Today had been a long and tiring day, full of long kilometers walked, many scrolls read, and several new fighting moves tried and others perfected. Again it had just been Po and Shifu, the old master had informed the panda early in the morning that they were going back to the Secret Pool of Tears again, in order to continue training there and to get the panda away from any distractions. Shifu had noticed that for the past few days, his newest student had been unable to concentrate in the palace, constantly neglecting his own training, and glancing at the five who, in Panda's own words, were doing 'Something so fierce that the world's ferocity levels are exploding!'. The panda sure was a big fan.
Po's training had gone well, and Shifu was more than happy to see how quickly the young Dragon Warrior was learning and developing. Yes, he was clumsy, and couldn't focus, very often making stupid mistakes that could cost a lot in a battle, but still he had come extremely far considering that less than a month ago he couldn't even climb the stairs of the palace and lost a fight to a lifeless training dummy.
"You have done well," Shifu told the panda when they had reached the palace's thousand stairs, the old master smirked at how hard his student was panting, yet how satisfied he looked as he had made it up those stairs without too much pain.
"And I'll do even better tomorrow," the panda said, a confidence that wasn't there a month ago clearly shining in his eyes.
Shifu smiled again," I don't even doubt it," he started walking forward, heading towards the masters' living quarters, Po following him, his speed slower than usual due to fatigue, "Tomorrow take it easy, let your muscles rest. Your body is not used to training daily yet, so tomorrow just meditate and read the scrolls, and if you feel good enough physically you can train after lunch, but don't overdo it."
"Yes, master,"
The master and his student walked through the silent night, just enjoying the warm evening breeze, the stars shining in the sky, and the silence and peace that surrounded the village below. It was a perfect night. If Po wasn't so tired, he would have loved to stay outside to look at the stars and look for scenes in them, with enough imagination even the stars can hide fierce Kung Fu poses and battles between good and evil.
A loud yawn escaped Po, his eyes half closed by the time Shifu opened the door that led them into the living quarters. Po was ready to take the necessary steps to find his bedroom, but standing in his way was Shifu, his ears perked up in alarm, as if he had heard something disturbing.
And suddenly Po heard what had caught his Master's attention, "Come on, Tigress, stop the silence treatment, we just want to help you," voice that was heard belonged to Monkey, and without Shifu or Po having to step closer, they knew, that the voice came from the kitchen, the five were still awake, and there was something serious keeping them awake.
"There's nothing I need your help with," came Tigress's reply, her voice sounding different than Po had ever heard it before, it was somehow softer and seemed to carry a hint of guilt.
"If there's nothing bothering you, why are you acting like something's wrong?" Viper asked before sighing and adding, "Tigress we know you, we know you better than anyone, we know when something's bothering you. We also know that there are many reasons why you might be in this state right now, so please be at least a little open with us so that we can help you."
There was no answer for a while, and the only thing Po could hear was a tiny movement from the kitchen, and Shifu's slightly faster breathing. And when Po looked down, he saw a red panda with ears closer to his head than Po had ever seen them before, and a face painted with an extremely large amount of worry. If Po didn't know better, he could have sworn he saw fear in that look.
The concern on the old master's face didn't diminish when Tigress's voice finally came out, "I'm fine,"
"Tigress, your paws are bleeding," it was Crane who spoke this time.
"I don't feel it anyway,"
"That doesn't make it okay," Viper said, "You told us you got it under control. That you felt good enough that you didn't have to do it to yourself anymore,"
"I was just training,"
"It's not training and you know it, girl," Mantis replied, "You only hit those iron trees when you feel like you've failed and want to punish yourself for it. Now the question is, what are you trying to punish yourself for?"
Again, there was silence, stifling, thick silence. The world and the air seemed to stand still as everyone waited for the tiger's answer.
"Is it about the Dragon Warrior thing?" Monkey asked.
"You all know that it is not," Tigress answered, the fact that she said something was a nice surprise to all.
