Our favorite dragon warrior, Po, the big bumbling panda took a break from the Jade Palace one day and walk around in the village to check up on his dad Mr. Ping the soup cooker. The villagers greeted their hero as he was headed over to the old soup house. When he got there, he found Mr. Ping outside putting up a sign on the wall. "Dad what are you doing?"
"Oh there you are son!" Mr. Ping said turning to face his son just as soon as he got done putting up the sign. "I'm holding a singing contest tonight." Po shifted his eyes and glaze around. His father put up signs everywhere in the village and saw the villagers taking a peak interest about the competition. "A singing contest?" He said growing a smile across his face. When he wasn't dreaming about kung fu and becoming the master of kung fu (which he now was) Po's favorite thing to do was to sing. He always wanted to participate in a singing competition, but he never sang out in public before, or in front of his dad when he wasn't working selling noodles. He thought it was too embarrassing. A big fat panda singing? It didn't sound so kung fu-ey anymore now that Po was a hero among the valley, but this was now his chance to experience how he feels. If he can believe in himself about being the true hero, he can do the same for his secret interest; singing!
"I gotta go tell Master Shifu and the Furious Five!" He said excitedly and tore off the sign from the wall. He dashed holding the sign in his hands as he race up towards the stairs. Meanwhile Master Shifu was inside the palace watching his students working out in the training hall. "MASTER!" Po's voice rang out. He burst the doors out open with a bang. "Panda? What are you—" Shifu said in mid sentence. The panda was cover in sweat from running from the long stairs. "I….heh…whew! Stairs." "This better be important Po. We were in the middle of training." Shifu replied. The furious five stop what they were doing and glare at Po. The giant panda gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Sorry…but look you guys!" He said showing them a sign drawn into fine art with wonderful hand printing. "My dad is holding a singing contest..tonight!" The five drawn blank faces at the panda. "Singing contest?" Crane replied.
"Yeah isn't that awesome!? There's gonna be a lot of competition and—"
"Panda enough! We got better things to do than to perform a silly competition." Shifu added, but the furious five liked the idea about singing besides working on their butts all day for traning.
"Actually, that singing contest doesn't sound like such a bad idea." Said Mantis. Viper and Monkey nodded, agreeing to Mantis' comment. Even the serious student of them all, Tigress, didn't thought the singing contest wasn't such a bad idea either. It would help clear her mind all day after many hours of training and working out. Shifu sighed shaking his head in disappointed. "So you'll come?" Po says to the furious five, smiling. "Absolutely!" Said Monkey. Po grinned happily like a little cub at a candy store. "Ah sweet! This is gonna be awesome! I—" He started saying, but paused in his sentence when he notice behind the five, that master Shifu was leaving. Po excused himself outta their way and follows the elderly red panda. "Shifu? Shifu what's wrong?" Shifu kept quietly taking a walk while Po followed him behind, then he stop. "Why do you wanna do this?" The panda was confused by his master's comment. "Do what?" He questioned him. "The singing."
Po stop in his tracks, fiddling with his thumbs. "Well ummm…because…because…because it would mean the universe to me if you can go. Everyone else is going, the five are." Shifu's ears lowered down. "I'm sorry Po, but I cannot go." Po blinked in surprise. "Why not?" He had to asked. Shifu turned his back at him. "Because I don't sing." He said and without another word he left. Po stood still in his tracks, watching sadly as his master left the room. Later when it got dark, the competition was heating up. Po sat backstage peeking through the curtains, watching as the other animals singing. They were so good and talented, Po began to start shaking. "Son what's the matter?" Mr. Ping asked checking in to see how Po was doing. "I can't do it dad! I can't go out there!" He cried. The old goose was confused. "What?! But why not? I thought you wanted to do this!" "I do dad, but….it's not the same! Shifu didn't wanna come and I don't see the furious five anywhere! I thought they were gonna support me." He said sadly, his small panda ears drooping down. "Don't be too sure Po. Take another look." Po did so, taking a quick peek and saw the furious five arriving taking their seats together in a straight line at the front row. He gasped. "They came! They're here! But…"
"But what?" Mr. Ping asked again, but Po didn't answer this time. "Son, what if I told you your master was here?"
"He is?!" Says Po, but the old goose shooked his head no. "No I said IF! Pretend he's out there right now sitting with the five. Then you won't be so nervous." Po heaved a small sad sigh, He didn't know how that was gonna help him make it through the competition, but at least his friends arrive to support them…at a late time. "Okay dad. I'll try." Mr. Ping smiled at the big panda and handed him his mic. "Good! Now go out there and make me proud! You're next!"
"Right! Pretend master Shifu is there and everything will be all right, I—aww who am I kidding?! Shifu's never gonna show up." Po thought to himself feeling frustrated. After the last performer was done, Po stood still listening to his father giving out one more announcement about him. Po took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Just remand calm. You'll do fine."
