The place was an old theater that had been abandoned for years. Hamegg had found it the best refuge after the orphans turned their backs on him. His first move was building the drones, and then he began the remodeling process, not making many changes to the exterior, leaving the fallen sign as it was; it read: "Os m T ka Theater."
What he changed was the interior, dismantling the stage and removing most of the seats from the center to move them to the surroundings as a coliseum, creating a new arena in the middle; this was a force field that reached up to the roof, and steel poles were placed in the middle of the invisible shield, so it seemed like they were floating in the air.
Clients always found that detail too cool.
Hamegg had also placed blue lights on the ceiling that pointed directly to the arena, while the ones in the hallways were white. Once he finished the renovations, he started with the "Robot Games version 2". Now that they were prohibited, he had to be more careful, spreading the word in seedy bars, whispering a rumor here and there. He was lucky that the robot zombies started to come out because that prevented Tawashi from paying so much attention to the matter.
But even though he had managed to reestablish his business, the profits were not the same; people were no longer interested in robot fights, at least not the ones he pulled from scrap metal. They wanted to see a real battle, something like the happy one between Brando and Hercules. When Hamegg saw that he could not get what he had before, his heart was filled with hatred again, and he went with the only thing that still had meaning in his life: destroy Astro.
He never imagined that everything would be too lucrative for him. Now, he would not only take revenge on Astro and Tenma, but he could also have the opportunity of his life; if he impressed the Duke tonight, his life would be fixed. He would forever abandon the garbage dump that Metro City was, and he would go to live with the upper class of Metropolis. He would be the Duke's right hand and finally have the life he deserved.
He just had to prove his worth to the Duke tonight.
Hamegg took the Duke and Rock through the corridors covered in red velvet to balcony 62, the best in the house. From there, one could see the entire place, with a perfect view of the arena; the balconies had two floating seats, which looked more like thrones than chairs.
"Please," Hamegg said as he bowed, stretching both arms toward the balcony.
The Duke smiled as he entered while Rock stared at him emotionlessly. Hamegg looked up at him and swallowed. Rock smiled.
"Lapdog," he said as he walked in.
Hamegg followed him with his gaze.
"You damn spoiled brat!" Hamegg thought, but he knew Rock's reputation; it would be better not to bother him.
Rock sat next to his father, who had already settled down; the Duke raised a hand and moved his fingers back and forth. Hamegg entered.
"I hope the seat is to your liking, sir."
"Oh, the seat is perfect, everything I expected," he responded in a kind tone, "but whenever I see a show of this magnitude, I get thirsty. I guess it's because of the emotion. Don't you think?"
The green eyes remained fixed on him, and Hamegg felt terrified; even if his gaze looked friendly, the Duke's eyes revealed his true intentions. If he did not do what that man told him, he would kill him as if he were a cockroach.
"Oh- yes- yes! I agree, sir."
Rock laughed at his nervousness, but the Duke raised a hand, and the teenager shut up. That made Hamegg feel more intimidated; Rock was a monster, but even he respected the Duke.
"What can I bring you, sir?"
"A Martini wouldn't be bad," he responded calmly, then looked at his son, "would you like something, Rock?"
"A Coke," he replied flatly.
"You heard him."
"Right away, sir!" Hamegg said and then left the balcony. Rock began to laugh again.
"He's a fool."
"Don't underestimate him, Rock. He was a brilliant scientist in Metro City for years. He even managed to make that army of drones out of garbage."
"Yeah, and from a lot of pieces of the Peacekeeper."
"The strongest man is the one who gets ahead with what he has," the Duke continued, "Hamegg has shown that he has ingenuity, but talent is what will be tested today."
Rock just looked at the arena.
"Also, he worked alongside Tenma, which makes him our best option."
Rock didn't respond; he just wanted everything to be over so they could go home, where he could kill as many robots as he desired. In fact, he wasn't even excited about the fight, not wanting to see a piece of junk crush Astro. He wanted to have the honor of putting an end to that abomination.
Although, if Rock was honest with himself, he was more interested in beating that damn Kenichi.
