It seemed like all that occurred had been a horrific dream as the red panda's eyes opened to a darkened room. A powerful soreness had taken over his entire body; although, he could feel something soft and comfortable covering his head and ears. He produced a low groan as he huddled over what appeared to be a cot beneath him. He could barely see anything as there was so little light, which was released through a small metal window containing bars. The master simply guessed he was in the cell, and most certainly, the others were as well. Instead of killing them, for some reason, the Dragon Warrior decided to lock them away in the dungeon beneath the Jade Palace? This wasn't expected.

Shifu sat up and he realized a cast had been wrapped around his left arm. The room was pretty much empty besides the cot he had slept on. He could have gotten rid of us, the elderly red panda thought to himself. The black and white warrior, having seemingly crossed over to the dark side, managed to defeat him and the Five, and declared himself as ruler over the palace, and the Valley of Peace, with the Croc Bandits acting as his helpers. With that, there was nothing that he and students could do about it. It was all too terrible to be true.

He began to wonder how the panda could have been so easily convinced that he was a Croc Bandit anyway. It made no sense. He was a panda. He had fur. He was black and white. He couldn't recall anything that occurred prior to him losing his memory. It wasn't his fault, however, the Croc Bandits were the main ones responsible for this. Or were they? What had provoked the panda to have gone out and end up getting himself in the incident with the crooks? Shifu couldn't have felt more guilty, recalling that morning when everyone, especially Monkey and Mantis, mocked him when he brought up the subject of him being the leader. Why, as the regularly stern and serious Grandmaster of the Jade Palace, had he allowed this? He normally hated when his students would joke around on such matters. Po was simply trying to prove to everyone, especially him, that he was capable of leading and he went out just to end up losing his memory and falling for a lie that even the actual Croc Bandit leader, Fung, himself, as witnessed in the Hall of Warriors, would regret telling him. If there was a lesson to be learned from this (other than lying is wrong and will lead to terrible consequences), it would be to never underestimate your students. "I'm sorry, Po," Shifu said in a soft, regretful tone. This wasn't a first though. Po's first days at the Jade Palace weren't so favorable because of his doubt. He even made it clear to the great Master Oogway that he believed his choice for the panda as the Dragon Warrior was an accident. He couldn't find it in his heart to believe that dumb, fat panda would have the ability of a true warrior. As if attempting to train the bear wasn't hopeless enough, Tai Lung had escaped from prison and was headed towards the Valley of Peace, set on plunging it into an era of darkness and Master Oogway had ascended into the Spirit Realm soon after being informed of the news. He could have stopped the determined snow leopard, but he was assured that the responsibility was in the hands of the chubby panda aka Dragon Warrior. An argument infused between the elder and the panda. Shifu made it too evident that he didn't believe the panda had it in him.

Now, this was another case. This time, however, it turned out for the worst. Po's memory was presumably gone forever and he had been convinced he was the Big, Bad Croc Bandit, turning on his friends and the Valley of Peace at that. Shifu had never felt more regret in his heart. It's not that I didn't actually believe in him, he thought to himself, He just needed more time. He huddled onto his cot, absorbing the emptiness around him. All he could do was think about everything that happened. He was taking it in so deeply that he almost didn't notice a faint sound in the distance. It sounded pretty close, but he could tell it wasn't coming from anywhere in his cell. "Tigress?" the red panda murmured weakly. The sound grew slightly louder. "Master Shifu?" a feminine voice sounded. Only it didn't belong to Tigress. "It's me, Viper," the snake continued from the cell next to his. She slithered up to the door and peered through a small hole carved next to the metal window, which was completely sealed off. It was barely the size of a plum. They were definitely small enough to seal off the window as the small snake could have simply slithered through and escaped. In order to observe the surroundings outside of her cell, the snake would have had to peep through the hole, which was a pitiful effort. "Are you okay?" Viper asked softly. She could hear her elderly master groan in despair. "Holding up," he answered, "How are you doing?"

"Still in pain," Viper grimaced.

"Wonder how long we've been down there," Crane spoke up from his cell, adjacent to Viper's. He rubbed his head in discomfort. It had a cast wrapped around it. "No doubt I have some brain injury."

"Crane, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Viper. Master Shifu, you're still alive." The red panda moved the cot up to the door of his cell, stood atop of it, and peered out the window. "Of course I am," he replied dryly, "Surprisingly."

"He could've killed you, Master," Monkey said from the cell across from his, shakiness dominating his voice.

"He could've killed all of us." The red panda, thinking what could have been the reason the black and white warrior decided to imprison them instead. "I didn't have the sense to prevent all of this."

"It's not your fault, Master," Viper said sadly, "We got here too late. We're sorry."

"You couldn't have stopped this from happening anyways. No need to feel sorry, my students. None of us could've guessed Po would lose his memory."

