Baymax sprayed Hiro’s arm with a disinfectant, then handed him a lollipop. Hiro tasted it and said, “Sugar-free? Bleh.”
“I cannot deactivate until you say you are satisfied with your care.”
“Well, then I am satisfied with my care,” Hiro said. As Baymax deflated and folded neatly back into his red suitcase, a distinguished-looking man with graying hair approached them. It was Professor Callaghan.
“Burning the midnight oil, Mr. Hamada?” the professor asked. Then he looked at Hiro. “You must be Tadashi’s brother. I’ve heard a lot about you. Bot-fighter, right?”
Hiro took his bot out of his pocket and fiddled with it.
Professor Callaghan reached for the bot, asking, “May I?”
Hiro handed it over, and Professor Callaghan studied it for a moment, then smiled. “Magnetic-bearing servos—”
“Pretty sick, huh?” Hiro interrupted. “Want to see how I put them together?”
“Hey, genius,” Tadashi said. “He invented them.”
Hiro’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “You invented...you’re Robert Callaghan? Like, as in Callaghan’s Law of Robotics?”
Professor Callaghan smiled. “That’s right.” He handed Hiro back his robot. “Have you ever thought about applying here?”
Tadashi said quickly, “Oh, I don’t know. He’s pretty serious about his career in bot-fighting.”
Hiro shrugged. “Well, kind of serious.”
“I can see why. With your bot, winning must come easy. And if you like things easy, my program isn’t for you. We push the boundaries of robotics here.” The professor put a hand on Tadashi’s shoulder. “My students go on to shape the future.”
Tadashi began to steer Hiro out the door. “Nice to meet you, Hiro,” Callaghan called to him. “Good luck with the bot fights.”
Hiro’s mind was racing. He wanted to stay and push the boundaries of robotics, too. When they were outside, Tadashi revved up the scooter.
“You getting on?” Tadashi asked.
Hiro started pacing back and forth. “If I don’t go to this nerd school, I’m going to lose my mind. How do I get in?” he asked. Tadashi smiled, happy that Hiro wanted to attend San Fransokyo Tech. Tadashi’s not-so-subtle plan had worked.
Tadashi came home and stapled an SFIT poster over one of Hiro’s bot-fighting posters. It announced SFIT’s annual Tech Showcase—those entrants with the best tech would win admission to the school.
Hiro read it and looked at Tadashi in disbelief.
“You come up with something that blows Callaghan away and you’re in,” Tadashi said. “But it’s gotta be great.”
Hiro stared at the poster, smiling. “Trust me, it will be,” he said, knowing this was his big chance. He rolled his chair to his desk and confidently set about designing the most awesome tech project SFIT had ever seen.
Hours later, all he had to show for his time were crumpled pieces of paper scattered all over the room. “Nothing. No ideas. Useless, empty brain,” Hiro said as he banged his head against the top of his desk.
Tadashi looked over from where he was sitting on his bed. “Wow. Washed up at fourteen. So sad.”
“I got nothing,” Hiro complained. “I’m done. Dead end. I’m never getting it.”
Tadashi went over and picked Hiro up, flipped him over, and held him upside down by his ankles. Hiro screamed.
“Shake things up!” Tadashi said. “Use that big brain of yours to think your way out.”
“What?”
“There are no dead ends, Hiro,” Tadashi told him.
Hanging upside down, Hiro noticed his battle bot on the floor. Suddenly, what he needed to do became crystal clear. He reached over and grabbed his bot, and when Tadashi let him down, he bolted out to the garage.
In the past, Hiro had used the garage as a lab for building his battle bots. It had everything he needed to create his new vision: multiple computer terminals, 3-D printers, the works. Hiro sat down, cracked his knuckles, and got to work.
Months passed. Hiro worked day and night. Aunt Cass checked on him and made sure he was fed. Even Tadashi’s friends from SFIT peeked in to see what this obsessed kid was doing. But Tadashi knew that whatever his brother was inventing would be great! Finally, the day of the showcase arrived.
