The furious five and the dragon warrior were on a mission to take down the Evil Master. Tigress led them towards his palace, but they were soon attacked. In the middle of the fight, Crane was kidnapped.
All of them had sworn to look out for each other. They had all protected Crane during the fight. All of them, except Po. He was so worried about his own survival that he forgot about the others.
"Po!", yelled Tigress. She was pissed. "I'm sorry I-", Po tried to speak, but he was interrupted by Tigress saying, "We swore to protect each other! You are always so careless! None of this would have happened if I was the dragon warrior!" The other 3 silently stared at Po.
They were all thinking the same thing as Tigress. She was a better fighter and leader. Po was hurt, but he realized she was right. He said nothing. He just walked away with hurt in his eyes. Since he was unnecessary, he would find Crane and offer to trade himself for Crane's freedom.
He heard Crane's cries as he kept walking, so he started running towards the guards. They heard him, and they immediately got into a fighting stance. "No", Po said, "I don't want to fight. I want to take the crane's place." The guards were pleased to hear this.
Their master, the Evil Master, only wanted the panda. They released the crane, and they took Po away. When Po glanced back at Crane, he could see his wing was bended funny. It was broken. Po was responsible for Crane's broken wing.
Po began to cry. He cried because it was his fault Crane was injured. He cried because Tigress, his crush and idol, hated him. He cried because he would never see Master Shifu, his father, or the furious five ever again. He cried because he would never be good enough to be the dragon warrior. He had so many tears flowing, and they were filled with so much pain. It was a wonder that he ever stopped crying, yet when Po reached the palace, he stopped crying.
"Po", the Evil Master greeted, "I'm so glad you gave yourself up to save your friend. How sentimental." "What do you want from me?", Po replied harshly. "The good news for you is I don't want to kill you. I want you to be my head guard and my head chef. I hear you are an excellent cook."
"Why?", Po asked confused. "It is for political reasons. If I am powerful enough to own the dragon warrior, I am powerful enough to rule China. Also, the public finds you fat and loveable", the Evil Master said.
"Not everyone finds me loveable", Po sadly replied while thinking of Tigress. "Let me guess", the Evil Master said, "Your crush and idol, Master Tigress, doesn't like you back. How sad." "How do you know that?", Po yelled both mad and embarrassed.
"I make it my business to know everyone's business. You understand?", the Evil Master asked. "I understand", Po said, "Where do you want me to start working?" "You aren't even going to put up a fight?", the Evil Master asked confused. "They don't need me at the Jade Palace", Po said, "I'm better off here doing the one thing I'm good at: cooking."
"Po", the Evil Master said kindly, "I also want you to be my head guard. You are a great dragon warrior." Po smiled. "Guard!", the Evil Master yelled uncharacteristically, "Take Master Po to his room." Po smiled more. He had never been called "Master" before. It felt nice.
"Po!" Tigress yelled. He woke up. "What is it Tigress?" he said groggily. "I heard you crying in your sleep. Is everything ok?" Tigress asked. Po sighed and said, "It was just a dream. Everything is fine." Tigress looked at Po with sympathy and said, "You know you talk in your sleep, right?"
He looked at her with sadness, fear, and embarrassment. "There is no need to be embarrassed", she said softly. He was still sad and afraid.
"Why do you look so sad and frightened?" she asked in a quiet voice. "I'm afraid I'll never be good enough to be the dragon warrior. I'm sad because I'll never be good enough for you", Po said with tears in his eyes. He refused to cry in front of her.
"What are you talking about? You've defeated 2 evil masters and...", Tigress paused. Did she really want to tell him? "What is it?", Po asked. She looked afraid. "You are good enough for me. In fact, it is I who doesn't deserve you", Tigress timidly said.
"How are you not good enough for me? You are one of the greatest kung fu masters. You hug me when I'm sad. You encourage me in everything. You are awesome!" Po said.
Tigress frowned and said,"I might be good at kung fu, but that doesn't make me good. Even when I was mean to you, you were kind and forgiving. Even though I rejected your food, you accepted my criticisms. You almost quit kung fu because of me. I'm a monster!"
Tears began to roll down her orange and black fur. Po was shocked to see Tigress cry because no one has ever seen her cry before. Gently, he said, "Tigress, it's ok. We can all be a jerk sometimes. You aren't a monster." She hugged him, and she cried into his shoulder.
After she calmed down, she looked into his beautiful green eyes and said, "Po, I'm glad you are the dragon warrior" "But I'm just a big, fat panda" "Yes, but you are my big, fat panda" ♡
