G'day!
Welcome to Chapter 3 for Eye of the Tiger
I hope you've all been keeping yourselves alive and well. This is the first chapter to receive quite a makeover in the reconstruction. When I reviewed this chapter (or the previous version of it), I realised the events didn't flow in relation to the 1st movie. In the original version, after the Training Hall scene, I had Tigress retreat to the Peach Tree, and later be joined by Master Shifu for a small, but rather important conversation. Upon watching back the 1st movie, I realised that couldn't have happened. After Po's training disaster, they all went straight to the student barracks to rest for the night. This forced me to change the scenes around a little bit, but rest assured, the conversation between Tigress and Master Shifu will remain part of the story. It'll just be included in chapter 4 instead. Because of that, a fair chunk of the chapter was removed, leaving the chapter quite short. Rather than spoiling the chapter, I'll let you read and discover the new parts that have been added. Obviously, the movie parts will remain the same, but this is where the chapters will start to look a little different to before.
A special thanks to Starless Echoes and natescool05 for leaving reviews in the previous chapter. Your feedback is muchly appreciated for it gives me something to look at down the track. Thank you to everyone else who has taken the time out of your day to read my works. Your time means a lot to me. As always, I encourage you to leave a review (or send me a PM if you like). Feedback is invaluable to me, so the more received, the better the story will be. Don't hesitate to send constructive criticism too. I'll take the positive feedback with the constructive criticism. The only way the story can be improve is through your feedback. Anyway, that's enough pre-story 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 3
Please Read, Review & Enjoy!
Chapter 3 - You Don't Belong Here
Slamming open the doors of the Training Hall, almost destroying them, the anger raged through my body at near murderous levels. Blinded by rage, nothing could help me comprehend what had just happened. While doubt plagued my mind, anger flooded most of my cognitive thinking. Upon entering the Training Hall, it brought some calmness to my body, but the fire burning within my blood made it difficult to regain my breathing and focus. My temper had the characteristics of an over-pressurised volcano ready to explode. Without expelling this anger, someone innocent would end up receiving the full force of my rage. After what had happened, the only way to release this anger was on the training equipment.
The Training Hall has always been there for whenever my anger has become too much to handle, which is often, and now, it's needed more than anything. Not only does the Training Hall prevent me from taking my anger out on someone who doesn't deserve it, but it's easier to repair, ready for my next anger-filled outburst. Master Shifu should be thankful for having taught me how to control my strength and temper, because had he not, my rage attacks would destroy the Training Hall more often. Though, Master Shifu has expressed his frustration countless times about having to repair the Training Hall every few months. It's better for your mental state to release the anger, or whatever you're feeling, rather than staying silent.
Silence can be deadly, but that doesn't make it right to take your frustrations out on someone who doesn't deserve it. There's a time and place and controlling when and where that is can minimise the damage inflicted on others. Assuming the other masters were making their way to the Training Hall, it's better to expel this anger now, so when they get here, I don't end up taking it out on them. They did nothing wrong and after experiencing such humiliation, they would feel angered and confused, too. None of them would be feeling the level of anger flowing through my veins, though. After training for twenty years, dreaming of becoming the Dragon Warrior, only for that stupid panda to take it, was something my mind couldn't, and would never, accept.
That panda wasn't even meant to be there. He fell from the sky after doing the stupidest thing ever seen by anyone. Did he not think for a moment that it could have killed him? How does such an idea like that cross his mind? No matter how hard you try putting sense into the events that occurred, nothing could help me understand anything. It seemed too hard to believe, yet no amount of denial would deter from the truth. Upon jumping onto the serpent logs, given the anger flowing through my body, the strikes laid on the spiked clubs were more ferocious than normal. It was a matter of time before one of the spiked clubs shattered, but this isn't a standard training session.
The purpose of this training was to discharge the anger burning inside of me, but no matter how aggressive my strikes became, the events that had occurred kept replaying in my head, refuelling my rage. Nothing could stop me from thinking it over and over. How could this have happened? I haven't spent my entire life breaking my body for nothing! The spiked club shattered upon contact with my paw, becoming the first casualty of my uncontrolled rage, with my outburst reaching new heights. No training would allow me to accept the events that have occurred. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Was breaking my body for twenty years not enough? What could the panda have that I don't?
Earning the Dragon Warrior title would have proved the rigorous training my body had endured over the last twenty years wouldn't have been a waste. The opportunity was there, beckoning for me to seize the moment, yet that stupid, fat, useless panda fell out of the sky and snatched from the tip of my fingers what was mine. That panda has stolen my one dream from me. Just the thought of the panda makes my blood boil. If it were possible to take this anger out on the panda, nothing could hold me back, but it wouldn't be a responsible, nor the right thing, to do. Despite wanting to punch the panda out of the valley, I couldn't.
While restraining myself is for the best, unless prompted, the panda better keep his distance from me. I want nothing to do with him, and for his own personal safety, he'll want to maintain a safe distance from me. What he has done is unforgiveable, and while he may be a citizen of the valley, giving him permanent injuries wouldn't help anyone. It would make matters worse. The sooner the panda leaves, the better it would be for everyone. He has no privileges to set foot on the Jade Palace, and never deserved to be crowned the Dragon Warrior. Not only is he a disgrace to us, and the art of kung fu, but he made a mockery out of me, and we must hold his actions accountable.