The showcase hall at SFIT was jammed with judges, presenters, and several tech-industry representatives searching for new talent. All around the hall, kids held unrecognizable glass, steel, and plastic objects. They fidgeted with their projects and made last-minute adjustments.
“How you feeling?” Tadashi asked Hiro.
“Hey, you’re talking to an ex-bot-fighter,” Hiro said, jabbing at the air with his fist. “Takes a lot more than this to rattle me.”
“Yup, he’s nervous,” Go Go said decisively.
Wasabi nodded. “What do you need, Hiro? Deodorant? Breath mint? Fresh pair of underpants? I come prepared.”
“Guys, really. I’m chill,” Hiro said.
Honey gave him a warm smile. “Relax,” she said. “Your tech is amazing. Tell him, Go Go.”
Go Go looked at Hiro. “Stop whining. Woman up.”
Fred laughed and pointed to his chest. “Worry not, little fellow. Freddie wore his lucky Megazon shirt! Worn by the creator of Megazon himself,” he said.
Wasabi frowned. “Smells terrible.”
“I know, right?” said Fred. “The creator died in this shirt....Adds to the value.”
Wasabi nearly gagged at the thought.
A spotlight hit the stage. The announcer said, “Next presenter, Hiro Hamada.”
“Oh, you’re on! Everybody say ‘Hiro!’” Honey said as she took another selfie with Hiro and the gang.
“Do good science!” Fred cheered as he walked off with the rest of their friends. They wanted spots in the front row of the audience for Hiro’s presentation.
Alone with his brother, Tadashi noticed that Hiro’s confidence seemed to have vanished. “Hey, what’s going on, huh? What happened to Mr. Battle Bot?”
Hiro had a worried look in his eyes. “I really want to go here.”
“Just take a breath—you got this,” Tadashi said with a squeeze of Hiro’s shoulder.
Hiro followed his brother’s advice, smiled, and walked onto the stage.
Hiro walked up to the mike. He looked out at the huge crowd...and felt a heaviness in the pit of his stomach. They were all staring at him, waiting.
“Uh, hi,” Hiro said into the mike, which screeched with feedback. For a moment, his mind went blank. Then he saw Tadashi’s face in the audience as his brother moved to stand next to Aunt Cass. He was smiling and giving Hiro a thumbs-up.
Hiro smiled back and took a breath. “Sorry. My name is Hiro Hamada, and I’ve been working on something I think is pretty cool. I hope you like it.”
Hiro put on a headset and reached into his hoodie. He took out a small object no bigger than a paper clip. “This is a microbot.” The small object in his palm took a bow. “It doesn’t look like much,” Hiro continued, “but when it links up with the rest of its pals, things get a little more interesting.”
The crowd didn’t seem impressed. Then a murmur rose as the startled audience noticed waves of tiny microbots slithering across the floor. The single microbot flew from Hiro’s hand and joined a towering column of microbots that had now formed onstage.
Hiro smiled and tapped his headset. “The microbots are controlled with this neural transmitter.” He took the headset off and the microbots collapsed to the floor. They re-formed into a column as soon as Hiro put the headset back on.
“I think of what I want them to do,” Hiro said, “and they do it!” The microbots took the shape of a hand waving. Everyone in the audience smiled and waved back. “The applications for this tech are limitless. Take construction.”
Hiro stared at
the microbots, and with a wave of his hand, they picked up cinder blocks and assembled them into a tower. “What used to take teams of people working by hand for months or years can now be accomplished by one person!”
Then the microbots lifted Hiro and placed him on top of the tower. In the audience, billionaire tech mogul Alistair Krei was very impressed.
“And that’s just the beginning,” Hiro said as he leaped off the tower. Everyone gasped, thinking he was about to fall, but the microbots rose and caught him midair. Hiro smiled. He could see Tadashi giving him another thumbs-up.
“How about transportation?” Hiro asked. The microbots transformed into a set of legs that walked Hiro through the audience. “Microbots can move anything, anywhere, with ease.”
As they approached the stage, the microbots formed a set of stairs so Hiro could climb back up to it. “If you can think it, the microbots can do it!” Hiro said.
The audience was with him now. The moment belonged to Hiro, and he was on a roll. “The only limit is your imagination! Microbots!” he exclaimed, and the audience burst into applause.
