Authors Notes: I am glad that some more reviewers are coming in. I recently found out that I passed my U.S. Regents (FINALLY!) and out of happiness, I created this chapter today, it is a bit long, but is worth your while.

Dan96kid: I am very joyful myself for my evil ideas that I have for future chapters. I am glad that you took in the awesomeness in bringing back some old and powerful enemies. For others who read this, read the 3rd chapter, I included a small cool detail that will make them more deadly and insane then evil itself! Dan96kid, this goes out to you reviewing my story the first time.

awesome223: Aw yeah, I have an anonymous review (the first of many, I hope) and I am happy more than one person is looking at this. This goes out to you, awesome223.

Chapter 4: Telling Cole's Story

When Cole, Po, Shifu and the five went back inside the Jade Palace, Cole was both shocked and amazed by the life-threatening training areas in the building. Shifu told the others to train while he consulted with Cole, since Cole had questions for the red panda and so did Shifu.

Shifu took him to the Hall of Hero's; Cole was amazed by how big the hallway was. There were scrolls and weapons and artwork near the walls of the place, but was taken to a puddle of water near the end of the place and on the roof was a stone dragon.

As Cole approached the magnificent statue, Cole began to think Man, how much more weird could this get? Not to mention that I'm a friggin' tiger, all soft and furry too!

Shifu told the tiger to sit by the puddle and to ask him questions.

Cole thought for a few moments before he could come up with an elaborate question, but the first question that he asked was, "How did I get here and what is your name?"

Shifu replied, "My name is Shifu, Master of the Furious five and the Dragon Warrior, and to answer your first question, we went to Po's noodle restaurant to eat and get out more often-"

"Who's Po?" Cole cut in.

Shifu said, "He is the panda you met earlier."

With a look of understanding from Cole, Shifu continued, "But, as we walked back to the palace, we saw you flying though the sky like a charging lightning bolt and hit our front doors. We couldn't leave you there so I told Viper, master of the snake style and medicine, to heal you of your injuries until you woke up."

Cole began fitting the pieces together.

He asked another question, "Aside from that, where am I exactly?"

Shifu replied, "You are in China, but you are also living in a place called the Valley of Peace, where The Furious Five and Po, the Dragon Warrior, fight against any threat that dares put danger to the people and their homes."

Though the stunning news seemed deafening, Cole remained calm, but the only thing absolutely surprising to him was the panda, Po, was this so called Dragon Warrior that was looked up to the people and so was this so called Furious Five, but he had one question left, "Who are the Furious Five?"

Shifu replied, "The Furious Five are my students and are master of each style, Mantis is the master of the mantis style, Monkey is the master of the monkey style, Viper is the master of the snake style, Crane is the master of the crane and wind style, Tigress is the master if the tiger style, and Po is a master of the panda style and the dragon style, and he is a master at making noodles." Shifu finally finished with a smirk on his face.

Cole finally understood the entire situation that he was in and replied, "Now that I am done with my questions, you probably have some for me as well, but before you could ask them, I know one of your questions would allow me to tell my story to you. But before I do that as well, I should also tell the story to the others, for I would know how your students, especially Po, would want to hear it."

Master Shifu was calm when talking to him and asked his permission to tell it to his students as well. He could also see the goodness in him that moved him into believing that there was good in this universe.

After some thought, Shifu replied with a hint of humor, "Very well, you will tell your story, but first you must have dinner, it is already the afternoon and you must be hungry."

Cole's stomach immediately growled from the thought of food so much that his grumble was heard in the hallway.

He followed Shifu to the palace to eat, but as he walks, he has this strange feeling on how he would fit in, due to past experiences on what people thought of him as.

…

Meanwhile, as the hours went by, the rest of the five and Po took off to the kitchen to wait for Shifu and the stranger. They were all asking questions to each other about the guy.

