Twin Dragons
Inner Seal
"Take this!"
Bao launched a front snap kick at Hui who simply dodged it.
"At least you understand the basics," Hui sneered.
Hui created a red hammer construct in his hand and knocked Bao back.
"Agh!" Bao cried, skidding across the floor.
Hui attacked again, swinging the powerful weapon at Bao who decided on a new strategy and began to avoid the attacks, ducking left and right as Hui swung at him.
The messenger goose leaped up with the hammer and brought it down, forcing Bao to roll away. A powerful eruption of energy went up into the air as Hui's hammer smashed through the floor, leaving a huge crater.
"You can't keep distance from me forever, boy," Hui warned.
"I think I can," Bao smiled.
At once, Bao fired a blast of purple chi towards Hui who did not see it coming. The blast struck the goose, knocking him back and causing his energy hammer to disappear. Another blast from Bao hit him, sending him flying back again.
"Aaaahhh!" Hui screamed, showing genuine pain from Bao's attacks.
"He's doing it," Po smiled.
At once, Hui created a red shield to block the energy attacks coming from Bao.
"You think I'm incapable of such tricks myself?" Hui opened up his hand and launched a massive blast of red energy at Bao.
At once, Bao realized the danger he was in. The red blast was even larger than the smaller chi blasts he was launching. Quickly, Bao rolled to the side, disappearing into a pillar.
Hui surrounded himself with a red orangutan construct and stomped towards where Bao was hiding.
"If you're having doubts, now is the time to surrender, child," Hui cautioned.
He looked behind the pillar. Bao was nowhere to be found.
"Where could he have gone?" Hui looked around.
Finally, the goose looked up. Bao was right on top of the ceiling clad in his purple tortoise armor.
"Skablam!" Bao cried, launching himself at Hui.
The armored panda cub struck Hui's orangutan construct, knocking Hui back a few feet. Bao created two swords in his hands and attacked, striking and chipping away at the chi of the orangutan construct Hui surrounded himself with.
Hui swung a massive orangutan arm at Bao who leaped over it and kicked Hui back.
"Ngh!" Hui grunted, feeling the blow through his protective construct.
"Take this!" Bao swung his chi sword at Hui.
Quickly, Hui caught the chi sword with the orangutan construct's hand. Smiling sadistically, he crushed the sword, shattering it and dissipating its energy.
"No!" Bao cried.
Hui did not give Bao time to counter-attack. He slammed the orangutan's fist into Bao's stomach, knocking the breath out of the panda cub. At once, he grabbed Bao by the neck and slammed him into the floor, creating a giant crater.
It was then that Bao realized he was in serious trouble.
Bao, you must allow me to take over.
Bao looked around but nobody was there.
Your life is in danger and your opponent is far more experienced in the use of chi than you are. This is a matter of life and death.
It was the inner voice of Master Black Tortoise, beckoning Bao to take over his body.
"No… I can do it!" Bao cried, addressing Black Tortoise.
Bao created another chi shield as Hui's orangutan construct transformed into a giant war elephant and began punching at Bao repeatedly.
Now is not the time for pride, Bao. Allow me to take control or you will surely perish.
"I can do this!" Bao fired a shot of chi at Hui.
Hui caught it with the elephant's giant hand and crushed the blast into nothingness. He then swung down, smashing Bao's tortoise shield in a huge explosion of chi.
"Is he okay?!" Po cried.
When the smoke cleared, Bao was unconscious. Hui powered down and smiled smugly. The winner of the battle could not be clearer.
"As promised, I left him alive," Hui told the group. "It is clear this child has a dearth of experience. This battle was never his to win."
"You did it!" Scorpion cried. "I knew he was never a match for you!"
Tai Lung growled and stepped forward, facing Hui.
"Now you face me," Tai Lung told him.
Hui powered up, surrounding himself with a powerful suit of armor that existed in a previous dynasty many centuries ago.
"Scorpion, watch and learn," Hui told her. "These fools may have gotten past Mugan but I assure you they will not get past my power."
Before Tai Lung could attack, a vortex of purple energy erupted from the crater where Bao's unconscious body was laid.
"What?!" Hui turned around.
Bao's body was floating in the air as an ominous purple chi surrounded him. Cold winds blew from the young panda's aura, surrounding the room.
"What… what is this?!" Scorpion cried.
"Did I say this battle was over?" Bao spoke ominously in a voice that didn't sound like him at all.
"I think I know what's going on," Tai Lung frowned.
