The robot seemed to be a mix of a mantis and a bee; it had the chest of the first but the rear of the second, its legs were like those of a kangaroo, and it had four arms, its fists were round and had spikes for knuckles, its eyes were red, like a circle on its chest and feet. It was fast, as its legs allowed it to jump to the sides before receiving an attack; Astro found that quite inconvenient when trying to hit him with his lasers.
"Come on, stay still!" He told it before firing again.
The zombie dodged and advanced towards him, it threw a punch that hit him on the cheek, and Astro went flying against a garbage mountain; before he could recover, the zombie cornered him, throwing punch after punch without him being able to defend himself, luckily the boy had taken off his clothes before starting, he would hate to lose another outfit.
"Robot-fighting trainer, it had to be!" Astro angrily thought as he took each hit; the zombie was so fast that he couldn't block its attacks. "Okay, that's it!"
Astro rested his hands on the wall and raised his legs, placing his feet on the enemy's chest, ignited the rockets, and momentum forced the zombie back.
"Ha! How did you like that, huh?" He thought a bit arrogantly.
But that hadn't been enough to stop it; the robot managed to hold on and attack again; this time, Astro flew away, and the blow it launched smashed the wall. From the skies, Astro shot, but the zombie kept dodging him.
"Dad said that these training robots were used with the military, it shows" the zombie did not reveal blind spots, it was not made for games...
Games.
That word triggered a memory, not a pleasant one but one that would help him a lot in this situation. Astro flew towards his enemy; it expected a direct attack, but what Astro did was fly around it at full speed, raising a cloud of dust that grew larger each time; the zombie didn't know how to counter that, just throwing punches into the air, Astro sneaked up behind him with a battery in hand.
"It's time to heal you, buddy," he stuck the cartridge into the robot's neck; the red energy did not come out as powerful as Frankenstein's; only a few sparks showed.
When the spotlight turned red, the robot fell to the side, completely disabled.
"Don't worry. I'll take you to the Ministry, and you'll be fine," he told it as he put away the battery.
That night he was in the landfill after the Front reported mysterious activity; Astro went there immediately, and it didn't take long to find the zombie; the boy barely had time to undress and put the gifts away; because that night, he had an arrangement, one that he had already put off too long.
"Now we just have to..."
The earth began to shake and nearly caused Astro to fall.
"Now what!?" he asked, somewhat surprised.
The mountains of garbage collapsed, and a gigantic figure emerged from the ground. Astro activated the lights in his eyes to see his new opponent: it was a giant metal bear, ten meters high, it was rusty in some parts, and it was missing one eye, and one ear dangled from some wires.
"You gotta be kidding me," he said as he backed away.
The bear's stomach opened up, revealing a turbine; the blades began to spin, generating a huge wind that pushed Astro toward it. The boy jumped and activated his rockets, but the force of the blizzard was intense; he still couldn't move forward. Astro gritted his teeth and extended an arm straight ahead.
"I can't get caught! I need... to find a way!" He thought.
Seeing that his current position was not helping him, he placed both hands on his hips and activated the cannons.
"I hope this works!"
The extra power helped him out of the trap; he flew up, drawing an arc in the sky, swooped down, deactivated the cannons, took out another battery, aimed at the bear's head, and buried it in the skull. The red energy was more powerful than the previous one, but not as Frankenstein's. Astro only had to hold on before the bear ran dry.
When all the energy was released, the robot started to go backward. Astro gasped and quickly flew to its back; with his two hands, he held it while the bear's feet slipped; he grabbed it until the robot was sitting up, seeing it wasn't falling down; Astro flew back to the front of it.
"Okay, are there any more surprises?" he asked aloud, looking around.
But there was nothing but silence. Astro sighed and sat on the floor; he was exhausted; ten nights in a row hunting zombies, plus getting up early to go to school made everyone tired.
He started to take breaths of air when some lights illuminated him, only he didn't get defensive; he knew these were friends.
The first to come down from the ship was Dr. Elefun, accompanied by some assistants, including Yuko and Momo, who took the boxing robot. While the others, upon seeing the bear, their eyes widened.
"You're gonna need a bigger ship," Astro joked.
Elefun then looked at the boy.
"Astro, are you okay?"
Astro smiled and gave a thumbs-up.
"Nothing I can't handle, doctor."
He got up and went to see his mentor.
"This is the third horde you've stopped this week, Astro; are you sure you're okay?"