"What do you think Shifu was asking him of?" Said Mantis

"How should we know, but we could ask him when he comes." Said Viper

"I doubt he would talk to us about anything." Said Tigress, cutting through the conversation

"Aw, I thought we were going to be best friends? Guess not?" Said a voice from the corner of the room.

They all turned to him and saw the guy enter the kitchen who sat himself down with an extra chair.

"I was thinking of telling you guys my story of my life, but Tigress thinks otherwise…" he said with eye contact (no one had the guts to do that, ever), "If you don't want to hear it then you should just go to sleep or wait outside."

In an instant, everyone crowded around Tigress held back a growl, but apologized to him.

He only smiled and replied, "You know what, there is no need to apologize yet because you and I got on the wrong foot," He then leaned against the table and held out a paw, "The name's Cole McGrath, and you must be Tigress, right?"

Tigress never met someone as cocky and brash as Cole in her life, but showing disrespect to someone is unfair when they have never met you before. She shook his paw and said, "Yes it is, and it is nice to meet you McGrath, now that everyone knows your name." after she took her paw away, Cole looked around, only to see only shocked faces of Cole's survived his encounter without getting beat up and without breaking a sweat!

"So, Po," the fat panda's attention brightened when he noticed that Cole was watching him and talking to him, "I've heard from Shifu that you are an excellent at making noodles and such, so is it okay to taste what actual Chinese food is like?" asked Cole.

Before he could blink, Po brung out noodles and dumplings to Cole & the others and told them to begin eating. The tiger instantly liked t noodles and in that instant, eat it faster in one gulp than Po would ever do. He then saw a dumpling and took a bite of it. It instantly reminded him of a jelly-filled donut at a donut store. He ate at least 3 dumplings in 3 bites before he finally said, "I'm full." He took his plate and other things that housed into the kitchen and put it near the bowl of water, which held the dishes. When he came back he noticed more shocked faces around him, for their curiosity, he said, "What, I have a high metabolism." He sat himself down with the rest, waiting for them to be done.

Cole than says, "I now that some of you have questions, but I will answer them as best as I can. If you don't understand something, ask me and I will explain. I also want to get to know you guys better before I tell you about me."

After that response, Po replied, "Well, we do Kung-Fu to protect the valley, always train, and eat noodles. That's about it."

There was a small silense from Cole's suprised reaction.

"Wow," said Cole, "That all you guys do, don't any of you ever go outside instead of staying inside all day and training?"

Everyone thought about it and haven't gone out at all, they went only on missions or to protect the village (except Po), so there was silence as we as eating silently. Cole then shrugged and just waited for them to be done.

After every-one of them finished, they waited for him to tell his story.

Having settled in line of the corners of the table, he was able to get a good view of his "new" friends and thought for a moment.

Maybe it would be best to leave Trish out of it. He gave a quick and unnoticeable glance to tigress, once again reminding him of her, he then cleared his throat and began.

