*I'm glad everyone's liking the story so far! I hope you end up enjoying what happens in Chapter 3, which reveals a lot more details about future plot elements and characters.
Chapter 3: Hidden Dragon Warrior
Master Shifu sat in a meditative position near the Jade Palace's esteemed Training Hall. He was a short red panda in his early 60's with blue eyes, two large ears, and brownish orange-white fur. The elderly martial artist also had two white eyebrows and a thin, triangular beard that hung from his chin. He wore orange-brown robes that were complimented by a darker brown sash and black pants.
His bushy tail twitched about as he took deep, rhythmic breaths. Monkey, Crane, Viper, and Mantis were currently busy training, so he took this opportunity to relax and attempt to attain inner peace. There had been many factors getting in the way of such an achievement, namely Tigress's lacking performance in combat and almost everything concerning the Dragon Warrior prophecy issued by Master Oogway.
Thinking of the Dragon Warrior itself brought back bad memories that were far too painful to recall. It only served to put him in a much worse mood than usual.
"Inner peace. Inner peace…" The red panda murmured to himself. His ears then flicked about, sensing that someone was approaching him from a distance.
"Is that you, Tigress? If you're finished giving out that donation to the Bao Gu Orphanage, hurry up and rejoin the others. You'll need to work on your ferocity if you even want to consider—"
"My, my, Shifu. Inner peace will not come easy with that kind of attitude."
Master Shifu's eyes opened to see Oogway, rather than Tigress, standing there. Shocked and embarrassed by this fact, he quickly stood up straight and bowed as a sign of respect.
"M-My apologies, Master Oogway! I didn't expect you to stop by so suddenly like this." He said. "Is something wrong?"
The Galapagos tortoise waved his hand about and chuckled in amusement.
"Why must there be something wrong to visit my old friend?"
Shifu slightly relaxed his posture. He always had a difficult time understanding Oogway's intentions and this moment was no exception.
"Then nothing's wrong? You just came here to… see how I was doing?"
"Well, yes… and technically no." Oogway replied. He used his staff to walk closer to Shifu. "Not too long ago, I sensed an unusual chi depart from the Spirit Realm. It was powerful and something I've never quite seen before."
The red panda looked unnerved by this information.
"The Spirit Realm?! Are… are you certain you're not mistaken, Master? Couldn't it just be the arrival of a new kung fu master from some foreign land outside China?"
Oogway shook his head. "While they are unmistakably a foreigner, Shifu, I believe that no part of this world is what they call their home. Their energy is too unusual for that to be the case."
Shifu was starting to panic a little. It was times like this that he wished Oogway had taught him more about chi manipulation and sensing. He still hadn't quite scratched the surface in regard to that practice, unfortunately.
"Are we under attack then? Should I gather the Five and prepare for… whoever this person or thing is?"
Oogway couldn't help, but chuckle at his student's erratic behavior. He patted Shifu on the shoulder and wisely grinned.
"Oh, I think not, old friend. This energy could be a direct sign from the universe, in fact; a sign that great change will be coming to the Valley much sooner than we think."
The old master widened his eyes, realizing what Oogway was alluding to.
"You don't mean that… this chi could be from the Dragon Warrior, do you?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not. The universe works in mysterious ways, Shifu. For all we know, it could come from someone even greater than the Dragon Warrior themselves." Oogway presumed. "Nothing is impossible, after all."
"But greater than the Dragon Warrior? That itself is an impossibility! No one could be more powerful than the very person who is destined to save everyone and—"
The Galapagos tortoise raised a hand to silence Shifu's forthcoming rant.
"Remember, nothing is impossible." He then outstretched his neck as if sensing something else. "Ah, and would you look at that. The proponent of this chi is heading toward the Jade Palace. A funny coincidence, is it not?"
Master Shifu drooped his ears back out of uncertainty and slight nervousness. He then crossed both arms and placed them behind his back.
