Chen Mo took the towel Eddie handed him, wiped his hands clean, and turned toward the two figures at the door.
"What took you so long to get back?"
"Master," Steve said, puffed up with excitement like a child eager to share a secret. "I ran into a bully today."
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And then?"
"I handled him just like you taught me," Steve said proudly. "Beat him up good—and then gave him a lecture afterward. I'm sure he'll straighten out and become a better person now."
Chen Mo stared at him, speechless for a moment. "…When exactly did I teach you that?"
Steve blinked innocently. "When you were teaching me martial arts! Every time I messed up, you'd, uh… correct me—with your fists. After that I always remembered the lesson. So I figured, if it works for me—"
Chen Mo pinched the bridge of his nose. Brilliant student, disastrous logic.
If Steve kept "applying" his lessons this way, Chen Mo had no idea what kind of Captain America he was about to create.
Spotting Bucky behind him, he quickly changed the subject.
"And this is…?"
"Ah! Master, this is my best friend, Bucky. We grew up together in the orphanage."
Steve beamed with pride as he pulled Bucky forward.
"Bucky, this is my teacher."
To Steve, being Chen Mo's apprentice was a badge of honor.
His master wasn't just powerful—he was legendary. The man had taken down an entire Mafia crew single-handedly and possessed strength and speed that defied belief. Under his teaching, Steve—once frail and powerless—had become strong enough to floor a man twice his size.
How could he not be proud?
Bucky, meanwhile, was struggling to reconcile the image. The "master" Steve idolized looked barely older than they were. But after seeing Chen Mo throw those knives a moment ago—each one flying with blinding speed and pin-point precision—Bucky decided this was no ordinary man. One mistake, and those blades could've been buried in his chest.
"It's an honor to meet you, sir," Bucky said respectfully.
Chen Mo smiled faintly and gestured to the seating area.
"Welcome to the dojo, Bucky. Don't stand in the doorway—come in, have a seat."
They all sat, and Eddie served them coffee with his usual quiet grace.
"Master," Steve began, "Bucky ships out for Europe tomorrow. We're planning to visit the World of Tomorrow Expo tonight to celebrate."
At the mention of the army, Steve couldn't help but shoot Chen Mo a mildly resentful look—still holding a grudge over being forbidden to enlist earlier.
"You should go," Chen Mo said with a nod. "Young men ought to have some fun."
Steve accepted that without a thought, but Bucky had to bite back a smirk. Young men? Buddy, you don't look a day over twenty yourself.
"Master, you said you had something to tell me this afternoon—what was it?"
Chen Mo set his cup down and regarded him seriously.
"Your foundation is solid now. You've learned all I can teach you here. The rest will come from real experience."
Steve blinked, then smiled broadly, thinking it was praise.
"You mean I've graduated? That's all thanks to your teaching, Master!"
Ignoring the flattery, Chen Mo continued.
"Which means… it's time for you to leave the dojo."
Steve froze. "Wha—what? Master, you're not kicking me out, are you?"
Chen Mo gave him a flat look.
"Unless you'd rather stay and not join the army."
"Join the army?" Steve's eyes went wide. "You mean—I can enlist?!"
"Before, I held you back because you weren't ready. You had the will, but not the strength. Now you do. It's time to test what you've learned—and to grow stronger on the battlefield."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Steve bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Master!"
Realizing now that Chen Mo's refusal had always been for his sake, guilt flooded him.
"I'm sorry for ever doubting you…"
"Forget it," Chen Mo said lightly, waving him off. "Didn't you two have an expo to catch? Let's go. I'll come along."
Steve blinked. "You're coming too?"
Chen Mo shot him a look.
"What, you think I'm not young?"
That evening, Eddie drove the four of them to the World of Tomorrow Expo.
"Go on, you boys enjoy yourselves," Chen Mo said as they stepped out. "Eddie and I will wander a bit."
Steve and Bucky exchanged a knowing glance, shrugging.
"When it comes to Master, you just don't ask questions."
They soon found the two girls Bucky had arranged to meet, while Chen Mo and Eddie made their way toward the Modern Marvels Pavilion.
The hall glittered with futuristic displays—sleek machines, gleaming lights, impossible inventions. One exhibit in particular caught Chen Mo's eye: a bright red automobile mounted on a platform.
He smiled slightly. Howard Stark's anti-gravity car.
The technology wasn't ready yet, but the concept held promise for the future.
He and Eddie lingered near the platform just as a crowd began to gather.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome—Mr. Howard Stark!"
Flanked by a group of glamorous models, a charming, confident man stepped onto the stage—Howard Stark himself.
"If I told you," he began smoothly, "that in just a few years your cars would no longer need to touch the ground…"
Gasps rippled through the audience as the models removed the car's wheels, revealing the sleek metallic devices underneath.
"With Stark's anti-gravity technology," Howard declared, "the impossible becomes possible!"
He pushed a lever. The car lifted gracefully off the platform—floating a full meter in the air.
The crowd erupted.
"Oh my God!"
"Incredible!"
"It's flying!"
Then—crackle! Sparks burst from the machinery, and the car slammed back down onto the stage with a heavy thud.
Howard straightened his tie with an embarrassed grin.
"I did say… in a few years, didn't I?"
The audience laughed and applauded anyway, delighted by the spectacle.
Down in the crowd, Steve stood beside the two girls, looking increasingly uncomfortable. While they swooned over the charming inventor, he awkwardly offered one of them a bag of snacks. She responded with a glare that could melt steel.
Steve sighed. So much for that.
As his companion focused on Howard's grand display, Steve's gaze wandered. His eyes landed on a recruitment poster plastered on the wall behind them—a familiar image of Uncle Sam pointing, bold words underneath:
"I WANT YOU!"
And an arrow pointing toward a small passageway just beyond the crowd.