The thought of that panda being the Dragon Warrior makes me feel sick. Despite loathing with anger, it didn't blind my senses to their surroundings. The squeaking of the Training Hall doors, plus extra light coming into the hall, alerted me a presence had entered. Given my focus was on expelling the anger from my body onto the spiked clubs, nothing could distract me, otherwise a fatal accident was possible. The only thing I could do was pray it wasn't the panda. Anything but the panda. "Tigress! Can we talk?!" Viper asked, shouting out to gather my attention.
A wave of relief washed over me, knowing it wasn't the panda. While I would prefer to continue training, it would be best to debrief with the others before returning to training. With one last kick of the spiked club, I launched myself off the serpent logs and landed on the floorboards to the side of the training equipment, where the others had gathered. "I'd rather just train, but none of you are to speak about the inexcusable sins that stupid panda committed. Understood?"
The others nodded. "We understand, Tigress," Viper said. "We're just as shocked, but we wanted to make sure you're okay."
"I'm surprised this place is still standing," Mantis said, chuckling.
His comment earned a death glare from me. "We just got humiliated by some fat panda and you're making jokes?"
Mantis silenced himself, grasping for words —"I, uh… sorry"—while looking away, avoiding eye contact with me.
Shifting my focus onto the others, they showed an array of emotions, with anger and disappointment being the predominant features. After experiencing such humiliation, that didn't surprise me. We can sit and ponder on what should have been, but no matter how much we complain, there's nothing we can do to change the past. What's done is done. We respect every decision Master Oogway makes, but that doesn't make it mandatory to accept or agree with everything he does. Nobody agrees with anybody about everything, but it was Master Oogway's decision, not ours. That's acceptable. The outcome is not. With Viper showing concern for me, I looked back at her and responded to her worries. "Let's get to training. It'll get our minds off what happened."
The others nodded before splitting up to start their own trainings on different obstacles in the Training Hall. Viper went over to the Field of Fiery Death and begun dancing amongst the flames, while Crane and Monkey started sparring on the Jade Tortoise. During their contest, Monkey jumped up and used the Talon Rings to swing around the Training Hall, with Crane chasing his tail. The yells of Mantis brought my attention down to the Wooden Warriors, seeing Mantis pin-balling through them at speeds one wouldn't see unless they had exceptional eyesight. With everyone occupied in some form of training, I jumped back onto the serpent logs and resumed training with the spiked clubs.
Given my anger had destroyed one of the spiked clubs, it would be best to preserve the remaining six, as they're not cheap, nor easy, to replace. The last time my rage destroyed a spiked club, it took over a week to replace it. There's no point obliterating them all, otherwise it renders them useless. The Wooden Warriors are easier to replace, hence, they cop most of my rage outbursts. By taking the anger out on the training equipment, the only thing that can get hurt is myself. No one else is at fault if that happens. While continuing to evade the spiked clubs, in my peripheral vision, Crane had initiated a sparring contest with Viper, leaving Monkey by himself on the Jade Tortoise. With one last dodge of the spiked club, I leapt off the serpent logs. "MONKEY!"
Monkey turned around, avoiding my flying sidekick at the last second. "WOAH!" After landing on the opposite side of the Jade Tortoise to Monkey, I faced Monkey, inviting him into a sparring contest, which he obliged. "Hey, Tigress! Wasn't expecting that. I was just thinking about something."
Trading blows with Monkey, but landing none because of our impervious defences, the curiosity of knowing what he was thinking got the better of me. "Good to see you're prepared for the unexpected, Monkey. What were you thinking about?"
Monkey launched at me with a torpedo kick, which I blocked, before retaliating with a roundhouse kick. After ducking under my attack, Monkey jumped at me with a butterfly kick, only for my stiff paw to force him back to where he had initiated his attack from. Upon regaining his composure, Monkey faced me. "Well, if the Dragon Warrior has been picked, and it's none of us, what are we training for?"
The entire Training Hall went quiet, as everyone stopped training and turned to look at Monkey. I looked at Monkey, both perplexed and dumbfounded, as my mind tried processing his question, wondering whether my ears had misheard Monkey. "What?! Are you serious, Monkey?!"
Monkey glanced at the others before looking at me. "Yes, I'm serious! We've all trained for how many years, dreaming of becoming the Dragon Warrior, only for none of us to be selected. You've trained your entire life for it, Tigress. If none of us, especially you, were destined to fulfill that prophecy, then what's our purpose? What's our destiny?"
My mind went blank, unsure how to respond to Monkey's question. Master Oogway may have chosen none of us as the Dragon Warrior, which unjustified the years of training we've endured, but that doesn't mean we should give up and quit. We still have a valley to defend. "None of us deserved the outcome of today's tournament, but that doesn't mean we should give up, Monkey. This valley, and the lands we live on, relies on us when danger strikes. When Tai Lung returns, we need to defend this valley, because their safety depends on us. That's why we train. To protect the innocent." Glancing at the others, they had their full attention on me, before shifting my focus back to Monkey. "Besides, Master Shifu will do everything within his power to get rid of that panda."
"What if the panda stays?" Crane asked.
