Twin Dragons
Time of Troubles
"Hey Shifu!" Ping waved as both Shifu and Tai Lung walked into the noodle restaurant.
"Take a seat, gentlemen," Li Shan opened up chairs for the two at a table.
"Thank you," Shifu said graciously as he sat down.
Both Tai Lung and Shifu opened up the menus to see what they would like.
"I'll just take the dandan noodles," Shifu told Mr. Ping.
"Same here," Tai Lung added.
"Alright," Mr. Ping took out some of Shifu's favorite tea and set it on the table. "Coming right up!"
As Mr. Ping and Li Shan went off to make their orders, Shifu and Tai Lung looked around the restaurant. There were still a few people giving Tai Lung suspicious looks but Shifu's presence did help in making everyone else eventually stop gawking and go on with their business.
"So Po is really going to become the spiritual leader of the valley?" asked Tai Lung, deciding to not dwell too much on other people's reactions to him.
"He will," Shifu confirmed. "Once Zhen is the new Dragon Warrior, Po will become what Oogway once was to the Valley of Peace."
"I imagine that gives you a lot more free time?" asked the snow leopard.
"Indeed, I've been able to get more reading done lately and my research into mythology," answered Shifu. "I've been researching the Qilin lately, which is a fascinating specimen."
"I've heard of them before," Tai Lung nodded. "They're not as well known as dragons usually."
"That's correct," Shifu took a sip of his tea. "The Qilin is said to be a creature with the head of a dragon and a body resembling a deer. It's known as a benevolent, peaceful creature but in the presence of evildoers, it will unleash flames from its mouth to annihilate all who walk the path of evil."
"That's quite a beast," admitted Tai Lung.
"It is indeed," an unfamiliar voice called out.
Both Tai Lung and Shifu saw a pig walking towards them. He wore the kind of clothing that indicated he was an imperial official or an agent of some sort.
"I'm sorry, and you are?" asked Shifu.
The pig sat down at the table like he was entitled to interrupt a meal between father and adoptive son. Already, Shifu and Tai Lung frowned at the stranger's temerity.
"I am Superintendant Zhao and I'm here to speak with Tai Lung," Zhao told them.
"You have my attention," Tai Lung gave Zhao a glare. "Best make it quick and let me get back to my business."
oooo
"You've really gotten the hang of this, Zhen," Po told his new apprentice. "Shouldn't be but a few years before you can take over and I can become the spiritual leader."
"I give it six months before she makes you cry uncle in a sparring contest," Tigress told him.
"I wonder what my new title will be once I retire," Po mused out loud. "How does the Dragon Master sound?"
The rest of the Furious Five burst out laughing.
"What?" Po frowned. "It's catchy and it sounds ascended!"
"Yeah, if your head is full of hot air," Mantis told him.
"I mean, I like it," Zhen told them.
"It kind of makes you sound like a villain," Monkey pointed out.
"It does?" Po looked surprised.
"Yeah, like you're an evil kung fu master about to go on a rampage with a dark army," Monkey told him.
"Whoa, that's dark," Po had to admit.
"What's wrong with just being known as the spiritual leader?" asked Vipress.
"Oh, well you know, I've been Dragon Warrior for so long that I'd feel secure with another similar sounding title," Po said nervously.
"Po, take it from someone who was once obsessed with the title," Tigress told him. "Don't worry about what you'll be called afterwards. Just be content with being you and not the title you hold."
"Well, I guess you're right," Po had to admit. "Maybe I was just being a worrywart."
"Speaking of worry, does anyone know where Tai Lung is?" asked Crane.
"I think he's down in the Valley with Shifu," Po told them.
"Should all of us go check up on him?" Tigress asked, showing a side of her that still didn't fully trust Tai Lung.
"Well, they might not like it if we all went down there together," Po told her. "Tell you what, Zhen and I will go down there to check on them. Sound good?"
"Well, why not," Tigress conceded, choosing to trust Po's judgment.
oooo
"You're going to meet the Emperor," Superintendant Zhao told Tai Lung. "His majesty could use a warrior of your caliber for a variety of roles, I'd imagine. Just think… bodyguard, assassin, general… your prodigious kung fu would serve him well."
