Chapter Three: Downright Bored

The arena they'd arranged to use for the bot tournament was pretty decent-sized, all things considered. And knowing there would be a lot of spectators, they'd done their best to make it as flashy as possible, with the most amount of seats they could safely fit in the space available. And for those who weren't lucky enough to be in the main arena, there were areas set up with Jumbo tron-style screens, along with the leader board.

Off the main area sat several rooms where the qualifying rounds would take place. As these were likely to be less flashy, they wouldn't be broadcast to the second tier areas, just the main arena, but there was still room for any spectator who wanted to watch the warmup rounds. And further down lay the competitors' locker rooms.

Generally speaking, the locker rooms were used by competing athletic teams, but since they were using the venue for a different purpose, they'd tried to convert these locker rooms into a sort of "kiss and cry" areas where the competitors could cry over loses, recover and repair their bots after the fights, or simply chill until time for their next round. The rules of the tournament hung on the wall in bright, bold letters.

1. Each robot must be inspected by an authorized official before being allowed into the fight ring.

2. No robot is allowed to exceed the specified weight and height limitations.

3. Pilfering parts from downed bots is strictly prohibited

4. Betting is not allowed on any round no matter what.

There were more rules, but that was the one in the biggest text, reminding all participants that while the actual bot fights were good, betting on them was still illegal.

Lucifer Morningstar couldn't help but let out an almost scoffing smirk as he read that rule. Strictly speaking, he was there as a sponsor, but he was more than aware of the "off the books" bets being placed, along with their odds based off of previous performances from the different students around the country. While not on a professional level, there was still a lot of money to be made from such a venue, and he was more than willing to get his share of it. Besides, some of those students went on to the professional arenas.

A shadow fell across part of the room and Lucifer turned quickly to see who had caused it but didn't see anyone. "Hello? Someone there?" He moved towards the doorway, hoping to catch the person responsible but the space was empty. "Amenadiel? Is that you? Maze? Detective?" While less likely it would be Chloe Decker, he had to be sure, but no one responded to his calls.

The fallen angel wandered out into the hall where he saw someone carrying a banner towards the main arena. Deciding it must have been that person's shadow that he'd seen, he let his guard back down. "Getting a bit jumpy," he said to himself, shaking his shoulders to loosen up. Well, there were things he needed to attend to back at Lux. And since the action wasn't due to start until the morning, there wasn't any real reason for him to stick around so he headed towards the exit.

A dark figure watched Lucifer leave from behind a corner. Sure the man in question was out of the way, its owner crossed back into the locker room, carrying something under one arm.


Loki stared out over his domain. Not much had changed since he'd returned to Asgard. What might have been months elsewhere seemed like a blink of an eye to others, though not to him. And there was something to be said about not having to worry about his troublesome brother showing up. And everyone adored him. It was nice. It was quiet. It was paradise. Who was he kidding? He was downright bored. Something had to change.

It wasn't that he didn't have everything he thought he wanted. He did. It just wasn't quite as fun as he'd thought it would be. Well, almost not quite as fun. They were building a statue in his honor, er. . . Loki's honor. And he had them working on creating a play based off of his supposed "death" that last time. They'd be in rehearsals forever though. He supposed he could go out on a tour of all the realms, as his father would, but that just seemed boring. No, there was really only one cure for this and he knew it.

After recent events, he'd sort of adopted two Midgardians . . . humans. Technically. Whatever people wanted to call them. And though they didn't exactly conform to his way of thinking, he could relate to them on a level he couldn't with most people, including his brother. And, if he was being honest, helping them out had been equally rewarding and entertaining. There was really never a dull moment. He had to at least check in on them, make sure they were okay.

With that thought in mind, he told his servants he was not to be disturbed, that he was going into a meditative state that might last days. And since Heimdall had been called a traitor, he didn't need to worry about him "reporting" back to the people about his activities, though he'd still mask his presence from the man, just to be safe. And so, with everything set and sorted, he headed to the Bifrost and a potential adventure.


Sleeping in a hotel room was decidedly different from sleeping in his own bed, or one at Fred's place, or even one at Stark Tower. In fact, it was probably the first time Hiro had slept in a hotel bed, at least as far as he could remember. And while the mattress was nice and firm, and he had a choice of firm or soft pillows, he found it really hard to get to sleep.