"Oh, you finally gave us some kind of answer," Viper said happily, her smile could be heard in her voice," Now stop fighting us and tell us what's the matter, we won't leave you alone until you do. You've already admitted that something's wrong with you, so there's no turning back, sweety,"
Po could only imagine the tiger master rolling her eyes at those words. There was silence again, and Po wished he could be in the kitchen and see what was going on, but his feet were glued to the floor. Besides, if the five knew they had eavesdroppers, they probably wouldn't keep talking.
"Is it Shifu?" Mantis asked.
Shifu's ears perked up slightly, "No," came Tigress' quiet reply, and Shifu let out a small sigh of relief, "Not this time,"
"Is it because of Master Oogway's passing?" Crane asked softly, a melancholy tone in his voice, the fact that this ancient Master was no more here was still hard to everyone, especially those who were close to him.
"I miss him, but no, it's not that,"
"Is it because of what Tai-Lung said?" Monkey asked, his voice not very serious, as if he was waiting for Tigress to say no again, but instead there was no answer and the room fell into silence again.
The silence ended with Viper saying softly, "Your look already answered us, Ti, please don't deny it,"
The strong atmosphere of the kitchen also spread out of it to Shifu and Po. Panda was confused, what could a criminal like Tai-Lung say to Master Tigress that it would still bother her a month later? While Po was confused and trying to come up with answers in his imagination, every scene playing out before his eyes was more awesome than the last one, Shifu felt like he couldn't breathe. Everything in his chest felt so tight, in the last month he had never thought about what had happened when the five fought Tai-Lung, but now that was the only thought on his mind, and all he could think of were the most horrible scenarios. What had that snow leopard said to his daughter?
"We heard everything," Monkey said after they realized Tigress wasn't going to say anything, "You put up a hell of a fight,"
"Not enough," she finally said.
"If anyone is to blame for this it's Master, he didn't teach us whatever magic it was that madman used."
"Pressure points," Tigress' voice rang out, there was a bit of her usual strength back in her low timbre," This is one of the most secret forms of Kung Fu, there aren't even any scrolls about it, you can only learn it if a master of the technique teaches it to you. Very few know this technique because...only a few can be trusted with it,"
From the short silence that followed, you could tell that so many members of the five wanted to say something sharp, something snarly, but they chose not to, not wanting to cross the line or verbally attack their Master, who, to their knowledge, wasn't even there to hear it.
"So…umm," Crane started the conversation again, his voice nervous and cautious," About that Tai-Lung thing, umm…you know the things he said aren't true, right?"
"Yeah, he was just trying to manipulate you," Mantis agreed, "What does he know, he was in prison for twenty years. He doesn't even know you, that fool thought he could win you over!"
Po flinched slightly as he heard Shifu let out a small sound of surprise and panic. The longer they stood there listening, the worse Po felt about overhearing it all, he felt like it was disrespectful, but still he didn't make a move to leave or a sound to indicate he was here. He felt that if he were to do that, Shifu would erase him from existence. The Master looked like he was desperate to hear what the five had to say, to hear what had happened.
"It...it's not because of what he said," came the answer from the leader of the five, this answer surprising both the five and those who overheard them, "I mean, it was disturbing to hear, but..." she sighed, there was a little movement to be heard as if someone had changed position and someone else had taken a step closer," I had him, it would have been so easy, but I couldn't. I hesitated and couldn't stop him,"
"It's okay, Ti," Viper said, her voice ever so sweet.
"No, it's not, my weakness could have cost the safety of the entire Valley," Tigress' voice was so sharp, so full of self-hatred that it was hard to listen to.
"What weakness? You didn't show any weakness during this fight," Monkey argued loudly," Yeah, you did not win the fight but still you did better than any of us did against him. Even Master Shifu got beaten up fighting him. Besides, it's okay that you couldn't defeat him, we all know there was only one way to defeat him, and it's completely understandable that you can't kill your…"
"Don't call him that!" Tigress's warning voice rang out, her voice carrying enough power to silence all four of her companions.
It was clear that there was a lot they wanted to say to their leader, but it seemed that none of them had the strength or the courage to do so. Someone's footsteps were heard followed by the sound of a cupboard being opened, the lack of talking was a clear indication that this conversation was buried for tonight and there were other things to attend to.
