Invitation Only
The sun was high in the sky. Everyone was doing their usual things today in the village. Up at the Jade Palace, however, The Furious Five were doing their daily routine as Po was fighting Temutai in the bamboo forest and Leo was reading the scroll he found from the library in his room. He finished up reading the scroll and left his room to return the scroll at the library. The answer he was looking for was not in the scroll.
Leo arrived at the library and puts the scroll back where he found it. He read these scrolls carefully in the past few months, hoping he didn't miss a clue. Leo was about to walk over to a shelf until he heard the gong outside of the Hall Of Heroes.
"Lunch!" Zeng called.
Leo left the library and heads over to the dining room where he sees Tigress and Monkey setting the food down on the table. Po and the others enter the room and sits down at the table. Po was sitting next to Shifu as Monkey and Viper were sitting across from them. Mantis sat at the corner of the table next to Viper while Leo was sitting across from Tigress and Crane.
"So, Po, have you stopped Temutai?" Shifu asks Po.
"I, uh, let him slip away." Po answered as he was eating a piece of tofu.
"You let Temutai get away?" Shifu looks at him.
"Pft." Po spits out the tofu at Monkey. "A little bit. Sort of. Temutai is mine when I see him again and so is that mooncake." He jabs the mooncake before Monkey can grab it.
"Hey!" Monkey exclaims.
"Oh." Po stops chewing the mooncake. He spits out the mooncake on his paw. "Sorry. Did you want that?"
"No thanks." Monkey said.
Po puts the mooncake back in his mouth and chews it before swallowing the cake.
"Honestly Po, please show some manners." Leo said, after he swallowed a dumpling. There was some heavy footsteps coming from behind him as he felt his chair pushed closer to the table.
"I've been looking all over for you." Constable Hu said.
"Constable...!" Leo grunted a little bit. "Can... you step to the side, please?"
"Sorry about that." Hu apologizes as he steps aside, revealing Mrs. Yun.
Leo moves his chair back a bit and cough to the side to cover his mouth with his arm, coughing. He notices Mrs. Yun. "Mrs. Yun? What are you doing here?"
"I'm here as Hu's secretary." the goat smiled.
"The reason why I'm here is because I have exciting news for all of you." Hu said. "You are sitting down, right?" Everyone looks at him in disbelief. "Oh, I see. Anyway, Upper head district chief superior Superintendent Chang is passing through the village, so I'm going to throw him a banquet!"
Po spits his food all over Shifu. "Awesome!" Po cheered. "I always wanted to a banquet!"
"All the invitations will be sent out shortly and I want to be certain you will attend." Hu said. "It shall be a grand affair."
"A grand affair!" Po exclaims excitedly. "This is awesome!" He grabs a couple of dumplings and began to eat them.
"I'm sorry, Constable Hu." Shifu apologizes. "We don't normally attend to banquets for bureaucrats."
"Chang is not just any bureaucrat because he is the bureaucrat! An absolute legend!" Hu smiles proudly.
"How did it all started?" Leo asks Hu.
"I'm glad you asked, Leo." Hu shifts his gaze to the human. "Chang began his career as the assistant to the assistant of the assistant to the assistant of the assistant to the assistant's assistant of bureaucratic affairs where he made an amazing discovery."
"And what did he discover?" Leo asked before he began drinking his tea.
"Chang didn't get blamed when things went wrong and never actually did anything. He was quickly promoted to a new position where he did nothing. Then Chang got promoted again where he did nothing again, and again, again. As he had done so much nothing, Chang rose to the very top he remains to this very day."
Leo started choking a bit when he heard that. The young man cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry, Constable Hu, but the answer is still no." Shifu apologizes.
"Ah!" Po groans as his food landed on his chest.
"Please, Shifu! I need you all to come!" Hu pleaded. "If you don't come, he'll won't approve my transfer!"
"Transfer?" Shifu's ears perked up. "Transfer?! Who said we're not coming? Of course, we'll come!"
"Right!" The Five nodded except for Leo.
"Yeah! Par-tay!" the panda cheered.
"We'll even do a performance at the banquet." Shifu added.
"You would do that for me?" Hu lowers his face to Shifu's level.
"We'll do whatever it takes." Shifu assured him.
