Bob of course definitely knew that Hugo clearly didn't have good intentions. However, as an aspiring Rizzmaster, he would always aim to see the best in people; moreover he also understood that expending valuable force was rarely the best move. Instead, it would generally be far better to harness this rogue energy - to convert any potential spy to his cause - as opposed to removing them, since in that case, the infiltrating organization would just send another person in to replace them anyway.
If possible, it would be far better for him to make Hugo his mole instead…
___
Bob had now attained enough passive income from his "Become a Hero Co" to start thinking of putting the second part of his three-pronged plan, "Spray and Stay", into action. As such, the only variables he still needed to consider before he began to literally 'sow the seeds' of his future success was necessary mastery in the Respect and Morals component, which had steadily levelled up now reaching Level 74.
Bob definitely wanted to execute his "Spray and Stay" strategy soon, but there were a few criteria he had to keep in mind before he actioned his plans.
First of all, his partner had to have a high genetic quality - i.e. she should be able to take care of herself at least - and be able to bear kids since this was the whole point.
Secondly, he would be completely open and honest with what his aims were, and let them make a free choice as to whether they would want to be involved with him.
Thirdly, if they were willing and consenting, then he would take responsibility to provide a safe and healthy environment for both his partner and children to grow and have the opportunity to fulfill their potential. This was to ensure that his children then would have the best chance of flourishing and creating exponential results and accordingly increase his chances of attaining genetic immortality.
Accordingly, he began to develop plans for an Educational and Training Academy which would provide the best care, encouragement, and opportunities for his future genetic legacy.
___
*Huff huff huff…*
Hugo was bleeding profusely, there were various cactus needles sticking out of his flesh, and he was hiding behind a corner of a secluded building, where he sat resting against the wall, panting and feeling like he had just courted death - which frankly wasn't too far from the truth. To make matters worse, he had an itch *just* out of scratching range, as his hands were handcuffed to what looked like a large metal bed backboard.
Hugo had been expecting things to go smoothly with Sonya, but who knew that she was actually crazy?!
The lunch date had started off well, Hugo had seemingly plied his charm, and after a cruise-y afternoon approaching sunset, Sonya had casually mentioned that they should drop by her room as she 'forgot' something...
That something had turned out to be a pair of handcuffs, and after some whispering, teasing and some salaciously sensual previews, he had been persuaded to let her chain him to her bedposts.
Even if he had let the handcuffs slide, Sonya whipping out the rope should have been a red flag for anyone for a first date, as well as what had looked like dried dark red 'paint' splattering the walls of the room which she had explained as "a 'renovation', oh just a 'room makeover' in progress..." but Hugo, full of himself in the confidence of his own abilities, had dismissed them all as merely coincidences.
"Such a pretty, intelligent and cute girl. Okay so she's a little kinky but - oh what the hell?!"
Sonya had then taken out a long leather whip and her cute expression had changed into a seemingly insane, monstrous one.
Shackled to the bed, he suddenly remembered all too late the words of his previous Rizzmaster before he had turned to the path of Dark Rizzardry.
"Hugo, you reap what you sow..."
"Never put your d*** in crazy…"
___
"Will you be the one...?!"
Sonya spoke softly and crazily, advancing like a Terminator x Vampiric Demoness, licking her lips.
"Holy sh**!!!!!"
With a supreme effort of will borne out of the instinct for survival, Hugo had managed to free himself by pivoting and leveraging all his weight against the wall behind him and tearing the entire bed backboard out of its frame, but not before he had been whipped several times.
"Yeowwwwwwchhh!!!! Unghhhhhhhhh!!!! Hnnnnnggghhhhhh!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhkhkh!!!!!!! Aiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaaiai!!!!!!"
Even so!
He was still a Dark Rizzard! Using the bed-frame as a makeshift shield, he parried several whip lashes with several smooth movements ingrained from years of reflex training, and had tried to run up and slam her against a wall, but it was to no avail, as her precise torture techniques had already left him acutely in pain and extremely weakened. Sonya had responded with a trademark cheap - but effective - low kick, the classic "arrow to the knee", which stopped him cold in his tracks from the interrupting impact. This was immediately followed by a sidestep into 4, 4, 3 low blow - "ooohhh..." *at this the audience grimaces and turns away as they hear the crunch* - to mid, followed by a 4 => ☆ 3 2 1 low mid high combo into a spinning roundhouse kick, which in gloriously terrifying and savage slow motion blasted him clean out the apartment window, glass and wood panelling sandstorming everywhere like a fatality crime scene from Mortal Kumbat 4.