"Funny isn't how I'd describe it…" He muttered. "Should I gather the rest of the Furious Five then?"
"Yes. We should greet any new visitor to the Jade Palace with the utmost respect and curtesy."
He then took another look at this individual's energy and what surrounded it. There appeared to be a smaller chi moving alongside that one.
"Especially since they have somehow befriended Tigress of all people."
Shifu's eyes narrowed in momentary concern. "Mm. So, that's what was keeping her."
Afterwards, he wasted no time and ran into the Training Hall to gather his four remaining students. All of them then traveled back to the Jade Palace, waiting for Tigress and her new companion to arrive.
Meanwhile…
After another hour of running, Lucario and Tigress had finally reached a large village that the Jade Palace oversaw from its place in the mountains. It was filled to the brim with all sorts of houses, shops, and animals. Some inhabitants have even used this particular village as a center for trade across China and its other major cities. This also made it a potential hotspot for petty crime and thievery, but thanks to the Furious Five, that trend never really lasted long.
Upon entering the village's gates, Lucario caught a glimpse of the Jade Palace in all its ancient glory. Even he found it rather impressive in terms of overall craftsmanship and design.
"So, that's where you live, hm?"
"That's right. The Valley of Peace's greatest kung fu masters have lived there for generations, starting from its founder and Shifu's former instructor, Master Oogway." Tigress replied.
Lucario shuddered hearing that name. The Spirit Warrior, Kai, had briefly mentioned it while trying to steal his Aura. It made him wonder if there was some kind of deep-seeded connection between them.
However, he'd rather discuss such matters with Oogway himself. He didn't want Tigress to get involved with his issues. It wouldn't be fair to her.
"I see…"
They continued walking along the village's streets in relative silence. While everyone addressed Tigress with respect and admiration, they looked unsettled by Lucario's strange, exotic appearance. He tried to ignore them, but their sharp, piercing glares were hard not to take notice of.
"It seems that my presence is making everyone a bit… uncomfortable."
Tigress quirked a brow. "Well, can you blame them? You have multiple spikes on your hands and chest, and have blue, black skin. Of course these villagers are going to be offput by… whatever your species is."
Lucario nodded. He couldn't exactly argue against her points.
"Fair enough."
The South China Tiger then every-so-slightly softened her stern gaze and glanced at him.
"Look, I get it. Back when I lived at the Bao Gu Orphanage, I was the only tiger cub there. They called me a monster and all sorts of mean, hurtful names." She recalled in a soft voice. "But once the other kids got to know me better, we ended up getting along just fine and became friends."
The Aura Pokémon regarded her in a new light. That change in her life must have been a result of Master Shifu's influence.
"Understood. I'll wait to see if the villagers can learn to accept me one day."
"For what it's worth, Ms. Shānyáng and the orphans seemed to really like you. I've especially never seen little Túlip warm up to anyone that fast. She used to be terrified of me a few years ago."
Lucario grinned at the thought of Tú and everyone else. Her full name, Túlip, fit quite well, from his perspective.
"They were just grateful that I helped save their lives and secure the money you gave them. That's all."
Tigress rolled her eyes. "If that's what you want to believe, then go right ahead. You'll see what I mean once Túlip ends up seeing you again."
"Right. We'll see then."
They then passed by a local noodle shop. Halfheartedly serving some tables was a large, overweight panda wearing some patched-up burlap shorts. He had green eyes and white bandages wrapped around his feet.
The panda, upon serving a few orders, caught sight of both Tigress and Lucario. Although excited to see his kung fu idol in the flesh, he also shared direct eye contact with the Aura Pokémon and gasped in sheer awe.
"Woah. He looks awesome…"
This awestruck gaze caused him to drop a few bowls on the floor and accidentally pour fresh noodles all over a customer's face.
"Oh shoot! Sorry, sorry, sorry! I'll clean that right up, sir!"
A gray and white Chinese goose then came out of the shop with an angry look on his face. He had brown eyes and wore red-gold robes with a noodle-shaped-bowl hat atop his head.
