Chapter Three: The Pupil

Mr. Ping's noddle shop was the quaintest building in the entire city. There were no adornments or fanciful advertisements to speak of, the only signs present were those that marked the days of the year and important city events, such as the Dragon Warrior Ceremony, which was circled in red ink. In terms of furniture, most of the tables, scattered randomly around the room, were low, the guests sitting on mats and kneeling, as is Chinese custom.

"Nice place" Crane said as he walked through, accepting Mr. Ping's hospitality and entering the establishment.

"Thank you" Mr. Ping answered promptly, "It's not much, but it's enough."

Crane nodded, trying to sympathize despite the fact that he never had such an experience. He often wished for a simpler and wondered what it would be like if he had opened a shop like Mr. Ping or Torus, if he would have been happy; he wasn't entirely sure, but if it was one thing he was sure of it was that he admired those who made a living providing a service to others, especially ones involving food or other basic necessities, it made the big problems seems simple and mundane and the issues that no one paid any attention to mean the world.

Mr. Ping casually looked around, the restaurant was relatively empty, for it was still early in the morning and not yet noon, where most of the business was made; he shouted to the top of his small lungs, his body lifting up slightly off the ground in the effort.

"Po!" Mr. Ping began, waddling around the space, wiping his feet as he went, "Po, get in here, we have a guest!"

On the far left wall of the main dining area was a door, through this door was the kitchen, through which Po, carrying several bowls of soup, noodles and crackers in his hands, on his arms and head, entered at Mr. Ping's summons. The panda, who had been in the kitchen all throughout the morning preparing meals for the lunch rush; was covered almost entirely in noodle juices, tomato paste and barley, and smelled of brunt rice and old cheese.

"The lunch rush is taken care of" Po exclaimed, setting the food down on the large counter, around which were stools, near the door, "The dishes have been done, the floors have been swept and my room has been cleaned-"

Mr. Ping raised his hand, cutting Po off; turning towards Crane, he slowly began introductions.

"Po, this is-"

Taking the initiative, Crane bowed as low as he could, trying his best to be respectful and to humble himself; as far as he was concerned, the rank and authority of the temple had been temporarily voided when he entered the shop.

"Lao Din" Crane replied, using an old alias, "The pleasure is mine, you seem to be doing quite well for yourself."

Po shrugged indifferently and took the nearest available seat, which cracked and squeaky with the additional weight.

"Yeah I guess" Po answered, "I just wish I could have gone to the ceremony. Must've been something."

Mr. Ping gently moved towards Po, trying his best to comfort him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Crane, who righted himself and stood respectfully, couldn't help but think back to his own childhood; for unlike most of the Five, Crane was not taken to the temple as a youth and as a result had a childhood of which to speak of. One of Crane's earliest memories was of his father, who after a long day of working the fields, would come into Crane's room a few minutes before bed and read. The stories were simple in nature and thus not very long, but they stuck with him all the same; one particular story, about a panda who sat under a tree dreaming of one day climbing to the tallest bamboo tree, if only to look out on the world and the stars above them, came to the bird's mind. Why, he couldn't be sure, maybe it was something to do with the fact that Po was a panda, or maybe it was something else entirely.

"You didn't miss much" Crane exclaimed, moving closer, "I've never much cared for ceremonies. Too impersonal, too formal- even for the Dragon Warrior."

Po stood up and immediately faced Crane at this, as if the words were insulting or simply impossible to hear. Mr. Ping, immediately got on the defensive and stepped between Po and Crane, trying his best to calm him down.

"Now Po come on" Mr. Ping said, "I know you're upset, and I'm sorry. But you can't let this be the only thing you care about. There's more to life."

Crane smiled, for hearing his own words back at him did his heart some good, it made him feel easier about his own uncertainty and gave weight to things that were previously weightless baggage and useless words. Still, he could help but notice Po's look of defeat and sadness, as if Mr. Ping had taken a dagger and cut out his soul. Crane had seen this look before, he bore on several occasions, when the world became too hard and too cruel. It was the look of failure and a loss of complete and total trust. The monk, not wanting to see Mr. Ping, for he had come to like the goose, suffer the loss of a child, made his move and began to rectify Mr. Ping's statement.

