Po walked closer to Tai Lung, his round face glowing with excitement. "That was amazing! This is the best demonstration of the Nerve Strike I've seen in years. If you struck me like that suddenly, I wouldn't be able to defend myself."
Tai Lung chuckled, his voice carrying a sharp edge of humor. "You're too fat, Panda. The Nerve Strike doesn't work on you."
Po burst out laughing, then paused, tapping his chin. "Now that I think about it, the last person who was so skilled with this technique was also named Tai Lung."
Tai Lung chuckled again, his eyes narrowing just slightly. "Names have a power over our fates."
Po nodded thoughtfully, then turned his attention to Zhen. Kneeling down beside the fox, he pressed his paws gently against her. A warm golden glow radiated from him, flowing into her small frame. In moments, Zhen's paralyzed body regained its strength, and she stood shakily.
Tai Lung raised a brow. "This is even more impressive, healing chi, and this fast."
"Thanks," Po said simply.
Zhen clenched her fists, cheeks burning with frustration. "That doesn't count! You took me off guard. I demand a rematch!"
Tai Lung's gaze turned cold. "I told you, anger and pride will be your downfall. There is no excuse in the world that can undo the damage they cause."
Zhen froze, his words felt heavy for some reason. She fell silent, while Po nodded approvingly at the wisdom in Tai Lung's rebuke.
From behind, Tigress spoke, her tone full of curiosity. "It seems you speak from experience."
"I do," Tai Lung replied, his voice heavy with certainty. Then he turned back to Po. "Shall we?"
Po nodded, while Zhen walked dejectedly to stand beside Tigress. This time, Tai Lung shifted into a stance, his posture sharp, precise, and brimming with intent. The casual, relaxed air he had carried earlier was gone, replaced with utter seriousness.
Po smirked. "You're taking this too seriously already. I like it."
"Last time I underestimated you," Tai Lung said, his eyes narrowing. "Even ignored you. But this time, I will face you with everything I have."
In the next instant, Tai Lung blurred forward at full speed. Po's eyes widened slightly, but he quickly steadied himself.
The flurry began. Tai Lung's strikes were fast and ferocious, fists and legs moving like lightning. His style was unrelenting, every movement designed to overwhelm. But Po was no longer the untrained panda of their first meeting, he was now a true kung fu master. He blocked, redirected, and countered, though each strike rattled him with its sheer force.
Even so, Tai Lung's speed and power began pushing him back step by step. Po's thick frame was his only shield against the storm of attacks, absorbing what lesser warriors could not survive.
Tai Lung, sensing his momentum falter, abruptly flipped into the air and landed behind Po. The panda spun quickly, expecting an attack from above, but Tai Lung was already crouched low. In a flash, he seized Po's ankle and, with monstrous strength, lifted him clean off the ground. With a roar, he hurled Po into a nearby tree, splintering wood and shaking leaves loose. Po groaned in pain as he rolled to the ground.
But Tai Lung didn't pursue him. He stood calmly, eyes burning with challenge. "Come on, Panda. Fight me with everything you have."
Po rose to his feet slowly, brushing off dirt. Then he smiled. "You asked for it." He clasped his hands tightly together, and golden light began to radiate from them, growing brighter and brighter until it seemed the air itself shimmered.
Tai Lung narrowed his eyes, watching.
"Experience… the Great Golden Palm Chi!" Po roared, thrusting his palm forward.
A colossal golden palm surged from his strike, slamming toward Tai Lung with unstoppable force. The human crossed both arms in front of him, bracing. The impact tore through the courtyard, sending him flying, tumbling across the ground before crashing to a stop.
Tai Lung stood quickly, brushing dust from his shoulders. "Okay… that's new and pretty strong."
Po grinned, his confidence surging. "There's more where that came from."
Dozens of glowing golden palms burst forth, hammering toward Tai Lung from all directions. His eyes widened, and he darted frantically between them, dodging the devastating blows that shattered stone, cracked earth, and bent trees.
Then a voice rang out, sharp and furious: "What is going on here!!"
Both Tai Lung and Po froze mid-motion. They turned toward the gates, where Shifu stood, flanked by the four other Furious Five. All wore expressions of shock.
"Po!!" Shifu's voice was sharp with fury. "You are destroying the Jade Palace!!"
Po looked around and gasped. Behind Tai Lung, the trees were splintered, the ground scarred, walls cracked and crumbling under the barrage of golden strikes. He yelped, waving his hands. "I'm sorry!!"
Tai Lung, however, stood still, his gaze locked on Shifu. This was the moment he had come for, to see his old master, but no words came to him.
At last, after what felt like an eternity, Tai Lung spoke. "The damage can be fixed later. But this match must continue."