...
Hamegg was walking down the hallway when a drone approached him.
"Perfect!" Hamegg exclaimed when he saw it, "I need you to serve the Duke and his son, obey all their orders, okay?"
The drone made a sound in affirmation.
"Start by bringing them a Martini and a Coke. Can you do it?"
It repeated the same sound and flew away. Hamegg sighed in relief, one worry less; now he could take care of the main attraction. He climbed to the roof and exited it, looking up at the sky.
"Where are you, you piece of junk?!" He asked out loud.
No sign of him.
"Alright, I hope Tawashi enjoys that video."
He was about to enter when an orange stood out in the night sky. Hamegg turned around while smiling. The color moved forward, then began to descend towards him; a few seconds later, Astro landed in front of him; the kid did so softly so he didn't raise dirt or make the building shake. Astro only stopped when he was a few meters from the ground, then turned off his engines and looked at Hamegg with a determined expression.
The first thing Hamegg noticed was Astro's new uniform, and he had to admit that it didn't look bad. It was perfect for the show.
"Cool costume."
"Thanks, my dad made it for me," Astro responded defiantly.
Hamegg had to admit that he liked this new attitude, defiant instead of the submissive one he showed when they first met.
"I hope you maintain that attitude in the arena."
"Let's get this over with."
Hamegg smiled.
"Of course, there's a crowd waiting for you."
And he entered. Astro narrowed his eyebrows and followed him; the boy was ready for anything.
...
The first alert Cora had was the motorcyclists; at least four dozen of them were heading to the same point as her. She had to fly under the mounds of garbage so they wouldn't notice her. Just like Trashcan, they continued like this until they arrived at the theater; still taking shelter behind the debris, Cora looked over; there were not only motorcyclists but also people in trucks and other vehicles, parked in front of the place, walking towards the entrance where a drone was collecting money from them.
"What is going on in here?"
Trashcan barked, and the girl looked at him.
"Good job, buddy," she caressed him, "but now I need you to go get Dr. Elefun, okay? Tell him to call Tawashi and bring him here."
Knowing Tawashi's dislike of robots, Cora doubted that the inspector would pay much attention to Trashcan; perhaps he would even lock him up, and she also knew the great contempt Tenma had for the inspector, so the best option was the good-natured Elefun.
Trashcan barked in the affirmative and ran back to the City.
"What a good dog," Cora thought with a smile, then returned her gaze to the front. It was time to find out what was happening.
A hand covered her mouth, and an arm wrapped around her chest. Cora tried to fight, but whoever it was backed away, taking her, and they landed in a sitting position on the floor. The girl was going to elbow her attacker when he whispered in her ear:
"You're Astro's friend, right?"
Cora stopped, that voice...
She nodded, and he released her; the girl turned around to meet her savior from the Circus; his skin was no longer gray, nor was his hair blue, but those eyes were the same blue ones she saw that night in the tent.
"Reno?" She asked, approaching him.
He closed his eyes and nodded, so long the secret identity.
"Relax, she's Astro's friend, so you can trust her."
Cora opened her mouth.
"But- I thought you were a robot."
"No, I was adopted as a baby by the circus; I had to pretend to not be separated from them."
Cora didn't need an explanation; she was aware of the laws.
"So- you have been living with the circus your whole life?"
"That's right."
"Whoah, that's so cool!" She said, only to remember that she was getting off-topic, "but… what are you doing here?"
Reno widened his eyes.
"I was gonna ask you the same thing," he had been following the limo all day; when they finally headed to the scene, Reno landed on one of the garbage piles and followed them on foot. That's when he noticed Cora, recognizing her for that fateful night.
Cora hardened her gaze but then relaxed it; Reno had saved her life, and if he had a family of robots, he supported them with all his being. He was not part of this, at least not the part that wanted to hurt Astro.
"It's Astro. I feel something's not right with him."
She summarized how her friend had behaved so strangely and then the message from Trashcan that took her to that place. Reno didn't interrupt her, but he clearly looked worried.
