Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

That afternoon, Tenma could rest; the Ministry had decided to give the day off in celebration that the school, and the areas destroyed by Frankenstein's attack, had finally been repaired. And although Tenma would have preferred to keep working, Elefun convinced him that after so many surprises, everyone deserved a break, so the good doctor was relaxing at the dining room table with a fresh cup of tea made by Orrin.

For the first time in a long, Tenma felt that he no longer had any worries; Stone was gone, Astro was not in danger of exploding, and he was dealing with the robot zombies with extreme efficiency; after Frankenstein, none would seem like a challenge to him, and bloody Tawashi wasn't after them anymore, so everything was going very well, and he hoped it would stay that way.

But when the doorbell rang, he knew the calm was over.

"Are you waiting for someone, doctor?"

“No, no one, Orrin."

The robot went to the door and activated the security camera, the people on the other side... were two individuals he had never imagined seeing again.

“Sir… Duke Red and his son… are at the door."

Tenma's cup began to shake; he carefully placed it on the table.

"The… Duke Red? Are you sure it's him?"

Orrin nodded. Tenma got up from his chair and adjusted the collar of his shirt. What business would bring the Duke to Metro City? And even more important, to his house? Would it be for Astro?

Oh no, there was no way his son would ever set foot in Metropolis; that damned hell was a death trap for any robot; and human. He would prefer to take his chances at Marina City with the loser Yamanoue.

"Well…let him in."

Orrin nodded again, although he too was scared, and of course, rumors said that the Duke's son enjoyed his work excessively.

"Well, if a fight is what you want, you'll see my son is unlike any other robot."

The door opened, and there stood the great Duke Red.

"Doctor Tenma, it's a pleasure to meet you again."

...

The robot on the billboard was enormous, at least five meters taller than Frank; its metal was a shimmering red that shone in the sunlight; on his arms, head, and chest, he had rows of spikes, his shoulders looked like shoulder pads, his eyes were immovable and had no irises, giving him a terrifying look.

"With us is the champion of the Surface Robot Games: Brando, the Greatest Robot on Earth, as he calls himself." Announced a female reporter in a hovering vehicle very similar to Hamegg's.

The reporter held the microphone close to Brando's mouth.

"Mr. Brando, is it true that you objected to the Robot Games clause?"

"Absolutely, the Robot Games represented something, and that was who the greatest was; you should know that the Surface was a tough place to live, where only the strongest survived, and being in that arena proved it; ever since we joined Metro City, everyone has softened."

“Wow, those are strong statements, Mr. Brando."

"I'm a robot of few words, Miss Shimizu, because I make everyone count, and that's what I think."

"Do you blame Astro for this change?"

"He is responsible, albeit indirectly. I was one of the many who opposed the initiative, but; Astro had saved the city, so his vote was the definitive one."

"But you cannot deny Astro is making big improvements, like the 'New Life' program, which has been dedicated to collecting and repairing all the robots thrown to the Surface for years."

Brando shrugged:

"He has made good things; I give him that."

"And what about those who say that Astro is the greatest robot in the world and not you?"

Brando gave a mocking laugh.

"Astro might be powerful, but I doubt he can beat me; if I remember correctly, he needed help to defeat both the Peacekeeper and the robot zombies." 

"It is true, but one must not forget that in a fight, not only brute force matters. Astro has known how to take advantage of his opportunities."

"It's true, and I admit that, but I assured you he wouldn't stand a chance against me." 

"Are you challenging Astro to a duel, Mr. Brando?"

"I'm just saying that if Astro wants a fight, here I am, ready for anything."

"These were the controversial words that Brando said in his latest interview. Brando was the Robot Games champion for ten years before their cancellation. It is known that the day Astro competed, Brando was under repair, so the fight never happened. Although we won't have to wait for a battle between the Surface and Metro City; because this Saturday will take place the combat with Hercules, the robot-fighting champion in the city, even so, many fans are still hoping that Astro may face Brando at some point, to determine who really is the greatest robot in the world," said the voice of the off-screen host.

Kenichi looked at Astro, who had a very watchful eye in the ad, they had been promoting the fight between Hercules and Brando for weeks, but neither Ken nor Astro had paid much attention to the matter until Brando decided to blame Astro for the Robot Games, and now publically challenged him.

"Would you accept the challenge?" he asked.

Astro just lowered his head and denied it.

"Not at all; you know that I hate fighting; if it were up to me, I would never have to do it for the rest of my life."

After that, they started walking.

"The only robots I sought to fight are the robot zombies, and it is only to cure them, nothing more."

Even so, he preferred more pacifist resolutions, like the New Life program, which will prevent new zombies from emerging and give the scrapped robots a second chance. As the two walked, several airships carrying the dumped androids to the Ministry flew by. 

Ken nodded in agreement; he was grateful that his friend was a pacifist; his stomach was knotted when he remembered the fight with Frankenstein. Seeing his friend being shaken like a rag, he would also be more than happy if Astro never had to fight again; he deserved to live like a normal kid.

"Still. I think you would beat Brando easily."

Astro was not gonna argue, he didn't feel like it, and also appreciated the trust Ken had in him.

"Thanks, brother."

Without further ado, they walked for a while longer until Ken noticed his watch.

"My training is starting soon; are you sure you wanna join me?"

"I wouldn't miss it for anything."

He said it because Ken had soccer practice, and it turned out that he indeed was a great player in the sport; the day they met, Ken made it easy for the players from the Surface, and on Saturday, there would be an important game, so the team had to practice hard to win. The Collectors and the rest of the Sky Riders were busy with homework. Astro had the advantage that his artificial intelligence was very advanced, so he could do it in the blink of an eye, so he preferred to cheer on Ken.

"I just need to go home for another battery... two actually; we don't wanna be surprised by another zombie."

"I agree with you, brother."

They went to Astro's apartment; usually, the robot would fly them to his room, but he preferred not to waste energy if an enemy appeared out of nowhere. After The Day of the Living Dead, he was always alert, so they would go by the elevator, just that something in the street caught their attention, a limousine with tinted windows was parked outside.

"Do you recognize that car?"

"No."

"Must be someone important."

"Yeah, probably here to see Dad."

They passed the door and took the elevator to Astro’s floor; on the way, they changed the subject and forgot about the limo; until the doors opened, a person was standing in the archway of Astro's house.

He was a teenager with black hair, who wore dark glasses, a red sweater, and black suspender pants, with a belt that had a brown bag on one side, and silver boots, he had his arms crossed and with a relaxed look, with a smile that gave off arrogance.

"Uh… hi?" Astro said.

But the individual didn't say anything; he did not even seem to notice their presence.

"Excuse us, but this is my friend's department, and we need to get inside," Ken added.

The teen still did not move.

"Are you deaf or something?" Ken asked, now a little irritated; he didn't know what, but something about that boy gave him a bad feeling. It was the complete opposite of when he met Astro.

That young man was still undeterred, which only made Ken angrier.

"Or maybe you are just dumb." Now he did say it with fury.

"Ken," Astro whispered in his ear, then pointed to the other side of the belt.

Ken looked down and saw that the lad had a holster with a gun in it. Ken swallowed, the boy laughed, and they both looked at him.

"It's an M87. Its bullets can pierce through the head of the strongest robot," he said gracefully, like a hunter flitting with the prey he had just killed.

Ken was a little scared but still felt anger, and he didn't like that fool's tone. He knew where he was going, provoke Astro, the robot knew it too, but it wouldn't be easy to make him angry, but if Astro had to defend himself and Kenichi, he would.

"Only the military has permission to use that kind of weapon," Ken said; as much as Tawashi disliked Astro, he hated illegal weapons more.

"But not in Metropolis."

Ken's eyes widened, while Astro was just confused; he had never heard that name before. He tried to remember some of Toby's memories, but nothing came to mind.

"You are from Metropolis?" Ken asked. 

The boy chuckled again.

"The name's Rock, Rock Holmes, son of Duke Red; and leader of the Marduk. I bet you've heard the name."

Ken swallowed again; Astro saw his friend and then Rock, not knowing what they were talking about; he was feeling lost.

“Metropolis? Marduk? What are those?”

If Rock had only giggled before, now he burst out laughing.

"You're not very smart for a robot, are you?"

Astro looked down, feeling like a fool, but it only made Ken angrier. How dare Rock talk to Astro like that? And in his own home! Just because Astro did not know those things, Rock have no right to treat him that way.

"And you, for being a leader, have no manners! Besides, who wears sunglasses in a closed space? That is just being stupid!"

See if he liked a taste of his own medicine.

Everybody remained silent; Rock and Ken had a duel of glances. The teenager placed a hand on his gun butt. Astro closed his fist and braced himself, he could take the insults, but if Rock decided to shoot, he wouldn't hesitate to put Ken's welfare first.

The door opened, and Tenma peeked out. 

"What is all this scandal about?" Then he noticed the presence of the boys. "Son… weren't you going to accompany Kenichi to his practice?"

"Yes, Dad, I only came for some batteries."

Rock took his hand from the gun, and Astro opened his hand. Ken also relaxed.

"Okay, let me tell Orrin to..."

"Is that your son, Tenma?" asked a voice inside, an unknown one.

Tenma closed his eyes uncomfortably, then opened them again.

"Yes, sir."

"Then let him in. I really want to meet him."

Astro had never seen his dad like this; he wasn't angry but… scared, even more than when he had been with Stone.

"Fine. Rock, would you mind?"

He stepped aside. Astro and Ken rushed to enter, but they could feel Rock following them with his eyes.

Inside, they found a man, possibly in his forties, with somewhat tanned skin, blonde hair that reached the nape of his neck combed up, a long pointed nose shaped similarly to the beak of a bird, green emerald eyes, and who was wearing an elegant white suit, standing by the table.

"Son, let me introduce you to Duke Red, Metropolis magnate," Tenma said. "Duke, this is Astro, my son, and Kenichi, a friend from school."

"Welcome to our home, sir," Astro took a bow, and so did Ken.

"Welcome to the city, sir," he added.

“The famous Astro,” said the Duke in a firm voice, walking up to him and offering his hand, “Is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Thank you, sir," Astro replied, shaking his hand.

“Your adventures have not gone unnoticed in Metropolis, boy."

"It's- an honor to know that, sir." Astro hated sounding so repetitive, but he didn't know what Metropolis was, who the Duke or Rock was, or what business could have brought them to the city.

The Duke then turned his attention to Ken, who widened in surprise; he wasn't expecting to be the center of attention.

"Excuse me, young lad, but haven't we met before?" 

"Sorry, sir... but I don't think so," Ken answered cautiously.

The Duke raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure? Cause I could swear I have seen your face before."

Ken shallowed before answering:

"Sorry, sir, but I think you are conf..."

"That's it!" The Duke interrupted him, snapping a finger, "You are Higeoyaji's nephew!"

Ken's eyes enlarged in terror; he prayed the Duke wouldn't make the connection.

"I... I am, sir."

"I knew it; your uncle took a case once in Metropolis," the Duke continued; "a missing person, I believe. If I recall correctly, it was an employee of mine. Sadly, he never solve it."

Astro could see his friend trembling; he didn't know if the Duke was trying to be menacing or insulting Ken's uncle for not solving the case; whatever it was, he wasn't allowing it. And Astro had a feeling the Duke might have something to do with the crime, so...

"You know? Maybe I could look at those files," Astro said, putting himself between Ken and the Duke. "I don´t mean to brag, but I'm good at connecting dots, and powerful." 

He looked the Duke right in the eyes; if he threatened his friends, he do the same to him. No matter how rich he was or if his son was a soldier. Astro wasn't let anyone insult his friend. 

"Son. I think you said you had to accompany Kenichi; surely it's getting late, right Kenichi?" his father interrupted in a concerned tone.

He knew his son was strong, but this wasn't a fight they should start. 

The doctor looked at Ken, and the boy could see the desperation in his eyes; he wanted Astro out of that place as soon as possible.

"Yeah, it's actually getting late, Astro. We better get going," Kenichi agreed. As soon as Astro stood up for him, he immediately felt better, like if he and Astro could take on the Duke and his son; and then remembered who he was dealing with; so Dr. Tenma was right, it would be better if the two leave.

"Sure, let me just go...”

But Orrin appeared with a red backpack; he quickly slung it over Astro's shoulders.

"Here you go, Astro! Two charging batteries and three for zombies, just in case they show up! You never know!" He said with the same nervousness as Tenma. "I also pack a bottle of water in case Kenichi gets thirsty."

“Thanks, Orrin, you are very kind," Ken said.

"Unlike others," and thought for himself.

"Now you'd better go; the adults are talking," the robot added, pushing them slightly from behind, leading them to the balcony.

"Sure, Orrin, but the exit-"

"You will get there faster by flying," Tenma said suddenly, "you know how I feel about punctuality, son."

"I know, Dad."

Ken held on to Astro's hip with both arms; after checking his grip was strong, he turned on his rocket boots and began to float.

"See you later, Dad."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Doctor Tenma, and thanks for the water Orrin," Ken thanked.

Orrin nodded. Astro looked one last time at Duke Red.

"I hope you enjoy your stay in the city, Duke," Astro said, not entirely friendly.

"Rest assured I will, and I hope we can meet again one day, with more calmly."

He wasn't angry or scared, he sounded so calm and peaceful that it frightened Astro a bit, but he didn't show it. The Duke looked at Ken and smiled.

"Please, salute your uncle for my part, he's a wonderful detective."

"Was; he's retired," Ken added.

"Oh, that's a shame; he was the best in his job."

"Thank you, I will give him your regards, goodbye."

And the two fly away.

"You have a lovely boy Tenma," the Duke said as he sat back down, "and he's got good company. I like that."

The doctor made a face.

...

The fly was uncomfortably quiet. Astro took them above clouds; that way, they could avoid the cars and the other robots, he was going at a medium speed so they could hear each other, and Ken's intestines would stay in place; it was the same power he used when he flew with Cora that night.

Ken remained silent ever since they left the apartment, looking at the clouds, thinking. 

"Well, that was something," Astro said, trying to break the silence.

Ken sighed.

"Forget about him- them. Forget about them, they have no idea what they're talking about."

"No, he's right- the Duke," Ken finally spoke, looking at him, "my uncle did take a case in Metropolis- but he could never solve it."

Ken sighed, looking away again.

"Some nights, he stays up late; when he thinks I'm sleeping, he goes into his studio, puts out the old files, and just- stares at them, as if he had missed something. The clue that could solve everything." 

Astro nodded.

"I'm sorry he brought bad memories."

Ken shrugged.

"It's not your fault; a douchebag is a douchebag no matter how rich he is."

Astro couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, they suck."

Ken laughed, feeling better at making fun of the Duke and his son. Astro wasn't much of a teaser, especially with people he wasn't close to, but he also felt happy, and soon he laughed too.

The sky was filled with their giggle, but once Ken's stomach hurt, he stopped and looked at the clouds again. Astro sighed; time to talk about it.

"Metropolis is another city, right?"

Ken nodded.

"Yeah, it's several kilometers from here; it's much bigger than ours, even now with the Surface, but it's also poorer and- it's not a nice place to live."

Astro said nothing, so Ken continued.

"Things are ugly there; from what my uncle has told me, people live in extreme poverty, Astro."

"That's sad."

“A lot of people lost jobs because…it was cheaper to have robots do it, which caused people…to have resentment.”

Astro didn't need it to be explained further.

"Attacks against robots are common there because the city is divided into zones, each robot belongs to a specific area, and they need permits to leave, because otherwise…"

"There's no warning."

Ken denied.

Astro sighed and looked away; how could a city still treat robots as just machines to be disposed of? Couldn't they realize the great potential there was if humans and robots worked together? He understood why the people of Metropolis were angry, but that didn't justify their actions.

"The Marduk is the group that takes care of the robots that leave their zones; they are extremists."

"That explains Rock's gun."

"My uncle told me that the founder and financier is Duke Red, although there is no official record… it is a public secret."

"Seems your uncle didn't return so empty-handed."

"Just rumors, nothing that could be presented in court; besides, the Duke may only seem like a millionaire, but they say that he is the one who controls Metropolis, not President Boone; he is just another one of his puppets."

Astro was surprised; that man sounded like an enigma, a danger. Now he was worried about what might have brought him to the city.

"Do you know if he has business here?"

"I don't think so. Stone was always very cautious with him; I think he knew what kind of character he was," Ken laughed, "one snake recognizes another."

Astro also laughed; now he understood everything better, and at the same time, he just hoped that the Duke didn't have a job offer for his father, nor that they had to go to Metropolis. There was only one question left..."

"And Rock?"

Now Ken was just as confused as him.

"I didn't know about him, and I am glad; what a sucker."

"He said he was the Duke's son."

"I didn't know he had one. I heard about a daughter, but I'm not sure."

Astro nodded; they finally reached the soccer field, the robot began to descend, and being a few inches off the ground, Ken jumped up and landed on his feet.

"My advice is that for nothing in the world do you set foot in Metropolis, Astro; it is not a safe place, and the Duke is not a person to trust." 

"And his son is not friendly," he answered while landing.

Ken nodded.

"I hope that whatever that man wants, your dad says no."

"Do not worry about that, Ken; after the Stone incident, my dad thinks it better when it comes to making business."

Ken smiled; he hoped his friend was right. He didn't want anything bad to happen to Astro, and after meeting Rock, he had no doubts duke junior was an idiot; it was best to stay away as much as possible.

"We'd better go inside, Ken; it's getting late."

Ken looked at the field. 

"True, let's go."

They both needed to distract themselves from that unexpected visit, except Astro spent the entire training studying what he had learned; what did the Duke Red really want? Was there anything that could be done for Metropolis?

…

"Please, doctor, reconsider my proposal."

"The answer is no."

"I'm just asking you to repeat the miracle."

"I am not going to change my mind, Duke, and if that's the only thing you came to discuss, then I ask you to leave my home now."

Tenma could swear he heard the safety lever on Rock's gun go off, but he didn't change his stance. The Duke had an emotionless expression.

"Very well; I can't make you do something you don't want to do."

Not here.

"It's true; as long as we aren't on Metropolis, he has no power over us," Tenma thought. 

"Orrin, accompany the…"

"No need; I know the way out," the Duke said, standing up.

He then turned around and walked slowly to the exit; Rock opened the door for him. When they were sure they had left, Tenma let out a long sigh; ever since Toby's death, he hadn't been so scared. Orrin appeared with a glass of water and an aspirin.

"Thank you, Orrin."

The Doctor took the pill and swallowed all the water in one gulp.

"It's true, sir? What the Duke said?"

Tenma placed the glass on the table. 

"Yes, everything, but I'm not going to do it, Orrin, the Duke is not a person who knows how to love... he will end up using her as a weapon, I'm sure."

If Orrin had saliva, he would have swallowed it.

"We must stay as far away from that man as possible."

...

"Looks like your meeting with the mad scientist didn't go as you expected, Father," Rock told him, opening the limousine door.

The Duke moved his hand as if he wanted to brush away a fly.

"I knew Tenma was prideful, but it doesn't worry me."

Rock gently closed the door, went to the pilot's seat, and seated. As the vehicle started, the Duke looked out the window.

“There are more mad scientists out there."

Chapter Text

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."

Chapter Text

Astro was looking at himself in the mirror; since tonight was the first time he would go out with his friends in a long time, he wanted to wear something different: a red t-shirt underneath a green short-sleeve button-down, accompanied by black pants. In his opinion, he looked good, and in retrospect, he should have worn that outfit to dinner with Cora's parents; that would be for the next occasion.

Already dressed, he left his room and went to the living room; now came the good part, to see if Dad did not regret it at the last moment. If the doctor was paranoid before, now things were worse since the Duke's visit; he constantly called his son asking where he was, telling him to be back home before dark. And Tenma was even considering leaving the robot zombies to the cops; luckily, they didn't trust Tawashi. So when Astro told him that he was going out with friends, his father was worried but allowed him to go; that did not prevent the rest of the day were a little tense, with neither of them speaking to each other, perhaps because they knew that if they did, they would start an argument.

And now it was time for the truth, to see how things turned out.

As he went to the living room, he could hear his Dad talking with someone else.

"I'm not sure it's a good idea, Elefun; there may be more zombies out there."

"Come on, Tenma. Astro has been hunting zombies non-stop day and night; he deserves a break too."

"I know, but…"

At that, Astro entered the room; Elefun and Dad were having tea at the table.

"Hello, Doctor Elefun. I didn't know you were coming tonight."

"Well, Astro, someone has to make your father see reason," he answered, looking at Tenma.

His father made a face, and Astro couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"Astro... are you sure you wanna go to the Surface? I've heard it's dangerous this late at night."

"It's funny you say that to a child with guns up his ass," Astro thought.

“Nonsense,” Elefun intervened. “Tawashi has implemented a lot of security since we became one again. I'm sure you don't have to worry about Astro."

Astro smiled; he would always appreciate his support, even in things as simple as convincing his father. Tenma bit his lip and was about to reply, but Elefun spoke again.

"Astro, you better go; you don't wanna keep your friends waiting."

Astro nodded and began to walk towards the exit, his father was about to get up, but Elefun was faster and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, Tenma, it's been a long since we spoke as friends. It's always Ministry things; if the budget is over, if another prototype got out of control. It is time to talk about what's really important, friend: life."

In that, Elefun looked at Astro and winked. Astro smiled, returned the greeting, and then went to the balcony. Tenma tried to go with him, but Elefun kept stopping him.

"We have a lot to talk about, my friend."

"But... but..."

"Did I tell you that Yuko came to my house and recommended that I change the wallpaper in the kitchen? Can you believe it? I understand she doesn't like the Vintage style, but I hoped she could at least appreciate the effort."

Astro turned around and started walking backward; he couldn't help but be entertained by Dad's reactions; it was hilarious.

"But..."

Elefun took Tenma out of the room, and Astro jumped off the balcony and flew away.

...

At night, the streets of The Surface were illuminated by the neon lights of the advertisements and billboards; flying over, Astro thought that everything looked beautiful. His friends were waiting for him at a bus stop; Ken, Tama, and Shibugaki dressed similarly to him. While Zane, Sludge, and Widget wore casual clothes, Cora…seemed to be a mix of the two. Her outfit was the same as always, but the clothes were new, surely a gift from her parents.

Astro landed a few meters from them; the first to spot him was Ken, who smiled and waved at him.

"Hi, Astro! Here!"

Astro walked to them.

"Astro, good to see you!" Tamao told him.

One by one, they greeted him, shook hands, and complimented each other. Immediately Astro's spirits lifted; it had been so long that he had forgotten how good it felt to be with the seven of them. After the introductions, Cora led them through some streets.

"Please, don't leave the sidewalk; who knows the dangers of the Surface," she told the Sky Riders mockingly.

"Hey, remember that we helped Astro defeat Frankenstein," Shibugaki replied.

"Yeah, but the Peacekeeper was much worse," Zane contradicted.

"No, I don't think so," added Tamao. "Frankenstein was out of control."

"But the Peacekeeper was huge!" Sludge exclaimed.

"Why don't we ask Astro?" Widget suggested.

Astro just shrugged.

"I say the two were tough, and I appreciate everyone's help in both fights."

Cora smiled, the same Astro as always.

They advanced until they reached a huge tent; on the sides, it had searchlights announcing the show. The entrance was funny as it looked like a clown's face while the stairs were disguised as a tongue.

"Wow, that's an interesting design," Astro said.

The Sky Riders were also in awe.

"The show is so cool," said Widget, "wait till you see those robots stunt."

That excited Astro and the group began to walk inside, all eager for what seemed to be a spectacular evening. If only they had turned to look back, they would have seen that some drones, black in color, with mechanical arms at the sides, and with red eyes, were following them.

...

Before going to the arena, there was a candy store, where the twins bought some popcorn and a box of gummies; Zane a hot dog and some nachos, Cora a soda and chocolate, Ken and Tama decided to share a combo of popcorn, soda, and some sweets; and Shibugaki bought all of the above.

Astro found that quite interesting; to see how humans chose what food to consume, not to survive but for pleasure; since robots could not choose some flavor of energy or of oil, so to speak, they did not have that gustatory pleasure, so it was very curious to him how humans decided which food was delicious and which was not.

"Well, I suppose we could say that it's similar to when we are together," Ken explained to him after they had finished shopping; now they were walking to their seats, "let's say that chocolate generates the same feeling as when you are with us, it's nice and you enjoy it."

Astro nodded, Ken was gonna continue, but his look changed to a more serious, almost angry, one that worried Astro a little.

"And let's say that eating… broccoli, for example, is the same as when we met Rock."

Now Astro understood better; Rock had given him a bad feeling, but with Ken, he seemed to have generated real hatred, which was quite rare considering how quick the encounter had been; and that Kenichi was possibly the noblest person Astro knew, he was surprised to see him despise someone like that, he would have understood it from Cora or Shibugaki, but Ken... it was strange.

"Or maybe Rock is that bad."

Then he had a somewhat funny idea, if Ken was so good, maybe Rock was his counterpart, all bad, and that's why they clashed so much; they were opposites, and that's why they fought.

"Like the cores."

