Quicai awoke the next morning in a room with a single bed, a door, window, table and nothing more. His head hurt quite a bit, and he felt around to his temple to discover he has a few bandages around his head, as well as his arms, torso, and legs. He took them off and lay them on his bed, knowing he doesn't need him and he's been healing his own injuries since he was little, being used to getting whipped by Baojun.
He exited to find himself in the Jade Palace's sleeping quarters, and all the rooms in the hall were empty. He was rather astonished to find himself somewhere other than the caravan tent he's accustomed to, but adjusted quickly, and tried to find his way through the large temple to find the kitchen. When he arrived there, there was a small pot of noodles that smelled like it was a few nights old, but looked fresh. 'These must've been laid out last night for dinner for whoever lives here,' Quicai thought to himself, and poured some into a small bowl and got some chopsticks to feast on it. And feast he did, half the bowl being gone in about 5 seconds.
"I see you're enjoying that." said a voice from behind, and in shock Quicai threw the bowl to the other side of the room, and turned to see SikoYama looking at him with a neutral face. "Um... hi... could you please tell me where I am?" "You're in the Jade Palace, the greatest safehaven for Kung Fu in all of China." Quicai's eyes widened. "Holy crap... ohhhhh jeez... I've only heard stories of this place! And I'm here?!" "Yes. Our Furious Five member Gequ bought you from your slave owner to stay here to recoup for a bit."
Gequ. The name rang in Quicai's head, remembering his ecounter with her the day before. "Wait... she's in the Furious Five?" "Yes." Quicai froze in his place for a second, and SikoYama waved his hand in front of the panther's face until he snapped out of it. "I didn't know that..." "I'd think you didn't. Oh, and silly me, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm the Master and Keeper on the Jade Palace, SikoYama Korkai." Quicai started to almost have a panic attack until SikoYama walked up and flicked him on the head. "Don't be so fanboyish, like our Dragon Warrior was." "I'm sorry, I just... I'm honored to be in your prescence... Never would I think of meeting you..." "Yes, good for you, you can stop your crazy fanboying now. Want to go to the Training Hall to meet the Furious Five?" "Would I!" Quicai excalimed as he walked out the door and ran to the right. "The Hall's on the left!" SikoYama called, and three seconds later Quicai ran in the other direction.
A minute later, SikoYama and Quicai walked inside the Training Hall, to see the new Furious Five training in action on each obstacle course. Gequ was at the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion, beating each one down swiftly and furiously, not to mention with unbeatable precision. The monkey of the group was at the Seven Talon Rings, going through each hoop as he should. The praying mantis was at the Gauntlet Of Wooden Warriors with not a single hit inflicted upon him. The bird was at the Tortoise Of Ancient Wisdom and doing flying forms inside and out, dodging it's violent rotating. The snake was at the Fiery Fields Of Death, missing each fire beam by an inch of her scales.
"At ease!" SikoYama called, and each member flew to the front of the Hall standing straight in front of their Master, and bowed. "Quicai... what's your last name, now?" "To tell you the truth, I don't remember. I was too young when taking in the slave market to remember and my slave master never told me." "Oh, sorry to hear that. But anyway, Quicai, I'd like you to meet our Furious Five. I know you've already met our tiger, Gequ." Gequ waved at Quicai. "Here's our monkey, Zhu." Zhu used his tail to sit upright and tried, but failed to look impressive. Quicai snickered. "This is our bird of the team, a crane like our Master Crane from the previous Furious Five, Feixing." Feixing nodded his head. "Here's our praying mantis, Zha." Zha looked at Quicai and then to Zhu and shaked his head at the monkey, who was still trying to make himself look impressive. "And lastly, our snake, Duye." Duye hissed at Quicai, and Quicai backed up a bit. "Don't be scared, Qucai. She hates strangers. And she won't bite. Unless I tell her to." SikoYama says, and Quicai gets a little more nervous.
