Before Setting Sail
Changing of the Guard
"They can't be serious, can they?" Po looked on in shock. "They're just gonna allow Junjie to be the new Emperor?"
Luthera observed the guards carefully.
"It appears they're going along with all of this," she remarked.
Po and his friends got closer into the crowd.
"There must be some kind of misunderstanding," Colin noted. "Surely if this Junjie has become Emperor, then he must be guilty of regicide against the previous ruler. Such a crime would surely not go unnoticed."
As Junjie continued with his speech, Tong Fo narrowed his large eyes, spotting the enemy in the crowd.
"The Dragon Warrior's here," Tong Fo told Junjie. "Center of the crowd."
At once, Junjie shifted his attention to Po and the Dragon Knights.
"And my, what a pleasant surprise!" Junjie announced. "To see the Dragon Master here, and with a new crew nonetheless!"
At once, Po and the others looked up, realizing they'd been spotted.
"Oh, we're in for it now," Rukhmini looked around nervously.
"What happened to the Furious Five and Shifu?" asked Tong Fo. "Did you guys go splitsville and decided you needed a new set of action figures to replace them?"
"I'm glad you could be here for my ceremony," Junjie told Po in a welcoming voice. "As the current Emperor of China, I have full faith in you to continue your sacred duties in protecting this land from evil! I trust you and I will have no problems working together in the future?"
"Oh, I think there's gonna be some problems alright!" Po finally spoke up. "You see, I haven't forgotten all the times you tried to kill me and my friends and master in the past! And what's more surprising is that someone like you is allowed to be Emperor after everything you've done!"
"And why not?" asked Junjie. "That bad tempered little hamster became Emperor, didn't he? Why should I not be allowed the same opportunity?"
"Okay, you got me," Po replied. "So that hamster fella is short, bad-tempered, immature, and took away my title once! But he was still the legal Emperor!"
"Which he then signed over to me… legally, that is," Junjie replied with much certainty in his voice.
Po looked around at the various rhino guards that were gathered around him and the Dragon Knights.
"C'mon guys!" Po told the rhino soldiers. "Are you really going to follow the orders of a tyrant like Junjie?"
At once, all of the rhinos pointed their spears at the throats of Po and the Dragon Knights.
"Yes, actually, they are," Junjie informed the panda. "Guards, take Po and the bargain bin Furious Five to the dungeon. And keep them locked there until I decide their fate."
oooo
"Well, that went well," Po's face drooped inside of the dungeon cell he was now sharing with Wandering Blade.
"So, does anyone have a plan to get out of here?" asked Klaus from another cell.
"I'll think of something," Po promised.
Suddenly, he felt his stomach rumbling. And when he wasn't full, his mind didn't work as well in coming up with more complex plans.
"Ahem."
Po and Luthera turned around and realized they weren't the only inhabitants of the cell.
"Your… former majesty," Luthera noted. "Are you doing alright?"
The now ex-Emperor looked at the two with a frown.
"Yes, I suppose I've lost my royal title, haven't I?" the hamster grimaced. "Well, Dragon Master, now it looks like I truly know how you felt when I took away your title from you."
"Well look on the bright side," Po told the hamster. "At least now we've both been through the trenches together."
"Tell you what," the hamster told Po and Luthera. "You get me out of here and I'll seriously consider reducing the sentence of that weasel."
"Well, we were planning on busting out with or without the offer," Po told him. "But we'll get you out too and make sure Junjie never wears a crown on his furry little head again!"
oooo
"A feast!" Junjie declared. "To victory!"
Junjie, the Brotherhood of Malfeasance, and several of the other villains Po encountered over the years sat at the Emperor's dining table in celebration of their victory.
"Gotta say, I didn't expect you to pull it all off," Tong Fo told Junjie. "But you've really done it now!"
"You've truly outdone yourself on this one, Junjie!" Hundun complimented. "In terms of outdoing all your past schemes which are now outdone by your outdoing!"
"Maybe now that I'm legit working for the Emperor," Taotie drank some wine. "My son can start respecting me again!"
"Fu-xi, are you enjoying yourself?" asked Junjie. "How are your teeth after that battle?"
"I… did not expect to be welcomed in such a manner by two-leggers," Fu-xi acknowledged. "I am grateful you have accepted my services and granted me my freedom. And perhaps it is time I broadened my horizons in terms of how I viewed all of you. And as for my teeth, they will grow back so it is no cause for alarm."
"So there's just one question on my mind," Scorpion turned to Junjie. "When will we get to have the Dragon Warrior's head on a pike? I'd like special dibs on the panda."
