Twin Dragons
The Art of Diplomacy
"This looks like the place," Po stopped in front of the massive Taoist complex that housed the Southern Wudang clan.
"This place looks even bigger than the Jade Palace," Li Shan noted.
"Southern Wudang must house at least thousands of kung fu students," Tai Lung looked around the area. "It's big enough for an army."
"Alright, I guess it's time we introduced ourselves," Po knocked at the massive front door.
Before long, the door opened up to reveal a few Taoist kung fu buffalo masters who bowed. In return, the rest of the White Lotus Society also bowed.
"We are here to see Master Shengqi," Tai Lung requested.
"Master Shengqi is available but has other guests to attend to at the moment," the Taoist master replied. "However, I can bring you there to speak to him. All we ask is that you wait until his meeting with his previous guest is over."
"Sounds do-able," Po agreed.
"Very well. Please come with us."
oooo
"I have made my rounds, master," Hui flew into the palace of Pai Mei and bowed.
"What news do you have to report?" asked Pai Mei.
"There are imperial forces gathering nearby," Hui told him. "I believe an attack is imminent at some point."
"And they will realize their folly soon enough," Pai Mei promised.
"Indeed," Yuan, the white gorilla, smiled. "I foresee victory in your future against the imperial forces, master."
"So what of the panda?" asked Mugan.
"He and his allies should be making their way here within the week," Hui told the courtroom. "I should also mention there's a younger panda who's joined the group. He has chi that's similar to mine but is currently confined to only being able to create tortoise constructs."
"That sounds like something right up Master Black Tortoise's alley," Sanzu noted.
"Indeed it is," Hui acknowledged. "Though how that cub got such a power is not known to me."
"What are the chances they used your map to go down to Southern Wudang instead?" asked Pai Mei.
"I… hadn't considered that," Hui admitted, looking a little nervous.
"Well, even if that group did go down to Southern Wudang, I don't think they'll find what they're looking for," Sanzu crossed his arms. "The strongest students already left that place and made their way here."
"Sanzu, would you like to go on a mission?" asked Pai Mei.
The pangolin's eyes brightened.
"Would I?" Sanzu smiled. "I'd be delighted!"
"I would like for you to make your way to Southern Wudang and see if Po made his way there," Pai Mei told him. "I would like for you to test him out and see what he is capable of. Inform me if he is as good as the stories make him out to be."
"Your wish is my command," Sanzu bowed, excited that he would finally have a mission to truly show what he was made of.
oooo
"Whoa, wasn't expecting this," Po admitted.
Now the entire White Lotus Society was on high alert. There were government troops in the room where Master Shengqi was having a meeting. He was a water buffalo wearing a cone hat in the middle of a deep discussion. In particular, the government official he was speaking with was a male chicken in a red uniform.
"Let's remember to keep our cool," Li Shan whispered.
Finally, the chicken paused his discussion with Master Shengqi to look at the White Lotus Society. He scanned the group with interest before realizing who he was dealing with.
"Excuse me, Master Shengqi," the chicken told him and went over to the group.
"My name is Duke Zhihui," the chicken told the group. "I am here on behalf of the Emperor. Are you the former Dragon Warrior, Po Ping? And the snow leopard is Tai Lung, yes?"
"Umm, maybe?" Po said nervously.
"There's no point in hiding it," Tai Lung walked in front of Po. "Yes, we are those people. We had hoped to avoid any confrontation with imperial forces but now that is no longer an option. I'm sorry to tell you this again but I will not be serving the Emperor. And I doubt Po wishes to do so either."
"Hmm," Duke Zhihui clasped his beak. "I see. That is the situation you faced before? Well, you will be relieved to know that my official mission is not to capture you or Po. Rather, I'm securing the cooperation of Southern Wudang in dealing with the renegade Pai Mei clan."
Both Po and Tai Lung looked at each other in some minor relief.
"It is true," Shengqi the water buffalo told the White Lotus Society. "Ever since the schism, Pai Mei has become a potential revolutionary force in this country and recent events have confirmed it."
"With our combined forces, we are hoping to stop him," Zhihui continued. "Two years ago, the Emperor sent out an expeditionary force to take care of Pai Mai but the tamarin singlehandedly wiped out that entire army by the thousands."
"I have agreed to help," Shengqi confirmed. "But there are no guarantees of victory, especially considering how the most powerful students have left the Southern branch of Wudang in favor of Northern Wudang."
"It seems our goals criss-cross," Po told them. "You see, Pai Mei has been hunting us and we're trying to escape him."