"What is it?" asked Po.
"Bao is the reincarnation of Master Black Tortoise and the two are able to interact with each other in the spiritual plane," Tai Lung told Po and the others. "Bao with all his wits about him was the seal that held back the full potential of Master Black Tortoise and now that Bao is unconscious and the seal is broken…"
"Master Black Tortoise has room to take over from here," Shifu concluded.
"What are you?!" Hui cried.
"I am the one who will make you feel fear for the first time in years," Master Black Tortoise said through Bao in a deep voice.
"This isn't possible," Hui created a powerful battle axe in his armored hand. "I crushed you!"
Hui swung his gigantic axe down at Bao who caught the axe with both hands.
"Whoa!" Po cried, in awe of the entire scene.
Squeezing down, Master Black Tortoise crushed the energy axe and destroyed it before a horrified Hui.
"That is not my only trick!" Hui cried.
The evil messenger goose created multiple swords made of red energy into the air.
"Withstand this!" Hui shouted.
Using Bao's body, Master Black Tortoise ducked and weaved past all of the energy swords being hurled at him. Leaping up, he bounced off one of the flying swords and kicked Hui to the ground.
Hui got up in his armored form and created a lance. He swung it around multiple times and thrust it at Bao. The panda cub's body ducked and weaved past those attacks as well, thanks to Master Black Tortoise's spectral possession.
At once, Black Tortoise caught the lance, with one hand, as Hui thrust it at him and spun around, hurling Hui through multiple pillars.
"Aaaaahhhh!" Hui cried.
"Had enough!?" Bao walked towards Hui with glowing purple eyes.
Hui got up and created an energy bow, creating multiple arrows and firing them at Bao's body.
Master Black Tortoise immediately created a sword made of chi and destroyed all the arrows sent his way.
"I will not let it end like this!" Hui shouted, cupping both his hands together and creating a ball of energy.
Master Black Tortoise continued walking towards him purposefully. At once, Hui unleashed his most powerful blast of red energy as Black Tortoise continued to stroll towards him.
The blast struck Bao's body but Black Tortoise raised a paw belonging to Bao to absorb the entire blast.
Finally, Black Tortoise created a pair of purple nunchucks and struck Hui multiple times to send him flying back.
As Hui's power armor broke apart after the hits, he quickly refashioned a new form, taking the shape of a red ox who wielded a ball and chain.
Bao's body was enveloped with even more purple chi as the shape of Master Black Tortoise himself began to form, surrounding Bao as an energy avatar.
Hui hurled his chain at Black Tortoise who caught it and yanked Hui forward.
"This ends now," Black Tortoise promised.
Black Tortoise grabbed Hui and slammed him into the floor.
"No! Hui cried.
Reflexively, Hui created a shield to try to protect himself but Master Black Tortoise clenched a fist in his tortoise avatar and punched Hui into the ground, shattering his barrier and rendering him unconscious.
Finally, Master Black Tortoise took one look at the fallen Hui and relinquished control of Bao's body. Soon, the glowing stopped and Bao fell back down. Quickly, Tai Lung rushed forth and caught him.
"Ugh," Bao groaned. "What happened?"
"Well, I would say your opponent is no longer a concern," Tai Lung admitted.
"Did I beat him?" Bao looked confused.
Everybody in the room looked at each other.
"In a manner of speaking, yes," Po tried to get Bao to see the bright side.
"All of you have cheated!" Scorpion growled. "Master Hui had the panda cub beat and then Bao got possessed by that… thing!"
"Not so fast," Tigress told her. "Whatever that thing is, it resides in Bao and it empowered him from the inside. He didn't get this power from an outside source. So as far as I'm concerned, Bao defeated Hui since he used a power source that was innate to him."
"Besides, tell me who's the unconscious one in this room," Po reminded Scorpion.
"Bah," Scorpion snorted. "You got lucky twice in a row. Your next opponent will see to it that there are no more miracles."
oooo
After a while, the group entered into a new room, this one with streams, ponds, and a lot of vegetation which emulated a natural environment.
On the floors and walls, there were several fire lamps that burned brightly, all of which were used to illuminate the place and give it a special ambience.
"I think we've been through here before," Li Shan whispered to Ping.
"Yeah, then we saw that thing moving through the water," Ping nodded.
"According to our intel," Shifu said to all of his students. "This opponent is said to have control over lightning."
"Sounds like a scary guy," Po admitted.
