Frizz followed the broken glowing lines on the ground, the objective marker getting closer. He sighed, exhaustion plastered all over his expression. "Just a few, several meters more."
Somewhat foreign to the area, he slowed his pace, taking careful steps.
(I feel like I've been here before, but I can't recall.) Frizz thought, trying to remember. His town had seen several rapid developments in the past two decades.
His town was almost a city at this point.
Frizz paused to look up. The starry sky was partly obscured by the tall trees, and though the moon was bright, only slight streaks of the moonlight pierced. He sighed, remembering something from his childhood years.
"I missed having trees near my house. It was chillier, and resting under the shade was memorable." He mused, continuing to follow the glowing broken lines.
(These houses looked like your average low- to middle-income house.) Frizz observed. (Nothing noteworthy aside from the fact that the houses are close to each other.)
"Hmmm..." Frizz hummed, deep in thought.
Frizz scratched his head. "I'm not the smartest guy ever, but having houses this close..."
"Isn't this a fire hazard?"
While heading to his destination, a small glint at the corner of his eye caught his attention. He glanced in that direction, spotting something he had yearned for when he was a child.
"Holy! Now that's a treehouse!" He added, admiring it. "I wish I had that when I was a kid."
One minute later...
"It seems that I've arrived." Frizz noticed the objective marker vanishing as soon as the objective was in range. He leaned against a tree, crossing his arms, observing the house.
"No wonder they're trying to rob it," he added. "They must be rich."
The house stood out amongst the other houses, sporting two floors, a wide lawn, and several miscellaneous lawn structures displayed everywhere. There were two stone pillars at the gate entrance, the property walled in with several high metal fences.
"It even has a small wishing fountain," Frizz said in awe, never having spotted a house with a fountain before. He cleared his mind, focusing on the reason why he was brought here.
(If they're here, then they are really quiet.) He thought, studying the windows, looking for any shifting shadows or sudden movements.
Frizz scanned the area, looking for any possible lookouts. "It really is just the two."
(A doorbell, should I ring it?) He thought, snickering and spotting the unlocked gate. He then crouched, slumping beneath a large unattended bush.
For a moment, Frizz realized how suspicious he would be if he were to be spotted. *Sheek!* A window creaked as it opened, alerting him. He squinted, glaring at the window.
A man with a white medical mask jumped out, followed by another man outfitted with the same.
"Just sling bags on them. I guess they didn't take a lot." Frizz's legs restlessly jittered; the memory of almost being shot flashed through his mind. He didn't want a repeat of that encounter.
Frizz looked down, searching the ground for any rocks or pebbles to fling at the two. "This should do."
He stepped back, raising both his hands and compelling several pebbles and rocks to levitate. He steadied his hand and aimed the objects at the two burglars, who were slowly sneaking away.
Frizz closed his eyes, exhaling as he tried to recall a previous conversation he had with a superhero/superpower chat group in Fishbook.
One of the users was knowledgeable, providing insights and strategies.
⟐
⬩ frizzsoda: So what should I do?
⬩ sigmaballs1999: Imagine a catapult when you use telekinesis; wind it back as far as you can for maximum power.
The rocks shifted backward as Frizz envisioned the guidance.
⬩ sigmaballs1999: Imagine it spinning; a spinning object has better accuracy since it is stabilized. Like bullets.
⬩ frizzsoda: Ohhhh, that's why bullets spin.
⟐
The rocks began spinning as Frizz visualized it.
⟐
⬩ sigmaballs1999: When you throw something, you let it go when it reaches the maximum point. The same goes for telekinesis. You release the ball when it is on the tip of your fingers.
⟐
Frizz opened his eyes. "Bang!"
The spinning pebbles hurled forward, slipping through the fence's gaps. *Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!* *Thud!*
The two robbers were hit, a barrage of pebbles struck their backs and they collapsed on the ground. The fear of being caught and the adrenaline of prioritizing their safety gave them enough energy to ignore the pain, managing to limp away.
The big mango tree overlapping the metal fence and the outside was their exit, planning to climb and vault over it.
"You're not going away that easy!" Frizz declared, levitating and spinning multiple potted plants inside the property as he shot them forward. *Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!*
The relentless assault of flying potted plants was too much to bear, the two robbers collapsed from the pain and impact, unable to move anymore.
Frizz sprinted towards the two, shoving the slightly ajar gate open and stomping on the two burglars' legs, assuring that they won't escape again.
"Stop!" The two robbers pleaded as Frizz snatched away their sling bags, opening them to look inside, curious about the stolen contents. Inside the bag were jewelry, watches, money, and screwdrivers.
He turned to the two, kneeling on the ground while slowly pocketing the stolen two thousand pesos. (Why not? I deserve an award.)
Frizz took a deep breath, shouting, "Thieves! Thieves! Help! There are two thieves here!"
Multiple houses lit up upon hearing the shouting, causing several people to exit their houses, heading towards the source. "Who are these people?" An elderly man questioned Frizz.
"They're thieves! I saw them climb out of this window as they tried to sneak away," Frizz announced, feigning exhaustion and fear as he handed the sling bags to the approaching elderly man.
The elderly man opened the sling bags, checking the contents as several people huddled over him, curious. "Hey, isn't that Ma'am Saya's necklace? I recognize that!"
"It is! That is her necklace!" A young woman confirmed.
"You! Help me tie these two criminals up." The old man ordered Frizz, picking up the two groaning burglars. "You two will be handed over to the police, scumbags."
"The police will be here in a few minutes," another man announced as the crowd encircled the two tied-up thieves, looking at them in disdain.
"You two! How dare you steal from a teacher! Shame on you!" A middle-aged woman shouted, recording the whole situation along with a few others.
(Attention-seekers...) Frizz thought.
Three men approached Frizz from behind, congratulating him for the capture, causing him to shyly smile and rub his nape. He wasn't used to receiving compliments, so he awkwardly nodded at them.
"How did you see them? What were you doing before you saw them?" The elderly man bluntly asked, looking upward to Frizz due to his height.
"I was just in the area, looking for someone, and then I saw these two." Frizz answered, noting that it wasn't a good answer, but the elderly man laughed and congratulated him again.
Frizz smiled, fixing his shirt, and turned around to head home. "Today was a good day."
[System]
Objective Completed.
Stop the burglars: 0/1.
Rewards: 30 experience.
Frizz stopped, laughing as he literally patted himself on the back. "System, show me my—" He paused mid-sentence, deciding it wasn't necessary to display his full status.
"System, only display my experience bar when I say exp."
[System]
Request acknowledged.
Experience: 90/140.
"Hmm... Almost there." Frizz mused, eager to level up and prove himself again.
Unbeknownst to Frizz, someone had observed him from atop. The tall treehouse had an occupant, a teenaged girl, who saw everything from start to finish.
She watched as Frizz made short, easy work with the burglars; she observed her abilities and prowess, envy creeping up on her.
"Who the hell is he?" she muttered, scratching the wounds on her arms. "Can I learn that too?"