The Last Hope

5. Being There Is Everything

"Don't you think, we should have put him off until next year?" Master Croc asked with a concerned look at the final round.
"Are you kidding?" Master Ox crossed his arms. "I was just waiting for that."
Master Croc's gaze wandered to Master Shifu. But the little master did not want to interfere in this matter. They could only wait and see what would happen, which is why he stayed at the jury table as calmly as possible. In contrast to Po, who nervously paced up and down behind the walls. His friends watch him thoughtfully. At last, Mantis made up his mind to say something. "Do you want to walk around like that all the time now?"
Po stopped abruptly. "If it calms me down, then yes."
"There's no point in making yourself so crazy," Viper said.
"She's right," Monkey agreed, and that also met with approval from Crane. "Just go out there and take things as they come."
Po's gaze wandered to Tigress. The tigress crossed her arms and gave him a neutral look. "You can't do anything about it anyway, Po. You have to compete against him one way or the other."
The panda swallowed. "I'm not necessarily worried that I might lose to him," Po said in defense. "It's much more that..."
Viper looked horrified. "You're not considering letting him win deliberately, are you?"
The others stared at Po. The panda stood there looking like he was saying yes, but then he shook his head violently. "No, no, no, no... What gives you that idea? That would be... that would be..." But then he seemed to think again. "Or would it?"
Tigress pricked up her ears as the announcer announced the final battle. "Po, the time has come."
Po noticed how he got weak knees again. "Oh, okay, well then, I have to go out now, right?"
"Uh, yes," Viper confirmed and smiled at him. "You have to go out now."
"Okay." Slowly, Po took a few steps towards the arena, then he paused again and looked uncertainly at his friends. "And you are really sure that this is the final? I mean, isn't there an interim final, too? Or a pre-final? Ouch!"
Mantis had kicked the panda hard in the buttocks. Po stumbled forward and almost fell. Outside he was greeted by the loud calls of the audience. A little scared, Po ducked his head and he kneaded his fingers nervously. Then he marched with almost mechanical steps towards the battlefield that was already familiar to him. Sheng wasn't there yet, so Po had to go solo to the court. Once there, he looked around searching. Maybe Sheng had canceled? But Po couldn't imagine that he would do this to his father.
Po's gaze wandered to his teacher at the jury table, but Shifu didn't change a single expression. The panda took a deep breath and looked up at the stands. He almost winced when Shen's eyes met him, slamming at him like knives. Yin-Yu, on the other hand, had placed a wing on her daughter's wing and looked rather worried.
Po was about to run to the jury table and call off the whole thing when suddenly the shouts of the crowd got louder. Po's gaze wandered forward and Sheng really came up to him. The blue-green and white piebald peacock had folded his wings under his shirt and was walking across the square as gracefully as possible. A queasy feeling rose in Po when the peacock finally came to a standstill less than one meter in front of him. The panda had been looking forward to this debut, but now that he was facing Shen's son, the pleasant anticipation turned into deep concern. He might even have liked to have a little chat with him before they started, instead all the theories and questions were now going through his head. What if Shen had died then? Sheng's mother had only informed him of his real father's origins after his defeat in Gongmen City. Would Sheng have investigated and at some point, appeared before him as an avenger? Po shook her head inwardly. But Shen wasn't dead and Sheng only stood here to face him - under the eyes of his father.
Po looked at Sheng carefully. But there was also a hint of uncertainty on the peacock's face. Had he been brooding over their upcoming fight the whole time, too?
Finally, both turned to the three masters in silence. Master Ox gave a relaxed impression, Master Shifu sat in a tight posture and Master Croc nibbled down his fingernails.
Peacock and panda put their paws and wings together and bowed to the jury. Then they turned to each other and bowed again to each other. Then they lifted their hands.