Kung Fu Panda: The Spirit Rifts

Inferno

As Kai, Shen and Tai Lung advance through the plains attempting to make their way to Juniper City, a place that seemed so distant alongside out of reach as it clinged to the horizon; Po and company were doing their absolute best to thwart Qianzhi's forces as she attempted to squeeze them out of every single city. Yet, one rule Li Shan learned from Shen's invasion and genocide of most of his race was the fact that sticking to fighting on the inside of places was much harder for the attackers as opposed to the defenders.

"Quick! Everyone! In here! Grab some pans and swing back!" Li Shan commanded, truly showing his tribal chief instincts as his son alongside Zhen grabbed whatever they could to thwart the Spirit Warrior wolves pursuing them.

"So many good pots, woks and pans will go to waste! Can't we take one souvenir for my father? How will we cook food when we're out in the wild!" Zhen pondered as she marvelled at her own shining reflection imprinted on a wok.

"If you help defend my shop? It's all on the house," The affluent British-accented shopkeeper took cover under his front desk, slipping down into a hidden compartment suited for his size. "The Chameleon, now this? Who are these preposterous people disturbing business conducted in the name of the English crown?"

"They're Spirit Warriors, Qianzhi got hold of this magical and cool staff I have and apparently Oogway gave it to me to symbolise responsibility; something that slipped out of my hand... Man, I suck as a Kung Fu master!" Po narrowly avoided being hit by an arrow as he was pulled down by Zhen.

"Now isn't the time for self-doubt, Po! You doubted me yet never doubted yourself, we can do this! Even if we have to surrender Juniper City, we'll always be able to strike back! We've already been pushed halfway out and we're getting exhausted but we're not giving up just yet!" Zhen launched a flurry of tongs at the canine intruders, with several sets hitting their nether regions as they howled in pain, dropping their weapons as it allowed an opportunity for them to be thrown out of the shop.

"We're closed for business!" The British swan, simply named Dave, slammed the doors shut as he closed the boards for the windows. "My goodness, you fellows have gotten yourselves in quite a pickle, haven't you? What's this about a responsibility stick?"

"It's the Jade Staff of Wisdom, a wise Kung Fu master named Grandmaster Oogway gave it to me to symbolise the fact I was his successor. Long story short, I lost it, and a rebellion leader who died thirty years ago slipped in from the Spirit Realm before stealing my staff," Po attempted to explain as the swan furled his brow in confusion.

"Kung Fu? Grandmaster Oogway? Spirit Realm? My-my, I never knew the tall tales that make up Chinese history were more than mere fiction! Blimey! Now, as for the kitchenware, it's yours so long as you keep them away from my shop!" The swan pointed towards a staircase that led to a second floor. "Ascend to the second floor, walk the rooftops and continue your journey away from here!"

"You don't want to know our story?" Li Shan asked with perplexion filling his voice.

"As intriguing as it may sound, I have cutlery to sell and a business to run! Now, go! Before I take back my offer about the free kitchenware!" Dave ushered everyone up to the second floor as Po, Zhen alongside his two fathers were forced to continue their journey by hopping along rooftops whilst narrowly avoiding the arrows of archers.

"Man, we really need to stop breaking through different people's shops. First, we wrecked a China shop as the bulls got impatient, then we ruined someone's peaceful massage and now- HEY! Zhen, what did I say about stealing?" Po noticed a shiny obsidian wok that she had masterfully stolen under the guise of taking something on the house.

"He said one item was on the house for defending his shop, right? Why not take the most expensive one as repayment?" Zhen let off a coy giggle as she was forced to jump from one set of rooftops to another alongside Po and Li.

"Who knows how expensive that wok is! It's clearly an English special- whatever an England is, it's probably valuable!"

"Valuable you say? Well, we are going to need money to raise an army of our own. Nice work, Zhen," Li patted Zhen on the back as Po let off a slightly dismayed sigh.

"Dad! You can't just encourage her to steal expensive things!"

"Well, she has a point; it's not stealing if you took one thing on the house; I decided to take these golden chopsticks home for Ping!" Po's disappointment grew to a higher level as he realised both his father and his successor had taken valuable things; all the while he had taken one of the cheapest pots available to trap incoming arrows for use later down the line as well as to cook some tasty soup.