"PO! What in the world do you think you're doing?! I raised you better than this!"
"Sorry, Dad. It won't happen again…"
Lucario took one last glance at the panda before following Tigress once again. He couldn't understand why the animal was looking at him like that, but the whole situation almost felt… predetermined somehow.
"That creature at the noodle restaurant. He was staring at me for some reason."
Tigress paid little attention to figuring who that panda was or what he was doing. She simply didn't care at all.
"Who cares? He's just an idiot. The village is full of them, unfortunately."
"If you say so." The Fighting/Steel-type said with a shrug.
Together, both of them walked up the stairs leading toward the Jade Palace's front entrance. They, thankfully, managed to reach it in a matter of minutes.
"We're here."
Tigress then opened two large red doors, revealing the Palace Arena. It consisted of a large stone platform where the Furious Five, Shifu, and other kung fu masters would compete in official tournament-based matches. Two golden dragon statues were situated in front of this platform while blue-roofed buildings surround it on either side. This was where spectators came to watch these tournaments take place.
To her surprise, Master Shifu, Oogway, Viper, Monkey, Crane, and Viper were all standing within the arena. Lucario found their appearances odd, but not too far off from certain Pokémon he has encountered in the past.
Viper, as her name implied, was a snake with a long, lime green body covered in brown spots and Chinese characters. She had emerald green eyes, red lipstick, and two pink lotus flowers clipped on top of her head. Three white beads were also wrapped around the tip of her tail.
Monkey was a golden snub-nosed monkey with blue eyes and black skin. He wore reddish-brown pants, a belt that was the same color as his fur, and brown wrist bracers with metallic pellets on them.
Crane, in contrast, was a tall, skinny bird with black, white, and gray feathers. He wore blue pants tied down by a purple sash and a conical Asian hat on top of his head. He had a sharp yellow beak that slightly matched the color of his eyes as well.
Mantis was the smallest member of the Furious Five by far. He was a green Chinese mantis with red eyes, yellow sclera, and a black backside. His raptorial legs were also covered by white bandages.
Tigress took a knee and bowed before Master Oogway's presence. Lucario took it upon himself to do the same.
"Weren't you expecting our arrival, Master Shifu?"
"Indeed we were. Master Oogway believes that your friend here is holding immense amounts of latent chi inside him." The red panda affirmed. He then darted his eyes toward the centuries old tortoise. "Is this who you were sensing, Master?"
Lucario watched as Oogway took a step closer and slowly waved one of his hands in front of him. He looked more pleased by Lucario's power than expected.
"Mm, yes. I know for certain that you're the one I sensed earlier." He mused. "Tell me, what is your name, young traveler?"
Given that the tortoise could sense him from such a large distance, Lucario knew that he was immeasurably wise and powerful. He might even be able to put Sir Aaron's skills as an Aura Guardian to shame.
He placed a fist in his open palm and bowed again with fully closed eyes.
"My name is Lucario, Master Oogway. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"The pleasure is all mine. It's intriguing to witness so much energy flowing through one body. You must be very powerful indeed." The tortoise then noticed an underlying sadness within Lucario's mind, body, and spirit. "Though I sense that something is troubling you, Lucario. May I help with that in some way?"
Lucario darted his eyes away from Oogway for a moment to grimace.
"That's something I've been meaning to ask. I believe that—"
Shifu loudly cleared his throat in order to join in on the conversation. He sized up Lucario's body with a curt, serious glare.
"Your questions can be answered later. I need to know how you encountered Tigress in the first place." He ordered. "I'm sure all of us are curious to find out how that certain little encounter happened."
The rest of the Furious Five, particularly Viper, nodded in agreement. This caused Tigress to sign and explain everything from the beginning.
"I'm not positive what happened beforehand, but I met Lucario at the Bao Gu Orphanage. He had successfully saved its orphans from a group of crocodile bandits. If not for him, they would have stolen the Jade Palace's monthly donation and harmed one of those children."
