Race

___

With Kai's help, Tony quickly built a particle accelerator in the villa, sparing him the struggle he faced in the movies.

Once everything was set, Tony asked Jarvis to turn off the lights, put on his glasses, and install the prism in the acceleration tube.

"Activate the Prism Accelerator!"

Following Tony's command, Jarvis powered up the accelerator. Particles shot through the tube, accelerating rapidly until they reached their limit.

"Sir, we've reached maximum capacity," Jarvis reminded Tony, urging him to move quickly.

Tony grabbed the wheel with both hands and tried to turn it, but his grip kept slipping. After two failed attempts, Kai stepped forward.

"Let me help. What do I need to do? How far should I turn it?"

Tony stepped aside and pointed.

"See that device on the table? The triangle inside is the new reactor core. Rotate the wheel until the particles align with it."

Kai took over, turning the wheel slowly. A sharp blue beam cut through the air, slicing the wall in half before striking the triangular reactor core. The core began to glow brightly, absorbing the energy.

Seeing it was working, Tony rushed forward and slapped the switch, shutting down the accelerator.

The core continued to emit a steady, vibrant glow — proof that the new reactor core was a success.

"See? Simple!" Tony grinned. "Synthesizing new elements isn't so hard after all."

He and Kai moved to the table, where Tony carefully removed the glowing core with tweezers.

"Sir, you've created a new element," Jarvis confirmed.

Tony placed the core into his new reactor. After a few beeps, Jarvis added, "Sir, the reactor has accepted the new core. I'll run diagnostics shortly."

Meanwhile, far away in Russia, Ivan Vanko secured a forged passport and a plane ticket to America. With his creations in tow, he set out for his destination.

Back in the villa, Kai looked at the reactor and smiled.

"Congrats, Tony. Looks like your poisoning problem is finally solved."

Tony stood up, visibly relieved.

"Kai, I can't thank you enough. Without you, I wouldn't have figured out what my father left behind."

Handing the reactor to Jarvis for testing, Tony turned back to Kai.

"You know... I was convinced I was dying. I even planned to blow off some steam by racing. But now that this new reactor's done, why don't you join me? We can celebrate."

"Oh?" Kai raised a brow, recalling the trouble that awaited Tony at the racetrack. "Sure, why not?"

"Great! Give me a minute — I need a shower and a change of clothes."

While Tony cleaned up, Kai bumped into Yinsen.

"Kai, what did you and Tony do to wreck the place like this?"

Looking at the chaotic mess around them, Yinsen's eyes widened.

"Oh, that?" Kai chuckled. "We built a new reactor. But fixing this? That's easy."

With a wave of his hand, Kai muttered, "Restore to its original state!"

Furniture reassembled itself, broken objects mended, and the room returned to pristine condition.

Yinsen's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Kai... is your magic always this good? That's incredible!"

Kai smiled. Since Yinsen seemed curious about magic, he wondered if a visit to Kamar-Taj might be worthwhile. Perhaps the Ancient One could train him... but there was no need to mention it yet. If Yinsen couldn't learn magic, there was no point in raising his hopes.

"Tony's going racing," Kai said instead. "Want to come watch?"

"Sure," Yinsen replied. "I could use a break."

The two joined Tony, Pepper, and Happy on a flight to Monaco.

Upon arrival, Kai noticed Happy holding a silver and red briefcase — the Mark V suit. Kai knew it was Tony's portable armor, but its thin plating and slow assembly process had kept Tony from developing it further.

Inside the Paris Hotel lobby, Tony greeted a few acquaintances before bumping into Justin Hammer.

"Hey Tony! How've you been?"

Tony barely acknowledged him, dodging a reporter's questions before slipping away.

"Mr. Stark, your table's ready," a staff member said.

Grateful for the excuse, Tony hurried off to his table.

Watching from the side, Kai turned to Yinsen.

"Looks like being famous comes with a price," Kai remarked.

Yinsen chuckled. "Especially when you're the heir to Stark Industries."

They clinked glasses and took a sip.

A short while later, Tony slipped away, changed into a racing suit, and hopped the guardrail to join the drivers.

On the hotel's TV screen, Tony appeared in an interview.

"If you own a racing car, you want to race it," he said with a grin. "Otherwise, why own one?"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Pepper spotted Tony on the screen and hurried to find Kai and Yinsen.

"Did you guys know Tony was going to race?"

"Yeah, he mentioned it," Kai said.

"What? But he didn't tell me!" Pepper exclaimed. "I need to find Happy."

____