"It's alright" Crane said, swooping in from behind and getting on Po's opposite side, "Everybody's got to have dreams."

Po nodded and allowed himself to smile; turning towards him and gesturing slightly to the nearest available stool, the panda began to make idle small talk.

"What about you?" Po asked, "What's your dream Din?"

In truth Crane had never been truly asked what he wanted out of life, not even by Master Shifu and the Five. Kung-fu was the only thing they had in common, everything else, including other aspirations and fantasies were irrelevant; they existed to protect the people from danger and to spread their teachings throughout the providence to the best of the their ability. If Crane had been asked two years ago what his dream was he would have said something along the lines of reaching complete and total harmony with himself; but now, he was not entirely sure, for Crane, being a realist, recognized quickly that total harmony on a permanent basis was an impossibility.

"Settle down maybe?" Crane answered, speaking honestly, "Open a store, start a farm; a family. Have children that will grow into better people than I could ever hope to be, and eventually die: in my sleep, watching the sunrise, next to my wife, as long as it were peaceful."

Po stared at Crane with a half confused look on his face, not expecting the answer to be taken to such extremes and more on the theoretical side of conversation. Mr. Ping however, smiled and nodded to himself, his eyes wet; in his head visualizing Crane, his dream and the good fortune that came with it.

"Long and happy life right?" Mr. Ping replied, winking a bit at Crane, who nodded subtly, catching that the goose was referring, like Shifu before him, to the symbolic nature of his species, "That's good, there is honor in that."

Po, bored with the conversation, rose from his place and made his way up the stairs to his room. Mr. Ping causally motioned Crane to follow, after which he too, rose from his seat, making his way into the kitchen to finish preparations for lunch. Taking the hint and sighing, in his head wondering how the next twenty minutes were going to play out, Crane carefully made his way up the stairs.

Po's room was, like the rest of the house, modest, yet, being a living space, was more decorative than the restaurant. A calendar on the wall with images of Tigress, Mantis and Monkey covering the month's page hung on the wall, once again the Dragon Warrior ceremony circled in red. On the wall opposite the door was a series of shelves and a desk, on which were several figurines, most of which were primitive, but some, like those of the Five, intricate and detailed, strangely, Crane's figurine was nowhere to be found, in its place Qiniang, poised and ready for combat. In addition to the figurines there were also several drawings, most of them of a crudely drawn panda, whom Crane presumed to be Po himself, standing before a great pack of leopards; at the Jade Palace, practicing with Master Shifu and Oogway; with Viper, hiding amongst the trees, waiting for an ambush. Finally, on the back wall, a simple bed and a bookcase full of books and scrolls, all on kung-fu history and lore.

Po sat at his desk, haplessly playing with his Tigress and Monkey figurines when Crane stood at the door. The bird's gentle rapping and slight bow, caused him to stop and turn, if only to acknowledge Crane's existence, after which the panda proceeded with his toys.

"I didn't see you come in" Po said, trying his best to sound cheerful and failing.

"Don't worry" Crane replied, "I wasn't waiting long-"

Crane carefully glided into the room, taking a quick look about the space, resting once again on Po who became his only concern.

"Nice place you got" Crane began, trying to start a conversation, "I've never seen a room with so much stuff dedicated to one thing."

Po huffed and shook his head, "Kung-fu is not a 'thing'" he defended, "Its kung-fu."

Crane laughed humbly to himself, for he once had similar sentiments, back before he received proper training with Shifu and had no knowledge as to what kung-fu really was other than that Qiniang was a student in it.

"If you believe that then why didn't you go to the ceremony?" Crane replied, answering with a question, " Surely your shop could've managed for a few hours?"

"I know!" Po exclaimed, almost immediately, "That's what I told him. I mean it's not like we have customers during that time anyway, everyone's already out and had breakfast; they're not thinking about noodles, especially when it's the Dragon Warrior ceremony. But-"

Crane laughed again and smiled, guessing where Po's story was going and finishing it for him, trying to avoid the possibility of Po saying it and thus making it into a reality.

"But your father said that you couldn't" Crane finished, "He needs you to help with customers and run the store to help put food on the table."

