Chapter 2: New Teacher

Hamato Leonardo sat in his room in the student barracks of the Jade Palace. He had woken up early that morning and had been doing his routine morning meditation for half-an-hour now.

He sat on his knee pads, not letting his attention flitter away from him. He listened to the silence, with all random thoughts being transitory, like dreams. He let them disappear into his mind, basking in the emptiness of the void and focusing on inner peace.

Master Oogway being wrapped in chains, his body being completely enveloped by a crystalline jade.

A strange gray yak held out his hand as it glowed an eerie green.

"Then I will find them… and take their chi too…"

Leo's eyes snapped open as he gasped, holding his head as a surge of pain rushed through it like a bad headache. What did he just see? Why did that just happen? Why did that feel so real?

And why did the pain in his head feel so… familiar? Like he had felt it before?

Speaking of familiar, before he could ponder it further, Leo saw a large silhouette of a certain panda pass by his door.

Leo immediately knew what this was about as he stood up with a small knowing smile, brushing off these disturbing thoughts as he exited his room and quietly followed him down the hall.

And he wasn't the only one as Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, Mantis, April O'neil, and Casey Jones came out of their rooms as well.

"JUSTICE…" Po exclaimed as he burst out of the doors to the barracks and into the bright morning sunlight, "... is about to be served."

Po then rushed towards the entrance and leapt down the thousand steps to the valley below, with the Ninja Turtles, the Furious Five, April, and Casey right behind him.

It had been a full year since the Turtles had arrived in this world. They, along with April and Casey, had gotten comfortable with living at the Jade Palace, so much so that it had become a sort of home away from home for them.

They had even changed their attire in the past several months now as well, with the Turtles now wearing bits of black samurai-like armor (a gift from Usagi) as Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey now all wore black armored osode shoulder pads with golden outlines, black han kote gauntlets, black suneate shin armor, and black kogake sandal boots. Leo had even clipped his katanas onto the left hip side of his belt in a traditional samurai fashion instead of having them on the back of his shell like he usually did. (AN: Basically, their looks from the episode, "Osoroshi No Tabi")

And they weren't the only ones who had changed their looks as April, Casey, and even Tigress had changed a bit of their appearance too.

April had replaced her black jumpsuit with yellow outlines with a black bodysuit with armor pieces on the torso, shoulders, thighs, and ankles that was identical to the one Karai wore, only the armor parts were painted a goldish-yellow instead of silver. She even had a little hole in the back cut to fit her lioness tail.

Casey, after begging Master Shifu several times, he finally got the permission to make metal versions of his hockey sticks, bats, and golf clubs. Out of all his friends, though, he had changed his appearance the least as he still kept his black hoodie and metal hockey mask.

Tigress now wore a bright golden hanfu with long sleeves instead of her usual red kung fu vest. It had been a gift from Po during the holidays, one she appreciated greatly as it fit snugly on her. So she ended up wearing it most of the time whenever she felt like going for something different.

The group leapt past the memorial statue of Master Oogway and bounded through the trees on the mountain before reaching the village below.

They moved swiftly and silently as they leapt from rooftop to rooftop in the bright sun before they all leapt high into the air and landed right in front of Mr. Ping's noodle shop.

"We'll have two justice platters, please." Po said as they all sat down at one of the tables, Mr. Ping emerging from the kitchen with a notepad to write down their orders. "Umm…"

"Three." Monkey added, holding up his fingers.

"And a few tofu buns." Crane also added.

"And some white rice." Donnie said.

"A little morning tea, too." Viper added.

"Ooh, ooh, ooh! Don't forget some pizza noodle soup for us." Mikey said, gesturing to him and his brothers.

"Oh, and the spicy noodle soup for Tigress." Po added. He then turned to the feline. "Did you want extra sauce with that?"

"She wants it on the side." Leo said, already knowing how the feline wanted it.

"On the side." Tigress confirmed, folding her arms over her chest.

"On the side." Po said to Mr. Ping.

"Could I get some of that too?" Raph asked.

"Hey, if you're getting that, so am I!" Casey added.

"What is this amature hour? I'm getting some too!" Mantis exclaimed.

