M21 stared. "Um, Tao," he started hesitantly. "What is...this?"

Tao's smile was bright and expectant. His hands merrily clapped together. "They are our new source of transportation! No more walking to school. Now we can cycle!"

Both M21 and Takeo stared at the three bikes before them, each one a different color. M21 could only guess that the red one was Tao's, given that the self-proclaimed leader of RK liked to stand out. The purple one was definitely Takeo's, which left M21 with the blue one.

Apparently, Takeo was wondering the same thing. "Tao, why would you go for red? I thought you liked black."

If it were possible, Tao's smile widened as he ran his hand over the handlebars of his red bike, much like one would touch a precious and prized pet. "Because when I ride by, leaving a trail of red flashes in my wake, people will stop and go 'what was that? Did you see that awesome cyclist?' and all that talk."

M21 scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Uh, Tao...I think you forgot one minor detail."

Tao waved a dismissive hand. "I know. It's normal to wear helmets when you ride a bike. I thought it was a waste of money anyway because if we smack into a mailbox, fall and crack our skulls open, it won't kill us. So what's the point of even investing in a helmet? We can ride without them."

"That's not it," M21 mumbled.

"We don't need the knee pads or elbow pads if you're worried about that too. I mean, if I wasn't going to get helmets, I'm certainly not getting any pads." Tao beamed. "I wanted to do something cool for you guys."

"You really didn't have to do that," Takeo stated.

"I know!"

"No, you really, really didn't have to do that." But Takeo was ignored as Tao inspected the bikes.

"So who wants to go for a test ride?" Tao happily asked only to be met with silence. He glanced back to see Takeo and M21 hesitantly avoiding his gaze. "What? It's a beautiful day out! You guys are usually pestering me to get out more. Well, I'm here to get out, and of my own freewill I might add, so I don't know what your strange behavior is-"

"I don't know how to ride a bike, Tao!" M21 blurted, his face heating up with embarrassment.

Tao's mouth parted in a silent 'o'. He glanced at Takeo, only for the sniper to look away shamefaced.

"O-kay," Tao drawled out, his mind spinning. "Well, I don't think they make training wheels for adults."

M21's mortification only grew.

"I suppose I could push you guys from behind to teach you the basics," Tao continued thoughtfully.

"You are not pushing me!" M21 nearly shouted. The very image of Tao running alongside him, encouraging him on, while he floundered about on a bike, was worse than proclaiming his ignorance in riding a bike. "Look, why do we even have to ride bikes? It's not like our legs are defected and we can't walk."

Tao sighed. "Yeah, but the Boss said that we had to ride these bikes before we upgraded to the big ones."

Takeo blinked. "The...big ones?" he echoed.

Tao nodded, withdrawing a portable garage opener. With one press of the button, the garage door opened to dramatically reveal three motorcycles, each one a different color of red, purple, and blue.

"Oh Lord," M21 muttered in awe as he stared at the bike.

"Those big ones," Tao stated with a grin.

M21 and Takeo traded glances before nodding in resignation. "Where are those training wheels?" Takeo sighed.

Let the lessons begin.