"We're saving Po for Sanzu," Shifu told the two other fighters who had not yet gone into battle. "You'll have to decide amongst yourselves who wishes to fight him."
"Do you want him or should I take him?" Tigress asked Tai Lung.
"Oh great Lightning General!" Scorpion called out. "Grace us with your presence and ensure that these bandits do not make it any further than this location!"
Soon, the waters in the room began to stir. Everybody turned around to see a large serpentine shape moving through the water. Electricity began to crackle across the surface soon enough and a large, elongated head rose from the water to glare down at everyone.
Lei Dian's eyes glowed with blue electricity as he bared his hungry fangs before the entire group.
"That guy doesn't look so tough," Bao crossed his arms.
"You'll be singing a different tune once you face me, cub," Lei Dian growled.
"There will be no need for that, great general," Scorpion told the electric eel. "This panda cub has already faced and… I hate to admit it… gotten past Master Hui."
Lei Dian looked on in surprise.
"Is that so?" Lei Dian smiled. "Well, I was not expecting such a development considering Master Hui's considerable power."
"Instead, you will fight one of the adult warriors," Scorpion told him.
"Who shall it be then?" Lei Dian looked at both the White Lotus Society and the two Jade Palace residents.
"If you don't mind, Tigress," Tai Lung told the female tiger. "I'd like to take this fight."
"Any particular reason?" asked Tigress.
"Since this Lei Dian can generate electricity, I want to test out a theory," admitted Tai Lung.
"A theory of what exactly?" Tigress looked at him funny.
"Do you really expect me to blurt out my battle strategy in front of the enemy?" Tai Lung grinned.
"Good point," Tigress shrugged. "He's all yours then."
Tai Lung stepped forth towards one of the small bridges in the room to face his opponent as Scorpion ushered Po and the others to a part of the room that was surrounded by rubber.
"What's all this for?" asked Bao.
"All this rubber is to insulate us from Lei Dian's electrical powers," Scorpion informed them. "This entire room is a death trap and Tai Lung willingly stepped into it. You see, Lei Dian just isn't the type of opponent you can fight with just ordinary punches and kicks. I don't care how many rhinos Tai Lung fought off in a prison escape. There's nothing you can do the moment you're hit with lightning before you can even reach the Lightning General."
"Oh yeah?" Po glared at her. "Well, we'll see about that."
"You seem less pretentious than the last opponent," Tai Lung said to his electric eel opponent.
"Hui is a messenger goose," Lei Dian hissed. "Of course he'd be trained in court etiquette and prose."
"Anything I should know about you before we get started?" Tai Lung asked.
"All you should know is that Master Pai Mei took me in when the rest of my kind cast me out," Lei Dian answered. "This body of mine will not bend nor break to allow you passage!"
"That's all I needed to hear," Tai Lung growled.
Lei Dian made the first move and chomped down at Tai Lung with his massive maw. The snow leopard leaped out of the way to avoid the attack as Lei Dian disappeared into the water again.
This time, Tai Lung realized that he needed to exercise the same caution Shifu had with Mugan when fighting an aquatic opponent. One would never know from where exactly in the water they'd strike next.
Lei Dian appeared again and chomped at Tai Lung. The snow leopard leaped out of the way but the eel had another trick up his sleeve. From the other end of the bridge, Lei Dian's tail appeared, lashing out and striking Tai Lung from a different angle. Thanks to his long prehensile body, the eel could effectively attack from two different ends, which made the battle that much more difficult.
"Agh!" Tai Lung cried out in pain as the snow leopard got knocked down to the ground.
"Feel the surge!" Lei Dian cried.
The eel's eyes glowed with electricity as he unleashed two bolts of lightning from his eye. Tai Lung quickly rolled out of the way as the blast pierced the floor. Getting up, Tai Lung leaped out of the way of another tail strike from the water and leaped directly at Lei Dian.
It was then that Lei Dian unleashed another trick Tai Lung hadn't seen before. Opening his jaw, Lei Dian unleashed a ball of electricity that struck Tai Lung and knocked him on his back. At once, it felt as if his fur was being set ablaze as Tai Lung hit the ground with tremendous force.
"All of us in the Pai Mei clan have heard legends of your exploits," Lei Dian told him. "It appears to me that everything said about you has been greatly exaggerated and overrated."
Tai Lung got up but Lei Dian smacked the snow leopard from on top with his tail, slamming him down yet again.
"Aaaahhh!" Tai Lung screamed.