"That'll be all." April said.


Once they had finished their morning meal, the group immediately headed back up to the Jade Palace, though not before greeting several fans along the way.

Eventually, Po, the Turtles, the Five, April, and Casey landed outside the Training Hall, with Po and Mikey landing in a dramatic pose, Po taking a classic martial artist's stance while Mikey had his nunchucks out. The others, meanwhile, stood rather casually where they landed.

"You-you guys aren't doing a dramatic pose?" Po asked as he and Mikey turned rather awkwardly towards them.

"Do we have to strike a pose every time we land?" Raph questioned.

Mikey stood up straight with huff. "Bro, never underestimate the power of a dramatic entrance!" He then performed his secret kata, 'the secret kata' as it was inaptly called, first thrusting his fists forward into two punches before aiming a high kick with a jump. He then stood up and moved his arms in the motion of windshield wipers before doing a few more random movements with his arms. He then waved his right arm up and down before smacking it with his other arm, making it spin around clockwise as he struck a pose. "Now don't tell anyone you saw that." He said, covering his mouth slightly with his hand so that only they could hear him.

"No problem." Leo said while the others all stared at the orange clad turtle awkwardly.

"Anywaaaay…" Po spoke up. "The point is that a dramatic entrance is important!" He then rolled up to the doors of the Training Hall. "I've heard about some masters who could win a fight just by throwing a door open!"

He then turned to the doors, recoiling his leg and prepared to kick the door open, only for his leg to barely stop in front of Master Shifu's stoic face.

"Dramatic entrance?" Shifu asked, not a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he smirked knowingly.

"Master Shifu!" Po cried, immediately drawing his foot back in instant regret.

"The Dragon Warrior is correct." Shifu said as he closed the doors to the Training Hall.

"I am?" Po questioned in surprise.

"He is?" The others questioned as well, just as shocked as the panda.

"Really? I was just making… Yeah! I mean, yeah, I am." Po quickly said.

"Smooth, dude." Casey teased before getting elbowed in the side by April.

"Before the battle of the fist, comes the battle of the mind." Shifu explained. "Hence the dramatic entrance."

Shifu then turned around and dramatically kicked the door open. He then leapt forward and thrust his staff ahead, giving the Jade Palace archers the signal.

Upon receiving the signal, the archers of the Jade Palace proceeded to shoot several flaming arrows into numerous large pots, lighting up the Training Hall immediately.

The Training Hall itself looked vastly different than how it used to as in addition to its regular training mechanisms, now it included several swinging axes and spiked longs, a pit of blades and spears, and large flaming pendulums.

"Whoa…" The group gasped in amazement.

"So what's the occasion, Master?" April asked.

"Today, will be my final class." Shifu announced, much to the shock and worry of everyone present.

"You're retiring?" Leo asked in surprise.

"I am." Shifu nodded.

"Your final?... Wait, I didn't know you were sick." Po said in concern.

"What do you mean? He looks perfectly fine." Donnie said, his brows quirking up in confusion.

Po then inspected Shifu's eye. "Huh. But he has been looking a little-"

"I'm not sick." Shifu stated, pushing Po away with his staff.

"Healthy. A little healthy. A lot actually." Po quickly corrected himself.

Shifu lightly facepalmed. "My final class because from now on, your training will be in the hands of the Dragon Warrior." He said, lightly tapping Po with Oogway's staff.

Leo, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, Mantis, April, and Casey all gasped in shock as they looked at the panda in stunned silence.

Po nodded still smiling before his expression suddenly turned frightful in realization.

"WHAT?!" Po yelled in shock so loudly that it literally blew Shifu back a few feet. He then quickly scooted over to Shifu. "Me? Teach? I mean, why not Tigress? She's awesome and way more skilled than I am."

"Be quiet, Po." Tigress lightly chided him, though she couldn't help but feel mildly flattered at the 'awesome' compliment.

Po twiddled with his fingers a little. "Well… why not Leo? He's the leader and he's always telling everyone what to do."

"Please don't drag me into this." Leo groaned with a long-suffering sigh.

"Tigress nor Leonardo are the Dragon Warrior. You are." Shifu told Po firmly, poking the panda in the belly with his staff.

