Roy's two words were light and airy.
It was as if he were talking about a toy Water Gun.
A pencil.
A toothpick.
Kaiser's face turned completely dark.
He had been a warden for decades and had seen many arrogant Trainers.
But a young man who dared to speak to him in such a tone was a first.
"Kid..."
Kaiser gritted his teeth, his finger tightening slightly on the trigger.
But he didn't pull it.
Because in Roy's eyes, he couldn't see a single trace of fear.
Those eyes just looked at him calmly, as if looking at an old man throwing a tantrum.
No.
It wasn't just calm.
Beneath that calm, something else seemed to be hidden.
Something that made Kaiser instinctively feel uneasy.
Roy's words protecting Delia and Misty moved them deeply.
Misty sniffled and stepped out from behind Roy.
She stood to Roy's left.
"Exactly!"
Misty glared at Kaiser, her voice trembling slightly, but her tone was exceptionally firm.
"I didn't break any of your rules in the first place!"
"You weird old guy, what right do you have to drive us away!"
Delia also moved, stepping out from behind Roy.
She stood to Roy's right.
Her legs were still a bit weak.
Her heart was still racing.
But she still stood up.
She stood tall, her chin slightly raised, looking at Kaiser with those gentle yet now resolute eyes.
"Mr. Kaiser."
Delia's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear.
"Your current behavior is an illegal way of handling things."
"According to the League's Trainer Protection Act, if we are treated improperly by administrative personnel without any violation on our part, we can report it to the League Police Department."
"Are you sure you want us to do that?"
Kaiser was stunned.
He looked at the three people standing side-by-side in front of him.
Three people.
Three pairs of eyes.
Not one of them flinched.
Misty stole a glance at Roy.
She could feel that after she stood by his side, Roy gave her an appreciative look.
That feeling of being recognized by Roy...
It was as if a little fish was happily swimming around in her heart, blowing bubbles and making 'pop pop pop' sounds.
Beads of sweat appeared on Kaiser's forehead.
He couldn't out-argue these three.
Because he wasn't in the right.
He hadn't been in the right from the start.
But he couldn't let them stay in the Wild Area.
That photo of Dratini couldn't be known by more people.
He had already ruined the Wild Area once back then.
He couldn't let it be ruined again.
Kaiser gritted his teeth, preparing to pull the trigger and fire two shots at the floor to scare them away.
He pulled down hard with his index finger.
The trigger didn't budge.
Kaiser was taken aback for a moment.
He pulled hard again.
It still didn't move.
It was as if something was jamming the trigger, making it impossible to press down no matter what.
And then.
He felt weight.
The weight of the revolver was increasing.
It got heavier bit by bit.
As if someone were pouring lead into the gun.
Kaiser's expression changed.
He looked down at the gun in his hand, his eyes full of disbelief.
He gripped his fingers tightly, trying to steady the gun, but the weight grew greater and greater, heavier and heavier.
His hand began to sink, his wrist making cracking sounds.
Finally.
With a bang.
His entire arm was dragged down by the weight of the gun and slammed onto the floor.
The handgun slipped from his grasp and hit the ground heavily with a dull thud.
Kaiser himself was forced down onto one knee by that power.
He gritted his teeth and tried to stand up, but it felt as if a thousand pounds were pressing down on his legs; he couldn't muster any strength.
"This..."
Kaiser struggled to lift his head, veins bulging on his forehead.
He saw the revolver floating up on its own.
No one was touching it.
It just hovered there in mid-air out of thin air.
Then it slowly flipped over, the muzzle turning around.
It pointed right at him.
Kaiser's pupils suddenly contracted.
He saw Roy standing there, one hand in his pocket and the other hanging casually at his side.
Roy's expression was flat, as if he were doing something insignificant.
But Kaiser could feel it.
That terrifying force pressing down on him was radiating from Roy.
Roy took a step forward.
Kaiser was trembling all over.
He could feel the pressure increase by another level.
His body was pinned firmly to the ground, and even breathing became difficult.
He lifted his eyes and looked at Roy.
There was no expression of anger on Roy's face.
No arrogance of a victor.
No pleasure of an avenger.
It was just very calm.
As if he were doing something that had to be done.
"Mr. Kaiser."
Roy spoke, his voice unhurried.
"Having a gun pointed at you."
"Does it feel good?"
Kaiser's face instantly went pale.
He opened his mouth, his lips quivering a few times, but not a single word came out.
"I..."
Kaiser's voice was as raspy as a broken bellows.
"I know I was wrong."
"Having a gun pointed at me... it's indeed not a good feeling."
"I won't do it again."
"I won't... won't recklessly try to educate people like this anymore."
His head bowed, and his whole body slumped, like a deflated ball.
[Ding!]
[Mission Complete!]
[intermediate rare candy *3 has been placed in the system inventory!]
[Candy Balance: Basic Rare Candy 4, intermediate rare candy 7, high-grade rare candy *3.]
Seeing the mission completion prompt pop up, the corners of Roy's mouth curled slightly before he returned to his calm state.
He gave a light flick of his finger in the air.
The revolver hovering in the air suddenly lunged forward!
Kaiser's eyes widened in horror.
But he didn't have time to react.
The gun butt slammed heavily into his face.
The hard metal butt hit the bridge of his nose with a dull thud.
Kaiser let out a muffled groan and fell backward, blood immediately streaming from his nose.
Roy turned around and beckoned to Misty and Delia.
"Let's go."
Misty and Delia finally snapped out of it.
Misty looked at Kaiser, who was kneeling on the ground with blood all over his face: "Serves you right."
She muttered under her breath and turned to quickly follow Roy.
The three of them each carried a basket of Wild Area Poké Balls and walked toward the exit.
When they reached the door, Roy stopped.
He didn't turn around, only tilting his head to show half of his profile.
The sunlight shone in from behind him, casting a line of light and shadow across his profile.
"Mr. Kaiser."
Roy's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.
"Who it was that caused the great chaos in the Wild Area back then."
"You should know very well."
The hand Kaiser used to cover his face suddenly froze.
He lifted his head, nosebleed dripping from between his fingers and splashing onto the floor like dark red flowers.
Ignoring his reaction, Roy continued.
"Before making strict demands of others."
"Take a look at yourself first."
With that, he pushed open the door and stepped into the sunlight.
Knowing the original script, Roy knew that it was Kaiser who had discovered Dratini, and it was his obsessive, frantic desire to see it a second time that let others find out about it.
Now, the League and the government had gone to great lengths to suppress and downplay it, but Kaiser still had the photo of Dratini and was still obsessed.
However, the obsession ends here. I'll be the one to capture the 'goddess' you long for, completely cutting off your obsession, and the Wild Area will finally be truly peaceful.
...