ONE MINUTE MELEE!

Choose your fighters!

Jasper!

Tai Lung!

Ready? Go!

The wind let out a lonely sigh as it blew through the canyon. It was a hot summer day, made hotter by the sun as it blazed down relentlessly. Not a single thing moved. Even the insects were quiet, hidden in the shade to escape the heat. The only sound was the low, quiet whistling of the wind.

Of course, such quiet rarely lasts.

"Rrraah!"

The silence was broken as a figure in white jumped down onto a rocky ledge. He straightened, stretching his neck as he surveyed the land. Nothing. He dashed forward and leapt to an outcropping across the canyon. Was he mistaken? No. She had to be here.

Tai Lung sniffed the air. The scent of sandstone and dust filled his nose. But there was no sign of his quarry. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe she was somewhere else. Then he heard it. His ears twitched as he tried to pinpoint the sound.

Wham!

He smiled. So she was here. Good.

He began to make his way towards the source of the noise. He jumped and climbed from ledge to ledge, leaping back and forth between the canyon walls. As he moved he noticed the landscape begin to change. Pieces of machinery dotted the bottom of the canyon. Giant metal cylinders of unknown origin clung to the walls. Caves of various shapes and sizes were everywhere, too regular to be a natural phenomenon. Several of these caves were blocked off by thick metal bars. And as for the things that were in those caves…

Tai Lung paused to peer into one of the caves. A pair of glowing eyes stared back at him. He smiled. The creature defied any conventional classification. Its hide was coloured an unnatural teal with coral spots. A large, shaggy mane covered most of its body. It lay huddled at the back of the cave, small growls and whines occasionally coming out of its mouth as it shrank away from the light.

"So it's true," he said. "The woman who tamed the beasts of the earth, the warrior who fell from the heavens. . .she's here." He approached the impromptu cage for a better look.

The monster's head perked up. It quickly rose up before lunging towards Tai Lung. If it weren't for the metal bars the beast would have been upon him. Even then its attack caused the bars to shake violently. The strength of this beast was plain to see.

Tai Lung watched all this with awe. "Incredible," he said. "Whoever captured you must be mighty indeed." He drew even closer.

Upon seeing this the monster let out a roar. The ground shook as its cry echoed off the walls of the canyon.

Tai Lung smirked. "But I didn't come here for you."

In an instant his fist shot out and struck the beast. The creature was flung to the back of its cell with a loud thud. It let out a pained whimper.

Tai Lung gave a satisfied smile. Confident that it had learned its lesson, he turned his attention back to what he came here for.

WHAM!

"Hah!"

There. He leapt in the direction of the noise, vaulting over metal cylinders and off of walls until he reached a section where the canyon widened. He looked down and smiled.

Down on the ground he watched as a large woman wrestled with another monster. It was the similar in size and shape to the first one, but its hide was a mixture of brown and orange stripes.

It was the woman that caught his attention though. In many ways she was similar to the monsters he'd seen. Her hair was a veritable mane, reaching past her shoulder all the way down to her hips. Her skin was an unnatural orange. Her entire bieng radiated power But unlike the monster her movement was focused. Her stance was confident. She moved with a grace that one wouldn't have expected someone of her size to have. In short, she was a warrior.

Perfect.

The woman grabbed the beast by its mane before knocking it back with a punch. She slowly drove it back towards an empty cave, delivering one final straight to send it flying in. Before it could recover she grabbed two metal beams and leapt after it. She drove each beam into the ground in front of the cave before grabbing two more to finish the job.

Tai Lung smiled. It was exactly like they said. He jumped down onto a ledge to get a closer look.

Jasper let out a huff as she drove the last beam into the ground. The beast clawed at its new cage, but it was no use. It was trapped

She shook her head. "Pathetic," she sneered. "Is this what you've been reduced to?"

The beast whined. It pressed its face against the bars of its new cage. All in all, it was a pitiable sight.

Jasper remained unmoved. She approached the beast and planted her heel on its head. "Look at you. You used to be a Quartz soldier like me. Now you're just another monster on a planet full of monsters."

She looked toward Tai Lung. "Isn't that right?"

Tai Lung stood up. There was no point in concealing himself now. He jumped down onto the canyon floor.

Thud.

Jasper glared at him. "Who are you?"

Tai Lung drew himself up and sneered. "I am Tai Lung. Favourite pupil of Master Shifu, first to master the thousand scrolls of kung fu. The true Dragon Warrior."

"Never heard of you."

Tai Lung was undeterred. "But I have heard of you."

"Oh really?"

"Yes." He slowly began to approach her. "The warrior who fell from heavens. I've heard that you've tamed the beasts of the earth. That you've conquered the very oceans themselves."

