[Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Kung Fu Panda, nor do I own any art used. Any OC's however, are mine unless stated otherwise.]
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An old red panda is playing a flute. He is surrounded by the bushes and trees that nestle between the Training Hall. From behind the bushes, stealthy dark shapes move in the foreground. He is still playing and seems oblivious. Five figures explode from the undergrowth simultaneously, diving on him. He moves like lightning, the flute now wielded like a staff. He deflects, blocks, dodges, parries, and the attackers go flying. They roll and pick themselves up, turning to face him, who is now standing poised; ready for their next move.
"Well done, students." The red panda says with pride. "If you were trying to disappoint me." The red panda disregards his earlier pride in place of scolding.
He uses his flute to point at the Five, who respectfully bow as they are called out; the red panda pointing at each of his students when he addresses them.
"Tigress, you need more ferocity. Monkey, greater speed. Crane, height. Viper, subtlety. Mantis-"
"Master Shifu." A voice calls out.
Shifu suddenly points the flute at a scared palace goose.
"What?!" the now-named Shifu demands with impatience.
The goose is promptly startled at the master's action. "Aah! It's Master Oogway. He wants to see you." he informs with fear.
Shifu looks up, concerned, before running to the Jade Palace, which is lined with palace geese. The door bursts open. Shifu enters and comes to a halt. Candles and emerald lighting fill the room. He takes a deep breath and bows.
"Master Oogway? You summoned me." He looks up, still bowing. "Is something wrong?"
He looks up at a tortoise shell perfectly balanced on a thin wooden staff. Master Oogway, a wise and elderly tortoise, emerges slowly from his meditative position and climbs down effortlessly.
"Why must something be wrong for me to want to see my old friend?" Oogway asks with a smile.
"So... nothing's wrong?" Shifu asks with a hint of confusion.
"Well, I didn't say that." Oogway denies, as he approaches one of the many candles lining the room.
Shifu looks up, concerned. Oogway opens his mouth... and blows out a candle. And another candle. And another. And another. Oogway opens his mouth to say something, then blows out another candle. Finally, an impatient Shifu uses his kung fu to blow them all out in an instant.
"You were saying?" Shifu asked.
"I have had a vision: Tai Lung will return." Oogway informs with a frown.
Shifu looks stricken. Quick, impressionistic images of a large, shadowy figure, the supposed Tai Lung, flash in his mind. Shifu is rattled.
"That is impossible! He is in prison!" Shifu denies.
"Nothing is impossible." Oogway states matter-of-factly.
Shifu stares in horror for a second before reacting. "Zeng!" he calls.
The goose from earlier flies into the room as Shifu gets in his face.
"Fly to Chorh-Gom Prison and tell them to double the guards, double their weapons. Double everything! Tai Lung does not leave that prison!" Shifu demands hastily.
"Yes, Master Shifu!" Zeng responds as he flies off, but then hits a column. With a honk, he recorrects himself as he exits.
Oogway is then seen walking away from Shifu.
"One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it." he mutters cryptically.
Shifu rushes back to Oogway. "W-we have to do something. We can't just let him march on the Valley and take his revenge! He'll, he'll-"
Oogway looks into the water of the Moon Pool. "Your mind is like this water, my friend. When it is agitated, it becomes difficult to see. But if you allow it to settle, the answer becomes clear."
As Shifu and Oogway stare into the pool, Oogway settles the water with his staff, revealing the reflection of an intricately carved dragon clutching a scroll in its mouth.
Shifu looks up at the dragon with awe. "The Dragon Scroll..."
Oogway looks up with Shifu. "It is time." Oogway confirms.
Shifu looks at Oogway. "But who? Who is worthy to be trusted with the secret to limitless power? To become... the Dragon Warrior?"
Oogway pauses with a smile. "I don't know." He responds, causing Shifu to stare at him.
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"We have two orders of beans buns for Table 5, an order of Chow Mein for Table 2, and a Secret Ingredient Soup for Table 6!" A male voice calls out, the dishes in question being set on a wooden countertop by a feathered hand.
