Kung Fu Panda Fanfic - The Rise of a Hero

(I) The Mark of the Devil

It's been a while since Po defeated Tai Lung in a battle that almost destroyed the village. The civilians returned from the evacuation and the Valley of Peace returned to be a peaceful place, except for a few small incidents. Nothing the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior couldn't handle.

On the other hand, the palace masters began to respect and treat Po as one of their own. Tigress had forgotten her anger at losing the right to be chosen as the Dragon Warrior. Crane and Mantis traded in the sarcastic comments for lighthearted banter, and Monkey and Viper became Po's close friends.

The Jade Palace was also opened to the general public. Even the children would visit the facility sometimes, and just at that precise moment, two of them would put their ears over the doors of the training room to hear the teachers training.

Mantis, Crane, Monkey and Viper shouted excited inside the training room. It seemed like a battle to the death that was being fought in a corner of the dojo. Although in reality, it was nothing more than Po and Tigress doing a duel of arms. (Or arm wrestling. Depending on how you call it in your country.)

Mantis: - Come on! You can Tigress! -

Viper: - Don't give up, Po. -

Monkey: - Four dumplings that Po wins. -

Crane: - Deal. -

Po and Tigress's hands were stiff after spending so much time exerting force. The veins on their arms and faces were visible even above their fur. The two looked at each other, trying not to lose concentration, nor the pressure on their arm.

Tigress: - Is that all you have? -

Po: - Ha. I'm going to show you everything I have. -

They both said breathlessly. And they began to use their last reserves of energy to try to defeat their opponent. But at that moment the temple bells rang and Po lost his concentration.

Tigress pushed Po's arm with such force that the table where they were leaning broke suddenly and Po fell backwards on the floor while laughing out loud.

Crane: - Ha. You owe me four dumplings. -

Monkey: - Hey that wasn't fair. -

Viper: - Sorry Monkey. Rules are rules. -

Monkey: - Well. - He said grumbling.

Po: - Guys, I have to go. See you later! - Po withdrew, but not before turning around when he was close to the door. - The revenge at night. -

Tigress: - Count on it. -

Po climbed the mountain next to the Jade Palace through a passage that led to a quiet pond where Shifu liked to meditate in peace. Shifu tried to achieve Inner Peace, but the least he could find was Peace with all the noise that Po made stepping on the pond water.

Po: - Master Shifu, here I am. Is there a problem? - Master remained meditating with his eyes closed and ignoring Po. - What are you doing? -

Shifu: - Master Oogway's last lesson. -

Shifu gently looked up, where a stalactite dropped a small drop of water every so often. Without moving more than necessary, and with slow and precise movements, Shifu gracefully caught a drop of falling water in midair. He passed the drop of water from one hand to the other delicately without it losing its shape, and finally he placed it on a small leaf that swayed and let the drop fall into the pond without making a single sound.

Po looked surprised. His eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets.

Po: - That was incredible. How did you do that? -

Master: - Inner peace. - Po looked at him strangely.

Po: - Inner peace in what?

Sifu: - It is the next step of your training. Each teacher must find his way to inner Peace. Some must meditate for years, without taking food or water. Or overcoming pain and suffering, like I did. Po, the day you were chosen as the Dragon Warrior was the worst day of my life. I felt like the world was falling apart... - Shifu stopped speaking when he saw Po's poker face. - But when I understood that the problem was not you, but me. I was able to find inner peace, and flow with the universe. -

Po: - And what should I do? -

Master: - I don't know. - Po looked at him again with a poker face. - Fate will tell you when you will find inner peace. - That's when the alarmed teacher Tigress arrives.

Tigress: - Po. Bandit. They approach the village of musicians. -

Po: - We're on our way. Master Shifu, we will continue with the lesson when I return. -

Shifu: - Very well, Po. -

Tigress: - No stops for snacks this time. -

Po: - Ha. We'll see. -

Po and the Furious Five ran as fast as they could towards the village, located on the side of some cliffs. From the top of the mountain they could see how the bandits entered the buildings and took the belongings of the villagers.

Po: - Guys. Lets go. -

The six of them jumped from the top of the mountain. Crane went ahead thanks to being able to fly while Po and Tigress scrambled down the slope, stopping with their claws. Monkey used the different trees that grew on the hillside to descend, and Mantis and Viper rode on Po. Finally, the six reached the village making a powerful rumble on the ground.

Po: - That's enough! - He said to the bandit wolves while he was traking his fingers.

Bandit Leader: - A panda. impossible. -

Po: - Are you scared? -

Bandit Leader: - Kill them! -

The wolves attacked the masters in a pack. They all carried some sort of weapon, like a sword, mace, or spear, but none were a match for any of them. The bandits were falling one by one, and the ground began to fill with the teeth of the wolves that came out of their mouths.

With all the training they did together, Po was able to develop combined techniques with the rest of the masters, and on one occasion, a group of more than ten wolves cornered him on the roof of a building.

Po: - Tigress! A little help? -

Master Tigress, who had just knocked out several bandits, jumped up to the roof, grabbed Po by the hand and threw him hard at the wolves. Then Po leaned on the roof and walked around it, while Tigress kicked every bandit who came near. Finally, several bandits jumped from a higher roof with the intention of taking them by surprise, but Tigress throws Po into the air, and with a violent 360 degree spin, Po hits the wolves and throws them against the pair, leaving their body embedded on the rock.

Po falls to the ground on one knee and one fist, slowly getting up as he looks down at the bandit leader with contempt. The bandit leader, seeing that his pack had been defeated, picked up his hammer and charged Po. Tigress was going to intercept him, but Po stopped her.

Po: - I'll take care of this one. -

Po charged forward to meet him. He had everything under control but, seeing a strange pattern on the bandit's shoulder pad, something invaded Po's mind. A memory from the past. A baby panda who cried as he watched his mother abandon him inside a vegetable box in the middle of a freezing night.

Po froze, stunned. He couldn't dodge the bandit leader's hammer blow to the head. The blow sent Po flying and he fell with his heavy body on Tigress, unconscious. The impact caused a huge noise that made the rest of the masters forget about the battle and go to help them. Giving the bandits time to escape and collect the bodies of their fallen comrades.

Viper, Mantis, Crane and Monkey helped Tigress out from under Po's heavy body, but he didn't react. And a stream of blood flowed from his head.