I hope everyone is staying safe during the CORVID-19 pandemic.
One week later, Hiro and Baymax were waiting outside the Physical Therapy Center for Tadashi to pick him up in the van. He had just finished his third session at the center. He had received an ultrasound session on his arms.
The experience had been weird. He had felt a tingling sensation before a transitory sensation of heat when Dr. Pipton used the device on him the first time. Gradually, Hiro got used to the device and his arm muscles didn't feel as weak as before.
Hearing the van approaching, he maneuvered his wheelchair closer to the edge of the sidewalk. He had gotten much better at controlling it. When the van finally stopped Hiro waved at his brother.
"Hey, Tadashi! Look I can wave my arms again!"
Baymax scanned the boy's body and then courteously informed his patient he needed to save his strength. "The session has helped your muscles. However, the effects are fleeting for now. Once you have had a month's worth of the treatment, the effects will be more likely to remain."
As Hiro pouted, Tadashi smiled and placed an overlarge baseball cap on Hiro's head. It helped cover the transmitter for now. A friend of Aunt Cass's who made most of her clothing was in the middle of creating something to cover up the transmitter full time.
Once Hiro was safely strapped in, Tadashi put the lanyard around his brother's neck. "I figure since Aunt Cass will be out shopping until late we can go to SFIT to hang out with the gang. Up for that?"
"Yeah! This is going to be fun right Baymax?"
"Your endorphin levels indicate it will be. I am pleased we will be meeting up with our friends as well."
Since it was after school most students had gone home for the day if they didn't have projects to attend to. The group was waiting for the Hamada siblings in Tadashi's lab.
"Guess, who's here?" Tadashi teased as he knocked on the door to his lab. He opened it and pushed in Hiro and confetti was thrown all over the teenager. The boy found himself in a warm group hug.
"It's great to see everyone. I've missed you all," the teenager admitted.
"We've missed you too Hiro. We are so happy to see awake and alert," Honey Lemon gushed snapping photos.
"It's good to see you normal again. I'm glad we were able to save you," Go-Go commented.
Wasabi shuddered, remembering the fight on Akuma Island. "Don't take this the wrong way Hiro, but I'm glad we don't ever have to fight you again."
Fred grabbed onto Wasabi and leaned forward. "Yeah, you made a decent villain while under Callaghan's control." Seeing Hiro frowning he quickly added, "You'll make a better hero someday. It's in your name!"
Tadashi reminded the group they weren't going to be heroes anymore. He missed the tiny frown on Hiro's face. Instead, he pulled a few sodas and some snacks for everyone to enjoy for now.
It was nice to be with his friends again. Hiro listened as they described what school had been like since Professor Granville took over.
"Professor Granville's teaching style can be described as being an iron fist covering a velvet glove. That's a metaphor if you didn't know that."
"Hiro knows what a metaphor is Fred. He's a genius remember?"
"Go-Go, you wound me with sarcasm"
The others chuckled and Wasabi decided to go into further detail. "Professor Granville's senior class is about the connections between the different science and math majors. Tadashi, Honey Lemon, and Go-Go are paired with me.
We're working together to create one of the ideas the think tank came up with. Professor Granville naturally gave us Fred's idea."
Hiro, who recalled that Fred was a person who proposed ideas to make science fiction real, asked what his idea was. Fred grinned and announced his idea.
"I suggested building a trash to clean energy device. One of Earth's greatest problems is there's trash everywhere. My idea is to create a unit that safely and environment friendly picks up the trash, gets rid of it, and then used the energy produced by the breakdown of the garbage to create clean batteries to power devices."
"That is a challenge. I'm sure all of you will succeed. Right Baymax?"
"Correct Hiro. This project will be helpful to the medical community by lowering the chances of people getting sick from hazardous materials."
After finishing their snacks, Hiro followed them as they took a tour of the campus buildings. There were so many different buildings, each one dedicated to different sciences and math.
There was a huge planetarium where the astrology students studied outer space. There was the math building for students wanting to further understand the world of numbers.
The cafeteria was impressive and futuristic. The quad was a nice place to sit and enjoy the sun. Tadashi showed him a few of the classrooms which Hiro found to be handicap accessible. SFIT really was a dream school.
It was getting late and it was time to go home. The others headed to their apartments while Tadashi went to get the van, leaving Hiro and Baymax on the sidewalk outside of the administration office.
"Did you enjoy your visit to SFIT?" Baymax asked kindly.
