EXT. BAMBOO FOREST - LATE AFTERNOON
The sun casts long, peaceful shadows through a serene bamboo forest. Po and Master Yang are walking steadily back toward the Valley of Peace. Po's confidence after his training is high, but a single doubt remains.
PO: "Master Yang, I've mastered all those secrets... but I still feel like something's missing. That scroll I found... it talked about a power that wasn't about fighting. A power to end a battle without a single punch. Is that even real?"
Master Yang stops, his expression becoming more serious than Po has ever seen it.
MASTER YANG: "It is real, Spiritual Leader. There is a secret technique, one so powerful my father forbid it from ever being written down." He leans closer, his voice a low whisper. "It is called the Optics Blast. A state of focus so absolute, a master can defeat an entire army with a single, focused look."
Po's eyes go wide. "With a look? That's... that's the most awesome thing I've ever heard!"
MASTER YANG: (His eyes full of warning) "It is also the most dangerous. That power comes from pure, overwhelming force. It can shatter the user's own spiritual balance. It was the existence of this terrible secret that made my father search for something more... something purer. It is what led him to the legends of the Celestial Phoenix-a power of perfect harmony, not force."
He looks at Po with a heavy heart.
MASTER YANG: "My father never found the path to the Phoenix. And I do not know the three keys you discovered. That journey is yours alone."
Just as the weight of this new knowledge settles on Po, a violent crashing sound erupts from the dense bamboo nearby.
They both spin into a defensive stance as Zhen bursts through the undergrowth. She is covered in scratches, her clothes are torn, and she collapses to her knees, breathing in ragged, desperate gasps.
PO: (His philosophical mood vanishing instantly) "Zhen!"
He rushes to her side, helping her up as Master Yang offers his water gourd.
PO: "Zhen, what happened? Where are the others?"
After taking a long drink, she finally finds her voice, her eyes wide with terror.
ZHEN: (In frantic, broken sentences) "Xian... he has them. All of them... in chains."
Po's face goes pale. "The Five? He... he captured the Furious Five?"
ZHEN: "He's coming... for the Valley. His whole army is on the march." She looks directly at Master Yang. "He's coming for you."
The peaceful forest seems to fall silent. Po helps Zhen to her feet, and the look of the friendly panda is completely gone, replaced by the cold, focused fury of a warrior whose home and family are under direct threat.
He looks in the direction of the Valley of Peace, his jaw set like stone.
PO: "We have to go. Now."