This world is unfair.
It's just a loop of taking and giving. Hoping that you'll not lose more than you steal. The sad part is that it may look like it has its good sides, but in reality it's just an illusion.
There are no good sides about Pablo's life.
Like everyone else, he just steals and is stolen from. Yet, he still wants to go on.
Small as he may be in this world, as short-lived he may be in this city.
There is an urge to keep going.
"Damn, that sucks dude. Can't believe you killed a guy for money." Tsuyoi took a bite out of his food. His eyes closed instantly, his tastebuds having a french revolution.
"I'm all about this Spia though!" He took another bite. It was if Pablo's situation was not important.
"Mmh, what did i do to deserve this?" Tsuyoi smiled with eyes closed bliss.
The Bazaars of Thalorien were busy and chaotic as always. The air was 'bitter cold' as some would say. Narrow streets and even narrower alleyways were all around the two. Some delinquents were doing graffiti art on the walls of a cafe which read "Make coffee, Not Wars." Tsuyoi called Pablo here in order to discuss their plans and just… catch up.
Dogs and other wild animals passed by. The two didn't find it strange. It was normal for them. In Thalorien, there was deep respect for animals and just nature in general. The reason for it was because in the early days of Thalorien, due to its steppe landscape, animals had an important place.
Although, for some reason, that love for nature in Thalorien almost disappeared.
"The Government will probably find out about the doctor's death. They will look for any evidence i left. Before that happens, we'll need to find more doctors around the city. Otherwise they will start to protect them, realising someone is targeting doctors specifically."
Tsuyoi nodded.
"I might know one. A big-shot."
Pablo watched Tsuyoi eat.
"Wouldnt it be hard to enter then?"
Tsuyoi grinned.
"Nah, it'll be a piece of cake. Trust."
The two then sat in silence as Tsuyoi kept eating. Pablo wasn't hungry. He just watches Tsuyoi eat.
Eventually, Pablo broke the silence.
"How can you even eat that thing?" Pablo looked at Tsuyoi, nose wrinkled in disgust.
Tsuyoi didn't respond and kept enjoying his meal. Pablo wasn't hungry. He looked around to see if anyone was spying or eavesdropping.
"Have you learned anything?" Pablo leaned in and whispered.
Tsuyoi ignored once again, and took a bite out of his Spia.
"Are you ignoring me?"
Tsuyoi sighed, wiped his mouth with his forearms. He looked at Pablo.
"Let me finish my food, man. Business later." Tsuyoi groaned and returned to his food.
Pablo pinched his nose and couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Business? I'm dying here. Your food can wait."
He was angry due to Tsuyoi's insensitivity. But he didn't want to let his anger show. Because deep down he was still afraid of Tsuyoi.
Douchebags and dickheads, Pablo can handle that much. But a douchebag and a dickhead that looks calm and relaxed? He felt like Tsuyoi could snap at any moment.
Pablo grew anxious.
"Oh but are you actively dying?" Tsuyoi turned to Pablo once again.
"What is that even supposed to mean..? Yeah? I am."
"You're so sassy." Tsuyoi teased, but Pablo felt like this was him being 'on the verge of snapping'
Tsuyoi scratched his butt and got up.
"Come on, we'll walk and talk." Tsuyoi wiped his mouth again.
Even if it was very cold, Tsuyoi was shirtless.
Tsuyoi always seemed to be shirtless. Pablo never saw him with a shirt on, even though they met 2 weeks ago.
Tsuyoi was a tall, well-built man. Maybe he took pride in his body. He seemed loud and flashy anyway. Rocking messy light-blue hair that reached his neck. His skin was tan, and way too clean for this city.
Pablo on the other hand, was very skinny and fragile. He was just a bit shorter than Tsuyoi. He had long straight pink hair that reached his back. His skin was pale. His eyes were bright purple, almost 'neon' in a way. He appeared malnourished.
"Okay." Pablo reluctantly got up and started to walk with Tsuyoi.
The Bazaar was so loud, the two could barely hear each other. But it was also so loud that they could safely shout felonies without anyone hearing it.
"You asked me something, what was it?" Tsuyoi shouted.
"I asked if you learned anything." Pablo shouted. The sudden yelling hurted his throat, he coughed.
"Huh? Oh, right. Yeah, dont worry." Tsuyoi tried to look casual.
He put his hands in his pockets, and looked around nonchalantly. There was an awkward silence that made it obvious Tsuyoi was lying.
Pablo noticed the behaviour instantly. He was very good at reading people.
"No…"
"...I totally forgot." he muttered under his breath.
"Damn it!" Pablo kicked the ground. He then immediately regretted it because he felt like he broke his toe.
He yelled in pain.
"You gotta chill." Tsuyoi snapped his fingers, a spark of blue flames appeared and healed Pablo's feet. His cape tied to his waist started to glow.
Pablo was surprised. The pain was instantly gone.
"You can do that?"
"Yeah, that's my Treasure. I can mend stuff and burn stuff." Tsuyoi grinned. He took a look at Pablo and noticed his ring.
"What grade is that?" Pablo was shocked, that seemed powerful.