He didn't want to worry him, so he wouldn't admit that he was exhausted.
"Not at all, doctor; Dad made me too good."
"That's true," thought Elefun. "But you don't stop being a child; you should be living your childhood, spending time with your friends, not hunting these poor robots."
But Elefun knew that Astro was the best qualified for the job if they left it in the hands of the police, Tawashi would have no problem destroying the zombies instead of healing them, and those robots had suffered enough; they deserved a second chance like the one Astro gave Frank.
At that, Astro noticed the doctor's wristwatch.
"Oh no!" He thought, scared
"Doctor, what time is it!"
Elefun was surprised at Astro's sudden change in attitude but checked the time anyway.
"Ten minutes to eight o'clock; why?"
"I'm late!" the boy screamed, placing both hands on his head.
He flew to the mountain of garbage where he had hidden his things behind it, but when Astro inspected it, he saw with horror that the pile had fallen on top of his stuff.
"Oh no!"
Moving his arms frantically, he removed all the rubbish; the team of scientists looked at him, confused and somewhat scared. After removing all the trash, Astro finally found his belongings. His clothes were dirty, the box of chocolate and the flowers were crushed.
Astro rolled his eyes and gasped.
What would be worse? Arrive with dirty clothes or... in his current state?
He decided the second one was worse; he quickly shook his clothes to clean them as much as possible. The team kept looking at him in disbelief.
"Thank you for everything, but I gotta go," Astro said as he jumped to put on his pants, then picked up the gifts. "Sorry to leave so quickly, but I have an appointment. See you later, Dr. Elefun; goodbye, Yuko and Momo."
And took off, raising a cloud of dust.
A few seconds passed until the mist dispersed; Astro had already flown away. Momo and Yuko approached Elefun.
"He was in a hurry," she told the doctor.
"You're right, Yuko," he answered somewhat sadly. Astro was demanding too much of himself; who knew how much he could continue like this.
Up in the skies, Astro increased the speed of his rockets; with the gifts, he couldn't use the one in his hands.
"I'm late! I'm already late!" Astro thought, scared. "Of all the nights, there had to be an attack on this one!"
Because that night was one that he had been waiting for a long time: dinner with Cora and her parents. Since Metro City returned to earth, he had looked for the moment to meet them, that is, he met them after the battle with the Peacekeeper, but that was more like a chance meeting. He wanted to really meet them as people, but with the reconstruction, the attack of the zombies, the rebuilding again, and the unexpected visit of the Duke; there had been no time until tonight, and no power on earth would prevent it.
Plus, it could take his mind off the bad news a bit.
…
A few days after the Duke visited them, Astro went to talk to Doctor Elefun about his concerns about the treatment of Robots in Metropolis. The professor listened carefully and was very understanding.
"I understand how you feel, Astro, but I'm afraid there isn't much we can do," he replied, bowing his head.
"But why?"
"You see, the reasons why our city has never had problems with Metropolis is because… Stone and the Duke knew what kind of people they were, so they had this kind of silent agreement, you stay out of my way, and I stay out of yours."
Astro nodded.
"Because what Metropolis lacks in jobs and opportunities for its citizens, it makes up for in weaponry."
The boy didn't like where that was going.
"The Peacekeeper was Stone's big bet not only to fight the Surface but also to intimidate Metropolis."
"Do you think that's why the Duke visited Dad? For a weapon?"
Elefun shrugged.
"I couldn't tell you, Astro; your father has been very discreet."
"Yeah, he doesn't tell me anything either."
Elefun stood up from his seat to go with Astro, put a hand on his shoulder, and looked into his eyes.
"Astro, I know it hurts you to know that robots are treated like that; it hurts me too, to think that some are still unable to see what we would achieve if we united..."
Elefun looked away sadly. Astro grimaced, sharing the professor's pain; he was sure no one else understood him as well as he did. Well, maybe Kenichi and Cora did too.
"But if we were to break the agreement… we could unleash the wrath of the Duke, and who knows what he might throw at us."
"And if I go alone? To try to reason with them, with the people..."
"Astro, no matter how noble your intentions are, don't doubt that the Duke would take them as an act of war; setting foot in Metropolis without permission would be more than enough."
Astro's eyes widened in surprise.
"The Duke uses a lot of tricks, Astro; we never know what card he will play next… but he will attack at the slightest provocation."
"And we're in no condition to withstand another attack, are we?"
