Nothing to say here.

Except yes. The Chapter Title is fully intentional. xD

Po's outrageous outburst had everyone unbelievably stunned. The sheer audacity was far too much for most involved to even process. He simply stood there with that defiant and angry glare, daring the Emperor to claim that he was wrong with his accusations. It looked like most of his friends would be sharing his mindset, as they too were glaring defiantly at the Emperor. It was utterly baffling that someone could muster up so much defiance towards the Ruler of China and not show an inch of regret about it.

The Wu Sisters were stunned silly. Only Su's shock soon turned to amusement as she silently praised the nerve that the panda possessed. Fenghuang was still loaughing her ass off, slapping the ground while struggling to catch her breath. She even had to wipe some tears from her eyes. "Hahahaha! Oho! Oh my goodness, that was AMAZING! The panda just called you out and didn't give a shit! That's hysterical! And it souns like something I would do! So I'm both amused AND proud! AHAHAHA!~"

Huh. So this is how I die, then? Shen wondered in a state of total dissonance. I die not because of my own creations...but because this bumbling baffoon thought that it would be a splendid idea to talk like that to the Emperor! To be perfectly honest, if Shen had been able to conquer China unchallenged, he would have probably done the same thing, with a smug smirk on his beak. but no one needed to know that, as it did not matter right now. What mattered was that the clearly insane panda had just talked badly about the Emperor, and he wondered just how severe he would lash out towards his aggressor.

The Emperor, however, didn't look mad. He was more shocked and confused than anything. before that, he took a good look at the pnda. A straw hat, a green vest, stiched pants, a red scarf with a golden dragon across it, and a straw hat overshadowing the panda's eyes. he could also see two other things that greatly caught his attention. His prosthetic arm, clearly confirming thnat he had lost his original somehow,, and his jade eyes. Jade eyes that were glaring right through him, greatly criticizing him for allowing his family to be placed in such great danger without even knowing about it. The panda was right. he was so focused on trying to put this whole event together and worrying about the results, that his mind escaped the present. His focus on his grandson's future resulted in him briefly forgetting that he was still very clearly in danger in the present. If he focused too much on future events, then the present will slip by him without his notice. Someone else had to look out for his grandson while he was pondering what to do next.

And judging by the look in Lu Kang's face, he didn't blame him at all for partially disregarding his safety in all of this, even from the Imperial Army, who might not be on board with this idea as much as the majority was. That only made him feel much worse about the ordeal, already knowing that Lu Kang won't hold this event against him. Though his aunt might, given how her nephew was also inadvertedly dragged into the crossfire. It wouldn't really end well for him once she sets off. Zan means a lot to the both of them as much as Lu Kang did. Losing them both would have left them both with heavily broken spirits. If these young warriors haven't been here...

There was no choice.

To everyone immense surprise the Emperor brought his hooves together...and proceeded to bow before Po! "You...you are right. I was far too focused on the result of this tournament...I took my attention off of him for too long. If I don't properly keep him safe in the present, then there won't be a future for him. Panda...I...thank you for saving my grandson and nephew. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you..."

"You can start by looking out for your family a bit better than that." Po said a bit sternly with his arms folded. "Look, as pumped as I am for this tournament, it ultimately won't mean nothing for you if your grandson ends up dead in the crossfire. Sure, he's an adult. But he's at a very important stage of his life, and the pressure you're putting on him is gonna tear him apart faster than those rogue Imperial Army members could. Though I'd much rather avoid that happening too."

"We suggest that you be more careful in the future, Emperor. And that you probably need to hire an entirely new platoon of soldiers for the Imperial Army. it's quite clear that the one that we just disposed of is not worthy of serving you. You might want to lock them up before they can cause more trouble." Tigress suggested. She blinked twice and looked back to her leg. Zan had attached himself to it, hugging it tightly as he looked up towards Tigress with a bright smile. "Hm?"

"Tigwess!~" He chriped happily.

Viper's eyes sparkled. "Oh my goodness, he's so cute! So cute!"

"And he's gotten himself a new role model, apparently." Monkey snickered.

