The Arc Clan: Ren's Master Po (Revised and Final)
AndrewJTalon
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The Beacon courtyard was a tranquil haven, dappled with the fading light of dusk, the air carrying the faint scent of blooming flowers. Lie Ren sat cross-legged on the grass, his eyes closed, his breathing steady, the picture of serene meditation. Beside him, Jaune Arc was decidedly less serene, wobbling precariously on his head at Ren's insistence, his blond hair splayed out and his face flushed red from effort.
His hoodie bunched awkwardly under his armor as he groaned, "Gah… uh… you sure you trained like this, Ren?"
"Very sure," Ren replied, his voice calm, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Nnnngh… how do you achieve inner peace standing on your head?!" Jaune grumbled, his arms shaking as he fought to balance.
"Practice," Ren said, his tone even, his magenta eyes still closed.
Jaune scowled, his voice laced with exasperation. "Like not getting upset over your teacher making you do ridiculous things?"
Ren's smile grew, subtle but genuine. "Exactly."
A booming laugh shattered the quiet, rich and warm. "Hahaha! Oh man, I remember that! Shifu put me through that all the time at the start!"
Ren's eyes snapped open, his calm fracturing as he sprang to his feet, turning toward the voice. Jaune, still upside-down, craned his neck awkwardly, catching sight of a portly Panda Faunus in elegant green robes, a conical hat perched on his head, a wooden staff in hand. His teeth gleamed under the fading light, his grin wide and infectious.
Ren's hands clasped in a respectful fist-over-palm salute, bowing deeply. "Master Po! I-I did not know you were coming!"
Po's grin widened, his eyes twinkling. "Well, I was in the area. I wanted to see how you were doing." He glanced at Jaune, still wobbling. "Your student?"
Ren straightened, his voice steady but warm. "He is my team leader… and friend."
Po's smile grew, his staff tapping the ground. Jaune, with a grunt, flipped off his head, landing with a stumble before offering a bright grin. "I'm Jaune Arc!"
Po bowed, his robes rustling. "I'm Po! Ren was my student!"
Jaune's eyes widened, his voice curious. "So, wait, you're… a kung fu master?"
Po chuckled, his tone humble. "I'm called a master, but you never truly master anything. You learn something new every day…"
Jaune nodded, his grin thoughtful. "Huh… sounds familiar."
"Now!" Po clapped his hands, his stomach growling loudly. "Let's catch up… at the cafeteria."
The Beacon cafeteria was a bustling chaos of clattering trays and student chatter, but the arrival of Teams RWBY and JNPR turned heads. Nora Valkyrie led the charge, her turquoise eyes blazing with excitement as she spotted Po. "PO!" she shrieked, launching herself at him in a tackle-hug that sent the Panda Faunus crashing to the floor with a laugh.
"HAHAHA! Nora! I missed you too!" Po roared, his staff clattering as he hugged her back.
"How's Old Tavish?!" Nora demanded, bouncing on her heels.
"He's doing well!" Po said, climbing to his feet. "Still blowing things up, but happy in retirement. He was really excited over you blowing up a Deathstalker!"
"YAY!" Nora cheered, fist-pumping.
Ren quickly introduced Po to the others, his voice calm but proud. Yang Xiao Long, leaning against a table, raised a skeptical eyebrow, her lilac eyes glinting. "You're Zen's master?"
Po, happily munching a meat bun, nodded. "Mmhm! Hnnn… they're way too salty."
Ren's voice was soft but firm. "I agree, Master."
Nora beamed, her voice bright. "Yeah! Ren's pork buns are way better!"
Po grinned, swallowing. "He was very good at those. I also taught him cooking!"
Yang's eyebrow arched higher. "Uh huh…"
Weiss Schnee, arms crossed, frowned. "You just seem… very unlike what we expected."
Yang snorted, her voice teasing. "I mean, can you even run a mile?"