Po nodded a second time, going so far as to embrace Crane as tight as he could.

"See?" Po exclaimed, rhetorically, speaking breaking away and not giving Crane the opportunity to respond, "You understand Din, you get it. Noodles and soup. That's not me. I want adventure! Excitement, a little bit of danger! Not-"

Po stopped and hung his head, afraid to continue. Turning around and taking a seat on the bed, Po gave a long and heavy sigh before looking up at Crane, who remained where he was, a sad and concerned look on his face.

"I love my Dad" Po declared, not really sure where to begin, "And I know that he means well, he's only looking out for me, but I can't help it. Kung-fu is all I know, it's what I live and breathe. I can't get rid of it, its part of who I am."

Crane, who was getting tired of Po feeling sorry for himself, shook his head pitifully and silently forgave himself, Shifu, and Oogway for what he was about to do; but do he did regardless. Rolling his neck and stretching himself out, Crane mentally prepared himself and casually motioned to Po.

"Show me" Crane said simply.

Po raised his eyebrows curiously, confused as to what Crane was doing, "What?" Po said in turn, "What are you getting at?"

Crane laughed and shook his head playfully, deciding that he would humor the panda.

"You said that you lived and breathed kung-fu" Crane reiterated, "If so, prove it. Show me what you can do."

Po stood indifferently and rolled his eyes, on a personal level the panda was not in the mood for sparring, in part because he had never done it before and in part because he was still torn up about the ceremony that all spirit had been drained from him. He much preferred the company of his own mind, for it was only there where the world made sense; where he was a hero.

Getting into a lax stance, his arms barely up and his legs as stiff as boards, Po began to take the first swing. Crane, at seeing this display, stopped himself from outright bringing him down and instead relaxed his arms and began to teach.

"Here" Crane exclaimed as he walked over, leaning down, "Keep your legs shoulder length apart and bend your knees, you'll need to be flexible."

With a quick and light chop to Po's legs, Crane corrected the stiff boards, temporarily throwing the panda off balance. The bird then, effortlessly, shuffled through the open space that Po's legs provided and came out the other side, checking the panda's back posture.

"Loosen up" Crane instructed, "The acid build-up isn't good for your muscles. You need to breathe. Stand up straight and relax your shoulders, it'll save your arms when you need them for quick strikes and jabs."

Po, now paying attention, slowly let out his breath, for he had been holding ever since he stood up, and straightened out his back; Crane, in response, moved around to the front.

"Now since you're a panda and a big one you're going to have to compensate for your weight. What you lack in speed, make up in strength."

Po immediately looked down at his gut solemnly, Crane smiled and casually laughed, shaking his head.

"Don't take it personally" Crane continued, "For you it's a good thing. Now, come on, show me your ready face."

Po furrowed his eyebrows and crunched his nose, tilting his head slightly down, playing on theatrics. Crane, seeing what he was doing, wanted to say something to correct it his pragmatism kicking in more than usual; however, he said nothing, if only out to see what would happen. Po lifted his head, his eyes serious and full of purpose and instantly began waving his hands around in an abstract motion.

"So you think you can take me on?" Po asked, delving into his fantasy, "Well, let's see how you fair against the Mighty Po, Protector of the Valley of Peace!"

Crane, who couldn't help but laugh internally to himself at Po's ridiculous introduction, shrugged and smiled, deciding to humor him further. Dropping into his stance, Crane prepared for the defense, reminding himself that he was in a place of residence and not the sparring room at the temple.

"Ready when you are" Crane replied, accepting Po's banter and giving some of his own, keeping the illusion alive, "Come on, if you have the stomach for it."

Giving a weak punch that barely did anything to Crane, who recognizing the panda's lack of ability, pantomimed and fell to floor, Po laughed and followed with an equally pitifully kick to Crane's torso. The bird, resisting the urge to sweep kick Po off of his feet and down to the ground in pain, stood up as slowly as possible and wiped his beak, pretending to be bleeding.

"Got you good didn't I?" Po continued, laying on the insults as best he could, which wasn't really well.

"You talk too much" Crane replied, rolling his neck again, if only for dramatic effect, "Spar or sit down and cry."

Po shook his head in full disagreement, completely immersed in his own mind.