Po lightly pushed the staff away. "C'mon! They're the Five! And Leo, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, and April are ninjas while Casey's a crazy vigilante! What can I teach them?" He groaned.

"There is always something more to learn, even for a master." Shifu replied, reappearing behind Po. "For instance, let me show you another move…" He then twirled his staff. "The dramatic exit." He said ominously. He then suddenly pointed to the roof. "What's that?!"

As Po turned to see what he was pointing at, Shifu quietly left the room, closing the door behind him.

Once the door closed, Po looked down to see Shifu was gone. "Whoa! Are you kidding me? That… what?" He then looked around, seeing that Shifu was nowhere in the room. "Where'd he go?"

Once again, the Turtles, the Five, April, and Casey stared at Po, stunned at the panda's obliviousness before they all kneeled in front of him (yes, even Raph, as much as he hated it), placing their fists into their palms.

"Master." They all said together.

Po chuckled humbly. "He's gone, guys. It's cool."

"We await your instruction, Master." Monkey said.

"All you have to lose… is our respect." Tigress said with a half-smile, half-smirk.

"Seriously, how bad could it be?" Mantis asked, crawling onto Po's shoulder.

"Yeah…" Po smiled nervously. "I guess you're right."

"Just relax, Po." Viper said assuringly. "You'll do great."

"It'll be just like regular training." Tigress said with an encouraging smile.

"But… what if you burst into flames?" Po asked worriedly.

All of them were silent as they contemplated that as they glanced towards the training course, seeing the swinging flaming pendulums and the Field of Fiery Death which were just waiting to roast them all alive.

"How about we take it slowly?" April suggested.

"What do you mean?" Po questioned.

"We do our regular training session and you just tell us what we need to do." April explained. "Easy right? Just… pretend that you're Leo."

"Right, be like Leo." Po muttered to himself in an attempt to pump himself up.

"You sure you're up for this?" Raph asked. "There's no shame in backing out."

Po huffed. "Like I have much of a choice, really."

Leo placed a hand on Po's shoulder. "Just take it easy, okay? Like April said, just think of it as a regular training session with you just telling us what we should do."

Po smiled at his friend's encouragement, happy to know that they were around to support him when he was in doubt.

"Chillax, man," Mikey said, enthusiastically slinging his arm around Po's shoulders, "we're all legendary kung fu masters of awesomeness now! What could possibly go wrong?"


"A lot can go wrong! A lot can go wrong!" Mikey shrieked before he was hit square in the face by one of the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion.

It was just pure chaos in the Training Hall as Po tried to instruct his friends as best he could through the training course.

Suffice to say, it was not going well.

Mantis desperately dodged the swinging clubs, only to get squashed between them.

"Okay, okay, let's switch it up." Po said worriedly. "Monkey, immovable mountain stance!"

"Yes, master!" Monkey replied as he balanced on the spinning serpent logs. He then postured himself stiffly, only to fall through the serpent logs.

Po cringed as he saw that. "I mean… Tigress, tornado backflip!"

Tigress glanced at Po confusedly as she blocked a few strikes from one of the dummies in the Gauntlet of Wooden warriors, but she obeyed nonetheless. "Yes, master." She said before she flipped back into the air, only to immediately get hit by one of the swinging flaming pendulums.

Leo had been slicing several arrows that were launched at him by the Palace archers with his katanas when Tigress suddenly crashed into him, sending them tumbling across the floor in a tangle of green and orange limbs.

As Tigress got herself untangled from Leo, she barely seemed to notice that the tip of her tail was on fire.

"Oh no, fire!" Po cried pointing at the fire.

The archers, misinterpreting Po's cry of alarm, fired their arrows randomly, one of them hitting Tigress in the behind, making her wince.

Po gasped in horror as he partially covered his mouth. "Sorry! My fault. Crane, go high – I mean, low!" He said in a panicked tone.

Crane, confused on where to go, simply flew forward right into Viper as she crossed through the Seven Talon Rings, the bird getting clotheslined on her tail and causing him to fall on Mantis, practically squashing the bug.