Ren's eyes narrowed, a rare scowl breaking his calm. "Yang! This man took me and Nora into his home! He trained me!"
Yang raised her hands, her grin faltering. "Hey, hey! I'm sorry! No offense meant—!"
Po held up a paw, his voice gentle. "Ren. It's all right."
Ren's scowl lingered, but he forced himself to relax, the outburst startling everyone.
Po's grin softened, his tone reflective. "Heh. Nobody thought I was cut out to be a kung fu master when I started, either. Me least of all. But! It turns out appearances can be deceiving. Not that it was easy. I sucked. I sucked hard, at the start. But eventually… with enough hard work… you realize you can stop sucking."
He held out his paw, and the pork buns in a nearby bowl glowed with his Aura, rising up into the air. The teams gaped as the buns floated in a graceful orbit above Po's head, then behind him, his control effortless.
"But only if you believe you can be more than what you appear to be," he said, waving his hand to guide the buns back into the bowl.
Yang stared, then grinned wide. "Can you teach me that?"
Po laughed. "Maybe! Right now, I gotta make some real food. Come on, Ren! We're commandeering the kitchen! Let's make you and your friends a real dinner! We'll be right back!"
"Yes, Master," Ren said, following Po into the kitchen.
The cafeteria kitchen was nearly empty, the staff unbothered by the intrusion. Po set to work, his paws a blur as he kneaded dough and chopped vegetables, while Ren assisted, his movements precise but heavy with unspoken weight. As Po started a pot of broth, Ren sighed, his voice low.
"I'm sorry, Master. I shouldn't… I shouldn't have lost my temper. I don't have any right to defend you or… or anything. Not after what I did."
Po glanced at him, his tone curious as he rolled out noodles. "Hm? And what did you do?"
Ren's head bowed, his hands kneading dough. "I… I left. With Nora."
"Yeah," Po said, his voice light. "And why?"
"I wanted to be a Hunter… and…" Ren's voice faltered.
Po raised an eyebrow, frying noodles with a sizzle. "And?"
"... Get justice for my family," Ren admitted, his voice barely audible.
Po nodded, his tone warm but firm as he stirred pork into the broth. "Wanting justice isn't a bad thing, Ren. I wanted justice for my family, too. And being a Hunter is a wonderful thing! Protecting and saving people, pow pow pow! That's great! We're very proud of you both, all of us!"
Ren's lips twitched into a small smile, but Po's expression grew somber.
"But vengeance… vengeance is not the way to do it."
Ren's hands stilled. "I shouldn't kill that monster?"
"I didn't say that," Po said, his voice gentle but pointed. "What I did say… is that you shouldn't go into a fight not caring if you come back alive."
Ren froze, his breath catching.
Po's eyes softened, his tone heavy. "Hey. My masters did the whole 'I can see into your mind' thing with me, too. I was amazed and annoyed by it, like, all the time… Your dough's getting dry."
Ren blinked, adding a pinch of water to the dough, his hands moving mechanically. "Ah…"
"You know," Po said, pouring pork and broth into buns with aura-fueled precision, "it was a very sad day when you two left. You were really good, Ren. Amazing, even. One day, you could be better than me."
Ren's eyes widened, his voice a whisper. "I-I could never be the Dragon Warrior—"
"Heh," Po chuckled, sealing the buns with a flick of aura. "And that's what I said, too." He slid the tray into the oven, his voice softening. "For me? It was doubting I was anything more than some fat dummy raised by the best cook in the Valley of Peace. For you? It's fear and anger."
Ren's jaw tightened. "I don't fear—"
"You fear, Ren," Po cut in, his eyes locking onto Ren's. "Come on. Be honest. You fear getting too close to anyone because you think you're going to die." His voice dropped, heavy with truth. "Because part of you feels you deserve to."
Ren's breath hitched, his eyes dropping to the counter. "…Shouldn't I?"
