Thursday, and its impending events, was a different day from the rest of the previous adventures that had transpired throughout the week, as the sky had a few clouds rolling by, with some obscuring the rays of the morning sun. On the bustling streets of Toshi City, where numerous pedestrians walked towards their respective destinations, Hawk was awoken by the usual sound of a train horn in the far distance, followed by the brief sound of car horns shortly after. He sat up on his bed to see a cluster of cars, which were crammed in all three lanes. The traffic was backed up for two miles, as Hawk further peered outside of his window. The boy, now fully awake, made his way down the small hallway of his residency, donning his blue and orange jacket in the process of making his way toward the stairs.
Downstairs, in the kitchen, the aroma belonging to shoyu ramen was alluring, as Hawk quickly picked up its scent, and walked towards the kitchen area, where Ryori was preparing food. "Morning, Pops." Hawk said. Ryori turned to face the boy with a confident smile. "I take it the smell of my cooking brought you downstairs?" He asked, slowly stirring the noodles in the pot with a pair of chopsticks. "Nothing's better than your cooking." Hawk happily said. "Good to know. Because you have a lot of time before school begins." Ryori informed him. "You gotta prepare yourself with a hearty meal, am I right?" He then asked.
Hawk and Ryori sat at the kitchen table, as the boy indulged in the freshly cooked shoyu ramen. "So, about Toma and his guild…" Ryori said, as he was now in the midst of preparing another meal. This time, he had an empty bento beside the cooking station. Meanwhile, Hawk slurped the ramen, but it was Ryori's words that prompted the boy to pause his eating. "This is a thieves guild of sorts?" He asked. "Yup. But they're the good kinda thieves." Hawk said, quick to answer with a mouth full of noodles. Ryori would come to the conclusion as to the exact type of guild that Toma ran. "That reminds me of when I was around your age. I was friends with the leader of a busker's guild." As Ryori began his story, Hawk ate his ramen slowly, as to pay attention to the grandmaster. "Was it nice?" The boy then asked. "Oh yeah. They played good music, as expected." Ryori continued. However, before he could elaborate further, a burning question lingered within the forefront of Hawk's mind, which he asked: "Do y'know anyone named Raphael Mingus?" Ryori paused in the middle of his cooking, looking puzzled. "Mingus, you say?" He asked, reciting the surname. "Yeah. He's in my class, but he barely shows up. They say he hangs out in the music room sometimes." Hawk said. "Quite the delinquent, is he?" Ryori playfully asked. "Speaking of Mingus, I have heard of a busker named Leonardo, once." He conceded, resuming his concentration on his cooking. "He was similar to that thieves guild in which you and Eeno are on good terms with." He then told Hawk before continuing. "He was known to manipulate his Qiangdu into words that can actually put the hurt on his foes."
"He insulted 'em to death?" Hawk asked, curiously, now completely halting in the enjoyment of his ramen, and diverting his full attention onto Ryori. Hawk's question brought out a chuckle within the grandmaster while he proceeded to place the variety of food into the bento. "In truth, yes. That was the essence of his abilities, similar to that of a Gimmick Release." The last two words that Ryori spoke instantly clicked within Hawk's head. "Like those special Techniques that're developed from memory?" He asked. "Precisely." The grandmaster answered with. In the midst the conversation, Ryori placed the packed bento on the table, beside Hawk. "One more thing, before you head off to school…" The grandmaster said, as Hawk's head turned to his left, facing Ryori. "We are who we choose to be. And just like one's own Gimmick Release, you must find who you are and commit to it. Those who know what they want to be are those who do not fear the climb to become the best they can be." He continued.
"Don't let anybody tell you what you should be." Ryori's said, finishing his advice for the day. Hawk stood from his seated position at the kitchen table. He thanked his Pops, bowing his head in the process. The boy then turned to walk over to the small steps by the door, and laced his yellow sneakers. "See ya soon, Pops." Hawk said, with one foot outside of the house and the bento box in hand, facing Ryori, who waved at him with a bright smile.