Hiro jumped off the stage and found Tadashi. The two high-fived as Aunt Cass shouted enthusiastically, “That’s my nephew! Whoo! My family! I love my family!”
The showcase hall was buzzing as students waited for the judges’ results. Hiro, Tadashi, and the gang were anxiously waiting, too, when a large, imposing figure approached them. It was Alistair Krei.
“That was an impressive display,” Krei said, gesturing to Hiro’s microbot. “May I?” He took the microbot from Hiro and turned it in his fingers. “With some development, these could be revolutionary. That’s why I want them at Krei Tech.”
“Shut up!” Hiro exclaimed in disbelief.
Krei smiled. “You’re about to become a very wealthy kid.”
“Shut up!” Hiro repeated.
But Hiro and his friends weren’t the only ones who heard Krei’s offer. Professor Callaghan did, too. “Hiro,” he said, “Mr. Krei is right. Your microbots are an inspired piece of tech. You can continue to develop them. Or you can sell them to a man who is only guided by his own self-interest.”
Krei held up a hand. “Robert, I know how you feel about me, but it shouldn’t affect this young man’s opportunity to—”
Professor Callaghan cut him off. “This is your decision, Hiro. But you should know, Mr. Krei has cut corners and ignored sound science to get where he is.”
“That’s just not true,” Krei argued.
“I wouldn’t trust Krei Tech with your microbots,” Callaghan said, staring straight at Krei. “Or anything else.”
Everyone was surprised by the professor’s statement. They looked at Hiro, waiting for an answer.
“Hiro, I’m offering you more money than a fourteen-year-old could imagine,” Krei said.
Hiro looked at Tadashi, but his brother smiled at him, knowing he would make the right decision. “I appreciate the offer, Mr. Krei. But they’re not for sale.”
Krei seemed surprised and a bit insulted. It wasn’t often that he heard the word “no,” and he didn’t like it. “I thought you were smarter than that,” Krei said to Hiro. But Hiro’s face was unchanged.
Once Krei realized there wasn’t going to be a sale, he spun on his heel. “Robert,” he said, addressing Callaghan as he started to leave.
But Tadashi stopped him. “Mr. Krei?” he said, tapping him on the shoulder.
Krei turned and Tadashi pointed to the large man’s hand. “That’s my brother’s.”
Krei opened his hand and seemed surprised that he’d somehow walked off with Hiro’s microbot. “Oh, that’s right,” he said with a chuckle. But Tadashi knew better. Krei tossed the microbot to Hiro, who stuffed it back in his pocket.
“You made the right choice,” Callaghan said, and handed Hiro an envelope with the SFIT crest on it. “I look forward to seeing you in class.”
Hiro beamed. He did it. He had won admittance to SFIT!
Hiro and the gang burst from the showcase hall. Aunt Cass pulled them into a group hug. “All right, geniuses, let’s feed those hungry brains,” she said. “Back to the café! Dinner is on me!”
Fred was the most excited. “Yes!” he shouted. “Nothing is better than free food!”
Tadashi smiled. It had been a perfect day. “Aunt Cass? We’ll catch up, okay?”
“Sure. I’m so proud of you. I’m proud of you both,” she replied, hugging Tadashi and Hiro again.
“Hey, where are you going?” Hiro asked Tadashi as Aunt Cass and their friends headed for the Lucky Cat. Hiro thought maybe Tadashi wanted to help him gather up his microbots in the showcase hall. But Tadashi threw his arm around his brother and the two walked onto the campus.
Minutes later, Hiro and Tadashi were staring at the gleaming steel-and-glass robotics building in the distance.
“I know what you’re going to say,” Hiro said. “I should be proud of myself because I’m using my ‘gift’ for something important.”
“No,” Tadashi replied. “I was just gonna tell you your fly was down through the whole showcase.”
Hiro looked panicked as Tadashi laughed. Then Hiro slugged him in the arm for making him look. “Ha-ha. Hilarious,” Hiro said.
But Hiro became serious. “Hey. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. So...thanks.”
