A week and a half after agreeing to get some help, Po was nervously standing at the front gate of the Jade Palace awaiting the arrival of the girls who had expressed interest in him. Much to his own surprise, there were a lot of girls who had responded to Shifu's message and all had agreed to come and try to see if they would match Po's interest. (Tigress had labelled it as competition, but Shifu told her that the trial runs were not organized in such a way). With a lot of girls interested in Po however, Shifu, Monkey, Tigress, and Crane feared that a mob might possibly ensue, and so Shifu had taken it upon himself to hire guards. Just in case.

"So, are the guards getting here first, or are the girls?" Po asked, uncomfortably scratching the back of his neck.

"The first round of guards will arrive to set up some main boundaries," Shifu explained, watching the Five stand over to the side. "And then the second round will bring the girls and then take their places afterwards."

Po watched the gate for a second before sighing. "Did you have to let Ming come over and participate?" he grumbled.

"She expressed interest in dating you as well as moving to a new area to further your relationship," Shifu told the master, folding his arms sternly behind his back. "I didn't want to be picky."

Po just sighed.

"Speaking of picky, I hope none of you mind that I hired some guards from Japan."

"After that whole war blew out?!" Mantis cried.

"The first step in rebuilding peace between countries is by showing them a certain degree of trust," Shifu explained. "And the generals serving there were more than happy to lend us a helping hand in this matter. 'Start small, grow bigger', is how I believe General Koi put it."

"Okay..."

Tigress rolled her eyes. "I'm sure it'll be fine," she promised. "Japan is actually quite a nice place."

"You've been there before?" Po asked her.

"A few times, yes."

"Tigress traveled back and forth to Japan for a few years to enhance her fighting techniques," Shifu elaborated. "She stopped going when she got older, but that was mostly because she couldn't be spared."

A loud knock sounded on the door and the masters jumped in surprise.

"Looks like they're here," Viper commented.

Shifu walked over to the front gates and opened them, revealing a rhino guard standing directly in front. Behind him were several other guards that the masters recognized and then many more behind them that they assumed must have been from Japan.

"Good afternoon," Shifu greeted. "Thank you for agreeing to help us out in keeping the peace around here."

"Just as long as we can prevent a mob," the guard said with a smirk.

"Well, hopefully it won't have to come to that."

Shifu stood aside and let all of the guards come into the gates. A few of them who had never been to  the Jade Palace simply looked around in awe.

"This is quite pretty," one of  the Japanese guards noted, scratching his leg and taking a quick sip of water from a jug he had.

"Thank you," Shifu said.

Once all of the guards were inside of the Jade Palace, Shifu shut the gates behind them, leaving everyone standing in the center of the arena. One of the guards, an unusually tall iriomote with a rather sharp-looking katana, glanced over at the Five and proceeded to do a double-take.

"Tigress?" she asked in surprise, a smile beginning to curl up.

Tigress craned her neck over to get a better look, her mouth dropping in shock. "Neikan?!" she exclaimed.

Another guard, a tan pit viper, looked at the master and asked, "You're familiar with General Kurosawa...Master Tigress is it?"

"Yes," Tigress told him. "And yes. She and I go quite aways back actually."

"We spent a lot of time together when she used to come and visit Japan," Neikan explained. "I was busy training for the military and she would stop by to pick up some tips and tricks."

"You make it sound like I was there looking for something fun to do."

Neikan laughed. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to make it sound like that. But you have to admit that we did have a bit of fun before we got completely separated."  She laughed again. "Remember that stupid fight we had over the kitchen boy?" she asked.

Tigress coughed, turning a slight shade of red. "Yes I do, but we don't have time to discuss that right now."

"Tigress is quite right," Shifu said, more than willing to avoid one of his students being subjected to embarrassing stories. "I'd like to get you settled into your posts before the girls arrive."

"Of course," the pit viper guard replied, bowing his head. "The sooner the better. Lead on, sensei."

"We can catch up later when my shift's over," Neikan called over to Tigress. "Good luck with the mob in the meantime."

Tigress rolled her eyes, a faint smile appearing on her lips as her friend was led out of the arena by Shifu and over to where she was to stay posted.

"Aaaaand you made friends over there?!" Po exclaimed in shock. "I thought you were all about kung fu as a teenager!!!"

"I was," Tigress concurred. "Just because I'm serious about kung fu doesn't mean I can't form a friendship with someone. In fact, Neikan got me to lighten up whenever I came over to visit."

"Did you keep in touch?" Viper asked. "I've never even heard of this girl."