"Is there anything we could do?" Crane asked. The red panda was silent for a moment, then sighed. "I'm afraid not," he answered dejectedly.

"Ugh!" a female voice sounded roughly. The feline master sat up from her cot, gripping an arm.

"Tigress," Viper called out with worry, "Are you alright?" A low grunt emitted from the tiger as she got on her feet and moved to the door. The pain in her body was at least bearable. "I'll live," she answered weakly. "Master Shifu?"

"Tigress," the red panda responded, "I'm sorry for everything–"

"No, Master. I should've held my ground. I wasn't supposed to let you down like this."

"It isn't your fault, Tigress. I assure responsibility for what happened." Shifu took a moment to reflect on what could have been done. What could have been done? "I'm sorry you had to experience that."

"Do you think he'll get his memory back?" Monkey asked from a special cage hanging in between the cells. "He seriously believes he's one of the bandits."

"They might've even convinced the guy he was a crocodile," Mantis said in disbelief.

"That's the silliest thing I ever heard," Crane remarked, "If only Po wasn't so–"

"Gullible," Tigress answered flatly.

"Yeah that."

"I made a mistake sending him alone," Shifu stated, placing a hand over his forehead. "Maybe next time…if there is…" He sighed. "What am I thinking?"

"Master, there has to be something we can do," Tigress spoke up. "We shouldn't give up hope too soon."

"Tigress is right," Viper chimed in, "There's no telling what Po could do in power."

"Here's an idea. He'll swipe all the food from the valley," Mantis joked. This caused Monkey to giggle. Crane remained silent. Viper hissed loud enough so the insect could hear while Tigress snarled under her breath. "Now's not the time," Viper remarked harshly.

"Hey, I was just trying to lighten the mood," Mantis defended, "After all, who knows how long we'll be down here."

"Mantis!"

"Please, my students," Shifu instructed, "There's neither time for jokes or arguments. I'll try and meditate. Perhaps I can come up with something." He sighed and disappeared further into his cell. Tigress, in her own mind, was thinking the same thing. Po has to remember, one way or another, she thought, suddenly finding her senses picking up on an ounce of hope out of nowhere.

Back in the Hall of Warriors…

Fung, Gahri, and the other crocodiles stood in a straight line before the focused black and white warrior as he paced. Not a second, they took their eyes on their newfound ruler. Their expressions ranged from flat to frightened. Fung was feeling several things: guilt, regret, intimidation, etc. He had been one of the main ones responsible for this situation. The black and white warrior had unknowingly gone along with it and ended up taking such to the next level. The bear's view was fixed on the floor with his face molded into a frown. A golden cape with a faded red dragon figure dragged along with the tips wrapped into a ribbon around his neck as he paced. It would appear that he was deeply thinking about something. "Ruler of the Jade Palace appointed. Subjects neutralized and imprisoned," he stated in a strong tone, "What to do next?" He stopped and looked up, facing the crocodiles. "Any ideas?" The crocodiles remained silent, wondering how to respond. Fung really wanted to say something like they could just chill out in the palace for the time being as it might stop the panda from doing something harmful and destructive (as he kind of hoped.) At the same time, he was afraid how Po might react given the panda's temper. "Hello," Po snapped him out of his thoughts, "You guys aren't leaving hanging so soon, are ya?" The crocodiles exchanged worried looks before quickly looking back at the panda and nodding. The panda's eyes narrowed in mild suspicion. "I mean," Fung began, his eyes darting from the panda to the floor, arms low, "I don't know. Maybe we could just like…hang out here for a bit."

"What he said," Gahri said nervously, "We can maybe, give the palace a makeover." The other crocodiles gestured in agreement. The panda pressed his lips together. "A makeover, huh?" he responded, his voice almost picking up on the same energy. "Not exactly what I had in mind."

"Does it have anything to do with…you know what? Fung dared to speak up.

"If you're thinking that, we're not going to steal anything out of this place." Po's mouth stretched into a sinister smile. "I'm in charge now. No need for that. Everything in this palace is ours." Fung felt his stomach sink with a low growl.

"Can we get something to eat?" the crocodile asked, sliding a hand across his stomach, "Maybe I'll think better with something in." Po was nothing other than non-hesitant. "Oh yeah, I could use some food myself," he answered. With correct timing, the panda's stomach released a growl loud enough to be heard all the way across the hall. Rubbing his belly casually, he couldn't be surprised. "With all that planned robbery stuff and kicking butt, I almost forgot that I hadn't eaten in hours. I wonder what they cook in this place." He turned and began heading off to the kitchen with the crocodiles following him, all hanging their heads in shame. Suddenly, the panda stopped.

"You guys wouldn't happen to know where the kitchen is, do you?" he asked, peering back at the bandits.