Outside, as Hawk walked down the steps to his house, and exited the alleyway, he stepped onto the sidewalk, and began to walk down the street, as he swerved and shimmied past those who walked in the opposite direction as him. Upon stopping directly in front of Shoyo's Corner Store, the boy saw, beyond the herd of people waiting at the crosswalk, the other side of the street was just as hectic as the sidewalk in which he walked along. "I think I'll take the backstreets." Hawk thought, as he turned West of Shoyo's, and proceeded to walk down until he reached Tori Street, which would lead to the backstreets faster if the boy continued West further down the street. "Sorry, Pops." Hawk muttered, as he maintained his destination westward. "I know the backstreets of Toshi ain't the best route, but I have to do this." He added.
Hawk would arrive at an intersection. He looked to his left to see a row of buildings, which led to the crossroads. He then turned his head to the right, and noticed an alleyway beyond the opposite lane, which had a small, paved path, in between two small grass fields with shrubbery, for drivers to make a U-turn. And judging by the run-down appearance of the buildings on the street, along with less of an influx of people that walked by, that Hawk could tell he was nearing the backstreets. He turned his head back to the left again, as he overheard a mild argument coming from the buildings. But the shouting could be heard several blocks down, far from the boy's current location.
The backstreets were a narrow, and cramped, system of small apartments, rusted fire escapes, and dilapidated homes throughout. This was complete with large piles of black trash bags and litter, which were scattered throughout the small roads. The sides of the apartments and cheap houses were also decorated with faulty street lights, which Fiends and Goblins, roguish thieves, as well as other, suspicious individuals, would fracture them as a means of galivanting about with their deceitful crimes throughout the night. Even the sound of a bottle breaking, or a dog bark from one of the residents, would echo throughout the area. And while the backstreets themselves were no stranger to unscrupulous nightlife and crime, many of Toshi City's denizens would argue that Grottolin, the North borough of the city, was considered to be the most harsh, and borderline lawless, section of Toshi. But nevertheless, seeing as things were tame, especially during the late hours of the morning, Hawk had trekked down the slim backstreets. His eyes darted from one corner of the dubious streets to the other. He was on high alert for anyone who would potentially rob him for his belongings.
All seemed quiet in the backstreets of Toshi City, as there were no questionable acts in the midst of Hawk's venture throughout the confining and shabby streets. There was a musty and cold air that breezed throughout the backstreets, even on a warm summer day like today. Furthermore, there was something oddly suspicious about the lack of shady activities transpiring within the area. Something was far different than any other day in the streets. But Hawk tried to pay it little mind, as he turned the corner, and the first thing that laid upon his eyes was the cracked glass door to a small convenience store, with a wooden board partially nailed at the middle, near the rusted handle. The outside of the store looked to be abandoned, but the interior had lights on, with two customers already inside. They were in the process of ravenously eating gas station-level food. Hawk neared the entrance of the door, only for a tattered man in a patched top hat to take notice of him. "Pardon me, but could you please spare some change?" The tattered man asked, as he withdrew a medium-sized kukri-style knife, and took up an odd, dueling stance, which made Hawk look down at his gaunt, bruised legs, and then back up to face the man. "Your foot stance needs some work." The boy said, politely, noticing the man's crooked, inward feet. "Oh, like this?" The tattered man asked, before charging at Hawk with the blade. He wildly swung the knife at Hawk, who hopped back, and also swerved beneath each swipe of the tattered man's attacks. Then, as the boy neared the wall behind him, the tattered man readied himself for a thrusting attack. But as he proceeded to close the distance, Hawk lunged forward, as gusts of wind kicked up behind him, launching him faster into the man's abdomen with a Wind-laced punch to the gut. The tattered man slid back across the ground, almost falling onto his knees, but he managed to catch himself, and regain his balance. "Dodge this, good sir!" The tattered man shouted, as he threw his knife at Hawk, aiming for his head. But Hawk swatted the knife out of its intended direction, as the steel edge firmly planted itself into the wall behind the boy. As the tattered man frantically searched his ripped pockets for another weapon, Hawk used this opportunity to stomp the ground, as a cinderblock-sized piece of concrete rose up, followed by Hawk spin-kicking it into the man's direction. The tattered man raised his guard at the last second, as the chunk of concrete hit him, and knocked him to the ground.