Elefun nodded in agreement.
"After the Peacekeeper and the zombies, we have exhausted many resources, which we are just renewing; we are in a vulnerable position. If Metropolis wanted to attack us, this would be the ideal moment."
"Everyone's lives would be in grave danger."
"And the Duke won't stop until he gets what he wants."
Astro got up from his chair to the window, placed a hand on the glass, and looked at the city. For the first time, he felt useless; what was the point of having all his amazing powers if he could not use them to protect? What was his value if it could not fulfill his purpose? Was he forced to sit back while others suffered? He could ignore the doctor's warnings and go to Metropolis anyway, but that would only put his loved ones, and the entire city, in danger; if anything happened to them, he would never forgive himself.
Elefun walked to his desk; he knew how bad Astro felt, the feeling of helplessness in the face of injustices... in front of the suffering of others, he noticed the photo on his desk, took it, and examined it. The girl with glasses, black-haired, in her school uniform, with a pretty white cap and pink tennis shoes looked at him.
Elefun felt the same nostalgia that always came to him when he saw that picture, the years had passed, but the doctor never forgot her; he couldn't, nor did the pain he felt the day she left.
"Astro, we can't always save everyone," he left the photograph on the table, and the boy looked at him over his shoulder. "That is a reality that we must accept."
If someone else told him that, Astro would have tried to refute it, but coming from Doctor Elefun, he could not. He sounded so sad; every word he said was for something; he had been through it.
"Even though Dad built me to be Toby… He could never have saved the original."
Elefun nodded.
"We all have someone we couldn't save."
They both remained silent, not knowing how to continue or act; they did not expect the conversation to take such a dark turn...
"Is it okay for me to tell him there is no hope?" The doctor thought, looking at the boy. "He's still young; he has a lot to learn about this world and its injustices... But I don't want to be the one to cut his wings either; also, with hope or not, Astro is a fighter, and I'm not going to put out that spark."
"But that doesn't stop us from trying, Astro."
That got the robot's attention again.
"We may not be able to do anything in the short term, but in the long one, maybe we can find a clause or an initiative that helps us establish rights for robots in Metropolis."
Astro's eyes lit up.
"We'll need a lot of research. Yuko can help us; she's good at it."
Astro hurried to the professor's side.
"Really?"
"Yes, we can always try."
Unable to resist, Astro hugged Elefun; the doctor was surprised but quickly returned the hug.
"Thanks, Dr. Elefun."
"No need, Astro... I will always be there for you."
...
And yet, after hours of investigation, they had been unable to find a flaw in the Metropolis system, nothing that would help them fight for robot rights, or even a dirty rag from the Duke. Not even on Kenichi's uncle archives.
At the end of the day, it seemed that his efforts had been in vain. Astro felt his hands tied, this affected his behavior a bit; during class hours, he had his head down without much desire to participate. This did not go unnoticed by his friends or by his teacher. Ken told them about the visit of the Duke and Rock, and his friends assumed that this had lowered his spirit. No one wanted to say it out loud to avoid making Astro more uncomfortable. Luckily, Cora knew how much Astro wished to meet his parents, so she took the opportunity to make the formal invitation.
"At least that way, I can distract him a bit," she thought.
And it worked; during the following days, Astro stopped thinking about the Metropolis matter with the same frequency, and instead, he prepared his meeting with the parents. He was very nervous because the first impression was the most important.
That's why he didn't turn off his rockets until he got to his friend's house. Cora was waiting for him at the entrance; she smiled when she saw him.
"Sorry for the delay; a couple of zombies appeared in the junkyard."
"Our boys at The Front are alright?"
"Yeah, I stopped the horde before they could reach the lair."
"I'm glad."
Astro smiled, and Cora noticed the gifts.
"Oh! I bought this for... your parents."
"I see," the girl took the presents, "Astro... you shouldn't."
"A zombie may have sat on them..." he replied, scratching the back of the neck.
"Well, the intention is what counts. Come on in; my parents can't wait to meet you."
Astro smiled and began to walk, his body ached, and his eyes were tired, but the moment he had waited so long had already arrived, and he wouldn't spoil it.
He met the parents at the entrance, they were both wearing elegant clothes for the occasion, and he felt a little embarrassed by the state of his. But Cora's parents didn't seem to notice that.
"She told me that they've relaxed a lot since she came home; maybe that's why they don't criticize," he thought.