The Emperor's sister blinked softly before nodding in agreement. "That's rather surprising. It appears that my son Zan has taken an instant liking towards you. He's been saved from similar situations before, but he never clung to them like that with such positivity." She smiled softly and nodded. "He must know that you're a very incredible person. He has that kind of intuition."

"Is that so...?" Tigress wondered quietly, looking down at the beaming child. She smiled a little, patting his head. She had to concede to Viper, he was pretty cute.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING HERE?!" Ox otraged, shifting his gaze towards the Wu Sisters, who decided to stop hdiing and actual join in on the conversation.

Wan smirked and mockingly blew a kiss towards the Kung Fu Council."Hiya boys! Long time no see!~"

"I see you three were able to escape from your respective prisons..." Croc frowned a little, but was much more civil than Ox at the moment. "And by the looks of it, it was completely without our knowledge...we seemed to have underestimated you. How did you do it?"

"Why should we tell you, huh?" WIng grinned, cracking her knuckles. "This an excellent opportunity to exact some sweet delicious revenge. We're gonna kick your asses this time!"

"Just try it!" Ox growled, gearing for an aggressive charge. He was immediately stopped by Rhino, while Wing was smacked upside the head by Su.

"Forgive my sisters' impulsiveness. They're...eager." Su rolled her eyes.

"Likewise, I apologize for Ox's hostility. He hasn't changed too much when it came to his temper." Rhino nodded. "As much as our pasts are against it...hopefully we can get along a bit better this time...?"

Su shrugged, letting him know that he could do whatever he wished. She turned towards Po and the Emperor again, smirking with a paw on her hip. "I've never met anyone with the sheer gall to shout at the Emperor without flinching. Congrats, panda. You've officially won my interest for impressing me like that."

Po blinked cluelessly. "Um...I wasn't really trying to...but okay."

Shifu, after having fully recovered from the shock of Po\s actions, cleared his throat and stood up straight. However, everyone was well aware that he was shaken up by the ordeal. "Well...now that we've gotten ourselves situated, we can officially begin our introductions, as well as reintroductions, to the other Masters. It's...been such a long time since I've seen a majority of them. I think that this reunion might help a bit. Even though we might be competing against one another at some point in this tournament. I hope they do not act too hostile towards us..."

Fenghuang eventually stopped laughing, wiping her amused tears away with a sassy huff. "Tch, you're afraid of them acting hostile? Let them say a few words. Then I'll proceed to kick their faces into the ground and then laugh about it. Those fools don't get to criticize us for the choices we made, not this time. Especially since we actually decided to do some decent work while we're at it."

Crane sighed as he adjusted his hat slightly. "Well...we're going to be meeting a lot of the Kung Fu Masters. They're not going to be too welcoming of us, are they?"

"Hehe! I don't think so, Crane!" Mei Ling chuckled, placing her arms behind her neck. "We sure did cause a lot of ruckus wherever we go without really taking full note of the consequences." Crane turned to her with a deadpan look after she said this. She didn't notice. "Disregarding that, I'm actually really interested in seeing the Masters that showed up! Should make for a pretty interesting meeting before we can get on with the tournament."

"Still, they'd better not be jerks to us. I'll have a mind to beat them down!" Lian cracked her knuckles. Peng and Bian Zao sighed in slight exasperation, though didn't try to warn her about the consequences of that type of action. They've been dodging the consequences for a while now, so they might as well continue the trend. Besides, they were also pretty curious about what might be in store for them next.

The Emperor eyed everyone for a moment, both the more experienced Masters and the younger ones. Both of them had an intense fire in their eyes, but for different reasons. He wasn't able to understand what this meant, and he doubted that he would be able to. However, he did acknowledge that they did not harbor any sort of hostility towards him, though they did make a point to let him know that he needs to be more mindful of the situation he placed himself in. Now that this sort of event was taking place, he needed to be extra mindful of his family. Because as unnecessarily extrem as the guards' actions were, they did have a point. China is at great risk because of his rushed and somewhat selfish actions. However, he also acknowledged that turning back now will do even worse damage to everyone involved. As much as he hesitated over it, he realized that he had to see his decision through.