"Tomorrow," Junjie promised. "Tomorrow is the day of their execution and I promise you when that time comes, Po will no longer be of any concern for us, nor that cheap knockoff version of the Furious Five."
Tong Fo raised his head, remembering that he too had a concern he wanted to share with Junjie but before he could say anything, Jong Sung Jai Kai Chow beat him to it.
"Emperor Junjie, my friend," Jong spoke up. "We all appreciate the fact that you helped set us free but I was wondering about the reward you promised us. You did say we would have access to the royal treasury."
"Yeah, I was kinda thinking that myself," Dosu nodded. "Of course, if we need to wait on the financial reward a little longer, I can always settle for revenge and mounting the head of Mantis on a pike."
"So your majesty," Tong Fo finally felt more confident to speak up. "When do we get paid for our services?"
"All of you will receive your payment as promised," Junjie assured them. "But it will happen after Po, the hamster, and his new gang of accomplices are executed tomorrow. Only when our enemies are dead, that will be when your services will be rendered completed."
"Getting paid tomorrow also works," Gah-ri shrugged, taking another glass of liquor.
"Sounds fair," Tong Fo finally sat down and took a drink for himself, realizing that tomorrow wasn't that far off and that he did want to see the Dragon Warrior get executed.
"Now, gentlemen, if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to," Junjie got up as some rhino guards accompanied him.
"Where you going off to?" asked Fung.
"There are some additional prisoner transfers I need to oversee," Junjie told them. "Don't worry, I'll make it back in time for the execution tomorrow and you will all be duly rewarded."
oooo
"Oh, my stomach…" Rukhmini moaned.
"Keep it down in there," a rhino guard ordered her.
"Sir, she's burning up and she'll need some water," Akna told the guard.
Akna looked out of her cell and winked at Po and the other prisoners, subtlety letting them know she and Rukhmini had a plan.
"And I should care, why?" demanded the rhino.
"Come on, have a heart for an old lady!" Rukhmini groaned.
"Let me think… no!" the rhino retorted.
"Agh!" Rukhmini groaned again, hoping her plan would work.
"Do you really want to hear her groan all night?" asked Akna. "It won't be very pleasant to listen to."
In response, the rhino took out two noise cancelling ear plugs and placed them in his ears. Smiling smugly at the two, he turned around and walked away. It was certainly not his first rodeo in tuning out loud prisoners he didn't want to listen to.
"Well, that was a waste of my pickpocketing skills," Rukhmini muttered, realizing that rhino wasn't going to get close enough to her so she could make a beeline for his keys.
However, another Dragon Knight in a different cell had a different plan.
Klaus focused his powers on the keys he saw on the guard's waistline, sending a small gust of wind to lift the key from the guard's belt. And since the guard was wearing ear plugs, he didn't hear the keys jingling, which made the weasel's job easier.
"Whoa, that's pretty good," Po noticed, taking special note of what was going on.
Finally, Klaus made the keys float over to him with his elemental powers, grabbing them. He quickly opened the door where he was being kept with Colin and got out.
As the rhino turned around, he noticed Klaus was standing there in the open with Colin.
"What?!" the guard shouted.
At once, Klaus unleashed a powerful blast of wind from his palms that struck the guard and knocked him into a wall, rendering him unconscious.
"Good job Klaus!" Po smiled.
Quickly, Klaus freed the other Dragon Knights.
"If you'd given me more time, I would've picked that guard's pocket!" Rukhmini insisted.
"Oh come on, we're free now," Lucinda told her. "Isn't that all that should matter?"
"Yeah, but prison breakouts should be my thing!" Rukhmini frowned.
"You're always welcome go back into your cell and lock it up again so you can figure out another way to break out," Klaus told her.
Rukhmini crossed her arms and walked off with Luthera.
"We're free now and that's what matters," Po declared. "Thanks Klaus."
"Yes Klaus," the hamster ex-monarch told him. "Had you escaped prison under my watch, I'd probably have a warrant out for your arrest and execution. But because you broke yourself and myself out, your service to my person has been taken into consideration."
"I think that's Emperor-nese for thank you," Po whispered to Klaus.
"So what do we do next?" asked Wandering Blade.
"We get out of here and we regroup," Po answered decisively. "There's only one way to stop Junjie and that's to kick his orange butt out of the throne."
oooo
"We're here, Emperor Junjie," the rhino soldier stopped the carriage.
"Excellent," Junjie smiled as his royal entourage opened the door for him.
The fox followed his soldiers to the mountain prison where they were greeted by another rhino captain. It was a large mountain a few miles outside the royal palace and it was a prison similar to Chorh-Gom, where extremely dangerous super-criminals were held.
"Your highness," the captain bowed. "What is the purpose of your visit today?"
