Chapter One- School; Ages of characters: 7-8 years old

He walked up nervously to the teacher, an elderly sheep wearing peasant clothing. He tugged at his golden shirt and smoothed out his black pants. He felt hot; was it because there was a fire insignia on the back of his shirt?

"Stop fidgeting." His father hissed.

"Yes, sir." He straightened up. He could see his father shake his head a little. They stopped in front of the sheep teacher, bowing.

"Mrs. Bao, a pleasure to meet you." His father said.

"No need for formalities." Mrs. Bao waved a hoof. "It is truly an honor to have you in my humble home and school, Master Bang." She bowed to the kung fu master and turned her attention to his young son. "And who is this handsome young man?"

"My son, Chao." Master Bang said. "I'm visiting Master Oogway and he needs to stay here for the day. You received my letter, right?"

"Oh yes!" Mrs. Bao nodded happily. "So this is Master Bang's brilliant son?"

Chao looked down, his cheeks burning. "I'm not that brilliant."

Mrs. Bao laughed lightly. "So modest, just like his father." She looked back up at Master Bang. "I'd be honored to have him in the classroom. The children should be arriving soon and I'm sure he'll fit in."

"Thank you." Master Bang nodded. He looked down at his son. "You behave now. I'll be back to pick you up this evening. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Chao bowed to his father. Master Bang nodded simply and walked off out the door. Mrs. Bao put a hoof on Chao's shoulder.

"Why don't you wait with me and I'll introduce you to the students when they get here?" she offered kindly. Chao nodded, feeling a little more confident. Mrs. Bao sat at her desk and started to write some things down. Chao sat on the floor behind her and practiced his meditating. In a few minutes, shouts were heard as kids poured into the classroom. Chao peeked from behind the desk, but hid again at the sight of so many students. A while later, Mrs. Bao hit a small gong to silence the talkative kids. A few kids still talked, but one more sound of the gong silenced them.

"Good morning, class." Mrs. Bao greeted.

"Good morning, Mrs. Bao." The class said in unison.

"Now class, before we start our lesson, I have a surprise for you." Mrs. Bao announced.

"You're canceling school forever?" a kid asked. Everyone laughed and Mrs. Bao rolled her eyes.

"On a more serious matter, we have a special guest for today." Mrs. Bao gently pushed Chao to the front of the class. "Introduce yourself, sweetheart."

Chao gulped a little. "H-hello. My name is Chao. My father is Master Bang, of the Sacred Onyx Council. It is an honor to be here." He put a fist to his palm and bowed.

"Hi Chao!" the class greeted in unison. Chao felt his nerves disappearing.

"Chao's father is on a visit here." Mrs. Bao explained. "I want all of you to treat Chao with respect and make him feel welcome."

"Yes, Mrs. Bao." The class agreed. It sounded sincere, not like mindless drones Chao had expected.

"Very good." Mrs. Bao smiled. "Chao, why don't you take a seat?" Chao nodded and looked around. He found an empty spot on the floor near the front and sat down with the class. A fox was next to him. He wore a blue gi with a darker blue trim on the shirt and cuffs of the pants. He was currently cleaning off a small pair of black glasses. Chao was about to ask the fox's name when Mrs. Bao started talking.

"Now class, we have been working with our spelling and writing." She said. "Who can come up here and write 'jade' on the board?" A rabbit came to the board and wrote the character for everyone to see. "Almost, but you forgot the little dash." Mrs. Bao corrected the character for everyone to see. "Remember that misspelling a character can change the entire meaning of the word. How about 'fire'? Who can write that?" A different person came up: a red panda cub with brown pants, Shaolin leg wraps on his ankles and feet, and a burgundy vest with a gold trim. He came to the board and wrote the character for 'fire' perfectly. "Very good. Here's a hard one: 'destiny'. Who wants to try?" The red panda looked uncertainly towards the class. Chao raised his hand. "Come on up." Chao stood and walked towards the board. He could feel everyone's eyes on him as the red panda cub handed him the chalk and ran to sit back down. Chao took a breath and wrote out the character for 'destiny' quickly and neatly. He set the chalk down and looked to Mrs. Bao for approval.