"I'm going to go meditate near the Peach Tree, Gequ, you're in charge of the Jade Palace until I'm back." "Yes, Master." Gequ bows. "Hey, how come she's always the one watching over us? Can't I be in charge for once?" Duye exclaimed, and SikoYama looked to her. "Because Gequ here is the most responsible out of all your lot, and I trust her with the Palace more than any of you. Now. Training is dismissed, you're free for the day." He turns to Quicai. "You may stay here for as long as you like, and if you need we'll help you get on your feet in a settlement here in the Valley of Peace." "Thank you, Master Korkai." "Don't mention it." SikoYama walks out the door, and everybody walks to their own buisness.
Quicai headed first to the nearest bathroom, as he needed to go really badly. He reached the room, and saw the door closed, and checked to see if it was locked. Nope. He opened the door to see Zha in about to go to the bathroom, and they both looked at each other and screamed. "What the hell are you doing in here?!" Zha excalimed, with Quicai replying "I was going to go to the bathroom, what the hell are you doing in here?!" "The same!" "Is there another bathroom?" "I don't know!" "Damn! Well okay, I'm out!" "Please do get out, I'm really picky about privacy!" "Got it!" "Alright, go out!" "I am!" "Good!" "Great! "Fantastic!" "Splendid!" "Bossa-nova!" "Bossa-nova? What the hell is that?" "Alright. How about bodacious?" "That's better." "Now get out!" "Alright!" Quicai closes the door walking out and looks to find another bathroom.
Meanwhile, by the Peach Tree, SikoYama starts to meditate slowly until he starts to fade into a rather spiritual place, and he is surrounded by masters of the past, Shifu, Oogway, and lastly, Po. "Hello." SikoYama says, and the others nod besides from Po, who's stomach growls. "Who'd think I would still be hungry in the afterlife..." Po mutters, and looks to SikoYama. "Oh, hi." "See you're as unsophisticated as ever." "I don't like being all high and mighty. I'm just... Po." "Alright, got it. So. What's going on here?" "Well we have an important matter to discuss above all," Oogway says, and Shifu nods and looks to SikoYama. "You know when Po died the title of Dragon Warrior was spiritually passed to a child born on the exact second after his death, with the energy choice hiding until the middle of his or her's 22nd year, correct?" "Yes." "Well that time has come today." SikoYama smiled. "So who is it, and where are they located?" "As for location, they're residing in the Jade Palace right now!" Oogway said, and SikoYama tensed. "One of my warriors! To think that! Which one? I wouldn't be surprised if it was Feixing." "Actually, no, it isn't. Po, would you do the honors?" Po was dozing off on the rock he was sitting on, and then woke. "Wait, what?" "Tell Korkai your succesor as Dragon Warrior!" "Oh, yeah. The guy replacing me is..."
Gequ sat in her room, reading the newest newspaper of China, as the printed press had been discovered 33 years prior*, and was reading about how the disbanded Croc Bandits of old were trying to make a comeback but were thwarted by the Task Force. "Stupid crocs." she muttered, and there was a knock on her door. "Come in." Quicai entered, and Gequ sighed. "What do you want?" "I just want to say thank you for buying me from that horrid Baojun. He made my life miserable." "Don't mention it." As Gequ said that last line, a bell rang in the distance of the Jade Palace's courtyard, and Gequ's ears sprang up and her eyes widened. "Master only rings that bell on urgent matters. You should come too, this may be really important and you might want to see it." Quicai nodded and they both ran out.
The Five rebanded in the courtyard straight in front of their Master, while Quicai stood on the steps watching what was going on. "I have urgent news from our masters in the spirit world as to the future of China, I felt I should not alert the members of China yet because I don't feel it neccesary until I'm done speaking." "Well what is it then?" Feixing asked, and SikoYama straightened. "They have found who the new Dragon Warrior is." Everybody there, including Quicai, were stunned at the news. "And it came to my attention it is one of you." The Five tensed and stared. "Who here is it? Tell me Master, please let it be me!" Duye yelled, and SikoYama looked to her. "It's not you." "Damn it!" she yelled, and sulked. SikoYama looked to each of the Five. "It is..." SikoYama walked past the tense Five, and pointed to Quicai.
"It's you, Quicai. Or should I say, Dragon Warrior."