Hawk walked up to the man, who remained on the ground, as his top hat rolled around in a circle behind him. "I haven't had a fight this good since Raphael Mingus visited these parts." The tattered man said, happily. "Wait, you said Raphael Mingus?" Hawk asked. "Why, yes." The man answered. "He has become known throughout the backstreets as The Piper of Toshi." The tattered man added. Hawk then reached out his right hand, as the tattered man grabbed onto it, with the boy helping him off of the ground. "He's in my class, y'know." The boy then told the man, who retorted with a raised eyebrow. "I take it you attend Toshi Academy, yes?" The tattered man asked.
Both Hawk and the tattered man stood on the side of the small road, next to the door of the convenience store. "So whaddya know about Raphael?" Hawk asked. "I do know he earned The Piper of Toshi moniker due to his musical proficiency, and martial talent, which alleviated most of the crime that happens here within the backstreets." The tattered man elaborated, as he withdrew a cigarette, which hid deep within the left pocket of his ripped shorts. But before he could light the cigarette, Hawk snapped his fingers, as a small flame flickered in between his index and thumb. The tattered man lit his cigarette using Hawk's flame, before placing it in his mouth, and puffing out a smoke ring. "So that's why these streets have been more… quiet." Hawk said, coming to the conclusion about the ominous silence throughout the backstreets. "The Piper, from what I also gathered, uses a saxophone as his main instrument. I must say, though; His music is quite alluring, moderately soothing to the ears." The tattered man went on to say, before puffing out another smoke ring. However, before the smoke could dissipate, he began to motion his hand, converting the smoke ring into a smoke sphere, as it floated in the palm of his right hand. "Do y'know what Raphael does when he's not in school?" Hawk then asked, turning to look up at the man. "They say he visits his sister in the hospital in between school hours. Though, this is merely hearsay." As soon as the tattered man said this, Hawk's eyes lit up. Finally, he had a lead, even if it was said to be conjecture. "I gotta get to the Toshi Medical Center! He could be there!" Hawk said, springing from leaning against the brick wall. But before he could take off, the tattered man halted him in his tracks with a, "one moment." Hawk turned around, curiously. "I've also heard that The Piper is affiliated with Little Italy of the backstreets, a faction devoted to maintaining balance within these parts of the city." The tattered man informed Hawk. "Once you have the opportunity, traverse deep within the backstreets. A quaint pizzeria known as Rome's is Little Italy's base of operations." He added. Now feeling a rush of excitement as to where he can find Raphael, Hawk gave the tattered man a thumbs up before thanking him, and racing out of the backstreets.
"Crap!" Hawk said to himself. "It's almost 8:30, and I'm gonna be late for school!" The boy darted into the streets, which remained still, due to the backed-up traffic. He vaulted over one car, hopped onto the hood of the next, and somersaulted off of the third, before hoisting himself high into the air with a gust of Wind, before finally landing near the gates of the Toshi Academy. "In the nick of time." Mikoto said to Hawk, as the boy lifted his head in shock to look up at her. She had her arms crossed, and stood in a mildly annoyed position. Something about Mikoto's demeanor was off. She was not her usual, serious, yet sociable, self, which Hawk picked up on, but did not verbalize yet.