Po's paw rested on Ren's shoulder, firm and warm. "Wha—of course not, Ren! It's not your fault the Nuckelavee killed everyone, any more than it's my fault some crazy peacock attacked my village!" He turned Ren to face the cafeteria, where Nora was animatedly recounting tales of the Valley of Peace, her eyes catching Ren's with a radiant smile. "And most importantly, you saved Nora."
Ren's gaze softened, his voice a whisper. "…I did…"
Po's grin returned, gentle but firm. "She cares for you, Ren. Loves you. And you don't want to break her heart, do you?"
"…I do not," Ren said, his voice steady but raw.
"Or the hearts of your friends, right?" Po said, pointing out at the teams. Ren slowly shook his head.
"No."
"Or our hearts?" Po asked, looking very solemn. Ren slowly shook his head, his voice catching.
"No… But…"
Po nodded as he let go of Ren, pulling the buns from the oven, their aroma filling the kitchen. "Yeah. I get it. And hey, one conversation doesn't fix everything. That's just in movies." He levitated a bun with his aura, grinning. "But it's like my dad said: It's like pork buns."
Ren blinked. "Pork buns?"
"Every single pork bun adds up," Po said, popping the bun into his mouth, then yelping, "AH! HOT HOT HOT! TOO HOT!" He fanned his mouth, his eyes watering, but his grin held.
"You eat one on your own, eh, it's just a meal. Even if they taste really, really good. But! Keep making pork buns, and more people come in. They pay you to make more if you make 'em good enough. They come to eat, and talk, and you meet great people. You become friends. Even family. And after a while, the pork buns aren't just pork buns. They're every happy meal, every satisfied customer, all your happy memories."
Ren's lips curved into a rare, genuine smile, his eyes soft. "…Master… I'm sorry I left you in
anger."
Po swallowed the bun, his grin wide. "Eh… as long as you don't come back to take revenge on everyone, you're good. Just like…" He popped another bun into his mouth, sighing happily in bliss. "This pork bun."
Ren smiled back at his master. Soft, still guarded, but the warmth was still there. Po nodded back.
"Now, let's have dinner with your friends," Po said cheerfully. "We want to make more happy memories!"
"Yes Master."
His hoodie bunched awkwardly under his armor as he groaned, "Gah… uh… you sure you trained like this, Ren?"
"Very sure," Ren replied, his voice calm, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Nnnngh… how do you achieve inner peace standing on your head?!" Jaune grumbled, his arms shaking as he fought to balance.
"Practice," Ren said, his tone even, his magenta eyes still closed.
Jaune scowled, his voice laced with exasperation. "Like not getting upset over your teacher making you do ridiculous things?"
Ren's smile grew, subtle but genuine. "Exactly."
A booming laugh shattered the quiet, rich and warm. "Hahaha! Oh man, I remember that! Shifu put me through that all the time at the start!"
Ren's eyes snapped open, his calm fracturing as he sprang to his feet, turning toward the voice. Jaune, still upside-down, craned his neck awkwardly, catching sight of a portly Panda Faunus in elegant green robes, a conical hat perched on his head, a wooden staff in hand. His teeth gleamed under the fading light, his grin wide and infectious.
Ren's hands clasped in a respectful fist-over-palm salute, bowing deeply. "Master Po! I-I did not know you were coming!"
Po's grin widened, his eyes twinkling. "Well, I was in the area. I wanted to see how you were doing." He glanced at Jaune, still wobbling. "Your student?"
Ren straightened, his voice steady but warm. "He is my team leader… and friend."
Po's smile grew, his staff tapping the ground. Jaune, with a grunt, flipped off his head, landing with a stumble before offering a bright grin. "I'm Jaune Arc!"
Po bowed, his robes rustling. "I'm Po! Ren was my student!"
Jaune's eyes widened, his voice curious. "So, wait, you're… a kung fu master?"
