A/N: Once again, thank you for all your support! I really appreciate it!
I hope you enjoy this chapter!
I do not own any Big Hero 6 characters
Six hours earlier...
If there was one thing Hiro was not, it was an early riser. He didn't understand how people could get up at the crack of dawn and actually enjoy doing so. It was unnatural, really. Besides, kid geniuses needed plenty of rest. At least, that's what his response was when someone said that sleeping in past eight was a waste of time. But on this particular day, he had to force himself out of bed. There was a bot-fight later, and if wanted to compete, he had to prepare. He plopped down in front of the computer.
First order of business was seeing where the fight would be held. Locations changed every week and were not revealed until hours before they happened.
The main page of the site was innocent enough, advertising itself as an online fan club for rock music. But once you delved deeper into the hidden links, it became a very different scene.
Bot-fight aficionados called what they did a skill. It took someone special, they claimed, to design and build a winning bot from spare parts. Outsiders who denounced bot-fighting as a silly game were regarded with animosity and distrust. Having only been introduced to the sport, Hiro wasn't sure if he could consider himself an aficionado just yet, but he was definitely an enthusiast. He thrived on the energy that the matches produced.
At last, Hiro found was he was looking for. Getting a pencil, he scribbled the information down.
Nikura Karaoke Bar
8-2, Kabukicho District
San Fransokyo, 94115
6:00 PM
Hiro bit his lip. Kabukicho was a hotbed for crime. It was run-down section of the city where shady operations reigned. The teen remembered hearing of a double murder there six months earlier. Nevertheless, he tore the paper from the pad and folded it in half. He would be fine, so long as he didn't speak to anybody.
After he dressed, Hiro took out an old shoebox that he kept hidden in his closet. Removing the lid, he snatched the money crumpled up inside. He was ready.
-o-
Skipping the bottom step, Hiro dashed into the packed café. It was after one, and the lunch rush was in full swing. Perfect opportunity for him to get away without raising a lot of questions. Aunt Cass was behind the register, handing change to customers and taking orders. She was an expert at multitasking.
"Good afternoon, sleepyhead," Cass teased.
"Hey, Aunt Cass," he said. "Is it alright if I go to the library? I want to get some books."
He felt guilty about lying, but he knew she would kill him if she found out what he was doing. Or worse, forbid him from ever attending a bot-fight again.
She nodded. "Of course."
"Thanks. I'm gonna go in a bit, though. I want to do something in the garage first."
That was true.
"Oh. What?"
"Try out my new printer."
Not true.
"Shouldn't you have something to eat first?"
"I'll just take one of these," he said, plucking a shrink-wrapped blueberry muffin from a tray on the counter.
"You sure that's enough?" she asked, doubtful. Hiro was a growing boy.
He raised it in the air like he was giving a toast. "Plenty. I'll be out there, okay?"
"Have fun. Let me know when you leave for the library."
"Will do," he said, already halfway out the door. "Love you!"
-o-
Nibbling the pastry, Hiro fiddled with his bot for the next three hours, rewiring it to run faster, stronger, better.
Contrary to its name, Megabot was a scrawny, unassuming thing. But Hiro didn't mind. It was exactly the reason he made it that way.
No one would expect a young kid like him with a bot like that to ever pose a threat, and that was the exciting part.
But there was good reason to have a few nerves tonight. Rumors floated around that Yama, the most notorious bot-fighter of all, was going. An official announcement issued by the creator of the online page warned everyone to bring their very best, or don't show up at all.
"Don't disappoint me," Hiro said, jabbing a finger in Megabot's face. A goofy, hand-painted smile looked back at him. It was adorable, and the perfect decoy.
Hiro checked his watch. Time to get moving. He went to the opposite side of the garage where his bike was hanging on the wall. About to take it down, he paused. The front tire had a gaping hole in it, rendering it useless. Now what? Hiro huffed, annoyed. This would not be an issue if he had his own scooter. Tadashi tried to teach him on his last year, but the lesson ended just as quickly as it had begun when Hiro almost crashed through the glass front of the café. It wasn't that big of a deal, but Aunt Cass stepped in and said that Hiro had to wait until he was at least sixteen and more responsible. Stranded, the only option was to walk. Not waiting another minute, Hiro shoved Megabot in the pouch of his hoodie and headed out.
-o-
Following explicit directions, Hiro traveled farther from the city center than he ever had before. All he knew faded from view, and an eerie coldness set in. There was not a soul in sight. The structures that surrounded him were largely abandoned and falling apart. Neon signs with Japanese lettering flickered outside seedy establishments that he didn't care to think about what went on inside.
Dumpsters lined the alleys, overflowing with garbage bags, many of which were split open from stray animals. A cat crossed his path, staring at him with eyes that resembled marbles. The stench from the sewer system that ran underground came up through the grates, making him gag.
Panic gripped him. Was this a mistake? No. Relax. You're almost there. Hiro steeled himself and pushed on.