Maybe it was the lack of the usual noises of late night traffic, San Fransokyo traffic, or the fact that he knew he'd be going up against some big time baddies in the arena in the morning. It didn't help that he'd only recently gotten back into bot fighting. It had taken a decided back burner to superhero duties and school. But he also somehow doubted that was the real reason behind it all. If he was being honest with himself, he didn't want to sleep because when he did sleep-at least recently-it had allowed his mind to drift back to things he would rather forget.

There was, of course, the advice of the Doctor, which he shouldn't ignore. Those memories were a part of him now, to be embraced, explored, and accepted, not hidden away in some closet in his mind. But, all the same, he couldn't help but want to shy away from them. And on top of the memories of past lifetimes, which he was still dealing with, he now had to deal with the aftermath of his kidnapping and everything that had resulted from that. And he wasn't ready for it. It was just too much to handle.

Yes Aunt Cass had told him he could talk to her about any of it at any time. And Baymax was always there to listen as well. But there was just something about putting it out in the open that somehow made it more real, and he just wasn't sure he wanted to acknowledge that. Maybe Kally would understand, at least to some extent, but he wasn't going to head over to her room to ask her, not in the middle of the night.

"You should try to sleep," Baymax reminded him unnecessarily. Hiro knew he should try to sleep. He just didn't want to. "You will not be able to properly function in the morning if you do not."

Good old, practical Baymax. Sometimes he was far too practical for his programming. Okay, who was he kidding? Since Tadashi had done the initial programming, it only made sense. And, now that he thought about it, Hiro really wished Tadashi was there. He'd know what to do. Except he wasn't there.

What did I tell you, bonehead? I'm always here.

Hiro almost jumped out of his skin. There was just no way he could be hearing Tadashi's voice, mentally or otherwise. He wasn't asleep or otherwise unconscious or in a dreamlike trance state. He should not be hearing his brother's voice.

Come on, Hiro. You're thinking way too hard about all of this.

He could hear his brother rolling his eyes, a potential sigh escaping through his lips. And that was the weirdest thing about it all, because he could see him standing in front of him, hands on his hips, except when he rubbed at the back of his neck in frustration. Well, maybe he was seeing things, but he didn't care. People were haunted by ghosts all the time, right? Why not him? And if he was to be haunted by a ghost, he couldn't think of a better one.

"T-tadashi?"

Hey, bonehead.

A rush of euphoria seemed to fill Hiro as his mind almost literally exploded. He raked his fingers through his hair as he got up from the bed, agitatedly spinning in a circle. This was absolutely insane. Part of him couldn't help but wonder what Baymax might think of his behavior, but the other part of him didn't care. "You're here. You're really here!"

He went to go hug his brother but was stopped. Not so fast, Tadashi said, holding out his hands as if to ward him off. I'm not really here in the sense you're thinking. I'm dead, remember?

Hiro had to make himself hit the pause button as grief swelled up inside of him. "It's always going to be like this, isn't it?" he asked. Of course it was too good to be true.

I suppose. But, remember, I'm always here for you, even when you don't remember it. And don't let your fears get the best of you. You're better than that. You can do anything you set your mind to. And sure you've been through a lot, but you're strong. You can handle this, okay?

The teen rubbed a stray tear from his eye as he nodded. "Yeah."

Now go to bed, before Baymax or Aunt Cass really think you've lost it. I'll watch over you tonight.

He couldn't help but chuckle at that. He knew Baymax wouldn't judge. It wasn't the first time he'd had a "conversation" with his brother while the healthcare companion was present. It probably wouldn't be the last. But now he felt a lot better about things. "G'night," he said to the air in general as he gave Baymax a big hug before heading for the bed. The robot tucked him in once he'd slipped under the covers. With Tadashi looking after him from beyond the grave, surely nothing could really go wrong.


The sidewalk outside of the event venue looked packed, causing more than one competitor to feel a bit nervous. However, thanks to a roped off sidewalk, those students participating in the bot fights had a secure entrance into the building in question. But that didn't keep them from seeing the long lines of spectators waiting to get into the arena. It was entirely possible that a good chunk of them were merely curious about what was going on, but no one thought about that.