"A-Grade baby!" Tsuyoi felt spoiled with attention.
Pablo's eyes widened, he couldn't believe what he just heard.
"...A-Grade?! That's like the highest grade besides the chosen ones, isn't it?!"
Tsuyoi squatted down to pet a dog, then got up and kept moving.
"Yeah. What is your treasure then?"
"Oh, not as cool as yours." Pablo muttered, embarrassed and ashamed.
"Come on! Not like i'll make fun of you." Tsuyoi slapped his back. That hurted Pablo a lot.
"Well, I can eat objects and turn them into projectiles that fly straight out of my mouth. It's E-Grade. The lowest…"
"Damn, that sucks dude. How do you even eat stuff like metal though? Wouldn't that break your teeth and shit?" Tsuyoi sighed and put his hands in his pockets.
"We have things called Treasure Adaptations, don't you know? My bite strength and teeth durability are increased in order to match my Treasure." Pablo demonstrated by biting really hard. His teeth hitting themselves made a very loud sound, showing how strong his bite strength is.
"Thats better than the Treasure itself!" Tsuyoi laughed.
"You said you wouldn't make fun of me." Pablo was embarrassed again. He then pulled out the bag of coins from his pocket.
"Here. This is what I got from the doctor." He showed the bag to Tsuyoi and shaked it.
"Oh, sweet!" Tsuyoi lunged for the coins, but Pablo reacted and pulled it back.
"Nuh uh. We made a deal, didn't we? I'll give you this, my end of the deal. But now you gotta find more information about my situation. Or else…" Pablo made eye-contact with Tsuyoi.
"Or else?" Tsuyoi was surprised. Was this a threat? He grinned.
"...i wont really do anything. You'd beat me up." Pablo resigned.
Tsuyoi upon hearing this, started laughing.
"Man, and here I thought you grew a pair."
Suddenly, the two heard someone sprinting towards them. Dodging every obstacle in their path.
Pablo immediately reacted before Tsuyoi.
"What-"
But it was too late, the bag in his hands was quickly stolen by a robed man. Tsuyoi gasped loudly.
"Oh man, now we're done for! The money we earned is gone!"
The speed of the thief was shocking to say the least. Even faster than the two combined. He quickly started to climb the rooftops and parkour from there forward.
"I killed a man for that!" Pablo yelled.
When it seemed like all hope was lost, a thought came to Pablo's mind. This was the perfect opportunity to show Tsuyoi that he isn't useless. Maybe if he can get the money back, he can show him that he is competent.
He wants to be reliable.
"...I'll get it back. Follow and back me up." Pablo claimed, determination rising.
Even if it didn't seem like it, if Pablo wanted to do something; he wouldn't stop no matter what.
Usually, wanting is the hard part.
Pablo started sprinting. A few steps in, he is already panting.
Tsuyoi, meanwhile, was already bored. Very bored.
"...I hate it when people order me around." he sighs. But quickly something catches his attention. A loud noise from a cheap, possibly stolen microphone.
"Thank you for joining our concert! Our next song is…"
Tsuyoi smiled in excitement.
"Oh, this is way too sweet!"
He walked towards the noise. Leaving Pablo alone.
Luckily Pablo knew the layout of Thalorien way better than most people did. But he thinks that the thief probably does too.
Pablo cuts into an alleyway. He bumped into someone while running.
"Watch where you're going, fuckface!" The man shouted.
"Sorry!" Pablo shouts back.
He grabbed 3 bottles of water on the way. He sees the thief jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Thanks to the shortcuts, Pablo was able to catch up.
"On his way, there will be a bridge made of planks. If i can shoot that bridge while he is on it, i can confront him!" Pablo thought as he kept sprinting. He was running out of breath.
Eventually, he found out his memory didnt fail him. The thief indeed ran into a bridge of planks. As he stepped on them, Pablo took action.
"Here we go!" Pablo started to chug the water bottle. After he was done, the water was shot from his mouth like a hose. He barely hit the planks and almost missed.
When the planks were shot, they quickly fell apart and so did the thief. He fell on the floor. Somehow it didn't seem like he was injured.
Now was the time for confrontation. The two were in an alleyway. And the exit was closed by Pablo.
"I hoped you'd fall unconscious when you fell. I didn't think this through it seems…" Pablo admitted. His guard was up.
"Well, namesake. Looks like we both learned a lesson today." The thief spoke. He sounded young.
His height and voice told Pablo that he was no older than 13. He wore a hoodie, a mask and a pilot's goggle. With these, his face was entirely covered.
The thief entered a stance. He seemed experienced.
"Oh, that's not good." Pablo muttered under his breath.
He believed that the thief was also a fellow Treasure User. Because his movement didn't seem human, especially for his age.
"Sorry but I killed a man for that money. I don't want to kill again."
"Who does? " The Thief chuckled and took one step forward.
A loud noise is heard all around the region. A concert it seems. Drums started playing.
"♪ Insert your coins elsewhere… its broken as it is."
"He knows my Treasure now. But i dont know his. Does he even use one? I haven't saw anything glowing." Pablo thought. He wouldn't be the one to make the first move.