Later on, down in the dungeon…

Tigress sat in a lotus position at the rear of her cell. She couldn't have been more uncomfortable, attempting to meditate there in the darkness. The setting brought back uncomfortable childhood memories for her. It was almost like she was attempting to find hope in being trapped. For some reason, she was tempted to call out to Shifu, however, she didn't need to disgrace her master by disturbing his attempt to meditate. As expected, this was getting to be more difficult than it should. She let out a sigh before getting up and moving back towards the door of her cell. "Guys?" she said in a low voice, calling out to the rest of the Five while in hopes that Shifu was too focused to hear her. "Have you come up with anything?"

"Not yet," Viper said pitifully through the hole in her cell door, "I wish I had a mastermind."

"We all do," Mantis remarked from his cage, "I never liked the feeling of being trapped in a cage. Makes me feel so…small."

"Eh," Monkey began awkwardly, peering at the cage through his door window, "I think you look kind of cute in that cage?" Mantis glared at the simian and grunted in displeasure. "Monkey?" Viper said in offense.

"I was trying to make a joke," Monkey defended, "He does it all the time."

"Yeah, well, it's not a good one," Mantis retorted.

"Guys, now's not the time," Crane stated flatly, "Instead of bickering back and forth, you can try, like the rest of us, to think of a way out of here."

"Gee, that couldn't be more difficult. And not that we'll be able to really do anything if we manage to." The insect slumped in his cage and sighed. "Never once before now did I regret some of the words that came out of my mouth. Never."

"You sure about that?" Monkey asked, surprised. "What about the time when you mentioned Viper being some sort of alien because she didn't have fangs like other vipers?" A slight hissing sound erupted within the distance.

"Eh," Mantis was unsure of how to respond, recalling a painful moment and caught off guard by the snake's vocal displeasure.

"And what about the time you accidentally confessed to having thoughts about her not wearing any clothes?" Monkey continued.

"Not in that way–" Viper snarled softly from her cell.

"And the time you mentioned Tigress being able to claw you in her sleep?" Crane remarked, no less than frustrated with the argument repeatedly referring to jokes about Viper.

"Well–" The insect was silenced by a low growl.

"Are we going to think of something or not?" Tigress asked irritatedly through the door window.

"Thank you," Viper said in agreement, "You guys aren't helping the situation here." The three males remained silent until Mantis spoke up. "What are we supposed to do, really?" he asked dejectedly, "If we got out of here…" Tigress sighed.

"Something," she answered, not sounding so hopeful, "We're warriors. We don't give up."

"Now she's sounding like Po again," Mantis said, knowing the tiger was reasoning for more than enough at this point.

"Maybe we can hope he'll get his memory back eventually," Monkey proposed.

"And how long do you think that'll be from now?" Viper questioned in disagreement. Monkey did not respond, but shared the snake's concern.

"Who knows if he'll ever get his memory back," Crane said in pity.

"That doesn't mean we have to be stuck down here forever," Tigress stated in disappointment, "We have to rely on ourselves this time. Po's sided with the bandits."

"Uh, I think you mean more like they sided with him," Mantis assured, "You notice he was the only one fighting us. They didn't help him at all."

"Not that they needed to–" Monkey, as much as he hated to admit it, was about to finish when Tigress cut him off with a sharp tone.

"Monkey, don't." Everyone was caught off guard, but admittedly, the Dragon Warrior had bested them. All of them. The Furious Five, a crew of the mightiest warriors in China. Even Tigress knew she couldn't argue with that, but there was no need in sugarcoating it. To her surprise, however, Monkey wasn't fazed enough to take her response and go along with it.

"Tigress, I get you don't want to admit it, but we got our butts handed to us," he continued, his tone reminding her that he wasn't happy about it either. "Yeah, massively," Mantis added pathetically. "We got beat pretty bad up there," Crane chimed in an unnecessary manner. "That's enough, guys," Viper unexpectedly interrupted, "Are we taking this seriously enough to come up with a plan or not?"

"Evidently not," Tigress snarled from her cell. Then she thought of something. "Viper, you know how to pick locks. Can you try and unlock your door?" Viper sighed sadly. "I can't, the window to my cell door is sealed and the only way I can talk to you guys is through a small hole," she answered, "But it's too small for me to fit my body through. I'm sorry, Tigress." The feline master groaned under her breath. There had to be something they could do. Anything. Just then, a loud noise sounded, catching the attention of everyone (including Shifu, who was immediately snapped out of his meditation phase) at once. The prison doors were opening. Who could be entering the dungeon? Tigress, in particular, wondered if he could've been the black and white warrior himself. Po, she thought, considering he might have finally come to his senses. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to her, it wouldn't be too long before the tiny hint of hope in her would fade. Footsteps sounded and several figures began approaching the cells with lamps. The dungeon was dark enough (with most of the light radiating everything coming from the higher upper areas) that the figures had to be pretty close to fully make out. "Po, is that you?" Viper asked softly, with one eye peering directly through the hole to get a good look. "No," a familiar rough sounding voice answered back, immediately giving away one of the figures. "The Croc Bandits," Tigress stated in ungrateful disbelief. "What are you doing here?" Shifu questioned harshly, clenching his fists around the bars of the door window, "What do you want from us?" The figures approached closer, revealing themselves as Fung and Gahri with fallen expressions. Tigress let out a low growl. "It should be you in this cell," she snarled, instantly causing them to draw back a little.