That gave him another interesting thought, did he have a counterpart? An opposite? He had to think about it because he didn't want Stone to have that benefit.

Ken quickly shook his head.

"Sorry, Astro, tonight is not to get angry... let's forget everything that has to do with Rock."

"Yeah, better." He didn't enjoy seeing Ken this angry at all.

"I hope that at least my explanation has helped you."

"Pretty much, Ken, thanks."

They smiled at each other and sat down, they were already in the arena, and it was quite large, surrounded by a circle of wooden stadium bleachers, with thirty-five rows, divided by four pedestals that had animal heads made of glass on top: a dog, a cat, a bear and a lion, which shone and spun around lighting up the whole place. Both Astro and the Sky Riders looked at the decorations and smiled; it was pretty cool to see all of that; it gave the feeling of spectacularity.

Cora smiled; her plan was working perfectly. She knew that the old Robot Circus would not fail; that was where Hamegg took them if they managed to deliver enough pieces for a week. It worked very well as an extra incentive since, in a place like The Surface, any distraction was good, and of course, it continued to have the same effect on Sludge and Widget, who stood up from their seats and shouted excitedly.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls of all ages! Welcome to the super-sensational-ultra-splendid, and ultra-mega-entertaining…ROBOT CIRCUS!" The announcer announced, a human wearing an elegant navy blue suit. "LET THE SHOW BEGIN!"

"I hope he pays them well," thought Astro.

The lights went off, only came back on, and it pointed directly to the center; there was a small robot whose joints looked like springs, while her chest and hips were round like her blue feet. And her hands were like white gloves, her nose was red and rounded, she had round glasses drawn, her hair was a light-blue afro, and she had round and yellow earrings in each ear. The robot stuck out its tongue, yanked on its earrings, and a sea of bubbles spewed out of her hair and blew into the audience, eliciting whoops of excitement and amusement.

Next to her, another robot appeared, this one was on top of a wheel, his body had the shape of an egg, his head was round, with a protruding gray mustache, on his head he had a red hat and on top, it had small trumpets, just like in his ears. His arms were long and thin, and they were playing two cymbals. The robot twirled around the stage, jumped, and revealed that he had six other arms, each playing a drum.

His hat opened, and from there, another android came out; this one was thin as a scarecrow, and he looked very similar. He wore a black clown suit with white buttons and a large dark hat; his head was triangular. He somersaulted in the air and then landed, bowing as the little robot appeared and activated the bubbles again.

They served as a distraction because when the bumps dispersed, one more robot was on the scene; this one was large, tall, and muscular. His stomach and arms were reddish-brown, while the chest was gray; he also wore suspender pants; the garment was green and the strings red. The head was square similar to Frank's. His eyes were red glasses, and his hair was blonde. The robot was holding a metal rod in his arms, he opened his mouth, and a burst of fire came out.

As it disappeared, two more actors fell from the sky, arms outstretched and smiling, twisting their bodies slightly and landing three jumps before facing the audience.

The first had the physique of an adult woman, wearing purple shoes, a pink one-piece suit with a pink skirt. Her robotic skin was cream-colored, her cheeks were marked, and her hair was pink.

Her partner appeared to be a fifteen-year-old boy; he wore silver boots and red pants. His chest and arms were also silver, with robotic shoulder pads, and his hands were red. His hair was navy blue, two sides of his face were dark gray, and the rest a lighter tone. He had antennae for ears and wore a red cloak.

Those two had the most human look, their companions joined them, and they all posed victoriously for the spectators. The arena was filled with cheers, and Astro couldn't help but do the same; it was so exciting to see each robot use its special ability with the speed at which they did it and entered the scene; it was impossible not to be aware of something.

The whole gang was enjoying the show so much that no one noticed the drones that had followed them were above them. One drone spotted Astro and focused its lens on him.

"Remember, he is the target; destroy him at all costs!" their master ordered them.

With a sound, the drone accepted its task, then fixed itself on one of the pillars, tracing an easterly direction it would fall on top of Astro; not even he could survive with such a weight. With a noise, he indicated his companions to follow him; they all flew up the lower part of the column; in their fingers, they had inserted a chainsaw blade, activated it, and began to cut the metal.

Meanwhile, the kids continued concentrating on the show, unaware of the danger that was coming, luckily, Astro's super-hearing went into action, and despite all the fuss, he distinguished a very different noise. It wasn't voices or effects but that of a saw; Astro turned to see where the sound was coming from, and just in time because the column collapsed.

"LOOK OUT!" He yelled, alerting everyone, then flew off toward the pedestal.

He reached out with both arms and caught it before it crushed someone.

"Fuck!" The master told the drones. "We can't risk being found out, abort! Abort!"

With that order, the drones headed for the exit; there would be another chance to destroy Astro.

Panic spread everywhere; people stood up and shouted, and the actors left their performance and watched the wreckage.

"PLEASE, REMAIN CALM AND HEAD TO THE CLOSEST EXIT!"

Astro winced as he held the huge weight.

"It's heavier than I thought! I don't know if I can hold on!" He thought, directing more energy into his rockets to get it into place.

Cora stood up and saw that there were still many people in the range of the fall.

“We have to get these people out of here!” She said, everyone, looking at her and nodding.

They quickly began to show the masses the way out, as well as helping the youngest and the elderly to get up. The robots saw their efforts and joined them, carrying as many people as possible to take them to the exits.

Astro caught a glimpse of this and was relieved; at least if he failed, no lives would be lost. He began to push, and the column went toward its place of origin. When it was placed, Astro released it and flew toward the bottom; with the laser in his finger, he began to melt the metal so that it would stick to the base again.

Everyone in the stands had already been evacuated; the Collectors and the Sky Riders had already gone down and were running towards the exit, except Cora, who was looking that no one was left, checking even under the seats.

"Cora, let's go!" Zane yelled at him.

"I´m coming!" 

The metal had been melted and was back in place. Astro sighed and wiped his forehead with his arm as if he had sweat; at that, he heard a screw snap; he looked up and saw that the dog head had come loose; it went forward and was going in the direction of…

"CORA!" He screamed.

The girl had not gotten out in time, and now the head was to crush her. She looked up and saw how the enormous light was heading towards her. She cried and, out of sheer instinct, covered herself with her arms. Astro flew towards her at full speed. 

The robot in the red cape had stayed behind, along with the one with the wheel, and seeing that Cora was going to be crushed, he did not hesitate for a second to act. In one jump, he managed to reach the first row, then he jumped to the second, and so on, and when he got with Cora, the boy carried her in his arms and jumped back to the stage. 

The girl cried in surprise when the boy took her, but soon was relieved when she saw she was out of danger. Cora looked around, surprised to see she was on the scene.

Astro managed to get in front of the head and catch it before it crashed. Unfortunately, a part of the light broke, and a piece flew out, hitting the robot on the wheel; he got out of control and began to spin erratically. The robot yelled in surprise; Zane grabbed him and led it out of the tent.

"Don't worry, buddy, you'll be fine." 

"T... thanks."

"That was close," Astro thought, relieved. He flew over to go with Cora, who was barely recovering from the shock.

The robot was laying her down; she would be dizzy if she hadn't endured a fall from the city to the Surface, so that was child's play.

"Even so, I don't want to repeat that anymore." Cora thought once her feet touched the ground.

One of her hands got caught in something, so she yanked hard, taking a red glove.

Astro was heading towards them when he saw it... he had to stop and stare to make sure his vision wasn't deceiving him; Astro blinked, rubbed his eyes, and saw again; he didn't see things.

The boy's hand… was human; the glove was on the floor. Cora had her eyes closed as she rubbed her forehead; the boy looked at her, then at the glove; he bent down and quickly took it to put it back on. Astro was surprised; why was that boy in a robot circus? And why was he posing as one?

When Cora opened her eyes, she saw her savior and noticed that he had blue eyes; she thought it was a cute feature.

"Thanks," she told him sincerely.

The boy smiled.

"You're welcome."

Astro landed near them and placed the head on the ground, he had many questions for the boy, but first, he had to see Cora.

"Cora... are you okay?" He asked as he moved towards her.

The girl nodded, Astro hugged her, and she wrapped her arms around him; it was short but comforting. When they separated, they were still holding arms; Astro looked at the boy.

"Thank you for that."

His silence made the boy understand Astro wanted to know his name; the boy raised a thumb, closed one eye, and smiled, showing his teeth; with great pride and confidence, he replied:

"Reno, my name is Reno."

Chapter Text

After the incident, everyone had been evacuated, and the authorities, as well as their parents, had arrived; Tawashi and other officers were taking statements from the clients while Astro was explaining what had happened to his Dad and Dr. Elefun, Tenma seemed to be trying hard not to explode, he was regretting letting his son attend.

In that, Ken placed his arm around Astro's shoulders:

"Heavens! Thank the Gods that Astro was here; who knows all the damage that could have happened if he hadn't saved us all." Ken yelled.

Astro did not know why until he saw to the front, Tawashi was coming in their direction. Ken looked at the inspector with a cocky smile and added:

"Again."

The inspector frowned, but the crowd started clapping and cheering Astro's name, which caused the boy's cheeks to turn blue; Ken looked at him and winked.

That didn't stop Tawashi from getting closer.

"So… another tragedy avoided, thanks to Astro."

"That's right! Thank the Gods that he is always here to protect us", added Tamao, putting himself in front of Astro, "he is the hero we deserve."

"And the hero we need right now," said Shibugaki joining Tama.

"Because he can take it," added Zane, also entering.

"He's a silent guardian," Widget also added.

"A watchful protector," and finally, Sludge finished it, making a dramatic pose.

Tawashi raised an eyebrow at the spectacle, while behind his back, Officer Nakamura applauded.

Cora just stared at the scene; she knew that joining would only embarrass Astro even more; besides, the crowd's support would be enough to prevent Tawashi from arresting Astro. She looked over her shoulder and noted that, a few meters away, Reno was with the other artists, apparently repairing one.

"How curious," she thought, something about that boy caught her attention, but she didn't know what.

Tawashi stared at the group of friends strangely, and they looked back with certainty; there was still tension between them from their last encounter, and although the inspector had not retaliated against them, it was not time to let their guard down. But Tawashi only looked away.

"The important thing is that no lives were loose from this accident."

"It wasn't an accident," Elefun interrupted, "Astro says someone cut the pillar."

One of the drones was still flying over the circus on orders from its master.

"Curses! Get close, but not too much. I wanna know what they have discovered and record if necessary."

The drone nodded with noise and flew down, keeping a distance in which the others would not see it.

Tawashi addressed Elefun.

"Are you sure we can trust the word of a r- ?" He noticed the Sky Riders and Collectors were looking at him with angry faces, "- of Astro?"

Tenma clenched a fist, but Elefun put a hand on his shoulder.

"I trust Astro with my life," he said to Tawashi's face.

Astro was always touched when Elefun had those gestures with him. Tawashi still didn't seem convinced, but he looked at Astro anyway, which made his friends defensive again.

"Why do you think that?" He asked.

Astro smiled; it sounded like a genuine question, not a claim.

"The metal was cut as only a chainsaw can."

Tawashi raised an eyebrow.

"A robot?"

Elefun answered before Astro.

"Not necessarily; there are drones equipped that can be operated remotely. It could well have been the work of a human."

"That only leaves us with more suspects," Tawashi looked at Astro again, "I need to take your statement."

Everyone was going to protest, but before they could, Officer Nakamura stepped in:

"You know, Inspector, I can take Astro statement if you want. I think we still do not have the Ringmaster's one."

Tawashi looked at the man and his robot employees.

"Fine by me," he responded, feeling more comfortable talking with a human.

The interrogation went well. Astro was honest and told him everything he knew without omitting any detail. Not only was Nakamura a professional, but he didn't seem bothered by Astro being a robot; he talked to him like he would with anyone else. After finishing, the officer gave him a warm thank you and proceeded to ask the robot performers. At the same time, other policemen interrogated his friends. After that, the entire force retired, and collective relief could be felt.

"Thanks for the help, guys."

"No problem, Astro, but I'd better go; my uncle has waited too long," Ken said, and they were also going to give a ride to Shibugaki.

"Yes, before my parents scold me," Tama added.

"We need to get back to the orphanage before it gets too late," Zane informed.

"I want to give them a ride, my parents agreed, but they say it has to be now," Cora explained.

Astro nodded.

"Go, you have helped me enough already."

Cora looked down at the ground somewhat sadly.

"I'm sorry things ended… with the police. Again."

Astro just smiled.

"Hey, there's nothing I enjoy more than helping others."

Again, Cora didn't know whether to hug him or slap him.

So his friends said goodbye and went home, leaving him alone with Elefun and Tenma.

"We'd better go too," his father said, obviously tired.

"Wait, Dad, there's something I have to see."

And he walked to Reno; he wanted to know why a human was dressing up as a robot in a circus. Besides, he had to check that the artists were okay; he wasn't sure that the police had asked about their well-being.

Reno was sitting cross-kneed on the floor; in one hand, he held a tool with which he repaired the robot, who was called Cookie.

"Okay, you're all fixed up now!" Said Reno with joy and a hint of pride; he turned the tool around in his fingers, stopped it, and looked at his friend: "Try moving all your parts."

Cookie moved his feet up and down without any problem.

"Wow, you can fix anything, Reno! Perfect!" Cookie told him with a thumbs up.

If Tenma was eager to leave, that completely changed his attitude, he looked at Elefun, and Elefun looked at him; both had been impressed by the speed with which Reno repaired Cookie, so the three approached.

"What did you say his name was?"

"Reno, Dad."

"Young Reno, did you fix him already?" Tenma asked, pointing at Cookie.

Reno smiled and turned to see him; with a smile and a very cheerful tone, he replied:

"Yeah!"

Then they noticed that he had a small suitcase with his instruments. Alongside it there was a piece of cloth where Reno kept his tools, which pleasantly surprised Tenma; he admired order and cleanliness.

"Nothing like a good first impression," Astro thought.

Elefun noticed the briefcase.

"Reno, may I?" He asked, pointing at the bag.

"Be my guest!" The boy responded enthusiastically.

Elefun crouched down and inspected the contents; he took out a white object.

"What is this, a memory unit?"

"Yep! You can have it if you want," he offered.

"Reno made that," Cookie said.

The boy closed his eyes and smiled while Tenma's wide opened.

"Incredible!" Tenma leaned on his friend's shoulder to see the instrument.

Astro smiled; it was rare for his father to be impressed by anything. Reno was outstanding.

"Reno is incredibly smart!" Added the scarecrow, whose name was Jellybean.

"He's talented and strong like me!" exclaimed proudly the blond robot named Bonbon.

Reno looked ashamed, like a child embarrassed when his relatives showed him off.

"I see! You have a great mind for engineering, Reno." Elefun continued.

At hearing that, all the artists came closer to hear, pretty interested in that. At the same time, Reno looked suspiciously at the doctor.

"Do you really think so?" Asked the Ringmaster, whose real name was Pannacotta.

"Yes, but he still needs proper training," Tenma quickly said, "still, if we got Astro into school, I don't see why we couldn't do the same for Reno."

Everyone was excited; except Reno, who seemed to feel uncomfortable hearing those words, so he hurried to speak:

"You're giving me too much credit!" They all turned to look at him as he crossed his arms. "It's just because I'm a robot; that's why I can fix other robots."

That made Astro raise an eyebrow; why would Reno deny his talent like that? And why did he keep saying he was a robot? What was really going on?

"Reno," he said, which caused the mentioned to turn to see him, "why are you pretending to be a robot?"

The kind and friendly expression that Reno had shown so far changed completely; he clenched his eyebrows and teeth in anger. The other artists were also surprised; Bonbon spat fire from his mouth; Cookie and Cupcake, the pink robot, put both hands to their cheeks and opened their mouths wide. Jellybean's head fell off and had to be put back on while Marshmallow, the robot with the afro, pulled on her earrings as bubbles came out.

Of all of them, only Mr. Pannacotta appeared calm, nervous but contained.

There was a very discomfiting silence in which Reno never stopped looking at Astro, making him uncomfortable. So Astro quickly tried to fix things:

"I mean... you are human," he said, extending both arms to the sides.

"What are you talking about?!" Yelled Reno punching the ground; then he placed a hand on his chest: "I am a robot! Don't be ridiculous!"

Reno's response seemed to give his friends courage, as they all quickly went into a more defensive position:

"That's right! Reno is a robot! Get out of here!" Cookie screamed.

"You're talking nonsense; just go!" Exclaimed Cupcake.

"Be gone!" Bonbon barked, waving his arm.

Astro cringed at the screams. Tenma was about to defend his son, but Mr. Pannacotta beat him to it, shouting so loud that it caused all his employees to freak out, some covering their ears or audio systems, depending on the case.

"BUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU?! Don't forget, Astro saved our circus!" Then he looked at Tenma, Elefun, and Astro. "I apologize, my friends can get carried away, and we are all shaken by the accident."

The scolding had been enough for Tenma; he adjusted his jacket and looked at the master.

"Apologies accepted."

"Now, excuse us, it's been a long night, and we want to rest."

Reno just looked down, refusing to see Astro again; the entire team retreated to the tent. That was their cue to leave.

...

Back in the car, Astro looked out the window, feeling guilty for the whole incident, it hadn't been his intention to disrespect Reno and his friends, but still, he did. He wanted to go and apologize. Even if his suspicions about Reno being a human had just increased, judging the reactions of the other members. What was going on in that circus?

Tenma looked ahead without saying a word while Elefun nervously looked at the rearview mirror, fearing that, at any moment, his friend would explode against poor Astro.

"I knew it was a bad idea," he snapped.

Elefun rolled his eyes but braced himself for combat.

"I knew that…"

"Come on, Tenma! Even Kenichi said it, if Astro hadn't been there, many people would have been injured, or worse, dead! Your son has saved everyone again! You should feel proud."

Tenma sighed and looked at the steering wheel, calming down and looking at Astro in the rearview mirror.

"Elefun is right. I'm proud of you, Astro."

But the boy didn't answer; he was focused on his thoughts.

"Astro?"

"Eh? Oh, thanks, Dad," he answered, looking out the window.

"Astro, is everything okay?" Elefun asked.

"Yes, doctor, everything is fine. I was just thinking about something..."

Tomorrow, he would return to the circus, he had to find out the truth behind all this matter, and more importantly, he had to apologize to Reno.

...

"Unbelievable! How dare he say such a thing in front of everyone?! Someone could have heard him!" Reno exclaimed.

He and Pannacotta were in his office, an old room covered with green velvet for the floor and red for the walls. Next to the wall was a desk with a lamp, and some papers over it, with two chairs. The room had a large glass window covered by wine-colored curtains.

"Reno. I get you're upset, but you need to calm down. Astro had no intention of causing trouble."

Reno closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out little by little; once calmer, he looked up and saw the man he admired like a father.

"You're right, sir. Thank you."

Pannacotta rolled his eyes.

"You know the 'sir' is not necessary."

Reno blinked at him.

"I know, Dad."

Pannacotta couldn't help but laugh, Reno joined him, and they both chuckled. When they finished, Pannacotta opened a drawer from his desk and took out a package of wet towels; he approached the boy with one and began to wipe his face with it.

"Maybe… we should consider the offer of the doctors, son. I mean, study with Umataro Tenma himself…"

"No!" Reno interrupted him, looking up.

Half of his face had been cleaned, revealing, in effect, that he was human.

"I wanna stay with you! You, Cupcake, Cookie, Bonbon, Jellybean, and Marshmallow, are my family! My life is here with you! I am a circus acrobat like everyone else… I belong here!"

Pannacotta got a lump in his throat. Reno was looking at him with teary eyes. It wasn't the first time they had this conversation; since Metro City returned to the ground, many children from the Surface had found good study opportunities, but Reno had flatly refused. He wanted to stay with them, claiming he already knew everything they taught in schools and didn't need more.

He just needed his family.

Pannacotta closed his eyes, it was late, and too many things had happened to discuss; he didn't think it was the best option, but if that was his son's decision, he would respect it.

"Okay, Reno. But please think about it- for me."

Reno leaned back in the seat and crossed his arms.

"Now you are blackmailing me," he complained.

Pannacotta laughed and playfully ruffled the boy's hair.

"Raising a human teaches you a few tricks."

Reno laughed at the affection, then he looked at his father.

"Please take off that thing. I want to see your face, the real one."

Pannacotta nodded. Reno hated that his father had to disguise himself so they could work; he would like him to show himself to the world without fear, for everyone to see him for the value of his heart, not for what he was made of.

Pannacotta put a hand to his face, there was a click, and then some smoke came out as the face separated from the skull; he removed the mask and placed it on the desk, revealing a robotic countenance of gray color with a brown mechanical mustache.

Reno smiled.

"I like you better this way."

Pannacotta finished cleaning his son's face, then with an aerosol spray, he unpainted the boy's blue hair, revealing a reddish one under it.

"I like you better this way, too."

Without either of them having to hide who they were, robot and human as father and son. Reno couldn't help but hug Pannacotta.

"Promise me we'll be together forever."

"That's a promise I don't know if I can keep," he thought. Reno was growing fast, which made it difficult to hide him, and now Inspector Tawashi knew of his existence if he ever found out...

But he wouldn't say any of that to his son; he didn't need to hear the hard truth.

"Not tonight."

"I promise you, son, we will always be together," and he hugged him.

Reno knew the difficulties, but they didn't matter; he believed in his father. Everything would be fine.

Hidden behind a chest, the drone that had stayed to spy was recording them. Upon hearing Astro, the master ordered it to follow Reno to the office and had the entire conversation and the unmasking on video, which they were broadcasting to the master in real time, he had seen and heard everything, and now he had the proof he needed.

On the other side of the monitor, sitting in his chair looking at the screens, he clasped his hands together and laughed.

"I can't believe a failed attempt to destroy that robot would be so productive! Now I have more than I could ever want!"

What gave him the most satisfaction was the ridiculousness of the matter. Astro had given him the keys for his glorious return.

"Thank you for this opportunity, Astro, and believe me when I tell you that...  I'm gonna make the most of it."

Chapter Text

The next day, Astro was flying over the Surface to the circus. Last night, he barely got some sleep since his mind could not stop spinning the whole Reno thing, that and the guilt for having caused so much fuss.

He told his father that he would go out to study in the library. Tenma seemed to agree and allowed him. Astro did not like to lie to him, but he doubted that after last night's incident, his father would let him return, so it was better not to risk it. And since it was the weekend, he wouldn't have to worry about school; his free day had served him well, and his battery was 100% charged, he would not have to worry about being tired.

While flying, he noticed some things: the center of the Surface was very active that day. There were various market stalls for sale and exchange, made of tarps of different colors, supported by wooden poles, and tied together with cords. There were also some food stalls, with tables on the sidewalks, or they could eat in the bar where they prepared the food. The chairs were plastic, not the floating ones he was used to; there were also a couple of robots in the corners that marked the path that visitors had to follow.

Astro found all this curious. His stay on the Surface had been short as he spent most of his time with Cora and the others, so he didn't have time to explore. Maybe this would be a good opportunity since the circus was not far away, and he could walk there, so he went down.

When he landed, he noticed that the stalls sold many things, from shoes to sneakers, video games, clothes, antiques, and toys; everything was very varied. There were human and robot employees; some were big and strong and helped unload the merchandise from the trucks; others were salesmen but always accompanied by a human. And other androids even served as models, using the products. Someone honked softly at him.

Astro looked behind him and noticed a boy coming up on a yellow hoverbike, worn out and with peeling paint.

"I'm sorry," Astro said, stepping aside. The boy passed by and waved his thanks.

Astro kept moving forward; many of the sellers, human and robot, were coming up to him and saying things like:

"Come and see, young lad. What do you want?"

"What were you looking for, young man?"

"Pregunte por lo que le agrade, sin compromiso."

"Thank you. Thanks. I'm just visiting," Astro thanked as he continued.

On his route, he met a robot monkey who danced to a song played by his owner; a crowd of children was sitting around him, and everyone laughed and applauded with each new feat of the robot. Astro smiled at the little show.

He kept walking, and the stalls did not stop. There were many that day; it wasn't until something caught his attention that he stopped: a tall boy with tanned skin, red hair, and blue eyes was buying bread. He dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt. Over it, he wore a navy blue T-shirt with white lines on the shoulders, light gray jean pants, and black shoes.

Now, it would not be much of a deal if it wasn't for the fact that he looked so much like Reno.

"You'd be missing three coins," the vendor told him.

Reno reached into his pockets and pulled out a mechanical part.

"Would this be enough?" He answered, smiling.

The seller's eyes lit up.

"With that, you can pick something else."

Reno smiled as he took a red bean mochi box from the stand, put it in his bag, and waved goodbye.

"See you next week, Mamoru," the salesman said.

Astro clenched his fists. He could be wrong; he had no proof that the boy was Reno. The seller had called him by another name, and his voice sounded a little deeper than last night, but he had to make sure. He followed the boy to an alleyway, the end of which gave way to grassy areas. Reno was about to cross it when Astro arrived and called him:

"Reno?"