"I can't tell how much this means to me!" Hu hugs the red panda with his trunk. "This banquet shall be the most sophisticated, elegant-" He stops talking and watches Po tries to grab Tigress's food, knocking over a cup of tea. The panda slurps it all and spits it in the cup. He notices the bean and puts it in his mouth before drinking from the cup. "Umm... dignified soiree the valley has ever seen."
"Hey! If you want, I can sit next to this Chang guy during dinner." Po said, eating another dumpling.
"Yo-yo-you?" Hu stuttered.
"Heh." Po chuckled as he stands up with another bean bun and eats it. "Why not? I won't leave his side the whole night." The panda lets out a burp. "When are we going to get those invitations again?"
Hu frozen in fear.
Everyone was standing in the courtyard as they watch their master.
"Constable Hu will be leaving us if this banquet goes well." Shifu replied. "There's be no more permits, those endless forms, his constant meddling. We'll be free." he smiles. Shifu pauses and clears his throat. "Therefore, the performance we do must be absolutely spectacular!"
"We can do the Blazing Wall Of Furry." Mantis suggested.
"Too boring."
"Then what about Pinnacle Of Perfection?" Monkey asked.
"Everyone does that one, Monkey." Shifu replied. "We need something totally new. Something with zip! Zing! Pizzazz!"
"I got it!" Po smiled. "I saw this group did it once in the village."
"What is it?" Shifu turns around to him.
"It's called improv." Po said, walking to his master's side. "All of you are going to love it. It's hilarious. So, you guys will be the audience and you'll give me and Shifu the suggestions."
"What suggestions?" Crane asked.
"For the skit we're going to do." the giant panda answered.
"We are not going to do a skit." Shifu replied.
"Are you kidding? They're going to howl with laughter. Trust me." Po assured him. "Here we go." The panda clears his throat. "Hey everybody! How you doing tonight?"
The six warriors didn't give him a respond.
"Alright! We're going to start off a skit that's based on-"
"We're not doing a skit." Shifu interrupted.
"You'll be great. To start off, the first suggestion we'll need is a location."
"And what location would that be for?" Leo folded his arms.
"For the skit we're gonna do." the giant panda answered.
"We're not doing a skit."
"Isn't this supposed to be funny?" Monkey asked.
"We haven't started yet!"
"Start what?" Crane asked a little impatiently.
"The skit!" Po shouted.
"We're not going to do a skit." Shifu replied.
"Would you just-?!" Po turns to Shifu.
"Rock quarry!" Mantis suggested. Po shifts his gaze to the small green bug. "That will be my suggestion for the location."
"Seriously?" Po asked deadpanned. "Bleh! Why not a doctor's office?"
"Rock quarry!" the Five suggested except for Leo.
"Fine, we'll do a rock quarry. Blech." Po said. He takes in a few deep breaths.
"So when is this gonna get funny?" Viper wondered.
"Give it a second, alright? You're the ones who said rock quarry." Po said, bending down to pick up a imaginary rock.
Leo shook his head.
"Hello, coworker!" Po greeted, moving both his hands to Shifu. "Here's that rock you wanted."
There was an awkward silence.
"Let's do Pinnacle of Perfection." Monkey said.
"Yeah." Tigress, Crane and Mantis agreed.
"Good idea." Viper said.
"That's what we'll do." Shifu said.
Po watches Shifu and the Five walks away and looks down in disappointment.
For the next two hours, Po, Leo and the Five were finishing up their performance.
"Excellent." Shifu smiled as he walks up to them. "Upper head district chief superior Superintendent Chang will be most impressed."
"When should we head down there?" Crane asked.
"We could head down there at five thirty since its start at six o'clock." Shifu answered. "So-"
"Hang on." Po interrupted. "Constable Hu sent your invitations already?"
"Everyone except Leo for some reason." Shifu answered.
"You didn't get yours, Po?" Monkey asks him.
"No. I'll head down to the village and talk to him about it." Po replied.
Tigress and Viper enters the Training Hall to see Leo training at the wooden warriors. He blocks several blows and counters back with a few jabs. Leo has been training since Po came back from the constable's office. The two warriors stood by the weapons rack to wait for Leo to finish.
"Ha!" Leo grunted as he jumps back a couple feet. He took in several breaths and notices Tigress and Viper. Leo walks over to them. "Is there something you two need?"
"Yes." Tigress answered, taking out a yellow scroll. "Your invitation to the banquet."
"When did you get that?"
"From Po several minutes ago." Shifu responded as he walks up to them.