"You're not here to try and steal anything off us, right?" Mantis asked the crocodiles sharply, "Because we don't have anything else."

"You tricked our friend into thinking he is a bad guy, scum!" Viper hissed.

"Yeah, and that he was a crocodile at that," Crane said.

"If I could claw my way through this cell door, I would!" Monkey added.

"Thieves, you should be the least satisfied that the bars in this window are the only thing holding me back from unleashing my wrath upon you," Shifu stated in infuriation. Eyes widened in terror, the crocodiles swallowed hard and remained silent for a moment before Fung gained the slightest bit of courage to speak up. "Look, I…I'm sorry for everything that happened," he said weakly (not that Shifu nor the Five would forgive him like that), "I just…I messed up, okay? We weren't expecting things to go the way they did, especially with Po losing it and end up throwing you guys around like that–" He was interrupted by snarls, hisses, and grunts of frustration expanding throughout the cells. "We really didn't mean for all that, we promise," Gahri spoke up quickly and fearfully, "We thought Po would be upset with us when he woke up. Fung knocked him out hard with a piece of bamboo." Fung groaned. "Gah, you don't need to remind me how it happened," he said with frustration before speaking back to the others, "Anyway, we feel really bad."

"I'm sure you do," Tigress retorted through gritted teeth, "We don't need your pity, Croc Bandits."

"That doesn't solve anything here," Crane added, "And it's certainly not going to get us to trust you, let alone accept your apology." Fung felt more miserable than ever, nevertheless to say, he deserved every disrespectful comment that was shot his way. At that point, he could accept more blame than Gahri. "Guys, I know what I did was wrong, you know, I lied to the panda and told him he was a crocodile. Oh, it was so stupid," he said, pitifully gripped the sides of his muzzle. Shifu wasn't having it. "And yet you went along with such a ridiculous concept, bandit," he said, his tone invisibly cruel, "What do you have to say for yourself other than your dreadful attempt at an apology?" Fung sighed in defeat and looked down, then up. "I know just saying sorry isn't enough," he continued.

"Of course not!" The Five and Shifu responded in offense simultaneously.

"But…" Fung went on, "We couldn't let you guys starve down here." The crocodiles cautiously approached closer, revealing sacks in their arms. "We brought some food and blankets in case you needed them. The prisoners weren't surprised by this; in fact, they were taken back, especially Shifu. "How?" he spat, "You believe this is going to change anything, Croc Bandits? You believe this is going to solve any problems?" Fung nodded. "No, I'm telling you, Shifu, we really feel bad," he replied, putting down his lamp and going into a sack. Gahri did the same, taking out the contents. "Do you guys have any ideas as to how to fix this?" Viper asked assertively. "I bet they don't," Mantis snorted, shortly before a pleasant aroma caught his nose. He sniffed the air with awe. "Are those rice cakes?"

"Mantis!" Viper exclaimed.

"Eh, yeah, my mom made them," Fung answered.

"I'll admit, they do smell quite delicious," Monkey remarked in a softer tone.

"Students, don't let that distract you!" Shifu ordered, "These Croc Bandits should be assisting us in coming up with a plan…not that I would expect it."

"Aw come on, what can we do?" Gahri asked.

"Anything to fix the problem you created!" Tigress snapped, "We don't care how bad you feel! This isn't going away unless something is done!" The crocodiles remained speechless in fear from the feline master's wrath. If anything, she frightened them more than the others besides Shifu and Po.

"Are you at least going to let us out?" Crane asked. The crocodiles exchanged looks of hopelessness. "I take that as a no–"

"Grrr!" Tigress suddenly growled, slashing at the bars of her cell door window. This shocked everyone, including Shifu (if to the slightest degree.) The elderly master knew her temper too well. "Calm your senses, Tigress," he said in forced calm, immediately snapping her out of it. He shared an equal amount of anger in the situation. He kept his eyes in a strong glare fixed on the trembling crocodiles. "You'll help us fix this one way or another," he said in a dangerously stern tone, "That'll let me know if you really regret your destructive actions or not." His words cut sharp into the bandits' souls. They heard just how serious the Grandmaster could get when he was angry. "Yes, Master," Gahri exclaimed awkwardly in the heat of the moment. Fung badly wanted to slap him. "Gah, we'll try and help you guys," he said pathetically, "In the meantime, can we eat something?" Shifu grumbled and muttered a few words (which intentionally none of the others were to hear) under his breath. "Alright," he said with an agitated sigh, "Hand over the items." He was so out of touch with his stomach that he didn't notice he was growling. "I don't need to guess those were stolen from the kitchen," he remarked cruelly, eying a bag of what looked like bean buns on the ground.

