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Tinta: Above All
My Treasure That Holds Dear To My Heart

My Treasure That Holds Dear To My Heart

In a forest in Luzon, Tinta is doing squats while logs are placed on his back with a dark strap wrapping the logs to his upper body.

After squats, the logs remain on his back, and now he is performing push-ups, and after that, he runs 1000 miles.

Thereafter, he removes the logs from his back while his posture remains straight. He's breathing faster while his eyes are staring at Pedro whose eyes are glued at him.

"You did great, but that wasn't enough," Pedro said seriously.

"Eh?!" Tinta yells loudly at him, "After those 10,000 push-ups, squats, and other exercises?! You're out of your mind!"

Pedro closes his eyes in disappointment, and he rubs his forehead. "When I was in my prime, I used to do 40,000 steps in each exercise.

"I'm not going to be shocked if your generation couldn't stand against a threat that could destroy a country."

"Why? How strong are men and women back in your era?" Tinta asked, his voice full of calmness.

Pedro hums and looks up. "If I could give you a word, then they're powerful enough to destroy continents.

"Some youths in my era are capable of facing threats like Fuschia, Ramon, and Leron. Also, some young men and women defeated them even when they were at their full power."

Tinta shakes his head. "Well, I do not sympathize with my generation if they'll be the evidence to what you are speaking of.

"But Fuschia? She can destroy more than one continent."

He clenches his hand. "Who in the world can defeat someone like her?"

Pedro looks down and chuckles. He looks up at Tinta and says, "I don't remember."

Tinta's brows arise, his eyes are narrowing, and his mouth opens wide.

"This man, he's lying."

Both men are standing in front of each other, and Pedro is holding a wooden branch.

"We don't have any dogs, what are you going to do with that?" Tinta pointed his index finger at the branch.

Pedro starts to smile but his eyes remain fixated at the branch.

"Before elements existed, pressure existed as the power system of only selected people."

A wind covers the branch, it shakes aggressively as cracks manifest on it, and therefore, it bursts to pieces.

"What I performed is channeling my pressure into this branch," Pedro calmly looks at his grandson, "Let's see if you can channel your energy onto any branch."

Tinta nods, therefore, he grabs a branch near him. Hence, he's channeling his energy onto his hand.

"First, you channel your energy onto an item you holding," Pedro is staring into Tinta's eyes, "when you exert your energy when it becomes your pressure."

Meanwhile, above a building, a man in silver armor is crouching on it.

Hours by hours, both wait. Pedro sighs while sitting on a piece of log, and he shakes his head while looking at Tinta.

"Will he master it? Is he capable of utilizing pressure?" Pedro asked in his mind.

Tinta remains standing on his ground, his eyes staring at the piece of the branch he's grasping tightly.

"Before fighting that man," he speaks in his mind, "I didn't care about anything, and after that fight... a feeling manifests inside of me!"

A light wind begins to appear around him; slightly blowing every grass and flower near him.

"I want to face him once again," Tinta grits his teeth, "I want to show him that I am capable of bringing him down without any assists!"

"In other words," Tinta releases a portion of his breath as he closes his eyes, "I want redemption against that menace!"

The ground around him trembles and it breaks apart; chunks of soil arise as the nearby trees are being lifted.

"Tinta!" Pedro rises with widening eyes, "I can't believe it!"

Tinta turns toward Pedro, and Tinta shows a light smile while standing amid a cloud of dust.

"I did it!"

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Tinta tosses the branch away from him and walks toward his grandfather.

After that day, in the afternoon, Tinta is standing in front of the main door of their house.

His eyes are fixated on the door knob while rotating his keys in a keyhole. He turns around and witnesses the sight of a man wearing a suit and tie, he's standing in front of the orange gate.

"You're always wearing formal, Tinta walks toward the gate, "What brings you here, Allen?"

Allen pushes his eyeglasses towards his eyes, and he clears his throat.

"Everyone is intrigued to know who you are, Tinta," Allen shows his phone at Tinta, "your fight with that criminal sparks the interest of the university dean, even me, myself."

"Oh, shut up! You've known me since I was small, Allen," Tinta pulls the knob in the latch of the gate, "we'll talk inside, I don't want any media seeing me outside."

Allen walks inside the yard of the house while Tinta is standing beside the opened gate.

"Nothing changed, you just added some ornaments and solar panels," Allen commented.

Tinta closes the gate once again, and he sighs while walking behind Allen. Thereafter, Tinta and Allen are in the dining room; both sitting in chairs while having a hot chocolate milk and some kakanin along with pancit.

"I'm not going to lie," Tinta picks a picture from the opened folder on the table, "this shot got my furious look."

