Jade Palace

Author's Note: I bet you thought I had abandoned this! Haha, well, no. Just a few clarifications: yes, I am a furry, and so is everyone else—the only difference is that I admit it. Another thing, this world is already finished, it's about 13k words in total, but I'll upload it in 5 parts throughout this week. I could upload it faster if you show support and leave a comment. And lastly, if you find any flaws in the world's logic or the characters, this image will clear up all your doubts:

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[Jade Palace – 11:00 am]

"CRACK!" The sharp sound of wood breaking echoes through the Jade Palace training hall. Tigress, her pupils narrowed into slits, breathes heavily as pieces of the wooden dummy fall to the floor.

"Wrong! Again!" Shifu's authoritative voice resounds through the hall. His arms are crossed, brow furrowed, as he watches his student lose control and destroy yet another dummy.

A group of geese rushes in with fresh dummies, placing them in position. Tigress, breathing deeply, throws a punch followed by a kick. "CRACK! CRACK!" The result is the same: the dummies shatter, scattering pieces across the floor.

"GRR!" A growl escapes from Tigress as frustration begins to consume her.

"WRONG! Again!" Tigress grits her teeth, trying to keep her frustration in check.

"Master," Tigress says through clenched teeth, struggling to keep her voice calm, "with all due respect, I don't understand the need for this. I believe I'm more than capable of defeating my opponents."

Shifu, ever stern, locks his gaze on Tigress. "Tigress, in your current state, you're not capable of defeating your enemies… only killing them. If I send you on a mission like this, every one of them will end with a pile of corpses."

Tigress blinks, shocked by her master's blunt words.

Shifu lets out a long sigh, and his expression softens. "Have you forgotten, Tigress? A true kung fu master does not live to take lives, but to protect them. While combat may lead to death, its goal is defense, not destruction."

A pang of shame spreads through Tigress's chest. She knows he's right. She lowers her gaze to the floor, feeling the weight of guilt on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Master. I'll try harder."

Tigress bows deeply, her muscles tense as the accumulated frustration burns inside her. Shifu watches in silence, knowing that his student is fighting a far more difficult internal battle than any training could provide.

Tigress has always struggled to keep her emotions in check. Since she was young, Shifu tried to mold her into a disciplined warrior, focused on precision and balance in every move. But for Tigress, that strict discipline was a constant struggle. Instead of strengthening her, it made her feel trapped, as if she were betraying her true nature. What was meant to be her strength had become a cage.

Everything changed after her confrontation with Boar, alongside the Furious Five. It was during that battle that she discovered her true style: the tiger style. In the midst of the chaos and adrenaline, she found a way of fighting that resonated with her spirit. Every swipe, every kick, was an extension of her being: fierce, wild, and in complete harmony with her instincts.

However, that style came at a price. While it was perfect for her, it was also overly destructive. Tigress lost control too easily, and her overflowing emotions made her forget to gauge the strength of her blows. What should have been just a defeat for her enemies sometimes ended in something much more fatal.

This wasn't a problem when dealing with bandits or criminals, but on missions where death wasn't an option, the need for control became crucial. Balancing her ferocity with the discipline that Shifu had always taught her was her greatest challenge. And so far, that balance remained out of reach.

Shifu's deep thoughts are cut short by a shout that echoes in the hall just as they are about to resume training. "MASTER SHIFU!" A goose bursts into the training hall, flapping its wings nervously.

"What!?" Shifu shouts, clearly annoyed by the interruption. The goose shrinks back, hesitant. "We have a problem, Master. There's... an unknown species at the Jade Palace's door, and it's asking to speak with the masters. It says it has… business with the Jade Palace."

Shifu is about to order the goose to dismiss the stranger, but he pauses when he hears "unknown species." That catches his attention. It was extremely rare, almost impossible, for a new species to appear. The Jade Palace had seen all kinds of creatures. How strange must this one be for the goose to fail to recognize or at least identify what species it belonged to?

"Rest," Shifu says to Tigress before heading out to investigate.

"Yes, Master." Tigress gives a slight bow as Shifu leaves. However, instead of resting, she decides to follow him silently, curious to see what kind of creature it could be. Her fellow students, equally intrigued, abandon their training and follow her, trailing Shifu toward the palace entrance.

Upon arrival, Shifu stops. In front of him, as the goose had reported, stands an unknown creature: a bipedal figure, almost entirely bald, except for some fur on its head. Shifu frowns. He had never seen anything like it. His eyes fall on the creature's hands, observing its long, slender fingers, wondering if it could be a relative of the monkeys. But the lack of a tail ruled that out. Then, he considers if it could be a strange variant of gorilla—much thinner and without fur.

The creature, seeing Shifu, bows respectfully. "I offer my respects to Master Shifu," it says in a firm voice. Then, it slightly tilts its head. "And to the Great Master Oogway."

Shifu's frown softens, and he turns, surprised. "Master Oogway? What are you doing here?"

Oogway, as calm as always, looks at him. "I heard that a new species had appeared in the Valley of Peace," he replies, gazing at the creature with interest. "It's magnificent," he comments, letting out a small laugh. "At my age, I thought there would be no more surprises, but here we are, facing a species I've never seen before."

"Tell me, young one, what kind of creature are you?" Oogway asks with the kind voice only a grandfather could have. Beside him, Shifu watches closely, while Tigress and her companions remain hidden behind a door in the corridor, attentively waiting for the answer.

"I am a human, Great Master Oogway," the stranger responds without hesitation.

