I Am Not  A Brat!  

Having stuffed their faces with the delicious grilled Gargan ribs and Spikan potatoes, Hao and Mentos set out from the restaurant, determined to make one last search of the Mile High Depot. They planned to visit the other marketplaces that they had not yet explored, hoping to find a more affordable Bastian.

"Wow, that was some good food back there." Commented Mentos, picking his teeth with a toothpick while rubbing his tummy with his other hand. "We should definitely come back here some other time."

"All you think about is food, come on, we have to find what we came here for, so remain focus." Hao encouraged.

As they strolled through the busy paths, they continued to discuss their day and their seemingly endless quest for a suitable Bastian. Hao remarked, "We've been at this for some time now, Mentos. I didn't think it would be this difficult to find an affordable Bastian."

Mentos replied with a chuckle, "Well, you know what they say, Hao. Good things come to those who wait... and search every corner of the Mile High Depot, apparently… But on a serious note though, if we had brought more Blade Tokens with us, we would have gotten what we came for already. This would have been a simple task if you had just borrowed some more from your mother."

"We've spoken about that already, end it there." Hao was perturbed to hear about his mom. Regardless of their insufficient funds, they continue to explore the Mile High Depot.

Unbeknownst to them, they were being secretly followed by the thieving youth, Yoad, who was riding his Bastian-Barkcode. He was carefully watching their every move from a distance, hidden behind the crowds and various stalls. Yoad wanted to get back at Hao and Mentos for humiliating him earlier in the day, but he was also curious about their search for a Bastian. During his spy quest, he overheard their conversations.

"So those two came here to acquire a Beast Companion eh? Maybe I can use that to my advantage." He snickered while dodging behind a pillar.

"Hmm?" Hao, with his heightened senses, eventually picked up on Yoad's presence, among the crowd behind him. He whispered to Mentos, "That kid is following us. I can sense him and his Bastian."

Mentos, slightly surprised, responded, "Really? You think he wants a rematch or something?"

"Who knows, should we confront him?" Hao waited for Mentos's approval. After it was received via a nod, he stopped, spun around and called out, "Ok, brat, we know you're there behind that pillar. Come on out."

Mentos eyed the pillar and noticed the obtrusive framework of the Bastian trying to remain hidden. He added, "You heard the man, show yourself."

"Shoot, how did they find me? Was it that blind one that sniffed me out?" Yoad, realizing he'd been discovered, hopped off his Bastian with his dagger in hand, trying to look menacing as he revealed himself from behind the pillar. "I'm no brat! My name is Yoad!" he announced defiantly.

Hao and Mentos exchanged amused head gestures before Hao addressed the lad, "Alright, Yoad, why are you following us? You want another go?" Saying this, his hand grasp the hilt of Vibe Edge, of course, he was only trying to intimidate the kid, he wasn't going to cut him down right there in public.

"Answer the question brat." Despite the youth spitting his name out loud, Mentos still regard him as a brat. Yoad felt very disrespected hearing this.

"I told you my name is Yoad, if you call me brat one more time, I swear on my mother's ashes that I'll slit your throat." He aimed the dagger forward, it was so sharp that it cut apart a fraction of the air, now all it wanted to taste was some blood.

"Well, well would you look at that brat acting tough." Mentos bumped Hao's shoulder as he said this.

"I warned you!" Yoad yelled as he lounged at Mentos with the dagger, this time, his Bastian was assisting him so the situation wouldn't play out as it did earlier in the restaurant, or so he thought.

"Looks like you didn't get enough back there. I will have to teach you a lesson or two." Mentos was prepared to draw his sword and start a fight with the kid in the open, however, Hao intervened just in time before that happened.

"Wait!" CLANG! This ringing sound came from the brief clash that Yoad's dagger had with Vibe Edge. The result made him stumbled backwards onto his Bastian.

Mentos came forward and asked, "Hey, why did you do that? I could have handled the kid myself."

"I know you could but weren't you the one who warned me not to cause a scene in public? Yet here you are ready to do otherwise. I merely de-escalate the situation."

"Hmm…" Mentos thought about what was said, giving credence to Hao's decision as he looked around, observing the series of onlookers who were passing by. "You're right, so what do you want us to do about this kid, he doesn't look like he wants to resolve this peacefully." Mentos's observation was correct, just as he spoke this, he along with Hao noticed Yoad standing up with the dagger ready to thrust it forward again.

CLANG!

"Just stop already." Hao swiftly knocked the dagger out of the boy's hand and closed the distance between them. He grabbed the youth by his collar and was about to spank his bad behaviour when Barkcode got ready to unleash a pouncing attack.

GROWL!

"Settle down, beast." Mentos knocked the Bastian right on the head which made it dizzy and stumbled.

"Huh! Barkcode…?" Seeing his now injured animal seemed to have calmed the boy's misdemeanour a bit. He was now inclined to listen to what Hao had to say.

"Why don't we take this conversation elsewhere, away from the crowd?" And so they did.

During their conversation, Yoad hesitated for a moment, gauging their reactions before he revealed his age. "You know, I'm actually ten and a half years old, so I'm not really a brat," he said this with a mix of pride and indignation geared towards Mentos who he appeared to loathe more than Hao.

Mentos raised an eyebrow, slightly amused. "Alright, Yoad, what do you want? Why were you following us? If you're looking to snatch our Blade Tokens again you better give it up, you might just lose them tiny arms of yours."

Yoad glanced at his arms for a moment, and then back at Hao and Mentos. "I know where you can find what you're looking for," he paused briefly then continued, "I know a place where you can get a powerful Beast Companion for less Blade Tokens."

"Oh?" Hao, intrigued but still suspicious, asked, "And why would you help us? What's in it for you?"

Yoad looked down again, then met Hao's gaze. "I want some Blade Tokens. And... and maybe you could teach me a thing or two about swordplay."

Hearing this, Mentos smirked, he barely recognized any potential in the young boy. "So, you want to learn from us and get paid, huh? You drive a hard bargain for a ten-and-a-half-year-old."

Yoad clenched his fist and bit his lip, trying to appear as confident as possible. "That's right. So, do we have a deal? I swear to you that I'm telling the truth, you can get as many Bastians as you want without spending much Blade Tokens."

Hao and Mentos took a moment to consider the offer. Hao finally spoke up, "Alright, Yoad. If you can really show us where to find a powerful Beast Companion, we'll give you some Blade Tokens and teach you some tricks. But if you're lying, there won't be any tokens or lessons. Got it?"

Yoad's face lit up with excitement, and he nodded vigorously. "Got it! I promise I'm not lying. Follow me, and I'll show you the place."

"Ok, kid lead on." Mentos didn't trust him fully but he followed anyway.