He continued the route he was walking and that's when he detected the first trace of civilization a few blocks away. Pulsing music was coming from a building straight ahead. Hiro checked the address. That was Nikura's. With the windows boarded up and the brick façade cracked and chipped, it looked like it hadn't been touched in a hundred years. Either way, Hiro didn't care. He just wanted to get off the street.
Pushing on the door on the side of the bar, a darkened staircase led him down to a hallway. Heavy metal blasted through the speakers, shaking the floor. He could barely see, the narrow space lit only by a single bulb dangling from a thin chain.
Cigarette smoke wafted through the air, and Hiro knew he was close. The corridor stopped at a door, and taking a breath, Hiro turned the handle. It creaked open and Hiro felt a renewed burst of energy at what he saw. Hordes of people huddled around the middle of the room, shouting, cheering, swearing.
Hiro squeezed between the bodies. A girl with spiky, magenta pigtails was sitting on the floor, legs crossed. Determination etched itself on her face. The bot she was controlling flew across the mat, beating its opponent into submission. For a second, it looked like she was victorious, but before she could celebrate, the other bot transformed its claw into a sawblade, and in one move, sliced her bot clean in half.
A hush fell across the crowd. The girl stared, shocked.
Inching closer to the ring, Hiro caught a glimpse of the challenger. It was Yama.
His name meant 'mountain,' and it suited him well. Four hundred pounds of scary, he was surely a sumo wrestler in another life.
"And the winner, with five total annihilations... Yama!"
The referee, a young woman with a patch over her left eye and decorative chopsticks poking out of her bun, flourished her hand in Yama's direction.
"Who's next?" he roared. "Who dares to step into the ring with Yama?"
Hiro saw everyone tiptoe back, scared out of their wits. One boy even ripped the head off his own bot. This was his chance. Hiro spoke up. "Can I try?"
The crowd parted, revealing the fourteen-year-old. "I have a robot," he said, holding Megabot up. "I made it myself." That instantly drew chuckles from the room.
Yama narrowed his eyes at him. "What's your name, little boy?"
"H-hiro. Hiro Hamada."
"Beat it, kid," the referee snapped. "House rules. You gotta pay to play."
"Oh. Is this enough?" Hiro retrieved a handful of crumpled bills from his pocket.
The older man's lip curled into a wicked smile. "Prepare your bot, Zero."
Sitting across from each other, the referee held a Chinese parasol in the center of the ring. "Two bots enter, one bot leaves. Fighters ready? Three... two... one... fight!"
Everything happened so fast.
Hiro shot Megabot forward, but Little Yama was too quick. He tossed Megabot in the air like a ragdoll and dismantled the poor thing with no effort.
Megabot landed in three pieces all over the mat.
The crowd erupted into fits of laughter and jeers.
It was difficult, but Hiro kept his emotions in check. He had to play this exactly right.
He looked at his bot, mouth agape. "That was my first fight," he stammered. "Can I try again?"
"Nobody like a sore loser," Yama snarled, stuffing the cash in his polyester jacket. "Go home."
"I have more money."
Yama's beady eyes darted to Hiro's palm, which was holding a neat roll of bills tied with a rubber band. That was all he needed to hear.
The scene was reset, but this time, Hiro was competing for real.
With a little manipulation, the remote control that he used doubled in size. A wide grin broke out on his face.
"Megabot," he commanded. "Destroy."
-o-
Tadashi didn't know where the hell he was. The glowing lights of San Fransokyo were long gone, and he was driving around the Kabukicho district in almost complete darkness. His tracker wasn't picking up Hiro's signal, no doubt because his brother was in a place that jammed the cell service.
Minutes passed and the temperature dropped. In short, Tadashi was pissed. It took a lot to ruffle him, but this was the biggest pet peeve of all. He loved his brother, but he also had no problem calling him out on the idiotic decisions he made, and if he was being honest, that was most of the time.
Shutting off the engine, Tadashi waited. He had circled the neighborhood at least four times. The last thing he wanted was to run out of battery here.
"Nobody hustles Yama!"
What was that? Tadashi's ears perked up. He kicked the scooter into high gear. Call it fraternal intuition, but he just knew that Hiro was somehow involved in that scuffle.
The gruff voice spoke again. "Take care of him."
Speeding, Tadashi's headlight cut through the blackness, revealing a group of thugs advancing toward Hiro, who had nowhere to run.
Blinded, the thugs jumped back and Tadashi skidded to a stop. "Hiro! Get on!"
"Tadashi!"
Hiro hopped on the back and gripped Tadashi's shoulders to keep from falling. Tadashi floored it.
Out of imminent danger, Tadashi plopped an extra helmet on Hiro's head.
"You okay?" he asked.
Hiro breathed with relief. "Yeah."
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
Well, in that case...
Tadashi reached back and whacked Hiro's arm with his fist, plus one on his head for good measure.
"Then what were you thinking?! Knucklehead!"
A dead-end blocked their way and Tadashi slammed on the brakes, making a sharp U-turn.
"You graduated high school at thirteen, and this is what you're doing? Bot-fighting is illegal, Hiro! You're gonna get yourself arrested!"
