Part 1 of a series for  sumo-griz! This features Mushu deciding he needs to expand his potential as a guardian. Ever the supportive, giving soul, my Cheshire Theo is only too happy to help him out. Stay tuned for more!

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Mushu © Didney Worl
Theo & Story © c'est moi

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Mushu drummed his talons against the sill of the Fa family shrine, staring out at the lush grounds of the family estate. He should be celebrating, or at the very least, gloating. He, and he alone of the guardian spirits, had guided Mulan to victory, and restored the family honor. The other spirits had, if begrudgingly, restored him to his place of honor and recognized his efforts, but there was a bit of business left unfinished.

Just across the shrine in the well appointed garden was a stone plinth; it had once held the Great Stone Dragon, greatest of the Fa family guardian spirits, but in Mushu’s… enthusiasm to help Mulan, he may have accidentally, perceivably, slightly, utterly destroyed the statue. Now, the stone plinth had some bits of rubble and nothing else.

“What are you staring at now, Mushu?” the great First Ancestor spirit asked, stroking his long beard.

“Oh, uh-” Mushu quickly stroked his whiskers to look presentable before turning around, offering his boss a quick smile. “Just… y’know, ever since I helped Mulan save all of China,” he cleared his throat for emphasis, “the girl don’t need me as much, right? So, I’m sitting here, and I’m thinking, since I’m a dragon, and I’m pretty great, maybe I should be the Great Stone Dra-”

“No.” The First Ancestor smacked his forehead. “Absolutely not. You are a dragon, you are a guardian spirit, your greatness, however, is in serious doubt, Mushu.”

The small dragon gasped, utterly offended. “Excuse me, did you save all of China with just a cricket and a cow?”

The spirit arched his brow. “No, but then, neither did you. Mulan did.”

“Exactly!” Mushu exclaimed. “And she did it because of me! If it weren’t for me, my girl would still be at the Matchmaker’s.”

The First Ancestor didn't look convinced. “You lack the proper… gravity to be the Great Stone Dragon, Mushu. You could fit in a pocket.” He smirked, picking him up by the tail.

“Hey, hey!” Mushu snarled, kicking in the air as he squirmed upside down. “I am the mighty Mushu! Disrespect will be punished!”

“I’m sure,” the First Ancestor tossed him back to his perch. “The only way you’re going to become the Great Stone Dragon is if you can literally fill in the role. And you haven’t grown a hair’s width since the last dynasty.” The spirit floated away, returning to the rest of the honored ancestors.

Mushu grumbled darkly to himself. “Hair’s width, hah!” He hopped down, stalking through the tall grass of the garden. “I’ll show him- he wants a great dragon? He’ll get one!”

The small dragon curled himself up, trying to meditate. When spirits were not providing guardian services, or were not needed to advise and protect their family, there was one place they could gather, mingle, and barter for services and magic: Zheng Cai Market. It took a little concentration, but when he opened his eyes, the great, ethereal thoroughfare spread out before him.

The stalls seemed to stretch to eternity; spirits of every shape and size, and every temperament, sold and bartered magic goods from twelve different worlds. Mushu slithered through the crowd, trying to avoid trampling from the market’s larger clientele.

“Enchanted jewelry! Look your best before the Celestial Court!”

“Bronze steeds, travel anywhere in the world with a word!”

“Magical tattoos; hone the power and strength of the gods!”

“Say what now?” Mushu turned on a dime, clambering up the tent pole of the stall. A fu dog, large, brooding, and littered in tattoos was looming over his wares, several small pamphlets with various tattoos illustrated on them. “Hey! Big man! How much for that one, Iron Ox?” He flexed his spindly arms. “I got someone to impress with my manly physique- so I need a little oomph.”

The fu dog arched his brow, then laughed. “Hah! I couldn’t get an ox’s horn on you, little snake.”

“Snake?” Mushu huffed. “How dare you! I am a mighty guardian spirit of the Fa family! I helped save China!”

“Fine,” the fu dog grumbled. “You’re a little snake who saved China.” He held up his thick fingers and flicked Mushu off the pole. “Now get out of the way of real customers. My tattoos are for guardians big enough to actually guard.”

“Hey! You big… pug face! Just because you got hit in the face with a shovel doesn’t mean you can throw me out!” Mushu shouted, holding up his fists. The fu dog snarled, and raised his own fists, and the small red dragon shrinked back. “Okay, okay! I’ll just take my money somewhere else!”

Mushu grumbled to himself, snaking through the crowd. He didn’t get very far until he was tripped up by a gold-tipped cane. The dragon sprawled out on the ground, splaying out before springing back up, snarling. “Hey, hey! Watch where you’re going, you big…” He looked up, and his brow arched. He’d never seen anyone quite like this.