"Let's get your paws cleaned up," Crane said, the familiar click of the first aid kit opening followed his words.
Po finally tore his eyes from the blank spot on the wall his eyes were frozen on, instead he looked down and noticed that Master Shifu was walking back towards the front door, but instead of opening the door and leaving through it, he opened it and slammed back close louder than he normally would. The sound of the door closing echoed through the thin-walled building, alerting everyone that someone had entered. Po watched as Shifu finally started walking towards the kitchen, and a few moments later the panda followed him, still completely confused and feeling pretty bad about it all.
"Good evening, Master Sh..." Po heard the five say in unison, and by the time he reached the kitchen himself, Shifu had already stopped them by raising his hand, his eyes scanning the masters in the kitchen.
Po also finally took the opportunity to see what had happened in the kitchen, his gaze met the four warriors, Monkey was sitting on the table in a lotus position, his tail wrapped around himself, Mantis was sitting on Money's shoulder looking alarmed at seeing Master Shifu standing in the kitchen, Viper was currently at the water barrel using the clean water to wet a small white towel, Crane stood next to Tigress's chair, next to him on the table was an open first aid box from which the avian was looking for something, Tigress sat on the chair with her paws in her lap, she was the only member of the five who refused to look at the master who had entered the room.
"What happened?" Shifu asked, pointing to the first aid box.
"Nothing too bad, Master," Viper replied, going back to Tigress with a wet towel that she handed to the feline, "Tigress just got a minor training injury,"
Shifu's eyes narrowed, and his gaze landed on the feline who still wasn't looking at him, as if she knew that as soon as their eyes met, he'd know he'd just been lied to. However, The Master showed no sign of knowing the truth and instead walked to stand right next to Tigress' chair, facing her.
"Show me," he told her, and she did so without saying anything or looking at her master.
The red panda let out a sharp gasp at the sight of his student's bloody paws, but he didn't seem surprised. He raised one of his hands towards Tigress in a silent question, and as if she knew what her Master wanted, Tigress handed him the damp towel. She didn't even flinch or show any sign of pain or discomfort as Shifu took one of her paws in his own and began to clean off the dried and fresh blood.
"I'll take it from here, you should all go to bed," no one said anything back, although none of them looked like they wanted to leave Tigress, they still said their quiet 'goodnights' and left the kitchen, Viper pulling Po along with her.
The panda looked like he wanted to ask a hundred questions, but the snake gently shook her head, letting him know that this was neither the time nor the place.
Shifu was now left alone with Tigress, who was still deathly silent and her eyes looked emotionlessly distant, as if she was so lost in thoughts that she was no longer even there. Shifu didn't force her to speak but continued cleaning her paws trying to be as careful as he could, not knowing that no matter what he did Tigress wouldn't feel it. It was one of the many things she had kept secret from her Master. When the blood was gone from her paws, Shifu grabbed a bottle of alcohol from the first aid kit, moistening a piece of cotton wool with it and then cleaning Tigress' hands with the alcohol before wrapping them in clean bandages. When it was all done, instead of letting go of her paws, Shifu still held onto one of them, giving it a gentle squeeze that Tigress didn't know existed as she lacked the ability to feel it.
"Is there anything I should know?" he asked, hoping she would open up to him at least a little.
"No, Master," she replied after thinking for a moment.
The last drop of Shifu's smile fell and it was replaced by sadness and a slight disappointment, it wasn't disappointment towards her but towards himself. It was his own fault that Tigress didn't want to talk to him, he knew didn't deserve it after all these years.
He sighed and said, "Get some sleep. We'll see how your injuries are in the morning and we'll decide from there whether you'll participate in training tomorrow or not."
"I can train," she said almost defiantly, "A few scratches are no reason not to train, you taught me that,"
Shifu looked at her in utter wonder, she still refused to look at him, but Shifu still could see through her masks, he could see through all the masks he had forced her to wear. The guilt was so overwhelming. He wished he could bring himself to open his mouth and apologize, to ask her for forgiveness the way he had asked Tai-Lung, but he couldn't, at least not yet. Not when Tigress is in this condition, not in the evening, which has probably already been difficult for her.