"I'm afraid you're right. Astro is in danger."
He told her his story, and when Reno mentioned Hamegg, Cora gasped in horror.
"Oh no!" She said, taking him by the shoulders, "Hamegg hates Astro! He brought him here to kill him!"
"I know that Astro is doing this to save my family, but I can't let him do this; if the rumors are true, Hamegg has a hidden weapon."
Cora bit her lip. Once again, she is in that situation where Astro puts others before himself.
"How I hate that attitude of him!" She thought, but it was not time to get angry; she had to save him.
"Well, let's not let him!" She said firmly, "Astro is powerful, but Hamegg uses a lot of tricks. I say we go in, find that evidence, and destroy it, then he will have nothing to blackmail you with."
"And then we take care of him," Reno added, pumping his fist.
Cora wasn't gonna stop him.
They both looked over the trash again.
"We can't enter by the main door; Hamegg knows both of us."
"There must be another way in. I say we go around and find it," Reno suggested.
Cora nodded; the teenagers stealthily moved behind the mountains to the back of the theater; luckily, no one had noticed their presence.
"Hold on, Astro. We're coming."
...
Hamegg and Astro descended to the basement, where a few white lights on the walls illuminated some points, so one couldn't see much, just a kind of large tube placed horizontally a few meters from the door. There was also an old large and battered curtain that covered the rest of the room.
Astro was about to scan the place to see what he was hiding when Hamegg pushed him towards the tube; he only managed it because the boy was distracted.
"Don't spy. I want it to be a surprise."
Astro grimaced but moved toward the duct.
"Surprise or not, you won't win," he thought.
He got inside the cylinder, and a door slid shut, closing him in. Astro turned around to face Hamegg.
"Let's end this."
"I hope you last more than one round," Hamegg said mockingly.
"I promised you a show, didn't I?"
Hamegg smiled, showing his teeth; he extended his cape and took out a control, then pressed a button, and a second capsule covered the first, obscuring everything, which left Astro a little confused, but he quickly controlled himself. The fight had not yet started.
Hamegg laughed and pressed another button. The cabin began to rise as a circle opened on the ceiling. Astro felt his prison rise as he swayed a little to the sides but managed to hold on to the walls.
"How he likes drama," he thought irritably.
An entrance opened in the arena, and all the spectators who were talking became quiet and looked towards the arena. Astro's capsule entered the field, and everyone applauded and shouted.
On his balcony, the Duke had drunk his Martini. When he heard the crowd, he looked at the arena and smiled when he noticed the capsule.
"Well, well," he placed his drink on a floating glass holder, "the games have begun."
...
Reno and Cora made it to the back; the first they noticed was the limo.
"Weird," Cora commented, "why isn't this parked out front with the rest?"
Reno just shrugged.
"Maybe it's just a fool who wants special treatment," he said as he tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Damn!"
Cora examined the rest of the wall; it had windows, but they were too high to reach, and they only had a trash can. She didn't think they could get there with that. She continued along the wall until she noticed another entrance. It was the basement window with a rectangular shape.
"There!" She said, pointing at it.
Reno left the door and jumped up to it. He looked at the window and smiled; the boy took a rock and threw it at the glass, breaking it, and then he crouched down and kicked the rest of it; when everything was clear, he grabbed the edge of the frame and pulled himself inside. Cora crouched down, put her legs in, and then entered.
The basement was silent except for a few drops of water that fell from the roof and some metal objects that collided. Due to the volume, the girl suspected they were chains and/or hooks. Cora looked further; the whole place was too dark, and the only lights barely showed them where to go.
"We better stick together," Reno suggested; that place didn't inspire confidence.
Cora nodded and walked in, stepping on a puddle of water; it echoed through all the walls as if it were the impact of a bomb.
"Damn echo," she thought.
She regretted not carrying a flashlight with her. Reno looked ahead; behind a curtain, more light was coming that could be the exit from that dungeon.
"There," she pointed it to Cora.
Cora nodded, just wanting to leave that place.
They both advanced towards the point of light, footsteps were heard, and they stopped and looked at each other. The steps continued, and Cora froze.