Hiro scoffed. "Bot-fighting is not illegal. Betting on bot-fighting, now that's illegal," he admitted. "But so lucrative!" He waved his earnings in front of Tadashi's face. "I'm on a roll, big brother, and nothing can stop me now."
Spoke too soon.
Police sirens chirped and Tadashi's stomach dropped. "Oh, no."
-o-
Word had gotten out about the bot-fight and a raid descended upon the karaoke bar. The cops rounded everyone up and threw them into jail, including the Hamada brothers.
The only minor in the group, Hiro was given his own cell, while Tadashi had the unfortunate honor of sharing with all the others.
Hiro swung his legs back and forth. He wasn't tall enough for his feet to reach the floor.
Glancing up, he saw Tadashi's scowling face pressed up between two bars. Hiro gave a nervous chuckle and waved, but his brother's look didn't change.
"Hamada?"
One of the guards strolled up and unlocked both holding cells. "Your aunt is here," he told them.
They went outside and saw Aunt Cass pacing on the sidewalk, chewing her fingernails.
"Hi, Aunt Cass," they said in unison.
She turned and ran to her nephews, embracing them. "Are you boys alright? Are you hurt?"
"No," Tadashi said.
Her expression turned sour. "Then what were you two knuckleheads thinking?!" She dragged them to the car by their ears, ignoring their protests.
-o-
Aunt Cass spent the entire ride home alternating between scolding Hiro and Tadashi, and questioning her own parental abilities.
"Do I know anything about children?" she asked aloud. "No! Should I have picked up a book on parenting? Probably!"
They entered the café, where Cass promptly went to the display case of desserts and got herself a doughnut with chocolate frosting.
"I had to close up early because of you two felons," she informed them. "On beat poetry night."
She took a bite of the doughnut. "This is really good."
"I think I'm gonna go upstairs," Hiro said. "Sorry again, Aunt Cass. I love you."
"I love you, too," she said. "Now go."
Hiro disappeared to his room, leaving Tadashi and Cass to figure out what to do next.
"Tadashi, you need to have a serious talk with him. He won't listen to me. This bot-fighting has to stop."
"I've tried, Aunt Cass, but you know Hiro, he's stubborn. He just-"
"I spoke with the arresting officer tonight. This was Hiro's first offense, but if it happens again, he'll have a record. He can't afford that. It will ruin his life. Try again. I know you can get through to him."
Tadashi sighed. "Well, I have an idea. Can I take him somewhere?"
"Tonight? I don't know, honey, it's really late."
"I have to show him, not just tell him," Tadashi explained. "Please."
Cass relented. "Fine. Just be careful, okay?"
"I know it'll work," he assured her.
"I trust you," she said. "I'm gonna go up, too. I am exhausted." Aunt Cass kissed his cheek and then climbed the steps to her bedroom.
Tadashi followed behind, the gears in his mind working hard. He had a monumental task before him, but he was up for it.
-o-
Since they had moved in with Aunt Cass, Hiro and Tadashi shared a room. Because the house included the café on the main level, space was tight, and that was really the only option.
Over time, however, as Hiro's genius brain developed, Tadashi's side shrunk, eventually being pushed in the corner. He was fine with it, though. It was fun to watch Hiro creating and imagining things that no one would ever think of, and Tadashi was more than happy to encourage him in whichever way he could, even if that meant sacrificing most of his personal space.
Opening the door to their room, Tadashi spotted Hiro at the computer.
"You better find a way to make this up to Aunt Cass," he said.
"For sure," Hiro replied, his eyes trained on the screen.
"And I hope you learned your lesson, bonehead."
"Absolutely." Hiro spun around in his chair. His mouth pressed into a thin line, as if he was trying to hold in a secret.
Tadashi knew that face. "You're going bot-fighting again, aren't you?"
Hiro shrugged and stood up. "There's a fight across town. If I book now, I can still make it."
I don't think so.
Tadashi seized the hood of Hiro's sweatshirt, halting him in his tracks.
He turned, crossing his arms. "What?"
"When are you going to do something with that big brain of yours?" Tadashi asked, poking at Hiro's skull for emphasis.
Hiro swatted his hand away. "You mean go to college like you, where people can tell me things I already know?" Sarcasm dripped from every word.
This was impossible. "Unbelievable," Tadashi whispered. "What would Mom and Dad say?"
Hiro bristled. "I don't know. They're gone. They died when I was three, remember?"
Of course I do, Tadashi thought. He wished he could take it back. It wasn't fair. He was nine when his parents passed away. At least he had memories of them. Hiro didn't have anything.
He went over to Hiro who was gazing at a photo of his parents on Tadashi's nightstand.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Listen, if you really want to go, I'll take you."
Hiro looked at him. "Seriously?"
"Yep. I can't stop you, but I'm not letting you go by yourself."
His brother's cheerful demeanor returned and he bolted from the room.
Tadashi grabbed his helmet from the bed, turning it in his hands. He did tell Hiro a white lie, but it was for his own good, and he had a feeling that Hiro would forgive him very soon.
I hope you all liked it! Please R&R!
I hope all my American readers had a very Happy Thanksgiving yesterday! :)