"We'll discuss it in the morning," he said, and Tigress knew it was the final decision.
She stood up, Shifu let go of her hand as she did so.
She turned to Shifu and bowed, one bandaged fist against the other bandaged paw, her eyes still not looking at him," Good night, master,"
"Good night," he said as he started to bow back, but Tigress walked out of the kitchen before he could.
Shifu watched as she walked away, he heard the door to her room slide open with a soft clank and then close again with a gentle click. The old Master stood there in the kitchen, his eyes stuck to the place where Tigress had been a minute ago. His head was raging with regrettable thoughts, like an angry sea intent on sinking every ship that sailed on it.
You know the things he said aren't true, right?
Those words had scared him. What could Tai-Lung say to Tigress? What could this prison escapee want from her?
He doesn't even know you, that fool thought he could win you over!
That sentence had made Shifu's heart stop for a moment. Had Tai-Lung really had any hope that Tigress might join him in this madness? Had there been any signs that had led him to believe that she might? No, Tigress would never, and the proof of that is right here, she's still here, she's not locked up somewhere for crimes, nor is she in the spirit realm with him, she's still here.
He was just trying to manipulate you...
What had he said to her? How had he tried to manipulate her?
Shifu sighed and left the kitchen with a sigh, he didn't feel like he could sleep tonight. He needs to meditate, maybe that will help him get answers and calm his head.
Funny, he had just gained inner peace and now he felt as if he was very far from peace. How many children can one man mess up? He had failed them both. And he did not deserve peace until he had corrected his mistake. He has to help heal the wounds he caused.
—
The next morning, everything started like clockwork, as it did every morning. The gong struck, followed by five voices saying, "Good morning, Master Shifu!" and a minute later a sixth voice joined them. This voice was much more sleepy and drowsy than the other five but it was still there.
But what was different about this morning from all the other mornings that Po had spent in the palace, this morning the atmosphere was more tense. The silence seemed so loud, and everyone seemed so much more tired than any other morning, as if none of them could sleep because of one thing or another. For a moment Po was afraid that it was him, that maybe his snoring had kept all these great masters up all night, but then suddenly he saw something that reminded him of what had happened the night before, Master Tigress' hands wrapped in white bandages were extremely sharp to all eyes that looked tiger towards the tiger master. The feline herself, however, looked like the same self she always was, her was back straight, there was determined look covering her face and every cell in her body looked ready to train, as if she was not injured, as if the previous evening had never happened.
"Everyone head to breakfast," Shifu said shortly, turning around and starting his own journey towards the kitchen, the old master's back was slightly slouched, his posture tired and dull, as if he hadn't slept for even one minute all night, or as if his thoughts were haunted by all the biggest nightmares.
The students followed their master, many of them rubbing their tired eyes and trying to hide their yawns. It's going to be a long day.
They entered the kitchen and, as always, the table was already set for them, and there was no servant in sight, but the difference this time was the old red panda standing in front of the water barrel, wetting a white towel. The six students sat in their usual places and started eating their rice porridge. Only Tigress didn't start eating but instead poured herself a cup of tea, which she didn't touch either. And it didn't take more than a minute before Master Shifu walked towards her and stood in front of her, he didn't have to say anything, Tigress already knew to lower her paws towards her Master's reach, giving him the chance to remove the bandages that had been bloodied during the night.
Po was barely able to raise his spoon to his mouth, his eyes were too fixated on the blood covered bandages that Master Shifu was upwrapping from the tiger's paws. How big had her wounds been to bleed so much during the night?
The hair on the panda's neck rose as if he sensed someone's gaze on him, and when he raised his eyes slightly, he made eye contact with Tigress' amber eyes, which glowed slightly in the dim kitchen. The life seemed to slip out of Po from the intense look she gave him, the feline was definitely not happy that Po had been staring so intently.