Leaning on the gold-tipped cane was a tall, muscular cat, with broad shoulders and thick arms, covered all in striped, sea green fur. He was dressed regally, in strange clothes that Mushu didn’t quite recognize- they certainly weren’t Chinese. It was all blue and gold, with ruffles and lace and tight stockings that showed off his well built legs. His white hair had been slicked back, with a small, trimmed beard. His eyes seemed to change color every time he shifted, and his smile seemed permanently fixed on. “My dear fellow, I do apologize. I didn’t see you down there.”

Mushu snorted, glowering up at the cat. “What’s that supposed to mean, you overgrown lump of jade?”

“Ah-ha, droll,” the cat chuckled. He bowed low, offering his hand so Mushu could see him eye to eye. “I am Theodosius Augustus Charlemagne Gregorious Iarlaith Brisson, or Theo, for short. And you, good sir?”

The dragon arched his brow. “Mushu. Mighty Guardian of the Fa family.”

Theo chuckled again, smiling wider. “Mighty?”

“Hey! Hey, hey, hey!” Mushu stomped his foot on Theo’s palm. “I’m the savior of all China!”

The cat’s brow arched higher, still smiling.

“Well- I- I’m the guardian of the savior of China.”

Theo nodded. “Indeed.”

Mushu scowled, ready to rant. “Hey, I don’t need to take this! I’m tired of everyone disrespecting me, just because I’m too small to be the great stone dragon!”

“‘Great Stone Dragon’?” Theo echoed.

The dragon frowned deeply. “Forget it. Just let me down already.”

“Let me see if I have this straight, Mr. Fa…” Theo leaned on his cane. “You want more respect for your past deeds, but the only barrier to becoming this… great stone dragon is your size, yes?”

Mushu folded his arms, eyeing Theo suspiciously. “Yeah…?”

The Cheshire “Well, how serendipitous this is. It would appear that you’ve bumped into someone that can help you. I take on clients that have certain… ambitions, and it is my job to fulfill those ambitions. I have worked for heroes, my good man. Have you heard, perhaps, of Hercules, Alexander the Great, Sir Lancelot?”

The dragon gave Theo a blank stare. “Uh…”

“Right, you’re provincial. Well… I haven’t done much work in China, but I did pass by in the Xia Dynasty… I did some work in Korea. Do you know of the heroic giant, Wang Janggun?”

“Wang Janggun? Threw boulders and wrestled the Dragon King of the West?”

Theo’s smile spread. “Mmhm.”

“You could do that for me? Make me, y’know. Plus-size? Strong?” Mushu asked.

“If you’re willing.”

The dragon crossed his arms again, mulling it over. “What’s the catch, big man?”

“No catch. I consider myself… an artist and a philanthropist. I make you big and strong and thus, fulfill your ambition,” Theo declared.

Mushu tapped his foot against Theo’s hand. “Yeah, but what do you get out of all this?”

“Helping people achieve their full potential is enough for me. Consider it an… ambition for fulfilling ambition.” Theo waved his hand before offering it to the dragon. “So… shall you give me a chance, Mr. Fa?”

Mushu looked at the Cheshire’s hand. He pursed his lips, hesitated, and then took it, shaking his two ring fingers. “Fine. But if I end up cursed or something, I’m going to be sending my girl Mulan after you.”

“I shudder at the thought,” Theo said with complete sincerity.

“So… what now?”

Theo wobbled his hand. “Well, there is one little wrinkle…”

“Uh-huh.” Mushu crossed his arms. “I knew it. Okay, you overgrown tea cozy, how much is it going to cost?”

“Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just… the way I usually make people large is a special little brew of mine…” He proffered a crystal vial. It had a tag wrapped around it that said “Drink Me,” and had only a small sip of hot pink liquid. “I’ve never been to Zheng Cai Market, and I didn’t know that such pickpocketing cads prowled a celestial realm such as this. I offered some roguish fox demon a drink… he radiated ambition. He was half way gulping down his elixir, then he upped and knicked my spare one. If you catch it… I’ll make you nothing short of monumental.”

“You want me to take down a demonic thief that’s all hopped up on your magic muscle juice?” Mushu snorted. “Deal’s off. I got better things to do with my time.”

Theo shrugged, smiling serenely. “It’s no skin off my nose in particular… I just thought such an easy task would be as nothing to the guardian of such a hero as Mulan. But, clearly, I was mistaken,” he mused, setting Mushu down. “Perhaps you know of some… worthier spirit in the Fa family that could help. I’d be grateful if you could relay the message, Mr. Fa.”

The dragon snarled, shaking his fist up at the cat that towered over him. “Hey, hey, I ain’t nobody’s messenger! Gimme that last drop of that potion, I’ll get your guy.”

