Shaun's aim was simple, learn from the tricker and beat him at his own game.
The thief from before opened his eyes. He was a walking cheat; why not exploit it to the fullest? He would just employ her method his way. Smile in their face and rob them blind.
To be successful, however, he had to be meticulous. So He watched Big Steve's every action, from the subtle shift in his eyes and facial muscles to his change of hand movements.
This guy was a true pro with layers of deception and planning. Surprisingly the guy who followed Shaun won. It was unexpected, but after twenty-minute of observation, Shaun realized a pattern and saw through the con.
Not running with the cash was indeed a wise choice. You see, he was simply a minor part of Big Steve's plan to gain the trust of his audience.
When replaying Steve's actions the first time, he slowed down his movements to ensure Shaun was successful while continuously placing the same cup in the centre. This was the cup that he had used as an illustration to show Shaun what to look for, and instinctively he picked it.
The second time he shuffled his hand movements, he sped up to a point where it was hard to keep track of normal eye movement.
In this one, Big Steve sold the ruse even further as anyone would think it impossible for a kid like Shaun to see through his movement. Yet Shaun chose currently, but it was not merely due to luck.
With breathtaking hand movements under everyone's noses, a third pearl was introduced below the one empty cup. This pearl came from Big Steve's long sleeves. Success was then inevitable, with all three cups containing a pearl.
The third time perhaps was the most genius; he did the opposite in ensuring to remove all the pearls from the table. With the quick movements of his hands, he flicked the pearls inside of his sleeves so no matter which cup was chosen, Shaun would be on the receiving end of the con.
The man who then followed Shaun was also in on the ruse, along with three others carefully placed in the crowd. They were overzealous, spurring on others to have a go. It could be imagined how many they had scammed to split five ways evenly.
A wicked smile grew on Shaun's face. Yet he knew he had to be careful; these scammers would not take kindly to being the ones conned, so just like them, he needed to be meticulous with his planning.
He had the perfect plan, but it was missing one key element, he could not perform the sleight movement of the hand. It seemed so simple when slowed down in his mind, but he was sure it wasn't possible to catch in real-time.
Or was it? He paused for a bit as his thoughts from earlier surfaced about his ability. This whole time perhaps he had simply touched the surface of his ability and has been using it inefficiently.
So far, his memory was so enhanced that he could play, pause, and slow down at a mere request. He could even create a space within his mind that was practically a void waiting to be filled; these were all tools.
They all pointed to one thing; his power was not simply a photographic memory; it was far beyond. At his disposal, he could learn at an inhuman level.
His eyes finally opened with the realization. Now the nagging feeling had faded, and he knew his next move.
'Let me learn your tricks', he smirked while watching Big Steve's quick movements. Currently, Big Steve had swindled eight persons out of one hundred dollars each and one big gambler, two hundred and fifty. He was now up to his ninth.
They all tried their luck as big Steve continued to up the stakes, making it irresistible to resist. For each twenty-five dollar bet, there was a hundred dollar reward.
Shaun continuously watched one challenger after the next filling Big Steve's pocket even further. He was unaware, but as he watched his dark brown pupils flickered purple, his hands began to mimic all of Steve's movements at the side of his trousers.
After a while, he stopped as there was nothing more to learn. Seeing that it was a success, Shaun was over the moon; he knew his potential was now limitless with the ability to mimic others. He looked at all the money on the table and decided he wanted it all. So he continued to bide his time, allowing the pile to grow even further.
Twenty minutes later, there were two thousand bucks. It was then that Shaun decided it was time to make his move. Unhappy with his take home for the night, Big Steve's greed was insatiable. He still felt there was even more out there to be had.
"Come on, y'all, don't tell me you're going to make Big Steve go home with all this cash!" He bellowed to the crowd, who finally saw the curtains on the wall.
They had no hopes whatsoever against this big fellow. Now they were simply victims of Hustler's Paradise.
"I would like to give it another go, Mr Big Steve," Shaun appeared at the table, surprising the crowd of now forty.
Big Steve: "Youngblood, I thought you had left. Now are you sure you want to challenge Big Steve once more? Big Steve finally got his mojo back".
He tried to seem sympathetic to Shaun, but this was an act by the conman, like all things. Truthfully he didn't think Shaun had the cash worthy of contesting him at this juncture.
However, his mind instantly changed when he saw Shaun take eighty dollars from his pocket. Many concerned folks within the crowd sought to dissuade him.