Lei Dian used his tail to pick Tai Lung up by one foot. Opening his jaw, he lunged forward, intending to make a meal of the snow leopard.
However, Tai Lung snapped back to life immediately and struck Lei Dian underneath the jaw with his free foot, flipping over and landing neatly while Lei Dian's head snapped back and the electric eel fell back into the water.
"You insolent trash!" Lei Dian opened his jaw, sending a powerful electrical blast at Tai Lung.
Tai Lung avoided the blast but there was more to come. Lei Dian's body tensed up, unleashing multiple bolts of lightning at the leopard.
Quickly, Tai Lung dodged and flipped away from all the blasts. To his side he noticed the tail coming at him from a part of the water and dodged it. Next came Lei Dian's head, attempting to bite him again.
This time, Tai Lung step-sided the attack and struck Lei Dian with multiple nerve strikes in the neck.
"Aaaaagh!" Lei Dian screamed.
Before Tai Lung could get another shot in, Lei Dian quickly turned and rammed the side of his head into Tai Lung to knock him back.
Tai Lung got back up after shaking off the attack.
"That attack should have put you down," Tai Lung noted.
"All of us in Northern Wudang have trained ourselves to resist chi-blocking attacks," Lei Dian informed him. "It helps that my massive frame insulates me against those moves to a large degree."
Tai Lung made a note to not rely on his nerve strikes too much. Just like Lidong, Lei Dian was an oversized giant and chi-blocking attacks had slightly less effect on him.
Lei Dian unleashed another blast from his mouth as Tai Lung avoided the electrical attack and grabbed one of the fire lanterns in the room, swinging it and knocking Lei Dian's head back.
From the other end, Lei Dian's tail emerged from the water and fired a powerful electrical current which struck Tai Lung in the back.
"Aaaahhhh!" Tai Lung cried.
In moments, the snow leopard fell to both knees as he dropped the lantern.
Lei Dian charged, slamming his head into Tai Lung and sending the leopard flying into the wall, creating a crater.
Tai Lung got to his knees, coughing profusely. Lei Dian had proven to be an extremely formidable opponent and Tai Lung hadn't faced an opponent of his caliber for a long time, other than Po or Fenghuang. As Tai Lung managed to get up, Lei Dian's head disappeared underwater but his tail emerged from another end and struck Tai Lung, knocking him across the room again and this time, knocking down multiple fire lanterns, breaking them and creating a small ring of fire.
"Sanzu believed you to be his inferior," Lei Dian told Tai Lung. "Given the utter ease with which he defeated Po and the way I am dispatching of you right now, I am inclined to agree with him."
Tai Lung slowly got up, looking down at the fire. Instinctively, he knew what to do. Unleashing a roar, Tai Lung slammed both hands down on the flames, igniting his own hands on fire.
"What?" Lei Dian looked puzzled.
Soon, Tai Lung stretched out two flaming hands.
"I recall this," Shifu told the others. "It was the move Tai Lung used against me when the two of us fought over the scroll."
"It takes very precise mastery over chi to be able to concentrate all of it into your hands so that you can avoid being burned and weaponize the flames," Tigress nodded.
"Light yourself on fire if you want," Lei Dian cried. "It won't save you from me!"
The giant electric eel unleashed another lightning blast from his mouth. Tai Lung flipped over it and landed in front of him. Lei Dian attacked, unleashing a multitude of bites and tail slaps that Tai Lung avoided.
Finally, as Lei Dian drew close, Tai Lung struck him with an upper cut that knocked Lei Dian back. The eel shook his head but just as he did, Tai Lung laid into him with flaming punch after punch.
"Omph!" Lei Dian was rocked as Tai Lung's burning punches seriously injured him.
Finally, Lei Dian sank back into the water but quickly unleashed a lightning bolt from his tail to strike Tai Lung from behind. This time, however, Tai Lung stretched out both hands and caught the lightning in both his fists.
"What?!" Lei Dian was shocked.
"Is he doing what I think he's doing?" Po's widened.
Finally, Tai Lung smiled. He held up both fists which were now surrounded with both flames and electricity.
"This can't be!" Lei Dian cried. "That's not possible!"
At once, Tai Lung pounced, striking Lei Dian across the face with a powerful flame and lightning-enhanced blow that nearly broke his jaw.
"Aaaahhh!" Lei Dian cried.