Theo handed down the potion without a single syllable of protest, his smile unchanging. Immediately, Mushu snatched it up and guzzled down the last drops. “So…” Mushu rolled his neck, waiting for something to happen. “Is this some sort of delayed reaction thing or- woah!” The dragon’s long, lithe back snapped back, and his whole body seized up. There was a shot of heat surging through his body, followed by a feeling like he was being pulled on. When it passed, he breathed heavily, looking over himself. The ground seemed further away from him, and he realized then that he had sprung up at least two inches. He wasn’t eye level with Theo’s knee anymore. His noodle-like back had widened, and his arms and legs had hardened with ropy muscle. “Huh… look at that…”

“Just imagine what a full bottle will do to you.” Theo grinned, leaning on his cane again. “The rogue went that way.” He pointed down the aisle of stalls.

“Hah, don’t you worry about it. Mushu to the rescue!” the dragon declared, and charged down the market, dodging other spectral patrons. His legs carried him farther and faster than he thought they would, and when he looked around people, even able to look over some of the smaller spirits, for once. After scouting a few open areas in the market, he locked eyes with a shifty looking fox that was unusually bulky. “There you are!” Mushu shouted, charging after the fox. “Get back here with that muscle juice, you thievin’ dog wannabe!”

The fox gasped, and threw someone into Mushu’s path with relative ease, before storming down the market. The dragon chased after, sending a small breath of fire to clear the way. Weirdly enough, the market seemed… smaller. An ornery yaoguai got in the way, and started trying to push Mushu back, but the dragon was able to overpower him, tensing his thickened arms. That was an unusually puny yaoguai.

Soon, he ran the fox down to an alley. Mushu towered over the fox. “There you are, you puny little thief!” He took a breath, filling up his muscled chest, and pounced. The fox demon disappeared in a puff of smoke, slipping out of Mushu’s hands. The dragon snorted, palming his fist. “Where’d that little punk go?” He snarled, but then, as he looked down, he spotted it- the vial, filled to the brim. Mushu slowly smiled, snatched up the vial, and downed it all in one go. He breathed heavily, starting to feel that warm sensation again, and this time, licks of flame started puffing out of his nostrils. His smile spread, starting to enjoy the sensation. He watched his arms bulge up and out, his chest fill and swell with hard, meaty muscle. The ground drifted further away. He felt like he shot up more than a foot, propped up by legs like tree trunks, and just as hard. They were still stubby, but with thighs wider than a much taller man’s waist. He looked over himself, trying to peek over his own rolling, mountainous shoulders down his geographical landmass of a back, red scales rippling against bulges of muscle.

“Hah… I could get used to this…” Mushu said, immediately flexing his arms, watching those newly grown biceps bounce and swell, jostling his shoulders and forearms, mashing against his pecs wide as the Great Wall when he brought his arms down, propped up by soaring lats that finally compensated for his lack of wings- his dragon cousins would never make fun of him again.

“Enjoying yourself, Mr. Fa?” Theo’s voice drifted down to the dragon as he admired himself. When he turned around, he saw only Theo’s smile, soon filled in by the rest of his Cheshire himself. Though he was still shorter by nearly two feet, Mushu was easily wider. Tensing his bicep again, Mushu grinned when he saw that his arm was as wide as the cat’s waist. He hardly noticed how the Cheshire had suddenly appeared behind him, along the dead end of the alley.

“Yeah, yeah. You could say that. You’re looking kinda skinny now… maybe you should have a drink of your own juice. It’s really, ah, powerful!” Mushu growled, dropping into a most muscular pose, pumped arms grinding against his chest, his shoulders swelling and back rippling.

“I can’t stand the taste,” Theo smiled. “Well! It looks like you’ve gotten what you wanted, yes?”

The hulking dragon brought up his arm, kissing his swollen bicep. “Yeah, I’m satisfied with our little transaction.”

“Good, good…” Theo purred, running a clawed finger over the crest of Mushu’s bicep. “Do call on me if you ever have… bigger aspirations.” The Cheshire snapped his fingers, and Zheng Cai Market disappeared in a flash. Mushu was back at the Fa Estate, the garden just like the dragon left it.

He was a little stunned, and then looked down, grinning ear to ear to see his swollen, titanic body, maybe even an inch or two bigger than he remembered. He looked over to the shrine, grinning wider, nearly as wide as his new mammoth back. He lumbered into the shrine, and snatched up his old gong, now minuscule in his hand. Mushu began slamming the gong with his fist, creating such a clatter, all the spirits of the Fa family began rising up, and their first sight was Mushu flexing, showing off his expansive back, rippling rolls of muscle going down his spine, his arms bouncing up and down as he pumped them up.

“Ancestors!” Mushu shouted. “Look and behold!” He turned around and bounced his pecs, swollen chest pressing up against his chin. “He’s bad!” The dragon raised his arms over his head, biceps and wide forearms framing his head, squishing his cheeks while his engorged flanks spread out. “He’s powerful!” He posed down into a most muscular again, letting himself expand as far as he could. “He is… your new Great Stone Dragon!” He relaxed at last, resting his hand on his hard, thick oblique. Looking over the stunned faces of the ancestors, he locked eyes with the first ancestor with a challenging look. “And I dare any of you old punks to take this from me!"