"I didn't think there'd be so many," Kally gulped. She held her fighter bot close to her chest. It had a rounded head, similar to Baymax's, and a segmented body like a bug's. It wasn't quite as streamlined as Megabot but could potentially do some damage. All the girl really cared was that it lasted long enough to keep her in the running so she could be close to Hiro. But, even if she didn't, she could still hang out with him for however long the event lasted.

Hiro had to nod in agreement, wishing they'd brought Baymax with them but knowing they'd left him behind due to the rules. Even though he'd totally trounced the back alley bot scenes, with their large crowds, he'd only ever been comfortable when he could zone them out. "I didn't think these things were such a big deal." His throat felt decidedly dry as he gawked at the crowd. Part of him had the audacity to wonder if they would get even worse as the event went on.

Wasabi had to nudge him to keep moving. There was a steady stream of combatants moving down the roped off sidewalk, but the two teens had disrupted the flow of traffic when they'd stopped to stare in horror at the people who'd potentially be watching them. "Just try not to think about them," he advised, more than happy he wouldn't be in the spotlight this time. He and the rest of the team were there more for moral support. Thankfully, the officials had agreed to let them go backstage as their "support" team in case of mechanical problems, etc. It also helped that both teens were still considered under age and needed to have a legal guardian accompany them.

Aunt Cass followed behind the students. She hadn't realized what a big deal these events were and it showed on her face. Knowing Hiro's introverted nature, she wasn't sure how well he'd do with this kind of pressure. But, then again, he also saved hundreds of people on an almost daily basis. Maybe it would turn out all right.

Finally, after what felt like forever, they made it to the doors of the event center. Inside was just as chaotic as the outside as various students registered their bots at different stations. Each bot had to be inspected for hidden gimmicks, including artificial intelligence programs, which were illegal. They were also evaluated for their weight and size, among fifty million other things that could possibly disqualify them.

Fred couldn't help but look around. "Man, it's a good thing we got here early," he commented as he checked out the line stretching out behind them. At least there were separate areas for those not competing to wait while the bots were inspected. But it still sucked that they'd have to wait for each one to be looked over. And some judges seemed more stickler than other, at least from comments overheard from further up in line.

Hiro and Kally got in line behind a bunch of much older students, each carrying their individual bots. They had to wave a temporary goodbye to their friends as they went off to wait through a set of doors that led to where they'd eventually end up. "This is going to take forever," Hiro moaned. But at least they weren't in Stark's line. He wasn't sure he wanted the billionaire tech genius to scrutinize his handiwork. As things stood, they'd somehow managed to get in the line where Dr. Banner was evaluating the bots.

Several other judges headed the various lines, none of whom either Hiro or Kally knew. It was a little interesting to note that Krei wasn't there, but the teen super hero supposed the man had better things to worry about, like trying to replicate his tech again. He'd caught the tycoon trying to replicate his neurotransmitter, with some very interesting results, none of which were good.

Kally tapped Hiro on the shoulder. "See that girl over there?" she pointed to a blonde-haired girl a few lines over. "She's from NYU too. I have to share a room with her. I think her name's Rachel."

Hiro looked over and saw the twenty-something girl holding a squared-off looking bot. It had a lot of corners, along with a few spikes along the upper arms of the whole. It looked intimidating, though he sincerely hoped it wouldn't be anywhere near as good as its owner obviously thought it was. And though her clothes weren't too telling, her attitude struck him as reminiscent of some of the elite in San Fransokyo. "She seems . . . nice." Part of him couldn't help but wonder why Kally seemed unsure of her name though, considering she was rooming with her for the duration.

His companion gave him a look. "She's a bit of a prig. Her dad's paying for everything. She probably didn't even make her own bot." She knew that wasn't strictly true but the young woman hadn't exactly been nice to her, not even bothering to say hello since they'd arrived. "I took a look at her bot while she was still sleeping. It's got a lot of hidden surprises." She just hadn't had time to find them all before Rachel had woken up.

That made Hiro give the bot a second look. It was hard to tell from his current distance, but he suspected Kally was right. Like Yama's hidden saws, which he only took out when he knew his "victim" was about ready to cave anyway, he felt sure this bot had a few tricks up its metaphorical sleeves. "I hope I don't have to go up against her," he stated.