The boy stopped short, stood still for a second, and slowly turned around. Astro could see Reno had a drop of sweat on his forehead and a very nervous expression.

"Uh-" he stammered, then he noticed the bag; he gasped and hid it behind his back.

"You look... different," Astro continued, embarrassed now. It wasn't his intention to scare him.

"You are confusing me with someone else!" Reno said nervously. "My name is Mamoru, and I-"

"I'm sorry about yesterday," Astro apologized, putting both hands together, closing his eyes, and lowering his head, "I didn't mean to offend you and your friends, nor to cause any trouble."

Astro opened his eyes.

Reno didn't know what to do; he spent the whole night and morning angry with Astro, cursing him for being a loudmouth, but now that he saw him... Astro was sorry, and he showed it. It was hard for him to stay angry with him; he remembered the words of his father:

"Astro had no intention of causing trouble."

And it was true; it would be unfair to stay mad at him. After all, he had saved the show, and if someone had really gotten hurt… it really would have been the end for them.

So he smiled, blushing a little.

"It's okay, Astro, no problem."

Astro looked him in the eyes and smiled.

"Thank you."

Reno looked both ways.

"Do you mind if we talk somewhere more private?"

Astro nodded.

"Show the way."

...

Reno took him to a hill, on top of which was a tree that gave good shade. They sat down, and Reno ate some of the bread. Astro took the opportunity to contemplate the landscape, similar to where he had faced Frankenstein, and he didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

"It's me? Or does everything look greener?" He asked.

Reno finished eating and looked at him.

"It is," he answered, "after you fought the Peacekeeper, the blue energy that spread affected nature; the flora is growing faster, and the air is cleaner... Heck, there is a lake that is blue again!"

Astro smiled, scratching his head. 

"I'm glad my little sacrifice created something more than the zombies."

Reno smiled gently. 

"Not only that, with the 'New Life' program, the junkyard has reduced, allowing more nature to grow! And those robots can have... well, have a new life."

He giggled, and so did Astro.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, thanks, Astro, for all you have done."

Even though their first meeting wasn't the best, Reno had always admired Astro.

"Don't thank me. I'm just doing the right thing."

Reno playfully pushed him.

"Don't be so modest!"

They laughed and stared at the landscape until Reno sighed.

"So, you got me," he started.

"After you saved Cora, your glove fell."

"Of course, he saw it," Reno thought.

He moaned; there was no point in hiding it anymore. Besides, this was Astro to whom he was talking; if he could trust someone, it was him. And it would be nice to have someone to talk about it for once. He placed both arms on the ground and looked nostalgically at the sky.

"I was abandoned as a baby. The circus took me in."

"So they raised you?"

"Yeah, and it wasn't as those cases like in Metro City; there weren't any humans while I was growing up."

Astro widened his eyes in surprise; he didn't know of any case of a human being raised only by robots. Of course, robot nannies helped with the upbringing, but even in extreme circumstances, a human was present. 

Reno's story was really unique.

"Pannacotta is like my father, and Cupcake, my mother," Reno continued, raising four fingers, "Cookie, Bonbon, Jellybean, and Marshmallow are my brothers and sisters. Can you believe it? Four siblings!"

"I don't think I could handle one," Astro replied.

Reno laughed; he jumped up, placing both hands on the ground and raising the rest of his body, then he jumped again, standing up, pointing to the front, and Astro could see it was towards the circus.

"You see that circus tent?" That is my home, and those robots are my family, the best in the world. I owe them everything."

Astro smiled. Reno spoke very fondly of his family. He didn't doubt for a second that they were the best thing that could have happened to him, but he still had a question.

"But why are you disguising as a robot?"

"For the same reason that Pannacotta disguises himself as a human, Astro. Robots are prohibited from having their own businesses."

That answer left him frozen.

"What?"

"Robots can't have a business on their own. Only humans can; it's one of the few things that the Surface and Metro City have in common, not to mention Metropolis."

Yes, that was a subject that Astro did not want to touch.

"Cupcake told me that, before they found me, their former owner abandoned them. Without a human master, there was no way they could continue with the circus. Their only choice was to volunteer for dangerous tasks, which would have destroyed them. Abandoned robots have less value."

"Didn't they think of joining the robot revolutionary front?"

"Their cause is noble. But not very lucrative, not enough to raise a child."

"Yeah, you're right about that."

"So, they had to make a disguise so that Pannacotta could present himself as our owner; now imagine if they found out they have been raising a human for these fifteen years. They wouldn't even give them a trial. They would order their destruction immediately, and I would be thrown into an orphanage. Robots cannot adopt human children; it is another law."

Those words destroyed Astro. He had no idea that robots had so many prohibitions... and so unfair. Why couldn't they be owners of their own businesses? Why couldn't they adopt human children as their own? Why did they want to treat them as if they were just tools?

"That's why it must remain a secret, Astro; we can't take such a risk. Now less Metro City has reunited, Tawashi has implemented a lot of force on The Surface, and everyone knows of his intolerance."

Astro didn't have to be reminded he had experienced it firsthand. It was a pity because Reno's story demonstrated that robots had hearts and could care for others, even if they weren't programmed. It also showed that humans and robots could be family; they could love each other as sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters, not masters and servants.

But due to some stupid laws, they couldn't. It was the same as Metropolis. Was there really no hope?

No!

He refused to believe that. Even Dr. Elefun said it: even if everything seemed lost, nothing prevented him from trying, and that's what he would do. Maybe he couldn't do much for the robots in Metropolis, but he wouldn't stand these injustices in his home, in his cities; it was time to make a change, and better yet, here he would be in his territory, with Stone out of the way he would not have to worry about a power-hungry politician, nor the Red Duke could prevent him from making a change. But it was a very long-term plan. First, he would have to speak with his father and Elefun to put together a strong case, one with which it would be impossible for any court to reject them.

For now, the best he could do was protect Reno and his secret. Astro didn't want any more misfortune.

"I won't tell anyone. At least, not until I can change things."

Reno looked at him, first surprised, but then smiled.

"Thank you, Astro."

Astro stood up, offering his hand. Reno smiled and shook it.

"No one will harm your family. I promise you."

Reno smiled, trusting Astro's word. After all, he was no stranger to his achievements. And best of all, it looked like he had made a friend.

...

Bonbon and Cupcake were outside the tent checking the new harnesses they had ordered when they noticed someone was approaching the circus.

"Do you know if Pannacotta was expecting someone?" Cupcake asked, putting the ropes on the ground.

Bonbon denied.

Cupcake looked at the tent and then at the road. 

"Is Reno home?"

"I dunno."

"Okay, go tell Pannacotta that we have visitors. I will stay here in case Reno returns."

Bonbon gave a thumbs up and went inside while she walked towards the guest.

"Good afternoon. Can I help you with something?"

"Thank you, and I'm glad you ask. I'm here to talk to the owner of this beautiful circus. I'm very interested in buying it."

If Cupcake could swallow, she would have.

"I'm sorry, sir. But the circus is not for sale."

The visitor smiled and took out a device from his pockets.

"Oh, but you see. I have something that can change your mind."

Cupcake took a few steps back, the man's tone scaring her.

"I think it would be better if you all join us, even your dear Reno if you don't mind."

...

Since it was still early, Reno told Astro he wanted to introduce him to his whole family. Astro was a little nervous at first, remembering the incident he caused. But Reno assured him nothing was wrong; after they explained everything, his family would accept him, so Astro agreed.

Reno couldn't tell how excited he was; he finally had a friend. During his whole life, he had been forced to keep a low profile, just hanging out with the sellers in a simple act of:

"Good morning! How much does this cost? Oh, I give you three parts in return. Can I pay you later? Thank you. See you next week."

Then he returned to the tent, and although he loved his family, he also longed for contact with other boys his age. The closest thing he had had was the greetings and thanks from some of the children who attended the show but did not pass off a handshake, a photo, or an autograph.

Now that he met someone he knew was keeping his secret, Reno wanted to be with him as much as possible and ask him about his likes and hobbies. And he could share everything he knew with Astro. He loved telling his family, but he wanted fresh opinions.

He couldn't wait. 

Astro was also happy, still amazed to find a boy raised by robots. Without a doubt, the stories Reno would have to tell him would be epic. Besides, who wouldn't be excited to have a new friend? He also found it funny how Reno (out of nowhere) would do a cartwheel or walk on his hands.

Astro wished Reno would let him introduce him to Ken, Cora, and the whole gang. He was sure he would fit in well, and no one would hesitate to keep his secret. But those were long-term plans. For now, they would spend the rest of the day together, and then they could organize all their ideas.

They happily talked as they approached the tent when they noticed no one was at the entrance.

"Weird, Pannacotta always leaves someone on watch," Reno said.

Astro inspected with his eyes. Indeed, no one else was visible.

"Maybe he called them for an assembly or something."

They both entered, but they still couldn't see anyone. Astro looked at Reno, but he just shrugged. This wasn't normal.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Astro thought.

Reno started running, and Astro had to fly to catch up with him. Now, he was sure something wrong was happening. They came to a door frame with the word: Office.

Very quickly, Reno opened it. Astro landed and took a look. What was on the other side didn't reassure them at all.

On the desk, a device projected a hologram of when Pannacotta took off his mask and then cleaned off Reno's makeup. The boy choked. While Astro's body stopped responding to him. All the artists were present, surrounding the desk, their eyes fixed on the video, and no one moved a muscle. While a man, arms folded, looked very attentively at the recording. 

The footage ended, and the hologram stopped projecting. The man grabbed the device and put it in his pocket, slowly raising his head. Astro could see his face, and he felt his body froze.

"Hello, Astro. I've missed you," Hamegg said.

Chapter Text

Astro couldn't understand what was happening. Hamegg was standing behind the table wearing his arena attire and was arrogantly smiling as if he had already won. From how things looked, that seemed to be the case.

All the artists had their eyes focused on the furniture as if the recording was still playing. Reno was also attentive, except that he was shaking, sweating, and clenched fists; it seemed that, at any moment, he would throw himself on top of Hamegg. Astro prepared to hold him if that happened.

Hamegg stopped looking at him and turned his attention back to the others.

"I think this will help you decide, Mr. Pannacotta," Hamegg said.

Reno looked at this father.

"What is he talking about?"

Pannacotta took off his hat and held it with both hands at the level of his stomach, lowered his head, and did not answer. Hamegg adjusted his robe and answered:

"Oh, it's nothing, young Mamoru —oh, sorry," he looked at the boy, and with a malicious laugh and a mocking tone, he added: "It's Reno,  right ?"

Reno got into attack position.

"I just made a proposal to your father," he continued. Then he began to walk around the room, the robots moving out of his way when he passed by, "I want to acquire this beautiful circus, and I want all of you to work for me."

"No!"  Astro thought.  "Everything but that."

He already knew what Hamegg did with robots. Astro did not want to imagine what he would do to that poor family.

"My family is  not  for sale!" Reno yelled at Hamegg.

"Oh, but you see, Reno, they are," he responded, facing the boy. Hamegg took the device to rub it in the air, "I think no one wants this reaching Tawashi's hands."

Astro looked at the gadget. Maybe he could destroy it without hurting Hamegg; a beam from his fingers would do the job. He lowered his hand and activated the weapon, the tip of his finger turning blue. He had to be very precise; he just had one chance.

"Don't even think about it," Hamegg snapped, "If anything happens to me or this little friend, a copy will reach Tawashi instantly."

Astro turned off the ray and frowned. He must have known that Hamegg wouldn't take any risks. After all, he was a manipulator. The thief smiled at his triumph and continued boasting:

"As you see, my robot friends, you are not in the best position to fight back," he rummaged in his jacket and took out a sand-colored paper, holding it in his hand as if it were a trophy. "Here is the contract, which states that all of you will become my property, just like this circus, all the profits will be for me. And we should add a new act."

Hamegg then put a hand to his chin, thinking, then snapped a finger.

"I know! A high trapeze dive between 50,000 vote charges!" 

They all gasped in horror. That was a stunt in which a wheel generated the voltage, and the robot acrobat had to cross through it to land on the swing on the other side.

"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Reno yelled, "Only a robot with split-second timing can make it through! None of them is built for that!"

"Don't worry, Reno, that's why we have six robots to try it out; one has to figure it out eventually!"

And he laughed.

Reno barked and was about to tackle him, but Astro held him by the arm.

"Reno, don't! You'll only make it worse!" he told him. 

Hamegg would not hesitate to take more severe retaliation at the slightest provocation.

"Listen to it. It's smart— you know, for a robot."

But Astro would not fall for his games; there were more important things. Hamegg seemed disappointed Astro did not get offended, but he resigned and returned to Pannacotta.

"Read it carefully so you can see the clauses and everything. Although it won't change anything, you will have to do what I tell you, or I will take the video to Tawashi, and all of you will go to the oven. And little poor Reno to an orphanage."

Astro felt Reno's arm getting more and more tense; he had to use a little more force to hold him back.

"But don't worry, if you join me, well— I can make him my personal assistant," he laughed evilly and left the contract on the table with one blow, then left. "You have twenty-four hours to accept my terms. I will return, and if the contract is not signed, you know the consequences."

As he left, he looked askance at Astro. The boy could see Hamegg was enjoying everything. And worse of all, Astro couldn't hide his concern. Hamegg had managed to tie that family's arms.

"How did he do it?! How did he find out?!"  He wondered frantically.

Then, everything clicked; the attack on the circus was against him. Hamegg had programmed some drones to attack him, and on the way— they overheard his conversation with Reno. Hamegg had discovered them because of him.

This was all his fault.

His realization hit him like a bucket of cold water; his body went stiff, and he released Reno, who ran off with Pannacotta. The other robots came out of their trance and approached their leader.

"Dad! We have to go!" Reno exclaimed. "Let's go to Marine City, even Metropolis if necessary! But we can't sell ourselves to that bastard! You know what he does to robots!"

"Reno is right! We have to escape while we can!" Cookie said. "If the police don't destroy us, he will!"

"We can't let him get his hands on Reno! Who knows what that monster will do to him!" Cupcake implored.

"Calm down, please calm down," Pannacotta stammered. The strong and determined personality he had shown was gone; he was nervous and couldn't think of anything. The words came out of his mouth uncontrollably.

The family was in chaos, between a rock and a hard place.

"And all because of me,"  Astro thought. 

None of this would have happened if he hadn't opened his mouth. He had condemned those innocents; he had—

"NO!"

There was no point in self-pity; he had made a mistake, and now he had to fix it. He wouldn't go through the same situation as Metropolis; even if it cost him his life, he had to make amends. He owed it to Reno.

He approached his new friend and spoke to him in a loud and determined voice:

"Reno!" he did so well that the boy turned to look at him, "I promised you I would keep your family safe, and I'm gonna keep it."

He had spoken so firmly that everyone had stopped shouting to pay attention to him.

And before anyone could argue, he turned around and flew towards the exit. He would catch up with Hamegg no matter what.

...

The crook was already a few meters away from the circus, but with his rockets, it was no problem to catch up with him. Astro managed to fly over Hamegg and landed in front of him with such force that he raised a cloud of earth, but Hamegg did not flinch. Astro sat up and looked at him in the eyes, this time determined. He would not be intimidated.

"What an entry. I wish you had had that attitude in the games."

More attempts to provoke him were not going to work.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked him.

"Oh, why? Let's see — oh yeah! Because a stupid robot took everything from me!"

Hamegg began to walk in circles around him. Astro followed him with his head. He knew his tricks; Hamegg could have a taser with him, and Astro prepared to counterattack if necessary. This time, he would not let himself be hit.

"I'm no longer the inexperienced robot you fooled,"  he thought.  "I have learned a few things since we last met."

"Not only did that robot destroy my business! But it also took away my children, whom I looked after for years!"

"You lost them yourself. I had nothing to do with it," Astro interrupted.

But Hamegg ignored him and continued his tattling.

"He humiliated me in front of everyone! He took everything I had from me! And if that were not enough —"

He stood in front of him.

"I soon found that that same robot is the son of Umataro Tenma, the man who fired me from my dream job."

Astro clenched his fists.

"The man I ended up in this dump because of," he said, extending both arms.

"Fine, your problems are with me; if you want to take it out on someone, let it be me. But leave Reno and his family alone!"

Hamegg laughed.

"Oh, but you see, Astro, as much as I want to destroy you, the truth is that these past months have been rough. As I told you, you destroyed my biggest source of income. I need a new business, and that robot circus is the best I have."

He took out the player and lifted it in the air.

"And as long as I have this, I have them by the neck."

Astro gritted his teeth. This was Hamegg's perfect vengeance; he hurt his friend and added more salt to the wound, knowing it was his fault. And he also profited from those poor artists who had nothing to do with anything. 

But Astro knew Hamegg; he knew that he hated him more for both his actions and Dad's, and he could take advantage of that. Perhaps Hamegg wasn't aware, but he had given Astro the key to his victory.

"You're wrong."

Hamegg laughed.

"Astro, how could I be wrong?"

"Because you are wasting your time with those robots, they have been giving the same show for years, people will eventually get tired of them. Do you think they will pay to see the same show every night?"

"That's why we are adding the new act."

"And how long will it take? How much money is gonna cost you all the equipment and remodeling? And from what I see, you want a quick cash."

Hamegg frowned. He was going to counterattack, but Astro beat him to it.

"Or you could earn in one night what you would make with them in a month."

Now, it caught him off guard.

"What are you…?"

"Why have a simple robot circus when you can have  the greatest robot on Earth ?"

That had surprised him. Hamegg had turned pale.

"Think about it, you only need one night: " See Astro, the robot that defeated the Peacekeeper and Frankenstein! Live! Just For One Night! An exclusive event!"  Can you imagine how much money you would make? Just put me in an arena and throw a bunch of robots at me. People are gonna go crazy. You might even overshadow Brando's fight with Hercules."

Hamegg took a few steps back, placing a hand on his chin.

"And as a bonus, I could get hurt; you win in this situation: you get rich while you get revenge on me and my dad. Would you miss an opportunity like that?"

It was risky, but he owed it to Reno.

The doubt on Hamegg's face dissipated, and instead, he began to advance towards Astro. He pointed a finger at him, which Hamegg waved happily, opened his mouth, and held it there for a bit before answering:

"You are good. You must have learned it from me."

"Don't even think it,"  Astro thought. 

"You can have me, with the condition that you leave Reno's family alone, break the contract, and delete all copies of the video, and if I survive the encounter, I will return the next night and so on. Imagine how much you will win. You could destroy me eventually."

Astro hoped it bought them time while he thought of something better. 

Hamegg smiled like a snake, pulled out the device, dropped it on the ground, and then crushed it with his boot.

"We have a deal," he offered his hand.

But Astro wasn't going to take it.

Hamegg was surprised but still smiled.

"What? You don't trust me?"

Astro clenched his eyebrows.

"I think you know the answer."

To which Hamegg began to laugh maniacally.

...

In the circus, everyone was still tense and quiet, waiting for Astro to return, wondering if there was really something he could do to change Hamegg's decision. To their surprise, they saw both of them entering the office again. Everyone stood up and looked at them. Hamegg smiled and went for the contract.

"Our good friend Astro has made me think, and you know what? He is right. There is no point in acquiring this circus; it's old and outdated. It's better to make room for new and fresh things."

He grabbed the document and tore it in half, then shredded it into thousands of pieces that he let fall to the ground.

"You can rest assured, friends. I give you my word that I will leave you alone. There are more important businesses out there deserving of my attention."

With that, he headed towards the exit, but not before stopping to look at Astro one last time.

"I'll see you around."

Astro did not change his position and maintained the firmness of his gaze.

With that said, Hamegg left.

There was a moment of silence and then a collective sigh of relief. Even if Astro was going back to the arena, he felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Reno didn't hesitate for a moment and hugged him.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Reno repeated as he picked Astro up from the ground and affectionately shook him to the sides.

"You— you are welcome, Reno," Astro smiled fondly.

Reno stopped hugging him and placed him back on the ground but continued to hold his arms.

"How did you convince him?"

"I just appealed to his ego, that's all."

The other artists approached him and began to thank him. They offered him their hands and patted him on the shoulder. They all looked relieved that he had pushed Hamegg away. When Pannacotta approached, everyone gave him space so he could have a good word with him.

"Astro— I don't know how we could thank you for what you did."

"You don't have to thank me for anything. I just corrected a mistake, that's all."

...

Back in his lair, Hamegg was in his kitchen, pouring a glass of champagne while singing. On the roof, the drones he had sent to destroy Astro watched over.

"Today we celebrate— My revenge!"

He raised his glass, and the drones roared in support. Hamegg laughed and drank when his communicator began to ring.

"What? Who could have my number?"

He took out the device and pressed the answer symbol. A face he had never imagined seeing in his life appeared.

"You— you— you are—"

The person laughed.

"I know who I am, and if I'm not mistaken, you're Hamegg, right? A former scientist at Metro City's Ministry of Science, right?"

Hamegg nodded.

"Excellent, because I have a job offer for you, Mr. Hamegg, one that I am sure you will not be able to refuse."

Chapter Text

Pannacotta had his hands crossed and moved his fingers quickly. Rumors had spread that Master Haido had gotten a ticket to Metro City. Cases of traders putting a certain amount of people inside through hidden tunnels were not rare. But the passport was expensive, and few could afford it. Apart from paying their way in, they had to save the minimum to survive the first days. Years of savings were required to get it, which seemed the whole reason for Haido to have a circus.

Pannacotta and the others did not remember their life before Haido. Maybe they had been built in Metro City, or perhaps when the two were still one, the first memory they had was being activated by their master for a tutorial on their new job. Hence, it had all been work ever since. It was routine, but they preferred that to compete in the Robot Games. Every night, they saw how the poor unfortunate robots were thrown into the garbage dump after being destroyed in the arena, so with everything and the Haido's tyranny, it wasn't such a bad life, and making people happy was priceless. It was what they enjoyed most about their job, seeing everyone's smiles-- it made them feel important, that they were seen as equals and not simple machines.

Pannacotta looked up and saw the master's name on the office door. He felt nervous; Haido was known for using the whip when he got angry. Pannacotta slowly knocked, and it didn't take long for the human to respond to him to come in. Pannacotta adjusted his bun and entered, his worst fears instantly coming true.

Haido was packing his things into two large suitcases with the golden ticket sticking out of his jacket pocket. He was a tall man with white hair and a beard who wore glasses. He was dressed in a black suit and carried a cane. 

"What do you want?" He asked without looking at Pannacotta, too busy with his businesses.

"Are you going out, master?" he asked nervously.

"Oh, yeah! Of course, I am! I'm getting out of this dumpster fire forever!"

There it was, his worst nightmare come true. Thousands of ideas ran through his head:

"Where would we go? What is he planning to do with us?-- Would he take us with him? Is he selling us?" But Pannacotta told himself to calm down, order his thoughts, and think carefully about what to say. The last thing he wanted was to receive the whip that night.

"Oh-- will you try your luck in the City? Master."

"You beat I am. I'm never returning to this dump! I'm leaving! I'm leaving!"

Pannacotta rubbed his head. It was better to ask him once and for all.

"Very well, sir. And-- do you know what you will do with us?"

Haido stopped packing and looked at him as if he didn't know what Pannacotta was talking about, which didn't reassure the robot; maybe he was receiving the whip after all. Pannacotta prepared himself for the worst, but his master only laughed, taking both hands to his stomach and looking up. Pannacotta didn't know how to feel about that reaction.

"What will I do with you? Well, nothing! Now that I have what I want, I don't need you anymore!" He took out the ticket and rubbed it in his face.

The robot could only look down, embarrassed and helpless.

"Go play in the Robot Games or sell parts in the Market; the Collectors will give you good money. I don't know, and I don't care! My future is bright. I don't have time to worry about tin like you!"

Pannacotta did not answer anything, feeling too humiliated to say or defend himself. He just wanted to leave that room and communicate the terrible news to his comrades.

"Are you deaf or what?! I told you to get out of my office! Just because I'm leaving today doesn't mean I can't use the whip one last time on you!"

...

That night, the artists gathered outside the tent. Hours had passed since Haido had left them, probably already heading to the City. Pannacotta had told them about their current situation, and the spirits were very low. His companions fell to the floor and avoided looking him in the eyes. Pannacotta was grateful for that because he doubted he could look at them; they had always seen him as the father of the family, the one who was supposed to protect them from Haido's mistreatment-- and now he had failed miserably.

"Maybe I can compete in the Robot Games," Bonbon said, standing up from the box he was sitting on.

"Don't say that!" Cupcake demanded, hitting him in the chest. "You know what kind of robots are in that arena! You wouldn't even survive with your strength!"

Bonbon made a fist, knowing she was right, which frustrated him.

"Maybe with my fire breath--"

"Don't even think about it! No one will go into that massacre. It's a grotesque event," Pannacotta said out loud to end the discussion. Maybe he had failed that day, but he wouldn't allow that mistake to be committed again; he wasn't going to lose anyone in his family.

"But what option do we have then?" Bonbon said, "If someone discovers that we no longer have a human master, they will separate us, sell us to different buyers, or dismantle us to sell our parts."