Po turned to him, surprise in his eyes. Shifu, however, snapped, "And who are you?"
"That can wait," Tai Lung said curtly.
Po studied the fire in his eyes, then spoke firmly. "Master Shifu… let us finish the match."
Shifu frowned, weighing the seriousness in both of their stances. At last, he gave a reluctant nod.
Nearby, Monkey leaned closer to Tigress. "Who is that? And… what kind of animal is he?"
"I'm not sure of his identity," Tigress admitted, her eyes never leaving Tai Lung. "But he called himself a human."
Monkey blinked. "A human? First time hearing that."
The others were as clueless as he was.
Meanwhile, Po and Tai Lung took their stances once again. In the blink of an eye, Tai Lung lunged forward. This time, his speed was greater than before, terrifyingly so. Behind him, blue fire erupted, propelling his body with explosive momentum.
Po had no time to prepare. The onslaught crashed into him like a storm. Tai Lung's ferocity had reached a new level, his fists now shrouded in searing blue flames. Each strike burned Po's fur, scorched his skin. Po screamed as he struggled to defend himself, every block rattling his body.
The fire burned hotter and hotter. Po realized he couldn't keep defending, not against this. With a roar, he slammed his golden-glowing fist into the ground. Cracks split through the Jade Palace floor as a radiant wave of energy blasted outward, throwing Tai Lung back. Po leapt away with newfound agility, landing on the wall of the Jade Palace. He looked at his opponent in shock, gasping, "What… what is with that fire!?"
Tai Lung only growled. Clenching his fists, he punched toward Po. From the tip of his strike, an enormous wave of blue fire erupted, roaring across the courtyard. Po's eyes widened, fear flashing in them. He spun his paws in circles, conjuring a golden shield, the shape of the Yin-Yang symbol glowing in the air before him.
The torrent of flame smashed into the shield, pressing it back toward Po. He screamed, straining with all his strength. Then the shield burst apart in golden sparks as the fire wave dissipated. The two warriors glared at one another, neither backing down.
Po's paws blazed with golden light as he unleashed a dozen rapid palm strikes. Tai Lung countered, answering with dozens of blazing blue fire waves. Their attacks collided in midair, exploding in bursts that shook the Jade Palace.
From the side, Shifu, Zhen, and the Furious Five stared in a mixture of awe and dread. The strange intruder was wielding mystical blue fire and fighting Po on equal terms, perhaps even pushing him back. They could all see it: Po wasn't holding back. He was giving it everything he had.
But Tai Lung was not finished. Seeing the deadlock, he unleashed flames from his feet, propelling himself skyward. Spinning midair, he flipped and unleashed a rain of fire upon Po below. The Panda scrambled, leaping aside just in time as a wall of fire scorched the ground where he had stood.
Po barely regained his footing when he saw Tai Lung descending toward him like a meteor, blue fire trailing behind him like a comet. Gritting his teeth, Po clutched his belly, ready to use it as a shield to reflect the strike, the same move he had once used to defeat Tai Lung long ago.
But Tai Lung saw it. He remembered. That move had once sent him flying above the clouds. With a sudden twist midair, he spun around Po and landed behind him in a blur.
Before Po could react, Tai Lung's fist smashed into his face. A triple-kick followed, lightning-fast, and then a final, crushing punch that sent Po flying across the courtyard.
The spectators gasped in amazement. Po's body crashed against the stone, rolling painfully as he struggled to rise. Shifu's eyes widened, not at Po, but at Tai Lung's movements. They were familiar… frighteningly so.
"Did he tell you his name?" Shifu asked, his voice low, urgent.
Tigress nodded, though uncertainty clouded her face. "Yes… but I'm not sure if he was telling the truth. He said his name is Tai Lung."
Shifu's heart clenched at the words. Shock and disbelief washed over him, but there was no time to dwell on it.
Back in the courtyard, Tai Lung stood tall, staring at the battered old Dragon Warrior. Lightning began to crackle around his body. He raised two fingers, his stance gave a deadly feeling. With a snarl, he thrust forward, unleashing the greatest lightning attack he had ever conjured.
Po's eyes widened in horror as the blue lightning ripped through the air toward him. He shut his eyes tight, bracing for the end.
From the sidelines, Zhen and the Furious Five screamed in terror.
But the lightning tore past Po and shot straight toward the distant mountains. The strike slammed into a mountaintop, and with a thunderous explosion, the peak shattered into rubble. When the dust cleared, the top of the mountain was simply… gone.
Everyone froze, staring at the devastation in stunned silence. They knew, if that attack had hit Po, he would not have survived. He would have been sent straight to the Spirit Realm.