After ten or fifteen minutes of trying to evaluate the different bots they saw, it was Kally's turn to have hers examined by Dr. Banner. He motioned her back behind a curtain so any hidden defenses wouldn't be revealed too early to the competition. Hiro wished he could hear what was being said behind that curtain but the nervously waiting students were too loud for that so he just had to patiently wait his turn to have his bot evaluated.

Finally, he was motioned back behind the curtain and almost hesitantly plopped Megabot down on the little table they'd provided. He set his controller down next to it, just so there was no mistaking how the little machine was controlled.

Dr. Banner glanced up for permission before handling the little robot, which was more than some of the other judges did. He carefully turned the machine around to examine every angle, finally weighing it on a baby scale before pronouncing it within the defined parameters for the contest. He didn't so much as hint at knowing the teen.

Hiro breathed a huge sigh of relief. He hadn't had many dealings with the scientist while back in New York, but he got the feeling this man was more than fair, even if he was quieter than he was used to seeing for this kind of event. In fact, it reminded him a lot of himself, conscientious and meticulous at the same time. He'd poked and prodded the bot like any curious explorer would.

An assistant directed Hiro through a door where he was able to reunite with the rest of his friends. "Looks like you made it through the initial round," GoGo teased as she resisted the urge to ruffle his hair. "Kally was kind of hoping you'd flunk so she wouldn't have to go up against you later on." The smile on her face indicated she was teasing but Kally turned red at the suggestion, as did Hiro.

"Come on," Honey Lemon urged. "We should look around before they start posting up the preliminary rounds." She moved towards the far end of the room, making note of important areas, including bathrooms and drinking fountains.

But when they went to go back into the different locker rooms, they were turned away. Apparently only those who made it past the first matches were actually allowed back there. There were plenty of other places to look though, like the main arena, as well as the smaller rooms set up for the initial matches. Already, people were starting to trickle into the main arena and various vendors were setting up portable stands to sell treats to the masses. Hiro thought he even saw a few flutes of champagne floating around.

Hiro couldn't help but blink at how huge the main arena was. "I think I'm going to be sick," he announced as the realization settled in. He might actually make it far enough to compete up on the main platform in front of thousands of people and that idea made his stomach do flip flops. He almost regretted eating breakfast. Almost.

Fred placed an arm around his shoulders. "No you won't," he disagreed. "You'll be so caught up in the moment of your victory that you won't even realize how many people are out there. Besides, they tend to turn the lights down so all you can see is the actual fighting circle, just like in those back alley fights."

Cass gave him a raised eyebrow and Fred quickly shut up. "I didn't know you knew how those fights worked," she commented, still giving him an odd look. "I can understand Hiro knowing, but I didn't think you would."

"Well," Fred began, and then started to splutter. "That is to say… what I mean is…"

It was Hiro's turn to put a comforting arm around Fred. "It's okay, Fred. I know you were there a few times back when I first started. I saw you in the crowd, though it didn't really connect until now." He gave his characteristic crooked grin.

Fred moved to place his hands on his hips. "Was not," he protested. "I never actually went to any, but I heard a lot about them from Tadashi, so there."

GoGo rolled her eyes. "Enough," she admonished the both of them. "We'd probably better get back to the main area before they start the general announcements. You don't want to get disqualified simply because you weren't there to hear all the rules."

Kally watched Hiro's face fall with some amusement. She knew he liked to bend the rules, and as a superhero, she supposed there were times when it was warranted. But now was not one of them. "Come on," she said, taking him by the hand. "I'll keep you company. We can even send coded notes to each other just so you don't get bored if the opening speeches go too long."

Wasabi let out a contented sigh as the two teens moved ahead of them, back towards the main waiting area. "Ah, young love," he said with an almost wistful tone. GoGo had Fred. Honey Lemon had at least had Tadashi. And now Hiro had Kally. He had yet to find someone he could put up with, or who could put up with him. Well, the night was still young, as the saying went and he was more than willing to walk in step with the rest of his friends. He wasn't looking for romance at the moment anyway, though it was amusing to watch the others find it.