"You can kind of say that," Fung responded defeatedly.

"Boss gave them to us," Gahri excused.

"Boss!?" Shifu snapped.

"He didn't mean that," Fung quickly spoke up, recognizing his friend's mistake. "He meant the Dragon Warrior."

"And you managed to convince him that you two were going to eat all of them, didn't you?" Mantis retorted. The insect may have guessed correctly. "You can…say that…ish," Fung said, carefully attempting to hand some food and supplies to Tigress, making sure to stand a slight distance from the window. "I don't want anything from you!" she hissed, startling the crocodile at once. The others weren't so surprised at her reaction. Fung swallowed hard before approaching another cell, feeling the feline master's eyes trailing him viciously. She had every right to be upset regardless. "You may leave us," Shifu affirmed, receiving his share from Gahri. Fung couldn't really get anything to Viper as the hole was far too small. "You really mean you can't let us out, huh?" she asked offendedly as Fung hung his head in shame at the door. With a sigh, he responded, "I'm sorry. It's just that I'm really afraid that Po might do something if we release you guys." There was a low growl.

"You're still acting like you're concerned about us?" Tigress questioned sharply, "After all you've caused."

"You guys got your butts kicked up there," Fung responded apologetically.

"Yeah, thanks to you Croc Bandits convincing Po we're his enemies," Viper argued.

"I know, okay? I just don't want you guys to get hurt again. Gah, what's it gonna take to get through to you?"

"We already let you know that!" Crane spat. "At least help us escape in secrecy so we can come up with a plan." Fung groaned in frustration and gripped his muzzle.

"Where would you guys go anyways?" he asked. "I mean, it's obvious you can't stay up there." Shifu fell into thought about this. Fung was right. After a few moments, a light bulb turned on in his head.

In the Jade Palace kitchen…

SLUUUURP!

The black and white warrior passionately devoured the remaining contents of his bowl in one gulp. A loud "Ah" escaped his lips before he placed the bowl down and rubbed his large belly happily. "Man, that hit the spot," he stated proudly, not regarding not so surprised crocodiles sitting across from him. The panda gulped down four bowls of noodle soup, three bowls of steamed dumplings, and a large bag of bean buns. Obviously, he could've eaten more than that. "That was amazing," the panda continued like a little boy that couldn't have tasted anything better, "Eh, how did I learn how to cook like that? Did Fung's mom teach me?" The crocodiles didn't know what to respond. Fortunately, the bear was too eager to be fazed. "Aw man, and I thought that crazy old goose in the village made good noodles," he remarked, "My compliments to the chef. Who says I go for another round, eh?" Silence. The panda's mouth dipped. "Guys?"