Mantis nodded along, looking rather impressed by such a selfless act.
"Huh. Saving orphans. Not bad. Not bad at all, man." He commended. "Did you use those spikes of yours on them? That's sure to have put them on-edge, I bet. Hehe."
Lucario and Tigress just looked down at him without laughing. This caused him to shrug and sheepishly grin.
"Well, I thought it was funny."
Ignoring him, Tigress went along and finished the rest of the story.
"Curious, I decided to challenge him to a fight. He accepted and ended up defeating me in hand-to-hand combat." She muttered with crossed arms. "I agreed to take him to the Jade Palace as a reward for his victory and… well, here we are now."
The rest of the Furious Five looked at each other as if they were going crazy. Shifu was just as disturbed by this news, if not more so.
"Y-You actually lost? To him?" Viper asked in disbelief. "But he's not even a kung fu master, right?"
Tigress shook her head. "He may not be a master of kung fu like the rest of us, but he definitely has skill and talent when it comes to fighting. Lucario was even able to project bones made of his own energy somehow."
Crane squinted his eyes in slight skepticism. "Prove it."
As requested, Lucario pressed his hands together and used Bone Rush. He expertly spun the bone around and displayed it in front of everyone. Crane's jaw practically dropped to the floor from shock.
"Welp, you proved it, alright."
Shifu shook his head. He couldn't comprehend such a strange, yet intuitive ability.
"But… what is the meaning of all this? You can't just come from the Spirit Realm and expect everyone to be alright with it. It's completely incomprehensible!"
This comment caught Tigress off-guard. She spun around and peered at Lucario in newfound confusion.
"What? You came from… the Spirit Realm?"
Lucario glumly nodded. "If that is indeed what you call that dimension filled with nothing, but pure energy, then yes. I came from there to this world, but have no idea how I even got there. It's still a mystery, even to myself."
"I don't believe you. There's more to this situation than you're letting on. I can feel it." Shifu harrumphed.
Oogway lightly placed a hand on his shoulder. This gesture just barely managed to calm Shifu down, but not enough for him to accept what Lucario is or could be.
"I'm certain that young Lucario means no real harm, my friend. He's alone in a world he wasn't meant to belong in." The Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace proclaimed. "Deciphering this peculiar mystery will require us to work together as close allies, not enemies."
He walked up to Lucario and rested a single black finger on his spike. A wave of golden chi surged through the Aura Pokémon's body and ever-so-slightly calmed his ailing mind.
"That is why I wish for Lucario to live and train within the Jade Palace. His talents will be of great use to us and the people of the Valley, I think."
The Galapagos tortoise warmly smiled at Lucario to see what he thought of such a request.
"Does that put your mind and heart at ease for now, Lucario? I assure you that Shifu and I will do everything in our power to help you feel home at here." Oogway promised from the bottom of his own heart. "And who knows? Maybe you'll end up finding a new purpose in life soon, now, or later! Everyone's destiny is what they choose to make of it. Choosing wisely is what'll lead to true happiness and innermost peace, even in the face of great despair…"
His eyes then drooped in regard to what he previously sensed from Lucario's Aura.
"And I know, deep down, that despair is an old friend of yours. One you can't let go of… no matter how much time has passed…"
Oogway's words hit far too close to home. Memories of Sir Aaron's betrayal and his sacrifice to save the Tree of Beginning with Ash came to mind. He rested a hand on his chest and grimaced.
"You could say that, yes," The Aura Pokémon whispered. "Thank you so much for the offer, Master Oogway. I'll consider what you told me today."
"Splendid! The Furious Five will show you the way to the Training Hall then."
As he turned around to head back to the Jade Palace, an awkward permeated throughout the air. He then turned his head to the side and motioned for the Five to do as he requested of them.
"R-Right away, Master Oogway!" Tigress shouted.
