Before Setting Sail

Disclaimer: I do not own the Kung Fu Panda franchise in movies or spinoff shows.

Aftermath

"C'mon, there's so much more I gotta show you," Po told Luthera as he sat at the dinner table with Luthera, Mr. Ping, and Forouzan. "I never even got to show you the Panda Village or the Valley of Peace!"

"I'd love to stay Po," Luther told him sadly. "But tomorrow, after I finish official business with the Emperor and Colin regarding Klaus, I'll have to set sail back to England."

"That weasel is still around?" asked Forouzan.

"He did steal what could be considered national treasures with his sister," Luthera explained. "Colin and I will be there to try to put in a good word for him, considering how he helped us in the end against my brother. Even if we can't get him off the hook, we could at least convince the Emperor to give him a lesser sentence."

"Yeah, Klaus turned out to be alright after all," Po pointed out.

"As a former pirate queen, would you like my assistance?" offered Forouzan. "I fought alongside all of you and perhaps my testimony would convince the Emperor to show mercy?"

"Much appreciated," Luthera told her. "But have you by chance stolen from the Emperor before?"

Mr. Ping and Forouzan looked at one another.

"No comment," Forouzan took a drink.

"Maybe Po and I are all that's needed," Luthera replied. "But thank you for your offer, ma'am."

"So, uh, Blade," Po told her. "When this is all over, will we see each other again?"

"Of course we'll see each other again," Wandering Blade promised.

"I mean, our countries are kinda spaced far apart," Po pointed out.

"We can write letters!" Luthera told him. "And I can come visit once a year if I find the time! After all, I shouldn't be THAT busy, considering Colin is the master of war and I turned down that position."

"Being pen pals should be fun, Po," Mr. Ping told his son. "I had a few overseas pen pals myself back when I was a pirate!"

"Was this before or after you robbed them, dad?" Po asked unenthusiastically.

"Before," Forouzan answered before Mr. Ping could.

"Honey!" Mr. Ping protested.

"Po, don't worry," Luthera reassured him. "We'll always be friends and I'll find the time to hang out."

Po finally smiled a little sadly, having come to realize how much he'd miss Luthera and the rest of his friends in the Dragon Knights.

oooo

"Are those shadow demons gone?" a pair of bulbous eyes peered out of a cave in Camelback Mountain.

"I don't see them anywhere," a loud booming voice announced.

"Fortune has smiled upon us," a rhino emerged from the cave. "It is extremely fortuitous and fortunate that our fortunes have changed!"

"Hmm, they do appear to be gone now," a small loris also emerged. "I suppose everything is safe."

Tong Fo stood there with the Brotherhood of Malfeasance, which included himself, Hundun, Temutai, Taotie, Fung, and Gahri. There was once a time when they had been recurring adversaries for Po but had no more dealings with him once he left the Valley of Peace and struck out on his own.

"At last!" Temutai cried. "We are free!"

"I was really going stir crazy in there," Gah-ri announced.

"So… can we, like, do whatever we want now?" asked Fung.

"Not just yet," Tong Fo informed everyone. "You see, the only reason we were freed was because of those earthquakes that allowed us to escape. But then we saw shadow demons everywhere and they enforced law and order like nobody else's business!"

"So… are they gone now?" asked Taotie. "I really want to get back to my son."

"Patience my good fellow," Tong Fo told him. "First things first. We go out and survey the land. See what's changed after all these years of captivity. Then we decide how to proceed from there."

oooo

The next day…

"Ah, it's good to see you two again," Colin greeted Po and Luthera as they met him at the palace courtyard.

"Hey bud," Po waved. "You ready to clear a weasel's good name?"

"Technically, he is guilty of a crime," Luthera reminded Po. "Well, several actually…"

"Oh right," Po scratched his head. "I have a harder time holding a guy's crimes against him when he's finally repented."

"Unfortunately for us," Colin informed them. "The Emperor may not be as forgiving as you are, Po. And that is why I need all of us here to vouch for Klaus."