"Kid, don't do it. It's a honey pot trap and better than you have tried," Said one woman; she had kids of her own, so it grieved her seeing this young child falling prey to scum.
Hearing the woman's concerns, Shaun lied, "It's ok ma'am, this is simply some money I found on the street. So it doesn't matter much".
Big Steve grinned: "Spoken like a true Youngblood, and because of that, I am offering you two hundred bucks for your sixty".
Shaun: "We got a deal, Big Steve". Meanwhile, in his mind, Big Steve truly loved Shaun. He not only started the night off with a bang, but now he willingly gave away all that cash. This kid was like the gift that couldn't stop giving.
Describing it as taking candy from a baby would be an understatement. A baby would have put up more of a fight.
Big Steve: "You ready, Youngblood? Remember, find that pearl, and you're a rich man".
Shaun nodded, which prompted Big Steve to start. His hands moved swiftly as Shaun pretended he was becoming disoriented due to the movements.
But he was seeing through it all, and apparently, Big Steve was taking him lightly. He had only snuck one of the pearls off the board. When he stopped, Shaun looked in his eyes and saw a confident man who had already won.
"What will it be, Youngblood?" Big Steve asked confidently, to which Shaun merely scratched his chin. "I'll have that one," he pointed to the farthest cup to the right. For once, Big Steve became hesitant. There was no way this was happening.
"You sure, take your time; I like you, Youngblood, so I won't rush you," he tried dissuading Shaun.
Shaun remained fixated on the farthest cup to the right, "I have a hunch, so I will go with that one." Big Steve could not believe what he did, but still, he sought to force Shaun to switch his decision, "Remember no rush".
Too bad for him, Shaun knew precisely what he was doing, "No, that one".
"Will you just flip over the fucking cup? How many times does the kid have to tell you that one?" Yelled one man who truly became annoyed at Big Steve and his stalling tactics.
With his hand forced, Big Steve dejectedly flipped over the cup and would you believe it, Shaun was corrected. Still, he tried to mask his disappointment with a smile.
"You are one lucky kid, huh, Youngblood?" He said through gritted teeth.
To which Shaun shrugged his shoulders, telling a bald-faced lie. "I'm 1/1000th Irish; it runs in the blood", He said proudly, which caused the crowd to chuckle. With those stats, who wasn't Irish?
Shaun then stretched his right hand out, "I think you have something of mine. Not that I don't trust you, but…."
Big Steve gritted his teeth; his enamel would be worn down by this point.
He started to hate this kid but knew there was no way around it. So though it pained him, he counted the cash before handing it over to Shaun, who smiled while the crowd cheered.
Seeing Shaun readying to leave Big Steve's fellow cons, faces were not too amused, but he gestured for them to stay calm. He had it all under control.
"Youngblood, at the very least, give Big Steve a chance to win it all back. I will even add another hundred. So instead of leaving here two hundred bucks richer, you could leave with five".
The adults in the crowd knew exactly what Big Steve was trying and sought to protect Shaun. One man yelled. "No way, kid, take it and run!"
Shaun suddenly halted his footsteps, "Three hundred huh?" To this, the crowd could only sigh. It felt good seeing Big Steve lose, but this kid had to go and be greedy.
But Big Steve had a big smile and placed the three hundred cash on the table.
Shaun continued, "Sure, but under one condition. At the end of your shuffle, I get someone from the audience to pick a specific cup. Deal?"
"You got it, Youngblood,"
It was an odd request, but Big Steve did not give too much thought. He was just glad this idiot gave him a chance to make up for the previous blunder. He once more began to shuffle the three cups putting his all into it.
Those from the crowd became dizzy just trying to keep up, but Shaun, who watched, simply had an innocent smile. He saw when Big Steve tossed the two pieces of pearls from his board into his sleeves. He finally was taking Shaun seriously and went for his endgame.
When Big Steve halted, there was an assured look that he previously sought to hide. Now everything was guaranteed to be a success. IT was his livelihood; how could some snot-nose kid's luck dent his confidence?
"Pick whomever you want," He gestured for Shaun to pick someone from the audience. Which Shaun did; he chose the least threatening person he could find.
"Grandma, could you assist me?" He enquired of an old woman who was so short she couldn't possibly have seen what was going on.
It was laughable, so much so that Big Steve could not contain himself as he and a few others burst out in laughter.