"But, wait a moment, I need to ask—"
"Never mind that. Let's go!"
To Lucario's shock, she practically dragged him across the ground and brought him over to the Training Hall by force. The rest of the Furious Five followed closely behind them.
Shifu was about to leave as well, but Master Oogway stopped him at the last second.
"Wait a moment, Shifu. I need to talk about something else with you first."
"Like what? Is something else the matter?"
The old master quietly lead Shifu over to the Hall of Warriors. They walked up to the Moon Pool where hundreds of candles were lit amongst the darkness of this entire room.
"Not something else per say. More like… something dangerous at foot."
Oogway walked up to the candles and tried to blow out each one. Seeing how long this was going to take, Shifu thrust his hands forward and extinguished every single flame in one fell swoop.
"Dangerous as in…"
"I've had a vision shortly after I sensed Lucario's chi. Tai Lung will return."
Shifu looked completely terrified. That was the last piece of information he ever expected to hear. Ever since Tai Lung's defeat over twenty years ago, he assumed that his return would never take place.
"That's impossible! He's in prison!"
Oogway sighed. "As I told you, nothing is impossible. Whatever has caused Lucario to enter and exit the Spirit Realm, I fear, has created an imbalance between worlds. In my vision, I foresaw the emergence of many powerful beings similar in nature and abilities to him. A void of darkness emerged from thin air and then… they appeared."
"And you're saying that—"
"Possibly, yes. This sudden darkness may just release Tai Lung from his shackles and put the Valley of Peace in danger once again. It'll only be a matter of time, I'm afraid…"
Shifu's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he ran over to the nearest servant he could find. It was a dark grey goose named Zeng.
"Zeng, fly to Chorh-Gom Prison and tell them to double the guards, double the weapons, and double EVERYTHING! Tai Lung does not leave that prison!"
"Yes, Master Shifu!"
In his attempt to fly away, Zeng slammed into a pillar before regaining his composure and heading to the max security prison as ordered. Oogway shook his head in dismay.
"One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it."
"We have to do something! We can't just let him march on the Valley and take his revenge! Especially if he has a chance of getting involved with those 'powerful beings' you mentioned seeing in your vision!" Shifu shouted. "He'll… he'll…"
"Your mind is like this water, my friend. When it is agitated, it becomes difficult to see, but if you allow it to settle," Oogway tapped his staff against the Moon Pool, revealing the water's reflection of the Dragon Scroll. "the answer becomes clear."
"The Dragon Scroll."
"It is time. Lucario's presence in our lives proves it to be the case."
"Then do you think he's worthy to be trusted with the secret to limitless power and become the Dragon Warrior? Is that what you're trying to say?"
Oogway narrowed his eyes in uncertainty.
"I don't know… but what I do know is that Lucario, whether he becomes the Dragon Warrior or not, has a great journey ahead of him." He presumed with a smile on his face. "That is why me must hold a ceremony at once. Gather your students and Lucario in a few hours. I will determine who is worthy of such a title within the Palace Arena."
"I'll tell them all right away."
Shifu then scurried back over to the Training Hall as fast as possible. This gave Oogway some more time to ponder over his own vision and decipher its deep, underlying meaning.
What could that void represent? Is it a distortion in space and time perhaps? Is that how Lucario's travel to the Spirit Realm worked?"
Wishing he had far less questions than answers, Oogway pursed his lips, climbed on top of his staff, and began to meditate once again.
He wondered how Lucario's fate would intertwine with Tai Lung's once his imminent escape attempt took place.
Thousands of miles away from the Valley of Peace…
Within the snow-capped peaks of Tavan Bogd Mountains near Mongolia, the heavily fortified stronghold, Chorh-Gom Prison, was located. It was built to imprison Tai Lung for the unspeakable crimes he committed against the Valley of Peace twenty years prior. An army of one-thousand rhinos, led by their, Commander Vachir, were making sure he was kept in there for the rest of his miserable life. His immeasurable strength as a martial artist, however, made it so he was the only inmate kept prisoner there.