Pannacotta would have liked to tell him to keep those comments in his head since he was aware of the danger they were now in, but that did not mean he should disturb everyone. They needed to remain calm and think carefully about their situation. But it seemed too late: everyone became depressed again and collapsed on the ground.

"We should let them tear us to pieces," Cookie lamented, placing a hand on his chest and closing his eyes, "I don't see why we should continue living."

"It's a shame. I liked entertaining humans, especially children," Jellybean added.

Marshmallow just sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.

Standing and watching all his comrades surrender, Pannacotta's last strength abandoned him and threw himself to the ground. Perhaps everyone was right; maybe it was useless to try. After all, what human would hire robots from an old circus? It was their end...

For what seemed like an eternity, the artists lay on the ground, already resigned to their new fate as disposable trash, or at least that was until Cupcake stood up suddenly, looked both ways quickly, and then ran away to the piles of garbage that covered the entire Surface.

"Cupcake! Where are you going?" Pannacotta asked as he watched her walk away.

"I heard something! This way, come!" She responded before disappearing from sight.

Her companions stood up and looked at each other, strange and confused. Cupcake was not used to acting so impulsively.

"We have to follow her; we can't let her get hurt," Pannacotta said. The others did not hesitate for a second to obey him.

Difficult times were coming for them. The best thing they could do was stick together. They couldn't afford to separate, so they all went after her.

Meanwhile, Cupcake was rummaging through the trash. She had been lying on the floor when she heard something. At first, she thought that her ears were deceiving her. But after focusing on that specific noise, she realized that it was not a trick but rather a cry, a whimper that seemed human. 

And from a young one.

Cupcake didn't know why, but when she heard the whining, she felt like finding the responsible one and taking care of it. It was strange; she wasn't programmed to care but to entertain, but when she heard it, something inside her told her to look for it.

"Is this what humans call-- caring?" She thought. 

The further she advanced, the whining intensified, making it easier to follow. After passing three more mountains of garbage, she found the source of those cries.

He was in a small mechanical crib, a baby boy probably a year old since he already had red hair, and he was wearing a light blue onesie with a white bib with a clock on it. Next to him was an empty bottle. The little boy had his arms outstretched as if trying to grab something.

Without knowing how to explain it, Cupcake felt something inside, her chest warm and a great sadness for that little one. Before knowing what she was doing or why, she took the baby with both hands out of the crib and began to rock him gently, and the infant's whimpers subsided.

That's when the rest of her companions arrived.

"Cupcake, what are you doing?" Pannacotta asked her as soon as he arrived.

"Shhhh, you're going to wake him up," Cupcake responded, turning around with the little one in her arms.

Her companions were astonished to see him. Marshmallow was the first to approach; the baby was no longer crying as much, and he turned his head, surprised when he looked at Marshmallow. The robot smiled, pulled her nose, and when the bubbles came out, the baby started to laugh and try to catch them all.

"He's cute," she said with a smile.

"Where did you find him?" Pannacotta asked.

With her head, Cupcake pointed to the crib in the rubble. No one added anything else. If he was in the junkyard, no one wanted him.

Cookie went to the crib and took the empty bottle from it. He picked it up and examined it.

"This baby no longer has food," he said, showing the bottle.

Cupcake began to worry; until then, she had not stopped to think about how complicated humans were. They needed to sleep, eat, and, in the case of that little one, be changed. There was no more unprotected being than a human baby.

"Pannacotta will never allow it," she thought. They already had enough problems it was impossible to also look after a human child.

The most sensible thing would be for them to leave him in an orphanage. Although they could be accused of kidnapping him, the punishment for that was execution. Their best option was...

Leave him alone in the trash to die.

She looked worriedly at Pannacotta; she had to argue with him until they found a solution that didn't involve leaving him to his demise.

But what she saw in her friend's eyes was... love.

The robot approached and stretched out a finger. The baby looked at the robotic limb with amusement, took it with both hands, and pulled it up and down while laughing. Pannacotta giggled.

"You can't do this. Your situation couldn't be worse, and you know it. The only thing this child will do is bring more problems. For starters, it is forbidden for robots to adopt humans, and second, we can't even sustain ourselves," one part told him, the logical one.

But another voice spoke to him, one that, until then, he had never heard before:

"Shut up, this kid needs help, and we're not going to abandon him."

He looked around to see if there was anything that could help them. That boy had appeared out of nowhere, so perhaps their salvation would manifest the same. Then he noticed a hat and an old cloak that someone had left there. Pannacotta took them and put them on top. Maybe they didn't cover him that much, but… it was a start.

"Maybe it will work,"  he thought,  "with a little more work, this could be the perfect costume."

He turned around to see his comrades. Bonbon had taken the baby in his hands and was throwing him into the air to catch him; the baby was laughing while Cupcake looked at him worried, covering her mouth with both hands.

"Please be gentle!" She asked.

At that, Pannacotta stood in front of his companions; he had added a scarf that covered his entire face. His friends saw him and were a little surprised.

"I have an idea; we can't perform without a human master, but as far as we know, only those who boarded that ship know that Haido is gone."

Jellybean scratched his head.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm going to pretend to be a human so we can continue working."

Everyone remained silent except for the baby, who continued moving his hands and making noises.

"But that is…"

"It's our best option, Cupcake. Think about it; we need money, and even more so now that we have a new member in the family," he pointed at the baby, who laughed.

Cupcake looked at him and couldn't help but agree. That little boy depended on them, and they were not letting him down.

"It could work," said Bonbon, "it's dangerous, but I also think it's the best. We have to try it."

He didn't mind taking risks, especially if it could bring them a reward. Marshmallow gave a thumbs up and smiled, Cookie touched his cymbals in approval, and Jellybean jumped into the air.

Cupcake smiled and saw the baby again.

"Thank you, you gave us hope."

The little boy smiled and tried to grab her nose, which caused everyone to laugh.

...

A week passed, and no one seemed to notice the deception with seven shows without problems, even if Cupcake's presence on stage was missed, but she had to take care of the infant.

Despite everything, the show was going well, and everyone was happy. Even if there was still an aura of uncertainty, that night, they could relax.

Pannacotta was heating the baby's milk on an old stove while Cupcake rocked him around the room. Bonbon and Cookie tried to turn on the old projector that Akihiko had left behind.

"Hey, we have to think of a name for him," said Cupcake, "it's not fair that we just call him baby."

"I agree, everyone needs a name," Cookie replied.

"Yes, but it must be something important, not just anything," Bonbon said before raising his arm and bending it.

Pannacotta took out the bottle and went to Cupcake, wondering what would be a suitable name for the little one. He didn't know much about human names, but as Bonbon had said, it had to matter.

Just then, the projector turned on, and the hologram of a Japanese man appeared in front of them.

"Today we celebrate the birth of the scientist Reno Matsumoto, the creator of the artificial plastic, known for its incredible resistance and resemblance to human skin," said the voice of the reporter

"Reno... Reno," Pannacotta ran through it in his head, and suddenly, he had it.

"Reno," he announced to his companions.

They all smiled, looked at each other, and nodded.

"It is perfect!"

"It's a sign. One day, he will do important things!"

Cupcake laughed as she took the bottle and fed him.

"But he already has," she said while accommodating his red hair behind his ear. Her companions looked at her, "he saved us in our darkest hour."

That put them all in a good mood as they patted each other on the back and looked at the little boy because it was true. At their worst, Reno had arrived as a gift. A gift that gave them hope and strength, and for that, they would never leave him. 

Never.

...

Cupcake was feeling nostalgic, or at least that was what she thought. She always wondered if her emotions were real or simple simulations of human feelings. Whatever the case was, she felt happy to have them, and they had intensified since fourteen years ago. The time Reno had been in their lives.

Since he arrived, everything had improved, not only because it gave them strength to move forward when everything seemed lost but because having a little one hanging around here and there brightened the atmosphere. The tent was filled with life, where before it had been just a place of work; now it felt like a home, with warmth and love. In addition to that, as Reno grew, he began to show interest in robotics. He studied with the books found in the yard or that he could change at the Market. And assembling and disassembling pieces that he found in the yard. Without a doubt, his limitations were not an impediment to him. Over time, he became an expert; he even built his own tools and could repair them. Which saved them many visits to the mechanic.

There was no doubt about the impact Reno had on everyone's lives.

Unfortunately, Cupcake no longer felt that spark, and that didn't mean she didn't love Reno anymore, of course not; she could never stop loving him. It's just that... she felt they were limiting him. Reno had always been reluctant to the idea of leaving them. Even if now that the City was back to the Surface as the perfect opportunity for him to make his way into the Ministry of Science. But no, the boy did not want to abandon them.

Despite everything, they respected his wishes; it was his life at the end of the day. Or at least that's what they thought until today's incident. They had been very close to perdition, and all because of the Hamegg swindler, and although it seemed that they had been saved, they couldn't trust that ruffian. They didn't know what deal he had made with Astro, and although they trusted the boy, they knew that Hamegg could have dirty tricks up his sleeves. It was best to proceed carefully and, most importantly. 

Put Reno's safety first.

That night, she was waiting outside his room, carrying a tray with an onigiri cake,  Mont Blanc  flavor: chestnut cream cake, and a cup of tea. She knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Cupcake smiled and passed by. Reno's room was simple: his bed was a mattress against the wall, and on the opposite side, he had a desk full of his tools, pencils, and notebooks where he wrote down his inventions. Everything was highly organized and clean, a habit he had forced himself to follow.

It was common for Reno to work on his inventions after shows. But that night, he was leaning against the desk, playing with a pencil, the living image of an idle teenager.

Cupcake put the tray on the table.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Yes, it's just that... today left me exhausted," he responded, sitting up.

Cupcake smiled; everyone felt that way, to be honest. She pushed the tray slightly.

"I kinda guess that. That's why I prepared this for you."

Reno smiled and took a cake.

"You're spoiling me," he said as he took a bite.

Cupcake laughed and shrugged.

"A treat once in a while doesn't hurt anyone," she ruffled his hair playfully.

Reno groaned and moved her hand away while laughing.

Cupcake chuckled as well as her son finished the onigiri, then took the cup and blew on it before taking a sip.

"You got scared, too, right?" He asked after drinking. Reno knew his mother very well; that attention was intended to open a conversation.

"Yeah, we had feared a day like this since… well, we adopted you."

"The good thing is that Astro was here to save us-- he really is a hero," Reno tried to sound confident. He wanted to believe that his new friend had managed to solve everything. But Reno also knew Hamegg's reputation and part of him told him that the scammer still had a card up his sleeve.

But Reno really didn't want to think that.

"I know, we were close, we escaped, but..."

Reno looked at her, worried.

Cupcake searched for the right words.

"Reno, now that we're so close to Metro City, maybe you should consider..."

"Mom, I just had the same conversation with Dad. The circus is my home; you are my family," he pointed to the front wall.

The robot looked and noticed that it was filled with photographs of them together: the whole family gathered around baby Reno, the boy's fourth birthday, when he ate the chocolate cake with his hands, the time Marshmallow taught him how to give a flip, her doing his makeup before his first show; good memories.

She couldn't help but feel a knot in her stomach.

"And I can't leave you. Hamegg could return at any moment. I must protect all of you."

Reno looked at her with worried eyes and a pleading look, and that was when Cupcake understood; Reno would never abandon them, he couldn't even get his head around that.

"Okay, if it is your decision, I will respect it... we all will."

Reno sighed in relief and looked at her with a grateful look, and Cupcake felt something inside her break. But the boy didn't seem to notice her lies; he just took another bite of the cake and continued eating it.

"Whatever we do, it's all for your own good,"  Cupcake thought.

...

Just like fourteen years ago, they had gathered outside the tent; this time, they were not lying down or collapsing on the ground. They were all gathered in a circle. They did not feel desperate or destroyed but sad because everyone knew what it was about, but no one wanted to accept reality.

"Is he asleep?" Pannacotta asked.

Cupcake nodded her head. After dinner, Reno had fallen asleep.

Pannacotta closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"Comrades, after... what happened today, I believe that The Surface is no longer a safe place for us, nor Reno."

Silence. That worried him; Pannacotta hoped to at least hear a complaint from Bonbon, a desire to argue, to oppose, but no. No one gave an opinion, nor did they raise their faces.

"Astro swore his protection to us, but we can't expose him to danger either. It wouldn't be fair to him."

Silence again. Pannacotta was concerned about the zero objections he was receiving, which meant that everyone agreed. So he could skip the rounding and get to the point.

"We need to go, but we can't drag Reno. He could have a bright future, but as long as he stays with us, he will never make it. It's time for our paths... to part."

They still didn't say anything, but what could they do? None of them wanted to leave the boy, but they also didn't want him to remain stuck with them; they wanted the best for him, but to do so, they had to make a sacrifice. They all stood up without saying anything, but Pannacotta knew the meaning of the gesture.

"Very well, this is the plan."

...

Robita was an assistant robot, an older model than Orrin. But she had been with Dr. Elefun for so many years that he considered her part of the family; he could never get rid of her. Her body was cylindrical and had a rectangular head with two green eyes, two tubes on the sides, and a dome on the top of her skull. Hits arms were thi and could stretch to a distance of up to ten meters, and her color was light gold.

She was preparing the doctor a cup of tea while he was at the kitchen table, remembering the sensor that Reno had put together on his own. He was impressed by how much the boy had managed to do with so few resources. The doctor could only imagine what the boy would do in the Ministry... But after the little show he put on and the fact he was supposedly a robot. The chances seemed very slim.

Robita finished preparing the drink and brought it to the table.

"Here you have, doctor."

"Oh, thank you, Robita."

The doctor took a sip, but his worried expression did not disappear. The robot noticed the tension and worried.

"Is something wrong, doctor?"

"Oh, it's nothing, Robita. I was just, thinking about something."

The doorbell rang, and Robita quickly went to open it. While Elefun continued thinking about the young robot that had impressed him so much.

"If we got Astro in school, we could do the same for Reno."

Just then, Robita appeared accompanied by Mr. Pannacotta.

"Doctor, we have visitors."

Elefun stood up and offered his hand.

"Mr. Pannacotta, I didn't expect to see you so soon."

"I'm sorry for dropping out, Dr. Elefun, but I'm afraid that the situation I'm going through... is one of life or death."

The professor exchanged glances with Robita, who seemed equally worried and scared.

"Please, allow me to explain myself better."

"Of course."

They both sat at the table. Robita offered to bring him a cup, but Pannacotta refused.

"Very well, sir, what is happening?"

Without further ado, Pannacotta put his hand to his face; the  click  was heard, and after the steam came out, he took off his mask, revealing his mechanical face.

"Doctor Elefun, on behalf of all the members of the Robot Circus, we need your help."

Chapter Text

Astro turned around in bed, unable to sleep because of what had just happened that day. He had saved Reno's family, but now he had to accept Hamegg's games, and he knew Hamegg was the last person he could trust. 

He had promised a spectacle, but something told him Hamegg would have some trick up his sleeve. And there was no guarantee that, even if he survived, Hamegg would let him go; maybe he would lock him away or stun him. Astro had to go there with reinforcements. But he couldn't tell his friends. Astro knew that they would prevent him from going at all costs. And that would put the circus at risk; he had to find a way to tell them once he was inside. But how? He couldn't use the communicator since then; Dad and Dr. Elefun would realize what he was up to, and right now, worrying his dad was the last thing he wanted to do, not to mention that he would discover that his son had lied to him to get back to the he Surface. Dad would kill him.

Astro laughed, thinking that Dad would better dismantle him before Hamegg.

Someone knocked on the window and brought him out of his thoughts. He looked outside and saw that Hamegg's drones were there. He got up, narrowing his eyebrows, and went to open the window.

He didn't say anything and just stared at the red eyes. He knew they had cameras that must be transmitted directly to Hamegg. The drone made a sound, and its eyes began to project onto the wall. Astro went to see what it was about a map of the Surface, with a dot marking a place at the southern ends.

"So that's where you're hiding,"  he thought.

He turned around to see the drones; they stopped projecting, but it didn't matter. Another advantage of being a robot is that everything is recorded in his memory, whether he wants it or not.

"At midnight," Hamegg's voice came through one of the drones, "see my generosity that I grant you one day to say goodbye to your loved ones."

"Very well. I'll be there," Astro said to the machines with a frown. He wouldn't let them see his fear.

"Good boy - or should I say?" The drone's spotlight moved closer to him, " Good machine ."

He laughed maniacally, and the laughter multiplied in all the drones, but none affected Astro. Hamegg could annoy him all he wanted, but he would never give in.

"Don't be late, or the video will reach Tawashi before you can say  Robot Games ."

"I always keep my promises."

Hamegg did not add more, and the drones began flight back to the base. Astro followed them with his gaze until they disappeared from his vision; he sighed and went to sit on the bed again, lying down.

Memories of the arena returned to his mind, how he felt so…  exposed  being in the middle of all those people, the disappointed look of his friends, the clamor of the crowd for a bath of blood… or  oil  in this case. Astro felt nauseous, well... something like that...

"Ah!" He exclaimed as he sat up. Whenever he felt emotions like those, he wondered if it was  him  feeling them or if they were simply a memory of Toby. And the second made him feel like a simple copy, and he hated that. He didn't want to be Tobio. He wanted to be Astro.

He shook his head. He was getting off-topic; he had to focus on escaping from Hamegg without harming Reno and his family. Since telling his family and friends was not an option, he needed a plan B.

He lay down while he reviewed all his options.

"How do I achieve it without involving them directly? I mean, eventually, I want them to get involved but -”

He sat up feeling enlightened. When he reviewed all his options, he found someone who could help him without immediately destroying the plan. It was so clear that he felt a little bad for leaving him until the end.

But if he survived, he would make it up to him.

Now that he had a start, he could begin to develop the rest of the plan.

...

It was difficult for Astro to sleep since he was excited to execute his idea. It was risky, but he hoped it would work, otherwise -

He would have to give his all in the arena.

After waking up and having breakfast with Dad, he told him that that day, the Sky Riders would help at the orphanage: collect, clean, and change the oldest things, and that he wanted to help them. Tenma seemed a little worried, still upset about the circus incident. But Astro used his puppy face, and Tenma relented, saying it was fine. He just wanted him to come back before nightfall.

Astro nodded and hugged him, telling him that he would do it. After all, he planned to return and sneak out to the arena, but before that, he had to get everything ready.

So now he was heading towards the orphanage; at least in that part, he had not lied. One thing was clear: he wanted to leave Reno out of all this. He had already caused him and his family too many problems, and it was better to leave them alone.

When he saw the building, Astro descended toward it and landed. Luckily, no one else had arrived, nor were they outside, so he could go unnoticed...

Someone  lunged at him, knocking him to the ground, and began licking his face.

"No! Trashcan, stop! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, you tickle me!" he said between laughs.

The robot dog barked with encouragement while he licked him, and no wonder they hadn't seen each other for a long time. Astro laughed while petting him on the head.

"I miss you too."

Trashcan got off him but happily barked as he jumped to the sides. Astro smiled; he knew he could trust him.

"Good boy. I need you to do me a favor."

The dog stopped and cocked his head, Astro moved closer to him.

"At midnight, I need you to take the police to this address," he whispered in his ear, then he looked to his sides; there was no one else, so he quickly drew on the ground with his finger the direction of the arena.

Trashcan studied the map, and after a few seconds, he looked at the boy.

"Can you do it?"

Trashcan barked affirmatively. Astro smiled.

"You mustn't show it to Zane, the twins, or any of the Sky Riders, much less Cora, do you understand?"

The dog nodded.

"Good boy," Astro answered, patting him on the head.

Trashcan closed his eyes and allowed himself to be pampered.

"Well, bud, I better go and--"

"Astro?" Ken asked.

The boy stopped dead; he believed that the Sky Riders would arrive later. Astro slowly turned around, and there they were, accompanied by The Collectors, all carrying blankets, clothes, pillows, toys, books, etc.

Ken and Cora were in the lead, boxes in their arms.

"Oh… hi guys!" Astro waved at them. This wasn't part of the plan.

"Astro, where have you been?" Zane asked, putting down his box. “We've been trying to reach you since yesterday.”

"Yeah, we thought you would help us take out our old things," Shibugaki added with some resentment; after all, he was carrying three boxes, and it looked like they were going to fall.

Ken grimaced and elbowed him lightly, which made Shibugaki almost lose his balance. Luckily, he managed to hold the boxes, and then he sent a murderous look at Ken, but he either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Oh, right!" Astro continued, scratching his head. "Sorry guys, something came up at the Ministry, and Dad needs my help!" 

"Is everything alright?" Cora asked, worried.

"Nothing I can't solve."

Astro looked over his shoulder; the map was still there. Trashcan shifted his eyes from the drawing to him. Astro looked at him with pleading eyes and whispered:

"Please."

Trashcan rolled his eyes; he didn't know why Astro wanted to keep so much secrecy, especially considering what had happened last time. But he trusted him, so he erased the map with his paws.

Astro sighed in relief and looked back at his friends; they all looked worried about him.

"Astro… are you feeling alright?" Tamao asked, “You look tired.”

Sludge and Widget nodded.

"Yes, yes, it's just that..." he replied, downplaying his situation, "Look guys, I know I said I would help you, but Dad and Doctor Elefun are reviewing some things, and they asked me to help them, so I have to go."

That seemed to convince them, or at least most of them, since Cora and Ken didn't seem so sure.

"Oh, if that's the case, you better not keep them waiting," said Tamao.

Astro smiled in relief.

"Thank you."

"Yes, and don't worry about anything here," Zane continued, "we'll take care of it."

After that, Astro went on to say goodbye to all of them. When he got with Shibugaki, he seemed to still be upset, but in the end, he rolled his eyes and shook his hand.

"Go save the world."

"Thanks, mate."

After saying goodbye, he flew away. The first part of his plan had been resolved, but he still had a lot to do, and time was running out.

"Well, we better get started, without Astro, this will be a little more difficult," Cora decreed once the robot disappeared into the clouds.

There were complaints and boos, but they soon gathered their things and went inside, although Cora and Kenichi stayed behind.

"Ken, didn't you notice something strange with Astro?"

The boy nodded.

"He seemed a little nervous. Maybe things at the Ministry are more serious than what he told us."

"Do you think he was telling the truth?"

Ken shrugged. 

"You know he has been depressed about the Metropolis thing. Maybe he feels discouraged and wants to be alone. I dunno."

Cora wasn't so sure that that was the case. She didn't see Astro sad or blue. Something was worrying him. Plus, he hadn't adopted that attitude since his first days on The Surface, when he hid the fact that he was a robot…

"Something's wrong," Cora thought. Astro was hiding something, and it couldn't be anything good.

"Maybe you're right," she said.

Despite everything, she didn't want to worry the rest of the group, and she knew that even Zane and the twins saw Ken as the leader, rivaling her leadership. She didn't want a fight of egos because it would be useless. Sometimes, she just took the reins, and sometimes Kenichi did. But Ken had enough presence that if his spirits went down, everyone else would notice, and the same would happen to them. The best would be not to spread panic.

"When he's ready to tell us, he will."

Ken smiled as he entered. Cora was about to follow him when she heard Trashcan bark. She stopped and looked at the robot dog.

"What's wrong, buddy?" 

Trashcan jumped while pointing to the ground where Astro had been. Cora narrowed an eyebrow and went there; even if they had passed over it, erasing it quite a bit, it was clear that someone had drawn something, and it looked like a map. The girl looked at the robot.

Trashcan began to write on the ground with his paws, raising some dirt. Cora covered her eyes with her arm. When Trashcan finished, the girl uncovered herself, and the message she saw did not make her feel better:

"Astro asked me to take the police to this address at midnight, it can't be anything good."

"You're right, Trashcan. This can't be anything good."

Astro was in trouble, and she wasn't gonna leave him alone.

...

Reno had been trying to concentrate on his experiments all day. After all the drama of yesterday, Pannacotta had decided that they would take the day off; no one contradicted him since none had recovered from the shock, so the teenager thought about taking advantage of the time on his things. But he soon found out that it would be impossible.

As much as he wanted to convince himself that things were fine, he knew that Hamegg was not trustworthy, the deal that Astro reached was anything but beneficial for him, and Reno feared his friend could suffer.

"People who treat robots like that are the worst,"  he thought. He hated that there were humans who only saw robots as tools, and it hurt him to think Astro could be in the hands of one.

"I can't stay here with my arms crossed. I need to make sure Astro is safe."

If the circus had taught him anything, family always supported each other. Although he had only known him for two days, Astro was his friend, and he had to help him. He was willing to sacrifice everything for the circus.

So Reno left his room and headed for the exit; if he talked to the right people, he could discover what Hamegg was up to. When he left the tent, he met Cupcake and Pannacotta, disguised as a human.

"Reno, where are you heading?" His mother asked.

"Yesterday left me a little worried. I want to walk to clear my head."

He expected to appeal more for his parents' permission, but they nodded in agreement.

"Go ahead, a little air will do you good," was Pannacotta's response.

"Really?" 

"Yes, even you have to get out of that cave some time," the ringmaster finished.

"Hey!" Reno exclaimed, raising his fists.