"There's someone else here."
She looked around, but all she found was darkness. Cora backed away, Reno did the same, and soon the two were back to back.
"What's that?"
"I'm not sure, but from the sound, it seems there are six."
"Six?" She asked, terrified.
"Yes, listen carefully."
Cora did it. The footsteps were heard again, six of them.
"Bloody hell! What is that thing?!" But then she had an idea; what if that wasn't six attackers? What if there was only one, and that one was...
"Reno?"
"Yeah?"
"I think that our friend is..."
She couldn't finish because a loud roar interrupted her. Both screamed in terror as they jumped back; the space to their right lit up, revealing a square-shaped cage with walls reinforced by a force shield. A big crash was heard, and then a moan.
Inside the prison was an animatronic of a snow leopard; half of its face was torn, exposing the metallic skull with one red eye; it roared at them while hitting the shield with one of its front paws; it had six in total.
The artificial fur had fallen off some parts, revealing the metallic ribs, metal claws, and the skeleton of the legs. Seeing that its attack did nothing to the shield, the leopard began to walk in circles while growling.
It scared them so much that Reno and Cora backed up until they hit a wall; other lights turned on, and more bangs were heard. The teenagers turned to see another cage with another robot inside; this was the same model as Orrin but more abused; he was missing an arm, and his eyes were red. He hit the force field with his hand and then with his head.
The two stepped back scared, more and more lights turned on, showing that the entire place had cells, with robots inside, all with the same characteristics.
Cora and Reno turned on their feet to appreciate the entire terrifying panorama.
"Robot zombies," Cora said in a small voice.
"You were never out of business," Reno whispered as a fire grew inside him. The robot zombies were not monsters; they were just robots that had the misfortune of being discarded and then infected by the red energy. They were victims who deserved to be helped.
No freak show.
He hated Hamegg more and more. Now, he and Cora had to free Astro and all the prisoners to heal them.
A metallic noise was heard; it came from above their heads. They both looked up and saw a system of rails and a cart with a metal box in the middle. The rails took the cart to the zombie Orrin's cell; the robot looked at the ceiling. The cube stuck to the roof, and after some noises, a mechanical tentacle entered through there; the robot prepared to attack, but the tentacle was faster; it attached itself to the robot's chest and began to absorb the red energy.
The robot screamed as the arm lifted it into the air. Cora and Reno could only watch the horrible event; when it finished draining it, the robot's eyes went dark, and the tentacle detached itself, leaving the android to fall to the ground.
Reno gritted his teeth when he saw the poor guy lying there.
The tentacle returned to the box, the cart took off, and went to the center of the basement. There was still darkness, the kids watched; a red circle lit up, then other red lights: there was a kind of metallic cocoon with a window in front from where the light came out. It had openings in the upper part, where the tentacle had stuck.
Reno opened his eyes when he realized what it was.
"He's taking the red energy out of them… to feed that thing."
Cora looked scared at the cocoon.
"What the hell is inside it?!"
The cocoon was enormous; an adult could fit in there.
"It's smaller than the Peacekeeper and Frankenstein," Cora thought, although that didn't mean anything. Whatever size it was, that thing could be dangerous for Astro.
The girl looked around; there must be something they could use to destroy that thing or at least to stop the energy transfer.
"Do you think you can disconnect it?" She asked the redhead.
"I don't think so, but I'll try."
Reno jumped to the top of the cocoon, grabbed the tentacle with both hands, and pulled it with all his strength, but he didn't achieve anything; it was stuck tightly. He tried again, but nothing changed.
"Damn it," and with a pirouette, he returned to Cora's side.
Reno denied.
"I doubt it. And I don't think it will work."
Cora looked at him, worried.
"Why?"
"I don't know how long it's been since Hamegg built this thing," Reno didn't take his eyes off the cocoon, "but something tells me he's been feeding it for a long time, and just a pinch of the red energy is enough to power a city, this must be at least at ninety-five percent."
That percentage was not encouraging.