Jasper let out a small chuckle. Then her face grew serious "What are you doing out here then?"

"So it's true?" Tai Lung mused. He looked back at Jasper. "Tell me, what is your name?"

"Jasper."

"Jasper. . ." Tai Lung paused, letting the name hang in the air. "I see. Then I challenge you, Jasper."

Jasper paused. A grin slowly spread across her face. "Really?"

Tai Lung returned her grin with one of his own. "Why not? Let's see if you're as strong as they say."

Jasper cracked her knuckles.

"Trust me," she said. "I'm more than strong enough for you."

She stomped the ground, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

"So come on then!" She motioned with her hand. "Show me what you've got!"

For a moment no one spoke. The two warriors sized each other up. The only sound was the whistling of the wind.

Tai Lung broke the silence first. "I see," he said. He drew his right leg back.

The next moment he leapt—no, he exploded forward in a surge of power. A sharp POW! rang out as his fist connected with Jasper's chest. The gem was sent flying.

Jasper sailed backwards about ten feet before she got her legs back underneath her. She planted both feet on the ground and skidded to a stop.

"Not bad," she said as she wiped her chin. She smiled. "Now let me show you a real punch!"

STOMP STOMP STOMP.

The ground shook as she thundered towards Tai Lung. Within moments she was almost on top of him. Her fist was raised to deliver a crushing blow. But just as she went to swing Tai Lung dodged out of the way. A second later her fist smashed the spot where he'd been, sending a spray of rocks and dust into the air.

Tai Lung looked at her with newfound respect. He'd expected her to be strong. But she was fast too—he'd barely managed to avoid her blow.

Jasper pulled her fist back. A manic grin was affixed to her face.

Tai Lung rolled his neck. Time to get to work.

Sixty seconds on the clock!

One Minute Melee, begin!

Tai Lung started by jumping in close and punching Jasper in the gut. Before she could recover he followed this with two more punches to the chest.

Jasper stumbled back. She regained her footing and went to throw a heavy backhand. But it was too late. Tai Lung was already gone.

Jasper narrowed her eyes. She quickly pivoted around, arm trailing behind her in a massive hook. Yet despite her speed she was still unable to hit him.

A flash of annoyance crossed her eyes. She began to advance with a string of wild hammer blows. Wham! Wham! Her fists smashed into the ground, leaving sizable holes wherever they struck. Through it all Tai Lung remained just out of reach.

50 seconds left!

Tai Lung jumped back. As Jasper went for another blow he darted in under her guard. But this time Jasper was ready. She raised her foot and brought it down with a mighty stomp!

Tai Lung grunted. He'd been careless. In his rush to attack he'd only been focusing on her arms. Now he was trapped. He tried to pull away, but Jasper's foot had his pinned to the ground. He had no choices left other than try and block her next attack.

KRACK!

The force of the blow flung Tai Lung a good fifteen feet back. He fell in a chaotic tumble before using his claws to skid to a stop.

Tai Lung got back up and snarled. No more games. He crouched low to the ground, building up power.

40 seconds left!

All of a sudden he launched himself into the air. The glare of the sun framed his body as he hung in the sky.

Then he started his descent. Jasper dashed back as he hurtled towards the earth. A second later he slammed down right where she'd been standing.

KRUNCH!

The sound of the impact rang out across the canyon. Cracks shot out every which way as his stomp cratered the sandstone. And Tai Lung wasn't done. Before the dust could even settle he kicked a piece of the rubble into the air. He then delivered a spinning kick that launched the boulder directly into Jasper.

Jasper's eyes widened. She raised her arms to brace for the attack. Just as the boulder was about to hit her there was a flash of golden light.

WHAM!

When the dust finally cleared, it revealed a stunning sight. Jasper was unharmed, her head now adorned with a formidable-looking yellow helmet.

"Come on!" she taunted. "Is that all you've got?"

30 seconds!

Tai Lung growled. He lunged forwards, bringing his fist up for another punch. Jasper was ready though. She whipped her head forward so that his punch connected with her helmet.

Thwack! Jasper's helmet stopped him dead in his tracks. He recoiled, nursing his paw as it throbbed in pain. But he refused to be deterred.

"Rrraahh!" Tai Lung leapt back into the fray. He threw a few jabs at her legs before following up with a roundhouse kick. Once again Jasper stopped his assault, blocking the jabs with her arms before using her helmet to block his kick. Tai Lung was thrown off balance.

Before he could recover Jasper grabbed his arm and threw him overhead. Tai Lung fell to the ground with a painful Krash! He scrambled back to his feet.

Wham!

Tai Lung felt a rush of air as Jasper's fist smashed the spot where he'd been. That was too close. At this rate he was going to be too tired to fight back. He needed a new plan.