Cupcake laughed, and Reno's face softened.

"Thank you. I'll be back in the evening."

With that, he left. He had an investigation to begin.

"At least we didn't have to trick him into going out anymore," Cupcake said quietly, looking away.

"Yes, you are right about that."

...

Astro's next stop was the Ministry of Science, knowing Hamegg he would make a great show, and if there was one thing Astro didn't want to give him, it was his dignity. At this point, the boy was already used to undressing for fights or that his clothes would be destroyed during the encounter, and although he was losing more and more the shame, the truth is that he did not want an audience that hated robots to see him half-naked, including Hamegg, since something told him that the host would take the opportunity to make all kinds of mockery at him. So Astro wanted to see if the Ministry had armor or clothing to withstand the most violent environments.

And if he survived the night, he would never have to be half-naked in public again.

"It will be like a superhero suit,"  he thought joyfully.

When he entered the building, some people at the reception greeted him. Astro waved back and went to the elevator.

"Okay. Dad told me Doctor Elefun asked to see him at his house today; that gives me time to design my clothes before he arrives."

"Astro?"

Every circuit in his body froze; he turned around to find his father entering through a door that closed behind him.

"Oh-- Hi, Dad!" He greeted him.

"What is he doing here?! He should be with the doctor!"  Astro told himself.

"I thought you were going to Doctor Elefun's house." 

"That was the plan, but he called me at the last minute to cancel. He said something came up, and he had to attend it." 

"Of course."

"And what are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be with your friends at the orphanage?"

"Yes. I just came from there, we were fixing the house when--"

"You don't have to lie completely. It worked with your friends, just change the facts a little."

"I saw the piles of garbage, and I remembered my fight with Frankenstein. I realized that a robot zombie could appear at any moment," he looked at his father; it seemed like he was convincing him. "And I have to admit that I'm getting tired of ending up naked every time I have to fight."

Tenma nodded his head while looking away. For long, Astro had had some questions about certain decisions his father made during his creation, such as the machine guns in the butt-- and the underwear that was part of him. But he didn't want the situation to become more uncomfortable.

"So," he continued, making circles on the ground with his boot, "I wanted to see if there was anything at the Ministry that could help me."

He expected his father to ask more questions or to object, but luckily, Tenma just smiled as he approached.

"Astro-- you thought exactly the same thing as me!"

The boy wide open his eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes! It's not practical you have to undress every time an emergency comes up, or to buy you new clothes every week."

Astro cocked his head, that last comment made it seem like his dad was more concerned about his wallet than his son's privacy, but he'd let it slide.

"Come with me to the floor 4."

They got on the elevator, and they arrived at a room that was similar to where they had scanned him after his fight with the Peacekeeper, only on the other side, there was a mannequin with the same shape and height as Astro, with a black suit on, which appeared to be made of spandex, that covered the entire body except for the hands and head.

"How long have you been working on this?" Astro asked.

"Since  The Day of the Living Dead ," Tenma answered, "it was gonna be a birthday gift, but you're right; we need to be prepared for anything." 

"You have no idea, Dad,"  Astro thought. 

"It is made of a material that resists fire and high temperatures; you would have to enter the center of the earth to melt it," Tenma continued, "it will also resist hits and rips, it can withstand even the impact of a missile."

Astro smiled; it would have been useful against Frankenstein.

"I also thought about what you told me about your encounter with Hamegg." 

Astro froze; did  he  know that? How could Dad know? He didn't remember to leave any clues. Did Dad have a chip that allowed him to follow all his steps? 

"And how he made you compete in the arena."

Astro sighed; Dad was referring to the last Robot Games.

"The suit is not a conductive material, so no taser or force field will hurt you again-- the field will still hold you, but you will no longer be electrocuted."

There was some regret in Tenma's voice. Astro felt it must be because he allowed Hamegg to capture him, and perhaps also because…

"Em-- Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you fire Hamegg?"

He had already heard Hamegg's side of the story; they were intimidated by his ideas, but after everything he did to him, something told Astro there was much more.

Tenma sighed while looking at his son.

"Hamegg was a brilliant scientist; he could build anything, even from scrap," Astro could hear a certain admiration in his Dad's voice, "but-- he was too greedy, he only saw machines as a means to make money, that not only included robots but also weapons such as missiles, bombs, drones, tanks, Hamegg did not know ethics, he just wanted to fill his pockets with money."

Astro nodded,  that  sounded like Hamegg.

"At that time, the tensions with Metropolis and Marine City were at their peak after the Persian empire was destroyed. And the military was beginning to show interest in the Ministry. Elefun and I were afraid of what a person like Hamegg could do, promising them a weapon or something like that. We even feared he could do  something  to become the director of the Ministry, so we decided that firing him would be best since his values were not the same as those of the Ministry-- But in the end-- I  did  make a weapon for the military. And we all know what happened next."

Tenma sighed; he felt wrong for everything he had done, vanishing Astro out of his house, allowing Hamegg to use him as a gladiator, hypocritically firing Hamegg. He had made so many mistakes. Astro noticed his low spirits, so he approached him and put a hand on his Dad's shoulder.

"Hey-- despite everything, it helped me meet my friends, right?"

It wasn't the best argument, but he hoped it made his father feel better. Tenma shrugged.

"I guess you're right about that."

He still didn't sound very convinced. Astro thought it would be best to return to the matter of the suit. He looked at it and-- it wasn't bad, but it was  too simple . He was sure he could make some changes to it.

"Dad, can I?"

"Oh, of course," he replied; apparently, that  had  made him forget about the Hamegg business.

Astro approached the control panel and moved some controls. Above the mannequin hung several robotic arms, each with a different tool for making garments. Astro saw the suit; he didn't like that it was only one color, it took away from his identity. Despite all, the green on his belt wasn't bad, and he wanted to keep it; since he already had the black on, maybe he could add a little more red.

He pressed some buttons, and a mechanical arm descended to the clothes. Astro selected the paint option, then the color green; a small opening came out of the arm, a space opened on the panel, and a remote control entered. The boy took it and pressed the button in the middle, and the paint came out; Astro moved it, painting a set of curved lines along the legs, waist, and chest on each side. When he finished, he added a green circle shaped like a buckle.

He smiled proudly, looked at his father, and pointed to the suit.

"What do you think?"

Tenma smiled; he had to admit that that was one of the things he liked most about Astro: he improvised, thought outside the box, and was creative. Toby, on the other hand-- was more of the type that followed the rules and respected the procedure, like him. And Tenma knew that he shouldn't compare his children and that Toby would always be in his heart. It was just that… he liked the variety between his sons.

"I admit it looks better, but we can still improve it."

Astro smiled knowingly.

Tenma approached and began to check the colors they had.

"I assume you want to keep your colors."

Astro nodded.

"Very well, we can add some red here."

Tenma moved the arms to the suit wrists and painted them the same red as Astro's boots. When he finished, some wristbands were sticking out. Astro opened his eyes; it was looking pretty cool.

"Do you think shoulder pads would look good?" Astro hated to admit it, but he was taking ideas from the  "armor"  they provided him in the Robot Games. After all, he didn't look so bad.

"We can try," replied an excited Tenma.

Tenma pressed more buttons, and two more arms came down with the shoulder pads, put them on, and painted them red.

"And I think I already know what the finishing touch could be," Tenma added.

Astro narrowed an eyebrow.

Tenma moved more buttons, and the arms returned to the ceiling and disappeared for a few minutes. Astro was left wondering what they could be doing, and then they returned with three red metal pieces. They took them to the suit chest and put them together as an A. The boy looked at his father.

"Every superhero needs a symbol."

Astro smiled.

A fourth arm came down; this one had a soldering iron on the tip, it joined the pieces, and when it was finished, they all returned to the ceiling, leaving the suit visible.

Astro thought it looked impressive; it could genuinely pass for one of those comic book superheroes, plus adding the A was a great touch. Tenma also seemed pleased by the work, one of father and son.

"It's great."

"Yes, yes it is," Tenma put his hands on the boy's shoulders and shook him playfully, "So what are you waiting for? Try it on."

He didn't have to repeat it.

Not only did it look great, but it also fit him perfectly. Astro already felt more confident and protected in it.

"I will never undress for a mission again, ever!"

Besides, he could show it off to all his friends-- of course, if he survived.

"This is amazing! I love it!" He exclaimed as he threw himself into his dad's hug. "Thank you, Dad!"

Tenma was not prepared for such a reaction. Astro almost knocked him down, but he stood on his feet and returned the hug.

"And he held back. If he had wanted, he could have broken my back,"  he thought.

But he wouldn't ruin the moment. Tenma laughed and left his little boy on the ground.

"You're welcome, son. It's a gift."

Astro smiled.

"I'm gonna show it to my friends! I wanna hear what they think!"

"I'm sure they will love it."

Tenma smiled and accompanied him to the exit. On the way, several people turned to see Astro, and everyone was delighted by his suit. Astro smiled; for the first time, he liked that his clothing attracted attention.

"Go with care, Astro," Tenma told him when they were outside.

"Of course! I'll see you at home."

And he took off. Tenma followed him with his eyes always smiling until Astro disappeared, and then he returned inside. Meanwhile, Astro was beginning to feel guilty.

...

Reno had been asking several people if they had heard anything about any event, or if a rumor could be circulating on the streets, but no one knew anything. After almost an hour of interviewing everyone, he began to get tired.

"Maybe I am paranoid,"  he thought.

But he soon denied it. 

"Hamegg is a monster. He ordered Astro something in return. I need to help him." 

With that in mind, he entered an alley and analyzed what he could be doing wrong.

"Let's see, you've only asked at the market; maybe you should go to less busy areas. The slums might have the answer."

He hated those places; they were where the detractors of robots gathered. He always did his best to avoid them, but since no one knew anything here. He had to go into hell.

So, swallowing his pride, Reno went there. The slums were known to be dirtier; there was always garbage on the floor, graffiti on the walls, and parts of robots that were unlucky enough to encounter intolerant humans. They were streets that were not pleasant at all, especially for children, even so, he was not intimidated. Reno just put his hands in his pockets and continued walking without looking at anyone, although, he did put on his angriest face. He expected it to be intimidating, except that, according to Cupcake, he had the cutest face in the world.

"I hope you're wrong,"  he thought as he passed some homeless people who were drinking.

"Hey, carrottop! A coin?" One of them shouted at him.

Reno didn't respond and just kept walking; luckily, he could hear when he picked up the glass bottle. Reno crouched down in time, and the bottle went over his head, brushing a few hairs, and then it crashed on the ground.

"Fuck you, ginger minger!" The alcoholic shouted at him again.

Reno only quickened his pace. Despite everything, the unfortunate encounter had given him an idea, a few streets away, there was a seedy bar where the worst scum of the entire Surface gathered. There, he would surely find something.

The place was a building whose paint was falling off the walls, exposing the concrete, and several letters had fallen off the sign that announced the name; it read:  Asa and illy .

Reno shook his head, this was gonna be ugly.

At the entrance, there was a muscular man as a guard. Reno advanced towards him with his head down; maybe he could trick him, but as soon as he arrived, the man stopped him with one hand.

"This is not a daycare, child. Get out of here."

Reno looked at him with an angry face.

"I'm eighteen!" He said, raising his voice.

But the man just laughed.

"Don't make me laugh; go home with your mommy," he mocked.

Reno gritted his teeth and roared, but he walked away, it was not convenient to attract attention, so he walked until the man stopped caring. Reno looked over his shoulder; the guard looked to the other side. The boy ran towards the alley that was next to the bar. There must be another way to enter.

He pressed his back against the wall and stood still, waiting to hear footsteps, but nothing was heard; the guard was no longer interested in him. Reno sighed in relief, moved away from the wall, and looked up; there was an open window where smoke was coming out.

Reno smiled; there it was, and best of all, there was a mountain of beer boxes. The boy jumped on one of them and then to the other until he reached the window, there Reno put his ear to the corner. Some voices were heard inside.

"I'm telling you, boss, Hamegg says he has something special planned for midnight."

Reno wide opened his eyes. 

"I knew it."

"Really?" A cold voice asked, "What kind of special?" 

"Some spectacle, he says it will be the year's event."

A mockingly laugh.

"I heard he's bringing the Robot Games back."

Reno's heart stopped. He hoped he would never have to hear the name of that barbarity again.

"Really?" Laugh, "I wouldn't mind seeing some robots destroying themselves." 

More laughs. 

"Hey! We can bet! Who's fighting?"

"Astro."

"No!"  Reno thought. He should have known Hamegg was doing all this just so he could destroy his friend, and he was going to make a spectacle of his death. Reno made a fist and was about to enter but stopped; no matter how much the boy wanted to hit them, Reno had to control himself. He was at a complete disadvantage, and if something happened to him, not only would he not be able to help Astro, but his family would suffer his loss. And he didn't want them to go through that.

So, controlling himself, he settled back into his initial position and paid more attention.

"Oh, really? How did Hamegg get that piece of junk to come here?"

"Who cares? What matters is that it will be a bloodbath! Have you seen what that robot can do? It will destroy others!" 

"Don't be so sure. I heard that Hamegg has a secret weapon, a new kind of machine. He has invested all his talent to that thing to destroy Astro."

"I want to see  that !" 

"I'll bet three hundred on whatever Hamegg has prepared!"

"I bet five hundred on Astro!"

Laughter, boos, and banging on the table.

"Beasts,"  Reno thought angrily.

Astro had gotten into that mess to help him, and now he would do the same for him. Whatever Hamegg had on his hands, Reno would make sure the con artist didn't get away with it.

"Don't worry, Astro. I'm with you."

Another hour passed until the individuals left the bar. Reno jumped onto the roof and ran to the edge of it. The customers got into a limo and left. Reno backed up a little, started running, and jumped off the building towards the next one; he made a twirl to land, and without wasting time, he resumed his run and jumped again towards the other roof. Reno went from building to building while following the limousine.

At one point, the ceilings were ending, luckily, there were still utility poles. Reno jumped towards them, and when he landed, he did not stop since if the boy did, he would surely fall, or the cables would succumb to his weight.

"I love growing up in a circus,"  he thought happily.

The limousine was fast, but with his skills, Reno could keep up with it.

"I will chase you to the end of the world if I must! No one will harm you, Astro, not tonight, not ever!"  Reno thought with determination.

...

Astro hadn't slept; the time was getting closer and closer, and he couldn't rest. He was too nervous.

So instead, he got ready, made sure his battery was 100%, and charged another one just in case. Plus some extra protection, he put them in his pants pockets.

As he promised his father, he returned home after they designed the suit; they had dinner, where they laughed, and Astro told him about the reactions of his friends. Although they were invented, he was sure they were close to reality; when they finished, Astro told him that he loved him and said goodbye to Orrin, and then he went into his room and left the last details ready.

Among them was writing a letter to Dad, where he explained everything; so at least his father wouldn't be left with doubt in the worst-case scenario. Astro closed it, asking that if something happened to him, to please protect Reno and his family; it was the last thing he could do for them.

He left it on his bed and sat waiting; when the clock struck 11:30 p.m. Astro knew that the moment had come. He put on his suit and opened the window; he sighed as he looked at the door one last time.

"Wish me luck," with that said, he jumped and went to face his destiny.

...

Cora hadn't slept either; she didn't know what trouble Astro was in or why he hadn't told them anything, which made her blood boil. But they would solve that matter later, so she spent the entire afternoon worried.

She already wanted it to be midnight to get into action. If she went and asked Astro, he wouldn't tell her; the best thing would be to go and see it with her own eyes.

So she stayed in bed tossing and turning, waiting for the time. When eleven finally struck, she got up; the girl hadn't even put on her pajamas and took Ken's skateboard out of the closet. Cora had asked to borrow it when they finished working at the orphanage. Of course, the boy lent it to her without problems.

Cora opened her window, took out the skateboard, and threw it, but it started to float, and she jumped on top. The girl wayed a little but managed to retain her balance.

"Alright, Astro. If we get out of this one-- I'm gonna kill you!"

Settling on it, she leaned forward, and the skateboard moved with her; controlling the blessed toy, she flew to where The Surface began. There, Trashcan was waiting for her just as they had agreed, the dog saw her and started barking with happiness.

"I know, I know, but we must hurry. Time is money."

Traschan nodded and started running. Cora followed him; the closer they got to the place marked by Astro, the worse and worse she felt. A discomfort in her stomach bothered her.

"I've got a bad feeling about this,"  she thought.

...

The seats were ready, most of the customers were already arriving, he had his drones charging them and telling them where to sit, that was good; so he could take care of his guest of honor.

He put on his showman cape and his hat, one of the few things he had managed to rescue from the arena, from his glorious old life.

"But it doesn't matter. Tonight, Astro and Tenma will pay for all, and then maybe I will even conquer the Ministry of Science!"  He thought, evilly clasping his hands.

Once dressed, he went to the back door and opened it, giving way to a deserted street with only a trash can on one side and the sound of the wind.

"It shouldn't be long in coming,"  he thought, and he wasn't wrong.

Lights illuminated him and then approached him, revealing a limousine, the vehicle parked in front of him, the driver's door opened, and a teenager with sunglasses got out.

“Young Rock Holmes, welcome,” Hamegg said, bowing.

Rock didn't say anything, he just walked to the passenger door and opened it, then stood aside while his guest got out. Hamegg crouched even lower.

"It is a true honor to have you in my humble abode, oh great Duke Red."

In front of him stood the Duke Red, wearing the same suit he wore when he visited Tenma, only this was black, with a rose in the jacket pocket, and was accompanied by a black cape.

"You can get up," the Duke said as he looked at Hamegg.

Hamegg sat up; from his angle, the Duke looked even more intimidating.

"If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Hamegg, you promised me a spectacle."

Hamegg nodded, and the Duke nodded.

"So, what are we waiting for?"

Chapter Text

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.

"Maybe we can stop the charging," Cora suggested. 

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!"

Chapter Text

The robot was the size of an adult, almost as tall as his father. He was covered in black metal armor, but red stripes were through his body; even if his entire being was robotic, his face was human, with green eyes. He wore a kind of helmet, at the tip of which he had five electrical receivers with two thrusters on his back.

It was frighteningly similar to the Peacekeeper.

Astro took a step back to create distance; he didn't know anything about this robot, and he wasn't a zombie; he was a creation of Hamegg, and something told him that Atlas was created to destroy him. He had to be careful.

Atlas put one foot out of the cocoon, then the other; as soon as he came out, the capsule closed again and hid underground, leaving only the two robots in the arena.

"Will Astro have what it takes to defeat the powerful Atlas?!" Hamegg asked the crowd, many shouting affirmatively and others exclaiming in support of Atlas.

Astro looked at his enemy, green eyes turning red for a moment before returning to their original color, which made him realize something.

"Red energy, he charged it with red energy!"  Astro thought with fear as if things weren't bad enough already.

"Well, I say it's time to find out... get started!"

As soon as Hamegg finished that statement. Atlas placed his eyes on Astro. He opened his as he clenched his fists. 

"You!" Atlas yelled, raising his right hand; the fingers of the hand were drawn back while the palm opened, and a cannon came out of it, firing a red beam that headed directly at Astro.

The boy screamed and jumped to one of the posts; the lightning hit the ground, causing a small explosion. Atlas lowered his arm and saw that he had missed, then he looked up and noticed Astro was unharmed. Atlas closed his fists and activated his rockets; he flew against Astro, and when he was about to arrive, he threw a punch at him. But Astro was faster, and he flew towards another post. Still flying, Atlas turned to look at him.

Astro was standing there, observing him; since he did not know his enemy, he would take his time to study him and see what would be the best option to combat him. Unfortunately, Atlas would not be so patient; one of his shoulder pads opened, revealing a lot of missiles embedded in it, which were shot toward Astro. The boy took off, activated the laser on his finger, and quickly pointed it towards the missiles firing; his eyes went from projectile to projectile to. Luckily, he managed to destroy them all.

"Nice try,"  he thought, but from the smoke that had formed, Atlas came out. And before Astro could react, his enemy hit him with a blow that sent him flying to another of the upper posts, his back colliding with the mechanical structure.

 "AH!" Astro shouted, receiving exclamations from the audience, some of astonishment, others of joy, and others of anger.

"You cost me my job!" Atlas yelled.

Astro began to fall, but before he hit the ground, Atlas gave him another blow that sent him against the shield.

"You cost me my children!" Atlas screamed. 

Astro crashed and fell.

From his vehicle, Hamegg laughed. The fool Astro believed himself too much. That Atlas would not be a challenge for him, but he was wrong; all this time, he had poured his hatred towards Tenma and his son into his machine. Atlas was his masterpiece; all he knew was that he had to destroy Astro. And then, perhaps also Tenma and the entire Ministry of Science. Yes! That would be a hell of a farewell to Metro City and the best letter of introduction to Metropolis. People said the Duke Red loved to settle scores? Good. Because it was time to show him that Hamegg did too.

"Well, it seems that Astro is about to lose the title of  the greatest robot on earth ," he mocked, and some of the audience laughed.

Even Rock found watching Astro getting thrown around quite enjoyable.

"It's good to see you're enjoying the show, son," the Duke mentioned.

Rock smiled. 

Astro had fallen face down, lying on the ground. Atlas landed just a few meters from him.

"And last, you cost me my election," Atlas activated the beam in his hand and pointed it at the little one, "time to pay, robot boy." 

"Oh, it looks like Astro isn't getting out of this one," Hamegg continued.

Many spectators got up to get a better look, and some shouted, supporting Astro, although, it was more about the money.

Atlas's beam was almost charged, ready to fire. Hamegg laughed; his time had finally come.

"So long, Astro,"  he thought. 

That's until two floodgates opened in the boy's butt.

Hamegg grimaced, as did everyone else; the machine guns came out and opened fire on Atlas. The robot had to turn off his beam and cover himself with two arms. Astro opened his eyes and stood up; he hated to admit it, but his enemies never saw that coming.

"Machine guns in the butt?! Really?!" Hamegg shouted irritably.

"Damn it! I forgot you could do that!" Atlas complained.

Astro noticed Atlas was still distracted by the attack; it was his chance. He stopped shooting and flew at him; Atlas uncovered himself only to see Astro's fist heading for his face; he was thrown until he collided with the shield and fell to the ground.

Those who bet on Astro burst into cheers while his detractors sighed angrily.

Astro took a battery out from his belt; at least he had an advantage against his enemy. Hamegg never considered that the red energy could be used against him; Astro squeezed it tightly. Time to end this, he flew toward his rival, raised the battery, and aimed at Atlas's head; it seemed a good place to discharge it. He prepared to drop it, but Atlas grabbed his hand before he could touch him; the robot looked at Astro in the face, and their gazes met. Astro grimaced; he knew what was coming.

Atlas punched him so hard that it sent him to the other side of the arena; luckily, he activated the rockets on his arms and boots to stop the momentum. He stayed flying and saw his enemy.

Atlas was on his feet again, holding the battery.

"I don't know who you think you are fighting," he crushed the battery by closing his fist and then let the pieces fall on the ground, "but I'm not one of those mindless beasts. I'm better."

Astro narrowed his eyes.

"I can't treat him like a zombie. Atlas doesn't act on instinct..."  And then, he remembered all that Atlas said while throwing him around.  My job, my children, my election...

He had heard those words before, from Hamegg and Stone...

"He also called me robot boy, like Stone,"  he thought. Could it be that... Oh no! Just like Dad had programmed him with Tobio's memories, Hamegg did the same with Atlas, only that he used  his own  memories. It wasn't just metaphorical: Atlas hated him as much as Hamegg did! That also means Atlas thought like a human; he could strategize and improvise. And if Atlas AI was advanced enough to think like a human, that meant the red energy worked differently on his brain. Could it be that the red energy, somehow, also kept the memories of Stone while he was the Peacekeeper? And that those memories were up and running? That would explain Atla's words...

Astro wide opened his eyes. He was fighting (arguably) the two people who hated him the most. 

Atlas smiled as if he knew what Astro was thinking.

"That's right, robot boy, you can't destroy  us; we  destroy you!" 

Atlas raised his arm and fired again. Astro jumped to a post, activated his cannon, and opened fire. Atlas began the flight until he was at the same height as Astro.

"One would think two consciences living on the same brain would be too much to handle. But not us, because  we  hate you! And that hate is what makes us powerful! We are ATLAS!" 

And he opened fire again. Astro chose to fly over the area while attacking, so at least it would be more difficult for Atlas to hit him.

"You know? I beat you guys before, and now that you are one, you're just saving me trouble!" Astro joked as he fired. 

"Laugh while you can, robot boy, but in the end, we will laugh last," Atlas responded while dodging Astro's beams.

"I see you got a sense of humor; that's an improvement! It only took the two to see a joke!" Astro insulted back

Soon, the arena lit up red and blue; there were gunshots everywhere, most of them hitting the shield, causing an explosion of light like fireworks. The spectators cheered in excitement.

"Incredible."

"Fascinating."

Astro did not listen to them; he had all his attention on Atlas. Even if he joked, he knew how dangerous Atlas was. No matter how many shots Astro fired at him. Atlas was fast; he dodged all his plasma balls and resumed his attack. Astro was having a hard time concentrating on dodging and shooting back.

