Oogway closed his eyes, feeling the breeze of the wind. Beside him, Allen sat in the lotus position, meditating to deepen his understanding of Chi.
Allen slightly opened his eyes, unable to focus entirely. Part of him harbored doubts about this world. Previously, he had felt as if he were traveling from world to world at random, but this time he sensed he'd come for a purpose—and not only that, Oogway seemed to have anticipated his arrival in this world.
'It's as if someone guided me here…'
[Host, destiny exists—you know that better than anyone—but it doesn't apply to us. We don't belong to this world; we're not bound by fate, the will of the world, nor do we exist in any temporal record, past or future, until we set foot in a specific place in this world at a particular moment…]
The system denied it immediately.
Allen trusted the system, yet that feeling wouldn't go away. He tried to focus again.
"A troubled mind cannot concentrate on one thing alone…"
"It's nothing, Master Oogway…"
" -Nothing- can't disturb your thoughts?…"
Allen sighed, "It's just an odd feeling I haven't been able to shake since I arrived."
"Allen, your existence doesn't belong to this world. You could be both a blessing and a curse, depending on who and how they see you… A unique existence produces unique situations… unique situations produce unique outcomes… So there's no way to know what will happen, and since you can't know, it's better to focus on what you can know... how the present."
"..." Allen opened his eyes, he turned to look at Oogway, smiling as he realized Oogway was basically telling him to let those worries go. It was an unanswerable question... at least for now.
"Master Oogway… if my existence could be a blessing or a curse, how did you know I wasn't a calamity when you met me?"
Oogway took a moment to answer. His mouth felt a bit dry, so he opened and closed it a few times.
"I didn't know…"
Allen's eyes widened at Oogway's response. When he first arrived, he felt like Oogway had been expecting him. Everyone in the Chat felt it too, including gods, kings, supernatural beings, and mad scientists, as well as common people and immortals… yet Oogway treated him with complete kindness and courtesy as if he were certain Allen wasn't a threat.
"Master Oogway?…"
Oogway looked toward the sky; the clouds moved slowly, and the sound of falling leaves brought a sense of peace. After a moment, Oogway smiled at Allen with his calm, lake-like gaze.
"I can't control the day and the night...I can't decide if it will rain tomorrow... nor can I choose who, when, or where… but I can choose to treat a guest with kindness... Whether or not they turn out to be a calamity is beyond my control, but I can decide how I behave in any situation..."
"I see..." Allen laughed lightly.
...
Whis – I like it. The world definitely wouldn't be destroyed if someone like that welcomed a capricious god of destruction.
Beerus – Tsk... I admit I like the idea of showing good manners no matter what, or how terrifying the other side looks…
Vados – Hmm...
Gilgamesh – Something wrong?
Vados – No… just that maybe that turtle is leaving something out…
Maeve – Is he lying?
Vados – No, it's more like he's consciously avoiding mentioning an important detail… but I could be mistaken.
Kratos – I hate things like destiny and the will of some higher being… I hope no one's manipulating Allen Boy's path.
DoomGuy – *Tremors of bloodthirst*
Athena – Calm down, let's not jump to extremes over a mere feeling… Sooner or later, we'll know the truth and will probably feel silly if it turns out to be nothing.
Allen kept an eye on the Chat and silently thanked Athena for curbing the growing paranoia. Oogway is a turtle who isn't always clear with his words and actions, and that's just part of his nature—it often makes people overthink everything he says or does.
Allen smiled; technically, Oogway was just telling him not to worry, only in a more extended and elegant way, which was amusing in hindsight.
...
It was already late, and Allen prepared to leave the world, but not before stopping by to see Monkey, who was in the training hall with the rest of the Furious Five, surprisingly helping Po train.
"You ready, panda?" Crane asked.
Po and Crane were standing on the Jade Cauldron, literally a giant round-based pot that moves when weight is applied to it, with the goal being to maintain balance.
"This is gonna be INTENSE!" Po had a serious look. "Let's do this!"
The first time, Po fell and started to bounce, but this time he managed to keep his balance, which astonished the Furious Five. It was no small feat—just days ago, Po had been a complete novice.
Po grinned, but Shifu scolded him, "Don't feel proud; the test hasn't even started yet!"
Po and Crane were supposed to fight on top of that spot, not just balance. Remembering that, Po lost his confidence and fell back into the pot, rolling around just like the first time.