Leo looks at the scroll in his girlfriend's paw and shifts his gaze to Shifu. "I'm sorry, Master Shifu. But I don't think I'll attend to the banquet."
"What?" they all asked in confusion. "Why?"
"Because we're throwing a banquet for a guy who did nothing when things went wrong." Leo replied. "Why should we throw him a banquet if things were wrong when he was at the low rank?"
"Well, even that Chang did nothing, Leo, the people who lost their villages found new homes to settle in." Shifu replied. "Besides, if this banquet goes well, Chang will transfer Hu to another village."
"I'll think about it, Master." Leo replied.
It was already the late afternoon and Leo was in his room was reading a scroll. He heard a knock on his door and quickly puts the scroll under the bed. "Yes?"
Viper opens his door and slithers in. "Did you decided?" she asked.
"I'll come." Leo replied.
"Come on then."
Leo follows her out of his room and met the others in the courtyard where Po was standing several feet in front of Shifu.
"I'm sorry, Po." Shifu apologizes sadly. "I failed you."
"You haven't failed me." Po said sadly. "I failed you. Have fun at that worthy banquet without me."
Everyone turns around and started heading to the banquet in the village except for Monkey. He turns around and puts his hand on the panda's shoulder. "You're going to be okay?" Monkey asked him.
"Yeah." Po answered sadly. He watches Monkey leave and lets out a sad sigh.
By the time Shifu, Leo and the Five arrived, it was dark. There was a few lanterns hanging by the entrance. The masters and the student took their place at the table as Constable Hu was standing in the middle between Shifu and Tigress. Viper was sitting in between Monkey and Shifu while Leo was sitting at the far end of the table next to Crane while Mantis was on the table. They all watch the villagers coming inside.
A gong rang at the entrance. There was a pig pulling a rickshaw where there was a tan, brown and white fat horse with a blue robe and a small blue hat. Everyone watches in silence as the pig pulls rickshaw to the big table. Tigress and Crane had to scoot over to make room for the horse.
"So, Superintendent Chang, lovely weather we're having what?" Hu breaks the silence.
"It's too humid." Chang replied.
"Oh yes." Hu said nervously, taking off his hat. "We can do something with... the air water."
Leo lowers his head in annoyance and embarrassment.
"Bored now." Chang said with a bored look on his face.
"Oh don't worry." Hu assures him. "The fun is about to begin, right Shifu?"
"Certainly. With your permission." the red panda said.
Chang nodded once and snaps his hoof. Shifu and his students walks into the center of the circle and stood before them.
"My students will now perform a display of skill and daring." Shifu announced as his students took their pose. "The Pinnacle Of Perfection!"
"Seen it." Chang replied.
"I... beg your pardon?"
"I've seen the idiotic Pinnacle of Perfection to every kung fu palace I meet." Chang said. "Perhaps you can do something else."
"Uh..." Shifu looks at his students and back at the brown horse. "I'd like to do a skit."
"What?!" Hu gasps.
"What?" Chang asked.
"What?!" his students gasps at him.
"I need the name of a location for a rock quarry." Shifu said to his students. Chang, Hu and the guests watches them in confusion as Shifu was holding a imaginary rock in his paw. "This rock that I'm holding is heavy, ugh."
"And it is rock like." Tigress said confused.
"It's starting to rain." Shifu said, lifting his hands up above him. "The rock quarry is turning into quicksand." Tigress sneaks away off stage. "I'm beginning to drown in the quicksand."
"And I'm a doctor who needs help with this sun dial." Crane walks up to and takes his hat off.
"I can't believe that we're doing a improv." Leo thought.
Chang lets out a loud sniff and looks at Leo. "I like to see what the human can do by himself."
Leo looks at Shifu and the rest of the Five. He nodded his head to them and watches them walk back to the table. Leo stood in the center of the circle. Before Leo can perform, he looks up to see a huge figure falling down and Leo quickly dove of the way. Leo lets out a low growl, seeing Temutai standing in the circle. The guests started screaming and running away.
"Sorry about that." Temutai sneered. "I didn't receive my invitation and I'm being facetious right now!"
"No one wanted you here!" Leo snarled. "Coming here was a mistake!"
"And so did you with unconvincing space work, denial and the failure to commit to a premise!" Temutai spat. "Even inviting me to your party! You will be destroyed! Secret signal!"