"My only chance is to knock him out or incapacitate him so I can drain his energy, but Stone has fought me before! And Hamegg knows how I battle! I need to come up with something!" 

Astro hated to admit it, but it seemed like he would need a miracle to win this one.

...

In the basement, Cora looked up; she could only hear the masses of spectators and the noises of the attacks of both robots, which gave her an idea of what was happening up there.

"I don't like the sound of that," she said before looking at Reno, "we've got to do something."

"I agree," then he looked at the snow leopard's cage.

As soon as the animatronic saw him, he roared at him and tore the invisible shield, but Reno didn't stop but got closer. The leopard continued throwing his paws at him. Reno looked over the edge of the cage, where he noticed a control panel responsible for projecting the shield. Reno's eyes lit up; he already knew what they had to do.

"I've got a plan," he said, standing up. 

Cora looked at him excitedly.

"I know how to deactivate the shield," he continued as he took the tools out of his pants pocket. 

Cora looked at him as if he were crazy.

"Are you out of your mind?" 

"We need a distraction, and our friend here," Reno pointed at the jaguar, the robot growled in response, "is the perfect one; while he creates chaos, we will free Astro."

"So we just hope he doesn't kill us before we get to the top?" asked the girl, pointing to the entrance.

Reno gritted his teeth and looked at the feline; the jaguar growled at him, baring his fangs. Reno looked back at Cora.

"I don't have any other ideas."

Cora was gonna argue when she heard an explosion, followed by a  Wow  from the spectators.

"Gods! What's going on up there?!"  She thought, terrified, they didn't have time anymore; they had to do this madness. She looked back at Reno.

"Do it."

Reno just nodded and started to work; he opened the hatch of the device, and then, with a small laser the size of a pen, he burned the circuits. The shield began to weaken, and the leopard noticed it, launching itself against the cage. The prison trembled, and the green shield began to flash.

Reno's plan was working, for better or worse. Cora stepped back without stopping to see the cage; the leopard passed his eyes from one kid to the other. The redhead stood at the other end, prepared to destroy the remaining cable. Before doing so, he looked at Cora.

"Go to the exit; as soon as I free him, we will run for our lives."

"Wow, I didn't know; thanks for the tip," she responded sarcastically, trying to sound rude and disinterested like usual. But the fear was there, impossible to hide, so she did as she was told.

Reno took her temper as a defense mechanism, so he didn't even bother to answer. He just started frying the cable, and when it was about to snap, he looked at Cora; the girl swallowed but still nodded. Reno did the same and cut off what was left.

The leopard seemed to have understood what was happening because as soon as the shield disappeared, it rushed towards Reno, extending its claws towards him. The boy screamed but managed to jump back.

"Reno!" Cora screamed.

The feline checked his claws, noticing nothing; he looked ahead, seeing the boy was still alive. The leopard roared and threw a bit at him, but Reno jumped on top of him, landing on his head; he supported himself on both legs and pushed upwards, reaching the top of the cage. The leopard turned to see him and roared, lunging after him.

"Run!"

Cora did not need to be repeated; she passed the curtain and began to climb the steps, two at a time, while Reno jumped from cage to cage with the leopard following behind him. Luckily, he had enough time to create a distance between them. Finally, the cages ran out; Reno landed near the curtain and followed the girl up the stairs. As they had suspected, it led to the top, which was good. Because the snow leopard was not letting his prey escape.

...

After the shooting duel, both robots returned to the ground, noticing that neither had managed to hit the other. They looked at each other, analyzing the situation and thinking about how to attack next.

"You know, since you two are now one, it's your age plus his age, so you two are double old now!" Astro joked.

"Maybe if I mock him, I could make them lose control, giving me a chance to insert the battery and drain him,"  Astro thought, and also, the humor keeps the tensions at bay.   

But Atlas just smiled.

"Another weak joke," he placed both arms at the height of his chest, ready to attack, "I'm here to fight, robot boy! Do not disappoint me!"

"At least I know who's talking,"  Astro said to himself as he prepared for battle. 

"So what happens when this is over?" Astro asked, "Are you just gonna be your human's counterpart tool? Are you sure that's what you want, Stone? Being someone else servant?"

"Jokes are not working; maybe getting in their ego would work."

"I told you. I'm not Stone and neither Hamegg. I'm better than those two, I am Atlas," then he flexed his muscles, "With this body, there won't be anything standing in my way. The government is mine!" 

"Okay, he's immune to my words; time for a good old-fashioned beat down."

Hamegg smiled; this was better than he expected. Those two were giving him just what he wanted; not only was he putting on a great show worthy of the ticket price, but Atlas was also showing off. Not only had he already proven himself up to the task. Astro's equal, but very soon, he would prove to be his superior, and the Duke would see it, and he would finally have the life he deserved. He just had to wait a little longer; even if Astro could defend himself, Atlas would finish him off, and then he would shut his creation off.

He knew his and Stone's conciseness in one mind was a recipe for disaster. 

And then, the first scream was heard. 

Reno and Cora came running in; he took her arm and slid across the ground. It was fortunate since the leopard came in behind them, lunging forward; he didn't manage to hit the children, but he did go against one of the spectators; the man could barely scream. After being knocked to the ground, the subject tried to run, but the leopard grabbed his sweater with its jaws, lifted him off the ground, and threw him to the other end, followed by a roar at the others present. The effect was desired, as it caused everyone to scream in panic and run to try to escape.

"What the…?!" Hamegg said, surprised, "How did you escape?!"

The feline attacked without discrimination; he threw his claws at everything nearby and hit whoever was behind with his hind legs.

"Wow, this took a funny turn," the Duke commented as he looked out to see the incursion.

Rock did the same; he didn't say anything but was having fun with the new show.

Astro turned to look outside the arena as soon as the catastrophe began; his eyes widened when he noticed the snow leopard, who continued destroying everything in its path.

"What…?" That was all Astro could say. A lightning bolt from Atlas hit him and threw him against the shield.

"Don't get distracted, robot boy!" Atlas laughed. 

Astro screamed as his body fell; to his bad luck, his opponent wasn't interested in the attack. For him, only Astro existed, his objective. Ignoring the pain, Astro supported himself with both arms to get up and see his enemy. He couldn't do anything for those outside; he had to defeat Atlas first.

His rival attacked again. Astro rolled to the opposite side and launched himself into battle again.

No one was safe; the leopard attacked mercilessly, and all the customers got scared and ran towards the exit.

"No, no, no!" Shouted a desperate Hamegg, stretching his arms and shaking his hands, "Everything's under control!"

But in the face of all the chaos, no one was listening to him. The man growled and looked towards the leopard, who continued attacking the customers. Hamegg growled and pulled out the controller, which was also a taser.

"You stupid beast!" He yelled before pushing the button. 

He shouldn't have screamed, as it alerted the leopard. The beast turned its head to look at him and noticed the lightning bolt. He dodged it with a jump and roared at Hamegg. The human was about to shoot again when the feline swung his paw at a fallen seat, and it flew straight toward Hamegg. The man opened his eyes and moved his glider, avoiding being hit.

"Stupid machine! How dare you attack me?!"

The leopard only roared in response. Hamegg shot it once more, but the feline dodged it.

"Stay still, damn it!"

While those two battled. Cora and Reno looked towards the arena, where Astro and Atlas were still shooting at each other.

"Okay, step one ready," the girl listed, "now what?"

Reno bit his lip; the truth is that he hadn't thought much about this part of the plan.

"Eh..."

Cora rolled her eyes.

"I should have known,"  she thought, looking up and noticing Hamegg's control, her eyes lighting up.

She exited their hiding place and stood a few meters from Hamegg. Put her hands together with her arms towards the ground and her thumbs pointing to the floor. Although she had not paid that much attention, she had noticed her partner's acrobatic skills.

"Reno!" She yelled. 

The boy looked at Cora's hands, then at her face. She pointed her head towards Hamegg, who still had his attention on the leopard. A smile formed on the boy's face, who immediately understood what Cora wanted. Reno nodded, and Cora also smiled.

Reno ran towards her, jumped, and aimed one foot toward Cora's palms. She prepared for the impact, and using all her strength added to the adrenaline, Cora threw the boy into the air. Reno flew several meters above the ground, then pushed his body forward while bending his chest; leaping in the air, he stretched one leg forward, already knowing where he was pointing.

Hamegg did not know what happened until he heard Reno's scream. Wanting to release all the fury he felt for everything Hamegg put him and his family through, Reno released all his frustration with that cry. And before Hamegg could react, Reno kicked him in the face. Although he was still young, the impulse was enough to make the man salivate and fall from the glider.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" He shouted as he fell, waving his arms with nothing to hold on to.

Luckily for him, the drones were programmed to protect him, so when they saw their master falling, several stopped attacking the leopard and went to help Hamegg.

Getting under him and slowing his fall. Hamegg stopped shouting and looked at his machines.

"I knew they would work,"  he thought, and then Hamegg looked up.

After kicking him, Reno had managed to hold on to one of the edges of the drone and then climb up. Hamegg narrowed his eyebrows and clenched his fists, now that little shit had exhausted his patience.

"Get him!" He ordered, pointing a finger at him.

The drones pointed their lenses at the boy, and they turned red.

"Oh-oh," said the redhead when he saw the machine heading.

Reno gritted his teeth and looked around for something to defend himself with.

"Damn! I have nothing,"  he thought, then he noticed Cora; she was still on the ground and pointed down. Reno paid attention, and his eyes fell on the control that Hamegg had had.

His eyes lit up at knowing what it meant; he took it and began to give new instructions: ordering the drones to collide with each other so that they would be rendered useless. At first, there were two, then three, until the sky began to fill with explosions. 

"No, no, no!" Hamegg shouted, "Don't listen to him! Listen to me!"

Before he could order anything else, he felt a slam on the back of his head. His body began to fail him, and without being able to control himself, he fell flat, fainting. Behind him, Cora stood tall, holding one of the arms fallen from a chair; those years on The Surface had really helped her.

She then searched Hamegg's cape pockets until she found the player device. Cora threw it to the ground and smashed it into pieces. 

Meanwhile, the Duke and Rock continued watching the battle. After seeing Hamegg fall, the young man wanted to leave. Seeing an adult be defeated by two teenagers was pathetic, but the Duke put a hand on his shoulder.

"Patient, son, maybe Hamegg still has an ace up his sleeve."

Rock grimaced but didn't add more and sat back down, so the two looked forward.

As the drones continued to be destroyed. Cora looked at Reno.

"Reno!" She yelled.

The boy looked at her, Cora pointed to the arena, and he nodded.

"Astro!" Reno screamed.

Astro turned to look at him, continuing to shoot Atlas. Reno showed him the control and pointed to a button. Astro smiled when he realized what he was planning and nodded. Reno smiled back and pressed the button.

Astro turned to Atlas.

"Heads up," he said before stopping shooting. Then Astro flew under his rival. Atlas just followed him, not knowing what he was planning.

Astro settled on one of the edges of the cell. Atlas turned to attack him, but the boy did not move. The taller robot remained still, not knowing what to do.

"So, you have accepted your fate," Atlas groaned as he prepared to shoot. 

But Astro just smiled.

"Heads up."

Atlas wide opened his eyes. What did he mean? 

Reno pressed the button, and the shield was deactivated. The poles began to fall, heading right to Atlas. The robot could only look up as the bars fell on him, burring him on the ground and raising a cloud of smoke. 

Cora covered herself so it wouldn't get in her eyes while Astro flew over, and Reno stayed in the drone.

When it had passed, the girl uncovered herself and looked ahead, noticing only a pile of poles left, with no trace of Atlas. She smiled as it seemed that everything was finally over. She heard a growl behind her. She slowly turned around, and the snow leopard was there.

She tried to hit it with the arm, but the leopard caught it in its jaws, bit it, and broke it in two. 

Cora looked at the broken piece and then at the feline; it showed its fangs.

"Nice kitty..." she said very nervously, waving with a trembling hand.

The leopard roared at her, and Cora responded with a scream. Hearing her, Astro turned his attention to them; the feline threw a blow at Cora, but the girl backed in time.

"Cora!" Astro screamed and headed towards them. 

The animal was about to throw itself on Cora, but Astro arrived and punched it in the chest, sending it against the wall. 

"Stand down, kitty!" Astro demanded. 

Cora sighed in relief.

The leopard stood up and looked at Astro, growling. 

"Listen, buddy, there has been enough violence for one day; give up so we can help you."

The leopard roared at him before attacking. Astro sighed; why did they always choose the hard way?

The leopard was about to fall on top of Astro, but he grabbed it by the bottom and threw it to the center of the arena. Reno only saw everything from above and gritted his teeth; the leopard was fierce.

The feline made a face at Astro, and with one paw, it tossed a seat next to it. Astro destroyed it with a punch, but when he lowered his hand, the leopard went against him. Astro only put his arm at the height of his head; the zombie closed its jaws on his limb. Astro grimaced and punched it, causing the animatronic to let go of him. 

The leopard looked at him angrily, showing his fangs. It threw a claw that scratched the A on the center of his chest, leaving three lines. Astro angrily looked at it and then at the leopard.

"Hey, it's new!" 

The zombie tried to scratch him again, but Astro dodged it, then flew to the back of the leopard and grabbed it by the tail. The feline could do nothing as Astro began to spin it around.

"You need to chill, bud," Astro said before realizing it. 

The leopard flew screaming at the wall on the other side of the room. Crashing on it and falling to the ground. Astro took advantage and fled to it to discharge it. He landed a few inches from it and took out a battery. 

"I hope Atlas stays down,"  he thought. Before the leopard awoke and bit one of his boots. 

Astro yelled before kicking it; the leopard stood and tried to grab his arm, but Astro surrounded its neck and pushed him to the ground. The leopard roared, clawing and biting in an attempt to free itself.

"Calm down, friend, everything will be over," Astro said as he held him with one hand, and with the other, he searched his belt, taking the last battery he had left.

He inserted the battery into the beast's mouth, and the leopard screamed as the energy was drained from its body. Cora approached, watching Astro liberated the zombie; it didn't take long for the red eye to go out and the body to stop moving. Astro sighed in relief as he stood up.

"Don't worry, bud, you'll soon be as good as new."

At that point, he noticed Cora. Astro smiled at her, indicating that everything had already happened. She smiled back, and Astro remembered she was not the only present; he looked up at Reno. Now that everything had happened, it was time to question those two.

"Reno? Cora? What are you doing here?" 

Before either of them could answer, the pile of poles flew everywhere, destroying one of the walls and several parts of the ceiling, opening holes. Reno had to move the glider to avoid being hit, while Cora had to get out of the way so pieces of the building wouldn't fall on her. Astro turned towards the center, seeing that Atlas had gotten up and was looking at him.

"Oh-oh," he said.

Astro tried to shoot, but Atlas was faster and opened fire.

The lightning struck Astro and sent him to the reception, opening a large hole in a wall and becoming trapped in it.

"Astro!" Reno shouted; he saw the controller in his hand and then at Atlas.

“I hate to do this, but…”  This went against all of his principles, but he would only do it to protect his friend, nothing more.

Reno raised the controller and pointed it at Atlas, pressing the button on the taser; a beam came out of the tip and hit the robot. Atlas stopped for a minute while the electricity hit his body.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!"  Reno thought. Even though that robot had been created to kill his friend, he felt bad doing that.

Atlas, very slowly, as if it weighed a ton, raised his arm and threw a punch into the air, cutting off the rays that were hitting him. The gesture surprised Reno so much that he stopped pressing the button. Although it seemed the attack had hurt him, Atlas was now as good as new; he looked at the boy angrily. Reno gulped.

Atlas fired at the glider, blowing up one of the thrusters.

"Oh no!" Reno cried.

"Jump!" Cora yelled.

Reno did as he was told, holding on to what was once a lamp. He held on tight as the glider crashed, bursting into a million pieces. Atlas noticed that Reno had survived but didn't care. After all, he wasn't his target.

"We'll take care of him later," he said.

Atlas advanced towards Astro.

Reno was about to scream at him to stop, but the lamp began to break.

"Oh no," he said while looking up.

The cable split in two, and the boy fell.

"Ahhhhhh!!!" He cried as he dropped.

Cora opened her eyes and ran to the impact spot, extending her arms, and catching him before the collision. Reno stared at her in surprise, and she did the same until they both smiled.

"Thanks," he said.

"We're even now," she responded. 

The sound of stuff breaking came from the lobby; they both looked there. They wanted to help Astro but knew they were no match for Atlas. They had to trust that their friend could win against that enemy. What they could do is look for something to put out the fire caused by the glider's crash.

Astro was still stuck in the hole, still confused by what had happened. Unfortunately, his enemy did not have the same patience. Atlas arrived and grabbed the little boy by the neck.

"End of the line, robot boy!" 

Then he threw Astro to the ground.

"Ah!" The little boy screamed as he was hit against the concrete, followed by Atlas kicking him several meters away. The boy screamed again when he was struck.

"I have to do something, or else he's going to kill me!"  Astro thought. He leaned on the ground but received a blow on the back from Atlas.

"Ugh!" 

"No more games!" Atlas yelled. 

Atlas turned him over, leaving the boy face up. Then he choked Astro, holding him on the ground; with his free hand, Atlas activated his cannon, ready to shoot Astro right in the head. Astro opened his eyes while the red light illuminated his face; it was now or never. 

"Think, think, think, where is your artificial super-intelligence now?"  He said to himself, as his eyes desperately searched for something to help him.

"Damn! If I hadn't used my last battery on the snow leopard..."  Then he remembered something.

He still had batteries, his own, fully charged with blue energy.

"If I insert a battery into him, maybe I can cause an overload and knock it out. Just not enough to make him explode,"  he thought. 

He activated his thrusters, both his feet and hands, shooting forward; not even Atlas could hold Astro; when he was released, the boy rose, standing again. Atlas looked at his enemy.

"Even if you have my powers now, you don't have my creativity to use them!" He mocked as he activated the laser in his finger, and then Astro shot toward Atlas's neck. He moved his head to the side, but even so, it cut a little, leaving a large enough opening.

Atlas smiled.

"You miss."

"Did I?" Astro said before flying against Atlas.

The older one prepared to punch him, but Astro just flew under his fist and inserted the battery into the opening he made. 

Atlas received all the energy; his head rose as the power ran through his body, and his eyes went from normal to turning completely white.

"NO! NOT AGAIN!" Atlas yelled as Stone's memories of his last defeat resurfaced.

It was as if you were drinking water nonstop, even when you had had enough. It felt like you were about to explode. 

"WHAT'S HAPPENING!" The Hamegg part asked.

"HE'S KILLING US!" Stone replied before looking at Astro: "YOU HYPOCRIATE! YOU BRAG ABOUT BEEN A HERO, AND STILL, YOU DON´T HESITATE TO KILL ME THE FIRST TIME YOU GET! AGAIN!" 

"LIKE THE ROBOTS ON THE ROBOT GAMES! YOU DIDN'T HOLD BACK THERE! DID YOU?!" Hamegg reclaimed. 

"It wasn't like that!" Astro defended himself, "I didn't want to kill anybody! I still don't! I just wanna..."

But before he could remove the battery, Atlas's head exploded out of the body. His skull flew several inches to the right. 

The explosion made Astro fall a few meters. After dropping, he spent some time on the ground until he got back up to see the body of Atlas, headless. Astro fell to his knees before collapsing on his back.

"No... not again,"  he thought.

This is not what he wanted, and still... he did it again, just like Stone and Hamegg said.

"YOU HYPOCRIATE!"

"YOU DIDN'T HOLD BACK IN THE ROBOT GAMES! DID YOU?!"

"I wanted to defeat them, but not like this",  he felt.

He placed both hands on the ground, closed his eyes, and hit the ground, barely and hard, because he didn't want to destroy anything else.

“I'm sorry. I'm sorry,”  it had happened again... He killed a robot… it hadn't been his intention, but Astro did it, just like his first time in the arena.

It hadn't even been Atlas' fault. He didn't even want to be born; Hamegg was the one who brought him to life to relieve his and Stone's hatred into a robot who had nothing to do with anything. It was all Hamegg's work; he had been responsible for everything, and only saw machines as tools... he threatened Reno's family...

“Why do humans treat robots like this!?”  Astro thought.  

Not only Hamegg, but also Stone, Tawashi, the Duke, and Rock… why do so many humans hate robots?!

...

Using some dirt, Reno and Cora managed to put out the fire; after seeing no more sparks left, they both relaxed.

"I think that's it," the redhead told her.

Cora sighed in relief, leaning on her knees to not collapse. She just saw the boy and gave him a thumbs up, Reno smiled.

The two heard moans, looked to the side, and noticed Hamegg had gotten up. He was staggering, looking for support.

"What happened?"  He wondered. At that, he looked up at the Duke's balcony; the man remained still as if that countenance were a recuperative medicine.

The Duke looked at him with contempt as if he were nothing; he shook his head, got up from his seat, and left. Rock stayed behind, looking at Hamegg with a mocking smile before following the Duke.

"Another disappointment, father," Rock said as the two walked down the hallway.

Despite everything, Duke Red smiled.

"Maybe, but the show was entertaining."

Rock didn't say anything; he enjoyed the parts where they hit Astro.

Hamegg clenched his fists; it had happened again, that damn robot... no, it hadn't just been him! Those damned kids had ruined everything! They took away his great opportunity! They spoil his business and his future! Oh no, he couldn't tolerate this anymore. He was going to kill them all!

"You... brats!" He shouted, turning towards the two teenagers.

Reno and Cora made angry faces and took up defensive positions side by side.

"I'm gonna kill you!" He shouted as he grabbed one of the arms of the chairs that had been destroyed and brandished it forward as if it were a machete. 

"I should have left you in the trash all those years ago!" He told Cora while he tried to hit her.

"What a nice reunion you put together," Cora mocked as she crouched to avoid a slam.

Astro was still on the ground, regretting what he had to do when he heard Hamegg:

"I can not believe it! After everything I did for you and those orphans! This is how you pay me?!"

"You hurt Astro! You are a monster!" Cora shouted.

"My family are not your slaves, paunchy!" Reno added.

"I'm gonna kill you!" 

Astro made a fist; he was sick of them, and luckily, one of them was right there.

"Not this time!"  He stated.

He stood up and looked at Atlas's body. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered, then turned to fly out of the holes.

Reno and Cora were cornered against a wall, with Hamegg ready to deliver a fatal blow.

"You adopted children... why can't you see robots in the same way?" Reno asked him.

"Because robots... don't... have... souls!" He shouted in response, raising the stick.

Reno and Cora prepared for the blow. Hamegg dropped it, aiming for Reno's head, he would be the first to fall. The weapon stopped halfway, thanks to Astro's intervention.

Hamegg looked over his head, noticing the robot, who did not have a friendly face. The villain gulped; he had never seen Astro this angry before, and even his friends were scared. Astro snatched the stick from Hamegg, then crushed it until it was nothing more than a ball he threw away.

Hamegg screamed and fell to the ground while he retreated with his elbows. Astro followed him without stopping flying.

"Hey, Astro… come on, don't take it personally."

"You... You hurt those robots... You made me hurt them!" 

Cora and Reno came out of their hiding place and followed Astro. This was wrong, their friend spoke with a much more serious tone than he was used to, and his look... was one of death.

"It was nothing personal… just business!"

"You have no forgiveness! " Saying that, Astro transformed his hand into a cannon and aimed it at Hamegg; no matter what part of the body he shot at, it would be enough to make him explode.

Cora covered her mouth with her hands while Reno felt a chill run through his entire body. Hamegg screamed and covered his face:

"No! No! No!" He screamed.

Astro gritted his teeth.

"Astro," Cora whispered.

"Don't do it," Reno said. 

The tip of the gun lit up.

"This is for...!"

"You are a hero, Astro"  Doctor Elefun's voice echoed in his mind; he opened his eyes and saw what he was doing.

Hamegg was at his feet, completely scared to death. Astro looked over his shoulder and noticed Reno and Cora, who didn't look any better, he saw his cannon.

"What am I doing? "I can't... no... I'm not like that,"  he said to himself, what would Dad think if he saw him? What would Doctor Elefun say? Ken, Tao, Shibugaki, Zane, the twins...

No, no, he was not a killer; peace between humans and robots was possible, and this was no way to achieve it. Besides, a life was a life, even if it was that of a criminal like Hamegg. He had no right to take it away; he had already done it with Atlas, and Astro would not repeat it.

Astro sighed, returning his hand to normal and looking at Hamegg again.

"Get up," he said, lifting Hamegg with one hand. The man screamed a little, "You're paying for everything you've done, but not like this."

He said it to his face. Astro was still angry, but no longer with the desire to kill, which Hamegg must have identified because he sighed with relief.

Cora and Reno also relaxed and exchanged glances, both relieved that their friend hadn't gotten his hands dirty.

"I will never again complain about your kindness,"  the girl thought. If this was how Astro looked angry, she preferred the pure of heart.