"Gotcha Mr. Ping! Taking them over now!" a younger, teenage male voice calls out in response, as a small blue paw with a silver bump on the back of it snatching the previously mentioned dishes one after another into their outstretched arms. The individual places the latter of the dishes atop his blue-furred head, his short blue ears helping hold the soup in place as he grabs the other bowls. He stands on his toes of his black feet as he walks away with the orders with a hop in his step, his blue tail swaying as he turns towards his destination. The top of his head is seen passing by some wooden tables as he walks by, the tables occupied by various patrons, composed of pigs and bunnies, conversing with one another as they eat from similarly styled bowls.
He stops at a nearby table, sliding two dishes to a pair of pigs whose attention is drawn by the action. "Two bean buns." The young waiter calls out, before moving on to a table further back and across the aisle where a young bunny sits with their mother.
"One order of Chow Mein." he says, laying the dish before them as the two smile. The waiter then proceeds over to another table with the last bowl to another pig customer.
"And one order of Special Ingredient Soup!" he says, bringing the bowl down with both hands to place on the table. As the bowl descends, we see a small canine-like face with a black "mask" that leads into strange ear-like projections from the sides of his head, with sharp red eyes smiling back. Around his neck is a yellow collar, he wears a cream-colored tank top with a navy-blue Gi wrapped around his hips beneath a small apron with a bowl of noodles on it. His Gi transitions to black from below the waist and blends into his black feet.
"Thanks, Riley!" The female pig patron responds, thanking the now-named waiter for bringing over the meal.
This was Riley. A Riolu hailing from another nation who decided to travel around China, having decided to stick around the Valley of Peace for the past three weeks and helping out the owner of this noodle restaurant in order to make some coin during his stay.
"No problem! Just doing my job after all!" Riley responds cheerily.
"Excuse me!" An older voice called out in the distance, as Riley looks over to the individual in question, before looking back to the pig lady.
"Sorry miss! Gotta go!" he tells her, before heading over to the one who called for him.
Arriving at the table, he is greeted by an elderly goat lady sitting at a nearby table.
"What can I do for you miss?" Riley asks.
"I'd heard rumors in Gongmen City of a Riolu traveling across the country, looks like those rumors were true; you're a long way from home are you not?" She asked curiously.
Riley just shrugs as he waves her off bashfully. "Thought I'd change it up a bit. I didn't know there were rumors about me all the way out there though, not many people around know what a Riolu is though." He pondered aloud.
The goat lady simply chuckled before responding. "I've encountered one of your people many years ago, though I hope you don't take offense to me saying this, but I'm surprised to find one so old without evolving yet. What are you, 18? 21?" She asks.
"23, actually. And none taken, I'm still just surprised someone recognized my species off the bat." Riley scratches the back of his head nervously. It was true; he was a bit late in the evolution department. The people of his home tend to evolve into their next stage in a manner akin to puberty during their teenage years, yet he himself had yet to achieve that point.
"23? That is rather old for a Riolu. Well, I won't bother too much about it, I would like to try the Special Soup of the Day though, if it's no trouble for you." She relents, giving him her order.
"One Special of the Day coming right up!" Riley responds, bounding back over to the kitchen where Mr. Ping is chopping some noodles before dumping them in a pot. On his way over, Riley picks up some used dishes along the way and puts them in a large bowl with soapy water in it.
"Mr. Ping! We've got an order of the Special!" Riley informs the goose.
"Oh! I'll let you get on it then!" Mr. Ping responds, letting Riley prepare the dish.
Riley proceeds to head over and prepare a bowl of soup, taking out a small satchel and chopping something blue up and putting it into the bowl before stirring. The broth gaining a slight blue tint before he proceeds to take the dish over to the customer.
The goat lady hands him the payment before bringing a spoonful of the soup up to her mouth to try it. She hums is satisfaction as she continues eating her meal.
"I've always wanted to know what one of these tasted like, thank you young man." She thanks him, as two geese put a flier on the wall near the entrance while a pig in a golden robe strikes a small gong in their hands, gaining the restaurant's attention, before the three leave.
Riley walks over to the flier to see what it's about. The flier tells of a ceremony taking place soon where the Furious Five, the Valley's resident kung fu protectors, will be performing before Master Oogway chooses the fabled "Dragon Warrior." If Riley was being honest, he never really believed in any of that prophecy stuff, the tales woven by them often becoming muddled and confusing, not to mention some were just false in their entirety. He also heard enough stories about people attempting to fill the place of those legends, but they always fell short.
