Kung Fu Panda: Reborn as Po

Beneath the scorched remains of Gongmen City's great tower, Lord Shen sat cross-legged in a vast hall lit by flickering lanterns. The air was heavy with the acrid smell of oil and soot, the sharp tang of molten steel wafting through from the nearby forge. Around him lay an array of blueprints and schematics for his war machines—cannons, trebuchets, and other monstrous creations of iron and destruction.

At the center of it all, a large mural of Po and the Furious Six dominated the far wall. Painted hastily and smeared in places, it portrayed the warriors in their glory—Po's hulking figure standing proudly at the forefront, flanked by Tigress, Monkey, Viper, Crane, Mantis, and Tai Lung. Their forms glowed faintly in the lamplight, almost mocking Shen with their imposing presence.

The peacock stared at it, his talons digging into the fabric of his robe.

"Kung fu..." Shen hissed, the word dripping with disdain.

"An ancient art. A noble tradition. A relic of a bygone era." He rose slowly, his robes flowing around him like liquid shadow. "It's poetic, isn't it? That a method so archaic has held this world together for centuries, shielding it from progress, from true evolution."

Shen walked closer to the mural, his sharp beak curling into a sneer.

"You all believe in balance. In harmony. In discipline. But balance is nothing more than an illusion, a lie we tell ourselves to stave off chaos. And harmony? Harmony is for the weak. For fools, who won't come far in life."

He stopped in front of Po's image, the panda's painted expression exuding an air of confidence and power that made Shen's feathers bristle.

"You, Po. The so-called Dragon Emperor. You embody everything I despise—everything that stands in my way. Your strength comes from your belief in some mythical energy, some intangible force that flows through all living things. But Chi cannot forge steel. It cannot shatter stone. And it cannot stop what I am building."

Shen turned away, pacing toward a nearby table covered in diagrams of his latest designs.

"Kung fu, Chi, Inner peace... These are tools of stagnation. Tools to placate the masses, to lull them into complacency. But war... War is the engine of progress. It is fire and fury. It is the hammer that shapes the world."

He picked up a blueprint and studied it, his sharp eyes tracing the intricate lines and details.

"I have no need for their Kung fu. My cannons will render it obsolete. My machines will make their martial arts irrelevant. What good is a punch or a kick against the force of a cannonball? What good is Chi against the unstoppable march of technology?"

He slammed the blueprint down onto the table, his voice rising.

"The Furious Six, Shifu, and even the Dragon Emperor himself—they are all slaves to their traditions, blind to the possibilities of true power. But I see it. I understand what they refuse to accept: the future belongs to those who seize it. To those who are willing to do whatever it takes."

Shen's gaze turned to a smaller table where a row of explosive shells sat, gleaming in the dim light. He picked one up, holding it delicately between his talons as though it were a precious gem.

"This... This is the future. Not Kung fu. Not Chi. This."

He turned the shell over in his hand, admiring its sleek design.

"With these, I will destroy their temples. Their traditions. Their so-called harmony. I will tear down everything they hold dear, and I will build a new world in its place. A world of order. A world of precision. A world where power is not a birthright but a tool, forged and wielded by those with the will to use it."

Shen set the shell back onto the table and walked to a large window overlooking the ruins of his once-great city. His crimson eyes burned with determination as he gazed out at the horizon.

"Po may have his kung fu. He may have his Furious Six, his army, his empire. But he underestimates me. He doesn't understand the lengths I'm willing to go to achieve my goals. He fights for peace. I fight for domination. And domination always wins."

He spread his wings, their brilliant colors shimmering in the faint light.

"The final step in my plan is simple: destroy everything they stand for. The Jade Palace, the Furious Six, the Dragon Emperor himself—it will all burn. And when the smoke clears, the world will kneel before me as its rightful ruler."

Shen turned back to the mural, his gaze locking onto Po's painted eyes.

"Prepare yourself, Dragon Emperor. You may be strong. You may be powerful. But you are not invincible. And when the time comes, I will remind you of that. I will remind the world of the cost of defying me."

With a final flourish of his robes, Shen strode toward the massive cannon at the center of the room, his talons echoing against the cold stone floor. He ran a claw along its barrel, his smile returning as he imagined the destruction it would bring.

"Let's see your kung fu stop this."

AN: If you liked this Chapter, please make sure to drop some Powerstones, thanks and see you in the next one, bye-bye.