Title: The Master's Instructions
Fandom: Kung Fu Panda
Rating: G
Length: 398
Author notes: Also written for Challenge #04: The Table of Doom!!! (Phase 3)
Warning: None.
Summary: Master Shifu calls his most talented, yet, laziest pupil, to visit him one morning.



Po stayed silent, as he was instructed, while he watched his master at work. Master Shifu moved elegantly, each action slow and controlled as his breath was released in methodical bursts. To anyone else it might look like the trainer of the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior was doing a complex dance, but after years of training in the art of Kung Fu, Po was happy to note that it seemed easy enough to pick up… if he squinted.

Once Master Shifu completed the movement, his eyes opened and he looked at Po expectantly. “Now you.”

Po gulped. “Who? Me? But what you did there was so… so…”

“Difficult?” Master Shifu deadpanned.

“I was going to say… kinda difficult. Yup. Kinda. Not really difficult.” Po smiled sheepishly.

With a low sigh, the Master hopped onto a rock so that he was on Po’s eye level. “Do you know what today is, Po?”

“Um… Thursday?” At Master Shifu’s unimpressed expression, he thought harder. “The day of the Fire Festival?” Master Shifu stayed silent. “The day… Kung Fu came into being?” Still nothing. “Ooh. I know. I know,” Po began excitedly. “Dumpling Day?”

Again, the Master sighed. “Today is when you will be venerated by the Emperor at Tiananmen Square.”

Po deflated. “Oh. Yeah. That.”

“You remember what I taught you?”

Sadly, Po nodded. “Don’t go towards anything shiny, don’t ask the Emperor to listen to my jokes, don’t try to eat all the steam buns, don’t try to do any impressions…”

“Basically, don’t do what you would normally do, for a few hours. Can you handle that?”

Po nodded once again, the thought of trying to keep himself contained being a daunting one. “Yes, Master.”

“Good. Now, go train. We must start for the capital before noon.”

Po turned to leave, his head hanging low and his shoulders slumping in disappointment when Master Shifu called out his name.

“Po!” He waited until the panda turned towards him to smile sincerely. “I’m proud of you.”

A large grin split Po’s lips before he was right back to his old self. “Thank you, Master.” He bowed low and bumped his forehead against the ground. “Ow. Hehe. Sorry.” He started to back-track. “I’ll go train now.”

Master Shifu watched him leave before he let out a low groan. Maybe next time, he should withhold the praise until after Po behaves himself.