"Kind of," Tigress answered. "She sent me a few letters and then I sent her some back, and then after a while we both got too busy to write. And then...sad to say, really...I almost completely forgot about her."

"Well if you get that busy, I'm sure things can slip," Crane assured her.

"I'm just glad she finally got that guard position she was after. She would always go on about how much she wanted to be one of the best guards in Japan."

Po laughed. "Sounds like the perfect friend for you," he commented.

The conversation died down for a bit and Shifu soon returned and stood back in his original position. "Well, so far so good," he said, eyeing the gate. "Lets hope that the next group of arrivals are just as smooth to deal with."

"I hope so," Po muttered in worry.

The masters stood by the gate for another minute, still waiting, until they began to hear excited giggles approach the Jade Palace gates. Po swallowed nervously. "Please don't let them come barging in...." he begged in a half-whisper.

"You'll be fine," Shifu promised. "That's why we hired guards."

A loud knock sounded on the gate once more and Shifu walked over to open the door. Four muscular guards stood in front of the gate while a few more stood behind keeping a close eye on the girls. One girl attempted to sneak by in order to get a better look at Po, but one guard pulled her back and gave her a stern look.

"Welcome to the Jade Palace," Shifu announced to them. "Please file inside quietly and then stand in one spot so that we can keep an eye on you."

From the back, a distinctive, "Uuuugh!!!!" was heard, making Po cringe.

"All yours buddy," Monkey stated, backing up a bit.

The guards proceeded to walk inside, the girls obediently trailing behind them though some craned their heads up in order to see Po better.

"I'm already winning!" came Ming's voice again.

"This isn't a competition," Shifu told her sternly. "The more people Po gets to know, the better."

"Oh please!" Ming grumbled. "He already knows me!"

"Yes, but you're not the only person Po's met previously."

Po glanced over and spotted Lu-Shi in the middle of the crowd. She was eagerly rocking back and forth on her toes, most likely eager to hang out and play with action figures once more. Shifu signaled for the guards to break up so that Po could see the girls a bit better. The girls  were then instructed to stand in a straight line so that they could introduce themselves to Po. (Po had only gotten a list of names, so he didn't know which name belonged to which girl). There were a few girls that Po already knew (like Ming and Lu-Shi), but there were also a lot of new faces that he didn't recognize.

"Now that you're all in line, I want you to introduce yourselves one at a time," Shifu ordered. "Unless you've known Po previously which in that case just give him a quick hey. Kay, you can start."

Kay turned out to be at the end of the line to Po's left. She was sweet-looking rabbit who wore a pink kimono, a silver hairpin, and glittering orange eye shadow. She also turned out to be extremely shy since she only mustered up a 'hey' and cast her eyes over at Po before looking back at her feet. Monkey, who was still standing in one spot, looked over at her with some peaked interest.

The next girl in line, after seeing that Kay had nothing else to say to Po, looked over at him and flashed a very wide smile. "My name is Tai-Lin, Po," she told him. "It's nice to meet a guy who's actually single instead of already dating. Or a stalker."

"Same!" Po exclaimed happily. "It's hard living somewhere where it's impossible to get a date!" He eyed her. "You've had stalker boyfriends?"

"Um...no," Tai-Lin said quickly. "My friend had that problem."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Viper piped up, resisting the urge to glance at Crane.

The snow leopard smiled at her and looked back at Po.

"Are you done whining?!" Ming complained, looking at Tai-Lin impatiently.

"If it'll get you to shut your lips, then sure," Tai-Lin snarled, folding her arms across her chest. "Seriously! You've done nothing but complain since you've gotten picked up."

"Girls..." Shifu warned. "Lets be civil, please."

"Sorry, Master Shifu," Tai-Lin apologized.

Ming rolled her eyes and looked over at Po with a flirtatious smile. "It's nice to see you again, Po," she cooed.

Po resisted the urge to grimace. "Thanks," he said. "Time's been too short."

The gazelle eyed him, but Lu-Shi, who was next to her, spoke up. "It's great seeing you again, Po!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"You too," Po told her. "How's your brother been?"

"Good," Lu-Shi said. "He's taken up some specific kung fu classes in case Jungie tries to ambush him again."

"I doubt that will happen, but glad to know he's taking care of himself."

The next girl in line was a panther who went by the name of Ordai, though she kept forgetting that Po was no longer the Dragon Warrior. (He had helped her village at one point and had remembered him vividly since then). Even after being directed to the present Dragon Warrior though, Ordai insisted upon using the title for Po only, Shifu telling Po in an undertone that he'd work on that with her at another date.

