Chapter 11: Panda Training

Po had no idea the danger that his friends were in. But he knew he had one main purpose in the Panda Village—to learn how to harness his panda nature so he could become a Master of Chi.

Po jumped out of bed bright and early the next morning and went over to the little flowerpot in his hut. Inside it was a little wilted flower.

"Oh yeah. First day of panda training. All right, flower, I'm gonna make you bloom!" he cried.

He ran outside and across a bridge to Li's hut. His father was still sleeping, snoring peacefully in a big, comfy bed.

"Dad," Po said, but Li didn't stir. "Dad!"

Li sat up, startled.

"What? What is it?"

"I'm ready for my first day of panda training!" Po announced. He was practically bouncing off the walls with energy.

"Well, pandas sleep past noon," Li grumbled. "So lesson number one is . . . go back to bed!"

Po headed back to his hut, shaking his head. "Of course," he scolded himself.

Po fluffed up his pillow and straightened his blanket. "Nobody said this was going to be easy."

Then he climbed into bed—and fell asleep instantly.

Before Po knew it, Li burst into his hut. Po shot upright.

"Did I oversleep?" he asked.

"You sure did!" Li replied proudly.

"Yes!" Po cheered.

Li brought Po into the village, where a bunch of young pandas were lined up, eager to help Po.

Some of the pandas started passing a little puck with feathers called a jianzi back and forth, kicking it or batting it away. The jianzi flew toward Po and he joined in.

Bao did a bunch of cool moves, egging Po on. "Can you do this? Can you do that?" he said, kicking it forward and under the knee.

Finally Bao kicked the jianzi to Po. He caught it with his foot and kicked it high in the air. It soared across the field, up to the top of the hill.

Po could see Grandma Panda standing there.

"Uh-oh, Grandma Panda, heads up!" Po yelled.

"Hello!" she called. Then, "D'oh!" The jianzi nailed her on the head, knocking her down.

"We better roll," Li said, and they all quickly rolled off.

Po was grateful that it was time for rolling practice. He, Li, and the young pandas lined up on top of the hill when Po spotted Mr. Ping halfway down, holding a big bowl of noodles.

"Po, lunchtime!" he called up to his son.

Po had already started rolling down the hill with the other pandas.

"Ah!" cried Mr. Ping as he darted between the rolling pandas.

Po continued to hurl himself down the hill, once again hitting every rock and tree in his path. When he reached the bottom, he crashed on top of Li.

Li shook his head. "You gotta let the hill tell you where to roll."

"Rookie mistake," Po said as he started to walk back up the hill.

Li stopped Po before he went any farther. Then he walked over to Dim and Sum, who were standing next to two bamboo trees with a hammock hung between them.

"Dim, Sum, let's show him how we go uphill," Li instructed.

Dim and Sum backed up into the hammock, and then Li pulled back on the trees and released.

Boing! The hammock launched them into the air! They flew all the way up the hill and landed in the grass.

"Whoooooooo!" they cheered as they flew.

Po watched them admiringly. "It's beautiful."

Po ran to the catapult and copied what his cousins had done. He went flying up the hill, over Mr. Ping's head.

Still trying to entice Po, Mr. Ping had whipped up some crispy tofu for a snack.

"Snack time!" he called out cheerfully. Then he noticed Po, airborne above him.

"I may never walk again!" Po crowed.

"That's what I'm afraid of!" said Mr. Ping.

Po crashed into his cousins, who had landed perfectly, as they were splayed out in lounge chairs on top of the hill. Mr. Ping winced. He shook his head as Po rolled down another hill.

"Just let yourself fall into it," Li instructed Po, who was back at the top of the hill again.

Po took a deep breath and tried to relax as best as he could. Then he closed his eyes and tried to roll . . . but instead he fell backward, headfirst into a rock! And then another . . . and another.

Eventually he rolled right into Mei Mei, who was practicing her ribbon dancing.

The two ended up tangled together in the ribbons.

"Subtle, Po," Mei Mei said, locking eyes with him. "Very subtle."

Po blushed.

"Let me get some of that," said Big Fun, who ran over and picked both of them up in a huge hug.

Once he managed to free himself, Po catapulted himself back uphill to try again.

This time as Po rolled, he picked up speed and snow, turning into a panda snowball. But Po couldn't see where he was going!

"What are you guys looking at?" one of the pandas asked as he walked past Li and the others at the bottom of the hill, a chair and umbrella in hand.

BOOM! Po collided with him. Snow exploded everywhere and Po went flying into the nearby hot spring.

"Yaaaa hoooooo!" Po shouted, landing perfectly in the pool chair.

The umbrella opened right above him.

Li laughed, beaming a proud smile. "That's how we roll! Cannonball!" he cried, jumping into the spring.

The other pandas cheered and followed him into the water—even Grandma Panda on her bamboo raft!

* * *

Meanwhile, Mr. Ping was sad as he returned to the village cooking hut. He had been working so hard, making all of Po's favorite dishes, but Po wasn't even interested! Po never said no to his dumplings. Never!

Ever since Li had come to the Valley of Peace, Mr. Ping had worried that he would lose Po. Now it looked like that might happen. Mr. Ping would be left all alone.

No more Po.

No more cuddly panda son.

When he entered the hut, his eyes grew wide. He had prepared a whole feast for Po—radish noodles, tofu noodles, scallion noodles—and the table was crawling with pandas! Bao, Lei Lei, and the baby pandas were eating everything in sight.

"What are you doing here?" Mr. Ping asked. "That food is for Po!"

He rushed around the hut, trying to shoo away the baby pandas. One was shoveling dumplings into his mouth from a big bowl. Another was reaching a curious hand toward the cooking fire, and Mr. Ping scooped him up under a wing and whisked him away.

Bao tossed a baby panda into a pot. "Throw it in!" he cried.

"Get out of there! No!" Mr. Ping shouted.

Then he noticed a bowl of noodles rapidly disappearing. His leg got wrapped around the long noodle from the bowl. It dragged him all around the hut, winding around all the baby pandas.

"Ah, my noodles! Leave my noodles alone!"

He finally managed to grab the noodle and stop it. With another hand he grabbed his hat.

He didn't realize that it was inside a baby panda's mouth.

"No, no, no, not for you!" Mr. Ping scolded.

The panda opened his mouth and the hat shot out, slamming into Mr. Ping. He went flying across the hut—and landed next to Bao, who was slurping up the long noodle.

"We love noodles!" said Bao.

Mr. Ping gasped. "Just like my Po!"

Suddenly he softened. He saw all the young pandas in a new light. Maybe he would lose Po, and maybe he wouldn't. But right now, he had lots of baby pandas to feed. Just like the old days, but with more pandas!

Oh, what the heck? Mr. Ping thought as he put out more food.

All the little pandas started munching away, and Mr. Ping smiled for the first time in days