"If possible, I would like your assistance," Duke Zhihui requested. "I personally have not been briefed on what the Emperor wants for the two of you. But if you were to help us with regards to Pai Mei, I will do what I can to speak with the Emperor and convince him to grant you leniency and freedom in whatever it is you wish to avoid."
"You could do that for us?" asked Po.
"I give you my word as a Duke," Zhihui promised.
Po looked at the rest of the White Lotus Society and smiled. Perhaps things were looking up for them after all.
"We may as well give it a shot," Tai Lung told him. "We have little to lose at this point."
"Think of the stability we could get back in our lives," Mr. Ping told his son.
"We'll do what we can," Po told the chicken and water buffalo.
"Thank you," Shengqi bowed. "But for now, I imagine all of you are tired. You may stay at Southern Wudang and rest up for now."
oooo
That night, Zhen was on patrol. She leaped from rooftop to rooftop, patrolling the entire town.
There had been a spat of robberies and so far, the descriptions of the thief varied. Witnesses were never able to confirm exactly what the thief looked like or what species he was and that made things difficult.
This time, Zhen decided she needed a solo mission to prove her worth and this was the opportunity she needed. The corsac fox looked down as the door to a house opened up.
"Found ya," Zhen smirked.
It was someone in what looked like a rhino's suit of armor. Apparently, the thief was some kind of rhino.
"Showtime," Zhen leaped off the building as the rhino ran off with his stolen items into a dark alley.
Zhen followed the thief and leaped off the roof in front of the rhino.
"Hold it right there," Zhen told him.
The armored rhino said nothing and got into a fighting stance.
"Wanna play it that way?" Zhen sneered. "I can do this all night."
The rhino charged at her, swinging. Zhen avoided the blows and countered them masterfully by deflecting them.
"You're not too good at this, you know," she informed him and kicked the rhino back.
The armored rhino landed underneath some red lanterns, shining a light on him. This time, Zhen could get a better look at him.
"Wait, what are you?" Zhen looked shocked.
There was no rhino under the rhino armor. So far, the thief appeared to simply be an animated or even ghostly piece of armor that moved about of its own accord.
The ghostly armor took advantage of her distraction and struck Zhen in the stomach, knocking her away.
"Omph!" Zhen grunted as she fell on her back.
As Zhen looked up again, the seemingly ghostly rhino armor had vanished.
"Just what was that?" Zhen asked herself in confusion, realizing she needed to regroup at the Jade Palace and maybe even get Shifu's help.
oooo
"You and Po are journeying together?" asked Shengqi.
"We are," Tai Lung confirmed.
"I see," Shengqi nodded. "I never imagined the infamous Tai Lung would be brought back to life."
"I didn't imagine it either," Tai Lung agreed.
"We have never formally met before," Shengqi told him. "But I would like to test out your skills in a small contest."
"What do you have in mind?" asked Tai Lung.
"Swordsmanship," Shengqi told him. "I've been told that in addition to kung fu, you are also a weapons master, having mastered the blade, staff, and multiple other weapons."
"I was," Tai Lung admitted. "But I admit I've gotten a little rusty since I haven't practiced those skills in a while."
"How come I never knew you were a weapons master?" asked Po.
"Well, I didn't exactly have all my weapons readily available when I first busted out of prison, did I?" Tai Lung reminded him.
"No, guess that makes sense," Po had to acknowledge.
"All I have in mind is a simple sword duel," Shengqi told him.
"Alright then," Tai Lung agreed as a Taoist soldier handed him a blade.
Shengqi drew his sword and got into a fighting stance.
"You can do this, master!" Bao cried.
"Shall we?" asked Shengqi.
Tai Lung answered by swinging his sword, which was blocked by Shengqi.
"Very good," Shengqi smiled as the rest of the White Lotus Society and Duke Zhihui looked on in the background.
Shengqi pushed Tai Lung back and counter-attacked.
Tai Lung blocked all of Shengqi's attacks and thrust the sword forward. Shengqi raised his sword in time, deflecting it and kicking Tai Lung back.
The snow leopard slashed at Shengqi's stomach but the water buffalo blocked it and flipped the sword out of Tai Lung's hand. However, Tai Lung returned fire and kicked Shengqi's weapon out of his hand as well and then drove his elbow into Shengqi's stomach, knocking the water buffalo back a few feet.
"Not bad," Shengqi smiled. "That will be all for today."
"You weren't going all out," Tai Lung noted.
"True," Shengqi admitted. "But neither were you."
"I see no need to go all out against an ally," Tai Lung told him. "Especially considering we still have Pai Mei to deal with right now."