Looking at Crane with a frown, not directing the frown at Crane, but the thought of his question becoming reality made me frown. "If that panda stays, none of you are to interact with him. Understood?!" Crane nodded, before I glanced at everyone else, seeing they were also nodding. "He's a disgrace to kung fu, and never deserved to have set foot upon these grounds after humiliating us in front of the entire valley. The sooner he's gone, the better."
"Wonder how long it'll take for Master Shifu to send the panda to the spirit realm," Mantis said, chuckling. That was the best thing Mantis had said all day.
"Master Shifu wouldn't do that, Mantis," Viper said, drawing our attention to her. "He'd know the boundaries, and that would be over-stepping them."
It disappointed me knowing Viper didn't appreciate the thought, but she was right. It would be unwise for Master Shifu to do such a thing. Although, no one should show the panda any kind of sympathy or friendliness. He caused this mess. "If Master Shifu hasn't gotten rid of the panda, he'll bring him here to test out his skills," I said. "If he has any."
"Oh god. You don't think Master Shifu will force the panda to do the training course run?" Crane asked.
Frowning at Crane, this time directing the frown at him. "Why wouldn't he? He's been picked as the Dragon Warrior. He needs to prove his worth, and if he can't, he must leave. Let's get back to training. And no more talk about the panda. Thinking about him makes me sick." The others nodded, returning to their training, while I turned back to Monkey. "Does that answer your question?"
"Yeah, sorry. I didn't mean to cause that. I'm just trying to figure out my purpose."
"None of us are certain, but for now, our purpose is to protect the innocent." Monkey nodded, understanding my reasoning. "Let's have a sparring contest, best of three. Then I'll resume training on the spiked clubs."
Monkey bowed to me, which I returned, before we got into our defensive stances, and entered an intense staring contest. With our eyes locked on each other, we circled around the edge of the Jade Tortoise until Monkey launched at me with a flying scissor kick. Blocking his attack with my right arm before retaliating with a left-footed sweep kick, Monkey back flipped over my leg and landed on the Jade Tortoise. With Monkey on the defence, it provided me the opportunity to advance upon him with a combination of punches, landing none, but kept Monkey on the back foot. My attacks weakened Monkey, before a flying sidekick broke through his defences, knocking him off the Jade Tortoise.
After landing on the Jade Tortoise, where Monkey once stood before getting his ribs crunched by me, upon looking down at the floor, Monkey flipped himself onto his feet. Bowing to Monkey, he returned the gesture before looking at me with a mischievous glow forming in his eyes. "You may have won round one, Tigress, but round two is mine." Before retorting with anything, Monkey sprung into the air, kicking my instincts into action, snapping myself into a defensive stance. Monkey grabbed onto a Talon Ring, swinging himself around the Training Hall at incredible speeds. My eyes followed Monkey's movements, not daring to leave him, as he manoeuvred from one Talon Ring to the next.
Monkey grabbed onto a Talon Ring above the Wooden Warriors and used it to slingshot himself at me. I back flipped onto the other side of the Jade Tortoise, avoiding Monkey's flying kick, before timing a flying front kick at Monkey as he landed on the Jade Tortoise. Monkey ducked under my kick and countered the attack with another scissor kick. My strong defences blocked Monkey's attack, forcing him to retreat to the opposite side of the Jade Tortoise. After recomposing myself, I launched at Monkey with a chop kick, aimed at his knees, but Monkey jumped across the Jade Tortoise, avoiding my attack. Monkey positioned himself in the perfect spot for me to perform a sweep kick, but while doing so, Monkey jumped back to where he stood before.
Agitated by his cat-and-mouse movements, I leapt across the Jade Tortoise with a spinning kick, hoping to block Monkey's escape route. However, Monkey jumped to where I had stood, leaving my back exposed. Before reacting to Monkey's ploy, he wrapped his tail around my legs and pulled his tail towards him, ripping my legs out from underneath me. His attack caused me to crash into the Jade Tortoise, dazing me. After regaining my senses, my eyes refocused to see Monkey looking down at me, smiling as he bowed. "Looks like we're all tied up. Last round. Winner takes all."
A low growl emitted from my throat while locking eye contact with Monkey. "You're going to wish it wasn't." Monkey positioned himself into his defensive stance, ready for our next fight. Fuelled by revenge, I leapt out of the Jade Tortoise, attempting to grab and pin Monkey down, but he jumped over me, evading my claws. Upon turning around, Monkey sprung into the air before charging down at me. Flipping upside down, I placed a paw onto the Jade Tortoise for support, before landing a bicycle kick into Monkey. The strike sent Monkey flying across the serpent logs before he crashed into the wall beside the Training Hall doors, causing a loud bang to echo around the Training Hall.
With our sparring session completed, I leapt off the Jade Tortoise and walked over to check on Monkey. It is protocol to check on our opponent after a sparring session. We never hold back while sparring, which increases the likelihood of injuries, but upon approaching Monkey, he was alive and moving. After receiving a powerful kick from me, it was a mystery how Monkey hadn't gone through the wall. I stopped beside Monkey and bowed. "Thank you for the sparring, Monkey."
Monkey pushed himself up from the floor, appearing uninjured, and returned the bow. "Wasn't expecting you to pull out the bicycle kick. Haven't seen you use that for ages. Thought you forgot about it."
"It's required on rare occasions, but is a skill worth knowing how to execute. If you're fine, I'm going to resume training with the spiked clubs."