"Even if I were interested, which I'm not," Tai Lung frowned. "Why choose me? Why not the Dragon Warrior himself?"
"Because," Zhao explained. "His majesty knows about the local legend of the Dragon Warrior and it would make him look bad to try to exploit a mythical hero like Po for his own political ends. But you on the other hand, you never became the Dragon Warrior and your skills are on par with Po. Besides, let's just say that Po lacks a certain killer instinct that might not make him as attractive of a prospect for the Emperor to recruit."
"So it's all about the Emperor maintaining airs of respecting a local folk hero but Tai Lung is the disposable warrior you can use for more black ops purposes," Shifu quickly figured out where Zhao was going with this.
"That about covers it," Zhao smiled deviously. "So, give me your answer, Tai Lung."
"I am not a mercenary," Tai Lung told him bluntly. "I won't be anyone's bodyguard or assassin or battlefield pawn. If you want any of those for the Emperor, I suggest you look elsewhere because I'm not interested."
"That's too bad," Zhao got up. "Because my aim is to please the Emperor and I won't take no for an answer."
Zhao snapped his fingers. Soon, an old goat kung fu master appeared before the table.
"Hmm, I recognize you," Shifu looked at the goat. "You're Master Kweng of the Kung Fu Express. You've made all your deliveries efficiently but there are darker tales that don't paint such a flattering light of your activities."
"Well, Kweng has been known to make his deliveries without regard for anyone who gets in the way," Zhao told them.
"So it's come down to intimidation and threats, has it?" Tai Lung got up, as did Shifu.
Kweng took out both swords.
"You can go to the Emperor freely or you can go to him in chains," Kweng told them. "The choice is yours."
"There is no way out of this," Shifu recognized how the situation was getting out of control. "I see the look in Zhao's eyes. He's determined to complete his mission and take you away."
"Then we have no choice," Tai Lung bared his teeth.
As Zhao got behind Kweng, the old goat attacked, swinging both blades at Shifu and Tai Lung.
Both warriors evaded the blow as Mr. Ping came out with the food.
"Hey, don't wreck my establishment!" Ping shouted.
"What's going on?" asked Li Shan.
"A fight in the restaurant!" Ping told him.
"Oh no," Li Shan frowned as the kung fu fighters battled.
Soon, table was flung across the restaurant as Li grabbed Ping and avoided it.
"Take cover, Ping!" Li Shan shouted.
"My restaurant!" Mr. Ping cried.
Kweng's swords clashed against Shifu's staff as the two battled for supremacy.
"Stop this, Master Kweng!" Shifu insisted.
Kweng's only reply was to kick Shifu in the stomach, knocking him back.
Tai Lung attacked next in a fury, punching at Kweng who avoided the hits and drove his elbow into the snow leopard's abdomen, drawing a yelp of pain. As Tai Lung stumbled back, Kweng leaped up and spin kicked Tai Lung across the face, sending him crashing through a table as Mr. Ping cried out in the background over his establishment being wrecked.
Shifu swung his staff as Kweng multiple times who blocked the hits with his dual wielding swords.
"Master Kweng, this is unbecoming of you!" Shifu told him. "You became a kung fu master and a mailman by choice. You didn't get conscripted into it against your will! So why are you trying to force someone into servitude!"
Shifu finally broke through Kweng's defenses and struck the old goat across the face.
"Because," Kweng shook off the blow. "When I get paid to do something, I always carry it out!"
Kweng head-butted Shifu with his horns, knocking him to the floor.
In anger, Tai Lung leaped back up and kicked Kweng backwards. The old goat landed near the entrance just as a rabbit mother and child entered the restaurant. Kweng swung his swords around, not noticing who was behind him. At once, one of the blades nicked the child across the arm, wounding him.
"Aaaahhh!" the rabbit child screamed as his mother grabbed him, attempting to shield him from the fight.
"Stop, you fool!" Tai Lung shouted. "The child!"
Briefly, Kweng looked at the mother holding her child. A brief look of concern crossed his eyes but soon, it vanished after Kweng realized he did not inflict a fatal wound.
"The child… is not my concern!" Kweng shouted. "You are!"