"I see, a human," Oogway says, nodding slowly. "I've never heard of humans."

"That's normal," the human replies calmly. "I'm the only one in this world."

Neither Oogway nor Shifu detect any falsehood in his words, nor do they sense any sadness in his tone. They both assume the human has accepted his situation and is at peace with being the last of his kind. However, they can't help but feel that it's tragic.

Oogway sighs softly. "That is unfortunate. I'm sorry for your people."

"Don't worry," the human replies with a slight smile. "I'm okay with it."

Oogway, curious about the human's presence at the palace, speaks again. "Tell me, young one, what brings you to the Jade Palace?"

The human places a hand on his chest, taking on the confident stance of a salesman. "My name is Aiden. I've come to offer my babysitting services to the Jade Palace."

The silence is palpable. Oogway, Shifu, their students, and several palace staff are left speechless.

"Who told you that the Jade Palace needs your babysitting services?" Shifu asks, incredulous at what he has just heard.

Aiden, with a knowing smile and moving his hands theatrically, replies, "Fate." Then, he turns his head, his eyes locking onto Tigress, who is watching from her hiding spot. "Fate told me that one of the students here needed my services."

"Ssshh!" Tigress hisses, realizing the human was referring to her, while her companions seize the opportunity to laugh at the situation.

"HA HA HA! Here comes Tigress's babysitter!" mocks Momo, falling backward as he laughs his ass off.

Shifu, understanding the human's intentions, is incredulous. "Tigress? You're way off." He shakes his head. "Tigress isn't a child who needs babysitting anymore. If that's your business with the Jade Palace, you've wasted your time coming here."

However, Aiden stops him with a gesture. "Ah, but my services aren't just babysitting," he says, raising a finger in a wait signal. "I'm also a combat master, chef, craftsman, carpenter, masseuse, locksmith, violinist, lawyer..." Aiden continues listing more professions.

Shifu interrupts him, surprised that the human can lie so easily to his face and get away with it. "This is ridiculous! No one can be a master of everything!"

On the other hand, Oogway nods slowly. "I see. Could you check my shoulder? It's been feeling numb lately." As he speaks, he slightly turns his shoulder toward Aiden, indicating the area in question.

Shifu is about to lose his patience. "Master, you can't believe him! He's a fraud!"

Aiden, not wasting any time, replies, "Of course I can." He quickly slips behind Oogway and begins to massage his shoulder.

"Ahh..." Oogway lets out in a relaxed tone. "Well, I believe him," he adds, moving his shoulder and feeling like he's a hundred years younger just from that massage.

"And if I'm not mistaken, you have a student who's stalled in their training because they can't control their strength, right?" Oogway says, looking at Shifu with a smile. It pains Shifu to hear that from his master.

"Master, I wouldn't trust the training of Tigress to a fraud!" protests Shifu, clearly angry but trying to maintain respect.

"HE'S RIGHT!" Tigress screams, coming out of her hiding place, fed up with this spectacle. "This guy can't teach me anything that Master Shifu can't!" She shoots a challenging look at Aiden while her companions escape upon realizing they've been discovered.

"Tigress!" Shifu interjects, his tone severe. "Don't interrupt and show respect to your masters."

Embarrassed, Tigress steps back, clearly annoyed with herself for losing control... yet again.

"I see that both you and your student have many doubts..." Oogway strokes his chin thoughtfully. "Why don't we put him to the test?" he suggests. "That way we can see if he really has the necessary skills."

Shifu hesitates for a moment, wanting to complain, but ultimately agrees to avoid further questioning his master. "Tigress, you'll face our guest."

"Show what the Jade Palace is capable of," Shifu orders firmly.

"Yes, Master. I won't let you down," Tigress replies, moving toward the platform, her eyes locked on the human, who watches her intently.

With both in position, Shifu gives the signal.

"Begin!"

As soon as they get the signal, Tigress launches into the attack with surprising speed. Her strikes are quick and powerful, aimed directly at Aiden, but he barely flinches. With fluid movements, he deflects each of Tigress's attacks effortlessly.

"Is that all you've got?" Aiden jokes, brushing off another blow with a mocking smile. "Such wasted strength." Aiden shakes his head as if he's disappointed.

Frustrated, Tigress growls and increases the intensity of her attacks. Now they're stronger, faster... and much more reckless.

"Tigress, focus!" Shifu shouts, but his words fall on deaf ears. Fury clouds Tigress's judgment, and she keeps attacking thoughtlessly. Taking advantage of a moment of carelessness, Aiden executes a swift sweeping kick that sends her crashing to the ground awkwardly.

Without wasting a moment, Tigress gets up, furious, and faces him.

"Come on, kitty!" Aiden taunts while beckoning her with a finger to come closer.

"Tigress, don't let him provoke you!" Shifu warns again, but she still doesn't listen. Tigress lunges at Aiden once more, blinded by anger.

Aiden continues to deflect her attacks with calm movements, growing less impressed. After a while, he decides he's played with her long enough. With a slight twist, he adopts the "Water Stream" stance. His movements change, flowing like water. His hands emit a faint blue glow as he performs a series of precise strikes that impact Tigress's body. Each hit seems to shake her until, finally, she's sent flying backward, off the platform.

Everyone falls silent, including Shifu and his other students, who had returned after the fight, as well as the palace servants, witnessing Tigress's defeat in such a simple manner.

"I guess the human wins," Oogway comments with a smile.

Author's Note: If anyone is wondering about the change in the MC's attitude, I believe that different characters require different attitudes or tactics, or at least that's how I see it.