"Hank... looks like your men aren't very good at getting things done."
Donovan lit a cigar, took a deep drag, then slowly exhaled the smoke and spoke calmly.
"Mr. Donovan... don't worry. I'll take some men over there myself. We'll handle it quickly."
The burly man, Hank, stiffened slightly, then hurriedly lowered his head and answered Donovan.
"I'll go with you. I want to see for myself who has the nerve to stand in the Donovan Group's way."
Donovan's face was heavy with fat, and a chilling gleam flashed through his small eyes. He stood up, put on his coat, and spoke indifferently.
"Yes, Mr. Donovan!"
...
Meanwhile, at Haven Children's Home.
After the blond thug called for backup, his tone became much more aggressive.
"Listen, kid... don't think you can play hero just because you've got a little strength. The real world will beat that arrogance out of you soon enough."
Aaron stood quietly where he was. He glanced at the blond thug and said slowly,
"Shut your mouth... or I'll shut it for you."
"You..."
When the blond thug heard Aaron's words, anger flashed through his eyes.
How dare this brat embarrass me in front of my own men?
How am I supposed to keep them in line after this?
His face darkened as he stared at Aaron.
"Kid... you'd better be able to back that mouth up, or I'll make sure you never leave Grit City."
SMACK!
Aaron answered him with a slap.
Under everyone's disbelieving gazes, Aaron sent the blond thug flying with a single strike.
"AAARGH!"
He hit the ground and howled in pain.
Aaron said calmly,
"Didn't I tell you to shut up?"
Everyone nearby stared in shock.
None of them had expected Aaron to be this direct.
He said he would do it, and then he did it—cleanly, decisively, and without the slightest hesitation.
Even Grandpa Director was stunned.
This young man was way too fierce, wasn't he?
The other side hadn't even attacked yet, but he struck first?
So who was the thug here...?
Only Eden looked at Aaron with worshipful eyes, her big eyes practically sparkling.
So cool!
"Kid... you actually dared to hit me?"
"I want you dead!"
"Get him! Beat him down!"
The blond thug clutched his swollen, red face, his eyes filled with rage as he shouted at his lackeys.
"Come out... Ekans!"
"Mightyena, get out here!"
"Scraggy, let's go!"
The three lackeys immediately took out their Poké Balls and released their Pokémon.
Aaron swept his eyes over them.
They were all Intermediate-level Pokémon, and their potential was fairly low. The highest was only Advanced-level.
"If you want to play, then I'll play with you."
Aaron's face remained expressionless as he looked at them and spoke calmly.
"Come out... Gyarados!"
Aaron slowly tossed out a Poké Ball.
Light flashed, and an eight-meter-long Gyarados appeared in midair, massive and imposing, its jaws wide and its claws spread.
Flame clouds gathered in the sky.
The enormous dragon-like Pokémon stepped onto them with its claws, like an ancient beast looking down on the people below.
Then it let out a thunderous roar.
ROOOOAR!
In an instant, violent winds whipped up.
A terrifying pressure surged downward like a crashing wave, slamming into the four thugs and the three small Pokémon below.
"Whimper..."
Ekans, Mightyena, and Scraggy's eyes filled with terror.
They curled up on the ground, trembling all over, too scared to move.
Nope.
Absolutely not.
There was no way they could fight that thing.
Wasn't this basically throwing them into a monster pit?
Three weak little Pokémon against that giant overhead?
That was asking way too much.
The three Pokémon were so terrified they didn't even know how to complain anymore.
They were completely speechless.
The thugs were even worse.
Gyarados's terrifying aura scared them so badly their legs nearly gave out, and they dropped to their knees.
They stared up at Gyarados in horror, trembling all over. Even the surrounding air seemed to grow strangely heavy, making it difficult to breathe.
"Gulp..."
The blond thug swallowed hard, his eyelids twitching wildly.
He knew it.
His instincts had been right.
This kid's strength was terrifying!
"Boss... hurry up!"
"There's a monster here!"
The blond thug was now deeply grateful that he had called his boss for backup.
This time, he had really picked a fight with the wrong person.
The old director looked up at Gyarados, feeling the terrifying pressure radiating from it, and immediately understood.
Aaron was a powerful Pokémon Trainer.
A glimmer of hope flashed through the old director's eyes.
Maybe this young man really can help us.
Above Haven Children's Home, the sudden appearance of the giant dragon-like Pokémon quickly drew the attention of the nearby residents.
People rushed out one after another and gathered near the entrance of Haven Children's Home.
When they saw the huge, four-clawed Gyarados hovering above the courtyard, their eyes filled with shock, and cries of astonishment rang out from the crowd.
...