"Yeah, he did help us out in a big way," Po nodded. "Plus, he lost his sister and that's probably pretty rough on him."

"The Emperor will see you now," one of the rhino guards approached the group.

Po, Colin, and Wandering Blade all looked at each other and nodded. They followed the rhino to the Emperor's royal court where they saw Klaus standing there with shackled hands.

"Don't worry bud," Po told Klaus. "We'll be here for you."

"Look, it's really fine," Klaus told them. "I've accepted that I've made some bad life decisions and frankly, if any court system, even one outside of my home country, wants to hold me accountable, then I'll accept the consequences of my actions."

"Okay, so maybe you are guilty of those crimes," Po told Klaus. "But you know what? I saw something in you that's changed since then. I saw someone who was willing to risk it all to save the world. And I saw someone I'd be more than happy to stick my neck out for."

"All rise for his imperial majesty!" a rhino soldier announced.

The hamster monarch appeared and took his seat on his throne room.

"Your majesty," Luthera bowed, as did Colin.

"Greetings everyone," the Emperor told them and acknowledged Po. "Dragon Master."

"Hey, your majesty!" Po smiled and bowed his head.

"I'll get right down to the point," the Emperor told everyone in the world. "Very recently, the world was in jeopardy and my country was caught in the thick of it all. Now, I know some of you banded together heroically to put a stop to this mess, but there's still just one problem."

"Yes your highness?" asked Luthera.

The Emperor pointed to Klaus.

"The fact remains that none of this would've happened if this person didn't steal the Tianshang weapons with his sister," the Emperor reminded everyone.

"If I may, your highness," Colin pointed out. "It's true that Klaus did steal the Wugao Gauntlet with his sister. But since then, he's worked hard to try to undo the damage she caused and save the world from the resurrected Sir Alfred."

"Plus his own sister betrayed him," Luthera pointed out. "Imagine dedicating your entire life to someone you thought was family, only for them to let you down like that. I don't know about anyone else here, but I can certainly relate to that."

Klaus looked at Luthera, detecting the sincerity in her voice. Like how his own sister had fallen, Luthera's brother had also fallen and now he and the bear were kindred spirits when it came to their family issues.

"Hmm," the hamster monarch scratched his beard. "I'm not so sure that's the best argument to be made for Klaus. So you're saying if his sister didn't betray him, he would've just followed her and NOT helped the Dragon Knights out?"

"Uh…" Po looked at Luthera and Colin. "Any rebuttals to that?"

"Plus, I have to set an example," the Emperor told them before any one the three Dragon Knights could respond.

The small hamster took out a scroll full of penal codes for certain crimes. It was quite a list as a part of it dropped to the floor when he opened it up.

"Penal code sixteen states that the punishment for stealing national treasures from China is execution," the hamster reminded them. "What kind of example would I be setting if I simply allowed this weasel off the hook? Everyone would look at me and whisper. They'd talk among themselves and think of me as weak. And if the people do not fear legal punishment, that fear will turn into contempt. And when the people have contempt for me, there will be mutiny and rebellion! Then I will be lynched in the gallows while anarchy and chaos will reign supreme in this land!"

"Well, it's hard to argue with that," admitted Colin.

"But surely his recent service of helping us save the world can warrant some mercy?" asked Luthera.

"You know what," Klaus finally spoke up. "You don't need to defend me. I've come to accept that I've made a lot of wrong decisions in life and I can't just blame it all on my sister or my upbringing. It's time for me to accept responsibility for what I've done."

The hamster monarch raised an eyebrow in pleasant surprise.

"Well, that attitude was unexpected," the Emperor stated. "Perhaps some consideration on my part is warranted after all."

Po and Luthera then looked at each other hopefully.

At that point, one of the rhinos approached the Emperor and whispered something into his ear.

"Hmm," the hamster ruler stroked his beard.

"What do you think that's about?" Po asked Luthera who shrugged.

