A/n: thanks for reading! Or not reading! Whatever floats your boat.
The next day, the three of them went to the Master Li Kung Fu Training Facility. Upon asking where the Master was they found themselves looking in on a class. One of the students stood over the other with his fist poised to deliver a blow if he got up. "What are you doing?" Master Li was sitting on a bench looking on the fight with a serious face. "Why did you stop?" The boy looked up to him and then back. "Finish!"
The boy delivered the blow to his adversary and stood before his master. "Come here." The boy hesitantly shuffled over. Master Li raised his hand and held it for a moment before he slapped the boy hard.
"Okay, Mr. Han, let's get outta here," Dre said as he tried to leave. Meiling pulled him back.
Master Li commanded the students to stand and they did so quickly. "We do not stop when our enemy is down. No mercy… No mercy in the studio… No mercy in competition… No mercy in life!" Master Li walked around the students as they stood at attention. "Our enemies deserve pain." He reached one of the boys from the previous day, who was looking at the intruding trio. "What are you looking at?"
The boy looked to his master then over at the trio. "He's the one that attacked me."
Master Li turned to look at them and Mr. Han stepped forward, Meiling and Dre following. "We are here to make peace."
"Let your little thing mind himself."
"One to one, no problem… Six to one, too much to ask of anyone."
"I see…" Meiling almost let out a sigh of relief until Master Li spoke to his class. "Prepare for match." The students sat except for the boy, who walked to the middle of the mat.
"Whoa. Mr. Han, does he want us to fight?" Dre looked up at him confused and a little scared.
Meiling stepped forward. "We are not here to fight." She pulled Mr. Han back a bit and began to steer Dre out on her other side.
Master Li caught up with them and walked beside them. "You attack my students and disrespect my studio? You want to leave? Not so easy." Li placed an arm over Mr. Han's chest to stop him.
"Master Li…" Mr. Han tried to remove Li's arm but his hand was grabbed. He grabbed Meiling's arm and held it tight and she gripped Dre's shoulder.
"You three came here. One of you fights now."
Mr. Han's gaze flitted over a poster on the wall for a tournament. "The boy will fight there."
Master Li looked to the poster and laughed, dropping Mr. Han's hand. Mr. Han let go of Meiling who loosened her grip on Dre. "We accept your challenge."
"Please instruct your students to leave the boy alone to train," Meiling said to him.
Master Li nearly glared at her. "Attention! From now on, this little thing is to be left alone until the tournament. Understood?" The class voiced their understanding and Mr. Han took it as their time to leave. Li turned back to them. "If he does not show up for the competition, I will bring pain to him and to you."
Mr. Han left without looking back to Master Li and Meiling followed with Dre. Once they were outside, Dre got curious. "So, that go pretty much how you planned it?"
"There's good news and bad news," Meiling told him as they continued walking to the exit. "Good news is that they promise to leave you alone."
"Really?"
"While you prepare," Mr. Han said looking at him.
"Prepare for what?"
"Tournament. You will fight them all one-on-one."
Dre paused as the adults kept walking. "Huh?" He caught up with them quickly. "So the bad news is now they get to beat me up in public."
"Yes."
"Great. Thanks. Thanks a lot. They're gonna kill me. You saw their kung fu."
"That's not kung fu," Meiling said to him. "That's a bad man teaching them very bad things."
"Well, that bad man teaching very bad things hurt. A lot."
They reached the front gate and paused. Mr. Han turned to Dre. "More good news. I will teach you real kung fu." Mr. Han and Meiling turned and walked away from the gates to lead the way back to the apartment.
"Yes!"