Hiro nodded and was going to tell the robot what he liked best when he saw something or rather someone sneaking towards the administration building. "Is that Yama?"
Baymax turned around and scan the large man who was counting the windows on the building. "Based on information available to the public the man fits the description of the criminal Yama."
"What's he doing on SFIT campus?" Hiro asked. He watched as Yama stopped counting and he went around the back of the building. Curious, he started to motor closer to the building when Baymax stopped him.
"Pursuing a criminal will put your health in danger. We should contact the authorities to investigate the matter."
"No time Baymax. We need to see what's going on now. Once we know what he's up to, we can call the cops." Hiro brusquely maneuvered his wheelchair back and then around Baymax before the healthcare companion could stop him.
"Oh, dear."
Hiro reached the back of the building and was surprised to see the back doors thrown open. He looked around for a way to get inside and spied a wheelchair ramp by the entrance.
He zoomed up and into the building as fast as his motor would go. Yama was so heavy it was easy to hear his footfalls. As he got closer towards the sound he looked for a place to hide.
He saw an open office and maneuvered inside closing the door softly. He was in luck, the office he had hidden in was next door to the one that Yama was breaking into.
He pressed his ear to the wall and listened as Yama was talking loudly. He must have been on the phone because he was pausing every few minutes.
Yeah, I'm in the office, what did you say you were looking for again?" There was a pause and he replied. "There are a lot of doohickeys in this office. How am I supposed to know which one you mean?"
"Imbecilic. I showed you a picture of what I wanted."
Hiro jerked his head and looked around. He swore he had heard someone speaking directly in his ear. There was no one there so he returned to listening in on Yama.
There were a few loud thuds of books being thrown on the floor. Something was slammed on the ground. Then he heard the criminal going "Aha! Found it! Hope this is worth the money I'm getting."
The door to the office next door slammed open and shut as Yama left. Hiro cracked open the door to his hiding place and saw Yama carrying a silver multipoint paperweight. What was so special about the paperweight it was worth stealing it?
Yama started heading towards the back entrance when Baymax suddenly appeared in the hall blocking his way. "Hello, my name is Baymax. I am a healthcare companion. Have you seen my patient?"
"Get out of the way tubby, I need to get going!" Yama said punching Baymax with one hand but only ended on the floor when Baymax's marshmallow-like belly bounced right into the criminal's own.
"Ow! You're going to pay for that robot!"
"I have been alerted to your need for medical attention. On a scale one to ten, how would you rate your pain?"
Hiro knew Yama was only seconds away from tearing Baymax apart so he did something stupid. He pushed opened the door and maneuvered out while shouting, "Baymax! Get out of here!"
Yama turned on the spot and his greasy smile went even wider. "Hiro! Heard you came back from the dead. I was happy to hear that because now I can send you to the aftermath myself!"
The man took two steps towards Hiro before he fell to the floor thanks to a mild sedative courtesy of Baymax. "He was getting violent and threatening your safety. I did what was necessary to protect my primary patient."
Hiro let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Baymax, pick up that paperweight and get me out of here. We need to tell Tadashi what is going on."
Tadashi saved the lecture until they got home. The police had been dispatched to the campus, but Yama was gone by the time they got there. Professor Granville's property was returned to her by Tadashi once the police declared it safe to return to the campus.
"Professor Granville was relieved that Yama didn't get away with her property. She doesn't know why he would try to steal it anyways. It was a gift from an old student with no real value."
"Well somebody wanted it badly. Yama was on the phone with someone when he was in her office," Hiro insisted from his bed where he sat.
Tadashi looked very crossed at his brother. "I don't care about that Hiro. What I care about is you rushing towards danger in your condition. He nearly killed you when you were healthy! If Baymax hadn't acted you would have been dead! What were you thinking?!"
"I was thinking that someone needed to figure out why a black market criminal was breaking into a college administration building," Hiro replied shortly. He thought his brother would be happy he was following his example.
"That someone wasn't you! You should have called me so I could alert campus security or call the police about the suspicious activity! It is their job to handle situations like this, not you!"
"I was trying to do the right thing Tadashi."
The collage boy threw his hands up in frustration."No, you were trying to play the hero. Trust me little brother that can get you killed. We nearly died trying to rescue you! Why do you think Big Hero 6 is retired?"
Tadashi got off his bed and sat down on the edge of Hiro's. "Hiro, I will never regret the actions I took to save you. I just don't want you to follow those particular steps of mine."