"Eh," one crocodile managed to speak up. The panda, a bit concerned, looked into his empty bowl for a moment, then back at them. "What?" he asked, "I know I'm not the average size for a crocodile, oh, at least in this area…" He took a look at his belly. "Not that I can help it. I'm one of a kind, remember? Which means I can probably eat way more than you guys could in one sitting. Hahaha…" Silence. The panda's brow molded into a smiley shape. "You guys aren't jealous, are you?" his voice hinting dissatisfaction. The crocodiles quickly nodded at the question, exchanging worried expressions before forcing smiles. The panda looked on with skepticism for a few moments, then flatly saying, "I don't believe you", slumping back in his chair and crossing his arms. His face was now blank. "What's really going on here?" The crocodiles remained silent, feeling really pressured now. "Why are you guys asking so…quiety?" the panda questioned further, "Or are you guys always the quiet ones?" He expressed a slightly greater amount of enthusiasm in his voice with the final segment of the response (as he hoped that was the case), then it fell again, "What about the looks on your faces? You guys seem…tense or something." The crocodiles were certainly beginning to affirm Po's suspicion. "Was it something I said or did?" Fortunately, at that moment, one of the crocodiles found themselves brave enough to give the panda a "Not at all" in response. A weak one at that. Of course, the now concerned panda wouldn't buy it. His face fell and he sighed in a sense combined of mild frustration and concern. "Listen, if you guys aren't comfortable with my eating habits, you know you can tell me about it, right?" he stated, "I mean, I may not be aware of a lot of things, but I definitely know I'm not the neatest eater in the world." He could say that again, the crocodiles all thought with the observation. "I mean I do remember Fung saying something about me having worse table manners than he does," the panda continued. Just then, he realized something while looking at the empty seats. There were two other crocodiles missing from the table. "Where are the other guys?" Po asked with surprise, again to be met with awkward silence. He straightened up in his seat. "Where's Fung?" Fung, along with Gahri, had been gone for a while. Unbeknownst to the panda at the moment, they were down in the dungeon with Shifu and the Five. Despite Shifu's efforts to dismiss Fung and Gahri away, they remained in company, not enjoying their meal at all. The panda wouldn't let the guests off without an answer. "Where's Gahri?" he went on, assertiveness gaining a grip on his tone, "I said this would be a victory meal with the whole team." One again, the crocodiles were silent with the constant worried expressions over their faces. This was starting to irritate Po for real. He shot the guests a look that expressed his current feelings. "Guys, what's going on?" he groaned in annoyance. "I'm getting the idea there's something you're not telling me." He stood up and approached the intimidated crocodiles on their side, towering over them. He lowered his face, positioning it just inches from that of the guest nearest to him, with his large paw gripping the muzzle firmly. He had the fiercest look in his eyes yet, causing the guest to choke down the fluid in his throat. "Tell me," the panda instructed in a terrifyingly strong voice, "Where are Fung and Gahri?" Immediately, this made the crocodile break, awkwardly forcing himself from the panda's grip and accidentally into the other guest. "Please don't hurt us," he pleaded, throwing his arms around the other crocodile. The panda couldn't promise he wouldn't if he didn't get his way. "Tell me!" he demanded loudly with a scowl. His fists came powerfully crashing down on the table, sending the bandits backward with a force. They were then on the floor trembling and holding each other close with deep dread as the angry bear stood upon them. "Where–are–they!?" Po growled, clenching his fists so hard that a sharp extended crack could be heard.

"They went to take some food to the prisoners!" one of the guests cried out, practically smothering his friend. And, at that moment, the panda's mouth dropped open. His eyes wider than they could possibly stretch, twitching violently. Instantly, his face formed into that of a madman's, the whiteness coloring as red as a tomato. The crocodiles were so terrified that they swore they could've seen a small surge of stream appear above the enraged panda's head. Po released a horrifying snarl echoing across and outside the kitchen. Within the next instant, he turned around and picked up the table, hurling it against the wall. It crashed, breaking as well as the silverware sending shards everywhere. "What!?" the black and white warrior barked with heavy breathing, "I'm going to kill them!" With that, he stormed out of the kitchen, leaving the crocodiles wallowing in fear and misery.

Back down in the dungeon…

"What did you say was in the red box!?" Shifu fumed in a mighty loud voice. Gahri was speechless while Fung just let out a sigh and put his hands over his head in shame. He wasn't expecting a different reaction from the short tempered master. "It was mostly his action figures," he answered, "You know, his action figures of you guys. That stuff probably could've helped him get back his memory. I tried to get him to look in it, but he wouldn't." Shifu grumbled under his breath. "He was always obsessed with those dolls," the red panda remarked. "Yeah, he even made some new ones," Crane added in slight annoyance. "His favorite one to play with was Tigress evidently," Mantis teased. This caused the feline master to release a growl, instantly provoking the insect to regret his words. "Not that it means anything," he said, trying his hardest to mask the fear in his voice. That bug is far too brave to hold his tongue, Tigress thought in agitation. Aside from her and Shifu, these others seemed to be in a lighter mood. "So about the plan?" Monkey asked, "Somebody had to have come up with something by now?" At least Monkey's keeping his mind on the goal, or so it seems, Tigress presumed, a little bit grateful that someone besides her and Shifu weren't getting distracted. "Don't you guys at least have the keys?" Viper asked. "We don't," Gahri answered anxiously, "When we helped Po escort you guys here, he took the keys with him." Probably one of the most clever things the panda has done, Shifu thought, battling indecision to be angry or slightly impressed. "You guys were out cold," Fung said. "Thanks for reminding us of that," Mantis retorted, "You guys should've been the ones to take a beating." Tigress and Shifu, in particular, couldn't agree more on that. The crocodiles, on the other hand, could only feel worse.