"I'm all good. Gonna go train with the Talon Rings." Monkey peered over his shoulder, to his right, looking at the Training Hall doors. "Wonder what Master Shifu is up to."
Glancing at the doors, Monkey's curiosity triggered me to remember what Master Shifu would be doing now. He'd have met with that damn panda who has brought great shame upon us. Our hopes laid with Master Shifu, hoping he would have dealt with the panda by now. The thought of the panda, and what he had done, brought a spike of anger within me, making me clench my paw shut. "We can only hope Master Shifu is doing what's best for everyone." Looking at Monkey, he nodded before walking away. While returning to the serpent logs, I looked down the Training Hall, observing what everyone was doing.
Mantis was still battling amongst the Wooden Warriors, while Crane and Viper had begun their own sparring contest on top of the Jade Tortoise. My far-left peripheral vision caught Monkey bounding down the Training Hall before leaping up and grabbing onto the Talon Rings. He swung from ring to ring at high speeds, while performing a few acrobatic tricks. It's impossible to know what's going through everyone's mind, but the unusual quietness made it obvious the events from earlier had stunned them. Like me, they would have felt a mixture of anger, disappointment, and shock. Sparring with Monkey helped forget today's events, but now, they were the foremost present thought circling in my mind.
Jumping onto the serpent logs, hoping that training would get my mind off that stupid panda, no matter how intense I trained, nothing helped. That stupid panda had ruined everything. The training and sparring helped expel some of the anger away, but to a trivial effect. My initial blind rage may have died down, but my blood still bubbled away. Nothing seemed right, yet what had happened had happened. While training amongst the spiked clubs, the corner of my eye noticed the Training Hall doors open. At first glance, Master Shifu walked in, but upon the second glance, the panda followed him into the Training Hall. The sight of that panda caused a rush of anger to surge throughout my body, but given my training situation, ignoring the panda, and my anger, would prevent the spiked clubs from slicing me open.
Turning my back to the panda and refocusing on training, upon scanning my surroundings, one spiked club to my right had reached peak height. To avoid it from colliding with me, I leapt onto a different serpent log with a torpedo side flip and leaned back after landing. The spiked club flew past me, a little closer than expected. Once it passed, I jumped backwards, with a double spin, landing in my defensive stance, ready for the next spiked club that dared to come near me. Another spiked club forced me to cartwheel onto the serpent log closest to the Jade Tortoise to avoid its path. After landing on the serpent log, Crane flew through the open roof of the Training Hall and landed on the Jade Tortoise, deflecting a few arrows before standing in his defensive stance.
With the panda standing at the entrance, I jumped over to the Jade Tortoise, not only to spar with Crane, but to further distance myself from the panda. Seeing him watching us, awestruck, infuriated me, as he didn't have the privileges of doing so, but had to contain that anger for now. After landing on the Jade Tortoise, I stood up in my defensive stance, facing Crane before advancing with a front kick. Crane retreated backwards, allowing me to follow up with a right hook, which would have struck Crane's head, but stopped my swing from connecting. We may be sparring, but we ensure contact with the head is avoided. It wouldn't be perceived well had my over-aggressiveness injured or concussed Crane, although the panda's presence wasn't helping.
After throwing my right hook, Crane advanced with a left hook, forcing me to block it with my left arm before jumping back, away from Crane, into my defensive stance, ready for Crane's next move. Crane jumped forward with a snap kick, which I leaned away from, before pouncing onto Crane with a double paw swipe. The aggressive move drove Crane backwards, providing the time required to lean down on the Jade Tortoise and swing my legs around, kicking out at Crane. In defence, Crane jumped back, hovering in the air, while I continued through with my momentum, unleashing the windmill manoeuvre, before propping up onto my feet, repositioning into my defensive stance.
Crane landed on the Jade Tortoise and bowed to me, which I returned before hearing something smashing through the Wooden Warriors. Looking over, a green blur in the name of Mantis dashed through the Wooden Warriors at lightning speeds. With our sparring session finished, Crane flew over to the sideboards while I jumped back over to the spiked clubs to resume training amongst them. The panda's presence shouldn't interfere with my training, so if he wanted to stand that close and risk being hit by debris, then that's his problem. Upon landing on the serpent logs and dodging a spiked club, upon peering over my shoulder, another spiked club was in the perfect position for me to do something enjoyable.
While jumping across the serpent logs, the spiked club swung down, crashing into my double-palm strike, shattering my second spiked club for the day. Chunks flew everywhere, with one piece flying straight towards the panda, hitting him right between the eyes. The panda staggered backwards, clutching his head where the chunk had hit him, making me smile. Satisfied, I turned around and leapt off the serpent logs to meet with the others. They had gathered at the back of the Training Hall, discussing something with each other. While approaching, they stopped chatting and looked at me, appearing tentative for reasons unknown.
"Hey, Tigress. Do you think Master Shifu's going to make the panda do a run of the training course?" Viper asked.
"I hope he does." I glanced at the others before looking down at Viper. "It'll allow us to see if the panda has any skills."
"Well, guess we have to meet the panda, hey?" Crane asked, although it was more of a thought than a question.