Seeing the pleading expression on his brother's face, Hiro promised not to put himself in a dangerous position again. He wondered what the chat group would think about his actions when he told them tomorrow.
The next day at school, Tadashi gathered all his friends in the cafeteria, told the group what happened yesterday after they left. "I can't believe how reckless Hiro was! Doesn't he realize the danger he put himself in?"
"I'm sure he does Tadashi. I get scared just thinking about what you just said," Wasabi admitted as he shuddered. He took a sip of water to prevent himself from going into a panic.
"Yeah, but I bet Baymax could have corralled Yama with his karate moves, right big guy?" Fred said patting the robot on the head. Baymax blinked twice before nodding yes.
"The important thing is Hiro is okay. That's all that matters," Honey Lemon pointed out. She studied Tadashi's face and he still appeared to be worried.
"Is it? We don't know why Yama wanted Professor Granville's paperweight. He could come back for it at any time. If that's the case, then should Hiro be allowed to come back and visit us on campus?" Go-Go questioned. She jerked her thumb towards the windows were they could see the unprotected quad.
Tadashi thought about what his friend was saying. Until Yama was caught conceivably it would be best if Hiro stayed off the campus. He would talk about this with Aunt Cass once he got home.
In her office, Professor Granville was looking at the paperweight wondering what the best way to protect it was. She had reviewed the security video with the police. Based on the fact Yama had been talking on the phone with someone, she knew he had been paid to steal it.
The question on her mind was, who had figured out what the paperweight really was? She was certain she had covered her tracks well and she was positive her former student believed her when she said his experiment had been destroyed. If someone had paid Yama to steal it, who would they send next?
"I can't take any chances. Until I know more it goes into the safe." She removed her diploma revealing the safe behind it. It had a biometric lock on it. You would need her thumbprint, retina scan, and her voice imprint to open it.
She was unaware that she was being watched through her own security cameras. Far away in a hidden lair, a man chuckled. "Oh my dear old teacher, do you believe that I can't overcome a simple obstacle such as this to get what I want?"
He pressed a few keys on his computer and he was connected with Yama's. The man's computer protection was something to laugh about compared to his skills.
He typed a message requesting once more for the item giving detailed instructions of what the man had to do to get it. He would drop off the items needed for the heist at the preset coordinates in a little bit.
"This time nothing will go wrong. If it does, then Yama will find out why no one fails me twice." The man looked at the time on his monitor and realized he needed to get going. He had someone he needed to pick up.
Later that afternoon, around four, Hiro was back in the chatroom talking with his friends about what happened yesterday, only leaving a few details out of his story.
HeroP7: I understand why my brother got upset and I knew it was dumb, but I just wanted to help do the right thing. He told our aunt about it and today I had to stay by her side the entire time she was working!
I'm lucky I was able to find something to cover up my injuries and pretended to sleep most of the time. She knew I wasn't comfortable, but she wouldn't let me leave."
Brittlebones: Your heart was in the right place, my friend. I agree that helping others is a good thing, but you can't forget your limitations at this time.
Newlungs: Ugh. I dislike the word limitations. It feels as if you're getting an F stamped on your face.
SCP: Your aunt. Was in the wrong. By making you. Uncomfortable being in public when you're not ready to be. New record. Of words. In a full. Sentence.
Cyborg-Girl: I think you were brave and an idiot for your stunt. Mostly an idiot, but still brave. You should wait until you're stronger before trying something like that again.
Brittlebones, Newlungs, and SCP: We all agree with her.
"Alright, you four win. So what's going on with each of you today?
SCP: Got a new. Walker today. It works better than my last one.
Newlungs: I did a three pulls up today. That's one more than last time. I feel I'm getting stronger each day.
Brittlebones: Hydrotherapy for me today. My physical therapist helped me do ten laps up and down the lazy river part of the pool at my center. My bones didn't hurt for a change.
Cyborg-Girl: Well, my physical therapist wanted me to work on my…
There was a giant flash of green light outside the window and then everything electronic surged before going out, including the motor on Hiro's wheelchair.
The chair wobbled and the teenager fell on the bed. He screamed as his broken leg impacted the bed. Before he could assess the injury he felt the worst headache in his life as the transmitter heated up.
"What is going on?" Hiro screeched in pain. He clutched the transmitter begging under his breath for it stop heating up and causing his headache. A few seconds later, he realized that the transmitter had cooled down and his headache was gone. What had just happened to him?