"I can't believe you guys! Taking advantage of Juniper City's already-terrified population, we're the ones running away from them and also trying to defend them! No more stealing expensive things, okay? We shouldn't be laying hands on anyone's business or goods because we're the ones sheltering inside their businesses and putting their livelihoods at risk just so we can catch our breaths- WOAH!" Zhen managed to pull both Li Shan and Po down into a secret attic that neatly dropped off from a rooftop, allowing them some breathing room as they heard the footsteps of their attackers soon pass by their heads.

"We know what we did was wrong, but we need to think about the future here! Your father, he fought against that peacock- what's his name? Lord Pen... Lord Hen... AHA! Lord Shen! That's the one! He has wartime knowledge, he said we're going to have to raise an army and an army doesn't just fund itself! I know you're the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace and I'm the Dragon Warrior but none of these people know who we are- I may have some neighbourhood credit but that's bad neighbourhood credit and Dan alongside his Den of Thieves are now out for me as well!" Zhen attempted to make the situation more understandable for Po, who had only seemingly seen peace or missions that were worth nothing more than sacrifice alongside lessons in bravery.

"Dad, is it true? Are we going to have to sell that expensive wok to fund an army?" Po, catching his breath, hesitantly asked his father as Li Shan eventually relented after a few seconds of awkward silence filled with wheezing breaths from the asthmatic panda.

"You and your mother... We were the leaders of Gongmen's panda settlement for a reason. We were two of the few pandas that abandoned the scriptures and the rules surrounding them. I'd later learn that these scriptures were referencing this 'Chi' that you were speaking of, but that part hadn't been preserved as much as the 'make peace, not war' part of the teachings. Our abandonment of the scriptures allowed us to defend ourselves when bureaucrats attempted to squeeze us into smaller and smaller reservations, taking our children as well as using us as friendly mascots. The panda was already considered extinct before Shen's invasion, as the Emperor's showmen used to love putting on performances involving our children as some exotic treasure; sometimes we would wake up and a dear friend of ours would have lost their child to kidnappers. Myself and your mother, we weren't just chiefs that were promoted due to kind-will, we knew how to fight wars. We raised a small army when I was just twenty and she was nineteen, using whatever funds we could get our cute paws on to make a statement to the emperor that we weren't defenceless toys. This statement took a year of bloodshed to accomplish and led to us growing into a much larger reservation at the cost of nearby military barracks as well as many houses that belonged to rich aristocrats. To fund that army, you need gold, to get gold, you get it from two sources... You either go for war spoils and looting, which you want to avoid because it gives you a bad reputation; or you choose to sell something expensive to pay an army in advance, like this!" Li Shan, after partially explaining the brutal horrors of war as well as fond times he shared at war with Po's mother, playfully took Zhen's wok and held it up in Po's face.

"Woah! Are you kidding me? You sounded like you were awesome! I didn't know I had such a butt-kicking dad!" Po exclaimed in excitement as Zhen had to shut his mouth physically to avoid alerting the nearby guards.

"Heh, well, I don't like to toot my own horn too much but I am a bit of a warrior myself. Maybe not a dragon warrior, but I definitely am a panda warrior... Which sounds like this ripoff of this theatre performance I've heard of called 'Kung Fu Panda' which is based around you," Li Shan joked as he got himself back on his feet, readying himself for the inevitable dash to the plains. "So, are you on board with us selling this expensive wok?"

"I feel bad for that Swan with the unique accent, but if we really need it to recruit an army, then I'll happily accept this as a worthy solution!" Po nodded in approval as Zhen tapped Po's side with her paw.

"Good, because it looks like we've just been found and we need to keep on running!"

"Whew! I'm the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace and it feels like running towards and away from evil hasn't increased my stamina one bit!" Meanwhile as Po, Li Shan and Zhen made their advance towards the plains, accepting that sticking around inside of the city when things were beginning to get dark once again as well as when they were constantly being pushed away by an endless swarm of Spirit Warriors; Mr. Ping had finally made his long flight across China worth it as he arrived at the doorstep of the Jade Palace, frantically knocking against the door.

"Master Shifu! Master Shifu! Open the door! It's Mr. Ping! It's urgent!" Mr. Ping then realised he could simply fly over the door in question, giving himself a jump as well as his tired wings an extra flap as he landed on the other side; with Shifu gazing up at him before he made his descent.