Sighing, upon peering over my shoulder, the panda was running towards the bandit adversary, with Master Shifu following him. Without knowing the context of their conversation, it appeared the panda wanted to start with the bandit adversary. That wouldn't prove much, but it was better than nothing. If he can't defend himself against that, he has no hope. Despite never wanting to interact with the panda, the curiosity of knowing what Master Shifu was discussing with the panda prompted me to look back at the others. "Let's go over. Master Shifu may want our help."
Monkey and Crane led us over to the bandit adversary, where Master Shifu and the panda were standing. Master Shifu had his back turned to us, discussing something with the panda, when the panda looked up at us in admiration as we approached. "WOAH! The Furious Five!" I stopped, remaining at the back of the group, and looked at the panda, unimpressed, while placing my paws on my hips. "You're so much bigger than your action figures. Except for you, Mantis. You're about the same."
An awkward silence engulfed the Training Hall as Mantis twitched his antennae, unamused by the panda's comment. First impressions suggest the panda may be a fan of us, but nothing more. No warrior, let alone the Dragon Warrior. Just a geeking, big, fat panda who's ruined my life. "Go ahead, panda. Show us what you can do," Master Shifu said, breaking the silence.
The panda glanced at us before looking back at Master Shifu, appearing hesitant about showing whatever skills he possessed. It wouldn't surprise me if he had none. "Um, are they gonna watch? Or should I wait until they get back to work or something?"
"Hit it."
"Okay, yeah. I mean, I just ate, um, so, I'm still digesting." The panda tapped his enormous belly, insinuating the 'digesting' part. "So, my kung fu might not be as good as… later on."
I rolled my eyes and sighed, annoyed at the panda's behaviour. We don't have all day to stand here while the panda meanders his way around reality. In the few minutes since meeting the panda, he's already becoming a complete nuisance. My patience was running low, and the panda was going to take me past my breaking point if he didn't punch the adversary soon. How Master Shifu held his nerve is a mystery because it doesn't take much to push him over the edge. If the panda wished to see another day, he'll want to listen to Master Shifu soon. Master Shifu does not put up with any nonsense, and the panda was the living definition of that.
"Just hit it!"
The panda widened his eyes, appearing to sense the agitation, and warning, in Master Shifu's tone. "Alright." Facing the bandit adversary, the panda took two seconds to show he possessed no skills in kung fu, given his lack of defensive stance. Instead, he started smack talking to the adversary. "Whatcha got? You got nothin', cause I got it right here. You pickin' on my friends?" The panda pointed to us, but we were far from friends, and never would be. "Get ready to feel the thunder!" When it seemed like things couldn't get worse, the panda started dancing on the spot while continuing his useless smack talk. "I'm comin' at you with crazy feet. Whatcha gonna do about my crazy feet? Alright, come on! I'm a blur! I'm a blur! You've never seen bear style. You've only seen praying mantis. Or monkey style." The panda screeched like a monkey. "Or I could come at ya snickety-snake-"
"WOULD YOU HIT IT!"
Halting his dancing, the panda looked at Master Shifu before straightening up—"Alright. Alright"—and shifted himself in front of the dummy. It was obvious from the moment the panda raised his fist he wasn't preparing to take a full swing at the bandit adversary. As expected, the panda nudged the adversary, barely moving it. Closing my eyes and gritting my teeth, it took a sheer amount of willpower to prevent myself from launching at the panda. How could Master Oogway pick this panda as the Dragon Warrior? He's nothing but a joke! This panda is limiting my time and patience. The only thing I'd have time for would be to demonstrate how to hit something hard, and it wouldn't be on the adversary.
After making the adversary move an inch, the panda looked at Master Shifu. "Why don't you try again?" Master Shifu asked. "A little harder."
How Master Shifu could maintain such patience towards the panda was unfathomable. Despite how frustrating the panda was acting, Master Shifu controlled his temper, which the panda should be thankful about. Perhaps Master Shifu preserved his patience, knowing the panda stood no chance against the adversary's recoil; something I had been waiting for, too. If it weren't for that, I'd have left the Training Hall long ago. The panda adhered to Master Shifu's suggestion, punching the adversary as hard as he could. However, after punching the dummy, the panda took his eyes off the adversary, glancing at Master Shifu. "How's tha-AAA!"
Before finishing his question, the dummy recoiled, knocking the panda backwards, while dislodging a tooth from the panda's mouth. A smug grin formed on my face, seeing the adversary knock a tooth out of the panda's mouth, but the smug looked vanished upon realising where the panda landed. Out of instinct, I stepped forward to retrieve the panda from the serpent logs, as did the others, only for Master Shifu to hold up his arm, stopping us from doing so. While the panda may have taken my dream from me, it's no reason for wanting him dead. We need to put the panda through some traumatic experience, making him wanting to leave, but given he's a villager, we had to show some duty of care.
As the proclaimed Dragon Warrior, he needs to show his worth, but if he ends up dead, that won't prove anything, nor would the valley perceive it well, especially by Master Oogway. With Master Shifu preventing us from helping the panda, all we could do was stand back and watch. While the panda struggled to maintain his balance on the serpent logs, rattling noises caught our attention. Upon looking up, the spiked clubs released from their hold and begun swinging around the panda. It was unknown why Master Shifu stopped us from helping the panda, but watching the spiked clubs fly around and avoid the panda by inches brought an anxious tingle to my body. My instincts were telling me to help the panda, given the danger he was in, but this situation was different.
