snapped back into my defensive stance upon seeing the panda stir. The panda may not seem like much of a threat, but after the stupidity it just displayed, who knew what its intentions were. Upon opening his eyes, the panda raised its head, looking at the others, disorientated. "Ugh… what's goin' on?" Shifting his gaze, the panda glanced at me—"Where, uh"—before turning his head to Master Oogway. Only then did I realise Master Oogway stood in front of me, pointing his claw in my direction, only for the panda to be between Master Oogway and me.
The panda lifted his head, shaking it, as he looked at Master Oogway. "What are you pointing at?" With the panda regaining his senses, it took every fibre within my body to constrain myself from either screaming at the panda or reaching out and strangling him. How dare he interrupt! His actions, intentional or not, deserve severe punishment. This is something that'll never occur again. Despite wanting to scream at the panda and share my thoughts, I couldn't. Losing control of my temper would destroy any hopes of becoming the Dragon Warrior. What confused me the most was who Master Oogway was pointing at. Was he pointing at me or… no! That cannot be possible! The panda, realising the inexcusable sins he had done, quivered at the feet of Master Oogway. "Oh! Sorry! I just wanted to see who the Dragon Warrior was."
"How interesting," Master Oogway said, appearing intrigued by the panda's comment as the panda stood up from the ground.
Without disrespecting Master Oogway in any shape or form, the curiosity building up inside of me became too difficult to contain. My curiosity had to know who Master Oogway was pointing at. "Master, are you pointing at me?" Stepping forward, I glanced at the panda, who nodded, appearing to agree on me being the one Master Oogway was pointing at, before returning my focus back to Master Oogway, who still had his claw pointing at the panda.
"Him."
What did Master Oogway mean 'him'? He couldn't mean the panda. That would be worse than all my nightmares combined. "Who?" the panda asked, stepping in front of me, only for Master Oogway's claw to follow him, before he stepped back to his original spot, yet again, followed by the claw of Master Oogway's. I frowned at the panda, disbelieved at what was happening. This could not be happening, yet it was out of my control.
"You!" Master Oogway said, looking at the panda.
"Me?"
Stepping back in line, the anger building up inside of me began to make my skin crawl. This had to be a nightmare, but nothing was waking me up. Until now, the tournament had been going well, but the sudden appearance of this panda had turned everything upside down. My dreams and goals were slipping away, and nothing could stop it from happening. This was the worst outcome possible. Nothing compared to this. Despite my denial of what was happening, Master Oogway grabbed the panda's arm and raised it into the air. "The universe has brought us the Dragon Warrior!"
…
"What?" the panda asked, confused.
"WHAT?!" I snarled.
GONG!
Celebrative music started playing as the villagers cheered while confetti rained down on us, but there was nothing to be celebrating. This cannot be happening! Looking around the Palace Arena, shocked and angered, this had to be nothing but a nightmare. How could Master Oogway pick some random panda as the Dragon Warrior, who fell out of the sky after having launched himself into the sky with fireworks?! None of this made sense! There were no words to describe what was happening. It seemed like the worst nightmare imaginable, but it wasn't. This was real. Palace servants ran down onto the Palace Arena with a palanquin and placed the panda into it, before carting him away with great difficulty.
As the palace servants carried the panda away, Master Oogway turned to leave, and out of instinct, I bowed to the ancient grandmaster despite having many thoughts running through my head. I didn't know what to think. My thoughts were making me nauseous, forcing me to keep my composure, preventing myself from being further embarrassed. "MASTER OOGWAY! WAIT!" Master Shifu shouted, panicked, and rightfully so too, given the situation that was unfolding. "That flabby panda can't possibly be the answer to our problem!" My eyes shifted up to Master Shifu, knowing too well what 'problem' he was referring to before lowering my head. "You were about to point to Tigress"—after hearing my name, I glanced up at Master Shifu, before dropping my head again—"and that thing fell in front of her! That was just an accident!"
"There are no accidents," Master Oogway said, before walking out of the Palace Arena.
Never in my entire life have I disrespected Master Oogway, nor doubted his reasonings behind anything, but this was unexplainable. Why had this happened? No matter how hard my mind tried to comprehend these events, nothing made sense. No words could explain the complete dumbfoundedness of the situation. Twenty years torturing my body has resulted in not fulfilling my dream, but more importantly, having failed Master Shifu. All those years he spent-
!CRUNCH!
Snapping my head up, startled by whatever had caused the noise, only to see the panda had broken through the palanquin. The poor servants were struggling to hold up the fat panda as they tried to carry him up the stairs. Shaking my head, disbelieved by the sight, the palace pigs assisted the palace geese, picking up the palanquin and taking the panda away, out of sight. How has this happened? How? This is beyond comprehendible. The whole thing was humiliating. That big, fat panda, who probably possessed no skills in kung fu, has humiliated us in front of the entire valley. Nothing has ever disgraced us this much in our lives. Twenty years of intense training, only for some dumb panda to humiliate us during the most historic event in kung fu history.
This is something the history archives will itch down forever, making it impossible to forget. It'll remain an unforgettable moment. That was my one chance to fulfill my dreams and change my life. Looking up at Master Shifu, his bewildered face at the scene in front of him summed up the situation evolving. Disappointment flooded my body knowing that, after everything he had done for me, I failed him. With the others following me, I approached Master Shifu, lowering myself onto one knee, and bowed. "Forgive us, master. We have failed you."
"No!" Glancing up, Master Shifu had his arm held in the air before he turned to us. "If the panda has not quit by morning, then I will have failed you!" Master Shifu, enraged, turned, and left the Palace Arena, having an oppressive task ahead of him.
With the palace servants carrying the panda to the Hall of Warriors, Master Shifu had to meet the panda. While it was near impossible to fathom what had happened, part of me was still shocked, as the other half contained the storm brewing in my veins. That was my chance to repay Master Shifu and show everything he had done for me was not a waste. My one chance to make Master Shifu proud of me, gone. That stupid, fat, useless panda had unravelled everything. With the anger continuing to build, I had to leave and expel it elsewhere before doing something regrettable. Without acknowledging, or caring, what the others were doing, I stormed off to the Training Hall. That was the most humiliating experience of my life.
I was done!
[End Notes]:
That concludes the end of this chapter? What did you think? Lemme know in the reviews or send me a PM.
Hopefully the tournament was descriptive enough so you could visualise each of the Five's turns. It did take some time getting it right, or at least, right enough so it flowed. How I managed to get this chapter to be over 7000 words I'll never know. If there were parts which seemed unrealistic, or could be reassessed, please don't hesitate to let me know. In addition, if you spot any mistakes, do let me know too. Thank you for spending your precious time reading this chapter.
Chapter 3 is scheduled to be released on Feb 21
Until then, take care and stay safe!
Footrot Flats :)