Accuracy under pressure

Days later, during the middle of the night Raiko explored the area further. Although he didn't stray too far, he felt the need to get to know her surroundings to better understand the dangers of Neonvale. As he was walking down a lightly traveled street, something caught her attention: two men were beating a young man her own age.

"Quite an abuse..." muttered Raiko, adjusting her mask to cover her face. From afar, he analyzed the situation, looking for the right moment to intervene.

Perspective of those involved:

One of the men, furious, was holding the young man by the collar of his shirt. "Seriously, Gael, why didn't you help us properly escape from that robbery? We trusted your intelligence, and you betrayed us? That's too bad."

The young man, named Gael, stammered a reply. "That's... that's why. I realized that the smart thing to do was... not to do the robbery."

"Are you calling us fools?" Said the other man before punching him hard in the face. Gael fell to the ground, staggering as pain furrowed his face.

The first man pulled out a gun and pointed it directly at Gael. "Well, those were your last words."

Suddenly, a voice interrupted the moment, "I'm here."

"What...?" The offender barely had time to react when a punch straight to the face sent him flying backwards, pushing his partner in the process. They both fell to the ground, as the weapon landed near Gael.

Raiko shook his injured hand, noting his bleeding knuckles. "Wow... the blow was pretty powerful. I got hurt too, though..." He thought silently, "I don't understand why my blood is so phosphorescent, just like my hair. It glows like red neon."

The two men staggered to their feet. The one who had aimed at Gael noticed that the gun was no longer in his hands. Desperate, he shouted to his companion, "You shoot!"

The second man, trembling, raised his gun. But seeing Raiko's hair and glowing red eyes, he was filled with fear. He fired, but Raiko dodged the projectile with ease.

A second shot rang out. Raiko turned quickly and saw Gael, staggering but determined, holding the gun that had fallen. Her shot had hit right in the hand of the criminal, who dropped his gun with a cry of pain. What surprised Raiko most was the change in Gael: his black hair now had a neon green gradient, and his green eyes glowed with a similar intensity to his own.

The criminals tried to flee, but Gael, with uncanny accuracy, shot at their feet, causing them both to stumble and fall to the ground. Raiko watched them in amazement. "Wow, he has incredible accuracy under pressure! He's just like me... He has something special about... and, from the color of his hair and eyes, it's pretty obvious."

When he turned to Gael, he realized that he had blacked out. Raiko sighed. "Wow... I didn't expect that." He pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, police? Yeah, I found two wounded criminals," he said as he looked at the men on the ground.

The next day

Gael woke up on an unfamiliar couch. Still somewhat groggy, he looked around. There was a table and a television in front of him. To his right, a window let in daylight. To his left, he saw a kitchen, two doors and stairs leading to the upper floor. One of the doors led to the backyard.

"Why am I here?" he muttered as he tried to remember. It all came rushing back: the banging, the gun, the gunshot...and someone helping him.

"That's right, someone helped me just when my life was almost over," he thought. He rubbed his head before speaking aloud, "Well, I should thank him. And then get back to my own thing. Although... I don't really know what to do now either."

A voice answered from the small couch next to him and the window. "You're welcome. By the way, I took seven Glints from your wallet for the help."

Gael turned and saw Raiko sitting quietly, looking at his cell phone. "At what moment...? Ahem, hello. My name is Gael. Thank you very much for your help yesterday."

"You're welcome. You really almost died. My name is Raiko," Raiko replied, not taking her eyes off her phone.

Gael stood up, ready to leave, but then frowned. "What do you mean, you took seven Glints! I wasn't going to give you money!"

Raiko smiled, finally putting her cell phone away. "That's true. But I know that many people I help wouldn't give me anything willingly. And I also need resources to keep going. That's why I take what I consider my commission. I help, because I know that in the end I will receive a reward, yes or yes."

Gael looked at him seriously. "That's stealing."

"Maybe," Raiko admitted with a shrug. "But it's the only way I have to go on. Besides, it's the help I give that matters. If it hadn't been for me, you'd be dead now. That's the way my business works."

Gael sighed. "Well... And why are you doing this?"

Raiko stared at him, uncharacteristically serious. "Because of... My purpose in life. My objective"