"Ah!" a familiar, yet extremely peeved, voice roared, startling everyone at once. Fung and Gahri looked at each other and swallowed hard. There were heavy footsteps, which sounded like they were charging towards the dungeon door. The closer they got, Fung felt his stomach sink even more. "What's going on!?" Shifu shouted. Before the crocodile could choke up a response, the dungeon doors burst wide open. "You!" the figure roared, confirming he spotted the bandits from the distance. "What are you doing here!?" The figure came forward swiftly, and it only took seconds to make out who it was. A very angry panda known as the Dragon Warrior, growling at the crocodiles. Shifu and the Five were shocked as they watched the panda back the crocodiles into a corner. Their lamps highlighting his madman face looking directly into theirs. Even Tigress couldn't help but feel a little frightened for them, which was very much unlike her character. "You sleazy bastards!" Po denounced heatedly, "Why are you giving food to the prisoners!?" He grabbed Fung by the muzzle and pinned him against the wall mercilessly, sending gasps from the witnesses. Admittedly, this probably was the first time Tigress had come close to feel bad for Fung, or that's what she thought. Fung eyed the panda as if, in seconds, he were to become a victim of murder. "I…I…"

"Darn it, Fung!" the panda hissed, brutally throwing the crocodile to the ground, causing him to wince. "How could you lie to me!? You're supposed to be on my side!" He clenched his fists. His eyes narrowed. "Are you working with the prisoners!?" he questioned through gritted teeth, "Are you trying to turn against me!?" Fung thought he could slip away with this easily and the panda wouldn't find out. Boy, was he wrong. This version of the Dragon Warrior knew much, much better, thus, you can say he might not have been so gullible. At least he wouldn't be now, aside from having the sense to carry on with the idea that he was a ruthless Croc Bandit. "You son of a–" Po couldn't even finish the sentence he was so furious, "I oughta–"

"Well, you weren't gonna let them just starve down here, were you?" Fung spoke up, shocking everyone. This only made the panda madder. Po grabbed him by what could be considered his collar and raised him in the air. "What was that?" he hissed, gripping with great strength.

"Gah!" Fung choked out, "Listen, I know you're sick of hearing this, but hear me out. These people aren't your enemies. You've sided with them plenty of times." The bear's eyes narrowed as he brought the crocodile closer to his face.

"How do you know?" he questioned, making Fung gulp. He could feel saliva mostly lodging in his throat as the black and white warrior was choking him pretty hard.

"You wouldn't understand because you lost your memory," Fung responded weakly, "You were on that mission by yourself when I hit you in the head with a piece of bamboo, causing you to suffer amnesia. I told you everything already. Why is it so hard for you to believe?"

"Still trying to convince me I'm a good guy, huh?" Po retorted, squeezing the bandits' neck even harder. "We'll see about that–"

"Po, that's enough!" a seasoned voice called out, catching the panda off guard. "I have witnessed too much of this!" The bear glared in the direction of the Grandmaster's cell. The Five, along with Gahri, instantly felt worry for the elder. Fung was struggling to catch his breath, panting violently. He badly wanted to thank Shifu in this case. "Put him down at once!" the red panda ordered. The black and white warrior just growled at him.

"Or what? What are you gonna do about it, old man?" Po replied with a snort, remaining fearless of the elderly master. A couple of days ago, he wouldn't have been this brave. "Even if you weren't locked up, I wouldn't be scared of you." This caused the red panda to grumble. Tigress snarled, Viper hissed, and the rest of the Five grunted. The panda wasn't fazed. "Aw, and you got your sidekicks in on this? They're not much to your operation," Po denounced, releasing the crocodile from his grip without a care in the world that the hard ground was awaiting his collapse. Gahri was brave enough to rush to his friend's side immediately. The panda, focused on the others, approached Shifu's cell door. "Evidently," Po continued, "And you, Bite Size? You couldn't even knock me down with a hard kick to the face."

"Had I been there I'd done much worse!" Tigress snarled from her cell. The panda snickered at this.

"Oh, kitty, you could barely land a punch on me," he taunted, causing her to snarl even louder and slashed at the cell door window's bars. Now the panda knew he had to get a kick out of that. He approached the feline's cell. "I bet you're one of those types that just think you're so tough that nobody could beat you. Well, I did and I kicked your cute little butt hard!" Tigress growled loudly and banged on the door as the unbothered black and white warrior stood in front with a smug smile.

"Uh oh, they're at it again," Mantis muttered to the others in a combined twist of senses. Those two really could have been a couple, as assumed by some. A toxic couple at that.

"When–I–get–out–of–here!" the feline master gritted, clenching her fists so hard. The panda folded his arms and smirked, taking great pleasure in setting the tiger off. This kitty's kind of cute when she's mad, he thought, watching her comical attempt to bust the door down in hopes to claw him. He wasn't scared at all, knowing he could handle her. Her temper didn't seem to matter, and it certainly didn't make him find her any less visually appealing. In fact, he thought it enhanced the attraction. There was something about the tiger's fierceness. Even though he beat her several times, he somehow knew she had strength in her. Give the tiger enough time and she could probably bust the door open, an idea that the panda wouldn't need to rule out now that he thought about it. Arguably, it was either she or the old man that had a chance, even if very slim, of escaping one way or another. He thought he could trust that the cell doors were durable enough. Then he snapped out of it. Where did all that come from? "You leave her enough!" a feminine voice shouted over the tiger's snarling and banging. Viper was hissing furiously through the hole in her cell door.