Mrs. Bao seemed a little surprised. "Well done, Chao. You must've been taught very well in your other school. I'm impressed."

Impressed? Chao never heard of such a word. He stood a little straighter with pride.

Someone did a fake cough. "Nerd." They coughed.

Instantly, half the class started laughing or giggling. Chao's smile disappeared. Mrs. Bao looked displeased and sent Chao to sit down. "Silence yourselves!" she snapped. Everyone was quiet, but the damage was done. Chao didn't offer to answer any questions for the rest of the morning. At lunch, everyone was dismissed outside to eat. Chao sat away from the other kids and opened the small wooden box his father gave him for his lunch. Inside was some rice and leftover stir fry from dinner; Chao's favorite. He picked up his chopsticks to eat when a hand suddenly flipped his lunchbox into the air. The box clattered to the ground and the food ended up all over Chao's head. He looked up and saw three boar piglets, laughing at him.

"How pathetic can you get?" one laughed.

"There's no way you're the son of Master Bang!" another taunted.

"You're nothing." The third, obviously the leader, said to Chao. "You'll never be anything like Master Bang. You're better off on the streets. And quit sticking your tongue in and out! It's weird!" The three of them walked away, still laughing. Chao could only sit on the ground and fight to hold back his tears, his food on the ground and all over his face. Did they not believe him when he said he was Master Bang's son? Were they put off by his noble-like clothing? Did they not understand that he was a desert monitor lizard, so his tongue naturally flicked in and out of his mouth? Chao didn't know, but he did know that their words hurt, a lot.

Chao sensed someone was next to him and looked over. He found the fox from earlier standing beside him, holding out a piece of cake.

"Go on, take it." The fox said, pushing the cake towards Chao. The young lizard tried to refuse, but the fox insisted. "It's not healthy to skip meals, you know. And who doesn't love cake?" Chao smiled a little and took the cake, bowing in gratitude. The fox chuckled a little. "You don't have to bow all the time. It can't be good for your back." He set a wooden box next to Chao. Inside were two dumplings. "Go ahead and eat them; I already ate the rest." The fox ran off to play with the other kids. Chao looked down at the lunch one last time before eating, making a mental note to pay the fox back later. When he had finished, lunch was over, and the class filed back inside. Chao ran up to the fox kit, who was laughing with the red panda cub from earlier.

"Thank you." Chao said. He handed the fox his lunchbox.

"No problem." The kit shrugged. "Don't let those guys get to you."

"They're a real pain to all of us." The red panda cub groaned. Mrs. Bao called the class to attention and everyone sat down. The day continued on until second recess. Chao kindly asked to take a book outside to read and perched himself on a rock to enjoy the sun and the book he had chosen: a collection of stories about China's greatest masters, including Grandmaster Oogway. Chao read with fascination about Oogway's greatest accomplishments. He glanced up at the Jade Palace in the distance. How he wished that he could be up there! To train with Master Oogway himself.

Suddenly, the book was jerked from his hands. Chao looked up and saw the same three boar piglets.

"Reading during recess?" the leader scoffed.

"That's a nerd for ya." The second piglet said.

"Give it back!" Chao cried desperately. "That' doesn't belong to me!"

"You want it?" the leader taunted, tossing it to one of his lackeys. "Come get it!" Chao got up and desperately tried to grab the book. But no matter where he went, the boars kept tossing the book back and forth, and Chao could only run in circles. Finally, he remembered what little training his father had given him and jumped into the air. He kicked the book up high and it flew from the piglets' reach. The book soared through the air and landed in the hands of the red panda cub.

"Show a little respect for the book, huh?" the cub retorted. Chao ran over and took the book from him.

The leader scoffed. "You think you're so cool, don't you?"

"I'm trying to keep the peace." The cub corrected.

"You're only saying that because-"

"Children, time to come in!" Mrs. Bao called.

The leader growled. "This ain't over!" He and his lackeys ran inside with the kids.

"Thanks for that." Chao said.

"No problem." The cub assured. "Come on!" He and Chao ran back inside.

Chao was starting to get nervous again. The boars were giving him dirty looks the rest of the afternoon. He couldn't wait for his father to pick him up to go home. But his troubles were far from over. When school got out, Chao walked out to wait for his father outside. The boars snuck up on him and dragged the poor lizard down a nearby alley.