...
Nikky – Allen, why don't you tell them Po's secret to strength?
MJ – True, Po was doing fine until he was scolded. His problem is his lack of confidence…
Allen smiled faintly; he certainly could, but the glow Po had during his showdown with Tai Lung came from his own understanding.
Whis – I can answer that. It's for Po's own good, some things are best discovered on your own, as they won't carry the same weight if someone just tells you…
...
Po switched teachers, this time with Tigress. She didn't want to, but she had no choice; she might not like Po, but it was better for everyone that Po be the Dragon Warrior than Tai Lung.
Tigress didn't need extra elements. She led everyone to the courtyard and prepared to fight directly.
Tigress and Po stood facing each other but she frowned as Po gave her a salute of respect.
"Panda, I'll only say this once: if you can't defeat me, you'll face a horrible death against Tai Lung. I say this at the cost of my pride; if it weren't for the Honorable guest, the five of us would be dead… That's the kind of enemy you're up against!"
Po swallowed, feeling extremely pressured. That was Tigress's goal—to make Po stop playing around; this was a fight of life and death, and even Shifu didn't stop her.
As expected, Tigress attacked Po mercilessly. Po began dodging in a comical way reminiscent of Jackie Chan in his old movies.
"Whoa, that was close! Wait! Ah!"
"Panda! Stop moving!"
Tigress was getting frustrated, as it seemed like Po was mocking her, even though he wasn't doing it on purpose. Tigress got so irritated that she forgot it was a training session and struck seriously, using her preferred double strike.
Po couldn't dodge and took the hit to the stomach. However, Po's fat absorbed the impact, and he bounced back like a training dummy, first backward, then back toward her.
"What?!"
Tigress was caught off guard and ended up taking her own attack, getting sent flying.
"Impossible!" Viper exclaimed.
"This must be a dream…" Monkey murmured, jaw dropped.
"It can't be…" Crane shook his head quickly, thinking he was hallucinating.
"…!" Mantis could only remain silent in astonishment.
Shifu walked over to Tigress, who was on the ground, "Are you alright?"
Tigress looked up with a bitter expression and stood up. "Yes, Master…"
Allen apologized to Tigress; lately, it seemed like defeating her had become a tradition, and since she was the strongest of the Furious Five, it was almost as if he were defeating all of them.
Po, for his part, was no less surprised. The panda looked at his "hands" in disbelief, wondering if he had really defeated Tigress. There were points one could debate—perhaps Tigress shouldn't have let her anger get the better of her, or maybe if she hadn't struck Po so forcefully, his counterattack wouldn't have been as powerful. But in the end, those were just excuses; Po had defeated Tigress.
Allen smiled. "Well, the panda is the chosen one, after all."
Of course, Allen didn't discredit Po; not just anyone has the mindset to endure everything Po had gone through to become a decent warrior.
Allen approached, knowing that Po had three days to reach Tai Lung's level, and Po needed to understand that this Tai Lung would be even stronger than the one Allen had faced.
"Po…" Allen grinned playfully.
"Allen!" Po beamed. "Did you see what I did? I beat Tigress!"
"Show some respect, panda!" Shifu immediately turned pale and hurried over to scold Po, grabbing his ear.
"Ouch! Sorry, Master Shifu!"
"Not to me, you fool!"
Shifu already respected Allen simply for being Oogway's guest, but after learning he was a master of Chi, that respect had become genuine, since he, at his age, was only a Chi apprentice.
"Apologize to Master Walker!"
"Ahh, Master Shifu, you're going to rip my ear off!"
"You deserve it!"
Allen saw Po's pleading eyes asking for help and chuckled.
"No need to worry, Master Shifu. I'm not one for excessive formality; you can call me Allen, it's not a problem."
"But… that would be…"
Shifu felt unsure, struggling with the age difference, yet a master was still a master.
"No need to force yourself. But allow Po to be himself... I consider him a fun friend haha"
The panda's eyes softened. He didn't really have any friends, at least not yet. The Furious Five barely tolerated him, and Shifu was his master.
Shifu sighed and let Po go. Po stood up and tried to hug Allen, but Allen stopped him in his tracks by showing him an enormous donut with various glazes and toppings.