"What troubles you so severely that you fly over the doors to the courtyard, Master Ping?" Master Shifu, as per Po's protocol regarding honouring elders, was sticking to his promise of referring to his father as "Master Ping" in an attempt to retain some form of formality.

"Where are the Furious Five! My son! He's in danger!" Without even needing another second to process his words, a striped figure wearing a grandiose hanfu emerged from the Training Hall in an instant.

"Po's in danger?" Tigress felt her heart sink to the floor, expecting a message of victory considering her recent mission away from the Valley of Peace had recently concluded. "Where is he?"

"Wait, Tigress! This could be a trap sprung by the Chameleon!" Mr. Ping sighed as he began flying in the air, an ability the Chameleon could never master.

"The Chameleon can't fly as gracefully as I! Now, please! Take me seriously! He's at Juniper City with my husband, Li as well as Zhen; I don't know if you've met Zhen but she's now the Dragon Warrior! Anyway, the Chameleon! She was opening up all of these scary doors to the Spirit Realm and an evil rebel called Qianzhi managed to slip through! She died thirty years ago and she's back! She's terrorising Po! Trying to push him out of the city! I need you all to save my son!" Mr. Ping couldn't stop his entire body from shaking alongside trembling the entire time as Tigress felt her gut wrap around itself, all the while Shifu felt a shudder of fear rumble down his spine.

"And Po couldn't defeat Qianzhi? How could a raccoon with outdated ideas beat him?" Master Shifu sarcastically quipped in the hopes of saving himself from the gruesome reality that confronted him.

"Qianzhi stole his staff! The Jade Staff of Wisdom! It can open up doors to the Spirit Realm and be lulled into following the commands of an ill-willed owner! He's currently running away from an army of growing Spirit Warriors! I'm just an ambitious chef, this is too much for me! Please! Do something!" Mr. Ping was on the verge of breaking down from tears as Tigress lifted up the anxious goose, giving him a warming hug before placing him on the floor.

"Mr. Ping, I can assure you that I will do everything I can to defend you, your husband and your son, Po," Master Tigress bowed before him as she then turned around, seeming panicked and lacking composure for the first time in front of her master alongside adoptive father. "Master Shifu, with all due respect, I cannot sit here and wait for the Furious Five to return from their missions; they still have days or even weeks left on their assignment. I know you are still capable of defending the Valley of Peace and I have an obligation to defend the Spiritual Leader."

"But Tigress-"

"Please, with all due respect, Shifu. This is not the time to bring up emotions or lecture me. I already know what is at stake. I know that myself and Po are to be wed in due time," Tigress looked down to the sweet jade ring that circled one of her fingers, fondly smiling before bringing her hand close to her heart. "If I am worthy of marrying the Spiritual Leader as you say I am, defending myself alongside him; then you will let me travel to Juniper City or wherever he may be and to defend him like my life depends on it," Tigress was trying desperately to keep her formalities in tact, but truthfully? She wished to let out a tear of anguish, knowing for the first time that her soon-to-be husband could be endangered by China's worst plague of evil witnessed in a long time.

"...As much as my teachings are telling me to say no, I know that there's a significant amount of weight behind your emotions considering your usually stoic nature. As your soul is destined to be bound to the Spiritual Leader by marriage, you no longer require my approval to make such a decision. My dear daughter, I am infinitely proud of you and the progress you have made, the forgiveness you have shown to my cold and unfeeling ways as well as your willingness to open your heart up to a unique character such as Po. Your heart is the only thing that can guide you here, Tigress... And where does your heart wish to take you?" Master Shifu teared up, feeling a well of emotions flooding from his mind as a stray tear crept down his cheeks.

"It guides me to Po, father. He needs me, Mr. Ping's husband needs me, the next Dragon Warrior needs me. Forgive me, but I have a lovable, sweet, captivating and goofy panda with an insatiable appetite to save!" Tigress scooped up Shifu and Mr. Ping into a warm hug which lasted a few seconds, allowing Shifu to peacefully rest his head against Tigress. At this exact moment, Shifu felt that familiar wave of Inner Peace wash over him, the Inner Peace he so desperately craved and even envied the Spiritual Leader for having. For the first time, he didn't feel the need to logically justify his emotions, he just felt; and that will bring him the strength needed to defend the Valley of Peace in Tigress' absence.

"Mr. Ping, let's go save your son," Master Tigress unleashed a playful smirk, the first