The Tales of the Dragon Warrior

The Start of Training and the Battle at the Thread of Hope

"Then you ARE the Dragon Warrior! And I AM your master!", Shifu declared. Jade kept nodding.

"Yes!", she yelled back. Shifu was practically grinning.

"Then let's get started."

—--------------------------------------------------

Jade and Shifu were in the middle of a grassy field in the mountain pass, surrounded by large rock formations. Jade's hands were held behind her straight back. She looked as ready as possible. Shifu stood in front of her on top of a large rock

'Probably to look taller.', Jade thought with a snicker. Shifu gave her a tired look, but didn't comment on the sound. Instead, he looked at Jade with an analytical gaze and began assessing how he would need to train his latest student.

"Jade, when you focus on kung fu, when you concentrate... you're good. Great, even. But I recognise that you are not reaching your full potential under your current training regiment. You're copying what you see the Five doing, and while their techniques are excellent, they are not tailor-fitted to you as they are to them. You're trying to be better than them at what they do, but you aren't trying to be better than anyone at what only you can do.", Shifu told her. Jade frowned in confusion.

"What do you mean?", she asked. Shifu smirked.

"Each of the Five developed their own styles of kung fu over years of intense training. Laofu has Tiger Style, Hou has Monkey Style, Baihe has Viper Style, Tianyu has Mantis Style, and Guan has Crane Style. To reach your full potential, you will have to do what they did; you will have to create your own style of kung fu.", Shifu elaborated. Jade gaped at him in disbelief.

"Create my own style of kung fu? In the span of a few days?! How the fresh hell am I supposed to do that?!", Jade yelled. Shifu's smirk widened.

"That is for us to figure out. I already know that I cannot train you like I have trained the Five, but I believe I know how I can train you in your own, specialized way. I will train you using this.", Shifu said, and he pulled out the Sword of Heroes from behind his back. Jade blinked at the weapon she had thought she left at the Palace on accident. Now she knew why she couldn't find it.

"... You're going to attack me with my own sword after stealing it from my room?", she asked hesitantly. Shifu's eyes widened at her response.

"What? No! I'm going to help you develop a martial arts style that incorporates both your weapon of choice and your skills of karate!", Shifu told her. Jade's mouth made an 'o' in understanding.

"Oh.", she said. Shifu rolled his eyes, but soon regained his unshakeable composure as he held Jade's sword out to her, holding it out ceremoniously in both hands. The jade dragon on the blade glinted in the sunlight. Jade grinned at the sight, and Shifu smiled as well.

"Let us begin."

—-----------------------------------------------------

Laofu raced to the Thread of Hope, the rest of the Furious Five at his back. Laofu was running on all fours, channeling the spirit of the tiger he had based his kung fu around. Guan flew, and Hou ran on all fours like his orange haired comrade did. They were all silent. They hadn't spoken a word since they left the Jade Palace, their goal weighing too heavy on their shoulders to allow for conversation. They knew what they had to do, and they knew who they were doing it for. And that made them all the more determined.

All of their lungs burned, the lack of oxygen in the high altitude atmosphere affecting their bodies. They had all been running for nearly an entire day without rest. They couldn't afford breaks, not with Tai-lung.