Inside the academy, Hawk and Mikoto walked down the halls. This time, in the midst of their trek to Homeroom 106, the two did not speak a word to one another. Hawk noticed Mikoto's sourpuss look still on her face. He tried to avoid maintaining eye contact with her, only breaking away when he thought she would shift her eyes towards his direction. Needless to say, the walk to the homeroom was silent between the two, with the conversations amongst other students around them fading as soon as they neared Homeroom 106. Despite not having seen Mikoto's anger once, only hearing about it from Eeno, he could still detect the severity of the girl's rage. But as Hawk and Mikoto turned the corner down the hallway where Homeroom 106 was, the boy drummed up the courage to ask her a simple question: "What's wrong?" But as he turned to look at her to ask, she was gone. Hawk looked around to see where Mikoto went, but it was almost as if she vanished into thin air. He then approached the nearby lockers, and opened one, which was completely vacant. As he closed the locker, and turned around, Mikoto threw a punch aimed at his face. He tilted his head to avoid the attack, which connected into the steel of the lockers behind him. "Woah…" That was all Hawk could say. "I know what you and Eeno were doing before you arrived." Mikoto growled, staring intently at Hawk's widened eyes. "I wasn't with him in the morning." Hawk said. "Then what were you doing three hours ago?" Mikoto pressed Hawk for more answers. "I couldn't even walk to school without takin' the backstreets." To Mikoto, there was a hint of truth within Hawk's words. But even the modicum of truth that was exuded from the boy's words was not enough to calm Mikoto. The girl then lifted her left hand from the locker, revealing a dent in the outline of her fist. She then slammed her right forearm into Hawk's throat, pinning him against the locker. "And I'll bet that you two were telling everyone there about how I'm just an angry bitch with a giant stick up her ass, right?" Mikoto asked, with her anger being slightly more noticeable in her voice. But Hawk dodged the question. "I don't wanna make this worse." He said, as the weight of Mikoto's forearm increased. "Let me go, and I'll tell you everything." Hawk added.
Mikoto would release her grip from Hawk, as the boy lightly held his neck from the girl's crushing pressure. "I wasn't with Eeno at all before I walked to school. The streets were crowded, so I took another route. I'm on my own mission, and I gotta find Raphael." Hawk admitted. A few seconds of silence between the two went by, with Mikoto still having a perturbed look on her face. "Fine. You got yourself out of this one… But I'm still keeping my eye on you." She then said, before walking to Homeroom 106 by herself. Hawk leaned against the damaged locker, gently holding his throat. He looked up with his eyes closed, before sliding down into a seated position, and let out a deep sigh of bitter relief. "Dammit." Hawk said under his shaky breath. A familiar trickster's voice was heard calling his name, as he looked up to see Toma standing over him. "Are you alright?" He asked. "Dunno how to describe it, but… I think Mikoto's pissed at me." Hawk conceded. "You survived that? Impressive." Toma said, as he offered Hawk a hand to help him up. "Your heart may be racing now, but you'll boast of surviving her wrath, my friend." He then reassured the boy, as he latched onto Toma's hand, and stood on his feet again.
Several minutes went by, with the usual students of Homeroom 106 taking their seats, with Hawk and Eeno sitting beside each other, Leonne sitting in the back alongside Taro, Toma sitting near the door, and Mikoto sitting next to Iris. Eventually, Mr. Bajie would enter the classroom about a few minutes after everyone was present, and would take his seat at the front of the class. "Today, we're going to learn something fun." He announced to the class, before turning his back to the class to write something on the blackboard. But Hawk would zone out shortly after, as he discreetly turned his head to glance at the empty desk behind him. He then turned his head back to face the front of the class, just in time before Bajie could turn around and notice him being distracted by the absence of Raphael. The thought of finding him was beginning to take its toll on Hawk. It started to eat away at his ability to pay attention to the current lesson of the class. But Hawk remained calm, and nullified his conflicting thoughts by placing all of his focus on the lesson of today. Bajie turned, and stepped aside for the class to see what he wrote on the board: Gimmick Releases. "Now, this is something I'm sure all of you are familiar with. Especially since this is Homeroom 106, after all." Mr. Bajie told the class. "But for the sake of today's lesson and posterity, I shall elaborate on what a Gimmick Release is, exactly."