The customers began filing out of the restaurant, until only Riley, Mr. Ping, and the goat lady Riley had served remained, the last of which simply continuing with her meal.
"Sounds like something interesting." She remarked, gaining Riley's attention.
Riley simply shrugged. "Maybe. I won't lie when I say I am a bit curious, though I'm not exactly expecting too much. It's just a martial arts ceremony after all."
"Some things are often more than they appear at first glance." She said cryptically.
Riley shrugs again. "Fair point."
"Oh, Riley! Why don't you go along to the ceremony?" Mr. Ping suggested.
Riley looks a bit surprised. "Are you sure, boss?"
"Of course, I'm sure. And how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me your 'boss'?" Mr. Ping responded.
"As long as I'm working for you, you are my boss." Riley shot back.
"In any case, maybe watching can help you with your situation. What was it you said your grandfather liked to say?" Mr. Ping retorted.
Riley chuckles a bit. "'It's important to draw wisdom from many different places.' Alright, I guess I can go check this little shindig out. I'll see you later then, Mr. Ping!"
Riley says, removing his apron and bringing the upper half of his Gi back over his shoulder, before following the crowd.
Sometime after he leaves, the goat lady finishes her meal and grabs her cane. "Well then Riley, I look forward to seeing how much you've grown when we meet again in Gongmen City." She says to no one, as she leaves the noodle shop with a knowing smile. "I can't wait to see what you'll become."
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We come back to our resident Riolu as he reaches the top of the staircase, catching his breath with a few others after the climb.
'So...many...stairs. That was a workout in-of-itself! I know Ransei has that academy with a really long staircase, but who makes a staircase this long?!' he thought, questioning the sanity of whoever decided to make the palace so high up.
After recuperating, he walks into the courtyard and managed to get a spot near the front and off to the left side of the of the entrance. The structure around him was nothing he'd never encountered before. The area was ornate like he expected, with numerous geese pulling wooden equipment with spikes attached around in preparation for the event. Everyone around him was excited as they waited in anticipation for the show that was to come. Even if this "Dragon Warrior" stuff turned out to be not all that it was cracked up to be, he would at least be able to learn from the masters' techniques and hopefully help him in combat.
Riley looked over towards the Jade Palace and saw the palace servants lined up and bowing to two individuals as they walked down the stairs, one was a tortoise and the other a red panda. Even from a distance he could tell that the tortoise had to have been centuries old, with a wise and sage-like energy that seemed to radiate from him. The red panda who, while wise, seemed to be on edge about something.
A pig dressed in the same garbs aa the one who sounded the gong earlier, or maybe it was the same one, walked with them as he declares, "Let the tournament begin!" before striking the gong he held.
The crowd began cheering as the ceremony began. The drummers were raising the hype as they played.
The red panda stepped forward. "Citizens of the Valley of Peace! It is my great honor to present to you...Tigress! Viper! Crane! Monkey! Mantis! The Furious Five!" he began, introducing the aforementioned group to the crowd.
Five figures were then seen leaping into the air from different ends of the courtyard and, judging based on context clues, Riley deduced were the "Furious Five" he'd heard so much about. The Five landed gracefully from the height, getting into stance upon landing together.
'Okay then, this looks like it'll actually be quite the show.' Riley thought with a grin, looking forward to what he was about to see.
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[Too bad for us though, because we're moving on to the end of the moment we've been waiting for.]
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'Not bad.' Riley thought, watching Tigress finish her display of strength and skill against the Iron Ox.
Suddenly everything got quiet. Riley looked on and saw the tortoise with his hand up as though he was feeling the area nearby for something.
"I sense the Dragon Warrior is among us." Riley could hear him say faintly.
The red panda -Master Shifu as he found out from the people next to him- gave a nod to the Five after turning away from him. The Five seemed eager, as they all lined up in the center and looked on towards the two masters.
"Citizens of the Valley of Peace! Master Oogway will now choose... the Dragon Warrior!" Shifu states, as the crowd around Riley cheers.