Disobeying Master Shifu's orders is asking for severe punishment, and something that rarely crosses my mind. Facing such dangerous obstacles would prove whether the panda has the capabilities to be the Dragon Warrior. So far, however, the panda had kept himself alive due to pure luck. He had no skills. The panda continued maintaining his balance on the serpent logs, while somehow avoiding the spiked clubs. However, one of the spiked clubs swung behind the panda, lining him up with its pendulum motion. Oblivious to the danger, the panda remained in the line of impact for the spiked club. Seconds before impact, the panda slipped on the serpent logs, resulting in him doing an unintentional split, as the spiked club zipped over the panda's head, sparing him.
It was no skill, but luck that had saved his life. The panda groaned—"Ow! That hurts!"—after falling into a split, however, he now appeared stuck in that position, leaving him vulnerable. Making things worse, another spiked club swung around and zoned in for the panda. This time, the panda couldn't defend himself against it. As the spiked club swung down, the panda looked up and could only scream before the spiked club struck him. Against all odds, luck found its way on the panda's side again, as the wooden side of the spiked club struck the panda. Had it been the spiked side, I may have disobeyed Master Shifu's orders. The impact made me grimace, knowing how damaging the wooden side of the spiked clubs can be, before watching the panda fly into the Jade Tortoise.
After taking a direct hit, it was unexpected seeing the panda remain conscious, as the wooden side of the spiked clubs knocks most of its victim's unconscious. That's speaking from experience. The panda landed in the Jade Tortoise, causing it to rock around, knocking the panda against the sides in all directions. "This'll be easier than I thought," Master Shifu said, sounding pleased with the panda's progress. The Jade Tortoise continued to rock and roll around, knocking the panda against its sides, before tipping sideways, causing the panda to stumble out and into the Wooden Warriors. Despite having copped a severe beating from the first two obstacles, other than his constant incoherent yelling, the panda didn't show any signs of pain.
If the panda can withstand the impact from the spiked club, there's no reason the Wooden Warriors would do much damage. Even after receiving many blows to the head and body, the panda showed no concussion symptoms or pain. Somehow, he had absorbed the impacts while incurring no damage to his body. Upon staggering into the Wooden Warriors, the limbs gyrated around, knocking the panda all over his body. Again, other than his incoherent yelling, no impact seemed to trouble the panda. Some would say his performance was impressive, but for me, that was not the case. The panda had survived the training course, so far, because of pure luck and an inability to feel pain. A painful scream brought my attention back to the panda.
The Wooden Warriors obstructed full view of the panda as he was kneeling on the ground, but given his reaction, one place came to mind where the Wooden Warriors had struck him. This showed the panda could feel pain, while also revealing a weak spot on his body, although that is a common weak spot for males. It would be a cheap move to strike anyone down there, but sometimes you need to resort to those types of shots in dire situations. After the Wooden Warriors brought the panda to his knees, this was the panda's opportunity to prove he can withstand pain, while also learning from his mistakes. The panda pushed himself up as he tried to recover from the low blow, but made the mistake of leaning on the Wooden Warriors for support.
Shaking my head, the Wooden Warriors came back to life, resuming to batter the panda in all directions. All the panda had shown during his time amongst the Wooden Warriors was his inability to learn from mistakes. Anybody in the panda's situation, with his lack of skill, and having copped a blow in a delicate spot, would want to get out of the Wooden Warriors without touching them, knowing the damage they can inflict. Just like this whole performance, the panda did what was least expected. After stumbling his way out of the Wooden Warriors, the panda somehow ended up on the Field of Fiery Death. The panda didn't even realise until he stood in the middle of it, and before he could move, flames erupted from underneath him.
Seeing the flames engulf the panda made me cringe and look away, with each round bringing out a yelp of pain from the panda. At least he was feeling pain. The last round of flames threw the panda off the Field of Fiery Death and onto the floorboards beside it, ending his attempt at the training course. Somehow, through pure luck, the panda had survived. The panda dragged himself back towards us along the floorboards with a small fire smouldering on his right ear. I rolled my eyes and looked down at the ground, shaking my head, unable to describe the situation. Glancing back at the panda, he raised his head off the floorboards and looked at Master Shifu. "How did I do?"
"There is now a level zero." Master Shifu reached out and extinguished the smouldering fire on the panda's ear before the panda collapsed his head on the floor in exhaustion. How Master Shifu sustained his calmness after witnessing the panda's performance is both impressive and inexplainable. We saw the same thing, yet not a hint of anything from Master Shifu. Despite wanting to leave after seeing such an abysmal display, we had to wait until Master Shifu dismissed us from the Training Hall. After putting out the fire on the panda's ear, Master Shifu turned to us. "That will do for today, students."
I bowed to Master Shifu before storming out of the Training Hall without a second thought. That was enough of seeing that panda for a lifetime. It was nothing but embarrassing and a complete waste of time. Upon walking outside, the sun had long set, leaving the Jade Palace covered in darkness. Many thoughts flooded my mind, and after seeing the panda's performance, it proved he possessed no skills in kung fu. With the threat of Tai Lung planted in the back of my mind, if he turned up tomorrow, we'd have to defend the valley. The panda is useless and would be a mere speed hump for Tai Lung.