Two hours later the power was restored and Hiro's family was home. Hiro and Mochi were exultant to see the rest of their small family. "I was so worried about you guys when the power went out?"
"Well, I was on the monorail coming back from the Night Market. I got a good deal on butterfish and couldn't wait to cook them for dinner. Suddenly, the train was accelerating down the tracks and there was nothing anyone to stop it."
"That's when Aunt Cass and the other passengers were saved by those mysterious heroes who rescued you," Tadashi added. He raised a single eyebrow signaling Hiro to go along with what he was saying.
"Mysterious heroes appearing out of nowhere to save a runaway train? Sounds like something out of one of Fred's comic books."
"I know," Tadashi laughed. "Anyways, according to Aunt Cass, the heroes made sure everyone got off safe and found other ways to get home."
"Luckily, Tadashi was using the van today. He and your friends were having a study session when the power went haywire. I was so grateful he could pick me up right away."
Hiro nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Instead, he motioned for Tadashi that he needed to speak to him privately. Baymax followed leaving Aunt Cass to make dinner out what remained of her butterfish.
Upstairs, Hiro told his brother had happened to him during the time frame while Baymax gave him a comprehensive checkup. "You have no new injuries. I do detect faint heat readings around your transmitter that are higher than normal."
"You think it was caused by the electrical discharge given off by the paperweight Yama stole?"
"Most likely. My scans also indicated something unusual. It appears that some of Hiro's nanites migrated into the areas where the pain receptors for the head are and managed to prevent them from sending the signals to the brain."
Both boys blinked upon hearing that. Certain medications could block pain receptors, but it was a shock that nanites could do it as well. This was something they would need to keep an eye on.
Morning classes were canceled in the wake of the Green Light Incident as it was being called. It would take up to the afternoon to get the entire campus functioning properly again.
In the meantime, the gang was meeting to discuss their actions last night. Lucky for them, Baymax had played the lullaby recording so Hiro would nap through the morning. They didn't want him to overhear what they were talking about.
Fred started the conversation with his boyish enthusiasm. "Last night was the coolest! We did a comic book classic rescue! Don't you all agree that was amazing?"
"Freddie, it felt wonderful to help other people, but I still don't think we should resume superhero activities. Last night was just a fluke."
"Are you saying superheroes will never be needed? Could the police have done what we did last night?"
Everyone looked at Baymax who reviewed the data. "The casualty rate would have been far more significant if emergency forces had arrived after the train started going out of control. Our efforts saved everyone's lives. There was a sixty percent chance we could have been seriously wounded in our efforts to help."
"So we beat the odds. I like hearing that," Wasabi piped up.
"This time," Go-Go emphasized. "I am the first to admit it felt good to help people and when Hiro designed these suits, that was his goal originally before he worked on his microbots." It was a stark reminder of where the current circumstances had started.
Tadashi saw where this was leading. "He never had a chance to properly test and experiment with these suits. You are suggesting we test them out by being superheroes?" He already has his hands full with taking care of Hiro and completing his school work on time. Could he really handle the responsibility of being a hero.?
"Just for the rest of the semester when we have the time. Our main focus will be completing our studies, but it wouldn't hurt to patrol the city once a week to help stop small crimes," Go-Go pointed out. Last night had reminded her why she agreed to help Tadashi in the first place. It felt good to use her brain in way that made an immediate impact.
Honey Lemon agreed as she added that it could also help them with their project for Professor Granville's class. They could make observations and figure out how to incorporate their suits abilities into the trash to every converter.
Fred was all for it, while Wasabi was hesitant. He was afraid they would get in over their heads. Baymax unintentionally joked he would help keep Wasabi from swimming into deep water. Then he was okay with it.
Tadashi was okay about doing this but had one condition. Hiro was not going to get involved in this side project at all. They would give him the data they collected after the semester ended.
In the afternoon, the group save Baymax, was in the lab listening as Professor Granville lectured the class. "Cutting edge science is not always as progressive as it appears. Many devices don't work the first time or the use of them doesn't help complete a task with far more efficiently and quality."
"For example, the boat car. Many people in the mid-1900s thought that they were going to be the future. This didn't happen. The design was impractical for both driving on land and moving across the water."
She put an image of a boat car on the computer screen. The boat car was painted red and white. The front under surface was slightly pointed and sharply cutaway below.