"A Gimmick Release is one's special and innate ability that is developed from memory." The teacher explained. "Can a special ability be created through multiple memories?" Leonne asked, raising his hand. "In truth, yes it can. A Gimmick Release can be cultivated through more than one memory. And like cultivation, a Gimmick Release can increase in power the more the wielder uses it." Mr. Bajie answered, pointing in Leonne's direction. Eeno raised his hand as soon as the teacher was finished with his response. "But what if someone has two Gimmick Releases that are completely different from one another?" The Esper asked. "It's not life-altering for the wielder, should they have two Gimmick Releases with two different abilities." Bajie said, with his back turned to the class to write more inscriptions onto the board. "It would be a tad more difficult for the user to have two incredibly powerful Gimmick Releases at their disposal, and use them, simultaneously." Soon after Mr. Bajie was finished writing down this information on the board, he turned to the class again, and immediately noticed a majority of them bearing confused looks on their faces. "To summarize: Let's say you're a warlock from the Republic of Dangan, and you decide to become a healer, like the ones from the United Nations of Aurahh. It would be difficult to balance both without one overlapping the other."
"Now there is indeed a technical grey area to this…" As Mr. Bajie continued his lecture, Hawk began to zone out. His vision started to blur, as he was slipping into a trance, and Bajie's voice soon became muffled. But in spite of losing focus on what the teacher was saying, Hawk's eyes remained glued to the blackboard. Eeno glanced at Hawk, noticing him appearing distracted. "When's this gonna end?" Hawk's voice was heard echoing in Eeno's ears, but the boy did not speak the question aloud, as the Esper peered into his mind. As Eeno's closed his eyes, he could see multiple thoughts belonging to his friend suddenly flood his mind. A majority of the images that Eeno saw were of a boy, around the age range of Homeroom 106, pied in vibrant clothing. He saw this Pied Piper-like person playing the saxophone, throughout the backstreets of Toshi City, as several of the delinquents who lurk there, ran off into the opposite direction of the saxophone's melody. However, Hawk remained standing in the streets, walking towards the pied musician. Though this vision was clear and vivid, the musician's face was unidentifiable, as they had been shrouded in a darkness that heavily clouded their visage and hands. The mental image soon disappeared upon Hawk's eyes blinking twice. His sight returned to transparency, and Mr. Bajie's voice could be heard clearly again. Eeno opened his eyes seconds afterward. "So, any questions?" Bajie asked the class. A few moments of silence went by without anyone present speaking up. With the room quiet, the teacher resumed what little information remained in today's lecture. Bajie looked up at the clock that was hung on the side wall of the room, and then turned his attention back to the class. "Remember, my pupils: We are less than a few days away from the Initiation Trials. I trust that all of you are more than prepared." He said, as the sound of the bell ringing outside was heard clearly, even within the classroom.
Outside, Eeno had noticed that Hawk was far ahead of him when walking down the hall. He quickly caught up to his friend, and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, startling him if only for a millisecond. "Are you alright?" Eeno asked, as Hawk would stop in his tracks, halfway down the hall. He then turned to the Esper and said, "I gotta find Raphael," as he clenched his right fist in between him and Eeno. "So I've heard." Eeno said, covering up the telepathic mind probing he had discreetly performed on his friend. "You trust me?" Hawk then asked Eeno. With a firm nod of his head, Eeno looked straight at Hawk, expressing determination. "I'm with you." He responded. "Alright… Use your sixth sense when we get to the backstreets." Hawk told Eeno, as he walked off, soon after giving the command. "Wait, hold on!" Eeno tried to stop his friend, as the boy proceeded to continue walking down the hall. The Esper would finally catch up to Hawk, as the two were now walking at a more brisk pace, where they turned the corner to reach the main hall.