The Thief feinted a rush, Pablo who was already on high edge reacted and dashed forward.
"Dang it, he baited me!"
"♪ Cannot stand or give the snack, consider it a bliss."
After the rush, the thief threw a left hook. Pablo quickly ducked and fell to the floor. He noticed that the punch created a shockwave. There is no way he'd be alive if he took that.
"I might die here…" Pablo thought, he quickly tried to forget this thought.
"♪ Bewildered by your income, such savage since you smiled."
The Thief stomped. Pablo rolled in order to avoid the attack.
"He reacts fast. But he doesn't move fast." The thief thought to himself.
"♪ When i can see your leash on me (Iron gifts come pouring down)"
When on the floor, Pablo quickly took a bite of the ground and sent the dirt as bullets from his mouth. The thief blocked the attack. It didn't even hurt him.
"♪ Whoaa… (Pouring Down.) Whoa… (Pouring Down.)"
"I'll have to eat something stronger!" Pablo grits his teeth. He steps back and grabs dirt from the floor, aiming at the thief's eyes.
"That's dirty!" The Thief speaks out, covering his eyes.
Pablo uses this moment to get up and check his surroundings.
"♪ Bombs… mon amour. Bombs… mon amour. Bombs… Bombs.. Cheri Mon Amour."
"Im guessing he has a Treasure Adaptation that amplifies his strength. If this is him without using his Treasure... physical confrontation is a no-go unless i have no other chance."
He notices a metal pole, a puddle of rain water and a pile of garbage. Nothing else catches his attention.
"I have one bottle left, i'll put it to good use!" Pablo chugs the last water bottle. Before he shoots it, he takes a bite of the dirt on the floor.
Right at that moment, the thief regained his vision.
"Dirty? Then you won't like what's next!" Pablo is proud of this one-liner, and shoots mud out of his mouth.
"♪ Soaked in your bath now. We stink as boars do."
Pablo's Treasure doesn't literally store the things he ate in his stomach. It has a spatial dimension for that. A dimension Pablo can't freely access. Only the stuff he eats with the intention of using his Treasure goes there. But the space is limited, and holding it hurts Pablo.
Pablo, knowing this, drank water and ate dirt in order to mix them inside his storage.
"♪ Smoke Emerges, And presents itself upon you."
"Enough!" The Thief flicks his finger, sending an airwave. Deflecting the mud.
Pablo's eyes widen.
"How strong is this kid?"
"♪ Like a petty piggy laughter. So empty as estranged."
The Thief closes the range and delivers a punch. Pablo tries to block as he can't dodge at that moment.
The punch is so strong, it immediately breaks Pablo's right arm. Pablo yells out in pain.
"I can't die here, not like this!"
"♪ Of each other, from one another."
"Oof… that looks like it hurts." The Thief cringed.
Pablo falls to his knees out of the pain. The Thief… stops attacking for some reason. Pablo tries to get up but his knees are weak. The running from before is catching up to him.
"♪ And iron gifts keep pouring down."
"I just wish Tsuyoi was here… with his A-Grade bullshit."
Pablo paused.
"I thought i was supposed to make myself reliable. I'm a joke. No wonder she…"
Pablo stopped before he remembered.
"I have to get up."
"♪ Whoa… (Pouring Down)"
"I have to get up."
"♪ Whoa… (Pouring Down)"
"I have to get up."
"♪ Its bombs, mon amour!"
"I'll get up." Pablo growled, coughing a bit.
His iris ignited. Literally. An icon of fire appeared in his eyes. His presence changed. Every pain he felt was gone at that moment. Everything appeared slower for him.
He hasn't felt like this in a long time.
"Those eyes…" The Thief noticed.
"...they are the eyes of a murderer." He grinned, now actually enjoying this.
"I wasn't planning to kill him, but he thinks i will. This rush of determination helped him get up!" The Thief gets his guard up once again.
"Give me back my money!" Pablo yelled, raising his left arm and getting his guard up. His right was so injured he couldn't bring it up.
"He is going to fight hand-to-hand with me!" The Thief notices, before he can make the first move,
Pablo does.
Pablo rushes and sends a left hook. The Thief dodges and delivers a knee strike. Pablo dodges to the right.
"He is faster!" The Thief points out, he sends rapid fist strikes.
Pablo swiftly dodges them all.
"Your arms aren't that long, kid. So I don't have to move fast in order to dodge them. I just have to react fast!"
Pablo then throws a left hook again, the thief grabs his left.
"Now, you can't defend!" The Thief grins.
"Who said I wasn't willing to break my right even further?" Pablo declared, the fire in his eyes growing.
Pablo struck with his right. Which seemed to be fully healed somehow.
"How?! I just broke it… he doesn't have a healing Treasure, does he?" The Thief now out of chances, braces for impact.
Pablo's fist connects with his stomach. And,
It really doesn't do anything.
"Oh, that didn't hurt at all…" The Thief checks his stomach, to see if its just shock or if the fist was actually that weak.
He grins. Pablo takes a step back. Noticing that his fist did nothing, the fire in his eyes disappeared.
"Okay, that's not a good sign."
Now burned out, what will Pablo Drake do?