When he open his eyes, the curtains were now open and he can see straight at the audience. He took a quick look at the furious five, who were sitting in the front row smiling and giving a thumbs up at him. He nervously chuckle underneath his breathe and gave a small wave at them, then turn his focus back at the audience. "Good evening everyone. Umm…I'm glad you're all here today." He announced. "Here? Heh yeah right! Everyone expect Shifu." Po bit his lower lip and looked back at the audience; still no sigh of master Shifu. "Keep it together. Don't back down!" Po said to himself inside his head, then got his focus back. "Umm…this song I'm gonna perform to ya is about believing in yourself and taking chances." He shifted his eye towards the music player, hinting him that he was ready. Po closed his eyes for a minute, trying to relax once the music started playing. "Here goes nothing." He said to himself, then open his eyes staring back at the audience and starts singing.
I've always been the kind of boy that hid my face, so afraid to tell
The world to what I've got to say, but I have this dream bright
Inside of me, I'm gonna let it show it's time to let you know, to let you know…
This is real, this is me I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now,
Gonna let the light shine on me, now I've found who I am,
There's no way to hold it in, no more hiding who I want to be,
This is me
Tigress and the others started taking an interest watching their friend singing to them and millions of others. Everyone liked his singing so much they started getting into it too. It never felt so good to let it all out before.
Do you know what it's like to feel so in the dark? To dream about a life
where you're the shining star. Even thought it seems like it's too far away
I have to believe in myself, it's the only way.
This is real, this is me I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now,
Gonna let the light shine on me, now I've found who I am,
There's no way to hold it in, no more hiding who I want to be,
This is me!!
When the chorus came to a break with the music still playing, Po looked back at the audience. Not a sight of the red panda anywhere. The poor giant panda felt bad about himself and frowned. He shouldn't had bother asking him to joined. He blamed himself. He turn to his right getting ready to leave the stage. Po was on his way to tell the music player to stop the song, but then he stop as his ears sensed a small sounding of footsteps coming onto the same stage with him. He slowly turn around to see who it was. An elderly red panda stepped in the audience with him holding his own mic. Po dropped his mouth open in shocked. "M-m-master Shifu?!"
You're the voice I hear inside my head the reason that I'm
Singing I need to find you, I gotta find you.
You're the missing piece I need the song inside of me I need
To find you. I gotta find you.
Po smiled big time watching his master singing to him. "He's here! He's finally here…with me!!" He sniffed up a tear, trying to prevent it from shedding. "Don't cry man! Shifu doesn't like it when you cry!" Po walk closer to his master and sang along with him.
This is real, this is me I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now
Gonna let the light shine on me, now I've found who I am,
There's no way to hold it in, no more hiding who I want to be
This is me!!
Shifu haven't noticed the happy tears in Po's eyes, but he ignored that. He wouldn't miss his big chance to watch the dragon warrior performing for the villagers and the furious five. Singing along with him would boost up the support. The two of them glance at each other in the eyes once they continue singing and reaching the end of their song.
This is me, this is me
You're the missing piece I need the song inside of me.
You're the voice I hear inside my head the reason why I'm singing.
Now I've found who I am there's no way to hold it in, no more hiding
Who I want to be, this is me.
After the song was done, the audience was amazed by the dragon warrior's singing. The rose up from their seats all together and applauded, with some big woot woots and whistles. Po look back down at his master. "Thank you for coming master. I thought you said you couldn't sing." Shifu chuckled at his student. "No I said don't, I never said I couldn't sing." Po kneel down on one knee and threw his arms wide open, hugging his master. "Time to announce the winners!!" Squat Mr. Ping, stepping up onto the stage helding a scroll on his wing. "And the winner for first place goes to…." Mr. Ping says opening up the scroll to check on the big top prize winning singer. "…my son Po and his master!" The audience cheer louder than ever with a big round of applauding. Po's heart stop in a heartbeat; his paws shaking. "We've—we've won?! WE WON!! WOOOT!!" He said with excitement, jumping up and down. "Well done Po." Shifu replied. Mr. Ping handed his son the prize; a golden statue of a dragon standing on a taijitu playing a flute with musical number notes floating out of the flute. Po stare at the magical wonders of his beautiful prize. "THANK YOU!!" He squeal in a pitchy voice, having tears stroking down from his eyes. Shifu kicked him on the foot. "Don't cry! Dragon warriors never cry in public!" He mutters angrily at the panda.
"I never stop believing! Thank you! Thank you! I wanna thank my friends and my dad for showing me their support.." He said holding onto his beloved prize. "But most of all, I wanna thank Master Shifu. I couldn't have done it without you!" Shifu looked upon at his student, seeing a winkle in the panda's eyes. It was a happy evening for them all!
End
Author's Notes: Just to point out to everyone the song I used in the story is from Camp Rock. I change the word girl into boy to make it more sense cause Po was singing it and I thought it fit perfectly with him. Thank you for taking your time to read this.