"You can't be serious about taking the backstreets." Eeno asked, concerned, knowing the dubious and unforgiving nature of the backstreets. But then, the clearing of the throat from a familiar voice was heard from behind the two, as the girl said, "yes, he is serious." Hawk and Eeno turned around to see Mikoto, who stood behind them with a half smile etched on her face. "Fucking shit." The Esper muttered, as Mikoto approached the two. "He told me about taking the backstreets as a shortcut to the academy." She informed Eeno. "I had a hunch that you two were in league with each other." Mikoto added, as the Esper would retort, almost instantly. "Are you jealous of us?! Is that it!?" Eeno angrily asked, shoving his finger in Mikoto's face. "No way in every circle of Hell am I jealous of you, Porcupine Head!" Mikoto shouted back at Eeno, leaning forward, with a redness across the bridge of her nose. "I'm gonna run you into the fucking ground, if you ever call me that again!" Eeno retaliated back. Hawk took notice of the blush marks, and stepped in; "Weren't you two dating before?" He asked, puzzled. Both Eeno and Mikoto fiercely looked at him, initially at a loss for words. "NO!!" The two shouted, simultaneously. The red marks at the center of Mikoto's face expanded across the rest of her visage. She turned her head away from Hawk and Eeno with her arms crossed and her shoulders tensed. "We never dated, we just… hung out here and there." Mikoto said, growling every word. "Why don'tcha chill, the both of you?" Hawk said. "I'm lookin' to find Raphael. You two can help first, and then bicker later." He then reprimanded the two.
Outside of school grounds, Hawk, Eeno, and Mikoto traipsed further into the backstreets. As they ventured further down, deeper into the heart of the lawless area, which belonged to Central Toshi, the echoing, raspy voice of a backstreet resident could be heard throughout the streets, humming a church hymn. The humming of the melody was painful, yet melodic, in more ways than one. To outsiders, it was a tune of an impoverished, undesirable lifestyle, but to the denizens of the backstreets, it was a sign of hope and change. "I've heard a harpy's sore throat better than this shit." Mikoto said, in a lowly tone, enduring the sounds of the hymn. "I think it's got a nice flow." Hawk said. The three passed by a homeless man, dressed in nothing but a torn, black trench coat, and tight, blue pants. The hobo then opened the left side of his badly stitched coat, revealing several drugs that were taped to the inside of the jacket. "I got an ounce of them Beans!" He said, startling the three. Mikoto, who stood to the left of Eeno, and closest to the hobo, staggered back in shock. Both Hawk and Eeno, however, abruptly stopped in their tracks, and approached the man, to gawk at the wide array of illicit substances. "You got Beans stashed in your coat?" Hawk asked, curiously, staring widely at the multiple, small plastic bags full of bean-shaped drugs. He looked at them like a kid at the zoo, who stared at the horns of a goat, or the long neck of a giraffe. "The drug trade 'round here has made 'em all the more valuable." The hobo chuckled. Mikoto appeared behind Hawk, and secluded herself behind him. As soon as she touched the sleeve of Hawk's jacket, the boy felt a mild, surging sensation course through his body, as his shoulders jolted upwards for a split second. He turned to see Mikoto lightly tugging at his arm, quickly, so she would not draw any attention to the hobo. Eeno then raised his right palm upwards, facing the hobo, who had a hypnotic gaze when staring at Eeno's hand. "You will grant us access to the heart of the backstreets." He calmly ordered the hobo, who soon repeated what the Esper had said. Eeno then walked off, signaling Hawk and Mikoto to follow him. "I have to admit: You've become more crafty with your abilities since I last met you, Eeno." Mikoto told him. But Hawk intervened, as he said, "let's not draw any more attention to ourselves by arguing."
The three neared the very center of the backstreets, and as they walked along the side of a riddled garage door that led into a warehouse, Eeno placed his two fingers near his temple. It was clear he could sense a strong presence lurking within the heart of the streets. Something waited for them, and its power was far more potent than all three students combined. Even Hawk took notice, and spoke up: "You got somethin' on your radar?" Hawk asked, turning his head to face Eeno. Though there was no pain in the midst of detecting the presence, it did, however, create an auditory hallucination in which Eeno heard vividly. The sound of a saxophone could be heard within a distance not too far from where he stood. "We're getting closer." The Esper told Hawk and Mikoto. "We need to go further north." Eeno added.