"There are two prisoners in this place I wish to visit," Junjie told him.
"I see," the captain nodded. "And who are they?"
Junjie handed a royal slip to the captain who looked at it.
"That should about cover it," Junjie told him.
"Sir," the captain looked up fearfully. "You can't possibly be serious."
"I am," Junjie told him seriously. "And you will bring me to them. After all, I am the Emperor, am I not? And that means for you to disobey my orders is tantamount to treason."
"I, uh…" the rhino captain gulped. "Yes your majesty. But just know I strongly urge caution with these two."
"Good, take me to them," Junjie nodded.
The captain took a torch from the wall and led Junjie down a few corridors until they stood before one jail cell with a small tortoise shell similar to what once held Tai Lung, except this time, a pair of tiny arms were stretched out with ropes binding them and the hands being unable to touch anything in mid-air.
"Open it," Junjie ordered.
The captain reluctantly opened the door to allow Junjie inside.
"From one old master to another," Junjie told the prisoner. "Let me just say that I greatly admire you, as a kung fu prodigy."
A pair of large eyes finally opened up, looking at Junjie. Junjie saw a long mustache and beard on the prisoner.
"I see you were bound this way for a reason," Junjie noted, realizing this prisoner's hands were bound in such a way that the only thing he could touch was air and nothing else.
"Precisely," the prisoner grinned. "Why don't you release me so you can find out why…"
"Actually, that's precisely what I'm here to do," Junjie told him.
"Wait, what?" the prisoner looked genuinely shocked.
"Do it," Junjie told the rhino captain. "I'm giving this prisoner a full royal pardon."
"But sir, this monkey is guilty of attempted regicide of a past Emperor," the rhino told him. "Surely you're not going to allow Pai Mei to go free!"
"I said to release him!" Junjie ordered.
Reluctantly, the rhino captain took out his key and undid the tortoise armor binding the Emperor Tamarin, Pai Mei, in addition to the ropes stretching his arms out.
"You freed me," Pai Mei looked at Junjie in genuine shock. "Why?"
"Because Master Pai Mei," Junjie bowed before him. "I considered it a waste for a master of your talents to rot away for the rest of your life."
"Heh heh heh," Pai Mei smiled. "You know I was guilty of attempted regicide on a previous Emperor. So what's to stop me from ending your life now that I'm free?"
The evil monkey kung fu master's hands glowed as he activated his Five Finger Blast Punch.
"Because," Junjie told him plainly. "I'm offering you the chance to gain vengeance against someone who wronged you."
"Eh, and who would that be?" demanded Pai Mei.
"Po, Shifu's student, is currently in my custody," Junjie told him. "Wouldn't it be nice to take away Shifu's prize pupil?"
"Hmmm, so that panda is here, eh?" Pai Mei powered down his hands. "Revenge against him does sound enticing. Tell me, where is Shifu?"
"My messenger geese are working on ascertaining his whereabouts," Junjie promised. "But rest assured, Po is currently available and we can work on finding Shifu later."
"Very well then," Pai Mai agreed. "I believe we can help each other."
"Excellent, come with me," Junjie beckoned.
As the monkey followed the fox, he noticed they were going to into deeper chambers.
"Hmm, I don't think this is the exit," Pai Mei frowned.
"No, that's because there's one more visit I wish to make to someone," Junjie told him.
"And who would that be?" asked the tamarin.
The two of them stopped before another cell, this one even darker than the one that kept Pai Mei. However, the two of them could still make out a large shape inside that cell.
"You once defeated a past Emperor's army," Junjie said. "And this prisoner is one of the most internationally renowned elite warriors in the world. I have no doubt in my mind that with you working alongside each other, the two of you can destroy and overthrow entire kingdoms together… except mine of course. Since you two will be my elite guard."
"You flatter me," Pai Mei smiled. "I am curious. Who is this prisoner exactly?"
Junjie opened the cell door with the key. Inside was another prisoner, this one being held in a much larger metal tortoise shell than even Pai Mei.
"Greetings my friend," Junjie walked towards the large prisoner. "I'm here to inform you that there's been a regime change as of late and that I'm here to discuss the terms of your release."
"I only want one thing," the prisoner replied in a deep voice.
"Tell me," Junjie told him. "Because it may be within my power to make it happen."
"I want the Dragon Warrior!" the prisoner screamed.
"Pretty simple and basic request if you ask me," Pai Mei said to Junjie.
"I have the Dragon Warrior," Junjie promised. "And he can be yours… but you'll also have to do something for me in return."
"I'm listening," the prisoner finally tilted his head, revealing a pair of baleful, angry blue eyes.
To be continued.