"I wasn't always like this; I use to be normal and would have a normal life like how anybody would. In a job I use to do, I was a currier, a messenger, a mailer, a deliverer, whatever you want to call me. One day, like any ordinary day, I was given a package and told to send it to the historic district square. I forgot to mention that I lived in a city called Empire City. No, it is not an empire, just a name. When I got to my destination, all I could remember is a bomb exploding and the screams of men, women, and children, dying in the blast. Soon after I woke up, I saw five square blocks smashed to dust and rubble. I was also in the middle of that explosion. I escaped to the neon district for 3 days until I woke up to find a broken world under quarentine by the government. 14 days later, when I got the hang of controling my powers, me and Zeke tried to get out of the quarintene. After we escaped the raining bullets at a boarder, that's when everything went downhill. By a agent named Moya, I had to return electricity to the city, collect dead drops, help civilians and any other stiky situation I might end up in. I also learned that the bomb I was in was called a ray sphere, when activated, it drains the neroelectricity of people to the prime conduit, me." This was realized by the others and was having negative thoughts. "This was where I gained my powers. After defeating the reapers, people who were infected by a mind-controlled agent and Sasha, the leader and my stalker. I headed to the warden to defeat Alden and retrieve the ray sphere, but was betrayed by Zeke just to kill people to get powers of his own. Once I restored the enrgy in warren, I was contacted by John, an agent of the NSA, also was claimed that he was Moyas husband, which was just a lie to use me. I found out that there was a man named Kesseler, he was behind the blast, the quarentine, everything. I restored energy and destroyed the redars so John could find the ray sphere. I found it and destroyed it with my ionic storm. John was caught in it's explosion and disintegrated. I fought Kesseler soon after and defeated him. He then showed me a vision that kesseler was me, he took a one way trip back in time to make me do impossible choices for the greater good of others and to defeat a enemy ment to destroy all of life, the Beast." He gave them all a moment for this to sink in though their shocked faces. "I talked to Zeke after he betrayed me and forgave him. A month later, I met another agent by the name Lucy Kuo. I was easily going to turm my back on her when she said the she knew about the beast and came to prepare me. A friend named Dr. Wolfe was creating a machine called a Ray Field Inhibitor, or RFI for short. When the beast came to Empire City, I was unprepared and weak. When I went head on with it I nearly died and was forced to retreat to the boat to get the hell out of the city. The beast put itself back together and destroyed the city in one big explosion." Another shock from his friends came. "Later, me and Zeke were told that we were going to New Marais, a town we use to go to when a flood occurred and we learned how to climb buildings and jump over place from one to the next. Zeke created a device that can help me focus my powers when fighting up close." He took out his silver Amp and placed it on the table for everyone to see. After he put it back, he said, "We also learned that it was under control by the Mullica, a bunch of hillbilly thugs, and Joseph Bertrand III, who was the leader of the Mullica, also had control of ice conduits and swamp monsters. He was selling these swamp monsters and ice conduits to start World War III. Once I Took down his business and his boats that ship them, I was found by John, who was a conduit and the beast himself. He gave me the ability to see the sickness inside a person and to see whoever had a conduit gene, which can be awakened in a ray sphere blast and be given a power automatically. Along the way, I met Nix, a fire conduit who helped me defeat the Mullica. She also told me that Bertrand was a conduit and was able to turn himself into a 50-foot maggot called the Behemoth. Kuo was kidnapped and Wolfe was dead, Kuo was given ice powers though a machine that could swap powers. That machine is where I got my ice powers from Kuo. With the help of the resistance who hated the Mullica, we killed Bertrand as a 50-foot maggot. I have also used enough blast cores, genetic batteries that can power up me and my powers, making me use the RFI and able to summon storms and stuff. I learned that the RFI was supposed to kill all conduits, including me, not just the beast. Me, Zeke, Kuo, and Nix went against the beast and I used the RFI to kill the beast and wipe out the plague that was all over the east coast. I was willing to give up my life and others around the word to save Billions of people. You could imagine what weight was on your solders when you had to use the RFI." He then chuckled a little. "To me, it's very ironic, to begin with a blast and to end with a blast and how the deaths of a few people that would kill people who are conduits all over the world."

It was as if time froze. Po, Shifu and the Five were taking this all in as easily as possible. Everything they heard from him was as if his world was beyond cruel and how much he sacrificed for the greater good. His story of being a hero was beyond any good they ever done. But, one thing stuck out from his story that gave them curious looks.

"Wait," Said Po, who everyone was looking at though the silence, "if the RFI was supposed to kill you, than how are you still alive?"

Everyone looked back at Cole for an answer. His response was, "Well, after I used the RFI, I was struck by this lightning bolt and, by the looks of it, sent here. I wonder-" His voice was cut short by a thought. He checked his backpack for the RFI and remembered that he used it. "I don't have it." Was all that he said.

"Have what?" Said Shifu.

He looked back at his friends and said, "I remember using the RFI, so it either blew up, was left behind where it last was, or was lost when I somehow came here. Either way, the fact remains that I don't have it and I don't know what happened to it."

