"Hmph."
Garou retracted his attack stance and straightened up. His highly aggressive aura also subsided slightly.
"You certainly found a decent excuse."
He certainly understood that what the panda truly cared about was neither the tables and chairs, nor that bowl of whatever Zhajiangmian.
"You want to change locations?" Garou gestured at Po with his chin.
"Fine. Anyway, my target is you three 'players', and dealing with you one by one is all the same."
His gaze lingered on Po for a moment, as if evaluating the weight of his prey.
"Let's start with you, the panda who's best at making excuses. It'll be a good chance for me to see exactly how much weight you 'Guardian Faction' guys are pulling."
After speaking, he turned around and walked out of the shop door cleanly and decisively, leaving behind an imposing figure. The meaning was clear: follow me.
"Po!" Yuna called out worriedly.
Po turned back. Seeing the fear in the girl's eyes, his serious panda face tried hard to squeeze out a smile, and he even raised a furry paw to give a thumbs-up.
"Don't worry, Yuna! It'll be as simple as defeating a bad-tempered snow leopard!" he comforted her, even though he had no confidence himself.
He turned to look at Shirou Emiya, his eyes becoming serious: "Shirou, I'll leave this place to you. Help me look after Boss Guan Gu and Yuna, and also—" He swallowed and added in a low voice.
"Save a bowl of noodles for me. I'll eat it when I get back from the fight."
Shirou Emiya nodded expressionlessly.
Having received the promise, Po felt as if he had taken a dose of reassurance. He took a deep breath and patted his round belly, which let out a dull thud.
"Dragon Warrior, mobilizing!"
He gave a low shout, stepped forward, and followed Garou out of the sushi restaurant with high spirits.
The shop door swayed gently behind them before finally closing with a creak.
The once noisy shop was now left in deathly silence. The air still held traces of Garou's domineering fighting spirit, as well as a faint scent of sauce.
Uta finally stood up from her chair. She walked to the door and looked through the glass window at the two figures disappearing around the street corner, her heterochromatic eyes shimmering as she wondered what she was thinking.
Shirou Emiya walked silently to an overturned chair and bent down to set it upright.
"Shirou—" Boss Guan Gu's voice trembled, "Po, he... he won't be alright, will he?"
"I don't know." Shirou Emiya's answer was very honest.
He raised his head, his gaze also looking out into the deep night sky outside the window.
The man named Garou was strong. It was a pure kind of strength, born for battle.
And Po, although he usually looked adorable and silly, the moment he stood up, Shirou Emiya could feel that within that fat body was another completely different kind of power, as thick and heavy as the earth.
No one could predict the outcome of this battle.
The only thing he could do was keep his promise.
Shirou Emiya turned and walked to the kitchen, picked up a clean bowl, scooped up a handful of chewy noodles from the pot, and poured a large spoonful of fragrant secret sauce over them.
He would keep this bowl of noodles warm, waiting for the panda who had protected everyone to return and enjoy it.
The New York harbor under the night sky was filled with the salty, fishy sea breeze and the smell of engine oil. The abandoned wharf was piled high with rusty shipping containers, and the dilapidated cranes creaked, sounding like the low groans of some Beast.
Garou walked in front, his pace not fast, but with a unique rhythm; every step seemed to be measuring the earth.
Po followed behind, his massive body making it somewhat strenuous for him to run, his breathing sounds especially clear in the silent night.
"I say... how much longer are we going to walk?"
Po asked, panting. He felt that since leaving the sushi restaurant, he had burned more calories than it took to make a hundred steamed buns.
Garou didn't turn his head, his voice coming coldly from the front: "Finding a place where you can lie down in peace without being gawked at."
Po's steps faltered. That didn't sound very auspicious.
He looked at his round belly and remembered the bowl of noodles Shirou Emiya had promised to save for him.
No, he absolutely could not lie down, at least not before finishing the noodles.
The two of them, one after the other, passed through several blocks and finally arrived at an abandoned wharf.
The air was filled with the smell of rust and seawater, and the shipping containers were stacked like small hills, completely isolating this place from the city's hustle and bustle.
"This is nice."
Garou stopped and turned around. His golden pupils shone startlingly bright in the darkness, like a Beast that had locked onto its prey.
"No audience, no weaklings to get in the way, you can show off that laughable 'Guardian' act of yours without any reservations."
Po looked around and nodded: "Yeah, this place is actually pretty good. If these tin boxes get broken, I don't think anyone will mind."
He took a deep breath and temporarily pushed the thoughts of the Zhajiangmian out of his mind.
That honest panda face became incredibly focused at this moment.
He spread his feet slightly, lowered his body, and slowly traced a circle in front of him with his two furry paws.
This posture looked somewhat clumsy, even comical, but his stance was as steady as Mount Tai, as if he had merged with the wharf ground beneath his feet.
Garou watched him, a scornful arc tugging at the corner of his mouth. He lowered his body further, his hands turning into claws, adopting the aggressive martial arts stance he had created himself.
"Ready to become a puddle of mud, mascot?"
Before the words had even faded, Garou's figure moved.
The concrete floor beneath his feet let out a slight explosive sound, and he turned into a black bolt of lightning, instantly crossing a distance of more than ten meters.
There was no unnecessary testing; his attack was direct and lethal. His right hand formed a blade, carrying the sound of tearing air as it went straight for Po's throat. The speed and power of this strike were enough to easily pierce through steel plates.
Facing this rapid offensive, Po did not dodge. The small eyes beneath his black eye patches precisely captured every one of Garou's movements.
Just as Garou's hand blade was about to touch his neck, he moved.
His movements were not fast; one could even say they were very slow. Those chubby paws, as if stirring a water current, gently met the attack.
A tap, a pull, a turn.
Garou only felt his wrist being stuck by a strange force; that force was unimaginably soft, yet incredibly tough.
The strength he was so proud of, capable of splitting stones and breaking monuments, felt like it had punched into a ball of cotton—no, into a bottomless vortex.
All his power was instantly dissipated and redirected to the side.
His forward momentum was deflected by this clever force, and his body staggered to one side for two steps before he could steady himself.
On the wharf, the sea breeze whistled.
Garou slowly straightened up. He didn't immediately launch another attack, but turned his head, re-examining the panda in front of him with those golden eyes.
The scorn and mockery vanished from his eyes.
In their place was a look of scrutiny mixed with surprise and excitement.
"What kind of move is this?"
Garou's voice carried a hint of uncertainty. He had seen countless schools of martial arts at Bang Gu's place, and the technique used by the panda before him was undoubtedly one of the top-tier ones.
That essence of subduing the strong with the soft and using the opponent's force against them was definitely not just for show.
"Tai Chi Cloud Hands!" Po answered truthfully.
"Interesting."
Garou shook his slightly numb right arm, the smile on his face becoming increasingly fanatical.
"Not relying on brute force to resist, but using technique to neutralize... this kind of move is a bit like my master's Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist."
Po adopted his stance, his round belly rising and falling with his breath.
"You're not the first person to say that."
He remembered when he was sparring with Master Shifu back in the day, his master had said similar things—the essence of Tai Chi lies in subduing the strong with the soft and using the opponent's force against them.
Back then, he had used this move to defeat Lord Shen.
"Then let's continue!"
Garou gave a low shout and launched another attack.