Po's lips moved as if to say, "Sorry, Master," but no voice came out of him, and instead he decided to avert his gaze completely, focusing instead on the white bowl of porridge in front of him.
As soon as he did, the menacing look left Tigress' face, and her eyes moved to her master, who was now cleaning her left paw with a wet towel, just as he had done the night before.
"How do those wounds feel?" he asked, looking up at her.
"They feel like nothing," Tigress replied.
Those words made all of her teammates look at her, and those looks weren't happy like friends should feel when their friend tells them they're not in pain, but instead those looks clearly screamed, 'Seriously? Did you seriously just say that?' Shifu didn't seem to notice the looks though, or if he did, they probably left him as confused as they left Po.
"You think you can train with them?" the Master asked, one of his fingers gently running over her injured palm as if he was trying to convince himself that there were no injuries, but alas he couldn't.
"Of course. Master,"
"You shouldn't!" Viper blasted out, earning a very surprised look from Shifu and relieved looks from her team, who looked like she had said something they all wanted to say, while Po was still just confused," I mean, she may not FEEL the wounds, but it doesn't change the fact that she is injured. She shouldn't train, or at the very least she shouldn't punch stuff for at least few days,"
Shifu thought about Viper's words for a moment and then replied, "I agree with you, Master Viper," he raised his gaze back to Tigress," You are on the lighter training plan for least today and tomorrow, and if your wounds haven't healed enough by then, a few days after. You can train, but not your arms or paws. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Master Shifu," the tiger replied, earning a satisfied nod from Shifu.
The old master seemed relieved at these words, as if he was afraid that she would argue. He quietly finished tying Tigress' paws in clean bandages, and when he was done, he informed his students that he would be waiting for them in the training area, then left the kitchen, taking the bloody bandages with him.
Po had just finished his food and raised his eyes from his bowl for the first time in several minutes, and was immediately surprised to see Tigress staring at Viper, and the look the snake gave her in response.
"Don't look at me like that, sister!" Viper said, narrowing her eyes, if she had any arms she probably would have crossed them," You don't train injured! I don't care if you feel it or not. We will not let you hurt yourself in an already injured state. Now eat your breakfast, young lady,"
The tiger seemed completely surprised by Viper's audacity, and so was everyone else. Their surprise was even greater when Tigress actually listened, grabbing her teacup and taking a sip for the first time.
That morning Po learned something new about the palace, when Viper is angry even Master Tigress will do as she says. The nice ones can be the most brutal sometimes.
Po felt like the tension was feasting on him, so he decided to remove himself from this tense situation and leave the situation which his presence probably made even more uncomfortable for all of them. He put his bowl in the dish barrel before leaving the kitchen, telling the others that he was going to take a short walk before the start of the training day.
He knew that it wouldn't take long for the five to finish breakfast and go to the training grounds, he probably only had a few minutes, but those few minutes were enough time for him to walk to the training grounds using a slightly longer route, and make the most of that little time by thinking about everything he had learned about the leader of the Furious Five.
She was a pure mystery, the whole five were, but Tigress was like some kind of forbidden legend that only those who had won the honor to know could know. All Po knew about her was that she had been in this palace for a long time, longer than any of the five, and that she had been very young when she had come here, but what she did before arriving at the Jade Palace was unknown to Po. He knew that Tigress was close to Master Oogway, or at least Po assumed that from the conversation he had overheard the night before. There was also the fact that everyone thought that she was the one who would get the Dragon Scroll, and that she and Tai-Lung had some sort of past or bicker with each other, the snow leopard knew something about her, and she hated his guts. And of course there were all these hints about Shifu having something to do with the kind of person Tigress has become and why her character is the way she is, but since no one was willing to give Po any answers, he could only guess what it might have been.
Po had noticed that Shifu was harsh with her, even harsher than he was with Po or the rest of the five, but Po had also noticed a slightly different softness in the old master's gaze every time he interacted with Tigress. He had noticed this especially the night before, Shifu seemed so overwhelmed by it all that it actually felt wrong. He was the Grand Master Shifu, a legendary master and mentor, and she was the Master Tigress, a living legend and leader of China's greatest gang of heroes, what could have happened that one of them influenced the other in such a bad way that several other Masters were angry and worried because of it?