The three walked further down the walkway, condensed enough to fit five people at best. They walked past the warehouse, through a tight alleyway, and stopped at a two-way street. They looked up at a red, white and green, neon sign that read; Senji's Pizza. On the outside, the place looked pristine and well-organized, as the windows were crystal clear, with any passerby being able to make out the details of its interior. "This is it?" Mikoto asked, staring at the place, with a confused expression. "He's around here… Somewhere." Eeno said.
Senji's Pizza was as clean and unsullied as it looked on the outside, with well-wiped, checkered floors and spotless tables. The food even looked appetizing, as Hawk stared up at the menu on a wall that looked down from over the counter. "May I help you, sir?" The cashier asked Hawk. He became startled, and shifted his focus to the worker from behind the register. "I'll take one pepperoni pie, extra cheese, and stuffed crust, please." Hawk said to the cashier. "Molto bene." She said, as Hawk handed two Zazabanian slips, each inscribed with the number 20 on them.
Some few minutes went by, as Hawk and Mikoto took a seat at the front of the counter. The two sat directly across from each other, with Mikoto's hands under her chin, bearing a grumpy face. "C'mon. Have a bite." Hawk insisted Mikoto. "You're lookin' hungry." He added. "I'm not in the mood." Mikoto declined. Hawk looked at her with a face of pure astonishment. "You can't deny pizza." Hawk advised the girl. "That's a fact." While Hawk ate the food on the table, Eeno was by the counter, as he conversed to the cashier who had taken Hawk's order. "Do you know of a Raphael Mingus?" He asked. "I heard he resides around here." The Esper added.
"I know exactly who you're referring to." The cashier responded, with the name Eeno mentioned ringing familiar to her. "They say The Piper hangs out by the Backstreet Church." She informed Eeno. After thanking the cashier, he turned around to approach the table in which Hawk and Mikoto sat in. There were only two slices of pizza left. "We have our first lead." Eeno told the two. "What about the pizza?" Hawk asked. "We need to feed our brains more." Eeno told Hawk. As Eeno began making his way to the entrance, Mikoto would stand from her seat. "Aw, man." Hawk said in dejection.
Hawk would catch up to Eeno and Mikoto, who were not too far from Senji's Pizza. He carried a small box in his right hand, which Eeno took notice. "So what didya find?" Hawk asked. "They said Raphael resides in the Backstreet Church." Eeno answered with. "So that's where we'll go."
However, as the three continued to walk down the street, a set of footsteps behind them were also heard, followed by a familiar, cold greeting: "Hey, Cock Yuje." The three turned to notice Pudge, who was accompanied by his usual cohorts; Jazz and Bonerhead. "You think I'm gonna let you and your friends live after you guys beat my ass?" Pudge asked, slamming his left fist against the opposite palm. "I'm not lettin' that shit slide without a proper payback." He added. "And this time, we're not talkin' about lunch money." Hawk stepped forward to confront Pudge and his friends. "There's no more business between us, even after Taro handed your ass to you." Mikoto told the bully. "Don't smart mouth me, Shinozaki!" Pudge retaliated. "We all know you and that lazy fuck put me in the ground that one time." He went on to say, while Bonerhead took on step forward, and stood beside his friend. "Yeah, and literally, too." He chimed in, in an attempt to act intimidating, only for Pudge to angrily turn behind him, and face him, saying, "Shut your damn face before I cave it in!" The bully shouted at him, as Bonerhead apologized shortly after, before shamefully taking two steps back behind his aggressive superior. Pudge turned to face Hawk, Eeno and Mikoto again, as he began to crack his knuckles. "You guys wanna run with the bulls so bad?" He asked, before sizing up Hawk. The two stood mere centimeters away from each other, staring each other down. "Then you'll have to start with me, The Bull King himself!" Pudge spat every word at Hawk's face, each droplet of saliva almost pelting the boy. "More like the king of bullshit." Hawk said with a smile, in the face of the bully's incessant shouting. Pudge launched a punch in Hawk's gut, as the boy fell to his knees, and gripped his stomach in pain. But before the bully could continue his beatdown, a voice intervened: "Quit disturbing the ambiance." The voice said from behind Pudge and his cohorts. Suddenly, everyone turned their attention to the person behind Pudge, including the bully himself.
