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A cold smirk tugged at Dan's lips. He wasn't someone who liked causing trouble, but that didn't mean he was afraid of it either.
He stood up, clearly ready to teach this arrogant punk a lesson. Just then, the timid little guy next to him grabbed his arm.
"Dude, maybe let it go. That's Flash—you know, the guy on the school football team."
Dan patted his shoulder.
"It's fine. With guys like this, the more you back down, the more they push. You gotta show them what's up."
With that, Dan walked straight up to Flash.
The bold move immediately drew a crowd. Someone actually had the guts to challenge Flash "The Lightning" Thompson? Nothing could be more entertaining than this.
The more people gathered around, the more hyped Flash got—he clearly loved being the center of attention.
"Hey, chinky, you said you were gonna show me something? Who do you think you are, Bruce Lee? Hah—hi-yah! Jeet Kune Do?"
Flash mocked him, mimicking one of Bruce Lee's signature poses. Then he charged at Dan with his big, bulky frame.
Dan didn't even flinch. He smoothly sidestepped, used Flash's own momentum, and landed a punch right into his left rib. Flash crumpled instantly.
Dan had been training hard all summer—his body was on a whole different level now. Guys like Flash, who were all brawn and no brains, were laughably easy to deal with.
Dan turned back and looked at the timid kid, then said:
"Remember this—if you keep letting people push you around, they'll think you're easy to mess with. You have to stand up and show them you're not someone to screw with. That's when they'll back off."
The room exploded with cheers and squeals—everyone was totally fired up.
Of course, Dan got called into the office afterward. So did Flash.
After getting a solid lecture from the dean, the whole thing was basically over.
"Hey, wait up!"
On the way home, someone called out to Dan in a voice that sounded a little familiar.
He turned around—it was the shy kid from earlier. But now that Dan saw his face clearly, he froze in surprise. This guy looked weirdly familiar. He could swear he'd seen him somewhere before.
The kid jogged over.
"Hi, I'm Peter Parker. Thanks a lot for earlier."
Dan's brain practically exploded. He'd just been wondering if he'd run into Peter at school—and boom, here he was. Holy crap. This was Peter freakin' Parker, the face of Marvel. The kid had a bit of Garfield's Peter in his eyes, but his overall look leaned more toward Tom Holland. Either way, definite pretty-boy material.
But right now, he still had that timid, bullied vibe. Clearly, he wasn't Spider-Man yet.
"No worries. I didn't just do it for you. I'm Dan, by the way."
Dan held out his right hand. Peter quickly wiped his hands on his shirt before shaking it.
"Nice to meet you. Hey, judging by the way you're headed… do you live in Queens?"
Dan nodded. He vaguely remembered Peter also lived in Queens, though they'd never met before. Partly because Dan spent all his free time studying with his mentor, and also because the house his teacher bought was way out on the edge of Queens, almost bordering Brooklyn—kind of far from the center of town.
"That's awesome! We can walk home together after school."
Peter sounded excited. After all, Dan had totally stolen the spotlight earlier. A mysterious Asian kid who could fight? That was cool as hell.
As they walked and chatted, Dan noticed that even though Peter looked like a quiet, nerdy type, he sure could talk. The guy kept throwing out questions non-stop.
"You're from the East, right?"
"Yeah."
"So are you Chinese?"
"Yep."
"Whoa, that's so cool. Do all Chinese people know kung fu? Like real kung fu?"
Peter struck a few dramatic poses. Some people on the street gave them weird looks, and Peter ducked behind Dan, embarrassed.
Dan couldn't help but laugh. This was the future Spider-Man? He was actually kinda adorable.
"Well… not every Chinese person knows kung fu. Honestly, most of us live normal lives."
"Really?"
Peter sounded disappointed. He had clearly imagined a country full of martial arts masters.
"So what's China like, then?"
Dan scratched his head. Truth was, he hadn't visited China in this universe yet, but it was probably similar to the one he remembered.
He just shrugged.
"Sorry, I'm Chinese, but I grew up here."
"Oh, okay."
Peter nodded, then perked up with another question.
"Wait—was that move you used on Flash just now actual kung fu?"
"Nah, that was just basic combat technique."
"Still cool, though! Can you teach me? I always thought people who know how to fight are super badass. But kung fu would be even better—flying on rooftops, chi shielding your body, punching dragons into existence…"
Dan laughed. The more Peter talked, the more ridiculous it sounded.
"Dude—who told you kung fu lets you punch out a dragon?"
Peter scratched his head.
"Wait, that's not true? But that's how it is in comics and those Chinese shows! The guy always yells 'Dragon Subduing Palm!' before launching some crazy move."
Dan was speechless. Man, even Peter Parker wasn't immune to TV brainwashing. Dragon Subduing Palm? That was straight out of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils! How the hell did that drama end up over here?
Before they knew it, they'd reached Peter's house. Just as they arrived, a man got out of a car.
"Uncle Ben! I'm home!"
The slightly pudgy middle-aged man turned around and waved with a smile.
"Hey Peter, welcome back. Oh—who's this, your new friend?"
Dan looked at the familiar face and smiled politely.
"Hi Uncle Ben, I'm Dan. I'm in the same class as Peter."
"Nice to meet you, Dan! I'm glad Peter's made a new friend."
Uncle Ben chuckled warmly.
Dan looked at his kind smile and suddenly asked:
"Uncle Ben… did you ever volunteer at the Valentine Orphanage?"
"Oh, yeah! A long time ago, I did. How did you know?"
Dan smiled wide. There it is. Back when he was living at the orphanage, there was this nice guy who always came to play with the kids—kids of every race and background. And that guy… was Peter's uncle.
"It's been a while, Uncle Ben. I used to live at Valentine."
"....."