With a brief clearing of his throat, he nodded and turned around. "Now then, I believe that we have a meeting to attend. Most of the other Masters are there already, and they're quite eager to get started. Though obviously not as much as you all are. You seemed very determined to prove something. Proving yourselves, perhaps?" He shook his head. "I should not assume. We should proceed."

"As you wish." Shifu nodded slightly. He sounded very sure, but instead he was still highly nervous. A pretty decent collection of Kung Fu Masters would be gathering, and there was a high chance that they knew very much of his decision a few months ago. This only filled him with even more anxiety, but he won't turn away. He had to be strong for the others, for Tai lung, for Fenghuang, Taotie, for Tigress.

...Even for Mei Ling. Especially for Tigress and Mei Ling. They were the two biggest reasons why he decided to discard his title. So he could protect him and not care about Kung Fu's 'honor' possibbly barring him from doing so. However, he won't actively seek to deconstruct it unless he absolutely has to.

...And he might just have to right here.

(Emperor's Palace)

Po and Mr. Ping were in a bit of awe at how large the palace was, especially since it was mostly going upwards. And even before that, there was an incredibly large courtyard surounding it and even right before it, creating a large space between the palace itself, and the city. The others were mildly impressed as well, though not the elder Masters. They've been here quite a number of times. Shen found that the palace might need a bit more color, but he wasn't an expert on architecture, so he wouldn't judge too hrshly.

Now wasn't the time for that. Now was the time for the real interesting sight. Kung Fu Masters were gathered all around, seemingly prepared for whatever the Emperor might say. They've each reeived the invitation via Kung Fu Express, which they got in record time. There was no way they were going to miss the chance to show their skills and strength in honor of the Emperor, as well as being chosen to possibly teach his grandson Kung Fu. There were a few Masters that Shifu and fenghuang were able to recognize right away.

Obviously Master Yao was among them, waving energetically towards them, oblivious to the other Masters staring at him in shock and awe. Standing right beside him was Master Kwng, who was tossing a scroll up before catching it, and repeating the process. He nodded in acknowledgement towards Po and Tigress.

Another noticeable group of Masters were Masters Elephant, Snow Leopard, and Rooster. They saw that Shifu and Fenghuang came after all, which they didn't know whether to chalk it up to a relief, a joy, or concern. They were very worried about the reaction of the others. Shifu anf Fenghuang gave a quick nod of acknowledgement towards them. Fenghuang was even smiling a little bit.

Another noticeable Master that took him by surprise was Temutai. He was towering over a majority of the much smaller Masters with his arms folded with a strong huff in his step. Though Po was able to sense that he has become much more mellow than before...though not enough for is shouting to go away. Po wondered if he was really here for the Emperor's sake. it seemed to be a bit too far fetched to be something like that. nevertheless, a part of him was glad another friend was here. It also might even do the Emperor good that Royalty wanted to help him out, even if it was for his own gain.

He also saw a brown bear around, with a red belt and metal plates. Po inwardly cheered at the sight of another bear in sight, regardless of if he wasn't a panda. Next to him stood a chicken. Crane was briefly stupefied by the sight of him. Mantis silently told him to get over it. The sight of a proudly standing eagle also made him stand in awe.

However, there were also a few questionable Masters around them as well. And a few of them weren't very nice.

"Well well...look who we have here..."

Taotie, Mei Ling, and Shifu recognized that voice. They recognized it quite well, and wished that he wasn't talking to them. Unfrunately he was, as they reluctantly turned towards him. Like Mei Ling, he was a fox. His eyes were orange. His fur was a unique color combination of orange, black, yellow, brown, and white. He was wearing blue robes with red, orange, and yellow patches. His ears twitched arrogantly as closely took in the features of the three of them, as well as a sideways glance towards Fenghuang. His tail swished softly and his eyebrows raised with interest. Though they all knew that this interest wasn't positive by any means. Shifu was worried about what his intentions were.