Kweng attacked again, slashing at Tai Lung who dodged his attacks.
Shifu got up, grabbing a table. He threw it up and kicked it towards Kweng who sliced it into two and kicked Tai Lung back.
At once, both master and former apprentice attacked Kweng. Their combined attacks, however, were fended off by the experienced old goat.
Tai Lung howled as Kweng nicked him across the side with his sword. Shifu swing at Kweng with his staff but the goat parried all the blows before rocking Shifu across the jaw with the blunt end of the sword.
The snow leopard kicked one of Kweng's swords out of his hands, sending it flying into a wall where it got stuck. But Kweng responded by heat-butting Tai Lung in the stomach to send him reeling.
"Stop!" Mr. Ping shouted, running towards the scene. "My noodle shop is going to be destroyed if this keeps up!"
At once, Kweng kicked Tai Lung and Shifu back, grabbing Ping and putting a sword to the goose's throat.
"Now, will you come with us willingly?" asked Zhao as he took a drink at one of the still-standing tables.
"Very well then," Tai Lung seemed to surrender, placing both hands over his head and walking towards Kweng. "I will do as you ask."
"Tai Lung," Shifu lowered his staff and looked at his son sadly.
"A wise choice," Kweng told him, lowering his sword slightly which was what Tai Lung counted on.
Rather than attack in a conventional way, Tai Lung whipped his feline tail out, wrapping it around Kweng's arm and yanking the sword out of his hand. Thanks to that, Mr. Ping quickly got away.
"What?!" Kweng shouted.
Tai Lung drove his fist into Kweng's face, knocking the old goat into the wall, creating a crater where his body made contact.
Vengefully, Tai Lung walked towards the old goat master.
"You don't care who gets in your way?" asked Tai Lung. "Nobody else is a concern to you on your mission?"
Now without his weapons, Kweng attacked Tai Lung with a punch but the leopard caught it with one hand.
"Let me make you care!" Tai Lung roared.
He drove his fist into Kweng's ribs, breaking them on contact.
"Aaaaahhhh!" Kweng screamed.
"Is it your concern now?!" Tai Lung screamed in a rage. "Are you finally concerned about attacking my master, the noodle owner, and children?!"
Again and again, Tai Lung punched Kweng, not letting up. More and more, with every blow, Tai Lung could feel something in Kweng crack and give way.
"Stop, please…" Kweng gurgled.
Tai Lung did not listen but continued his beatdown. He didn't yet realize it but there was a large gathering of villagers who were now watching him in his brutal attack.
"Tai Lung, that's enough!" Shifu shouted.
Soon, just as the rage disappeared, Tai Lung saw what he had done. In his hand was a broken and bloodied Kweng. Before long, the goat went limp.
In horror, Tai Lung dropped Kweng as the crowd began to talk in hushed whispers.
"Hey guys, what happ—"
Po entered the restaurant with Zhen, expecting a fun day with friends and family, but soon, both master and apprentice's jaws dropped at what they saw.
"I… I killed him," Tai Lung grasped his face in horror. "What have I done?"
"I'll tell you what you've done," Zhao told Tai Lung. "You've committed murder. And for that, you're under arrest."
Looking around, Tai Lung noticed the other villagers were whispering amongst themselves about how Tai Lung was still the same killer he always was.
Suddenly, multiple soldiers appeared on the roof, brandishing their swords.
"Take him!" Zhao ordered.
In an instant, Po leaped into action. Before the soldiers could touch the ground, Po raised Oogway's staff in to the air as it was filled with chi.
"Po, don't!" Shifu shouted.
At once, Po brought the staff onto the ground, unleashing a wave of chi that knocked down all the soldiers and Zhao, while blinding the townsfolk at the same time.
Soon, once the chi cleared and Zhao and the soldiers regained their eyesight, Po had disappeared alongside Shifu, Tai Lung, and Zhen.
"So it's come down to this, has it?" Zhao got up. "Men, send a dispatch for more troops to come here. Tomorrow, we march on the Jade Palace."
oooo
In the Jade Palace, Tai Lung sat hunched in the corner, shaking from head to toe over what he had done.