While Reno only felt happy, knowing how very, very, bad things could have gotten if Astro had done that, there had always been controversy around Astro. Because of his strength, his powers, and why he didn't have to follow the laws of robotics, that would have been a hard blow for him, but no, despite everything, he had remained faithful to his values, and that was why Reno admired him.

"He really is a hero,"  Reno thought. 

Sirens were heard, and red and blue lights illuminated the windows. Everyone turned to look at the doors. Inspector Tawashi entered shortly after, pointing his gun in front of him.

"Metro City Police, stay still!" And that was when he noticed everyone present. His mouth opened like a fish when he saw who they were.

Astro scratched his head. 

"Eh... evening, Inspector Tawashi..."

Tawashi sighed and lowered his gun. 

"Now what did you do?" 

The three kids exchanged glances, and without having to say it, the three knew what they wanted to ask:

"How's answering him?" 

...

While the fight continued inside, Rock and the Duke left through the back, where the limo waited for them. They would take an alternate route to avoid the police, and even if they stopped them when they saw who it was, they wouldn't even think of questioning them.

"Well, Father, it seems that Metro City was not what you expected," Rock told him mockingly. After all, he had no hopes for that third-world land.

The Duke smiled as he shook his head, and his son opened the door for him.

"Maybe, but we're not going to stop because of a stumble or two," he responded as he got in, "this was just the beginning."

Rock closed the door and went to the pilot's door; the Duke, for his part, took out a locket from his pocket and opened it, revealing the photo of a girl with skin white as snow, hair as golden as gold, and beautiful emerald green eyes, wearing a red dress, sitting in front of a window, behind it, one could see that it was snowing.

The Duke caressed the photo.

"Don't worry, my little angel, sooner or later, we will meet again," he said, at the same time Rock got in.

The boy listened to his father's words and looked at him in the rearview mirror. The Duke was totally focused on the relic, so he did not notice the grimace that the leader of the Marduk made. Rock didn't add anything else, he just started the car as they drove into the darkness of the night.

Chapter Text

Trashcan had not failed in his mission, as Tawashi had arrived with what seemed to be half of the city's police force; the theater was surrounded by patrols, spaceships, and officers who managed to capture some of the spectators while they tried to escape.

For their part, Astro, Cora, and Reno were sitting outside the theater on old boxes, accompanied by the robot dog. The police had brought blankets for the humans but didn't even offer one to Astro.

"Trashcan told you?" Astro asked once the officers had walked away.

The dog barked in response, Cora smiled and caressed his head, and Trashcan smacked the ground with one paw while sticking out his tongue.

"Yeah, right after you left."

"I just had a bad feeling, so I asked in some places to see if Hamegg had something up his sleeve; thank the Gods I did," was Reno's response.

Astro looked at the dog with a frown. Trashcan lowered his ears in sadness, but Astro changed his grimace into a smile. Maybe Trashcan had disobeyed him and put Cora in danger, but because he did, he escaped the arena and caught Hamegg, so Astro was grateful.

So he gave him a thumbs up.

"Thanks, buddy."

Seeing Astro wasn't angry, Trashcan regained his cheerful attitude and barked. The boy smiled and looked up to see Reno, who looked calmer. Astro called him by name, and the redhead turned to look at him.

"We searched all the place from top to bottom," Astro said, "don't worry, that video is gone."

"Yeah, I smacked it myself," Cora added.

Reno sighed in relief.

"Thanks—  both of you."

"I told you I would protect them," Astro responded; after all the trouble he had caused them, he was happy to do something for them.

Reno smiled; finally, things could return to normal, and hopefully, his family would leave the whole "move to Metro City" thing behind; he was gonna add something else when a deep voice was heard through the crowd:

"Prisoner coming!" It was an agent who, along with another one, held Hamegg by the arms and scolded him out of the theater with Tawashi behind them.

"Did you think you could get away with it?" Said the inspector sarcastically, "Things are gonna change a lot around here now."

Hamegg grimaced at him before settling his gaze on the kids.

"If you want to enforce the law, Inspector, maybe you should ask the robot who the redhead over there is," Hamegg said, nodding at them.

Tawashi looked in their direction.

Cora and Reno's blood ran cold while Astro stood up; he still had to make sure Hamegg went to prison without harming Reno.

"What is he talking about?" Tawashi asked.

"Don't listen to him, Inspector," Astro quickly responded, "he's Hamegg; he used to organize the Robot Games before the incident. He's a scammer and a liar."

"I know who he is," Tawashi said a little impatiently, "I did my research when the Surface became my jurisdiction; the answer I want is, who is he?"

He pointed with a finger at Reno; Astro gritted his teeth while Reno held his breath, and Cora moved closer to him.

"He's a friend from around here," Cora quickly answered.

"Liar!" Hamegg shouted but was silenced by a stern look from Tawashi.

Although the scammer was hushed, that did not prevent the inspector from beginning to advance towards the children. Astro wanted to put himself between Tawashi and Reno, but he felt it would make them look ten times more suspicious.

"I don't remember seeing you before," Tawashi commented.

"I don't usually leave my house," was Reno's only response, "my name is Mamoru Murakami."

Tawashi continued examining the boy, not really knowing what to think.

"Why haven't I seen you in school?" was Tawashi's next question.

Astro wished he had saliva so he could swallow it.

"I'm home-schooled, just like the old times when Metro City gave up on us," Reno answered with resentment, "my father likes to keep his old traditions."

"Reno—" Astro thought, fearing his friend was taking it too far.  

"Who's your father?" Tawashi continued.

But before Reno could respond, Cora stepped in.

"Excuse me, inspector, but can we know why you are interrogating my friend? Is he suspect of anything? Are we?" She pointed to herself and Astro.

"Not yet," Tawashi responded without emotion, "but I find it very off that you three were here tonight."

"Robots were in danger, so I came to help them; that's what I do," Astro said; there was truth in that he only hoped Tawashi would not look deeper into his motives.

"There's more to it," Hamegg once again interrupted, "ask him how he found out about my little show."

"Can't you take him away?" Cora asked, "Besides, he's a liar, you can't trust him."

However, Tawashi only sent her a severe look, and Cora knew it would be best to keep herself quiet. The inspector did listen to her.

"And you shut up! Every word adds another year to your sentence!" He shouted at Hamegg.

That seemed to have an effect as Hamegg cowered among the officers. However, Tawashi soon returned his attention back to the trio.

"You're right," he says to Cora, "there's no reason to suspect you; you are just children. Besides, we know Hamegg was behind everything; all his clients are very cooperative."

Hamegg clenched his fists and cursed them.

The kids sighed in relief; the cops had their culprit, there was no need to take them in, and they could go home.

"But there's something suspicious about all this ordeal," Tawashi continued, alerting everybody, "That theater is filled with remains of drones," he looked at Astro, "You said the attack on the circus the other night was probably committed using drones."

"No!" Astro thought this was not what he wanted.

"And if I recall correctly," now the inspector put his eyes on Reno, "one of the robot performers looked very much like a teenage boy."

Reno did his best to not put up a face; he wanted to clench his teeth and fist, but no, he needed to act calm. Tawashi had nothing on them.

"But you're right," the inspector said, "you are minors, so I can't interrogate you without an adult."

Once again, the three felt relieved, hoping that Tawashi would let them go with a warning. And in that, Tenma's limousine arrived.

"That's why I called your parents."

Astro's oil froze. No— no, no! Above all the people he wanted to leave out of this, his father was at the top! Not only would all his lies come to light, but he was also sure Dad would never let him play the superhero again. Not to mention, Tenma had seen Reno closer; if someone could tell the difference between a human and a robot, that was Umataro Tenma.

Astro needed to find a way to convince his Dad to keep the lie to protect the circus.

Then, he could deal with the consequences of his actions.

The limo parked behind the patrols, and Tenma came out as fast as he could; he was wearing the same clothes as that afternoon, but they were dirty and wrinkled, plus his eyes were red with blood.

"Astro! Astro!" He yelled as he made his way among the officers, "Let me pass, that's my son!"

"Oh, oh," was Astro's only thought.

Even Cora looked scared of Tenma's look.

Tenma was making his way toward Astro until he came to Hamegg. The doctor stopped on his track and looked at his former worker. Hamegg tightened his eyebrows and showed his teeth.

"Tenma," he said with hate.

"Hamegg?" Umataro asks, before looking at Astro, then back to Hamegg and later to his son again, "Astro... what is going on here?"

"That's the same thing I'm wondering," Tawashi added.

"Dad," he said, walking towards him, putting himself between his friends and the adults, "I can explain anything—"

"Yeah, listen to your tool, Tenma!" Hamegg shouted, "It has a fun story to tell."

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?!" Tawashi yelled at him.

However, Hamegg's hatred for Tenma surpassed his fear because he fought to escape the officers.

"Ask him where he met that redhead! Or how he found out about my little spectacle!" Then he squinted at the doctor, "Do you really know what your robot does at night?"

Astro held back a sigh; even if he lost the physical fight, Hamegg was all in for running their lives at any level. Tenma, for his part, was out of words; his gaze went from Hamegg to his son, to Reno to Cora, and then back at Astro.

"Take him away!" Tawashi demanded again, "This is not how we handle this thing."

The officers pushed Hamegg into the patrol, but the cheater never stopped looking at Tenma.

"You have no idea what you have unleashed into the world, Tenma! That robot is gonna be the ruin of all of us! He hates! Like a human! I saw it with my own eyes! He's gonna kill us all!"

Traschan, who until then had been silent, turned around, growling, then began to bark at the sky. Astro was facing Hamegg, and he didn't feel like contradicting him because what happened back inside was— a moment of weakness.

And it would never happen again.

But Trashcan's yells put him on alert, and he turned to look at him.

"What is it, boy?"

Small metallic balls fell from the sky and opened from the top, releasing a powerful light.

Everybody screamed as they covered their eyes to protect them from the rays. Astro had just time to look through his fingers to see everything around him was bright and white, but still, he could recognize shapes; he looked back at Hamegg. Whatever it was, he must be behind it.

But when he saw him, Hamegg was curled up between the officers; he looked as confused as everybody else. Astro raised an eyebrow; if this wasn't his attempt at escaping, then what?

A mechanical claw descended; it wrapped around Hamegg and then pushed him up to the sky; the man screamed until he arrived at a drone, one very similar to the one he used in the arena but bigger; a mechanical door opened from the bottom, and Hamegg entered on it, then he appeared on the superior part, alongside the pilot.

The lights went out, and everybody could see what madness had unfolded.

The drone was being piloted by a man— or that seemed to be the case; the figure had a human shape but was dressed in a suit that was half black and half white, with white buttons in the middle; he also wore a dark cape, his face was covered by a case which had the same division of colors, and a single eye immobile in the middle.

It was impossible to tell if it was a human or a robot.

Everybody stood frozen at its presence; who was it? What did it want? And most importantly, what did it have to do with Hamegg?

Tawashi was the first to react, as he unholstered his weapon and pointed it at the figure.

"Hold it!"

All the officers did the same; all the guns were pointing at it; however, the figure didn't look afraid as it only stood still and quiet.

"Hamegg, tell your partner to give up! We have you surrounded!" Tawashi demanded.

"He's not with me!" cried Hamegg, looking terrified at the figure.

Astro opened his eyes; if it wasn't with him— why the trouble of rescuing him? He looked at Reno, who had the same uncertain face; it looked like they finally won, and then this, what did this thing want with them?

He then gazed at Cora, but she denied it with her head; she had never seen it before.

Astro made a face and stared back at the figure; whatever it was, if he wanted to help Hamegg, it would have to pass through him first.

"Why are you treating us like the criminals, Inspector?" the figure questioned; it had a mechanical voice that sounded male, "when the criminals are right there."

He pointed a finger at Reno, who immediately took a defensive position.

"You freak!" Reno shouted.

Tawashi quickly looked at the boy before gazing back at the figure.

"What are you talking about?! He's just a kid!" Yeah, he could question the boy, but because he was the law, this thing, on the other hand, was, as far as he knew, a menace.

"A kid illegally raised by robots," said the figure with a laugh before putting out a hologram projector.

"NO!" Reno screamed,

A collective gasp was heard; Astro looked in all directions, and everybody had the same reaction; horrified and stunned by the revelation, he looked at his father; he was just as astonished as everybody.

Trashcan kept barking at the figure, and Cora was as worried as everybody else; she walked to Reno's side, holding him by the arms to prevent him from falling; the boy looked as pale as a vampire.

Astro clenched his fist; no, after everything they did to save Reno and his family... No! No! This was not supposed to happen! He didn't care what or who the figure was! He was not gonna get away with this!

"STOP!" Astro screamed before activating his rockets and flying straight at the drone.

"ASTRO!" His father screamed, trying to catch him, but it was useless.

"Don't shoot!" Tawashi ordered his forces.

Everybody obeyed.

Astro raised a fist, ready to drop it on the drone; he wasn't going to kill them; he was just going to push them far enough away from Reno and Tawashi, and then he could "talk" to them.

He punched the drone, but an invisible force made him back away; he gasped as he was thrown back.

His friends and father screamed his name, but Astro stood flying and faced the drone and its crew again.

"Force field," the figure mockingly said, "you are all brawl and no brain, right?"

Insults did not work on him; he had more important things to worry about.

"Who are you?!" Astro asked, raising both fists.

The figure stared at Astro as if he was indeed thinking the question; an uncomfortable silence began among the presents, and no one moved even a finger; everybody was too afraid of what the figure could do.

Finally, he answered:

"Your Shadow."

Astro opened his eyes; that was not the answer he was preparing for. And before he could react, Shadow took out a gun and aimed right at him; a red beam was shot and hit the boy.

"AHHHHHH!" Astro yelled as he fell.

"Astro!" all his loved ones screamed.

"Open fire!" Tawashi ordered.

More rays impacted the drone, but the force field prevented any damage. Astro fell to the ground, hitting the floor three times before landing. Tenma, Reno, Cora, and Trashcan wanted to run to help him, but the shots made them jump to the floor, covering their heads.

"This was not how I expected the night to end," Cora thought.

Astro was still on the ground, his whole body hurting; he had already received too many hits that day to know it was red energy.

"Gods, how is every bad guy in the city getting that?" He thought as he got up. When he was, he saw the beams hitting the force field without results; finally, Tawashi seemed to come to his senses as she ordered them to stop.

They did, and Shadow laughed.

"As I was saying, we are not the criminals here."

He pressed the button on the device, and it began to project the footage of Reno's and Panacotta's unmasking, the same one Hamegg had previously recorded.

Astro opened his eyes; he tried to fly, but every circuit of his body screamed in agony.

"No! I must stop him! I must—" but then the pain became too much to even think that he fell on his knees.

Everybody saw the video; there was no point in hiding it anymore; all the eyes were on the record. While Reno was still on the ground, he slowly raised his head and saw his worst nightmare come true.

"No," Unlike Astro, he wasn't mortified, just— His whole world was crashing down; how was he supposed to react? Scared? Angry? Worried? There were so many emotions going through his head, but he couldn't express any of them; he stared at the video with his knees on the ground; he wanted to fight back, but no muscles responded to him.

This also proved Hamegg was not with Shadow, as he looked just as surprised as everybody to see his recording in the hands of another.

The footage ended, and the hologram disappeared. Shadow threw the device at Tawashi, who caught it with one hand.

"There's the evidence," Shadow said, "search that circus tent, and you will find much more."

"That doesn't change anything! You are helping a criminal! You attacked the police! So we are also taking you in!" Tawashi yelled.

Maybe Shadow was right about Reno and his family, but still, he was in charge, so those two were also coming with him.

But Shadow only laughed.

"Sorry, Inspector, but we got places to be!"

Shadow raised a hand, revealing he had another control; Shadow pushed it, and the metallic balls began to flash.

Beep, beep, beep.

The sound alerted Astro, who opened his eyes and saw the gadgets and immediately knew what it meant.

"Oh no," he thought. Even if every inch of his body hurt, no one would be hurt.

He witnessed Shadow, and Astro could swear he was smiling under that hood.

"See you around, robot."

Astro clenched his teeth; first, every one into safety, then he would go after those two; he flew towards the front, quickly grabbed the orbs, and threw them into the sky.

"Take cover!"

The gimmicks exploded, the wave caused those present to be thrown to the ground again, and even the patrols were shaken.

Astro covered his eyes with both arms; he made a face while the explosion passed.

"Okay, with that out of the way, Shadow and Hamegg, you are mine!"

He turned around, ready for battle, but the drone was gone.

"No—"

He looked to every side, but they were nowhere to be found. Tawashi quickly recovered; once the impact passed, he inspected his area and noticed the two baddies had escaped.

"No!" He whispered and took his communicator, "Nakamura, code red! We have two suspects on the run!"

As the inspector told his partner all the details about the runaways, Astro turned to see Reno, who was still lying defeated on the ground. He narrowed his eyebrows; things were terrible, but they would not give up that easily.

He ran to him, but his father stood in his way; Astro stopped and looked at him.

"Astro!" His father crouched to be at his height, "are you alright?"

Of course, he wasn't; he had been tossed around, bitten, punched, electrocuted, and had fallen from heights, but he didn't have time to complain.

"I am, but Dad, we have to help Reno!"

Tenma seemed surprised at his commentary, but then he looked behind his back, where Cora was helping Reno to his feet while Traschan was barking at the sky, probably the direction the two villains had escaped. Umataro looked confused at the scene, but his eyes opened at remembering the other night, and he looked back at his son.

"That video is real."

Astro could only nod. His father sighed and looked at the ground, then back at his son, giving him a sad smile.

"I'll do what I can."

Astro returned the smile; as things were, that was the best they could go.

Tawashi finished informing the rest of his forces and returned to the group. Cora was the first to notice as she alerted Reno by pushing his elbow. The boy glanced at the inspector; luckily, he was out of his trance.

"You need to help your family," he said to himself; that was the only thing that mattered.

"Inspector, please!" He begged as he walked to him, "I know this looks bad, but just let me explain!"

"It's true!" Astro added, going to stand beside his friend, "Reno was abandoned as a baby; he would have died if the circus hadn't adopted him!"

"If you think about it, it's what Hamegg did with us!" Cora also entered in, standing beside Astro.

"They hadn't done anything wrong!" Reno continued, with both fists at his chest.

Tenma stopped to look at the kids; he had to admit he felt — moved, seeing the three standing shoulder to shoulder, not fearing how much taller Tawashi was. At that moment, Tenma could understand why his son would go so far to rescue Reno's family; he would still be grounded for sneaking out of the house, but that could wait.

"Tawashi, come on," Tenma said, standing behind the children, "Even if that footage is genuine, Hamegg must have obtained it illegally."

"He did; he sent his drones to spy on my home," Reno added.

"And he was the one behind the attack," Astro finished.

They were speaking the obvious, but it didn't matter; they were trying to gain time as much as possible, for— There was really no reason for it; the group just needed to try everything they could.

Tawashi inspected the device and then looked at the group; whatever he was thinking was unclear. Everybody was anxious at his response; even Trashcan stopped his barking.

Finally, the inspector closed his fist on the gadget.

"I'm sorry, but despite Hamegg's crimes, what you have done is equally illegal."

"No!" Reno screamed, and Astro held him by the arm to prevent him from attacking the inspector.

"Tawashi, please," Tenma tried to intervene.

"I will have this analyzed," Tawashi continued, showing the apparatus, "in the meantime," he saw Reno, "I'm afraid I need to take you in."

"No!" Both Astro and Cora yelled, while Reno only made a fist.

"Tawashi," Tenma continued.

"The law is the law, Umataro! No one is above it! I know you have trouble understanding that," the inspector dared to look Tenma in the eye with the same friendliness as usual, "but not me."

He glimpsed back at Reno.

"I'm sorry, but this is the procedure — And we need to register the circus."

"STOP!" Reno screamed, freeing himself from Astro's hold, "YOU ARE DESTROYING MY LIFE FOR A STUPID LAW THAT IF MY FAMILY HAD FOLLOWED, IT WOULD HAVE GOTTEN ME KILL AS A BABY! DON'T YOU SEE WHAT BULLSHIT IS ALL THIS?!"

Reno was no longer restraining himself, facing Tawashi with both fists up. Astro quickly intervened and stood in front of his friend.

"Listen, kid," Tawashi continued, surprisingly calm, "I'm trying to go easy on you, so I suggest you cooperate and do as told. If you, I may help you."

Astro raised an eyebrow; was Tawashi, the inspector known for his hatred of robots, trying to help a kid raised by robots? Maybe he wanted to help Reno but not his family, but Tawashi would probably know by now that wouldn't go well with Reno.

"There must be something we can do," Tenma stepped in, putting aside from Reno.

Things were going too fast, but he knew one of Astro's friends was in danger, and Tenma needed to do everything he could to help.

"Yes, get the kid a lawyer," responded Tawashi.

He didn't say with malice, but it was clear this would be a long, complicated, and even painful process. Tawashi looked at Reno again.

"Let's go."

Reno was still shaken, but in the end, he lowered his hands and head, accepting defeat.

"No," thought Astro, but even if he went through all the data, he couldn't find any way to help Reno that didn't involve violence and attacking the forces.

Maybe — they should do as Tawashi said.

Astro was about to ask if he could at least accompany Reno to the station when another vehicle approached in the distance; the officers pointed their guns at it, but Tenma and Astro recognized the car.

"Dad —"

"I know," answered Tenma, "don't shoot! That's Elefun's car!"

Tawashi raised a hand.

"Hold it!"

The vehicle parked just behind the police tape, and Elefun got out; this time, he wore a brown jacket and a hat.

"Hold it right there!" He demanded as he walked to the group.

Some officers got in his way, but Tawashi shook his head.

"Let him pass."

The men moved, and Elefun resumed his march.

"Elefun — What are you doing here?" Tenma asked, surprised; he genuinely didn't know what his partner was doing here.

Astro and Reno looked at Cora and Traschan.

"I did tell him to get the doctor," Cora said.

But Traschan denied it.

"The dog came to my office, interrupting dinner," Tawashi responded, "the doctor was never mentioned, so yeah, why are you here, Doctor Elefun?"

"I'm here to take Reno home," was his only response.

No one expected that answer; everyone looked astonished at Elefun, who only maintained a firm posture.

"That's right," Elefun looked in his pocket and took out a paper he handed Tawashi.

He took it to examine it while Elefun turned to the others.

"Don't worry, we have a plan," he whispered to Reno.

Reno relaxed for what seemed to be the first time that day, unclenched his fists, and breathed.

Elefun smiled.

"I will explain everything, but first, we must solve this," he said before facing back the inspector.

Everybody else could only look confused at each other.

"I don't know how you found out, doctor, but am I glad you did," Astro thought, feeling relaxed about this new help.

Tawashi finished reading and kept the paper in his raincoat.

"Is legit," he said, "by now, you are Reno's legal guardian."

There was a sigh of relief from everyone; at least they had taken care of one problem, but —

"But we still have to arrest the robot circus."

Reno was about to argue, but Elefun took his hand; in a weird sense, Reno felt as if Panacotta was the one doing it, a gesture that assured him that everything would be fine.

They exchanged glances, and Reno could feel that warmness coming from the doctor.

"Trust me."

Reno felt that was what the doctor wanted to tell him with his gesture, so Reno could only smile back.

"We know, but I'm sure you are gonna give them a fair trial; after all, isn't a robot's primary function to preserve human life? For me, that's what the circus did for this boy."

Everyone smiled, finally! Elefun had given them something to fight back; with that reasoning, they could build a strong case at the court; Reno's family stood a chance!

"This is a special case, not gonna lie," Tawashi said, turning his back on them, "so I can not promise you anything; cooperate with me, and I will do everything I can."

He began to walk to his patrol while Astro stared at him; why was he so willing to listen to them? To help? In all their previous encounters, Tawashi seemed to strive to not shoot him. Not to mention the hatred between his Dad and the inspector.

Tawashi stopped on his track as if he could hear Astro's thoughts because he looked over his shoulder.

"I am not a monster," he stated, "but I got a job to do."

He entered his car, not before some final words:

"I need to take your statement, all of you."

"First thing in the morning," Tenma said.

Tawashi was lucky this time; if Reno's safety wasn't at stake, he would have said some things to his big nose.

The inspector seemed satisfied with that as he closed the door of his vehicle, and it took flight.

Officer Nakamura approached once Tawashi was gone and spoke to the doctors:

"That basement is crawling with robot zombies; at least two dozen of them."

"We're gonna call our people to help," Tenma said tiredly, "it's gonna take hours to remove them all out — and even more to discharge them."

"I'll let Yuko know," Elefun also counted.

Nakamura nodded.

"We will get started," Nakamura said as the other officers entered the theater.

"Please be careful; those robots have suffered enough," Astro pleaded.

"We will, don't worry," was the officer's last words before getting to work.

Once the cops were busy with the inspection, Astro ran to Elefun and hugged him.

"Doctor, thank you! Thank you!"

Elfun smiled as he hugged him back.

"Oh, we were so screwed before you came!" Astro broke the hug, "but how did you find out?"

"Yeah," Tenma entered the conversation, "Don't get me wrong, friend, we appreciate your help, but how did you know?"