"Ow, my claw thingy!" Mantis groaned from underneath Crane.

"'Pincers'!" Donnie corrected, barely balancing on the Jade Tortoise of Wisdom as he dodged several of the swinging axes, clubs, and pendulums before getting accidently smacked off by Viper, bouncing off the floor and into the blades and spears pit, where he comically fell up and down on the spikes repeatedly.

Casey laughed at Donnie's expense, only to get slammed by Raph backing into him as the red clad turtle dodged several arrows.

"Out of my way, Jones!" Raph shouted.

"No! Outta Casey Jones' way!" Casey retorted, the husky vigilante getting up and charging after his hotheaded friend.

April attempted to make her way through the Field of Fiery Death, only for Mikey to suddenly land on her and practically squash her underneath him.

"Oops. Sorry, April." Mikey apologized, already getting off her.

"It's fine, Mikey." April said, getting up. "Let's just get off before-" She was interrupted when all of the nozzles on the field lit up. "Uh oh."

Po winced at Mikey and April's screams as the flames erupted from the pipes.

"Uh, Viper, Leo, Raph, and Tigress, to…uh, like a totem pole!" Po said as Tigress and Leo balanced on the spinning wooden warriors, forming an awkward unbalanced pyramid with Raph on top and Viper sitting on his head. Obviously, this did not last very long as Leo and Tigress lost their balance and they, along with Raph and Viper, were thrown across the course like rag-dolls.

Po winced as every call he made seemed to be the wrong one, his friends being tossed around like broken toys as they were bruised, burned, and battered before all the pain and torture finally stopped.

The panda childishly hid behind his staff as the Turtles, the Five, April, and Casey dragged themselves out of the course, where they had burns, cuts, and bruises all over them, bits of dirt and grime covering their skins.

"Good… job… Po." Viper said weakly, at least trying to be supportive as she unwrapped herself from a dislodged spiked club.

"That was messed up." Mikey murmured as he untangled himself and Crane from his own kusarigama chain.

Casey let out some spit as he held his jaw. "I think I lost another tooth." He mumbled.

Donnie groaned as a slightly burned April helped him stay on his feet. "My bruises… have bruises." He groaned.

"Did you at least… learn a little something?" Po asked meekly as he noticed Tigress' ear was on fire, moving his hand to put it out only for Tigress to lightly swat it away and put it out herself.

"Yeah, that you can't teach. Which we learned pretty quickly." Raph stated grumpily, pulling one of the many arrows sticking out of his shell.

"And Tigress is flammable. Turns out." Crane added just as some of the training equipment fell from the roof, crashing onto the ground next to them.

Leo let out a heavy sigh, his blue mask covered in black soot. "C'mon, guys. Let's go get patched up."

With that, the group slowly trudged out of the Training Hall to head to the student barracks, with only Po and Tigress staying behind.

The two stood there in complete silence before Po finally spoke.

"I really can't teach, can I?" He said pitifully.

Tigress looked at him with a softer expression. "No, not really." She said honestly with a shrug.

Po sighed as he slumped over, glancing over at Tigress' burnt tail. "I didn't think you were flammable." He said before looking towards the training course. "I wonder if I'm flammable."

Tigress lightly pinched Po's ear to keep in place. "Don't even think about it, panda." She frowned.

Po chuckled as Tigress released his ear. "Aw, you still care." He teased her.

"Don't push it, Po." Tigress deadpanned.

"Yeah, well… I'm done." Po said.

Tigress quirked a brow in confusion. "With what?" She asked.

"Teaching." Po replied, slumping down on the floor. "It's just so hard!"

Tigress smiled lightly before sitting down next to him. "No-one said being a teacher was easy." She said, "And let's face it, you've been humiliated way worse than this."

Po gave her a flat look, but still smiled. "Aren't you supposed to be trying to make me feel better?"

Tigress smirked. "You'll get better. In time." She said as she stood up.

Po looked at her for a second. "You're not gonna tell Shifu about this, are you?"

Once again, Tigress smiled lightly before turning away.

"Well, you'll just have to wait and see." She said as she exited the Training Hall to go get patched up herself, leaving Po alone to his thoughts.