"You are correct," Shengqi nodded. "Truth be told, Pai Mei's power far surpasses mine so be prepared for the fight of your life."
"I am facing another matter," Tai Lung told him. "My student Bao has recently awakened his dormant chi-based powers. I believe the powers he displays are similar to those of Master Black Tortoise from long ago."
"Really now?" asked Shengqi. "I believe I may have something of interest. Please come with me."
oooo
"And it was an empty armor," Zhen reported back to Shifu. "Somehow it came to life and when I found out there wasn't a person inside, I got blindsided."
"Hmm, don't feel too bad Zhen," Shifu told her. "The Furious Five have also been bamboozled lately over the recent thefts and sheer lack of description of the thief."
"There's only one suspect we have in mind right now," Tigress crossed her arms.
"We'd like to question Madam Zhou," Viper confirmed.
"What if it was a real ghost piloting that armor?" asked Monkey.
"Why would a ghost resort to petty theft?" asked Mantis.
"I'm a former thief myself," Zhen told everyone. "And even I can't think of a reason a ghost would go around stealing things."
"I think there has to be a non-supernatural explanation for this," Crane said to the group.
"Indeed," Shifu nodded. "Which is why we're going to invite Madam Zhou and her business partner to the Jade Palace so we can personally ask them about this spate of robberies."
"Do we really need a swarm of rats in the Jade Palace?" asked Mantis with a disgusted look on his face.
"It's not ideal," Shifu confessed. "But we need to get to the bottom of this one way or another and the more we can find out, the better."
oooo
The White Lotus Society looked in fascination at the statues of the Four Constellations inside the Southern Wudang temple that Shengqi showed them.
"Wudang was once one of the locations that Master Black Tortoise founded," Shengqi let the group know. "Since their era ended, the Four Constellations have joined the ranks of the Taoist immortals we pay homage to at this temple."
"So, what should I do here?" Bao asked Tai Lung.
"Unfortunately, almost all of the skills I cultivated over the years are physical," Tai Lung informed Bao. "I neglected the spiritual to my own detriment. Po will be helping us this time around."
"I will?" asked Po.
"Yes, you'll be helping Bao in his spiritual training," Tai Lung told him, letting go of his pride to admit that his spiritual training was imperfect.
"Really?" Po looked at the two. "Are you sure about that? Because Bao is your student and I also have a student of my own. I don't want to seem like I'm trying to poach your student…"
"Don't worry," Tai Lung told him. "I am still Bao's primary kung fu master. You, on the other hand, are going to be Bao's assistant instructor who will train him should I be unavailable for some reason and help him with his spiritual training whenever your assistance is needed."
"Assistant instructor, huh?" Po smiled, realizing that being Bao's assistant teacher didn't conflict with him overall being Zhen's master. "Well, I guess when you put it that way, I'd be happy to help out when I can."
Tai Lung looked up at the large statue of Master Black Tortoise, as did Po and Bao.
"Now, is there any way you could connect Bao to the spiritual realm?" asked Tai Lung. "We already know who it is we need to talk to."
"I'll try my best," Po sat down, cross-legged.
Po then activated Oogway's staff in his lap. He raised his paw, gathering all his chi into his palm, similar to how the other pandas did during their darkest hour against Kai when they gave Po their chi.
"I… I think I've established a connection," Po finally told the group.
"Go on, then," Tai Lung gestured to Bao to touch Po's palm.
"Alright then," Bao agreed.
The young panda touched the older panda's palm with his own. At once, Po's spiritual energy channeled into Bao's body as the panda cub's eyes began glowing.
"Whoa, is Bao okay?" asked Li Shan.
"He'll be fine," Tai Lung told the other members of the White Lotus Society. "Just give him some time to make contact."
"Where am I?"
Bao looked around. All around him were some mountains in the background and a beach setting. It looked like he was somewhere on the shores of Southern China but the whole experience felt too surreal for him to still be in the mortal realm.
"Hello?" Bao asked. "Is anyone here?"
"Greetings, young Bao."
Bao turned around and to his surprise, there was indeed a tortoise there.
"Whoa, are you Oogway?" asked Bao. "Po's mentor?"
"No, I am not Oogway," the tortoise confirmed. "Though I can understand the confusion you're feeling. I am Master Black Tortoise and back when I was alive, I was once part of the Four Constellations."
Master Black Tortoise could see the confusion in Bao's eyes.
"In fact," Black Tortoise confirmed. "You and I have a different sort of relationship than Po and Oogway do."
"Really?" asked Bao. "What's that?"