"Well, it appears to me that the rest of the Dragon Knights have encountered some turbulent winds on their way here for this trial," the Emperor declared. "Their arrival won't be until tomorrow so this trial will be postponed."

"Po, this could be a good thing," Luthera told her friend. "If the rest of the team is here, we can all vouch for Klaus together."

"Alright, this trial is adjourned for now," the Emperor declared. "Guards, show Klaus his quarters. We'll deal with this matter once the rest of the Dragon Knights show up."

"Looks like I'll have to postpone my trip back to England a little while longer," Luthera noted.

"And I'll be doing the same," Colin nodded.

"Yes!" Po turned around and whispered happily.

oooo

"Looks like all those shadow demons are gone," Tong Fo looked around.

The Brotherhood of Malfeasance was at a local town close to the Emperor's royal palace.

So far, everything had gone back to normal. Various animals were bustling around in their day to day lives and nobody was living in fear. Commerce had resumed back to normal levels and life had gone back to what it was before the continental cataclysm.

"We're in the clear now," Tong Fo grinned.

"So what do we do now, guy?" asked Fung.

"Do we resume our criminal activities of crime-based criminality?"asked Hundun.

"I got some ideas for new inventions I'd like to try out," Taotie noted.

"I've been cooped up for so long I just want to SMASH something!" Temutai growled.

"Hold those thoughts," Tong Fo told them. "We've been in prison for a long time and we don't want to do anything that could get us sent back so soon."

Gah-ri looked down as he felt a pain in his stomach.

"My tummy's rumbling," Gah-ri frowned.

"There's our answer," Tong Fo pointed to Gah'ri's stomach. "We get lunch first and then we talk about what we're going to do with our newfound freedom."

oooo

"Alright guys," Po told Luthera and Colin excitedly as they strolled through the town. "I'm glad you guys get to stay a little longer. There's this noodle shop in this area I've been meaning to show you!"

"You know, now that I have more time, perhaps you could take us to the Jade Palace," Luthera told him.

"That's a great idea!" Po smiled. "After the trial's over, I can bring you guys there and you can meet the Furious Five!"

"Is the Jade Palace like a training hall?" asked Colin.

"It is," replied Po. "Except instead of knights practicing, it's a training ground for kung fu!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Po suddenly noticed someone, a rhino in particular walking with a group in the distance. In a split second, they disappeared behind a town corner. For a second, Po could've sworn he recognized the rhino from somewhere.

"Whoa… was that who I think it is?" asked Po.

"Who did you see?" asked Luthera.

"I thought I saw someone from my past," Po scratched his head. "It was a rhino."

"One of the Emperor's guards?" asked Colin. "Maybe he's off duty today?"

"No, this was a rhino I knew years ago," Po frowned.

"No offense but most rhinos look the same," Colin replied. "Wait… that came out wrong. I'm not specie-ist, am I?"

"Keep it up and you will be!" Luthera shot Colin a dirty look.

In turn, Colin winced at hearing the woman he had a crush on scold him.

"Eh, maybe Colin's right," Po sighed. "Maybe it was just one of the palace guards off-duty and not this bad guy I knew in my early Dragon Warrior years. Maybe I'm just seeing things."

oooo

"A toast to our newfound freedom!" Tong Fo raised a glass as the group sat at the table.

"Hear hear!" Hundun cried.

"Well, some of the news is slowly breaking out," Taotie read a newspaper he had in his hand. "So apparently, the recent commotion and the spread of shadow demons all across the land was due to a bear who gained the power of all the Tianshang weapons. It was because of the earthquakes and continent shaking he caused that we broke free."

"So we owe our freedom to a bear?" asked Fung. "It wasn't Po, was it?"

"No, it was a brown bear," Taotie informed them.

"Either ways, we're free," Tong Fo told them.

"How poetic," Temutai noted. "It was a panda bear who put all of us in prison and it was another bear who set us free!"

"So let's address the elephant in the room," Tong Fo told the group finally.