“You don’t have to say that. I mean, it’s true, but you don’t have to say it,” Tadashi said.
The two brothers threw fake punches and began to wrestle as they laughed.
When they turned back to go collect Hiro’s microbots, they were surprised to see black smoke billowing from the showcase hall. It seemed impossible, but the hall was on fire!
As Hiro and Tadashi ran toward the burning building, they saw people running out, gasping and coughing. The entrance was nearly engulfed in flames.
Tadashi stopped and grabbed a student. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Callaghan’s still in there!”
Tadashi began to run toward the entrance. Hiro knew his brother was going to try to save the professor.
“Tadashi, no!” Hiro said, grabbing his shirt.
“Callaghan is still in there,” Tadashi said. “Someone has to help!”
Hiro reluctantly let go of his brother and watched helplessly as Tadashi ran into the showcase hall.
Inside was an inferno. But through the heat and smoke, Tadashi saw Professor Callaghan. Before Tadashi could reach him, he heard a large beam crack above his head.
Outside, Hiro heard a deafening boom and was knocked to the ground as the hall exploded.
“Tadashi!” Hiro yelled. He saw Tadashi’s baseball cap lying on the ground nearby. He picked it up and cried, “Tadashi! Tadashi!”
The next day, a makeshift memorial had been arranged at the entrance to the university. Students had placed flowers and candles near pictures of Tadashi and Professor Callaghan.
Friends gathered at the Lucky Cat Café to grieve and support each other, but Hiro sat on the stairs, away from everyone else. None of it consoled him.
For weeks, Hiro barely left his room. He sat in his beanbag chair and numbly played with his old battle bot. The blinds were closed and plates of food were usually left untouched.
One morning, Aunt Cass softly knocked on Hiro’s door. “Hey, sweetie,” she said, coming in. “I brought you some breakfast. You get any sleep?” Then she noticed that Hiro’s bed was still perfectly made.
“Yeah, sure,” Hiro replied.
Aunt Cass opened the blinds to let in some light. “Hey, Mrs. Matsuda’s in the café. She’s wearing something super inappropriate for an eighty-year-old. That always cracks you up. You should come down.”
“Maybe later,” Hiro said.
Aunt Cass nodded. “Okay,” she said. “No rush. Come down whenever.” Then she
added, “The university called again. It’s been a few weeks since classes started, but they said it’s not too late to register.”
“Okay. Thanks,” Hiro said. “I’ll think about it.”
When Aunt Cass left, Hiro got up and closed the blinds again. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed an icon on his computer screen blinking at him. A video of his friends popped open. Go Go, Honey, Fred, and Wasabi stared back at him.
“Hey Hiro!” they called in unison.
“We just wanted to check in and see how you are doing,” Honey said.
Wasabi smiled. “Wish you were here, buddy.”
“We should hang out soon, okay...” Fred piped up.
Hiro hit a button, and silence filled the room. He sighed as his eyes moved across his desk, stopping as they fell on a letter from SFIT. Anger and despair filled him, and he grabbed the letter and tossed it in the trash. He picked up Megabot, his fighting bot, and the bottom of it fell off, landing on his foot. “Ow!” he yelled.
Hiro hopped up and down for a minute, and then he saw something moving on Tadashi’s side of the room. He was stunned for a moment. He stared as a white shape rose and began to take form. It was Baymax!
Once Baymax had fully inflated, he shuffled and shimmied his enormous white body to Hiro’s side of the room. His big belly and behind knocked over books and lamps along the way. “Hello,” he said finally. “I am Baymax, your personal health-care companion.”
Hiro had forgotten all about Tadashi’s last project. “Hey, Baymax,” he said. “I didn’t know you were still...active.”
“I heard a sound of distress. What seems to be the trouble?”
Hiro wiggled the toes of his hurt foot. “Oh, I just stubbed my toe a little. I’m fine.”
Icons with smiling and scowling faces representing degrees of pain appeared on Baymax’s chest. “On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?” he said.
“Zero,” Hiro replied flicking his hands, trying to shoo the robot away. “I’m okay, really. You can...uh, shrink now.”
Big Hero Six Page 2