This method of imprisonment worked for quite some time, but things would turn for the worst much sooner than Vachir anticipated.
In another part of the mountains near Chorh-Gom, the sky seemingly began to crack apart and reveal a rift in space-time. This rift, erupting with all sorts of dark, spiritual energy, shot out a purplish-black dome that settled itself atop a single mountain peak.
A lone figure leapt out of the space-time distortion and took deep, ragged breaths. Wearing badly damaged pieces of knight's armor, this individual was a foxlike creature with long flowing red-black hair tied down into a pony tail at the bottom. She had gray fur, a lithe, athletic body, and red claws on both her hands and feet. She also had light blue eyes that were narrowed into slits from pure rage and agony.
Her chest, although normally covered with black fur, had an armored chest plate with a red-black insignia for some unknown army in its center. Whoever this Zoroark was, they had definitely gone through some very traumatic experiences.
Once the space-time distortion disappeared, Zoroark fell into the snow with tears in her eyes. Her body was filled with scratches and other near-fatal wounds, but that didn't seem to be her major concern at all.
"Ergh! Zorua? Where are you?" She cried. "ZORUA!"
No one was around to hear her screams of desperation. Her voice echoed across the surrounding area, causing the Illusion Fox Pokémon's sadness to be replaced with absolute vitriol and hatred.
"That Lucario from Cameran Palace! This is all his fault!"
She growled and shot out a plume of white-hot flames from her mouth. It melted a few piles of snow that were near her feet and slightly further than that.
"If him and his annoying master didn't get in the way of our war, I wouldn't have been separated from Zorua and he would have still been… been…"
Zoroark clutched her exposed stomach and seethed with pain. Based on the severity of the wound, some type of Aura-based attack had caused it. She dropped down to the ground, suddenly realizing that this area wasn't Rota anymore.
It didn't even seem like a place she was familiar with in general. None of her fellow Pokémon soldiers were present either.
"Where am I? The last thing I remember was entering that strange black void and…" She was suddenly hit with a splitting headache and could no longer finish her sentence. "Ergh! I need to take this armor off. It's driving me crazy…"
Parting from her red, military-issued mask and uniform, Zoroark outstretched her body and felt the cold wind brush past their face. She then narrowed her eyes, using Zorua's current location as a goal she needed to strive towards.
"First things first, I need to figure out where I am." The Dark-type Pokémon asserted. Her expression then softened into one of maternal care and longing. "And then, after that, your Meema will be coming for you, sweetie. I promise we'll be together again soon."
Zoroark then powerfully leapt into the air and jumped from mountaintop to mountaintop at breakneck speeds. Unbeknownst to her, Chorh-Gom Prison and a certain goose messenger from the Jade Palace were not too far behind.
*And that's the end of Chapter 3! Not much happened in this chapter overall, but I managed to include the first appearance of Master Shifu, Po (in the form of brief cameo), and the rest of the Furious Five. I hope you liked their interactions with Lucario since there will be a lot more as the story progresses. The events of the first Kung Fu Panda movie have already been set up, so Po will also have a lot more scenes soon, which I'm excited to write for a number of reasons.
The most important aspect of this chapter, however, was the introduction of Zoroark, who will be the secondary antagonist for the 1st story arc alongside Tai Lung. Taking some inspiration from the movie, Zoroark - Master of Illusion, she'll be a Pokémon who served the Red Army seen at the beginning of Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. She blames Lucario for her being separated from her son, Zorua, so she'll have a personal grudge against him once they meet (much like Tai Lung's vendetta against Master Shifu). One of her moves is Flamethrower, so she'll serve as a challenge in combat for Lucario throughout this part of the story. You'll also see her use her Illusion ability to transform and mimic different characters later on.
Please leave a favorite, follow, and/or review to tell me what you think. I'll see you again once Chapter 4 is eventually posted. Take care, guys!