"When my father gets here, you're going to be sorry!" Chao threatened.

"We're not afraid of you." The leader scoffed, cracking his knuckles. "It's time for the rich kid to learn how to man up."

"Let me go!" Chao shouted. "My father taught me kung fu and I will use it!"

"Can't do that if you're pinned, can you?" the leader laughed. His two lackeys, who already had firm grips on Chao's arms, pushed the lizard into a wall, pinning him there. Though Chao struggled, he couldn't get away. The leader planted his fist into Chao's stomach. Chao doubled over in pain, but the two piglets shoved him upright again. The leader kept punching, hitting Chao's stomach, chest, and face. Each time, Chao gasped in pain and fought to escape, to get away from the pain. Finally, the boar landed a firm kick to the lizard's stomach, and the piglets let Chao fall to the ground.

The leader laughed. "You're so weak! You'll never be anything more than that!" The leader was about to kick Chao when a voice shouted from the alleyway's entrance.

"Leave him alone!"

The boars and Chao turned and saw the fox kit and red panda cub.

"Step away from him!" the cub ordered.

"Or what?" the leader asked.

"Or you'll have to deal with us!" the kit threatened. "Junjie and Shifu, students of Grandmaster Oogway!"

Chao's eyes widened. These were students of Master Oogway? And he never knew? How could he be so foolish?

The leader laughed. "I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be." Shifu said. The lead boar chucked a rock in Shifu's direction. The red panda simple stood to the side. The piglet stood with a glare in his eyes.

"Get them!" he shouted.

The two boars ran forward, grabbing sticks along the way. Junjie and Shifu, being as young as they were, didn't know that much kung fu.

But they knew enough.

Junjie expertly blocked a strike from a boar's stick and launched some well-placed jabs to his opponent's stomach and chest. Then he knocked the stick away and used it like a staff, slamming it on the boar's head. Shifu jumped over his enemy's head and landed a few kicks to the piglet's back. When the boar turned, Shifu grabbed his stubby tusks and threw him aside. The leader ran forward, but Chao stuck out his tail at the last minute. The leader went flying, and all Junjie and Shifu had to do was step out of the way as the bully flew into a trash basket.

Junjie and Shifu laughed as they helped Chao up. "That was a pretty nice move." Junjie noted.

Chao smiled, but then bowed. "I didn't know I was in the presence of Master Oogway's students. Forgive me if I've offended you at all today."

Shifu and Junjie gave him confused looks.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Shifu asked. "We're kids, not honorable kung fu masters."

"But you're students of Master Oogway!" Chao exclaimed as he stood straight.

"And you're the son of Master Bang!" Junjie said. "We're all on the same level of coolness."

Chao looked unsure, but he smiled a little. "My father tells me to show respect to those above me."

"And how far down are you supposed to be?" Shifu asked. Chao shrugged, and Shifu shook his head. "Sounds like Master Bang isn't the best dad in the world."

"Oh no!" Chao protested. "He's great, really. I mean, he's definitely a better master than father, but he stays distant to keep me safe from bandits, I'm sure of it."

Junjie looked at Chao over the rims of his glasses. "Yeah, right. I don't believe it. Master Oogway treats me and Shifu like we're his own sons, and we're not even related! If your dad is so great, he should be able to defend himself and his son."

Chao looked around fearfully, as though his father were listening. Shifu shook his head again. "Look, you need to relax. Where is your dad anyway?"

"He's visiting Master Oogway." Chao said. "He told me he'd be back this evening to pick me up and we'd go home."

"Why don't you come to the palace with us?" Shifu offered.

Chao's eyes widened. "The Jade Palace?"

"No, the Palace of the Emperor." Junjie teased. "Yes, the Jade Palace! We'll give you the grand tour! And maybe you can spend the night!"

"What?" Chao exclaimed. "I don't think-"

"We won't accept 'no' for an answer." Shifu interrupted. "Now come on." Chao looked nervous still, but Shifu and Junjie pulled him along, so he went with it. Every step he took towards the Jade Palace made him sicker to his stomach. But Junjie and Shifu spoke words of encouragement, and the nausea subsided. The three of them reached the doors to the palace and Shifu led them inside. They ran up some more stairs to the Sacred Hall of Warriors.