"My family," Reno whispered, "are they alright?"

Elefun looked serious and glimpsed around, ensuring no one else was listening.

"Not here," was Elefun's only response.

Everybody got the message as they nodded; Elefun checked his surroundings before pointing at his car with the head.

"Follow me."

They split up in two; Reno, Cora, and Trashcan went with Elefun while Astro rode with his father; however, before entering the limo, Astro examined the sky, looking for them .

"Son," Tenma said, worried about him and maybe — worried that they indeed returned.

"Sorry, Dad; I'm coming."

In a way, he did feel relieved about that, as this probably meant they were not going after Reno's family.

But Astro knew that wasn't the last he saw of them.

Still, he decided to worry about that later and entered the limo.

Chapter Text

Nobody knew where they were going; Reno could only stare out the window, feeling nervous for his family.

Tawashi probably had the entire force after them, and as much as he trusted Doctor Elefun, his secrecy about the situation did worry him.

The worst thing was the waiting; all he could do was stare outside at the city lights while they flew above them. With a knot in the pit of his stomach, Reno could not stop thinking of the circus tent being surrounded by Tawashi and his men trashing their home, dumping his desk and bed.

He started tapping his knees with his fingertips in concern; it was annoying, but it was all he could do.

Reno hated thinking about the worst scenarios for his family, but he couldn't stop it!

His mind would not rest until he saw that his family was safe and sound.

Even though Elefun was driving, he noticed the boy and made a face; yes, there was a plan, and Reno's family was secure, but he knew the boy

would not believe it until he actually witnessed it-- And even then, he was not gonna like their solution.

This poor kid was going through so much, and now it was his responsibility to help him through it.

So he took one hand off the wheel and placed it on the boy's shoulder.

It surprised Reno; his body tensed and gasped in wonder.

However, the surprise soon passed, and he looked into the doctor's eyes. The boy was met with a warm smile, even if it was the same gesture Elefun had with him back in the theatre. Reno felt comfortable and safer; he knew the doctor was a good man, so being in his presence reassured him.

He returned the smile. At least now he felt better.

Elefun sighed in relief at seeing this and returned his attention to the road.

Cora was in the back seat with Traschan, caressing him on the head: this was not how she thought the night would end.

But to be fair, that was the case ever since she met Astro.

Not a day was dull with him, for better or worse, especially the ones involving killer robots and mysterious masked figures; even if she was happy everyone was safe, part of her couldn't help but feel miserable.

This all started because she wanted Astro to have a fun night, and now they were looking for a family to stop the cops from killing them.

Now that she thought about it, this was always the case with Astro:

Like how something as simple as going to school ended in a zombie attack.

Everywhere Astro went, some disaster happened; of course, not all of them were his fault. President Stone only got Astro because Hamegg put him on the games, and Frankenstein and the Zombies weren't even looking for him; he just happened to be there.

But the case was the same.

This was not to say Cora hated him; on the contrary, he was her best friend, but she was saddened that no matter what, it seemed Astro couldn't catch a break; just like Elefun, she wished Astro could live like any other kid; even if he wasn't, he deserved better.

Even if Cora knew this would never happen, because even when it wasn't his problem, Astro would always do everything in his power to help others.

So, in a way, Astro did look for trouble.

She sighed before looking out the window; Tenma's car was following them behind.

"Still carrying the world on your shoulders, right?" She thought, closing her eyes, that even if this could become exhausting, she would never leave him.

Meanwhile, Tenma was driving the other vehicle, with Astro in the passenger seat, trying to stay awake.

After everything that had happened, he was tired, even more than all those days chasing robot zombies; between worrying for Reno and his family, putting his things together, and the fights of this night, he was exhausted: his body barely stood, and his eyes burned from lack of sleep all his systems wanted to shut off and rest.

But he refused to collapse until he saw that the circus was safe; they were in this mess because of him, and Astro needed to fix it.

He also feared that Shadow and Hamegg could try to attack them again, so he wasn't letting his guard down.

Tenma was focused on Elefun's car, but even with his sight on the road, he knew Astro was not okay; he could feel his son's tense body, and he hadn't stopped looking out the window.

"I don't think they are coming," he said, knowing what had worried Astro.

"We don't know that," was his response.

"He wanted to mess you up by revealing Reno's secret; if he wanted to attack us, he would have done it by now," Tenma continued.

Astro looked at him, and Tenma felt relief; at least he was listening.

"Are you sure?"

Tenma nodded.

"Trust me, I've seen this behavior before."

Astro raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yes, when I first entered the Ministry, many of my superiors wanted me to know my place, so they embarrassed me in front of other co-workers— and Hoshie."

That made Astro open his eyes, and he stared at his father.

"You never talk about—" He wasn't sure if using the word 'mom' was correct.

After all, she was Tobio's mom, not his; Hoshie hadn't even been part of his creation, and speaking about Tobio was still a controversial topic amongst them; talking of his late mother would be even worse.

Astro didn't want to make his Dad angry, especially this night.

Even if that was something that Tobio himself wanted to know, in all his memories, every time he asked Tenma about Hoshie, his Dad changed the subject.

"You can call her mom," Tenma decided. "You are here because of her; Tobio wasn't only my son."

Astro nodded, feeling intrigued but, at the same time, worried.

"She was also an intern at the Ministry, the smartest woman I've ever met; as I was saying, many tried to embarrass me. I wanted to respond, but she always told me to let it go: 'Don't give them the satisfaction.'"

"Sounds very wise," Astro said, inspired.

"I told you she was smart," Tenma replied with a smile. "She was always the voice of reason— Gods, I miss her."

His father's eyes were getting teary; Astro thought it was time to do as told so Tenma could calm down a little, but Astro still had something to say.

"You never talk about her."

Tenma sniffled before answering:

"No— I never talked about this to... Tobio."

Astro swallowed; they were getting into sensitive territory.

"No— I don't have any memories of that."

"Exactly, there are many things I wish I had told Tobio before the accident," and he finally looked at him. "I am not making the same mistake again."

Astro's eyes were wide open at hearing that— No, he hadn't forgotten that night when his father declared he wasn't his son, and yeah, things between them were better now, and their relationship had improved, but occasionally, that memory still haunted him, the fear he wasn't good enough to be Tobio's— brother.

Because he was nobody's copy.

Hearing Tenma share these personal things made him feel better, making Astro realize that he was, in fact, his son, not just saying it, but he also made an effort to show it.

He hoped this could also give him a second chance, which he had never had with Tobio.

But for now, Astro was tired, and listening to Tenma had helped him to relax.

Maybe he should listen to his Dad and try to rest.

"Thanks, Dad, I think I'm gonna lie down for a while," he said, resting his head against the window.

"That's good, son, and don't worry, I'll keep an eye open."

Feeling safer after hearing that, Astro closed his eyes and slept; Tenma sighed in relief. Even if Astro tried to pretend, it was clear the burden this whole situation had been on him, so seeing his son relax did make him feel better.

That didn't mean he wasn't angry, because he was! Even if he didn't have the entire context, he knew Astro had gotten himself into this mess. Behind his back, he had lied, and for that, Umataro wanted a word.

But maybe because he was too tired, or maybe because his talks with Elefun were actually working, Tenma knew this wasn't the time for that. First, they needed to take care of Reno and his family and then escort Cora to her home; after that, Astro would hear from him.

They flew for an hour and a half, and when it was finally over, they were on a beach. The sand was black, just like the water, and with no lights other than the ones coming from a boat on the shore.

It looked rudimentary, with a large turbine as an engine, and the front part replaced by an old fighter plane. In other words, something that had been armed on one day.

However, what was important was that the Robot Circus was riding it.

Reno almost jumped at seeing them! There they were, everybody, and most importantly, in one piece.

"Mom! Dad! Cookie! Jellybean! Bonbon! Marshmallow!" He screamed with his hand on the glass.

Elefun smiled at his reaction. Finally, after a night of distress for the poor boy, he could relax at seeing his family safe. But the smile soon evaporated as he remembered the plan Reno was not going to like.

Cora and Trashcan were also excited to see the Robot Circus safe. He barked while Cora sighed, and she peered into the other car, knowing Astro would be pleased.

She was correct. As soon as Tenma saw them, he gently pushed Astro to wake him.

"Astro, look."

The boy slowly opened his eyes and rubbed his right one before looking out, and when he saw them, Astro almost gasped. Yes! After a horrible night, finally! Something good! The Robot Circus was safe!

Overflowing with joy, he almost took off his seat belt, ready to blast off, but his father soon placed a hand on his knee.

"Easy, son. We must proceed with caution."

Despite wanting nothing more than to fly down and see everyone was unharmed, he knew he had disobeyed his father far too much for one night... and days. He should probably start listening to him, so he remained seated.

The two ships parked a few meters from the coast, and to no one's surprise, Reno was the first to exit and run to his family, with Astro following close behind.

"Reno!" Cupcake was the first one to notice them. She got off the boat onto the beach and opened her arms. Reno ran into them with a hug. "Oh, I was so worried!"

Reno didn't say anything, just buried his head into his mother's chest.

The other members of the circus joined soon after, everyone cheering and hugging the boy. Bonbon even stroked his hair. Reno laughed at all the attention. At last, this horrible nightmare came to an end!

Astro kept his distance, just watching the happy reunion. They deserved this, after everything that he and Hamegg put them through. The last thing he wanted was to get in the way. However, Cupcake lifted her head to look directly at him. Astro was startled, but the female robot smiled at him.

"Thanks for looking after us," she said.

Astro blinked.

How?

After he caused all this mess, were they grateful to him? In his mind, he was undoing his mistakes; nothing he should be celebrated for... But he was also tired, like never before, of this moral dilemma, so he just saluted her with one hand.

Elefun soon arrived, placing a hand on Astro's shoulders. he looked at him with a grin.

"Mister Panacotta came to my house and told me everything that happened," he said.

"Oh, and can I know exactly what happened?" asked Tenma, crossing his arms.

He was behind everyone, so they had to turn around to look at him. Yes, it was a happy moment, but seeing that everyone was safe, it was time to get some answers. Then he could decide Astro's punishment.

"Oh, right," answered Astro, scratching behind his head, and predicting the trouble that awaited him.

They gathered in a circle, and Astro began to explain everything that happened from the incident at the circus until the part where he accepted Hamegg's challenge.

"We knew Hamegg was not to be trusted, so we went with Doctor Elefun," Panacotta continued. "The first thing we needed was for him to be your legal guardian, Reno, so they couldn't send you to an orphanage."

"I had to move some strings, but I was able to get the paperwork done before afternoon; while I was at that, Yuko helped me get Panacotta and the others here alongside that boat," Elefun continued, pointing with his head towards the boat.

"Where did you find it?" Asked Cora while also petting Trashcan's head.

"That was a gift from the Robot Revolutionary Front," Elefun explained.

"It's true, they say there's a land far away, in what once was called America, where robots are treated as equals, they were planning to use it if things ever got too heavy here," Cupcake added, this entire time, she had been sitting alongside Reno, holding his hand, as if afraid somebody would come and take him from her.

"It's just a rumor... But to be fair, it's the best we got," mentioned Cookie.

"Yeah, it's still better than staying here in Metro City to be destroyed, or trying in Metropolis," continued Bonbon.

"We wanted to escape before any harm could come to Astro, but... we clearly underestimated Hamegg," Marshmallow said.

"So that's the plan!" Reno exclaimed, raising to his feet, "We are gonna escape to this land! So we can all be safe! Oh, you are so clever. I should have never doubted you all!"

He was smiling as he spun around to see all of his family, but he didn't find any smiles, only grimaces of discontent and sadness. His expression changed to one of anguish.

"Wait... if that isn't the plan, then what is it?" he continued.

The members of the Robot Circus exchanged looks between them; none seemed comfortable with this, and Astro began to fear the worst.

"Please no," he thought.

After what seemed to be hours, Panacotta finally stood up, adjusting the bow he was wearing before seeing his son.

"Reno... the plan is to sail in search of this land."

And the boy sighed in relief; he knew it.

"But you are not coming with us," finished Panacotta.

It was like someone had punched him in the stomach. Reno's eyes and mouth were opened wide, and his face paled.

"W-What?" He was able to state.

Panaccotta closed his eyes and looked down at the sand. Reno then tried to get an explanation from the rest of his family, but they turned their gazes away in shame.

Astro, realizing how bad this was, stood up to reach Reno and stand beside him.

"Wait... what are you talking about? You can't leave Reno behind, you are family!" He exclaimed.

This couldn't be happening, not after everything they did to prevent it! He had fought so hard to keep Reno's family safe, and him with them! Just for everybody to tell him they were leaving Reno behind?!

And all because of some stupid laws that didn't even make sense!

No! No! No!

This was so unfair, so unnecessary.

Never before had he felt the need to punch anything with all his might just for the sake of destroying.

Reno, however, wasn't angry but depressed, not wanting to believe what he was hearing. This had to be a nightmare! Yes! That's what was happening! This was all a bad dream! He will soon wake back in his room, with his family by his side and their secret safe.

Yes! He only needed to wake up, and everything would be fine.

Unfortunately, as time passed, that hope was more unlikely.

"Yes! We are family!" Cupcake finally spoke, also standing, "And that is why we are doing this!"

She came closer to see Reno, grabbing his shoulders and looking him straight in the eye. The kid looked in the opposite direction.

"Reno... please look at me," she begged.

Reno didn't obey. With eyes closed and tears falling, he kept his gaze away.

"Reno..."

Part of him wanted to see her, meet those emerald eyes that had always brought so much love and comfort to him, but not tonight. Tonight he felt betrayed, used, useless, unworthy...

"Please... son, don't make this even harder."

And still, hearing that voice made him listen, one last time, so he forced himself to meet her in the eyes.

Cupcake was an old model; even the most advanced ones couldn't simulate crying, and never before had she hated that so much, because this night, she wanted to cry, she wanted to be able to show her pain to her son, to demonstrate to him that this hurt her as much as it hurt him.  

"We have loved you since the day we found you... These past fourteen years have been the best of our lives... humans say a child is the greatest gift of all, and it's true. And I'm so happy and grateful I got to experience it with you."

Astro felt a knot in the pit of his stomach. Her words were beautiful, but something in her tone detonated sadness, and Astro shared how Cupacke was feeling. Like her, he couldn't actually cry, but understood pain too well.

"Then why do you want to leave me?" Reno whispered.

"We don't want to! None of us wants that!" Bonbon joined.

"It's true! There's nothing in the world we want more than you coming with us!" Marshmallow also exclaimed.

Reno gave a quick peek at them before focusing on Cupcake.

"So why can't I join?" He still didn't have an answer.

"Because with love has to come sacrifice," Cupcake said, caressing the boy's cheek, "this journey we are about to make is dangerous; there's no guarantee we will actually succeed."

"I don't care!" Reno yelled, "If that's the reason, then I don't care if I perish! Not as long as I'm with you!"

And he hugged her with all his strength, not wanting to let her go. Cupcake was first surprised at this, and then she returned the hug, knowing this was likely the last time they would ever do it.

"I know! But it wouldn't be fair!"

She forced herself to break the hug.

"Reno... You have the brightest mind I have ever seen. You can have a great future... but you will only achieve it if you go with them."

She pointed a hand at both Dr. Elefun and Tenma, who were watching the scene without saying a word. What could they say? Really.

"But I don't want to... not if you are not by my side."

He closed both his eyes and hands and looked down, with tears still falling. He hated to admit it, but he was running out of arguments, things to say. His family had made their decision and would stick with it until the end. There was no other way around; they were leaving him behind.

Cupcake wanted to say more, trying to reassure him everything would be fine, that it was for the better, even if it wasn't, but she couldn't find the right words. What else could she say? If there were another way, she and everybody would take it.

Luckily for her, Panacotta approached her and put a hand over her shoulder.

"Let me talk with him," he pleaded.

Cupcake only nodded before stepping back, allowing Panacotta to place himself in front of the boy. Reno raised his head with open eyes.

"Reno... my son. The night when he found you, before your discovery, we had hit rock bottom, and we were sure that only destruction waited for us. But then he saw you. You gave us the strength to continue, you saved us. Now is the time for us to return you the favor."

With a finger, Panacotta wiped one of the tears from the boy's face. Reno sniffed without stopping, looking at him.

"You've heard your mother. Your mind is brilliant, and your future is bright. But you will only achieve it if you go with them. Reno, I will always be thankful to the Gods because they allowed me to raise you, and now I'm grateful they are giving you this chance... Even if we are not by your side."

As he spoke, the rest of the circus performers approached, each with sad faces and their hands united.

"You know if there were another way, we would take it. But the city is no longer safe for us, and it wouldn't be fair for you."

Reno sniffed again before answering:

"There's no guarantee this place even exists, if it doesn't... You will be adrift, alone."

That thought alone was enough to discourage him. One thing was having to live without them, but living without knowing if they were safe was torturous. He couldn't go every day of the rest of his life wondering what happened to his family; his heart wouldn't survive.

"We know," Cupacke once more spoke, placing her hands on the kid's shoulders, "but we hold on to hope, the same one you brought us all those years ago. It's because of you that we believe there's something out there for us, just like you were that night."

"Yes, Reno. The chances of us ever meeting were slim, and look at all we did together, and for so long," Cookie stated.

"You don't have to worry about us, Reno. We are strong!" Bonbon claimed while flexing his muscles, "There's no challenge we can't beat."

"Every time we feel sad or nervous, we will think of you, Reno. You are our hope, you've always been," Jellybean expressed.

"We've had a lot of fun together, Reno," Marshmellow said as she jumped around. When she finally stopped, she pressed her nose, releasing bubbles from her afro.

Reno chuckled. He loved that trick ever since he was small. Astro couldn't help but giggle. Seeing Reno happy, even if it was a small thing, gave him comfort.

As all this was happening, Reno's memories were flooded with memories they shared together: the time Marshmellow taught him how to do a somersault, the winter his hands were cold until Panacotta brought him a hot chocolate to keep him warm, and when they bought their caravan.

Yes, they were all right; it had been some wonderful years.

"You all took such good care of me... I wish I could do the same for you now."

"It's the father's job to look after his children, not the other way around," Panacotta told him.

Reno sniffled again, and the crying had decreased.

"Will I ever see you all again?" He dared to ask the question that was eating him from the inside.

Panacotta raised his shoulders before answering. He couldn't give him a definitive answer. But he also didn't want to make Reno believe that this would be the last time they would see each other.

"I can't promise you that... But I have to believe we will, no matter what."

"The world is too big, Reno," mentioned Elefun, finally entering the conversation. "I know there has to be something out there for your family."

And with that, Reno knew there was nothing else he could do. He hated all of this, but he had to trust his family, that they were doing what was best for him. He only wished they could do the same for them.

"Just promise me," he continued, fighting back tears, "that when you reach this place... You will let me know."

Panacotta smiled, rubbing his hair.

"That will be the first thing we do," he promised.

"I don't care if we have to make a smoke sign. We will tell you," Cupcake also swore.

The family shared one last hug, all the while Astro could only look at the scene. He never said a single thing, or tried to intervene, feeling he had already done too much damage to everyone. He wouldn't blame Reno and his family for hating him, because he had failed; he had been the one who exposed their secret, and he couldn't protect them in the end.

He was a fraud.

All of this was his fault. And he will carry this burden for as long as he lives.

After that, the circus performers ride on the boat, while Reno watched from the shore, Doctor Elefun at his side, all the time with a hand on the boy's shoulder. Reno's eyes were still watery, but the crying had stopped.

Panaccota started the engine, but the ship didn't move.

"I think we're gonna need a hand," said Bonbon, exiting the cabin.

"I'm on it," shouted Astro before taking flight. "I'm gonna escort them."

"Son!" Exclaimed a worried Tenma, "America was another continent! You know how far that is?!"

"I know. I won't go all the way... just let me see they sail safely."

He had screwd up so badly that he wanted to at least do one good thing for them.

Tenma sighed. It seemed this night would never end. And yet, he understood Astro; this family had been just torn apart, and as Reno feared, this vogue seemed like a waste. The idea of America surviving after the great flood was unlikely, to say the least, and those performers were old models. It would take a miracle for them to reach the continent.

And still he said nothing, because Reno had already been through too much, and he didn't want to add more sorrow to him. So he accepted Astro's decision, hoping it would make Reno feel better.

"Very well... I see you at home."

Astro nodded and then flew to the back of the boat. He increased the power of his rocket boots, and the ship started to move.

The circus erupted in cheers as they set sail, and even Reno couldn't help but laugh.

"This is not the end of us, Reno!" Exclaimed Cupacke from the deck, "We will see each other again, no matter how long it takes!"

"I won't go anywhere!" Reno replied, waving his hand goodbye.

"Never forget, Reno, that..." Cupcake started, only for the entire family joining her on that last sentence:

"WE LOVE YOU."

"And I love you too," whispered the boy.

And so the ship slowly moved away, until it became a point on the horizon.

"Reno, time to go," said Doctor Elefun, once the boat faded away in the immensity of the sea.

Reno only nodded.

As all of this happened, Cora had remained with Trashcan, hugging him the entire time. Like Astro, she didn't feel she had anything to say, because it was about Reno and his family saying their goodbyes, so she didn't want to get in their way. Sure, she could have protested that there were more solutions, maybe hide them from Tawashi. But Cora knew Reno was already going through so much, and she didn't want to make things worse by arguing.

What this had shown her, however, was how lucky she was. She didn't have the best relationship with her parents growing up, and that had led to some terrible things, but thanks to Astro, they were reunited. They were given a second chance where she and her parents could fix things and be together. Reno had just lost that.

Even with Astro's best efforts, they had failed.

She was indeed very fortunate, and would forever be grateful for the opportunity given to her.

Now, it was time to do the best she could for Reno. Maybe she couldn't prevent all of this mess, but she will damn sure make Reno feel welcomed.

So, she came over and gave him a hug. Reno held onto her arm as Cora rested her head on his shoulder.

"It's all gonna be okay," she promised. "We are with you."

After that, Elefun also joined in the hug, and Trashcan also approached to rub his head against the boy's leg.

Tenma, for his part, only looked at them. He still wasn't so good at showing affection to others. The doctor was getting better at it with Astro, but he still had trouble with others. That didn't prevent him from making a promise:

"Reno... Don't worry. I'll make sure you get the best treatment possible."

"We all will," said Elefun as well. "We won't try to replace them, Reno, because we can't... But you can trust us, for whatever you need, we are here for you."

Reno looked from him to Cora, then to Tenma, and finally back to Elefun, and he smiled.

Tonight he had lost so much... but it seemed he also gained something.

It would never be the same, and his mind would never be at peace until he had proof his family was safe, but he was happy he wouldn't have to go through it alone.

"I think... this could also be my home."

...

At open sea. The ship continued its trajectory, with Astro flying over them. He still felt bad about the whole thing, and wanted to protect them as long as possible.

That was until the first rays of sun appeared in the distance. So far, the scenery had been very dark with the grey clouds and dark water, but the sun brought a little yellow light.

"Astro! I think we're safe now! You can go back!" Shouted Pancotta, looking hopefully at the light.

Astro swallowed as he descended to be closer to the boat.

"Are you sure?"

"Positively," Panacotta continued, "Go back to your Dad, I'm sure he's also worried about you."

All of the other members nodded in approval.

Astro looked down before facing them again.

"I'm so sorry for everything," he apologized. "It was my fault Hamegg found out about you... And it's my fault you have to leave because I couldn't protect you... I'm so sorry."

It wouldn't change anything, and he knew it. But he still wanted them to know he regretted everything.

However, he was surprised seeing that the circus members did not look at him with anger or resentment, but with big smiles.

"Astro... you risked your life for us, you saved our boy." Cupcake spoke. "And thanks to you, he can have the opportunity of his life."

Astro blinked. That was not the response he was expecting.

"My dear boy," now Panacotta was talking, "we knew this day would come, and our biggest fear was 'what would happen with Reno'. But thanks to you, he's safe, and he's gonna grow to become a great person."

"But you... You heard him. We don't know if this plan is gonna work."

"Maybe not, but as long as Reno is safe, then we can go in peace."

That still wasn't something Astro liked, because he knew how much pain it would cause his friend.

"You don't have to worry, little one," added Bombon, "we have gone through so much that this is just a walk in the park."

Everyone seemed optimistic in the face of an uncertain future, and even if Astro wanted to share their hope, he still felt that all this was an injustice.

Things needed to change, because even if he never revealed the secret, that didn't change the fact that those laws still existed to harm robots. And this could repeat itself if nobody acted to change things. Well, he was gonna do something, and he would not rest until he saw a world where robots had the same rights as humans.

But first, he had to fulfill another promise.

"And you also don't have to worry. I will look after Reno as if he were my brother. I won't let anyone hurt him, never."

Everybody else nodded. With that promise, the robot circus knew Reno was in good hands.

"Good journey, robot circus," Astro waved goodbye as he stopped his flight but remained in the air.

"Farewell, Astro Boy!"

Even so, Astro kept flying until the ship was out of his sight, as if it had melted into the sun itself. Then he turned around and began his flight back home.