Everything was just so confusing.
But of course Po was able to come up with his own headcanons and possible backstories, because hey, if no one answers your questions, what's left to do but come up with your own answers?
Several different non-realistic stories found their way into Panda's head, and in the midst of all these stories, he didn't even notice that he had reached the training grounds, he was so lost in this fantasy world that he didn't even notice that he was staging dramatic fight scenes in front of six pair of eyes.
"Panda!" Master Shifu's voice cut through all of Po's thoughts like a freshly sharpened knife cuts through paper.
He quickly opened his eyes and straightened his position, his entire face burning with shame, "Sorry, Master, I...I was training?"
"Sure you were," Shifu replied, sounding like he was used to all this by now, he started pacing back and forth in front of his students, Oogway's peachwood staff firmly in his hand," I want to see what you have been up to in the last few weeks while I have been away training the Dragon Warrior," he said to the five, "You show it by sparring, one on one. Tigress, we're going to tie your hands behind your back to make sure you don't use them," she replied with a nod, even seeming slightly pleased with the challenge.
The first pair to fight were Crane and Viper, and while the two Masters pitted their skills against each other, Monkey bound Tigress' hands with rope, making sure the knots were strong enough that she couldn't pull herself free from them too easily. Po found a place for himself a little away in the shade, leaning his back against the wooden wall of the training hall, he began to read the twenty-seventh scroll of Kung Fu. As Shifu had told him the night before, Po was taking it easy today, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do at the moment. How can he just sit and read when the five are sparring just a few meters away from him? Every day, the Panda felt his desire to train with them grow more and more. Hopefully he won't have to wait too much longer.
Crane and Viper had just finished their fight which had lasted for almost fifty minutes and had ended when Shifu had decided it was time for them to take a breather as he didn't want to shake them up too much so early in the morning. Next, he decided that Tigress and Monkey would fight, and no matter how hard Po tried to focus on the scrolls, he couldn't but look up.
There the two warriors stood facing each other, Monkey holding his signature bamboo stick, and Tigress' hands tied tightly behind her back. It seemed like an extremely unfair fight.
"You have fifteen minutes," Master Shifu said, turning the hourglass over, and as soon as the first grain of sand fell into the bottom of the hourglass, the two Masters charged towards each other.
No matter how many times Po saw it, it always felt like the most awesome and intense moment of his life. He watched speechlessly as Monkey attacked with great speed and skill, his bamboo stick moving with masterful precision, and despite her hands being tied, Tigress was able to move her body away from Monkey's every strike, and counterattacked with strong kicks, multiple times directing her leg kick so that Monkey had trouble blocking them. The bamboo stick seemed to be starting to annoy Tigress after some time, so she decided to do something about it, and before Monkey could do anything to defend his bamboo stick, Tigress had trapped it between her knees and snapped it in half with one swift movement. Monkey did not mourn his weapon for long, but instead took it as a challenge, starting to attack the tiger with skillful hand strikes that could probably break firewood in half. He managed to land one powerful blow to Tigress' side, causing her to lose her balance for a moment, but before he could deliver the finishing blow, Tigress had regained her ground and was able to deliver a powerful blow to the primate's stomach. She prepared to seize the moment, but then their time ran out and she stopped her kick midway.
Monkey regained his balance and bowed to his opponent, Tigress nodded back as her hands were still bound.
"You did well with that kick," she told him as they walked out of the sparring ring, "You caught me completely off guard,"
The primate smiled, "Thanks,"
"Mantis and Crane your up next," Shifu called out.
The avian and the insect headed into the sparring ring and got into fighting positions, Shifu was about to turn the hourglass when suddenly some kind of sound caught his attention, making his big ears twitch. All the Masters looked up to see something approaching from the sky, Po was quick to get up and get into his fighting stance, but when he saw that no one else did so, he quickly sat back down, hiding his nose back into the scroll. Panting heavily, a goose landed not very skillfully on the training ground, tripping over his own feet before picking himself up again, bowing before the masters.