"Shifu...my my. I never expected you and your friends to actually show your faces in a place like this. Sure, the invitation said that any available Master that is willing to participate is free to come. But still, I thought you would have gotten the hint and stayed away from this." He tilted his head tauntingly. "But no. You actually have the nerve to show up here in front of those that used to be your peers. You traded all of that away...and for what, exactly?"

"Junjie..." Shifu started quietly while gazing into his eyes. "I'm getting the impression that you were hoping not to see me here. Though I can't say that I blame you. If I had been much more like how I was in the past, then I wouldn't want me to participate in this event either. However...I've changed quie a bit. As much as I respect Kung Fu...I'm afraid I cannot abide by some of it's rules anymore. I have decided to forge my own path alongside my comrades and daughter. As well as reuniting with my son, and even more family that I was unaware that I had."

The fox frowned slightly as he stepped a few paces closer to Shifu, until he was in his face. "So that's it then, Shifu? You've just decided to abandon your old way of life just because you were inconvienced by it? The honor that has been handed to you as Master of the Jade Palace...you've decided to just discard it? Something so important and significant suddenly doesn't have enough meaning to you that you had to abandon it? No, instead you decide to align ourselves with fugitives, and those that saw Kung Fu as a useless. You've really lost your way, havem't you?"

"No. On the contrary. I've found my new way of life." Shifu replied calmly. "It's true. With the destruction of the Jade Palace and the death of the Valley of Peace, I really cannot consider myself worthy of being refered to as 'Master' Shifu anymore. As I made my way through my journey, reunited with some old friends, and watched my daughter and her own friends actions...I realized that I have placed far too much value in maintaining the honor of Kung Fu. As much as I genuinely did try to uphold it, it had provided me with much more losses than it did victories. Maqny loved ones have drifted away from me...while I have remained where I was. As much as I wanted to follow them, as much as I wished to travel alongside them...I forced myself to stay, and keep my outer appearance stern and unfeeling about the pain I caused them...I abandoned that part of me."

Mei Ling and Taotie each looked towards Shifu with surprise. Even though Shifu has made his new sentiments clear already, actually hearing him say it while the other Masters were clearly listening was what truly surprised them. Shifu gazed at Junjie, who was glaring back at him, clearly displeased by his reasoning.

"I've decided that the safety and care of my love ones takes a significantly higher priority than trying to preserve that honor. It has clearly been met with much criticism, but my decision has been made. I shall not rescind it for any reason."

Junjie narrowed his eyes as blue chi began to seep off of his body. "You are trampling over Oogway's wishes, as well as his legacy. You're a disappointment to him as you were supposed to be the future GrandMaster of the Jade Palace. You let something like this happen, and now you choose to roam China as you se fit? Do you really think you're allowed to make choices like that?"

Shifu's body was soon coated with green chi, as he too narrowed his eyes against Junjie. "I have had many failures more than victories, that much I will readily agree to. I wish I could do many things differently so that certain events could have played out differently. But I can't take those things back now, as I can onl strive to do better from here. I am bound to falter at a few given points, but that's why I have my loved ones with me. I believe that Oogway would want me to follow my own path rather than trying to stay in his shadow. Regardless of what choices I've made, I know that he loved all of his students regardless of their choices. And I've made my choice. I think he'll respect it."

"You place so much confidence in that claim..."

"Because I know that's it's true."

For a few of them, a couple of Masters have conceded to Shifu's claim and his belief. They also seemed to lower their heads slightly as they all remembered that Oogway was no longer with any of them. Though a few others still seemed to be entirely against the idea of Shifu making that kind of choice.

Po tilted his head as he noticed that a couple of them were staring at him. Some of the looks weren't very nice, while those like Temutai smirked. They gazed at the ones alike Po, Tigress, the rest of the new five, and most of the young ones. He rubbed his neck in wonder as he heard what some of them whispered.

"That's him, isn't it...?"

"He's much chubbier than I expected..."

"I thought they were joking when it was said that he was a panda..."

"I feel a naive, friendly, yet VERY dangerous chi around him..."

"What was he thinking, travleing alongside a bunch of fugitives?!"

"When you think about it, a majority of them have been known to have questionable backgrounds...the nly one we can sy for sure that we know is Grand Master Viper's daughter."

