And Po helps Tigress and Max get to the bottom of Tigress' envy towards the cub.

Chapter 27: Finding a Way

Tigress sat alone at the Sacred Peach Tree in the cold air, thinking about what happened yesterday at the Winter Feast and even though it became a success, she felt like it was overshadowed by Max's appearance and that the kung-fu masters were paying a little more attention to him than what they actually came in for and she was finding it hard to accept that someone like Max received all the attention from everyone else. Getting it from Po, Master Shifu, the Five or some of the Elemental Hazards is one thing, but having all 29 kung-fu students and their masters definitely reached a boiling point for her and the more she thought about it, the more irate she got.

She felt like the first thing she wanted to do with Max was to just thrash him down with her strength and treat him with so much hate and harshness to add more salt to his young wounds and even if she could see that what she might do would be one she'd later regret, it would be better for her to get away with it. But she always felt like there was something about Max she did not like and the answer was always right in front of her, but never could get the meaning behind it and why.

She immediately heard footsteps coming from behind and when she turned around, she was that it was only Po standing there and she turned back to the ground, not willing to talk to him. But Po wasn't one to back down for anything.

"Can we talk?" asked Po.

"There's nothing to talk about, Po." Tigress replied.

Po lets out a deep sigh and he looked to his side and sees Max feeling a little afraid, but Po quietly encouraged him to ask her by himself and without saying a word, he nodded his head and Max walked a little closer to him and he asked, "What have I done to make you hate me?"

When Tigress heard Max's voice right behind him, she tensed up the minute she turned around and faced him and then turned to Po; face full of fury and she asked, "You told him?"

"He needed to know why." Po answered.

She stood up and just got into his face and said, "Must you always interfere with someone else's personal affairs?!"

"Well, I'm sorry. But I felt like I had a right to know why you always treat Max with so much spite...especially during this time of year when all we have to do is just be happy and merry." Po spat back.

"You had no right at all, Po. I didn't expect you to tell Max." Tigress growled.

Po was never one to disrespect her back and he took a deep breath and said to her, "Tigress...this is not about me. This is about you and Max and the only way to settle this as if you tell Max why you treat him the way you treat him."

Max didn't really like being in the middle of any spat because it's one spot he's all too familiar with and he said, "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Whatever I did, I'm sorry. But what did I do to make you mad at me?"

"Nothing! And I don't accept your apology!" Tigress shouted.

"But what did I do?" Max asked.

Tigress knew that this would not end right then and there if Max wanted a straight answer and she really wanted to shut them out, but with Po in the way...it's very difficult to do so and she lets out a frustrated roar and she turned to Max and said, "YOU! Everything about you makes me so mad and I'm sick of you and your positive attitude!"

"What does Max's optimism have anything to do with this?" asked Po, very calmly.

"Because I'm jealous of that little brat!" Tigress roared out.

Soon, Max froze in silence and didn't expect that answer to come out of her mouth and he never realized how much of an emotional impact he made on the tiger master, but Po saw it coming. He was always aware of the tension between her and Max whenever they're in a room or in the same space together and he whispered, "I knew it."

Then, Tigress realized that Po knew she was jealous about something...and she just flattened her ears for saying it out loud.

"You were jealous of me?" asked Max.

And Tigress admits her jealousy to Max...next!