Aaron gazed through the window at the sea of clouds below.
Flying aboard Charizard was exhilarating, but a passenger plane offered an entirely different experience. There was no wind tearing past him, no constant effort to keep his balance, and no roar of air in his ears.
Everything felt calm and steady.
"So this is what flying on a plane is like."
He smiled to himself.
"Not bad."
The woman beside him clearly heard. Hidden behind her mask and sunglasses, she glanced at Aaron as he continued admiring the view.
Whatever she thought of his obvious first-time excitement, she kept it to herself.
Then the seat in front of him suddenly slammed backward.
Creak!
The top of the seatback struck Aaron in the shoulder before stopping only inches from his chest.
His smile disappeared.
An elderly man had reclined his seat as far as it would go and settled comfortably against it, apparently unconcerned that Aaron had been left with barely enough room to move.
The woman beside Aaron noticed as well. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly, and she turned her attention toward him, curious to see how he would respond.
Aaron merely looked at the man in front of him.
"Excuse me."
The old man tilted his head slightly.
"Your seat hit me when you reclined it, and you've left me with almost no room."
Aaron kept his voice polite.
"Could you raise it a little?"
The old man looked back at him as though Aaron had said something offensive.
"Young man, have you never been taught to respect your elders?"
He shifted more comfortably into the reclined seat.
"My back hurts. What's wrong with lying down for a while? Does this plane belong to you?"
"I recline my seat every time I fly, and no one else has ever complained. Why are you making such a fuss?"
His gaze swept dismissively over Aaron.
"You look like a college student. Is this what they teach you at school now?"
He clicked his tongue.
"No manners at all. Either your school failed you, or your parents never bothered teaching you properly."
At first, Aaron had been willing to let the matter go as long as the man adjusted his seat.
Then he mentioned Aaron's parents.
Whatever patience Aaron had left vanished.
Without another word, he planted one hand against the seatback and shoved it upright.
"Ow!"
The sudden movement jerked the old man forward. His seat belt kept him from striking the seat ahead, but the surprise immediately sent him into a rage.
He unfastened his belt, stood, and jabbed a finger toward Aaron.
"You little bastard! How dare you attack me?"
His voice rang through the cabin.
"Is there no law anymore? No respect for the elderly?"
Aaron remained seated.
"I pushed your seat upright. I didn't touch you."
"You're still talking back?"
The old man raised one hand.
"Your parents clearly never taught you any discipline, so I'll do it for them!"
He swung his palm toward Aaron's face.
Aaron caught his wrist before the slap could land.
The old man strained against his grip, his face turning red, but Aaron's hand did not move an inch.
The elderly woman sitting beside him—apparently his wife—immediately sprang to her feet.
"What are you doing?!"
She pointed at Aaron and began shouting.
"Let go of him! How dare you attack an old man?!"
Then she turned toward the rest of the cabin.
"Everyone, look! This young man is assaulting my husband!"
Her shrill voice carried between the rows.
"He attacked an elderly passenger! Is no one going to do anything?"
The commotion quickly drew the attention of the surrounding passengers.
Most had not seen how the argument began. They only saw Aaron gripping an old man's wrist while the elderly woman cried for help.
That was enough for several of them to decide what had happened.
"What kind of man attacks an old person?"
"He looks normal, but apparently he's complete garbage."
"Let him go! I'm recording this."
"Post it online. Let everyone see his face."
"Exactly. People like him deserve to be exposed."
"Don't worry, sir. We all saw what he did."
"He's probably a university student. Find out where he studies and send the video to the school."
"Your life is over, kid. You should have thought about that before attacking an elderly man."
Phones appeared throughout the cabin.
Some passengers recorded out of genuine outrage. Others were already imagining the views and attention the video might bring them online.
None of them knew how the argument had started.
None had asked.
They saw an elderly couple claiming to be victims and immediately decided Aaron must be guilty.
With the cabin turning against him, satisfaction crept across the couple's faces.
The old woman folded her arms.
"Well? Why are you still holding him?"
The old man stopped struggling and gave Aaron a smug look.
"You're in serious trouble now."
He lowered his voice, confident that the crowd had already handed him victory.
"Kneel down, apologize, and compensate me for the emotional trauma. Give me fifty thousand credits, and perhaps I'll agree not to press charges."
Aaron's expression remained perfectly still.
Only his eyes grew colder.
He released the man's wrist, then slowly looked around at the passengers filming him.
"So this is how online mobs happen."
The cabin quieted slightly.
Aaron's gaze moved from one phone to the next.
"You saw the last ten seconds of an argument and decided you knew the entire story."
He pointed toward the old man.
"Did any of you ask why I was holding his wrist?"
No one answered.
"Did you ask what happened before you started recording?"
Still nothing.
"Of course not."
His voice sharpened.
"You saw two elderly people shouting and immediately appointed yourselves judge, jury, and executioner."
He looked directly at one of the passengers holding up a phone.
"You're already threatening to expose me, ruin my reputation, and contact my university when you don't even know what happened."
Aaron swept his gaze across the cabin.
"You're not defending justice."
"You're a mob looking for someone to destroy."
Finally, he turned back toward the elderly couple.
"And the two of you knew exactly how easy they would be to manipulate."
The old man's smug expression faltered.
Aaron leaned back in his seat.
"Being old doesn't automatically make you right."
"And it certainly doesn't give you permission to assault someone, then pretend to be the victim when they stop you."