His men landed in a line with their weapons ready. Several archers fired their arrows from the roof. Leo and the Five quickly separated from Shifu to fight against Temutai and his soldiers. Leo threw in a multi kick punch combo against a water buffalo and proceeded to slam his face against the other buffalo's face three times and threw him into a wall. He saw several arrows flying towards him. He jumps backwards to dodge the arrow and kicks a table in the air to block two arrows. Leo did a jab to send the table flying high above the archer's heads. He didn't waste anytime by jumping quickly high enough to get above the table and began to spin his body fast to deliver a elbow strike that was followed by an axe kick and finishes it off by slamming both of his fists on the table.
The roof couldn't handle the impact as it was destroyed. Leo picks up two sharp rocks and rushes towards to a water buffalo with a spear. He quickly threw the two rocks where the water buffalo dodges it. But Leo smirks as he grabs a knife from a nearby table and dodge a lunge from the buffalo and body slams into him, plunging the knife to his side.
"Aargh!" he screams in pain before Leo delivers an elbow strike to his face.
"Tch!" Leo snickered. He saw several rock ropes flying towards him and jumps sideways before catching one of them with his right hand. Leo looks over his right shoulder and sees his master and the Furious Five laying on the ground all tied up except for Mantis who was unconscious after getting stepped on. They were quickly surrounded by Temutai's soldiers.
"Heh." Temutai snickered as he felt something bumps into him from behind. It was a vase that bumped into him. The vase was thrown away, revealing the Dragon Warrior.
"Temutai got invited and I didn't?! That's so-" Po was saying.
"No he didn't!" Leo cut him off. He quickly threw the rock rope at a nearby soldier to his right before doing a leg sweep to force the Warrior King to lose his balance and fell sideways before leaping over to the panda's side. "Temutai crashed the party!"
"Oh." Po said.
"That was rude of you human." Temutai snarls at him as he got back up. "Secret signal again!"
Leo quickly caught three arrows with one hand before firing all three high into the night sky. He steps to the side to dodge spear lunge and delivering to the buffalo's sternum twice and delivers a hook kick to the side of his face. Leo heard two soldiers let a out battle yell from behind. Instead of turning around, he delivers both elbow strikes to the stomach hard to stop them in their tracks. Then Leo did a backfist to the sternum and a punch to their sacks. Once the two buffalos were bent forward holding their crotch, Leo puts his arms around their neck and all three rolled forward before Leo did a quick low backspin uppercut to the jaws of his two attackers backwards through a half backward roll.
"Gr!" Leo growled as he took a fighting stance from the last attack he performed. He caught another buffalo who lunges at him with his hoofs. The young man sent a jab to the forehead to stun the buffalo and grabs his pants before throwing him backwards into his comrades. Leo didn't waste time to dodge backwards from the axe from a buffalo to his right and another buffalo with a spear from his left. After dodging those two attacks, he sent out a reverse punch to both buffalo's wrists to knock their weapons from their hoofs which was followed by a low sweep with a axe kick.
The young man threw the axe to the archers, forcing them to duck or dodge the axe throw. Leo saw a bottle of wine on the table and the torch a few feet from the table. He runs to the table dodging the soldier's attacks. Once he made it, Leo grabs the bottle and starts drinking it fast and pour the wine on the blade and on the end. He jumps backward to avoid another rock rope and landed back in the middle of the stage.
Leo blew the wine onto the torch towards the soldiers. He blew the torch into the stage to create a fiery ring before blowing fire onto the blade of the spear and on the end. The young man could see five more water buffalo trying to stab him from all directions. He jumps high into the air and blew more fire while spinning the spear like it was a staff. The five buffalo began running way from Leo's last attack. Leo swallows the last of the wine.
Leo quickly ducks to avoid Temutai who was thrown by Po. The Warrior King slams into the wall. Leo jumps over the ring of fire and dashes towards the big buffalo. He didn't waste anytime to perform a sweep kick followed by a jump backward front kick to send both of them into the air and delivered a downward palm strike to the sternum and the Warrior King landed outside of the hall. The young man landed back in the fiery ring before he whirls around as he closed his eyes with his back turn to Hu and Chang and a small wind can be heard to blow the fire away from the stage and the staff. He snaps the staff in half and the three arrows he threw landed to create a triangle. The human slowly turns his head to the left and opens his eyes.