"Bao, this may be difficult to believe at first," Black Tortoise informed him. "But you are my reincarnation."
"Whoa, really?" Bao looked shocked. "So that's how I could activate your powers?"
"Indeed you are correct," Master Black Tortoise confirmed.
"So, are you going to help me to master these powers?" asked Bao. "Because I'm sorta new to this whole reincarnation thing."
"You have Tai Lung as your master and Po as your assistant instructor to help you," Master Black Tortoise told him. "With the two of them training you, you will, with time, become a fine warrior again. In fact, I dare say you have the potential to surpass them both once you grow older."
"What do you want me to do in the meantime?" asked Bao.
"Return to the mortal realm and continue this journey with the White Lotus Society," Black Tortoise told him. "Because you will find your destiny on the road you are currently on."
Immediately, Bao's eyes stopped glowing as he came back to the mortal realm.
"How was it?" asked Tai Lung. "What did you experience?"
"I… I saw him," Bao confirmed. "Master Black Tortoise. I do have his powers. He even told me I was his reincarnation."
"Then it's as I suspected," Tai Lung nodded. "My work is cut out for me, not just training you into a kung fu master… but also molding you into one of the legendary heroes of the Four Constellations."
"Now Bao being a reincarnation of Master Black Tortoise is something else," Po had to admit. "Even I would've never guessed he had such an important spiritual lineage."
"I hate to interrupt this," Master Shengqi told the group after one of his Taoist followers entered the room and whispered something to him. "But something very urgent has come up. Please follow me and Duke Zhihui."
oooo
Outside the large Taoist temple was a single person waiting on them.
"Pai Mei has sent an emissary," Zhihui noted.
"Yes, and it is someone I am familiar with," Shengqi frowned.
"Greetings from Northern Wudang," Sanzu told them, sparing a glance at Zhihui and the imperial troops with him. "It's a shame our fellowship has been broken and now you're siding with a bunch of government dogs."
"The Emperor will not sit idly by as your master tries to extend his monkey's paw over the entire country," Duke Zhihui retorted.
"Why are you doing this, Sanzu?" asked Shengqi. "I urge you to see reason and stop this ill-gotten mission."
"Oh, I don't think so," Sanzu sneered. "But enough about our past. I'm not just here for you. In fact, I was sent to test the waters."
The pangolin looked at Po's group and made direct eye contact with Po. Sanzu was now the second pangolin Po had met, with the first being Han, Zhen's former mentor back in Juniper City.
"Um, I don't like the looks of this," Po gulped.
"I was ordered to see what you were capable of," Sanzu declared.
"You want to fight me?" Po inquired.
"The master has heard the legends about you," Sanzu declared. "I am to test you out and report back to him. It's very simple, really."
"Don't listen to this guy, Po!" Bao powered up. "Let's take him together!"
"Huh," Sanzu noted, being slightly impressed by Bao's power. "Looks like your entourage isn't as helpless as they look."
"You're not really going to take this guy up on his offer, are you?" Li Shan asked his son.
"The challenge is only issued to you, Po," Sanzu crossed his arms. "Or you can all jump me. And I'll be forced to defend myself. And I'll massacre this entire temple, along with you, your motley array of traveling companions, my former Wudang compatriots, and imperial troops alike."
"Could he really do that?" Mr. Ping asked.
"Considering how powerful he's become under Pai Mei, I would not bet against it," Shengqi told the goose.
"Alright," Po stepped forth, whirling Oogway's staff. "There's no need to involve anyone else. If you want me, you got me."
At once, Sanzu powered up. The sheer amount of chi he had erupted into the air as everybody was forced to take a step back from the wind and the debris his energy brought up.
"I've never felt a power like this before," Tai Lung exclaimed.
"What is this guy made of?" asked Bao, shocked at just how Sanzu's chi made his own feel miniscule by comparison.
"I'm ready," Sanzu smiled.
At once, Sanzu moved so fast Po could barely react. He punched at Po who blocked with the staff. Smiling, Sanzu flipped around and knocked Po off his feet with his armored pangolin tail.
Quickly, Po got back up as Sanzu sliced at him with his claws, which glowed with a golden aura.
Back and forth, Po dodged the blows until Sanzu grabbed Po by his staff. With tremendous force, Sanzu held tight and flipped Po over the air, sending him crashing back-first into the ground.
"Ack!" Po cried.
Quickly, Po flipped over his back and kicked Sanzu in the face, knocking him back.
"I was told you were a great warrior," Sanzu growled. "This is what the legendary Dragon Warrior is really like? Pathetic!"
"Nah, just getting warmed up!" Po clenched his fist, generating the Thundering Wind Hammer in one hand.