A metal door was heard, and the two looked behind; there was an opening in the ceiling, and a cage was being lifted towards that point.
The two exchanged worried glances; they knew what it meant. The robot games had begun.
...
Hamegg climbed into his gliding machine and flew around the arena.
The crowd cheered and yelled as they watched him pass, and Hamegg smiled.
"Just like old times," he thought pleased.
"Thank you, thank you, you are a spectacular audience!" He thanked, waving his hand, and then stopped; "A long time ago, something vital was taken from The Surface, something that defined us as a society."
The booing was heard, and people threw things at the force field.
"That's the attitude I want!"
"Because we! The Surface people are not like the weak ones in Metro City!" The crowd cheered, "On the Surface, we are strong! That's why we need the Robot Games! To demonstrate our power! That only the strongest can survive here!"
"How patriotic," Rock said.
"No, no, no," the Duke clarified, taking another drink, "he's just telling them what they want to hear. Look at them."
Rock looked out to see the crowd.
"They are savages."
"But they are happy, and if they are happy, they don't think about things; they just know that Hamegg gives them what makes them happy, and they are easier to manipulate."
Rock looked at the spectators again; they seemed like insignificant insects.
"I would prefer to crush them!"
The Duke laughed.
"But first, you should take advantage of them; even the most disgusting flea has a function, of course, when it expires... well, the flea's time has come."
"You still have a lot to learn before reaching the throne, son," replied the Duke while eating the olive from the cocktail, "for now, let's enjoy the show."
"So today! I return to you, brothers and sisters of The Surface, what was taken from us! And to make it even better! I give you the one who took our identity away! With you…!
"Before Hamegg could finish, Astro hit the door, sending it into the wall. The boy jumped out and landed with a fist on the ground, causing a shake in the theater.
"I'm gonna show them I'm not afraid," Astro thought as he slowly got up.
At that point, he noticed that his entrance had caused quite an effect; people had gotten up from their seats and were cheering, and even Hamegg looked pleased.
"Well, at least he learned something from the show."
"ASTRO BOY!" Hamegg yelled.
The capsule descended again, leaving only Astro in the arena.
Astro was surprised that some were applauding him and shouting his name; the boy wondered if they genuinely supported him or if they just wanted to see him destroy other robots, something he was not repeating.
"As you know, Astro claims to be The Greatest Robot on Earth!" Hamegg continued.
Rock mockingly laughed; the Duke looked at him out of the corner of his eye.
"It is a feat of modern technology."
"It's still a pile of trash, like any other robot."
"And maybe he's not just bragging; after all, Astro survived the original Robot Games and defeated the Peacekeeper and the terrifying Frankenstein! But will he be ready for what awaits him tonight? Well, let's find out!"
Another hatch opened in the ground, and one of the cubic prisons Reno and Cora had seen came out. Astro spread his legs and clenched his fists, placing them at the height of his chest.
"Give me your worst!"
The cage door opened, and the entire coliseum remained silent, waiting for the opponent to come out. Astro just tightened his eyebrows.
An infernal scream was heard, and the animatronic of a rooster ran out of the cage; its legs and arms were long, giving the robot great height and a humanoid appearance. Its chest was silver armor, with a collar and a belt with black and white feathers, a red crest on its head, two red feathers on its tail, and its beak and legs were yellow. He was dirty, but his skin wasn't torn anywhere; if it weren't for his red eyes, Astro would have passed it for just another restaurant attraction.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo," the robot went at Astro, but he activated his boots and flew to one of the posts.
"Robots zombies, I knew it!"
The chicken looked both ways, surprised that its prey had escaped, but then it looked up and saw him; it turned to face him, its neck shot out from its body towards Astro, it opened its beak and was about to close its on his head, but the boy was able to move aside, avoiding it.
The neck returned to its normal position. Astro tightened his eyebrows. Time to go on the offensive.
He flew up and descended, passing behind the chicken, grabbed it by the back, and flew it to the top.
"Sorry, buddy, I promise it will be over soon," he told it, the robot squirming as it tried to free itself.