After Constable Hu free the Five and Shifu, Tigress notices something in his eyes. Her boyfriend let a low soft growl and shifts his attention to her and that something disappeared in his eyes. She wanted to say something, but Chang spoke up.
"Wait!" the brown hoarse spoke, gaining the attention of Po and Hu. "This warrior deserves a place to sit with us."
Leo folded his arms and watch Po walks over to the table and sits down next to Chang. Seeing how there was too many people sitting at the table, the young man walks over and picks up his plate of food as Leo motioned his hand to a bunny to give Po his chair.
"Now we will eat." Chang said.
A couple bunnies brought the food to the table. Po proceeds to pick up dumpling and tries to toss one in his mouth and missed. The dumpling bounces off his cheek and landed on the ground. Hu and the Five gasps as the Dragon Warrior froze with fear. Leo said nothing as his mouth was full and watched.
"Uh oh. Floor bun. Five second rule." Chang smiled. He bents down to pick up the bun and begins to eat it loudly. After he swallowed the bun, he exclaims, "Here comes the wagon!" Chang lets a loud burp. "Well?"
"I'm with you!" Po smiled.
The two of them began to shove the bean buns in their mouths. Leo swallowed his food and sets it on the table between Po and Chang.
"This party has been an unpleasant disaster until this crazy brother showed up, Hu." Chang said to Hu.
The panda chuckled. "Here's the funny thing." Po chuckled. "I-"
"Wasn't that late." Hu interrupted. "Because I knew you like him."
"Hold that thought because I feel the wagon coming again!" Chang exclaims, letting out a loud belch that reaches outside of the valley.
"I see that this has become a success." Shifu spoke. "Constable Hu should be promoted and sent away."
"Hm." Chang thought about it for a moment. "I couldn't do that to Huey because this place is amazing! I'm going to renew Hu's position for five years! Hell, let's make it fifteen years instead of five!"
Shifu couldn't believe what he heard from the horse. His head was lowered in his food.
"Damn." Leo lowered his voice before speaking up. "Sir, perhaps you-
"Here comes the wagon again." Po said, after taking in several more bean buns.
"Wait for me!" Chang exclaims as the two prepared to belch.
"No!" Shifu, Hu and the Five shouted.
"Don't you dare!" Leo yelled.
Po and Chang lets out a very loud belch together for several seconds. Then they stopped. Leo felt their saliva and small pieces of the bean buns on his face and shirt. He picks up a napkin and wipes his face to be cleaned. "I should head back to the palace." Leo spoke.
"What for, Leo?" Viper asked him.
"I have a little headache." the young man answered. "If all of you will excuse me." Leo bows to his master and turns around to walk away. But he stops and looks over shoulder. "Before I forget, it was... interesting to meet you, Superintendent Chang. Please enjoy the party." With said, Leo left the hall and walks back to the Jade Palace.
Leo was scrubbing his head in the big pool of the bathhouse. His clean clothes were sitting on the bench as his towel was near the edge of the pool. There were bubble foams surrounding him. While he was scrubbing his head, the door opened, and Po came in with his pants on his shoulder and towel wrapped around his waist.
"Oh, hey Leo." Po said.
Leo turns around to see the Dragon Warrior. "Hello, Po." Leo greeted him. "I take it that the party is over?"
"Yep." Po smiled as he sets his pants on the stool. The human turns around to let the Dragon Warrior remove his towel and entered the pool. "So how's your headache?"
"It went away after my meditation." Leo explain.
"Oh, that's good." Po said, grabbing bar of soap and began washing his fur. "So, Leo."
"What is it, Po?" Leo turns around.
"I wanted to apologize for belching and getting some pieces of food on you. I didn't mean to do that to you. I'm sorry."
"It's ok, Po."
"Thanks."
"Have you ever been to banquets when you were a cub?"
"No, because after throwing up a bowl of sweet and sour chowder, I got pegged for life. I hid in one of the pots and watched, saying to myself, that'll be me one day having a good banquety time if I get invited."
"But when Temutai came tonight, you really taught him some manners." Leo replied.
"Let's just hope he learned his lesson for inviting himself at the banquet." Po chuckled before he submerges his whole body in the water.
Leo nodded his head and resumes to wash himself. After Leo and Po took their bath, they both went back to their own rooms to get their sleep. Leo knew Po would be having good dreams as usual while Leo closed his eyes and have nothing but those hellish nightmares.
I think this turned out to be good. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to leave a review!