After this was taken all in, Tigress spoke up by saying, "You went through so many sacrifices for the good of others and yet you suffer for your actions?"

This taken back Cole into understanding his past, but his reply was, "The is an old saying, 'It's only with the heart that one can see rightly.' I guess that what I had to go through to do the right thing, even if it means my life and the lives of others." His words of wisdom shocked everybody to their core, seeing that in order to achive good deeds is through sacrifice and pain. Cole made a yawn that a cat would do.

Okay, that's new.

Shifu said in a commanding voice, "It's time to sleep, go to your rooms now. Goodnight."

They all stood up, except Cole, and bowed to Shifu with a goodnight.

After they left, Shifu walked over to Cole and said, "I will send you to your sleeping quarters."

This was unexpected. "Whoa, wait a second, I'm staying here?"

Shifu looked back at him and said, "You saved me, my students, and provided us answers beyond measure, I have every right to show you my respect by taking you in, besides, where will you go?"

This also caught him by surprise. Where will he go? He doesn't even know where this valley is where he comes from! Having no choice but to accept his offer at living here for the time being, he said, "Okay, I will follow, and thank you for your hospitality." Shifu smiled at him (Cole doesn't know that it was rare for Shifu to smile at someone) and followed him to where Po and the others slept. Shifu opened the door to a spare bedroom and said to rest. After giving his thanks, he went into his room and took off his backpack and Amp. He went to bed to get ready but his door opened to reveal Po.

"Oh, hey Po." Said Cole.

He had a nervous face and said, "Um, remember earlier that you said that we don't get out that much?" Cole only nodded and had that look that meant 'go-on'.

"There is this Dragon Festival that is coming tomorrow celebrating me becoming the dragon warrior, and since I am going anyways, would you make Shifu and the others come?"

This gave him some time to think in his small moment. I haven't been at a break for a long time since I got my powers, maybe this is a good opportunity to relax and have fun. He replied, "Sure, I'll see what I could do, but you owe me."

Po had his goofy smile on his face and said, "Yes, thank you very much and good night."

"Hold on," Said Cole, before Po could walk out the door, Cole asked, "how did you became the dragon warrior?"

Po thought and said, "I use to work in a noodle shop before I meet any of my friends, the grand master, Oogway, was going to chose who was going to be the dragon warrior. When I couldn't get though the doors to see them, I tried every idea I could to go over the walls, but I found some rockets and launched myself in front of Oogway on accident. He said that I was brought by the universe to him. That's it."

Cole looked back at him with an amused tone of, "Huh, it's strange how fate could pull strings to change a man's fate and cut strings to end a man's life."

Po stared at him in awe by his words of wisdom. He took it into consideration and walked out the door.

Cole put his Amp next to his bed, just in case. He took his shoes, socks, and he took his shirt off, being bare-chested, and went to bed with is pants on. It took him a while, but when he went to sleep, that's when the pain will get to him.

…

Tigress couldn't stop thinking about Cole's story and all the sacrifices he made for more than just a village but the world. Sure her friends help stop a country from being taken over but this was a totally new level of bravery. Most of all, it was bugging her about how she was paying attention to the story and admiring his looks.

That made her cheeks blush, she knew she was hardcore, but no one knew that everyone can have emotions, not just physical feeling. She thought to not let this get in her head and get over it when training. As she was trying to sleep, she heard a conversation of Cole and Po talking to each other. She couldn't hear anything due to the paper walls, but heard from Cole, "Huh, it's strange how fate could pull strings to change a man's fate and cut strings to end a man's life."

She thought about what he said, fate had brought him to being a normal being with good-like powers and with is gift came his curse of sacrificing everything, even himself. The thought of a good spirit in this world made her smile for the first time. Immediately noticing this, she dropped it and tried to sleep one more. Right before she could let sleep get the better of her, she still thought about him.