Astro took it to one of the poles and hit the chicken's chest against it; the animatronic screamed. Astro let him fall to the ground as the crowd cheered; the boy felt bad for giving them what they wanted, but he was not destroying the chicken. He was going to free it.
"You are not doing it for them," Astro remained himself.
He went towards the animatronic again, ready to free it, but then two other cages appeared. From the first, something came out and went directly at Astro, intercepting him mid-flight and sending him to the ground.
It was a monkey with a broken light bulb in the head, and its left ear was missing. The monkey wore red boots, and its chest was metallic without artificial skin. While its arms looked like skin similar to the face, although the right side was torn. Its eyes were red and its tail gray, it was small in size.
The monkey scratched Astro's face while he protected himself with both arms.
"Heih!" Astro said irritably, "I love animals... but you need to learn about... personal space!"
Astro covered himself with only one arm while he hit the monkey with the other one, sending the monkey away. The robot went to the force field, and it was electrocuted; it did not scream in pain; it just looked annoyed.
"Red energy is dangerous," Astro thought.
Then he heard chainsaws.
Astro looked to his right and saw his new adversary: this had been a construction robot with drills for hands and nose. And for legs, it had two continuous tracks, similar to an excavator. Its color was turquoise, but it was very worn by dirt and tears; it had a yellow collar, a meter on its chest, and an antenna on the back of its head. It was big and scary.
"Great," Astro said between his teeth.
The robot went against him and tried to impale him with its drill, but Astro jumped back; the chicken tackled the kid and then bit his arm.
"Come on, pal! I don't even eat meat!"
The chicken bit him with all its might, but the suit protected his body.
"Thanks, Dad!"
Astro stuck both legs to the chicken's chest and activated his boots; the thrusters sent the animatronic to the other side of the arena. Astro stood up, ready to heal everyone, but the monkey recovered and jumped to one of the poles; the animal launched its tail, wrapping it around Astro's neck.
Before he could take it off, the monkey used his tail to throw him against the shield. He didn't get electrocuted like Dad had promised, but it was like hitting a hard wall, and then the monkey threw him forward and let him go.
"Quick, the boots, the boots!" Astro said to himself, but before he could act, the drill robot hit him with one arm, and Astro flew until he crashed on the other end of the force field.
He fell with a crash as Hamegg laughed; things were going better than he had imagined.
"Alright, no more nice guy!" Astro thought as he stood up.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"The chicken went at him again; it was behind his back. The animatronic tried to knock him down with one arm, but Astro crouched, grabbed his enemy's limb, and threw it against the drill robot.
They both went against the wall, and the crowd exclaimed in surprise; the monkey climbed the rafters again and threw its tail at Astro, but the boy caught the tail with his hand and pulled the monkey. The animal could not resist the boy's strength, so Astro stretched out his arm, and the monkey hit its face with Astro's fist.
"Ooh!" The audience roared.
"What a move!" Hamegg screamed; he had to give it to the boy he knew how to put up a fight.
The monkey was left seeing stars after such an impact. Astro took out a battery and stuck it where the light was; the monkey writhed in pain while moaning, and the red energy began to leave his body.
"Don't worry, friend, it will happen soon."
But he didn't have time for that; the chicken and the drill robot stood up and adopted attack positions.
"Wait here," he said to the monkey, although it was clear it wasn't going anywhere.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" The chicken screamed as it prepared its neck.
Astro narrowed his eyebrows and put a hand in his pocket.
"This is gonna be crazy!" He thought.
The chicken threw out its neck and opened its beak to nibble on him, but Astro stretched out his hand with the battery between his fingers. The animatronic's mouth closed on the fist; Astro grimaced but did not give up. The chicken began to squirm while the battery was charging.
When it was finally discharged, the pressure on the beak loosened, and the chicken fell like a sack.
"Ah!" Astro said when his hand was free, the chicken didn't have the strength to penetrate his skin, much less his endoskeleton. He would be fine.
If he managed to avoid his last enemy.