"So… should we talk about what just happened or pretend today never existed?" Crane asked as we walked out of the training grounds, on our way back to the student barracks.
Crane's question stopped me dead in my tracks, before turning around to look at Crane, making him appear regretful for having asked. "What we just saw was nothing but embarrassing. That panda doesn't deserve to be here. He's a disgrace to kung fu and has done nothing but humiliate us all day. We need to stay focused because the moment Tai Lung turns up, we'll have to fight him. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed."
The others nodded in agreement before we resumed walking along the stairway in silence towards the student barracks, guided by two palace servants. So many things were going through my mind, it all became a bit of a blur. My body moved like it was on autopilot, with my mind lost in thoughts. "I don't think I'm ever gonna forget this day," Monkey said, breaking the silence.
Mantis huffed. "There's no words."
"No denying that," Crane said.
"I don't understand what Master Oogway was thinking," Viper said, confirming she also questioned Master Oogway's decision to choose the panda as the Dragon Warrior. "The poor guy's just gonna get himself killed."
"He is so mighty! The Dragon Warrior fell out of the sky in a ball of fire."
"When he walks, the very ground shakes!" Mantis said, causing the others to stop and chuckle at the joke.
After today's events, laughing was the last thing on my mind. This day had been the biggest failure of my life because of some incompetent fat panda. I walked past the others, keen on getting to my room and letting this horrible day end before something else happened. "One would think that Master Oogway would choose someone who actually knew kung fu."
"Yeah, or could at least touch his toes," Crane said.
"Or even see his toes," Monkey said, resulting in the others sniggering again.
I rolled my eyes at Monkey's joke before entering the student barracks first and headed straight for my room. "Goodnight, Tigress!" the others called out as I entered my room. Upon closing the door, I walked over and plonked down on my bed while letting out a massive sigh. Holding my head in my paws, there were so many thoughts going through my mind, it was impossible to know where to start. To have waited my entire life for this day, only for that stupid, fat panda to turn up and ruin everything, was a massive failure. Twenty years of rigorous training only to fail everyone, but the person I have failed the most is Master Shifu.
For him to have spent the last twenty years dedicating his time, training me to become the greatest warrior, only for me to fail him, is unforgiveable. After all those years, I am an enormous failure, and nothing more. Everything we have been through was for nothing because of that stupid panda. With the pending threat of Tai Lung, the panda only created an unwanted distraction to the situation we're facing. He needs to understand what he has done, and why he must leave. Not only did he humiliate us in front of the entire valley, but his lack of respect for us has been disgraceful. We must hold him accountable for the sins he has committed and force him to leave tonight. There's no other choice.
Snapping out of my infinite thoughts, and halting my pacing, after blowing out the lone candle burning in my room, I laid down on my bed, hoping my restless mind wouldn't keep me awake all night. Closing my eyes and concentrating on my breathing, it was essential to calm my mi-
Cre-e-e-e-a-a-k!
My eyes snapped open upon hearing a creaking sound coming from the hallway. Raising up from my resting position, I looked towards the hallway, wondering what caused the noise or whether my hearing had hallucinated. With everything that had happened today, it wouldn't surprise me if my hearing was playing up. Curious about the origins of the sound, while approaching my door, the squeaking happened again, stopping me from walking out into the hallway. Instead, with my ear plastered against the shoji screen, attempting to figure out what was causing the squeaking-
CHUNK!
The sound of wood snapping caused me to retreat from the wall. Whoever was disrupting our peace was about to get a grilling from me, but halted those plans upon picking up a voice coming from the hallway. While listening, it took a few seconds to put the pieces together, realising the panda was causing the floorboards to squeak, and by the sounds of it, he fell through them too. The panda seemed to have given up preventing the squeaking, as it returned in quick fashion, travelling down the hallway, towards my room, making the fur on my neck stand up. Unsure what the panda was planning on doing, my only option was to remain alert and wait for the next audible clue.
"Oh, hey… hi. You're up."
I looked towards the hallway, frowning in confusion, wondering who the panda was talking to. It would be impossible for the panda to have fallen asleep already and be sleep-talking. If that were the case, he wouldn't be doing it for long.
"I am now."
My confused frown turned into an angered scowl upon hearing Crane's voice. The amount of disrespect this panda has shown us has been unbelievable. How could someone be so inconsiderate of their actions? A torrent of anger flooded my body, fuelling the already raging fire burning within my blood, knowing the panda had barged into Crane's room unannounced, disrespecting Crane's privacy.
"I was just, uh, someday, huh? That kung fu stuff is hard work, right? Are your biceps sore?"
It makes me cringe every time that panda talks, but despite his cringeyness, it's hard not to listen to what he says. Hearing him speak angers me, yet it's difficult not eavesdropping on him. After everything he has done to us today, someone must say something to him. Keeping this anger bottled up is not good for my mental health. We must bring this panda back to this planet and make him understand why he must leave. It won't be anything physical, though that can't be guaranteed, but if words cannot penetrate through his thick head, then more physical actions may be required.
"Um, I've had a long, a-and rather disappointing day, so uh. Yeah, I should probably get to sleep now."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course."
"Okay, thanks."