"Shut it, snake!" Po shot back, "I'll deal with the cat here."

"Don't you dare!" Shifu spat from his cell, clenching the window bars so hard. The black and white warrior grumbled loudly.

"I'll do whatever I want, Bite Size!" he barked.

"Po, we're your friends!" Monkey exclaimed on the verge of losing it.

"You have to remember us somehow!" Mantis added.

"If you so much as lay a finger on my daughter one again, I will–" Shifu began, but he was abruptly cut off by the increasingly angry panda.

"Shut up!" he roared, sending his fists back and smashing powerfully against Tigress's cell door. A shockwave erupted from the force, piercing through the door and, to her unpredictability, the feline master was struck and sent flying backwards into the rear of her cell, colliding roughly with the wall. A groan escaped her lips as her backside was subjected to a dominion of pain, quickly spreading throughout her body. Obviously, her groan was heard by the others besides Po, who paused at the sight, as Shifu was heard yelling, "Tigress!" while the others gasped. The feline master fell to the floor and didn't get back up. The panda's eyes were as wide as saucers. He felt a lump in his throat as he attempted to swallow, cautiously looking down at his fists. He didn't know whether to be concerned with how much power he just used in the heat of the moment or that he possibly severely injured Tigress. Wait! What about the sudden change of heart? A brief moment ago, he was just tormenting her and smiling about it. It was strange that he was feeling different now, as if something in his heart went off. Did he somehow care about this tiger deep down? No, she's the enemy! That can't be the case, the black and white warrior battled with his thoughts. Just looking at her made him feel a way, especially in the current state. The feline master stayed down motionless, confirming she was out cold. Po's mouth fell open as he choked out a gasp, then it closed and tightened into a frown. His eyes narrowed. "Panda!" Shifu called out in fury. The rest of the Five, along with the Croc Bandits, watched on in disturbance.

"I think he's gone insane," Mantis muttered to no one in particular.

All of a sudden, Po completely snapped out of his mostly frozen state and charged at the cell door. He struck against the solid matter, knocking the door out of the bearings holding it in place, sending an extremely loud CRASH echoing throughout the entire dungeon. Viper drew backward into the rear of her cell and wrapped her body around her head. The rest of the Five picked their ears while Shifu winced at the rather unpleasant sense flooding his eardrums. The panda is as destructive as he looks. That didn't matter to Po as he rushed over to the feline master and scooped her up into his arms. He was absolutely outraged, but not at her. "Darn it!" he barked through his teeth. This scared everyone including Shifu. Then the black and white warrior did something that really put the others in a nervous wreck. He let out a "roar" (or at least that's what it sounded like for a panda.) ROOOOOOOAR! The rest of the Five, except Viper, retreated to the rear of their cells. Mantis huddled in his cage. "Spoke too soon," he said to himself. An even more horrified elderly master closed in on the window bars to get a further look at the panda moving out of the cell with his daughter in his arms, revealing the tiger in unconscious state. In that moment, deep fear and guilt enclosed the red panda within. "Tigress…" he said weakly, feeling powerless on her behalf. He stumbled back, allowing himself to land on the floor beside the cot. His heart was breathing faster than ever, to the point where he started panting madly and loudly. Apparently, it was loud enough so that several others could hear.

"Master Shifu!" Viper exclaimed in worry, "Are you alright?"

"It sounds like he's having a heart attack," Crane supposed, sharing an equal amount of concern. "Master?" The panting didn't stop right away. After a few moments, however, the elderly master froze in place. His eyes closed as he let out another breath. Tigress, I hope you'll be okay, a final thought grasped his focus before he passed out. "Master!" the conscious members of the Five called out. One hope they all shared was that the elderly master simply had a heart attack (as Crane supposed) and something else wasn't the case.

Po, on the other hand, had pretty much all of his attention on the feline master. He seemed to calm down a little bit, but a scowl stayed on his face. The angry bear turned towards the Croc Bandits. Fung and Gahri exchanged terrified glances, dreading what the panda would do next and how it likely had something to do with them in particular. "Well, don't just sit there, get a medic! Now!" Po ordered. At once, the crocodiles got to their feet and skittered past the panda like a couple of chickens. "You got it, Boss! We're on it!" they called back, almost not noticing that the black and white warrior was following behind. It would seem as if the bear was determined to brutally murder the bandits if they failed to go through with his command right away when they got back uptop. He had a viscous Don't fail on me glare in his eyes. That glare was more nerve-racking than one from Tigress, who, in some way, seemed to be fuelling greater anger within the panda despite her being unconscious. Did he remember her all of a sudden, Fung wondered in regards to the panda's unexpected change of heart. Gahri, in another mind, seemed more concentrated on staying alive by not failing to meet a certain person's demands.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda. All rights are reserved to Dreamworks Animation.