Po launched his attack, punching directly at Sanzu's face. To Po's great, shock, however, Sanzu caught the punch head-on with his own hand. The pangolin's chi was so powerful the Thundering Wind Hammer dissipated on contact and sputtered out.
"Whoa!" Po looked utterly shocked.
"Fenghuang's moves will do you no good," Sanzu told him.
Then the pangolin began squeezing down on Po's fist as the panda cried in pain. Clenching his other fist, Sanzu punched Po with enough force to send him flying back.
As Po got up, Sanzu attacked him with vicious claw swipes. Po dodged them and swung the staff, hitting Sanzu across the face. The pangolin growled but Po used his belly and knocked him back.
"Wow, is Po going to win this?" asked Bao. "Can he beat this guy?"
"I… I don't know," Tai Lung admitted.
"C'mon son!" Mr. Ping cried. "You can do it!"
Po punched Sanzu across the face but the pangolin quickly recovered and smashed his tail across Po's head, knocking him dizzy.
As Po s tumbled back, Sanzu tackled him down and began slashing at him with his claws. Po managed to block all the claw swipes with the staff and hit Sanzu with a palm strike under the chin. Po grabbed Sanzu and flipped him into the air, then leaped back to his feet.
As Sanzu fell, Po used his belly to bounce the pangolin back into the air again.
"Aaaahhh!" Sanzu screamed.
Sanzu fell but this time, Po stepped to the side and swung Oogway's staff, knocking Sanzu into a stone lion nearby, shattering the stone statue.
"You did it!" Bao cried.
Another burst of golden chi erupted from the destroyed statue as Sanzu emerged from the rubble seemingly unharmed. This time, he was surrounded by an even brighter golden chi as electricity crackled around his body.
"Not bad," Sanzu smiled. "This time you're making me go all out…"
"Could it be?" Shengqi looked on in wonder. "Has Sanzu truly mastered that move which so many other masters have failed to?"
"I have," Sanzu confirmed. "Under Master Pai Mei, my full potential has been drawn out and the ultimate attack is within my reach now… HEAVEN'S CHARIOT!"
At once, Sanzu transformed into a spinning ball as electricity crackled all around.
"This doesn't look good," Po grimaced, realizing he was really in for something he had never encountered before.
Sanzu unleashed his spin attack, flying towards Po at supersonic speeds.
Po dodged the first attack as Sanzu smashed through a pillar but bounced back, coming at Po furiously again.
"Whoa!" Po quickly flipped out of the way as Sanzu smashed up the ground where Po had previously stood. "So fast!"
"Sanzu truly has become a prodigy," Shengqi said in a worried tone. "He's truly surpassed me in every way."
Po dodged a few more times but the relentless onslaught of rolling attacks from Sanzu were becoming overwhelming. Finally, Po was struck in the back, knocking him down.
As Po got up, he was hit a few more times, each blow knocking him into another time zone with every successive hit.
Realizing he couldn't take much more, Po leaped up as another one of Sanzu's spin attacks narrowly missed him, realizing he needed to take evasive action and do something at the same time.
Po began twirling his staff around as Sanzu began spinning all around him in a powerful ball.
"Stir… roll… serve…"
Po managed to dodge Sanzu's destructive blows which destroyed stone, trees, and ground as he bounced around endlessly, avoiding all the hits as he twirled his staff.
"SKA-BLAM!"
Just as Sanzu came in for a direct assault, Po unleashed a powerful blast of chi in the form of a dragon at Sanzu.
Unfortunately for Po, the attack was not enough. Sanzu made contact with the dragon, destroying and bulldozing his way through it in one powerful spin attack, aided by his own powerful energy.
"No way!" Po cried.
His look of shock quickly turned into terror as Sanzu's spin dash came towards him. In a split second, Po raised his staff to block the attack. Oogway's staff glowed as Sanzu struck it, managing to hold him off, if only for a little bit.
Tai Lung's eyes widened. "Oogway's staff… it's not going to hold!"
At once, Sanzu burst through the staff, destroying it and striking Po directly in the stomach with his Heaven's Chariot spin dash. Soon, the look of terror on Po's face transformed into a look of agony as Sanzu sent himself and Po smashing through part of the Wudang Temple.
Finally, the smoke cleared.
"Your champion has fallen!" Sanzu declared, standing over Po's unconscious body and the broken two pieces of Oogway's staff. "The former Dragon Warrior, Po Ping, has been defeated! Northern Wudang has triumphed! And all of you are at Pai Mei's mercy!"
To be continued.