"It's just, oh man, I'm such a big fan!" I rolled my eyes, unimpressed or surprised by the panda's statement. "You guys were totally amazing at the Battle of Weeping River! Outnumbered a thousand to one, but you didn't stop. And then you just WA-YA-GA-GA-GAH!"
While pacing back and forth in my room, thinking about this panda, the sound of a breaking shoji screen snapped the panda out of his excited ramblings. He seems to be a fan of kung fu, which is respectable, but that doesn't mean you know or can-do kung fu. Or be the Dragon Warrior. He's a fan, and nothing more.
"Look, you don't belong here."
My whole body snapped back towards Crane's room after hearing Crane make that statement. Optimism rose to great heights in my body, as my ears perked up, knowing Crane had told the panda what we've all been thinking. It may be difficult for the panda to hear, but he needs to know the truth. Even if he's as big of a fan as he proclaims, he doesn't belong here. His place is in the valley, out of harm's way.
The panda sighed. "I know. I know. You're right. I don't have… I just. My whole life I've dreamed of-"
"No, no, no. I-I meant you don't belong here. I mean, in this room. This is my room. Property of Crane."
"Oh, okay. Right, right-"
After Crane backed out, there was no point listening to their pathetic conversation. Slumping down on my bed and burying my head in my paws, Crane's lack of confidence annoyed me. That was the perfect opportunity for Crane to tell the panda where he belongs. Just when it looked as though he was going to, he backed out. It wasn't surprising for Crane to do such a thing. Only disappointing. If Crane won't tell the panda, then I will. Unlike Crane, I won't waste the opportunity. The sound of a closing shoji door caused me to look up, knowing my opportunity was now. When the panda's silhouette appeared in front of my room, I opened my doors to confront the panda. Startled by my sudden appearance, the panda turned to me. "Master Tigress! I didn't mean to wake you. I was just, uh-"
"You don't belong here."
"Uh, yeah, yeah, of course. This is your room." The panda, misunderstanding me, peered over my shoulder, looking into my room.
Displeased by his disrespectfulness, I stepped to my right, blocking his view of my room, and looked the panda dead in the eyes. "I mean, you don't belong in the Jade Palace. You're a disgrace to kung fu, and if you have any respect for who we are and what we do, you will be gone by morning." Before the panda could respond, if he dared to, I slammed the doors shut on his face, and returned to my bed, praying that got through to him.
For the first few seconds, the panda remained silent, but expected him to say something. It would be unlike him not to say anything. "Big faaaan!" the panda said through the doors, causing me to roll my eyes and shake my head, not surprised by his response. While lying down on my bed, the panda was still standing outside of my room but had turned around. His presence annoyed me, but there was no need to speak to him again. What I said should have gotten through to him. If that doesn't dishearten him and cause him to leave, nothing will. After not moving from his spot, the panda sighed. "She's right. I don't belong here. I don't belong anywhere. The one person I look up to hates me. Just like everyone else. No point staying here."
Sitting up on my bed, processing what the panda had just said to himself as his silhouette disappeared. It was the first time hearing him speak that hadn't angered me. Instead, I almost felt sympathetic, and that annoyed me. At no point could we show the panda any sympathy, but with his words replaying in my head, one of his statements struck a different chord. Part of me wondered if I had misheard him, but knew I heard every word. Why in the world would he look up to me? There's nothing to look up to. No doubt he still would after hearing me call him a disgrace, but his words made me contemplate my choice of words. Did I use the wrong words? Was it too harsh?
After expressing myself to the panda, the anger held towards him seemed to have vanished. There was no longer this burning desire inside of me to strangle the panda whenever he crossed my mind. Instead, my mind kept playing back the panda's face after calling him a disgrace. My sudden appearance may have startled him at first, but when he was talking to me, he seemed happy, despite looking worried. It made no sense why he did, but now it does. After telling him he was a disgrace to us and had to leave, all the happiness in him vanished. He looked empty. As if what I said crushed his hopes in the same way he crushed my dream. Maybe calling him a disgrace went too far.
Punching my bed in frustration and growling at myself in annoyance, nothing can make me feel remorseful for my actions. That panda must leave! He doesn't know what's coming. None of us do. If Tai Lung were to turn up tomorrow, we would have to fight him, because there's no way the panda stood a chance. Tai Lung would kill him. Taking in a few deep breaths, attempting to regain control of my racing thoughts, in the morning, we will re-evaluate the situation. We need to devise a plan to stop Tai Lung. Hopefully by morning, the panda is long gone. For now, rest is needed. With those as my last thoughts, I laid back down on my bed, closed my eyes, and fell asleep.
[End Notes]:
That concludes the end of this chapter. What did you think? Lemme know in the reviews (or send me a PM).
The end of this chapter concludes the first day of this story. Given how far apart the chapters are published, it probably has felt more than a day. I'll be honest, it's weird looking at how different this version is to the original version. It also lets me see how much my writing has changed since I first started writing this story. I dunno about you, but my writing style feels like it has evolved, and improved, in the year since I joined. As always, if you find any mistakes or wish to share your ideas on how this chapter could be improved, please don't hesitate to let me know. My writing may have improved in the year since I joined FFN, but your reviews and feedback help shape the stories beyond what I'm capable of.
Chapter 4 is scheduled to be released on March 14
Until then, take care and stay safe!
Footrot Flats :)