Chương 16: 16

As Riser and Chun-Li watched from the base of the stairs, two pigs suddenly appeared and rushed past, stopping briefly to speak to the panda. "Sorry, Po! We'll get you a souvenir!" they called out as they sprinted up the stairs.

Riser and Chun-Li stood there, silently observing the scene unfold. The panda, who had been lying flat, groaned and slowly got to his feet, determination replacing the fatigue in his eyes. "I'll get myself a souvenir," Po muttered to himself.

Riser, who had been disappointed about missing the chance to try the famous noodles as the shop was closed, "Yo, Po, can we get some noodles?"

Po, already gearing up to run, paused mid-step and turned to look at the pair. He seemed to register their presence for the first time. "Maybe next time, Mr. Chicken," Po replied before continuing his frantic run toward the peak.

Chun-Li couldn't hold back her laughter. "See? Even he thinks you're a chicken."

Riser, who was still lamenting the missed noodles, quickly became irritated. "Not a word," he muttered, his feathers ruffling in annoyance.

The two of them made their way up the steep stairs, eventually reaching the peak where they found Po peering through a gap in the massive Jade Palace gate. He was watching the grounds inside with wide-eyed amazement, his gaze fixed on the martial arts displays happening within.

As they stood there, fireworks suddenly exploded in the sky above them, and a crane elegantly maneuvered through the dazzling lights. Po, mesmerized by the sight, began to walk backward without watching where he was going. He accidentally bumped into Riser and Chun-Li, and before he knew it, he tumbled backward down the stairs.

Po quickly scrambled back up, brushing himself off. "Man, you guys got here too late. We won't be able to get in now," he said, sounding both resigned and disappointed. But then, with a glint of determination in his eyes, he added, "But I'll find a way inside."

Riser observed Po's antics with mild amusement. "Chun-Li, why don't you go ahead? I think I'll stick around and see something even more amusing."

Chun-Li shook her head with a small smile. "You're hopeless, Riser-sama," she said before leaping gracefully over the gate, landing inside the palace grounds with ease.

Po watched in awe, his eyes wide with amazement. "Whoa, that was amazing!" he exclaimed. Determined to recreate the maneuver, he attempted the same leap but lost his balance and fell flat on his face.

Riser couldn't help but laugh at the sight, his earlier annoyance melting away. Po, undeterred, got back up and decided to try a different approach. He punched the gate, hoping to break it open, but instead, he ended up hurting himself, clutching his hand in pain.

"I'll make it inside, you'll see!" Po declared, his voice full of determination.

Riser watched with a raised eyebrow as Po found a rope tied to a bamboo tree and used it to lower the tree to the ground. With a mighty leap, Po was flung high into the air, soaring over the gate. From above, he saw the palace grounds, including Tigress battling a fierce opponent—a machine-like bull. But before Po could land anywhere useful, he crashed onto a pile of fireworks just outside the gate.

Po, now slightly unhinged from his string of failures, laughed maniacally as he tied a bunch of fireworks to a chair. Riser, watching this unfold, sweat dropped and muttered, "Is this really a good idea, man?"

Po, however, seemed unfazed. "Guess we'll find out!" he said, lighting a match and setting the fireworks ablaze. But just as the flames started to catch, a goose waddled up, eyes wide with concern. "Po! What are you doing?" the goose—Mr. Ping—asked, hurriedly blowing out the fire.

"Just trying to get inside, Dad," Po replied, sounding a bit deflated. "But I'm never gonna make it at this rate. I should just stick to the noodle shop."

Mr. Ping, worried but trying to be encouraging, sighed. "But you're supposed to inherit the shop, Po. Noodles are in our blood. you even had a dream last night that you would take over."

Po's shoulders slumped. "i had no such dream , i dream about kung fu .But I want to learn Kung Fu, Dad. It's what I've always wanted."

Riser, who had been silently watching this exchange, could see the depth of Po's desire. He thought to himself, This guy really wants to learn Kung Fu... and he has the spirit for it, if not the skill—yet.

As Riser pondered Po's determination, he noticed something strange. The fireworks Po had tried to light should have gone off by now. Why aren't they lighting up? Riser wondered. He realized that the failure might have been a small twist of fate. Deciding to give Po a nudge, Riser discreetly ignited a small flame at the tip of his foot and sent it toward the fireworks. riser thought well i cant really use most of my magic .

With a sudden roar, the fireworks caught fire, launching Po high into the sky. "Waaahooo!" Po shouted with pure exhilaration, while Mr. Ping panicked, watching his son soar upward.

Riser, amused by the spectacle, grabbed Mr. Ping and jumped the wall, landing smoothly in the courtyard surrounding the fighting ground. Chun-Li joined him, looking a bit puzzled. "What are you up to now?"

Riser simply gestured to the sky, where Po was still flying through the air. "Just helping out a fellow dreamer."

Chun-Li shook her head, a small smile on her face as she realized what Riser had done. "You really are something, Riser-sama."

As they watched, Po eventually plummeted back to the ground, crashing in front of tigress. The crowd gasped, and then silence fell as the dust settled. A wise old turtle, Master Oogway, pointed toward Po and calmly declared, "The Dragon Warrior is among us."

The crowd erupted into whispers, and a small red panda—Master Shifu—rushed over to Oogway, clearly flustered. "master, what are you talking about? This... this can't be the Dragon Warrior! this is a accident"

Oogway, however, remained serene, his eyes twinkling with certainty. "There are no accidents, my old friend."

Before Shifu could protest further, Oogway's gaze shifted, and he smiled softly. "And it seems we have more guests," he said, nodding toward Riser and Chun-Li.

Shifu turned, his eyes narrowing as he spotted the chicken and rabbit standing in the crowd. Riser and Chun-Li exchanged glances, knowing that their presence had not gone unnoticed.