Steel Dragon

Mei Mei was sitting on the shop floor, legs crossed and hands dirty with grease, trying to decide if she would take apart Chun-Li's panel again or just drop everything and take a nap. The sun was coming through the stained glass window, casting light on tools and screws scattered everywhere.

Grandpa's drone floated near the ceiling, making that tired propeller noise, like it was ready to throw out another criticism.

She didn't want to hear a sermon. Not a scolding, not a motivational speech, not a complaint about parts out of place. She just wanted a bit of peace. She had woken up early, tried to train, but her head wouldn't stop thinking about bills, what to eat, what couldn't be fixed anymore, what was missing for money.

The robot was open, exposed, each part showing the lack of everything. Mei Mei ran her finger on the cold metal of Chun-Li's arm, feeling like she still needed half of it to get the robot to walk again, let alone fight. Her heart was heavy, but her pride kept her from asking for help.

She was already sick of hearing that Steel Dragon was done, that it would never be anything again.

The drone approached and turned on the screen.

"Are you going to keep staring at nothing until the rust eats you up, or are you going to move those hands there?"

Mei Mei let out a tired smile.

"Leave me alone, grandpa. At least today. I'm not in the mood to listen to a digital sermon."

The drone spun in the air, showing a message on the screen: "Drama doesn't pay the bills, girl." Then, it made a little noise that sounded like a laugh. She threw a nut at the drone, which dodged and still projected a tiny hologram of a laughing emoji.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded somewhere in the shop. The drone's screen changed, showing a notification of a global broadcast. The noise increased, and grandpa's voice got serious.

"Turn on the TV, now."

Mei Mei got up, wiped her hands on her jeans and went to the corner where the old monitor still worked. She pressed the button, waited for the device to buzz, the screen flickering with static, until it finally tuned to the right channel.

The image appeared distorted, full of colored interference. Even so, it was possible to see the neon lights, the exaggerated set, and the crowd screaming in the background.

In the center, a famous presenter, all smiles, dressed in a LED jacket, started talking in English and sending greetings to all countries. Soon, the broadcast was automatically subtitled in Chinese, Japanese, Russian, all at once. The guy opened his arms and shouted at the camera:

"That's right! ATTENTION, WORLD! The time has come for the BIGGEST MECHA TOURNAMENT in history! Millionaire prizes, sponsorship from the biggest corporations on the planet, international fame and just one rule: anyone can participate!"

The crowd went wild. Fireworks exploded behind the stage. The logos of giant corporations appeared on the big screen. Several known names in the mecha scene: HyperNova, Sirius Robotics, JX MegaGroup, all promising money, parts, contracts, even trips around the world.

Mei Mei was speechless. Grandpa's drone flew close to her, projecting an even bigger hologram. Now, she could see grandpa's digital face, not just hear the voice. He winked at his granddaughter, kind of sarcastic.

"Look there, your chance to get out of the trash and get famous. Go there and show how to take a beating with style."

Mei Mei didn't answer. She just kept staring at the screen, seeing famous pilots appear in flashes, showing giant robots, armor shining, people laughing, dancing, as if everyone was ready to be reality show stars.

The presenter kept shouting:

"Any team! Any mecha! Doesn't matter if it's scrap or last generation! You just need courage to step into the arena and show your worth! Registration open until the end of the week! So? Who's going to have the guts to challenge the big ones?"

With each phrase, the big screen showed absurd numbers: one hundred million credits for the winner, exclusivity contracts, access to upgrades that only world champions had. Images of giant arenas, mechas flying, cheering crowd.

Mei Mei's heart raced. It was everything she always wanted. It was everything her grandpa always dreamed of. But the shop was a mess, she didn't even have money to buy food, much less parts. Chun-Li barely walked, and she was still alone.

Grandpa's drone broke into her thoughts, with the same old voice:

"What are you waiting for? Are you going to sit there and cry, or are you going to think up a decent plan? Because complaining, I've seen you do better than soldering."

Mei Mei turned her back, not wanting to show her eyes getting watery. She walked through the shop, kicked an empty box, and stared at the dismantled robot. It was ridiculous to think about competing against the best in the world in that state.

"You're laughing at me, right?" she said quietly.

The drone answered, projecting grandpa's avatar with crossed arms.

"I laugh because if I don't, I cry too. But if you don't try, you'll never get out of this hole. And don't bother staying there waiting for the world to help you. The world just steps on you if you stay sitting."

The broadcast on TV continued. Now, they were showing testimonials from pilots who came from the outskirts, improvised shops, people who became legends after a tournament. The presenter shouted:

"It's not about where you came from. It's about where you're going. Mecha World Tournament! Registration open now!"

Mei Mei felt like screaming. She wanted to believe it could work, but everything seemed too far. She looked at the pendant on the drone, remembered her grandpa in the flesh, remembered the promises made before he left.

Grandpa-IA's voice softened suddenly. The hologram got bigger, showing him sitting in a chair, just like when they watched TV together.

"I know it's hard, little one. But there are times when the world kicks you out of your comfort zone just to see if you fly or fall. It only depends on you to choose to get up or not."

Mei Mei closed her eyes, took a deep breath. She knew it was time to decide. Either she tried, or she gave up for good. The drone floated to face level, blinking the blue display with a message: "The chance doesn't knock twice. Courage is only missing before you act."

She laughed, a bit nervous.

"Okay, grandpa. If it's to be embarrassed, at least it'll be in front of a global audience."

She sat on the floor, grabbed the old tablet and started scribbling ideas, making calculations, thinking about what could still be salvaged from Chun-Li. The drone started projecting 3D parts, simulating possible upgrades, showing errors and crazy solutions.

While she thought, she heard grandpa's voice again:

"If you're not going to win, don't even start. But if it's to lose, let it be trying until the last screw."

She looked at grandpa's avatar, with a smirk.

"It's going to be our way. Even if everyone thinks it's impossible."

The drone let out a digital laugh.

"Our way was always the most fun. Now, let's get to work. The tournament waits for no one."

Outside, the city looked the same, but something had changed inside her. The fear was replaced by a strange fire, like the dragon was starting to wake up after so long. Mei Mei knew a storm was coming, but, this time, she wouldn't run.

Steel Dragon was coming back. Even if it was just her, even if it was only with scrap, even if the whole world laughed at the attempt. What mattered was getting up.

And, for the first time in a long time, Mei Mei smiled, truly feeling hope.