As the pigs start drumming, Master Oogway descends slowly down the stairs as he waves his hand in the air, as he prepares to make the decision of who is worthy of the fabled title. He stands directly in front of the Five as he continues to sway his hand. After a bit though, he opens his eyes once more, and brings his hand down to point in Tigress' direction, as he opened his eyes.
His eyes were focused intently on his decision, but something seemed odd to Riley. The reason it felt odd was simple. Even though Oogway was pointing in Tigress' direction...
He was making direct eye contact with Riley.
"Interesting..." Riley heard him say.
Riley couldn't shake this odd feeling, the way Oogway looked towards him made it feel like he was pointing towards HIM and not Tigress, but that was preposterous! Riley wasn't some kind of "Chosen One" or anything like that! He must've just noticed his blue attire and fur and simply got curious; most people do tend to give him odd looks considering Riolu aren't exactly a common thing to see in China.
"Me, Master?" Tigress asked, sounding somewhat excited and hopeful that it was her; something that Riley was in agreement with.
To the two's horror however, Master Oogway simply shook his head, confusing everyone present.
Tigress looks at Oogway and notices his gaze over her shoulder; she turns to see what he is looking at only to be met with the sight of Riley.
Riley begins to feel rather uncomfortable as everyone's gaze is locked onto him. He moves a few feet to either side and watches as Oogway's finger follows his movements. The crowd behind him decides to push him forward, as Oogway walks past Tigress and approaches him.
"What is your name?" Oogway asked him curiously.
"It's...Riley, sir." Riley answers hesitantly. "But...why do you ask?"
Oogway simply smiled at him. "It's you."
Riley blinks at this. "M-me?"
"You." Oogway confirms before raising the Riolu's left hand up as he addresses the crowd. "The universe has brought us the Dragon Warrior!" he declares.
"What?" Riley said.
"What?!" The Five said.
"What?!" Shifu said.
The announcer strikes the gong. Shifu snatches away the mallet but is too late as the crowd cheers wildly and confetti rains down. Riley stares around him in disbelief. A group of palace geese rapidly descend the palace stairs with a palanquin.
"Stop! Wait! Who told you to-" Shifu calls out to the geese. The geese move straight past him, down the remaining steps, and stop right in front of Riley. Shifu races down after them as the Riolu is hoisted up on the palanquin. The geese lift the palanquin with relative ease, and make their way up the stairs, as Riley is still trying to figure out what is going on. While the Five are bowed behind them, Shifu finally reaches Oogway.
"Master, Master wait! That...whatever he is-"
"Riolu" Oogway corrects.
"-Riolu can't possibly be the answer to... our problem! Your finger must've slipped while Tigress was right in front of that thing! Why did you choose them? It must've just been an accident!" Shifu pleaded.
"There are no accidents." Oogway told him.
"But Master, I don't even know what a 'Riolu' is?! What could possibly be so special about him for you to choose him over one of the Five?!" Shifu asks in disbelief.
Oogway simply smiles at his student. "There is often more than meets the eye." he said cryptically, before following the palace geese up the stairs.
Shifu stares at the palanquin in disbelief, as the Five slowly approach him.
"Forgive us, Master." Tigress kneels forward and bows. The others follow suit. "We have failed you."
Shifu holds up a paw to stop her. "No. If the Riolu has not quit by morning, then I will have failed you."
The crowd continues to cheer, and the confetti rains down from the sky. In the crowd though, there is one person who isn't cheering; their brow furrowed as they looked towards the palanquin.
'So, the tortoise thinks Riley is this "Dragon Warrior" huh? Maybe this will help where I can't. Looks like I'll be sticking around longer than I originally anticipated.' she thought, blending into the crowd with a crimson glow.
Atop the entrance, a camouflaged individual comes into view. They are roughly as big as Mantis, somewhat bug-like, and possess a red hexagon on their front. Their one eye follows the palanquin as well.
'It would appear the time of change grows near. The council will need informed of this, but not yet; we must see if you are truly who we seek, Dragon Warrior.' the individual stated internally, with an eloquent voice; before shimmering as he disappeared from sight.
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Author's note: I hope you enjoyed and feel free to comment! (I could use the constructive criticism)