"This donut is a quarter covered in Swiss chocolate, another quarter in strawberry and sprinkles, a quarter in white glaze, and a final quarter with a secret topping that won't disappoint you… it's specially made by me, and I assure you my cooking skills have been praised by the gods."
The panda looked at the donut in a trance, his eyes filled with a mix of desire and passion. To him, it was the pinnacle of deliciousness.
Of course, Champa and Beerus had gone wild upon seeing the giant donut, so Vados and Whis had to knock them unconscious while they sighed.
Shifu watched Allen's actions with confusion. It wasn't surprising; Shifu had discovered Po's talent upon hearing Allen's words rather than by seeing Po do a perfect split to reach the dumplings in the pantry. So Shifu didn't really understand the power of food in Po's training.
Allen had a serious look in his eyes. "Po… right now I'm going to throw this delicious treat, and if it hits the ground, I'll destroy it, and you'll never know how it tastes…"
Po's gaze froze as if Allen had just told him he'd killed his parents.
"If you want to protect this innocent donut, you'd better prevent that… however, I will be attacking you…"
The atmosphere grew tense as the pressure Allen had displayed at the start of their meeting returned. Po grew nervous and began backing away until Allen tore off a small piece of the donut and tossed it into Po's mouth.
"Oh!"
Po fell to the ground, hugging himself. It was a disturbing sight, seeing a panda writhing in pleasure from such a delicious taste, but it was necessary.
Gwen – This is starting to feel like something else…
Nikky – That panda isn't as cute anymore…
JackBlack – Oh man, what am I even watching?!
…
Allen watched Po in silence as he stopped writhing and stood up with a serious, determined look. He didn't even feel fear in facing Allen.
"Sorry, I can't let you destroy that innocent donut…"
Allen sneered like a villain. "Then try to stop me, panda…"
Allen threw the donut into the sky…
…
In a bamboo forest, the sound of punches shook the trees.
*Auge*
"Ahhh!"
Near a lake, Tai Lung was striking a huge rock that cracked with each blow.
Tai Lung was a villain, but he was also a master of martial arts. After his defeat by Allen, he had learned a few things. Chi is the energy of life, and Tai Lung could survive a long time without water or food, maintaining his peak strength for twenty years due to his strong Chi and prior training.
Of course, he couldn't use it like Allen—not yet, anyway. Maybe one day… unfortunately, Tai Lung didn't have a Chi master to teach him, and no matter how much of a prodigy he was, he had limits without proper guidance.
"Chi is inherent in all things. Even if I can't use it like 'him,' I should be able to strengthen the Chi within me…"
Tai Lung had surprisingly shed some of his initial arrogance. Unlike an elder like Shifu or Oogway, Allen was young, even younger than him, and he had been defeated. Others would have broken, others would have shattered, but Tai Lung's will was unbreakable. Twenty years locked in the depths of an abyss hadn't crushed him, and neither would defeat by a Chi master. On the contrary, it helped him control his simmering rage. When he opened his eyes, the burning desire for vengeance was still there, but completely under control.
Tai Lung breathed deeply and exhaled, creating a small gust of wind that moved the leaves around him.
"...I hope it's true that this so-called Dragon Warrior won't disappoint me…"
Tai Lung's voice was filled with disdain for whoever would be this world's chosen one, a position he believed should be his, but there was also a strange feeling. Tai Lung sensed that, just like Allen, Po would be different from all the warriors he had faced.
Tai Lung had no idea just how true his own words would be.
"Dragon Warrior!!"
*Auge*
He continued to train...
…
Allen's training might seem like a joke to an outsider; using food as a lure might seem comical because this wasn't a movie; it was a world where a dangerous villain wouldn't show mercy when he arrived at the Jade Palace.
"NOOO!" Po leaped into the sky to protect the donut, reaching an incredible altitude, but his determination and seriousness in protecting it were also amazing.
For Po, the lighthearted panda, it might seem normal, but the Chat couldn't understand why Allen had decided to do this… until Allen sprang into action.
The voices of doubt and laughter were silenced when Allen stamped his foot on the floor which shook the jade palace.
They all understood when they saw Allen's serious gaze…
They all understood when a golden glow appeared in Allen's palm.
The goal was to make Po stronger than Tai Lung...a Tai Lung who was even more powerful. So Allen could not give Po any lesser treatment than Tai Lung.
Allen attacked Po using Chi from the start!