John had woken up not to blackness, but a blinding yellow glow. It slowly disappeared when he gave a short groan in discomfort and he felt himself being lifted up to upright posture. Opening his eyes lead to him finding himself laying on a futon and leaning against a pillow.

"How're you feeling?"

A clearly masculine voice with a thick Asian accent caught his attention. Standing at 5'7 with short messy black hair and wearing a black Tai Chi outfit with the jacket unbuttoned to show a white t-shirt. The fading light came from the man's hand. His eyes almost popped out of his skull and his jaw must have dropped with enough force to unhinge them.

"Bruce Lee?!"

"I'm sorry young one, you seem to have mistaken me for someone else. My name is Shang Chi, it's nice to meet you."

He couldn't help but gaze upon the man in wonder. Sure, he was in a world of superheroes and aliens, but this man before was a representation of human potential and determination. Based off of the world renowned martial artist Bruce Lee, he managed to contend with metahumans and monsters by sheer virtue of skills and martial prowess. Respect.

He couldn't suppress his inner fanboy and reached out with a hand slowly and poked the man on the cheeks. Shang Chi just watched his hands carefully and in confusion.

'Holy shit, I just touched Shang Chi!...I'm never washing this hand again'

He solemnly made an oath to himself. While lost in thoughts he didn't catch what the Master of Kung Fu muttered beneath his voice, nor the look of concern in the older man's eyes.

"Strange... Did he suffer from a concussion?"

"Ah! I'm sorry, I was lost in thoughts. Thank you for saving me, Mr. Shang Chi!"

He bowed low to the man in a show of respect before a hand on his shoulder held him back up. A glance upwards showed Shang Chi's hands once more hovering over his side and glowing with a pale yellow light.

"Carefully now, you wouldn't wish to aggravate your wounds, would you? Rather, I'm sorry for not being there in time to help you sooner."

The guilt in his voice was plain to see. It was a surreal experience. Not only was he talking to Shang Chi, but the man was actually apologizing to him. It was with a nervous energy that the flustered John was able to stutter out a reply.

"No, it wasn't your fault and it's no big deal. I'm fine, see? Wait, there was an old man with me who was also injured, is he alright!?"

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He flexed his right biceps with a confident smile on his face to placate the other man, but his tone swiftly changed o panic as he recalled of the wounded man he tried to save.

"He is fine. He had actually woken up before you and left you a gift. You may not think it was a big deal, but I certainly don't think so, and I would bet Mr. Fu would say the same. He's alive because of your brave actions."

A wave of the hand allowed him to notice a fruit basket resting on a small nightstand. With a grunt of effort, he got up and walked over and picked up a white card which he assumed was addressed to him. He opened it up and stared at it with a small smile as his eyes silently scanned over the paper for a minute or two. Shang Chi leaned on the wall with his arms crossed and a soft grin looking at the touching scene.

"Heh, just as I thought... I can't understand a single word!"

The ever graceful Master of Kung Fu face faulted at those words. It wasn't John's fault really after all the words were in Chinese! And while he greatly appreciated the sentiment he would need someone to translate for him. Maybe he should take up Chinese as a second language once he gets back to Midtown High school? He was going to retake Spanish as it was what he had taken in his previous life, but learning something new might prove more interesting.

Shang Chi had promptly walked over and taken the card from his hands. He cleared his throat before reading the content slowing out loud for John to hear.

"I'm ever grateful for your help today, although it shames me to not even know the name of my savior, I wish you a speedy recovery. I know that I could never thank you enough for saving my life and allowing me to return home to my family, but please accept this gift as a small token of my appreciation. You'll always be welcomed by my family and a benefactor of Fu's Dumpling House. Sincerely, Zhao Fu."

It seems that John had accomplished his first act of heroism. Sure, he didn't beat up all the bad guys and had gotten his ass handed to him, but he had brought enough time for Shang Chi to save the day. It wasn't the most glorious entree into the world of vigilantism, but that still counted as a win in his book.

"I'm glad he's alright. What happened to those gangsters? They won't be back to bother Mr. Fu will they?"

"They won't be bothering anyone else for at least a couple of months. I personally made sure of that, so don't you worry about that. Instead focus more on recovering. I'd managed to heal you some, but your body is still very much under stress, also try to avoid lifting anything heavy with your right arm for a few weeks. You're free to stay here while you're recovering and I'll contact your parents or guardians for you."

"Thank you, sir, but you don't need to worry about that. I don't have any parents."

The Asian man had a small wince on his face upon hearing his reply and was in the middle of apologizing when the boy interrupted him.

"I'm sorry to hear tha-"

"Oh, don't worry about it! It doesn't bother me. I can take care of myself."

After all, whether he had taken over a kid's body or had a new one created for him, he never had parents in this world to begin with. They stood in silence for a few moments. The martial artist was under the wrong impression that John was a street rat putting up a strong front. A kid who tried to do good despite being dealt a bad hand in life.

Perhaps Shang Chi felt bad about bringing up a "painful" memory, or maybe he felt sympathy or guilt over the matter, regardless of which a soft look was in his eyes and he made an offer that would change John's life and the fate of the world itself. Not that he knew at the time.

"Would you like to learn some self-defense?"

That was how John would start an apprenticeship with Shang Chi, the Master of Kung Fu and one of, if not the greatest martial artist of Marvel.