Again and again, Tai Lung laid into him, hitting him multiple times, connecting with the eel with punches that were bolstered by both flames and electricity before finally punching Lei Dian into a wall, nearly caving it in.
"No, this can't be!" Scorpion shouted. "There's no way the Lightning General could lose!"
Over the sound of Scorpion's screams, Tai Lung leaped up and kicked Lei Dian right in the neck below his jaws with tremendous force. The power behind the kick shattered the wall and sent Lei Dian flying into the next room, falling onto a table where Temutai and several others were playing cards.
"Hey!" Temutai shouted. "What do you think you're—"
Then reality hit Temutai. On the shattered table was the defeated, unconscious Lightning General, one of Pai Mei's most powerful elite warriors. And the one who had just taken him down was Tai Lung. What made the leopard even more intimidating was how his fists were ablaze with both fire and lightning.
"Uh… we'll just clean this up and let you go about your business," Temutai smiled as Scorpion shot him a dirty look.
Finally, Tai Lung blew out the flames on his fists as the electricity surrounding his hands also disappeared.
"You did it, master!" Bao cried.
"Indeed, you fought splendidly," Shifu told him.
"The way you beat him was AWESOME!" Po agreed.
At last, Tai Lung fell down.
"You okay bud?" asked Po.
"The rest of you will have to go on without me," Tai Lung admitted.
"What happened?" asked Tigress.
"Yeah, you seemed fine not too long ago," Li Shan looked at him.
"That battle with Lei Dian took more out of me than I expected," Tai Lung told them, breathing heavily on his back. "Trust me, getting hit with lightning more than once takes more out of you than you realize."
"Are you gonna be okay?" asked Po.
"I will be," Tai Lung said to the group. "In the meantime, the rest of you will have to complete this journey without me."
"Do we have your word that Tai Lung will remain untouched while he stays here to recover?" Tigress glared at Scorpion.
"Oh fine," Scorpion agreed. "He won his battle. I'll grant him that much."
Scorpion looked up at Temutai.
"Temutai, Tai Lung will remain here and be allowed to rest up," she told him. "The rest of you are not to touch him in any way."
"Hmph," Temutai agreed grudgingly. "If you insist."
"The rest of you go," Tai Lung told them.
"We'll be back for you, son," Shifu took his hand.
"Thank you, Shifu," Tai Lung nodded.
"And we'll be sure to kick Pai Mei's butt real good!" Po promised, waving as the group left.
"Stay safe, master!" Bao called out.
Tai Lung smiled as Scorpion led all of them away. After a few minutes had passed, he sat up.
"So you're the legendary Tai Lung?" one of the Northern Wudang soldiers asked.
"If it weren't for Scorpion, we'd have your head on a pike!" Temutai sneered.
"Oh yeah?" Tai Lung suddenly leaped back to his feet. "Why don't I give you that opportunity right now?"
At once, Temutai and the others realized the snow leopard wasn't as injured as he made himself out to be.
"You… you were just faking it?!" Temutai looked shocked.
"Not totally," Tai Lung admitted. "Your Lightning General was quite a formidable opponent. But I had to exaggerate how hurt I really was for the intended decapitation strike."
"What do you mean by—"
Before Temutai could even finish his sentence, Tai Lung unleashed a volley of nerve strikes, punches, and kicks that knocked every single Northern Wudang soldier in the room out.
With his mouth agape, Temutai was the last one in the room to fall unconscious after multiple chi strikes rendered him paralyzed.
"Now Pai Mei, you and I are about to get acquainted," Tai Lung promised.
The snow leopard looked up at one of the windows and leaped through it.
Stretching out his claws, Tai Lung dug them into the wall, climbing his way to the very top of the tower where Pai Mei was presumably waiting.
Considering just how formidable most of Pai Mei's elite really were, there was a high chance Pai Mei would be more dangerous and powerful than all of them. And that meant everyone's life was at risk, from Shifu to Bao.
And if he could finish Pai Mei before the others reached him, then that would mean none of them would have to lose their lives in a confrontation with a wicked kung fu master who had no mercy in his heart.
To be continued.
Author's Note: When I created Hui, I intended him to be like a kung fu animal version of DC's Sinestro, able to create powerful energy constructs, except with his own chi and not a ring and his constructs would be red colored and not yellow. Very recently, I went to the book store and read a DC graphic novel called Kneel Before Zod where I found out to my great surprise that Sinestro doesn't have his yellow ring anymore and has now become a Red Lantern. So now Hui being a Sinestro expy has become more appropriate.