The wheels were set low so that the vehicle stood well above ground level when on dry land. Front and rear bumpers had been placed low on the body panels
The one-piece windshield was curved. The foldable top caused the body style to be classified as a cabriolet. Its water propulsion is provided by twin propellers mounted under the rear bumper.
"The boat car was less maneuverable on water. People found it difficult to park at times and if the engine wasn't properly taken care of, it would leak badly. Also, after it had been driven across the water, the car required greasing at 13 points, one of which required removal of the rear seat.
The car only lasted five years before production shut down. As you can tell, the technology was cutting edge, but under-performed what it was built for."
Turning the screen off, she looked at each of the groups one by one. "Your projects are meant to be cutting edge but don't forget that they need to perform for the task they are created for.
By working together every group here can design, build, and test a prototype device to accomplish what they set out to do. I also have a special announcement in connection with your projects.
One of the state's leading technology companies, Innovations of Tomorrow, will be sending a representative from their company to take a look at your group projects, which will also be on display at the Open House, along with your end of the semester projects.
The representative will choose one group project to bring back to the company for testing to improve and produce your projects at a commercial level. Of course, your group will hold the patent on the device so all of you can get the credit and capital owed to you."
Everyone was excited to hear this. Everyone at SFIT dreamed of creating a better future, but to have a chance to patent and produce their invention on a global scale was amazing!
The new part-time heroes were also excited. This was a big chance to help people as themselves and not heroes. If they didn't win, they could ask Freddy if his parents would be interested in investing.
Instead of going to physical therapy the next day, Hiro was at the hospital getting x-rays done on his chest. The plates and screws had done a good job keeping his ribs in place.
They needed to check if the bones were fused enough to finish healing on their own. As a teenager, the plates and screws needed to be removed because his body was still growing.
"Hold still, we need to get a bilateral picture of your ribs," the x-ray technician told Hiro as he positioned the machine. After adjusting Hiro's protective smock the technician pressed the button and several x-rays were shot in a matter of minutes.
"Okay, now we need to do the other side. Keep holding still please." Holding still as he could be Hiro ignored the humming as the next series of pictures were taken.
"Okay, just one more set from above and we'll be done." Once again, the smock was adjusted and the machine took the remaining pictures. "We're done here. I'll return you to your exam room and the doctor will be in shortly to discuss the results."
The teenager did his best to cover up his annoyance at being escorted back to the exam room. He knew where it was and he could do it by himself. Once inside Aunt Cass started hugging tightly.
"Aunt Cass, hard to breathe here," he choked out.
"Oh, sorry Hiro. Are you okay? Is he okay Baymax?" Again Hiro hid his annoyance that she didn't even give him a chance to respond. Once Baymax confirmed it Aunt Cass sat down in the chair.
Dr. Bodhi, the head surgeon from Hiro's operation, entered about ten minutes later. "Good afternoon Hiro and to you as well Ms. Cass. Hello Baymax."
They all acknowledge him and he brought up the x-rays on his tablet. Glancing at Baymax he asked if he could enlarge the images on the tablet so it would be easier to see. Baymax was happy to oblige.
Using a laser pen Dr. Bodhi explained the images"As you can see from these images the rib bones are healing progressively. The plates and screws are doing their job splendidly. According to these images, in another three weeks, the bones will be strong enough for hardware removal surgery."
Hiro cleared his throat. "Question, would having my hardware set removed push me back on my recovery process?"
" Yes. Which is why you've been attending physical therapy so often. The stronger your chest muscles are, the better the recovery time. You'll have to stop therapy for a few weeks after the removal to give your body a chance to heal."
"A few weeks? I just started physical therapy! How is stopping and restarting going to make me any better?" Hiro nearly shouted.
"Hiro, don't yell at the doctor please," Aunt Cass scowled at him. Her nephew shrank back into his wheelchair.
Turning her attention back to Dr. Bodhi she started to ask some questions. "What should we do to prepare for the surgery? Could there be any complications during or after the surgery?"
Dr. Bodhi nodded. "For your first question, your nephew will need to have the standard blood work, urinalysis, and have nothing to eat beforehand."
He reviewed the chart quickly before adding, "It is also best if he didn't take any ibuprofen starting four days before the surgery to ensure there's no drug interaction with the general anesthesia."
Baymax's stomach lit up brightly as he brought up illustrations of the risks and complications were. Any surgery was with risk and normal complications could be infections at the surgical site or developing blood clots.