Po chuckled, his tone humble. "I'm called a master, but you never truly master anything. You learn something new every day…"
Jaune nodded, his grin thoughtful. "Huh… sounds familiar."
"Now!" Po clapped his hands, his stomach growling loudly. "Let's catch up… at the cafeteria."
The Beacon cafeteria was a bustling chaos of clattering trays and student chatter, but the arrival of Teams RWBY and JNPR turned heads. Nora Valkyrie led the charge, her turquoise eyes blazing with excitement as she spotted Po. "PO!" she shrieked, launching herself at him in a tackle-hug that sent the Panda Faunus crashing to the floor with a laugh.
"HAHAHA! Nora! I missed you too!" Po roared, his staff clattering as he hugged her back.
"How's Old Tavish?!" Nora demanded, bouncing on her heels.
"He's doing well!" Po said, climbing to his feet. "Still blowing things up, but happy in retirement. He was really excited over you blowing up a Deathstalker!"
"YAY!" Nora cheered, fist-pumping.
Ren quickly introduced Po to the others, his voice calm but proud. Yang Xiao Long, leaning against a table, raised a skeptical eyebrow, her lilac eyes glinting. "You're Zen's master?"
Po, happily munching a meat bun, nodded. "Mmhm! Hnnn… they're way too salty."
Ren's voice was soft but firm. "I agree, Master."
Nora beamed, her voice bright. "Yeah! Ren's pork buns are way better!"
Po grinned, swallowing. "He was very good at those. I also taught him cooking!"
Yang's eyebrow arched higher. "Uh huh…"
Weiss Schnee, arms crossed, frowned. "You just seem… very unlike what we expected."
Yang snorted, her voice teasing. "I mean, can you even run a mile?"
Ren's eyes narrowed, a rare scowl breaking his calm. "Yang! This man took me and Nora into his home! He trained me!"
Yang raised her hands, her grin faltering. "Hey, hey! I'm sorry! No offense meant—!"
Po held up a paw, his voice gentle. "Ren. It's all right."
Ren's scowl lingered, but he forced himself to relax, the outburst startling everyone.
Po's grin softened, his tone reflective. "Heh. Nobody thought I was cut out to be a kung fu master when I started, either. Me least of all. But! It turns out appearances can be deceiving. Not that it was easy. I sucked. I sucked hard, at the start. But eventually… with enough hard work… you realize you can stop sucking."
He held out his paw, and the pork buns in a nearby bowl glowed with his Aura, rising up into the air. The teams gaped as the buns floated in a graceful orbit above Po's head, then behind him, his control effortless.
"But only if you believe you can be more than what you appear to be," he said, waving his hand to guide the buns back into the bowl.
Yang stared, then grinned wide. "Can you teach me that?"
Po laughed. "Maybe! Right now, I gotta make some real food. Come on, Ren! We're commandeering the kitchen! Let's make you and your friends a real dinner! We'll be right back!"
"Yes, Master," Ren said, following Po into the kitchen.
The cafeteria kitchen was nearly empty, the staff unbothered by the intrusion. Po set to work, his paws a blur as he kneaded dough and chopped vegetables, while Ren assisted, his movements precise but heavy with unspoken weight. As Po started a pot of broth, Ren sighed, his voice low.
"I'm sorry, Master. I shouldn't… I shouldn't have lost my temper. I don't have any right to defend you or… or anything. Not after what I did."
Po glanced at him, his tone curious as he rolled out noodles. "Hm? And what did you do?"
Ren's head bowed, his hands kneading dough. "I… I left. With Nora."
"Yeah," Po said, his voice light. "And why?"
"I wanted to be a Hunter… and…" Ren's voice faltered.
Po raised an eyebrow, frying noodles with a sizzle. "And?"
"... Get justice for my family," Ren admitted, his voice barely audible.