After Ordai was finished talking, Song, another familiar face for Po, began to speak. Knowing about her previous history as a thief, Tigress became increasingly suspicious of the clouded leopard's motives. However, Song promised that her troupe was officially good and that she was strictly there as a possible girlfriend for Po which she had always wanted. (Which in turn made Po turn red). Girl number seven on the list turned out to be Madame Zhou, which had made everyone suspicious as she had made herself an enemy of the Jade Palace by helping a villain steal food. Madame Zhou explained that she and the villain she worked for had broken up and as she did enjoy Po's company, she decided to give the arena a try. (Shifu didn't say anything when asked why he trusted her presence. He simply asked to move onto girl number eight).

The next girl who began talking was a pretty mantis who identified herself as Lam.

"That's a pretty name," Po commented.

"Thanks," Lam, said, turning a faint shade of red. "I was named after my grandmother's famous Lam-Tye dumplings which is a very old family recipe."

"Wait, you cook?" Po asked with a smile.

"Sure," Lam told him, standing up a bit straighter. "Cooking's been a part of my family heritage for generations. At least...twenty four, I think."

"That's awesome!" Po exclaimed. "My dad has a cooking lineage too! Technically I'm supposed to be next in line, but I live a bit far away, so...."

"So you have to take over later when you retire," Lam guessed.

"Yep."

Po then looked over at the next girl who was slithered into a small ball and seemed to be half-asleep. "Um...who are you then?" Po asked her.

When she didn't answer, Lam poked her in the side, causing her to sit up with a start. "I'm up, I'm-....ACHOO!" the girl exclaimed. She sniffled, adding, "Sorry. I have the leftovers of a stupid cold my dad decided to give me."

"That's okay," Po assured her. "I hope you feel better soon....um...."

"Oh, Jai-Rong," the serpent answered. "And thank you."

"You're welcome," Po told her. He glanced at the next girl, girl number ten, and waved awkwardly, before bowing slightly. "Hi, Master Leopard," he exclaimed. "Kind of a surprise to see you here."

Master Leopard laughed before bowing back. "Perhaps, but I figured it'd be a nice opportunity to get out. Plus it'd help me find someone to help me raise my girls."

"Wait, you have kids?"

"Well why do you think I left the Furious Five?"

"Oh."

The next girl up was named Destiny. She was a rhino. She was extremely tall. She was extremely muscular. And the second Po looked at her, she fainted on the ground and nearly squashed the twelfth girl, a lemur named Ella.

"Do you mind, you ugly sack of leather?!" Ella snapped. "You almost sat on my tail!!!"

Po winced. "Um...hey, could you be a bit nicer, please?" he asked. "She didn't do it on purpose."

"Yeah, she just got really excited," came Xiao-Niao from next to her. (She was the last one in line).

Ella rolled her eyes. "You don't see me fainting like that," she grumbled.

"Um...what was your name?" Po asked her quickly, hoping to prevent any escalation in the conversation.

"Ella," Ella replied, smiling at him and fluffing up her fur. "It's nice to finally meet you, Po. I've heard nothing but lovely things about you."

"And it's nice to see you again!" Xiao-Niao called over, causing Ella to give her a look. "My dad talks about you often."

"Does he?" Po asked. "Well...I hope it's good things."

"After you helped us, it's nothing but good things," Xiao-Niao promised him with a smile.
She looked over at Tigress and gave an excited wave. Tigress shook her head and smirked, deciding to wave back after a second. She didn't know Xiao-Niao well, but she had helped her get through a rather rough time, so she didn't mind seeing her again.

Shifu cleared his throat. "Well, now that you've all met Po...and vice versa...I'll show you all where you'll be sleeping while you stay here. Keep in mind that you can leave at any time you want if things aren't working out. Or Po can dismiss you if you're not on good behavior."

"I'll remind the lug when she wakes up," Ella piped up, glancing over at Destiny who was being picked up by one of the guards with little to no struggle.

The girls and the guards began to follow Shifu away, leaving the warriors free to walk back to the kitchen so that they could set up dinner.

"So...see anyone who's a no or is it too early to tell?" Crane asked the master.

"Ming and Ella," Po answered immediately. "I already knew I wasn't going to like Ming, but Ella is beyond terrible! I don't want her going around calling people names just because she thinks she's prettier!"

Monkey snickered. "I'm sure that conversation will go over well," he commented.

"I'm just glad I'm not the one who's going to have to tell her."

"Here's hoping that Shifu doesn't get torn to shreds," Viper said, a worried expression plastered across her face.

"When are you planning to tell him?" Tigress asked her friend.

"After dinner," Po replied. "It would just be weird to have them go home right as they got here."

"Fair enough."