Ok, new chapter! Sorry it took so long, but I've been busy with other stories, and I've been having writer's block lately, so yeah...anyways, here it is!

I woke up to the sound of the gong being struck once agaIn, the loud echo ringing throughout the palace grounds. I winced as I felt a dull throbbing pain all over my body, then sighed as I remembered the previous day. I groaned, then I realized that the gong was meant for the Five and Po. I smiled slightly, relieved that I would be able to wake up later, then fell asleep.

I woke up to another strike to the gong, signaling that it was time for Dusk and I to start training. I yawned and sat up, stretching a bit before I groggily stood up and walked out of my room. I entered the kitchen and sat down, still not fully awake. I looked around and saw that there were two bowls of dumplings on the counter, so I grabbed one of the bowls and sat back down. After eating two dumplings, I saw Dusk groggily walk into the kitchen. She sat down at the table and laid her face on the wooden surface. I kept eating my dumplings, but once Dusk started to snore, I decided to intervene. A smile crept across my face when I got an idea. I exited the kitchen, then walked back into the kitchen with a bucket of water. I snuck over to Dusk, then dremched her with its contents.

"WHAT THE?!" Dusk asked, bolting upright and fully awake.

I started to laugh uncontrollably, and in when I stopped laughing, I said, "Sorry man, I just...I just couldn't resist."

Dusk punched me in the arm, which made me start to laugh all over again. Once I stopped laughing and Dusk had gotten over the fact that I had drenched her with water, we ate our breakfast and headed to the Training Hall. Once again, we split up and walked towards our mentors.

"So, what bone am I going to break today?" I asked, knowing that I would most likely have to attempt the Jade Tortoise walk AGAIN.

Tigress narrowed her eyes at me for a second, then she answered, "None. I want you to practice punches, blocks, and kicks on the Training Dummy, then-"

"You mean THAT?" I interrupted, pointing at the dummy with an uninterested tone.

"Yes." Tigress said.

"Oh come on, just look at that thing! It looks idiotic!" I protested.

"I don't mind what you practice on, as long as it's effective." Tigress said.

"What about a tree?" I asked, remembering that Tigress talked about punching ironwood trees in the second movie.

Tigress froze, and I almost regretted asking the question.

"I-it's just, I saw some trees here, and I just thought that it would, uh, help me train..." I said awkwardly, trying to clear the tension in the air.

Tigress cleared her throat, then replied, "Yes, that...that would work too."

I suddenly noticed that Tigress had a faraway look in her eyes, which meant that she was probably having a flashback or something. I stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, then asked, "Um... can I go practice on a tree outside, then...?"

"Yes, you may." Tigress said after a moment,

I hesitated for a moment, then walked off, but before I went outside, I looked back at Tigress. I didn't know why she'd have a flashback because of an ironwood tree, but I knew it was probably a Tigress thing. I walked out of the Training Hall, then realized that I had no idea where the ironwood trees were. I decided to search for Viper for directions to the trees, because I didn't feel like possibly encountering another awkward moment if I asked Po where the trees were.

I walked around the Jade Palace dormitory, then backtracked when I saw Viper out the corner of my eye.

"Hey, Viper?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"Um... are there any trees here at the Jade Palace?"

Viper gave me a questioning look, then I said, "I...uh... thought that using some to train might be a good idea..."

"Um, there's some ironwood trees behind the Training Hall, so you can look there."

I slapped my face in irritation, considering the fact that I was just there, then replied, "Thanks, Viper."

"You're-"

That was all I heard before I hurried off, heading towards the Training Hall.

I came to a stop when I arrived at the grove of ironwood trees, straightening up to my full height. I stared around for a moment before I walked over to a tree and clenched my right paw into a fist. I hesitated for few seconds, then threw the hardest blow I could to the tree.

"OW! DEAR GOD!" I yelled in pain, which was followed by a few swear words.

I held my aching paw in the other paw, rubbing it and wincing. Even though my paw hurt like crazy, it still wasn't as bad as the Jade Tortoise. I winced some more, then without thinking, kicked the tree frustratedly.

"GUUUUUUURRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" I yelled.

"What are you doing?"

I turned to see Dusk looking at me like I was crazy, and I could feel myself grow hot with embarrassment.

"Uuuuummmm...punching trees..." I said awkwardly, not knowing what else to say.

"So...you're being racist to trees?"

"What? No!"

Alright, that concludes chapter 9! Not sure if it was a T ending or not, but, you know, whatever. This fanfic is mostly K+ anyways. Anyways, hope you liked it, and stay tuned!