"I killed him," Tai Lung whimpered. "He's dead…"
Finally, Shifu got done explaining the whole situation to the Five, Po, and Zhen.
"So this Kweng attacked you guys first even though Tai Lung didn't want to become a servant of the Emperor," Po confirmed. "Can't Tai Lung's actions fall under self-defense?"
"Not when you attack a government official and his troops," Shifu glared at Po, who then realized that he did indeed use Oogway's staff to blind them. "Besides, Tai Lung did kill Kweng, no matter how much he arguably deserved it."
"This is bad," Tigress cross her arms. "How soon can we expect imperial troops at the Jade Palace?"
"Tomorrow at the earliest," Shifu confirmed. "Look, everyone, what's done is done. There's no getting out of the situation we're in but I believe it can be mitigated."
"Po," Zhen looked at the panda nervously. "Is everything going to be alright?"
The fox had a good reason to be concerned. Hardly had she just begun her training under Po and the Five that she was now thrust into a harsh situation like this.
"I… I hope so," Po said to his pupil uncertainly.
Shifu walked over to Tai Lung and clasped the hand of his former pupil.
"I let you down once and I won't let you down again," Shifu told him gently.
The red panda then looked up at Po.
"Po, I'm also going to need your help to make this work," Shifu told him.
"I'll do anything I can," Po promised.
"Everybody, gather around," Shifu told the warriors at the Jade Palace. "I was the student to Oogway for many years and in all that time, I saw Oogway do more than just teach me the art of kung fu. There was another side to Oogway and that was his cunning and his ability to carefully navigate his way through dicey political situations and keep the Jade Palace neutral from worldly affairs. And as you can guess, I've learned a thing or two from Oogway."
"What do you have in mind?" Tai Lung finally asked.
"I have a plan to set in motion for tomorrow," Shifu told everyone. "After we carry it out, Po and Tai Lung will meet me under the waterfall where I do my meditation in the evening."
oooo
The next morning.
"Who knew these steps would be so many," Zhao gasped as he and the imperial troops went up the stairs to apprehend Tai Lung and the Dragon Warrior.
Zhao smirked deviously as he continued his march. Soon, with both the snow leopard and the Dragon Warrior captured, his career under the Emperor would rise to new heights and grant him more wealth and power than ever before. And if the rest of the Jade Palace resisted, then capturing them for the Emperor would also provide a great prize for his ambitions.
"Sir, I hear something up there," a rhino soldier told him as they neared the top.
Zhao and his soldiers quickly entered the Jade Palace only to see a very tumultuous scene.
All of the Furious Five lay on the grounded, defeated. And as for the Dragon Warrior, Po held Shifu up by the collar as Tai Lung slammed Zhen into a pillar.
"What is this?!" Zhao cried.
"Remember, make it look convincing," Shifu whispered very quietly.
"Sorry Shifu," Po whispered back in a tone that Zhao did not hear.
At once, Po slugged Shifu, knocking him into the Urn of Whispering Warriors, breaking it yet again. Tai Lung then struck Zhen to the floor with a palm strike.
"Catch ya later, coppers!" Po cried in an evil voice as he threw a smoke bomb to the floor.
When the smoke cleared, both Po and Tai Lung were gone.
"What happened here?" Zhao exclaimed.
"I tried to urge Po and Tai Lung to turn themselves in but they refused," Shifu got up, rubbing his back painfully.
"Then they attacked us," Tigress got up, sporting a lump on her face from being hit.
"I… I see then," Zhao looked around the place.
Fortunately for Shifu and the Furious Five, Zhao was unaware of the plan they had hatched together. From what Zhao could see, Shifu and the Five were also victims of severe assault by two madmen intent on escaping capture from the law.
"I'm terribly sorry this has happened to you and your pupils," Zhao told Shifu and the Five. "But I'll just need to ask you a few questions before we'll be on our way. Don't worry. You're not in trouble with the law."
"I don't believe my jaw is broken so I think I can stay for that," Shifu said, being relieved that their plan had worked.
"As for the Dragon Warrior and Tai Lung," Zhao grimaced and turned to his troops. "Get those wanted posters ready because we've got two fugitives on the loose!"
To be continued.