After the greetings, they went to the dining room; the more time passed, Astro felt the tiredness in his eyes increase, but he told himself that he had to be strong and bear it.
"You beat Frankenstein; this is easy peasy."
But sitting down made him feel more exhausted as if seating had activated a chip to put him to sleep.
"No! Resist; we have planned this for long!"
That gave him the strength to continue.
Everyone put their hands together and slightly bowed their heads.
"Itadakimasu," they said in unision.
After that, they began to eat.
"Cora has told us a lot about you, Astro. We are impressed with your achievements," Cora's father said.
"Oh, thank you, sir. But I could never have done it without my friends," he responded, his eyes getting more tired; maybe if he followed the conversation, it would help him stay awake.
"He's just being modest, Dad, but the truth is that he does most of the work, right Astro?"
"Work, what a horrible word," he thought... maybe if he closed his eyes for a moment, he could last the evening, so Astro did, and before the boy knew it, he leaned an elbow on the table and rested his head on it.
"Astro?" Cora asked.
"I'll just rest... a few seconds."
That's what he thought before falling asleep.
...
When he woke up, he was in his room, sleeping in his pajamas, with his head resting on a soft pillow and covered in sheets.
"What happened last night?" he wondered; the last he remembered was sitting at the table when… "Oh no."
He hid under his sheets with embarrassment, and to make matters worse, his cheeks turned blue.
"Could this be more embarrassing?" Astro thought.
A knock on the door confirmed it.
"Son, are you awake?"
"Yes, Dad."
"Good... Cora came to see you."
"Oh no."
"Let her in," he replied without removing the covers. Astro was grateful he didn't have to breathe; he would never leave those blankets again.
The door opened, and Cora entered.
"Thanks, Dr. Tenma."
"You are welcome, Cora."
Dad left them alone. Astro didn't show any signs of life, so Cora crossed her arms and said:
"You know? You look like a neon ad from here."
Astro groaned, and Cora laughed.
"I'm just kidding; relax."
"I'm sorry about last night… I must have made a fool of myself."
But Cora just sat on the bed.
"Not at all, you just scared us a little, but when your dad arrived, he told us that you were just sleeping."
Astro dared to uncover himself to look her in the eye.
"Sorry. I was more tired than I thought."
"Don't worry. I never imagined you had to sleep; I thought you were only pretending."
Astro denied.
"My brain is designed to function like a human; I needed to sleep to process what I learn during the day, and I also needed to rest to not go crazy."
"Astro, you should have told us; we would have postponed it."
"I really wanted to meet your parents."
"Well, they will remember the first impression, no doubt."
Astro's cheeks were blue once more.
"Relax; is something that anyone could have happened to."
But Astro didn't answer; he just stared at the wall. He couldn't save the robots in Metropolis or even stay up for dinner; he was feeling useless, and nothing he did worked.
Cora noticed all the feelings on her friend's face, and she couldn't help but feel guilty; after all, she was the one with the idea; she never imagined it to end that way.
"Fine! Then forget about the adults and fancy dinners; it's time to go out, the whole gang, an exclusive kids' night out, no parents!"
"Do you know what you need, Astro? Distract yourself from everything."
At that, Astro looked up.
"How?"
"For the rest of the day, you are going to rest, forget about the zombies, about homework, the Duke, and Rock, sleep until night, and then come find us on the Surface."
"To?"
"There is a robot circus, don't worry, it's nothing like the Robot Games. We are going tonight, so you can get a little distracted."
"I don't know, Cora… there are still a lot of zombies out there."
"And you are exhausted; you can't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, Astro. You also deserve to rest for at least one day."
Astro began to think about it. It had been a long time since he hung out with Cora, Zane, Widget, Sludge, Ken, Tama, or Shibugaki… actually, with anyone. Maybe Cora was right; it was time to take a little break. He missed his friends.
"Okay, but we all go."
"Of course, I just hope The Surface isn't too scary for the Sky Riders," she said mockingly.
"Cora..."
"I'm just kidding; you know I like them."
Astro felt happy; a day off wouldn't hurt anyone, besides it was great that everyone could go out together, all his friends gathered in one place. Cora smiled as she saw that her plan was working.
"Very well, then rest and see you tonight."
"At your command, Captain."
The girl smiled before leaving, closing the door behind her. Astro lay back down and covered himself.
"An outing with my friends... nothing can go wrong."