"Masters!" he said, his voice hoarse from his arduous journey.
Shifu and the five bowed back to him before Shifu spoke, "Zeng, are you coming back with news? Is Master Oogway's statue finished?"
"Umm, not yet," the messenger replied, "But...umm, I have a scroll for you, Master," he pulled out a gold and white scroll from his sleeve, and the sight of it brought surprised looks to the faces of both Shifu and the five.
"It's from the Masters Union?"
"Yes, master. Master Bear gave it to me," Zeng handed the scroll to Master Shifu who opened it extremely quickly.
Po finally decided to get up from his seat and go find out what was going on. The longer Shifu read this scroll, the darker his gaze became.
"What is it, Master?" Tigress asked as Shifu looked up from the scroll, "Is someone in trouble?"
"No, only us," the master replied, handing the scroll to Tigress to read.
The five gathered behind her to read it over her shoulder, each of them getting the same shocked look on their face as Shifu had, "Already?" Tigress asked, and Shifu gave her a nod in response, making the tiger shake her head, "They never do master's trials until a student has passed at least the first three hundred scrolls and trained for at least two years,"
"Our Dragin Warrior seems to be the exception. They heard about his fight against Tai-Lung and want to see what he's capable of,"
Po finally walked up to them, looking more confused than he had ever been in his life, "Excuse me, but what are you talking about? Who wants to see and what?"
Shifu sighed as he rested a little more of his body weight on the peach tree staff, "The Masters Union, this is a union that includes every warrior who has earned the title of Master, and...it seems that at least five masters of this Union have decided that they want to to see you pass the master's trials,"
"The what trials?"
"The Master's trials are a bunch of tests you have to pass in order to get the title of master," Mantis explained, "Passing them is almost impossible because the masters don't want to give the title lightly,"
Each Kung Fu palace, school or council will send one representative to evaluate you and see if you are worthy to earn the title of Master and join the Union," Monkey continued to clarify, "You have to prove to them that you understand Kung Fu's all five basic lessons and by using them you can fight whatever challenge they give you,"
"And those lessons are?"
"Courage, patience, confidence, compassion and discipline," Viper answered him.
Panda's eyebrow landed in a confused frown," Wait, those aren't some Kung Fu moves? Just...just some words?"
"These aren't just some words, these are the five lessons and core qualities a Master needs," Shifu's frustration seemed to grow with every word he said, "Have you learned anything at all from the scrolls you've been reading?" he didn't give Po even a chance to anwser before he panicked, "This is bad. Why that fast? From today you have exactly thirty days to prepare, it's not possible!"
"Hey take it easy, Master, how bad can it be? You managed to get me ready to fight Tai-Lung in two days, a month for one test can't be that bad,"
"Yeah, there's a small problem in that, starting today, I'm not allowed to train you for the next thirty-one days,"
"Wait what?" Po screamed out the question.
Shifu forced a sarcastic smile onto his face, "Just as you heard. From the moment a student's Master receives a letter informing them that their student is awaiting their test, said Master is not allowed to train that student until the day after the test. You can find yourself another master or masters to train with, but it can't be me,"
"Oh boy…"
This was not good news at all.
—
This ending was very rushed as I am tired and want to go to sleep.
I love the idea of Po being so confused by this palace life at first, and trying to figure it all out from the little things he picks up and then putting those things together with his own fanboy fantasy. At least it seems in character to me.
And as you can tell, my favorite part of Kung Fu Panda is the father-daughter drama between Tigress and Shifu, and this story is going to be full of that. Basically, the story isn't just going to be about Po getting used to life as a Dragon Warrior, but even more so, it's going to be Tigress's transformation from who she was in the first movie to who she was in the second movie. This is actually Tigress' story so...who came here to read Po's fic sorry!
Also, it won't be a romantic Tipo story, just friendship! I don't ship anyone in this fandom, I just see them as one big found family.