Allen sips a bit from his chocolate milk. "Well, you're strong. Your mentor was powerful back when he was in his era of being a captain of a team of youngsters."

Tinta puts the picture beside the folder. He looks at Allen, and asks, "It seems you've witnessed my grandfather being a captain?"

Allen looks down and chuckles. "He always told me that he was proud of his team even if there was a boy who always made him mad.

"He was always lazy and didn't listen to any of his commands, resulting in the devastation of his strategies in their missions."

"Wow," Tinta says, "now, I understand why he quit being a guardian."

Allen smiles widely as his eyes mimic a smile.

"He was the best captain, you know?"

Tinta coughs while drinking his hot chocolate, and he quickly glares at him.

"Did you always make him go mad or it's just sometimes?"

Allen puts his cup on the table and stands up. He looks at Tinta with a light smile on his face.

He tells Tinta. "I will tell you the end of the story next time."

Tinta rolls his eyes and groans. "You said that so many times!"

"Tinta, just think about what universities you'll go to," Allen grabs the folder and the picture on the table, "it will be a wasted opportunity if you don't pick a single university in Metro Manila."

Footsteps echo near them, and both turn their heads in the direction where the sound is coming from.

"Tortoise," Tinta said.

Pedro stops walking and looks at each of their faces. He points his finger at both of them and points his finger in a certain direction.

Thereafter, they walk towards the back of the house, and wooden walls surround the entire backyard.

Tinta is sitting on a piece of a log while wiping a piece of clothing on his sword.

Allen and Pedro are standing in front of each other but footsteps separate them from one another.

"Allen, we both know that my age is reaching the age where I most likely die," Pedro says Allen, his voice remaining serene, "when I end up one day not waking up from my sleep or I am killed by any creatures... take care of my only treasure."

"Treasure? You have one?" Allen looks around him, "looking around here, I don't see any chest or precious items."

Pedro's lip curves upward, and he looks at Tinta. "A treasure doesn't mean it's all about a treasure chest filled with gold or any sacred items.

"A treasure can be the person or any creature whom you hold dear to your heart."

Allen looks at him, and his eyes brighten up in realization. He closes his eyes in a matter of seconds, opens them, and mimics a smile while moving his eyes in a certain direction.

"Your treasure, undeniably is that boy," Allen says, "he grew up under your care. I know that you don't have any regrets about loving him and raising him."

"Regrets?" corners of Pedro's lip raise, "I have no regrets but irritation? Yes."

"He was like you, Allen," Pedro remains smiling while watching Tinta, "he always gave me headaches even before reaching maturity.

"Yes, he was annoying but I didn't lay my hands upon him.

"Yes, we sometimes argue but that I believe is my way to know him more, to understand his point of view."

Pedro inhales deeply and brushes the corners of his eyes. "I have no regrets raising him, and treating him as my treasure that I can be proud of."

Allen slowly looks down, and his eyes widen a bit but they begin to narrow. He inhales deeply and releases it quickly from his open mouth.

"There is one thing that I want to know."

"When I was under your care, and gave you headaches during our missions," Allen smiles a bit in frustration, "did I make you proud–!"

Pedro slaps his shoulder while chuckling.

"I have always been and never deny that I have been proud of you," Pedro told him with a wide smile painted on his face.

After many hours, the sun drowns from the skies, and the moon rises in the dark skies alongside the twinkling stars.

Pedro is standing in front of a glass window while Tinta and Allen are standing in front of the orange gate.

"When did we come to this conclusion to take you along with me?" Allen asked Tinta.

Tinta shifts his eyes from his phone to Allen. He moves his hand to his sword; holding its handle.

"Trust me," Tinta tells him, voice filled with eagerness, "I won't cause you any problems in your patrol."

Allen puts his phone to his ear. His eyes begin to grow wide and he turns in a certain direction whilst Tinta does the same.

"No way," Tinta pulls his sword from its dark sheath, "that's a massive flame burning many buildings! We must engage in combat."

"Huh?! No!" Allen walks toward Tinta, "You'll stay here! That's an order.

Tinta watches Allen walk across him. He smirks and puts his sword back in its sheath.

"You must bring me along with you!" Tinta shouts seriously, "I am the only one that caused damage to him.

"I know his abilities, trust me! I will aid the team in bringing him down."

Allen stops walking and turns toward Tinta. He looks from the young man's head down to his toes.

"Fine, but you'll wear a guardian's armor to avoid burns," Allen ordered him, his voice filled with seriousness.

"Alright," Tinta brings out his sword from its sheath, "it's time to face you once again."