The robot with the beaks was heading towards him at full speed; it raised both arms and was going to drop them on Astro, but he managed to catch them with his own; unfortunately, the nose beak was still working. The robot was bringing its head closer to the neck of the boy; Astro grimaced as he pulled his throat back as far as he could.
"Oh! It looks like Astro is in trouble," Hamegg commented, "will the Greatest Robot on Earth be able to free himself from this?"
The Duke Red sat forward in his seat.
"Don't even think I'll go down so easily," Astro thought angrily.
With a jump, he kicked it and let himself go; the robot slid backward but quickly regained its balance. It went full speed against Astro; he activated the laser on his finger to draw a line on the ground. The robot stopped, and when it looked up, he saw Astro going against it, with battery in hand.
Before the robot could defend itself, Astro had already inserted the battery into its meter; the robot spasmodically moved until it was empty, lowering its arms and head as if dead.
"Don't worry, as soon as I'm done here, I will take you all to the Ministry," he thought as he removed the battery, then went to the monkey and did the same.
The reactions were mixed; some applauded and were happy because they had bet on Astro, and others grumbled in anger because they betted on the rival.
"Very funny, but I thought that fool had promised you a miraculous creation," said Rock, finishing his soda, "we just saw that fool fighting with a pile of garbage."
"He doesn't even dare to finish them properly," Rock thought. Astro was indeed a weakling.
But the Duke shook his head, smiling.
"Patience, son, Hamegg told me there would be an opening act; the real show is about to begin."
Rock looked back at the arena; maybe the night could get better.
Hamegg was pleased; of course, he didn't expect those zombies to be able to defeat Astro. Of course not! They were just a warm-up both for the boy and for the audience. It was time to show what he was really capable of.
"Yes, yes, pretty good, right?" He spoke again to the spectators, "But I know you didn't come here to see the great Astro Boy fight with a pile of scrap metal!"
Astro clenched his eyebrows as he heard that; he hated it when they addressed robots with that word!
"You are not escaping this time!"
"No, you want to see Astro against a rival on par with the Peacekeeper and Frankenstein, right?!"
There was a loud: Yes throughout the theater; they then began to hit their seats to create an echo. Astro looked around, feeling somewhat intimidated. He sensed it; the robot zombies were just the beginning.
"Well, my beloved audience, do not worry because now Astro is about to deal with an enemy like no other! One born of my own ingenuity!" He took out his controller and pressed another button.
In the heart of the arena, a gate opened.
...
Back in the basement, Reno and Cora had looked for a way to destroy that thing, but nothing they did to it worked; the cocoon's shell was too strong, and there was no way to release all the energy it had absorbed.
"Any more ideas?" Cora asked.
Reno shook his head.
"No. I don't have anything else and..."
A door opened above the cocoon, and both teens looked up at it.
"No," Cora whispered.
The cocoon was lifted until it entered through the opening; the two exchanged glances, but it was too late.
...
The cocoon entered the arena, causing the audience to scream in surprise and excitement. The Duke looked at the shell with interest.
"Alright, Mr. Hamegg, time to see what you're capable of."
Astro backed away a little; that capsule looked intimidating, maybe it wasn't as big as the two huge adversaries he fought, but something was wrong. He could feel it; it was evil.
He put his fists at a defensive height.
Hamegg smiled; it was time Astro met his equal.
"You know, dear public? Astro lived with me for some time," the audience shouted in surprise. Hamegg nodded his head. "Yes, yes, they were quite pleasant days. Astro even came to see me as his father."
Hamegg pretended to wipe away a tear. Astro just grimaced; was he seriously going to play that card? He had no shame.
"And since the little one there is my creation," Hamegg continued while pointing at the cocoon, "this is almost Shakespearean, a battle between brothers."
The audience once again exclaimed in excitement.
"What can be greater than The Greatest Robot in the World? Well, a robot who can carry the weight of the world on its shoulders!" Hamegg pressed another button. The cocoon opened into three doors, one on each side and one at the top, releasing red smoke: "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, please a warm-up welcome for..."
Astro clenched his fists and prepared to fight.
"ATLAS!"