Eureka!

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Tadashi's POV

"Quick!" I yell to Cherry as I pull on my helmet and she grabs the first aid kit near the door. She slams the door shut, not telling Aunt Cass where we're going cuz she'd very well kill us as well, and hops onto my motorbike. I push her helmet onto her head and get behind her; she starts the engine and as soon as I've clicked the straps together we set off with me clutching her waist.

"Where's the Botfighting Underground thingy?!" I yell again to Cherry, and she shouts through the speeding wind, " We need to go to Ghingham Street then down the alley next to it!"
Thank Beyonce she used to botfight for money - I mean it's bad, because she did the same thing Hiro is about to get beaten up for, but at least she knows where it is so we can get to him faster.

We whizz through the dark empty streets of San Fransokyo with Cherry shouting through the sharp wind the street names we pass. How long is it til Ghingham? I need Hiro to be in one piece; I've heard terrible rumours from SFIT about the botfighter who's playing tonight, and Hiro still doesn't understand how much of a cocky little git he can be.

Finally Cherry yells, "GHINGHAM!" and starts to slow down from where she was driving dangerously fast. At least there's no traffic round here.
As soon as it's safe Cherry pulls my hands onto the bars and jumps off the still moving bike to start to run to the alleyway, and I yell after her and park the bike safely before chasing after her. She darts down a plethora of different turns and paths with me struggling to catch up - when did she get so fast? Does she run whilst listening to equations? - then halts abruptly as we reach the entrance to the Underground arena.

I frantically look around me, hoping we weren't too late and Hiro hadn't beaten Tough Aanga and Tough Aanga hadn't beaten Hiro to a pulp. Cherry suddenly grips my forearm and tugs me quickly into a longish tunnel. As we get in I start to hear echoing shouts.

Hiro?!

Cherry's POV

I keep running, not caring if Tadashi isn't able to catch up. I'll be damned if I can't beat the shit out of whoever is trying to beat the shit out of Tadashi's baby brother. Hiro is only just turning 14 and Tadashi has tried to protect him so much that he doesn't fully understand how rough some people are. I remember Tough Aanga: Filipino kid around the same build as me but a couple years older, had been to school even less than me and made her only profit from botfighting and beating up and mugging other kids. When I was just starting to botfight years ago for money for rent after ending up on my own, she wrecked my first bot I ever made then wrecked my arm to the point I had to waitress one-handed for two months, and stole all the money I'd made that night. Of course, that was before I learned how to fight - and boy would she know it tonight.

We reach the end of a tunnel and I see in front of me Tough Aanga and her cronies punching poor little Hiro. Instantly my brain goes into Action Mode™️ and I storm toward the group. Somewhere in the distance I hear Tadashi gasping, but the blood is thumping in my head too much to listen.

I reach out and grab the nearest puncher's collar, and before he has a chance to protest I punch him in his straight - not anymore - nose. He staggers backwards in shock, and in an instant the rest of the people had left Hiro and surrounded me. The rest of the group start advancing and I assume a Tai Boxing stance, my feet placed a few feet apart and my hands near my face in fists, when Tough Aanga recognises me and signals to the others to back off. They do, but I still retain my stance and flick my eyes around the space at them all.

Aanga smirks and crosses her arms. "Well well well. Little Yowamushi. I thought you'd dropped off the face of the earth. How come I don't see you here no more huh? We too uncouthed for ya now you got yer fancy job?"
I flinch a little at my old insulting nickname, Yowamushi in Japanese means 'wimp,' but I tighten my fists more. Fortunately that was the right thing to do as Aanga tilts her head slightly and from behind me I hear a whoosh of air.

I'm Not Giving Up On You [Tadashi Hamada X OC] [COMPLETED]Where stories live. Discover now