INT. JADE PALACE RUINS - NIGHT
The cold rain continues to fall, washing over the smoldering ruins of the Jade Palace. Po stands slowly, his body soaked and trembling, a look of hollow despair on his face. Zhen stands with him, her own grief overshadowed by her concern for him. From the top of the ruined stairs, Mr. Ping and Li Shan arrive, their faces pale with shock at the utter devastation.
LI SHAN: "Son..."
Po takes a deep, ragged breath, looking at the empty space where the Hall of Heroes once stood.
PO: (His voice flat and empty) "It's over. Master Shifu has gone... and I don't have a chance against Xian. It's all over."
Zhen steps in front of him, her eyes fierce.
ZHEN: "No, Po! You can't say that! You have to defeat him! You have to save the Valley, and our friends!"
PO: (Turning on her, his voice filled with a painful anger) "Didn't you see what he did, Zhen?! He destroyed this place like it was made of paper! He killed Master Shifu, he defeated Master Yang... The Furious Five are in his prison! There's no way I can stop him!"
ZHEN: "But Po, you have to try! Shifu believed—"
PO: (Cutting her off sharply) "No, Zhen! It's time to face the truth. There is nothing that I can do."
He turns away from her, unable to meet her gaze, his shoulders slumped in utter defeat. Zhen stares at his back for a moment, her own expression hardening from desperation into a fiery resolve.
ZHEN: "Fine. If you do not want to save the world... I will do it myself."
Before Po or his fathers can react, Zhen turns and sprints towards the edge of the ruined palace. With a determined leap, she disappears into the rainy night, heading back towards Xian's fortress alone.
EXT. JADE PALACE RUINS - NIGHT
Po watches, stunned into silence, as Zhen disappears into the rainy night. He turns and looks at the smoldering rubble of his home, his shoulders slumping in utter defeat. His two fathers, Mr. Ping and Li Shan, cautiously approach him.
PO: (His voice choked with despair) "It's all gone... I couldn't even save my home. I couldn't save my master."
Li Shan steps forward and puts a firm, gentle hand on his son's arm, making Po look at him.
LI SHAN: "Po, listen to me. You are wrong. You did not fail to save him. Master Shifu made a choice. He saw your worth, your future... and he sacrificed his life to protect you. Do not let that sacrifice be in vain."
The weight of that truth hits Po, but the doubt remains.
PO: "But how? How can I face Xian? He's too strong."
Mr. Ping then steps forward, his expression full of a simple, powerful wisdom that cuts through Po's despair.
MR. PING: "Po, I have run a noodle shop my whole life. Do you know what makes people truly happy? It is not just the noodles. It is the full bowl. The warmth. The feeling that they are cared for."
He gently pats Po's chest, right over his heart.
MR. PING: "Xian... his bowl is empty. He has power, yes, but there is no love. No friends. No one to share the noodles with. An empty bowl, no matter how big and powerful, is still just... empty. But you, Po... your bowl is overflowing. With love for your friends, for Shifu, for all of us. That is your real power. That is the strength he cannot defeat because he cannot understand it. Now go... go and show him what a full heart can do."
Po looks from Mr. Ping's earnest face to Li Shan's loving one. He looks down at his own paws. He understands.
PO: (His voice quiet, but full of a new strength) "You're right... I've been trying to fight him the way he fights." He looks up, a fire now burning in his eyes. "It's my job to protect kung fu. And my family. And I will."
He angrily steps forward, grabs his straw hat, and places it firmly on his head. With a powerful leap, he jumps from the edge of the ruined Jade Palace, landing gracefully on the path far below. As he stands, he whispers to the wind:
PO: "Xian... prepare to face the thunder."
He breaks into a full, determined run. He races past the front of the noodle shop... then skids to a sudden halt. He looks back. On an outdoor table sits a single, forgotten bowl of dumplings.
Wordlessly, he runs back, grabs the entire bowl, and without breaking stride, continues his heroic run towards Xian's fortress.