(IX) Secrets and Disappointments

After a long walk, Po and Master Shifu finally returned to the Jade Palace. They were both excited by the results of Po's training, though they were also somewhat concerned about the Furious Five.

Po: - Do you think they're back? -

Shifu: - I don't know, Po. -

Po: - I hope they are well. -

Shifu: - I hope so too. - He said while looking at the ground, concerned. - On the other hand. You did well, panda. -

Po: - Thank you, teacher. -

The two kept walking until they almost reached the stairs of the training room, but the sound of flapping behind them caught their attention. Turning around, they saw the master Crane flying with great difficulty carrying the rest of the masters, who did not move a muscle.

Crane fell to the ground along with the rest, taking a heavy hit; fatigued and appeared to have a broken wing. The condition of the others was not much better. Mantis was paralyzed, unable to move a muscle. Mono had part of his ribs covered in blood and one of his arms seemed to be dislocated. Viper slumped to the ground like a rug, though parts of his body were very stiff. Finally Tigress was in a kind of coma, she had blood coming out of her mouth and snout, and claw marks on various parts of her body.

Po: - Guys. Guys! They are dead! No. They breathe. What happened? -

Crane: - Sorry, Master. - He said while looking at Shifu, and then fell unconscious from fatigue.

Po: - Master Crane. Crane! -

Shifu: - Po. We do not have time. Help me take them to the infirmary. -

Po carried most of them while Shifu carried Mantis in his hands and they took them as fast as they could to the infirmary. There, the geese and pigs, servants of the palace, greeted them and began to attend to them immediately. Po and Shifu waited patiently until one of the servants approached and confirmed that neither of their lives was in danger, but they would not be able to fight for a long time.

Shifu worriedly left the premises and sat on one of the palace stairs, and Po followed him.

Po: - He could have killed them. Why didn't he? -

Shifu: - To scare us. He wants to fill us with fear. But he's not going to get it. -

Po: - Well... I must admit that I'm pretty scared right now. -

Shifu: - You can beat him, panda. -

Po: - Is it a joke? They couldn't and there are five masters. I am just... me. -

Shifu: - But you will have the only thing that no one else has. Come. Accompany me. -

Po followed Shifu towards the Hall of Warriors and the two stopped in front of the pool just below the Dragon Scroll.

Po: - Do you think that I'm ready? -

Shifu: - You are. Po. - He looked proudly at his student, but Po looked worried.

Shifu took Oogway's staff that rested on one of the altars in the hall and walked over to the pond. He took a deep breath and cleared his mind. He began to brandish the cane to create small air currents that would move the peach leaves that rested on the pond. With a series of perfectly timed movements, the peach leaves gently lifted up and one landed on one end of the Dragon's scroll. Making it lose its balance and fall into the pond. At the last moment, Shifu grabs the scroll with the staff, but not before lightly touching the water and creating a small ripple on it. A dry sound spread and resounded in the silence of the place. Shifu turned around, and offered the scroll to Po.

Shifu: - Here is the Dragon Scroll... It is yours. - Po looked at him with enthusiasm and concern.

Po: - What will happen when I read it? -

Shifu: - Nobody knows. Legend said that you will hear the fluttering of butterflies. You will see the light in the darkest cave. And you will feel the universe move around you. -

Po: - That's something... exaggerated. Don't you think so? - Shifu laughed a little.

Shifu: - It may be. Now read it, Po. Fulfill your destiny. Read it. And become the Dragon Warrior. -

Po took the scroll while his hands were shaking a little. He never thought of holding such a relic in his own hands, much less of being worthy of being able to use it. He removed one of the ends of the cylinder that contained the scroll and took it in his hands. He opened it slowly, afraid of what he might find inside, but not prepared for what he was going to see.

Shifu: - What's wrong, Po? - He asked when he saw Po's disapproving face.

Po: - It's blank. -

Shifu: - What? -

Po: - Yes. Look. - He tried to show the scroll to Shifu, but he backed off.

Shifu: - No. I'm forbidden to look at the... - He immediately regretted it, took the scroll in his own hands and opened and closed it again and again hoping that something would appear, but nothing happened. - In blank. I don't... I don't understand. -

Po sighed deeply and sat down on a step while rubbing his eyes with his hand.

Po: - So... All this time... Was it all a lie? -

Shifu: - No. Oogway was wiser than all together. There must be an explanation. -

Po: - Please. Accept it. He chose me by accident. Of course I'm not the Dragon Warrior. To whom I lie? - Po remained seated on the step looking at the ground while Shifu lost his gaze in the calm waters of the pond. - And of course I won't be able to beat Tai Lung. It will destroy everything and everyone. -

Shifu: - No. Come with me. No time to lose. -

Po followed Shifu to the infirmary where most of the palace servants were. There, he explained the situation to them and gave them instructions to evacuate the valley, along with the Furious Five who had not yet woken up.

Po: - And what are you going to do, Master? -

Shifu: - I will fight with him. -

Po: - What? -

Shifu: - I'll distract him long enough so you can escape. -

Po: - But, Master Shifu. He will kill you. -

Shifu: - Finally I will have paid for my mistake. - Po looked at him sadly. - Listen to me, Po. It's time for you to continue your journey... without me. Forgive me for leaving the burden on you to continue the legacy of Kung Fu. I'm proud... to be your teacher. -

Shifu greeted Po and he reciprocated, only to head to the main hall as Po watched him walk away. Po was destroyed, but he had no time to lose. He helped the palace servants carry some of the masters into the village, where all the inhabitants were making a mess of packing up their things for evacuation.

Head down, Po approached his father's restaurant, where Mr. Ping already had a cart packed with everything ready to go.

Po: - Hello, Dad. - Mr. Ping turned around shocked. And he gave his son a big hug.

Mr. Ping: - It's good that you came back, son. - They both looked at each other sadly.

Mr. Ping turned around and tried to move his cart, but couldn't, so Po had to relieve him. Mr. Ping knew that Po was destroyed, so he decided to talk to him about something different to try to lift his mood.

Mr. Ping: - For the next restaurant you have to accept it. The future of noodles is diced vegetables. No longer sliced. And it also occurred to me, that maybe now we'll have a kitchen that you can actually stand up in. Do you like it? - Po sighed.

Po: - Sounds good... Dad. - He said with a sad voice as he looked towards the floor, but Mr. Ping didn't know what to do to cheer him up.

Mr. Ping: - Po. I'm sorry things didn't work out. It wasn't just written. - Sigh. - Po, forget everything else. Our destiny still awaits us. -

Po: - What destiny, Dad? I lost everything I had always longed for. - Mr. Ping knew there was nothing he could do, so he tried something else.

Mr. Ping: - Po. I think it's time to tell you something I should have told you a long time ago. - Po looked at him with depressed eyes. - The secret ingredient of my secret ingredient soup. Po let out a laugh.

Po: - Now? -

Mr. Ping: - Yes, Po. Now. - He looked both ways to verify that there was no one nearby. - The secret ingredient is... nothing. -

Po: - Seriously? -

Mr. Ping: - Seriously. Nothing. There is no secret ingredient. -

Po: - All these years. Don't you add anything special? -

Mr. Ping: - No need. For something to be special you must believe that it is special. -

Po was thoughtful for a moment. He took the Dragon Scroll and looked once more into it. Thanks to his father's words, he had understood what the scroll wanted to show him. So he turned and looked at the palace, knowing what he was going to do.