"Somebody actually quelled her hatred for those that walk on two feet? I thought it could never be done!

"He's a serious wild card...he's far too uncontrolled. Wild. Unpredictable. And he has no regard for who believes that his actions might be wrong."

"He's a chaotic one, eh?"

Po casually shrugged off the comments. It didn't matter to much to him anyway. He wasn't here to impress anyone, he was just eager to participate, regardless if they like him or not.

"It's surprising that he was taught by a demon like Fenghuang..."

"Does that make him a demon, too? It would explain a lot..."

'A shame. Having to be uner the tuteluge of a witch like her."

"What as he thinking, leaving Lord Shen alive, and not in prison?!"

"He's out of his mind keeping company like those around..."

A vein pulsed in Po's head. THAT, however, was unacceptable.

"HEY!" Po shouted/roared towards the Masters, shocking them out of their whispers and silencing them briefly. He stomped the ground so hard that it cracked, and he gritted his teeth. "If you all have some sort of problem with me, then say it to my face! Go on, I'm listening!" He made himself loud and clear, while his comrades sighed. Except for Tigress, who seemed to have similar wishes in mind but stayed her tongue for now.

One of the citizens shook off his shock and cleared his throat. "Panda..."

"My name is Po."

"Right, Po...the reason that they're saying these things about you is the reputation that you've gained in the process of your escapades."

"Eh?"

"He's saying that the actions of you and your grup haven't been completely unnoticed." Master Rhino clarified for him. "Some of these Masters have caught wind of your exploits, Po. They know a majority of the actions that you took, the people that you fought, the authorities that you defied, and the lives that you saved."

Mr. Ping gasped a bit. "Oh dear! Of course they would hear things about us eventually, Po. It was sort of unavoidable, actually. We just chose not to focus on that at the time, is what I'm reckoning."

"I'm not sure that I totally get it..."

Mr. Ping took hold of Po's flesh paw and shook it slightly. "Think about it, son. Tigress and Fung helped you stand up to the Kung Fu Council for Fenghuang's sake when you were just seven years old. Years later, you began your recruiting. To recruit Monkey, you had to defy the will, as well as destroy the home of a noble. To recruit Crane and Mei Ling, you ahd to save their school from being ransacked. To recruit Mantis and Viper, you both had to save the latter, as well as her village and family, from the controlling fangs of Fu-Xi. Recruiting Bian Zao with his father had you chase off a group of bandits in a shady town. You also went out of your way to have you and your friends help an innocent man break out of the prison he was unjustly placed in, and saved his daughter. On yet another note, to preserve Peng's secret, you all broke into Kung Fu Express Headquarters to destroy the scroll that had that message. That allowed us to recruit both Peng and Lian." Kwneng snorted a bit at that. That ws honestly the most fun he's had in years.

Tigress folded her arms and joined in. "There was also the time you went on ahead to fight Temutai in order to give a Princess her freedom back." Temutai nodded. He had kept his promise, and didn't go after the Princess after his defeat, nor did he bother her own kingdom after that. And then we proceeded to ursurp Master Mugan's perfectionist rule over the Valley she should have been protecting. And what came next as we tried to hep the Ladies of the Shade and Song, was that battle we had with Master Ding in order to save the previous Furious Five, and in turn we managed to form the newest one. And then we took Master Yao under our protection, broke into and liberated Mount Penglai with Tai Lung's help."

"And now, most infamously by now...we fought Lord Shen, came out on top...and then we spared his life and asked him to join us." Tai Lung finished, smirking at the uneasy looks of the other masters. "My guess is, they're very uneasy about your presence. To put it simply, they really don't know whether to consider you a friend or an enemy."

Po took in most of their words as they recounted the adventures they had up to his point. Now knowing that he's amassed quite a reputation, he know had these Masters wondering about his motives and what he's really all about. Fenghuang simply stood by with her wings tucked wondering how they were all going to respond to this sudden attention.

Peng rubbed his neck, somewhat embarassed. "Alright...it looks like we amassed quite the reputation. And a majority of it seems to be focused on Po because he was msot responsbile for bringing us together."