"Pardon?" an elephant waiter looked at Tong Fo as he walked past.

"No, not you," Tong Fo clarified. "Sorry, figure of speech."

After the elephant walked off, Tong Fo turned his attention back to his gang.

"Now that we're well rested and fed," Tong Fo told them. "We need to decide what to do with our newfound freedom."

"I vote we kill Po," Hundun offered.

"Yes, he cannot SUFFER enough for all the times he humiliated me!" Temutai growled.

"I kinda want to go back and see my son," Taotie scratched his head.

"Shouldn't we, like, lie low?" asked Fung. "I mean, we just got out of prison."

"I have a better idea."

Everyone turned around to face the new voice.

A small, red fox walked towards the group in a blue outfit.

"Who's this putz?" demanded Tong Fo, not liking how their group conversation was interrupted.

"I know him," Hundun recognized Junjie. "He and I once worked together to defeat the Dragon Warrior. Sadly, we didn't succeed because of the Furious Five."

"At least one of you recognizes me," Junjie smiled, walking up and taking a seat at the table to Tong Fo's annoyance.

"So how can we help you?" asked Taotie.

"A better question would be… how can you help yourselves?" Junjie told them. "I was here on official business but now that I see Hundun with all of you, I believe we can all mutually benefit each other."

"Start talking," Tong Fo told him.

"Not too long ago this country was on the brink of chaos," Junjie told them. "All of you no doubt felt the earthquakes and saw the undead shadow warriors all across the land."

Everyone in the Brotherhood of Malfeasance nodded in acknowledgement.

"Sadly, in all of the chaos, I lost my band of snow leopards who served me faithfully," Junjie sighed. "Those shadow demons slaughtered them without mercy. And it was through their sacrifice that I was able to escape."

"A touching story," Temutai crossed his arms. "But what do WE have to do with any of this?"

"That's where all of you come in," Junjie told them. "I'm an old man and I need some extra help, you see."

"Exit the tavern, turn to your left," Tong Fo informed him. "Go twenty meters and make another left. You'll find the retirement home there."

"Are you really so willing to throw away the opportunity of a lifetime?" asked Junjie.

"What opportunity would that be?" asked Gah-ri.

"Why, none other than the opportunity to plunder the Emperor's palace of course," Junjie told everyone. "In the aftermath of all this chaos, the Emperor is likely to have fallen complacent, thinking the worst is over. And that's where all of us come in."

"It's ambitious," Hundun admitted.

"And suicidal," Tong Fo told him. "Listen gramps, your idea's lofty. But why would all of us put ourselves at serious risk of stealing from the Emperor when we just got out of imprisonment?"

"Because the Dragon Warrior… or should I say, Dragon Master, is currently there," Junjie reminded them. "Does the opportunity for revenge strike your fancy, if not riches beyond your wildest dreams?"

Tong Fo's expression changed, as did everyone else's. Now that they knew Po was there, the goalpost in their minds was rapidly shifting.

"A chance to rid ourselves of our most hated enemy?" Temutai smiled. "SIGN ME UP!"

"The vengeful side of me delights in the opportunity for mirthful vengeance and avenging myself to quench my vengeful thirst!" Hundun exclaimed.

"You know, I always did blame that panda for why my son never liked me," Taotie's face darkened as well.

Now that all the rogues seemed to come to a decision, Junjie then looked at Tong Fo.

"So, what do you say?" asked Junjie.

"A chance to strike it rich," Tong Fo slowly mused. "Plunder the Emperor's coffers… AND get revenge against the panda who put me away so many times?"

The loris grabbed a cup and raised it into the air.

"Sign me up!" Tong Fo grinned.

"Excellent," Junjie told everyone.

"So, uh, anyone bring any money to pay for our meal?" asked Fung.

The Brotherhood looked at one another. Just about everyone forgot about what they would do when it came to paying for the meal, as they were all fresh out of prison and broke.

"Don't worry," Junjie assured everyone. "To celebrate our union, the tab's on me!"

To be continued.