"Come on!" Junjie shouted.

"This is our favorite place to hang out!" Shifu said. He pulled Chao along as they entered the building. Chao stared in awe at the artifacts and paintings all around him. In his mind ran the stories to every warrior in the room that his father drilled into his head.

Junjie smiled. "Impressed?"

"This is amazing!" Chao breathed. "I never thought I'd be here!"

"Come look at this!" Shifu called. Junjie and Chao ran over to the Moon Pool, where Shifu stood. "They say this pool can answer any question and that it's bottomless."

"How do you know?" Chao asked.

"Oogway told us." Junjie said. "We once tried to dive down and find the bottom, but Oogway had to pull us out."

"Wow." Chao breathed. He was tempted to dive down, to see what was at the bottom, should there be one.

"Chao!"

The three boys spun around and saw Master Bang stomping towards them. Chao wished he could drop dead; anything would be better than being here.

"What are you doing here?" Master Bang demanded. "I told you to wait at the school!"

"It's not his fault!" Shifu intervened. "We invited him up here."

"If he followed you here, it's his fault for disobeying me!" Master Bang shouted. He turned to Chao. "Stand up." Chao forced himself to not tremble in front of his father, knowing what was coming. Master Bang raised hand. Chao braced himself. Master Bang suddenly brought his hand down and slapped Chao across his face. Chao felt the sting of his father's claws, but bit back a cry.

Junjie, however, stood in front of Chao. "You can't do that!"

"He is mine to dispose of." Master Bang said harshly. "And he needs to be punished when he does the wrong thing."

"He didn't do anything wrong." Shifu protested. "We brought him up here; against his will, even. What you just did was abuse and it's wrong."

"And you think you can tell me what to do?" Master Bang asked smugly.

"Master Oogway can." Junjie growled.

"What can Master Oogway do?"

The four of them turned to the doors and saw Oogway walking towards them. The boys and Master Bang bowed in respect.

"I'll ask again." Oogway said kindly. "What can I do?"

"Tell Master Bang what to do." Junjie growled. "He hit Chao unfairly."

"Chao?" Oogway cocked his head to one side in confusion. Junjie pulled Chao from hiding. The young desert monitor bowed to Oogway. The elder reptile smiled and patted the boy's head. "I know you: Master Bang's son."

"Yes, Master Oogway." Chao said.

Oogway nodded and stood straight. "Master Bang, have you been training him in kung fu?"

"Yes, I have." Master Bang nodded. "Unfortunately, it may take a while for him to become a master. Apparently he's a bit hopeless." Junjie would've shouted at the old lizard had Shifu not slapped a paw over his mouth.

"I see." Oogway nodded. "You must be very busy; juggling your son's training with your responsibilities with the Sacred Onyx Council."

Master Bang shrugged. "It's an honor and a burden."

"Then allow me to lighten your burden." Oogway offered. "I will take Chao in as my own student."

The room went silent as everyone stared at Oogway.

"Are you serious?" Junjie asked.

"Yes." Oogway nodded. "I think he'd be a wonderful addition. And I will make him a great warrior."

Master Bang beamed. "That sounds like a brilliant idea." He turned to his son. "We will return home so you can pack and then return in three days. Agreed?"

Chao bowed. "Yes sir. Thank you, Grandmaster Oogway."

Master Bang nodded. "As I said, we will return in three days." Oogway bowed back, dismissing the two lizards. Chao followed his father out of the palace, eager to move back in permanently.

Shifu gave Oogway a weird look once they had gone. "You're just going to let him in? Just like that?"

Oogway smiled. "You underestimate me." He leaned down to Shifu and Junjie's eye level. "I saw Chao get slapped."

Junjie's eyes widened. "You're doing this to protect him."

"Yes." Oogway nodded. "I understand you two defended Chao in school today. I couldn't be more proud."

How Oogway knew about that, they didn't know. But Junjie and Shifu were ecstatic that there was going to be a new student in the palace.

"This is going to be awesome!" Junjie exclaimed.

"Yeah, finally a smart kid to keep your brainless tail in check!" Shifu teased.