Hiro's eyes were drawn to the section showing Dr. Bodhi would have to reopen his scars to remove the hardware. Hiro's skin had been traumatized several times in such a short period, it was certain that he would need a new regiment for treating the scars. The pain from the scars had only started to go down and now he would be back where he started.
That's when Baymax dropped another bombshell. "Typically a patient can go home the same day as the surgery. Hiro's case is different because of his nanites. Their reaction to the Green Light Incident was not something Tadashi and I predicated." He sent Dr. Bodhi the notes he and Tadashi had gathered.
Studying the tests, Dr. Bodhi decided that the unhappy teenager would have to spend one night in the hospital again to monitor the situation. He could see the frustration in his young patient's eye and place a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"I can't begin to understand your situation young man," Dr. Bodhi said as he smiled gently at Hiro. "I will do my best to make this surgery will be the last one you will ever have. Be patient it will work out."
Hiro nodded hoping the doctor was right. He didn't know how much more of this he could take.
Along the coastline of the city, there were several beautiful homes with huge fenced-in yards and boat docks next to the bay. The most picturesque one was a raised three-story lavender painted house.
Two white stone driveways went to separate one car garages. The front yard also had beautiful stonework walkways surrounded by elegant flower gardens. Two tan-colored staircases merged into one leading to a vast fenced-in porch that sat above the garages.
The shutters and the roof were a bluish-gray and the windows were trimmed in tan. Each floor was slightly smaller than the last one. The top floor had a small balcony.
In the backyard, there was a nice pool and hot tub and a patio for having barbecues. There were trees in every corner of the yard and attached to the one closest to the house was a swing.
The huge home belonged to a family of two. A father and daughter who had moved in nearly three years ago. These days it was rare to get a glimpse of the father, but neighbors still saw the daughter from time to time.
In fact, the daughter was walking up to the house right now. She had fair skin, back-length auburn hair, and light blue eyes, and was slightly taller than the average teenage girl. Her outfit consisted of a purple beanie, a pink short-sleeved shirt, and grey ankle-length jeans along with purple sneakers.
On her hands were a pair of black fingerless gloves. She wore a gold locket around her neck and from her pierced ears dangled small, silver, hoop earrings.
As she walked up the stairs, her gait was off slightly. Her right leg moved a full step ahead of her left leg. Another odd thing was her left arm looked slightly bigger than her right. There was also a long thin scar line on the left side of her face.
She entered the home and dropped her bag in the entrance hall. "I'm back. Sorry about being late, I missed the bus home and had to wait for the next one."
"Now why don't I believe that?" a man said as came out of the kitchen. He was tall and slim. His skin tone was pale. He had black hair with a red streak that's shaved on the sides, piercing ice blue eyes, and noticeable cheekbones
He was wearing a black waistcoat with a pocket on the left. Underneath the waist was a dull grey turtleneck with its sleeves rolled up. His pants were black and his shoes were a shade lighter. On his right wrist, he wore an expensive wristwatch. On his left hand was a gray ring.
The man glanced at the teen's bag and spotted something shiny inside. Walking over he picked up the bag and pulled out a diamond bracelet. "Trinket gathering again I see. Trina, you know it's a waste of time and your talent."
Trina scowled and snatched the bracelet back. "At least stealing is better than sitting in here bored with nothing to do. I'm tired of being a recluse and never leaving home except for treatments."
The left side of the man's face glowed neon purple for several seconds before vanishing. "I'm trying to protect you. If we're to achieve greatness you can't be distracted by anything."
Trina rolled her eyes and stomped her foot. "I don't care about achieving greatness if I have no one to gloat about it too. This may be a strange concept Father, but teenagers need social interaction."
"Now there's no need to be snarky to me," the man replied and waggled his finger at her.
"What? The great and powerful Obake can't handle a bit of teenage rebellion? That's a laugh," Trina moue. She looked her father in his eyes and offered a compromise. "I'm not asking to go to school because I'm a genius like you. All I am asking is to have some time out in the city interacting with people.
I want to participate in bot-fighting. Go play virtual reality games at the arcade. Get something to eat for free. Maybe even meet one, my friends, from online in person. I know one of them lives in the city here thanks to hacking their IP address."
Obake's face lit up again, this time in pleasure. "Which friend of yours lives here in the city?"
"HeroP7 aka Hiro Hamada. Why?"
"Trina, I do believe your suggestion will not only earn you a friend but help both of us achieve the greatness we seek."