A boy with unkempt, red hair stood behind Pudge's group, hands buried deep within the pockets of his light blue, fur-lined coat, with a smug leer that reached his ears. He also had a small, yet noticeable, bandage across the bridge of his nose, and sharp eyes that were trained directly on Pudge. "Not even the backstreets want you." The suave redhead then said. Pudge then vigorously marched up to him. "And I thought the balls of a troglodyte had a repugnant scent to them." As soon as those debilitating words escaped from the red-haired boy's mouth, Pudge felt a deep pain in his gut, which caused him to roll his eyes backwards, as he fell onto his knees before hitting the ground unconscious. The mocking words that were exuded were enough to knock the wind out of the bully, and as Hawk looked up to see who the boy was, there was no doubt in his mind: It was Raphael Mingus, The Piper of Toshi.
Bonerhead cussed under his breath, before Jazz staggered back. "Come on, let's get outta here!" He shouted at Jazz, with him and the latter running away. Raphael then walked up to Hawk, who still held his stomach in pain. "A cheap shot like that can only come from Mr. Shakedown himself." The Piper then approached Hawk before helping him off of the ground, and back onto his feet. "That power… I heard all about it." Hawk told Raphael. "I know a great many secrets about Qiangdu. Including how to weaponize one's insults with such power, knocking the wind out of them with the most creative taunts imaginable." The Piper said. "Woah!" Mikoto could barely contain her excitement. "So this is The Bard of Cutting Words?" Eeno asked, a tad skeptical upon examining Raphael's appearance. "I heard word around these parts that a young boy was looking for me." Raphael informed Hawk. "Yeah." Hawk answered. "I guess we both found what we're lookin' for." The boy chuckled, scratching the back of his head. Raphael smiled in response.
On the edge of the sidewalk, that which bridged the gap between Toshi City and its dubious backstreets, the four stood by a street sign. "So tell me: Why did you decide to go and look for me in the first place?" He then asked. "Word about your powers gets around fast. So we decided to go lookin' for you." Hawk conceded, much to a slight eyebrow raise from Raphael. "And besides, they say you're the son of Leonardo Mingus, the legendary magician who can kill just by insultin' his foes. And considerin' all of us are in the same class together, I figured we should see what you're all about." The boy added. But Raphael sighed in the wake of the answer. "The reason why I've been skipping school is because of Pudge. That lousy oaf consistently puts me down when it comes to my sister, even ridiculing her whenever he gets the chance." The Piper explained. "I decided to devote more of my time to visiting Nikola. She told me to give back to my community, so that's what I'm doing now, and I chose to start here, in the Central Toshi Backstreets." He added. As soon as he said this, Hawk, Eeno and Mikoto had miens of realization on their faces. "So you're carrying on your sister's wishes? That's highly admirable." Eeno said. "Well, she's not dead." Raphael revealed. "She's been in a hospital since the past year." Something within Hawk stirred. He felt a brief, white-hot sting pierce within his chest, followed by his eyes widening, if only for a few milliseconds. "Are you okay, Hawk?" Mikoto asked, concerned, as the boy snapped out of his split-second anger, and turned to the girl. "I'll give Pudge some payback. It's about time he needs a 'lil ass beatin'." Hawk said to Raphael, who looked up at the boy in surprise. "Saturday'll be the day I fight Pudge, and end this shit once and for all." Hawk continued.
Meanwhile, lurking in the dark alleys of the backstreets, Jazz, Bonerhead, and Pudge, all hid behind the wall of a run-down building. "Do you hear that, Pudge?" Jazz asked, as he eavesdropped on the conversation of the four. The bully sat on a pile of small trash bags, which formed a cushioned seat of garbage. "Hawk wants to settle things with you." Bonerhead relayed what Jazz overheard to Pudge. "Then I suppose I'll just play my last ace card." Pudge grumbled. "Let Cock Yuje come to us." He then said. "Then we'll see who The Devil of Toshi really is."