20 seconds!

Tai Lung sprang into several backflips, putting some distance between him and the gem warrior He crouched lower to the ground. His back arched. His legs tensed. A low growl emerged from his throat

Jasper saw this and smiled. Her helmet gleamed in the desert sun as she began to charge forward.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Tai Lung took a deep breath. He lunged forward, paws pounding the sandstone as began to pick up speed.

Pat pat, pat pat, pat pat.

Thud thud thud.

The wind whistled. Tai Lung narrowed his eyes.

Fifteen seconds!

Jasper lowered her head. She was a living battering ram, each step shaking the canyon like a shot from a cannon. But though her defence was flawless, she'd made a grave error.

She'd taken her eyes off of Tai Lung.

Tai Lung saw his chance. He leapt up into flying kick. His foot passed underneath Jasper's helmet before hitting her right in the face.

Krack!

It was a direct hit.

Jasper reeled back, stunned. How had he gotten past her guard?

Tai Lung didn't give her a chance to recover. First he delivered two quick strikes to the chest.

Pow pow!

He followed that up with a roundhouse kick. Already reeling, Jasper was unable to prevent herself from stumbling back. And Tai Lung wasn't done yet. He leaped in close before throwing a punch-kick combo that sent her skywards.

Ten Seconds!

Tai Lung leapt after her. He went in for a kick, but she blocked his strike and returned fire with a punch of her own.

Eight!

The two fighters struggled for dominance as they ascended higher. Tai Lung attacked with a flurry of claws and punches. But Jasper was stronger. She grabbed his arm and pulled him in close. The two of them spun around crazily, grappling for control as they reached the apex of their arc.

Six!

Tai Lung growled. With his other arm he threw a punch straight into her visor. A loud Krssh! rang out as the orange glass shattered into thousands of fragments. Jasper's head snapped back as she yelled in pain.

Five!

Jasper was seething. Before Tai Lung could react she whipped her head forward. There was an audible CRACK as her helmet smashed into his face.

Four!

Tai Lung was stunned. He released his hold on Jasper as he began to plummet.

Three!

Jasper smiled. Now that she was free from Tai Lung's grasp, it was time to end this. She began to spin around rapidly.

TWO!

Jasper's whole body glowed. A golden aura surrounded her as she spun. Suddenly she rocketed forward and slammed into Tai Lung, sending both fighters hurtling towards the ground.

ONE!

Tai Lung struggled to free himself, but it was no use. He could only watch as the bottom of the canyon rose up to meet them.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

ZERO!

KABOOM!

Tai Lung opened his eyes. He went to move only to let out a ragged hiss. Everything hurt like hell. Even the simple act of breathing sent jolts of pain throughout his body.

Tai Lung tried to raise his head. Waves of white-hot agony washed over him. But Tai Lung powered through. Slowly, painfully, he raised his head and began to look around.

He took in his surroundings. He was at the bottom of a crater about 7 feet deep and more than 15 feet wide. Pieces of rubble and debris lay everywhere. A fine cloud of dust hung in the air.

The sound of movement caught his attention. He turned his head to look at the source, wincing as the muscles in his neck protested.

It was Jasper.

It looked like she'd taken quite a beating as well. Her body was covered in bruises. Her breathing was ragged. But despite that, she was still standing.

Tai Lung tried to get back on his feet. It was no use. Every muscle in his body was screaming in pain. He let out a defeated huff as he fell back onto the ground.

A shadow crossed over his face. "Huh. You still alive?"

Tai Lung opened his eyes. Jasper was smiling as she stood over him. But this wasn't her usual cocky grin. She almost seemed. . .respectful?

"Not. . .bad," she said. She fell to one knee before catching herself. "Been awhile since I had a fight like that with someone other than a fusion."

Tai Lung could only glare at her.

"Tell you what," Jasper said as she got back to her feet. "Why don't you train some more. Then once you're stronger, we'll have a rematch!"

With that she turned away. Tai Lung watched as she slowly began to limp away from him, chuckling softly under her breath.

As for Tai Lung. . .

Slowly, painfully, he made his way up to his feet. He staggered as he stood, swaying back and forth like a drunken sailor. Somehow he managed to stay upright.

He began to limp away. Jasper was right. Once he was strong enough, he'd challenge her again. And this time, he would be victorious. Yes, he could already see it. Next time it would be Jasper that lay defeated on the ground. Their rematch would be legendary!

And that is where we'll leave these two warriors as they head off to lick their respective wounds. The proud kung fu warrior, now humbled. And the perfect quartz soldier who's now found an equal.

Perhaps their paths would cross again. But for now, this is where we'll end our tale.

Winner:

Jasper!