Po nodded, his tone warm but firm as he stirred pork into the broth. "Wanting justice isn't a bad thing, Ren. I wanted justice for my family, too. And being a Hunter is a wonderful thing! Protecting and saving people, pow pow pow! That's great! We're very proud of you both, all of us!"
Ren's lips twitched into a small smile, but Po's expression grew somber.
"But vengeance… vengeance is not the way to do it."
Ren's hands stilled. "I shouldn't kill that monster?"
"I didn't say that," Po said, his voice gentle but pointed. "What I did say… is that you shouldn't go into a fight not caring if you come back alive."
Ren froze, his breath catching.
Po's eyes softened, his tone heavy. "Hey. My masters did the whole 'I can see into your mind' thing with me, too. I was amazed and annoyed by it, like, all the time… Your dough's getting dry."
Ren blinked, adding a pinch of water to the dough, his hands moving mechanically. "Ah…"
"You know," Po said, pouring pork and broth into buns with aura-fueled precision, "it was a very sad day when you two left. You were really good, Ren. Amazing, even. One day, you could be better than me."
Ren's eyes widened, his voice a whisper. "I-I could never be the Dragon Warrior—"
"Heh," Po chuckled, sealing the buns with a flick of aura. "And that's what I said, too." He slid the tray into the oven, his voice softening. "For me? It was doubting I was anything more than some fat dummy raised by the best cook in the Valley of Peace. For you? It's fear and anger."
Ren's jaw tightened. "I don't fear—"
"You fear, Ren," Po cut in, his eyes locking onto Ren's. "Come on. Be honest. You fear getting too close to anyone because you think you're going to die." His voice dropped, heavy with truth. "Because part of you feels you deserve to."
Ren's breath hitched, his eyes dropping to the counter. "…Shouldn't I?"
Po's paw rested on Ren's shoulder, firm and warm. "Wha—of course not, Ren! It's not your fault the Nuckelavee killed everyone, any more than it's my fault some crazy peacock attacked my village!" He turned Ren to face the cafeteria, where Nora was animatedly recounting tales of the Valley of Peace, her eyes catching Ren's with a radiant smile. "And most importantly, you saved Nora."
Ren's gaze softened, his voice a whisper. "…I did…"
Po's grin returned, gentle but firm. "She cares for you, Ren. Loves you. And you don't want to break her heart, do you?"
"…I do not," Ren said, his voice steady but raw.
"Or the hearts of your friends, right?" Po said, pointing out at the teams. Ren slowly shook his head.
"No."
"Or our hearts?" Po asked, looking very solemn. Ren slowly shook his head, his voice catching.
"No… But…"
Po nodded as he let go of Ren, pulling the buns from the oven, their aroma filling the kitchen. "Yeah. I get it. And hey, one conversation doesn't fix everything. That's just in movies." He levitated a bun with his aura, grinning. "But it's like my dad said: It's like pork buns."
Ren blinked. "Pork buns?"
"Every single pork bun adds up," Po said, popping the bun into his mouth, then yelping, "AH! HOT HOT HOT! TOO HOT!" He fanned his mouth, his eyes watering, but his grin held.
"You eat one on your own, eh, it's just a meal. Even if they taste really, really good. But! Keep making pork buns, and more people come in. They pay you to make more if you make 'em good enough. They come to eat, and talk, and you meet great people. You become friends. Even family. And after a while, the pork buns aren't just pork buns. They're every happy meal, every satisfied customer, all your happy memories."
Ren's lips curved into a rare, genuine smile, his eyes soft. "…Master… I'm sorry I left you in
anger."
Po swallowed the bun, his grin wide. "Eh… as long as you don't come back to take revenge on everyone, you're good. Just like…" He popped another bun into his mouth, sighing happily in bliss. "This pork bun."
Ren smiled back at his master. Soft, still guarded, but the warmth was still there. Po nodded back.
"Now, let's have dinner with your friends," Po said cheerfully. "We want to make more happy memories!"
"Yes Master."