"That's definitely not gonna bite us in the ass. I at least hoped that it didn't." Bian Zao sighed. "Welp, too late to worry about it now. We're already here."

Song swung her parasol over her shoulder with her head tilted. "Wow. I didn't think we';d attract so much attention. They must really think we're bad kids, huh?~"

"Regardless of what they think, we aren't enemies of theirs. We were just trying to do our own thing. Guess we underestimated just how much our actions could gather some outside attention." Mantis rmarked, standing atop Crane's hat with his forelegs lowered slightly. "They don't look particularly happy about it, though..."

Tigress folded her arms and stood alongside Po. "Just to get the idea across, all of our accomplishments and msot of our battles was of our own volition. We didn't feel like we were obligated to do so, it was simply a chice we made. And we choice to do these things. Not all of them were good deeds. Some might even be considered negative. However, this is how each of us chose to live our lives. And with this choice, we have always made a point to put each other first, and everything else follows. Me and Po have been through a lot together, regardless of how others might read the situation. I've always stood by him, and I shall continue to do so as I lend him and each of my comrades my strength."

She's SO into him. The Wu Sisters thought simultaneously.

Po touched the top of his head as he made enough room for his jade eyes to be seen, yet still be shadowed slightly. "For all it'd worth, I think we've caused a lot of work and headaches for most of you. I can apologize for that at least." He lifted it up a bit more as his eyes hardened. "But if you believe that I'm gonna apologize for living my life the way I choose, then you've got another thing coming!" He declared strongly. "Our Masters made a choice and they're strong enough to stick to it, regardless of anyone thinking that they're disgraceful! Fenghaung and Shifu aren't failures! they have it rough for a while, but they're NOT failures! A lot of our progress would have been a lot tougher if it wasn't for them! Fenghuang hid from the world for a long time, but she chose to come out and save me. She didn't have to, and she knew she didn't. but she chose to do so anyway. I really wouldn't be here if it weren't for her. And as for Shen, he would be much better off continuing in his suffering, learning from it, and becoming a better person. he can't do that if he's imprisoned or dead. That's not potential that I'm willing to let him waste."

"And my growth wouldn't be as efficient and progressive without my father's teachings. Not only that, but he did his best to still be my father as well as my Master, even though he was still very damaged by his ordeal with Tai Lung. That takes a lot of strength." Tigress clenched her fists. "You know what else takes a lot of strength? Willing surrendering his right to be an official Kung Fu Master. That decision weighed heavily on his mind, but he doesn't regret it. Because without all of the limitations that it might place on him, he can now act muh more freely, especially when it comes to protecting the ones he cares for." Tigress lowered her head. "His comrades...his best friend...his lover...his son...all of these things he had to give up at some point of his life in order to maintain the honor of Kung Fu. Now he's given up that honor for the sake of getting those precious things back. If maintaining that honor has such a high cost, then you all can keep it! I don't want it! None of us do!"

"Honor at the cost of friends and family? I don't think so. You can take that kind of honor and shove it." Po glared. "That kind of honor shouldn't be preserved so readily. That's why Shifu and Fenghuang chose to shatter that illusion that it was actually worth it. Being that honor-bound will never be worth that cost. Our loved one's well beings should always be the higher priority. The Emperor briefly forgot about that, and it got his family in danger when they don't have the ability to defend themselves. I can be reckless because I have the strength to back it up. But Lu Kang doesn't have that strength, so he needs someone to watch his back until he does have that strength. That's what this whole thing is about, right? To find someone who can teach him to do something like that? Why didn none of you come to his aid when he might have been in trouble? You can't teach him if he's dead! That makes the tournament pretty pointless, doesn't it?!" Po wasn't entirely angry at them all. Some of them genuienly didn't know that Lu Kang and than were in danger. There are even a couple he already knew and liked, and others that he could potentially get to know and like. However, he was far too frustrated with the idea that the Prince and his cousin could ave been killed and no one was watching them.

The Emperor didn't miss Po's jab at him, and he winced slightly. Though he was ultimately still right. He was far too eager. he needed to slow down and set some things straight before he got too far ahead of himself. As a result, he vowed to be a bit more creful when it came to making these preparations for his grandson, and mke sure that he was safe.