"Ha!" Po exclaimed cockily, "You would like that wouldn't you? The Mighty Po never gives up, never surrenders. Especially to bald strutting chickens like you."

At being called a bald strutting chicken, Crane, who was incredibly sensitive about his crown, being that it had few feathers to speak of, broke character and the act temporarily; performing a sweep, followed by a knee trap and a jump kick to the face, leaving the panda on the ground, writhing in slight pain and disbelief.

"Don't ever call me a chicken" Crane declared as he pulled himself together at the same time pulling Po to his feet, who shook off the incident as if nothing happened.

"Where'd you learn that?" Po said enthusiastically, "That was pretty impressive stuff."

Crane brushed him off and huffed nonchalantly, returning to his character of Din.

"I picked up a few things in the wetlands" Crane answered, ironically speaking the truth, "You never know when that stuff might come in handy."

Po stood in awe, a strange and glowing look of wonder struck his face, as if a small glimmer of hope had entered his heart and renewed his spirit.

"Do you think you teach me?" Po continued, over-eagerly, "Just enough to where I can say that I know something."

Crane thought for a moment, considering the consequences if he agreed to the terms. Technically speaking, as a member of the Furious Five he was forbidden to take on a pupil, having not been inducted as a true Master, yet, for some reason he saw something in Po that reminded him of himself: passion. Crane was instantly reminded of the days before his induction into the Five, when it was known as the Furious Four, the only thing that he had was passion, there was no inherent skill to be found, yet still despite this, Oogway took him on anyway. Maybe, if Po was given this same opportunity, he could live the life he wanted.

"I'll do you one better" Crane exclaimed, "I can get you an audience with Crane; we're good friends and he owes me. He might take you on."

Po, at hearing this, instantly become infused with the energy of a rabbit, bouncing in place and jittering excitedly, unable to contain his excitement. The panda embraced Crane again, this time tighter than the last and almost cutting off the bird's air supply.

"Thank you!" Po said, almost to the point of screaming, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Crane, struggling to breathe, gently tapped Po's shoulder, who took the hint and released him. Once he began breathing normally again, Crane stood and gave a slight nod Po's way, bowing as he took his leave.

"You're a good kid Po" Crane declared, "Meet me tomorrow in front of the palace. I'll get you an audience with Crane and we'll go from there."

Po nodded and ran over to his calendar to circle the date, he then turned back to Crane.

"You're alright Din" Po said calmly, his heart warm and words currently failing him, "Thank you for giving me a chance."

As Crane made his way down the steps he could hear Po celebrate to himself, screaming and yelling to the top of the world. Shaking his head and laughing, the bird smiled and looked up, hoping that he would be forgiven for his actions.

Mr. Ping, holding his conical hat that was too large for his head and a box, in which was a fresh bowl of noodles, was patiently waiting for Crane at the bottom of the stairs. Upon seeing the bird's lanky frame, the goose extended both the hat and the box to him with a smile on his face.

"What's this for?" Crane asked, partially holding them as he stepped back a bit, surprised that he was being offered gifts.

"I heard what you said" Mr. Ping answered promptly, "I know that you didn't have to do that and you're probably risking a lot, but thank you. I may not like it, but my son is everything to me. As long as he is happy, I am happy."

Crane nodded and took the box, now understanding its meaning, the hat however, was still a mystery. Mr. Ping, seeing this, chuckled and shook his head.

"Keep it" the goose continued, "It'll look better on you anyway. Besides, Po's right, you kind of do look like a bald chicken."

Crane smiled and rolled his eyes, accepting his own genetics and shrugging it off, he then let out a thankful laugh and kneeled down, embracing Mr. Ping with all the care in the world.

"You've been good to me" Crane said as he broke away, putting on the hat, "Your kindness and your hospitality will not be forgotten. Anything you need, no matter how big or how small, you come to me and I'll see it done. You have my word on that."

Mr. Ping nodded and returned Crane's smile, showing that the feeling was mutual.

"Right now" the goose exclaimed, "My son is the only thing I need."

Crane stood only to bow, after which he waved goodbye and took his leave out the front door, taking to the air and returning to the temple just as the lunch crowd began to enter the shop.