Ybarra was groaning in pain, alone and surrounded by clean white sheets. The bed was too small for him, with his injured hand having to lean on the desk.
He hated how he was knocked down at the very start of battle. If he had killed Zaturn when he had the chance, he wouldn't have been in this painful situation.
He blamed himself for not being able to withstand a speeding bullet. It was high expectations, but if he couldn't do that, how could he save his friends from people with guns?
He trained his muscles up to his limits every day in the hopes that he would someday be able to protect everyone. But he realized his limits. He had no chance against a Miracled.
Despite how he thought of himself, Caesar knew that Ybarra underestimated himself. He seemed to have forgotten that he almost killed Zaturn while not having any Miracle powers.
It was impressive enough for Caesar to recognize his potential. Caesar was convinced that Ybarra could go even further. He envisioned a wild bull, mowing down anyone who he pointed at.
"Why do you train your muscles?"
He saw a shadow outside his curtain partition as he heard Caesar's words.
Ybarra parted the curtains and saw Caesar looking at him with a smile.
"It's my armor. I feel safe knowing that I can protect everyone."
Caesar shook his head. "I don't believe that. I feel a sense of wildness in you. You want to wreck anything in your path, don't you? That's the reason why you train yourself."
"No!"
"Then I am going to give you a chance. I can give you a million Parou. This will be enough to get out of this town and 'protect' who you want to protect."
Ybarra looked up at Caesar. His eyes did not waver. He did not feel tempted by this offer at all, as if he did not even consider it.
"Or I can give you power that you desire. I can make you a Miracled."
Caesar took out a Miracle drug from his pockets. This pill was colored red and black, with a leathery texture. The patterns on this drug was something akin to a dinosaur's skin.
Ybarra immediately felt a connection to the drug. It was as if it was beckoning him. His muscles started to twitch, as if they were hungry, telling him that they need that drug.
This was the answer. This would take his body to a whole new level. His strength would be unparalleled.
"What do you want me to do?"
Ybarra was not an idiot. He knew that Caesar would not give him such a precious item for free like it was nothing. There was no such thing in this world.
"I need a bull. I need some muscle. For my plans in the future, having muscles that can protect me will be critical."
Caesar, of course, had no need for protection. But he was sure that Ybarra would reject it when he told the truth that he needed someone who can kill anyone he wanted to be killed.
"If I say run, you run. If I say jump, you jump. If I want you to do something, you will do it."
Ybarra was akin to a gun. He was dangerous and he was powerful, but he needed someone to aim it for him. And Caesar was such a person.
"Which will you choose?" Caesar said with a smile, already knowing what Ybarra's next words will be.
"I want power."
—-----------------------------
Mitre did nothing. He could not join in on any fights, nor could he help Ybarra receive the healthcare he needed. He was supposed to be one who was responsible for them, yet he was the one who did nothing.
Mitre was the eldest out of all of them. However, he was not intelligent like Rola, not strong like Ybarra, nor was he eagle-eyed like Uver. He was mediocre, average.
He decided he wanted change. He needed to change.
But who could help him? The first person who came into Mitre's mind was Caesar. This kid was not only brilliant, but he was also resourceful.
He witnessed first hand how Caesar earned 10s of millions of Parou in a day. He may be able to help me, Mitre thought.
And just as he thought that, he saw Caesar walk out of the emergency room and walk over towards the staircases leading to the exit.
"Caesar, wait!"
Caesar continued to walk down the stairs as if he did not hear Mitre. Mitre had to rush down a few flights of stairs just to catch up to him.
"What is it?" Caesar asked.
"I want your help. You have a lot of money at your disposal. Can you loan me enough money?"
Caesar titled his head. "What do you need the money for?"
"I want to change. I want to become stronger and more intelligent. I'll enroll in school on the weekdays and go to swordsmanship training on the weekdays."
"Ahh, so you are stepping out of the business for a few years."
"No, I–"
"Going to school will take years. And if you truly want to learn anything, you have to drop everything and do everything you can to absorb knowledge. Obviously, you would have to leave your family and friends behind."
Mitre was speechless. He thought that he could do everything, training, studying, and helping out with the business. But Caesar was right. He needed to let go of one of those or else he would not learn anything.
"In my opinion, you need something that can make you powerful in an instant, something like a–"
Before Caesar could even finish his sentence, an idea already formed in Mitre' brain.
"A Miracle drug! That's what I need. Can you loan me money to buy what I need?"
Caesar looked at Mitre's naive eyes. He didn't realize that Caesar had been leading on this conversation for this very moment. But Caesar still was not satisfied.
"No. I can get you the money, but why should I?"
Mitre stumbled through his words trying to come up with a good reason for Caesar to give him the money to get a Miracle drug.
"Trust me. Once I get Miracle power, I will use it for your convenience. I will be your loyal dog, ready to be at your service."
Caesar smiled, but hid it from Mitre. "Are you sure about this? I have ambitious prospects. I will have enemies, enemies that will do anything they can to kill me. You will have to make sure that it doesn't happen."
Mitre knew of Caesar's desire to sell his pure Joy product to bigger and better markets. And he knew that Caesar would eventually succeed.
Being able to serve as Caesar's bodyguard was a fortuitous encounter.
"I am sure. I want power."
Caesar smiled as he took out a Miracle drug from his pockets. This one was dark, very dark, as if it was made out of shadows.
—--------------------------
Rola confronted Caesar. She immediately saw and felt the Miracle power emanating from her friends, her siblings, her family. She quickly understood what happened.
"What are you planning to do to them?"
Caesar looked back at her. "I only gave them the power to do what they already wanted to do."
"You don't have to do this. You already earn enough millions to live freely however you want. Why do you want to build an army? Why do you want more?"
Caesar looked at her with seriousness. Rola was smart, and she was courageous enough to do the things she had to do in order to survive or protect everyone she loved.
However, she did not have the initiative. She was satisfied with the status quo, satisfied with rotting in the place she had always been in. That was the difference between her and Caesar.
"You're selfish," Caesar replied to her.
Rola was offended. She sacrificed everything for her family, and would willingly continue to do so. No one had ever called her selfish before.
"You have the power now and you have the money."
Rola was going to get the 1 million Parou reward for selling Caesar's Joy. This was enough to pay for whatever she needed. And with her lighting Miracle powers, she can finally protect them.
"But that would not be enough. You are depriving yourself of the best. You have the potential to give even more, but you are unwilling to do it."
Rola listened to Caesar's words speechless.
"You have the power to even change this whole town. You could make sure that the next generation of orphans like yourself will never experience what you experienced. You can rid this town of those who did you injustice."
Caesar looked her in the eyes.
"I can help you achieve that. With my money and my wits, I can conquer this town and shape it to my will. With you and an army behind you, we can rid this town of parasites."
Rola saw the future where she was living freely in town, where being from an orphanage would not lead to discrimination. A town free from people like the Capo gang.
"I need you to lead my army, my organization. You will lead the Doping Narcos."