His only consolation had been the fact that her sheer slip had billowed and hiked up a touch as she spun gloriously in the air, giving him a tantalising tease, but eventually, his little glimpse of heaven was brought literally crashing down to the earth and he descended into the pits of hell as the insane coiled energy from Sonya's flawless roundhouse torque motion unleashed and uncorked with devastating impact, and Hugo sailed through the window and fell a few stories from the apartment down into a prickly bed of Cacti that just conveniently happened to be there to round off the max combo damage. Spewing half-digested red pill slurry left right and centre, Hugo was nevertheless still a seasoned pro, and immediately took advantage of the newfound distance between his asylum-esque aggressor to try to recover and escape, making a limping run for it in his knickers. He didn't dare look back, as he knew she could be coming after him to give him a real licking at any moment - and not the good kind.
___
"I thought I was the sh*t, but it turns out, now I'm just deep in it!!!"
Hugo lamented, using his teeth to grimly pull out a few deeply embedded cactus needles.
Suddenly, he saw an imposing figure illuminated by a street light approach calmly.
It was Bob.
"Bro... I told you."
Hugo bitterly regretted all his life choices which had led him up to this point, but nevertheless, he knew that survival was the most important thing.
"H-Help! Help!"
Hugo was hoarsely begging Bob on his knees.
"Please…"
Bob lifted up Hugo's chin to face him.
"I did say I would help if you wanted. But before that, did you realise what just happened?"
Hugo thought, but he couldn't think of anything except that she was craz- wait...
He thought back to his spark of realisation back in Sonya's apartment as his life (and the whip) flashed before his eyes.
"I-I reaped what I sowed huh. I guess I shouldn't have tried to mask my insecurities by hurting others emotionally..."
He was rambling, but also another part of him was thinking back to the time when he had once been a young and promising disciple of Rizz, until, disillusioned by the evils of humanity, he had chosen to embrace the Dark Path and make life all about what he could get out of it, without regard to the impact on other people's lives.
"It's not too late, Hugo." Bob said quietly. "I believe in you."
For some reason Hugo felt tears trickle down his face.
"Y-you wouldn't know!!!" "You don't understand!!!"
He yelled.
Bob just let him yell it out. He knew that for all his bluster, Hugo wasn't irredeemable.
He only understood too well.
"Hugo, let me tell you something. Actually... I was born with F- genetic potential." Bob spoke quietly.
Hugo stopped snivelling and looked at him with hateful eyes.
"Yeah? And?"
"I'm just saying. I don't know what you've been through. I don't need to know. But I just wanna say that you're not alone. The world has a lot of terrible stuff happening every day. That said, People have free choice. You do as well. We have the freedom to decide whether to give up, indirectly consenting to let the darkness run rampant, or we can choose to allow the channelling of higher energies, and aim to make the world better, even if only just by a little bit."
Hugo mulled over the words.
He had spent his life in the slums, and had witnessed unimaginably cruel things, senseless things. He originally had hope, diligently pursuing the path of wholesome Rizz, but one day his world had been dashed when a random gang shooting had killed the person most precious to him. Filled with despair and hate, he had screamed in anger against the world and vowed that he would live life on his own terms, and take what he wanted from it, damned be the consequences.
Was it possible?
He looked at Bob, and suddenly felt something, a spark of something that he didn't realise was still there.
This guy... somehow, looking at Bob, Hugo suddenly felt that the impossible had just become a little more possible.
"What do you want?" After a while, Hugo uttered the words slowly.
"The truth first. Who are you and what are you after?" Bob wanted to give him the chance to speak.
Hugo slumped and he bowed his head, before continuing. "There's nothing to hide now. I was sent by the Dark Rizzmaster Alliance, to get close to you and look into your research. Well, anyway, now the jig is up, Feel free to finish me. I have no regrets." He spoke resolutely, knowing that he had given everything, although he realised now too late that he had truly invested his time and energies in a misguided manner.
Bob shook his head. His Eyes of Rizz already told him that Hugo had transcended his inner darkness.
"I'm not gonna pretend it's gonna be easy. And you would still have to pay for your crimes. But even so, we would love to have your help. How about we give the making a difference bit a try? I wouldn't be asking you to go against the Dark Rizzards directly, but at the least, with your help and intel, we could stop them if they are truly adding to the evil of the world, so less people suffer. And if you really do want to end things, well it wouldn't be too late down the track to change your mind right... How about it?"
Hugo looked up at Bob, who channelled warmth and calmness, and a fiery sense of inevitability, crushing with the seemingly inexorable weight of destiny.
A choice…
It was never too late, huh...
That night, a man, clad in nothing but his knickers, pin-cushioned by cactus needles, and sporting whip-lashes all over, looked up at the other young man, whose eyes shone with the glow of authentic Rizz, and nodded briefly, once.
___
Bob makes a call, which connects mid-single ring.
"Hello~ Oh, Bob! It's you~!" A breathless, delighted voice picks up the phone.
"Sonya, that's enough now. Go easy on Hugo."
*giggles can be heard* "Oh… Okay~"
___
(...)
(...)
*Sometime later*
*crickets are chirping*
(…)
"... Uh, bro... can you unlock these handcuffs...?"