Needless to say, the others were impressed with Po and Tigress's views, and how strongly they believe in them. Mei Ling was especially touched, as they have just reinforced the fact that Shifu really does care about her more than his sense of honor. Though the cost was heavy, he does not regret his choice. Many more positives would come from that decision, in due time. Taotie was having the same thoughts as Shifu had stood up for him and Mei Ling. There was no longer any doubt that Shifu was trying his best to patch things up between them fully, even if his Kung Fu comrades might not agree with him.

Junjie huffed as he stepped away from Shifu. "Is this what it's come to, Shifu? You and Fenghuang have been training a group of chaotic hooligans?"

"You're just touchy because my student called your ass out. HA!" Fenghuang cackled again, clapping her wings together with glee. "That was excellent, Po! Simply brilliant! Lookat how shocked they are, trying to process what just happened! They're shocked by the sheer audacity! I love it!"

"As do I..." Su folded her arms as she gazed at Po's defiant stance, glaring at all the Masters that were somewhat disgusted by his immense disrespect, though some brushed it off knwoing that he was trained by Fenghuang of all people. Su was finding him more impressive by the moment, her tail calmly swishing behind her. "He's proving to be quite an interesting being the longer I see him..."

Wing and Wan stared at each other for a moment, then back at Su. They both gasped. No way! Big Sis couldn't possibly...?!

"Since the final group has made...an eccentric entrance, we can now proceed!" One of the advisors, Meng tao, nodded as he stepped upfront next to the Emperor. "The tournament rules has been discussed and decided. Shifu and the Kung Fu Council has graciously provided us the names of the newcomers, and was able to fit them in without too much hassle. The way the tournamnet goes is in challenge format. A Kung Fu Master is decided by the Emperor's advisors, which is myself and Fui Suan. Then that Kung Fu Master decides who they wish to do battle with. It can be a one on one, or a team battle on each side. For those battles, you choose who fights together. For you to win, you have to either incapacitate your opponent, or knock them out. Ring outs have proven to be...less exciting."

"Doubtful." Mantis rolled his eyes.

"Nevertheless, the first match has been decided and will take place in five hours. It will be Master Bear against the one known as Po!"

"Ah sweet, I get to go first!" Po thrusts his fists in the air cheerfully, his tense look vanishing instantly. "I can't wait to get started!"

With the first participants decided, the Kung Fu Masters dispersed to their seperate places of occupation where they would rest before matches start. From the Emperor's Palace, a cloaked siamese cat with a swishing tail and glowing blue eyes stared at Po. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion for a couple moments, before disappearing in a flash of blue light. She needed to keep close observation on him. Something about him...really rubbed her the wrong way. he might prove to be a great danger to her plans.

With the tension mostly gone, Shen walked up to Po's side, watching him as if he were crazy. "Was that REALLY necessary?! All you've managed to accomplish was makiong yourself out to be a target! Is that what you wanted?!"

"We said what we wanted to say. Whether they agree with us or not is for them to decide." Po said simply.

"Indeed. We're not here to impress them. We came here to win Oogways treasures and make sure they'll be safe. And as an important bonus, we'll be helping out Lu Kang and Zan." Tigress said. She then folded her arms and tilted her head. "Still, this won't be easy. There's a high chance that some of those Masters will likely make us pay for our disrespect towards them through this tournament."

"Ya mean they're going to make us feel bad for living our lives the way we do, and expect us apologize for it?" Po chuckled at the thought. He then tilted his hat downwards just slightly, enough for his eyes to be shadowed. He was well aware that his way of life doesn't agree with the other Masters. Some might be friendly, others might not. The more distasteful ones might try to hurt him and his friends to make an example of those who use Kung Fu so freely, and knowing they were simply acting with no one to seriously discipline them. Junjie seemed especially against them, and has quietly made a vow to see them all crushed in the tournament. Some of them think that they'll be able to tame Po and his friends. He then sported a wide grin. His jade eyes...flashed gold for a split second.

Challenge Accepted!