Chapter 563 - 563: 563. Veteran Wynne

Listening to Jacob's question, Edwin's expression turned cold. In a place like Golden City, he had long since learned to be ruthless — he wasn't like Jacob, always calculating three steps ahead.

He hadn't dared touch Theo before, wary of the strength that Wynne and Som held behind him. But now, with Jacob backing him and a freshly captured Gigantamax Charizard in his hands, he no longer felt any need to hold back. His second uncle had been injured just last night because of this man.

On top of that, his ships out on the high seas had been attacked, and Paradise Group's businesses had taken heavy losses these past few days. Someone was clearly trying to choke off his income at the source.

"Kill the chicken to scare the monkey," Edwin said, a sinister smile spreading across his face. "And here's a monkey delivering himself right to our door." He looked ready to make his move.

"Actually, I have a suggestion." Jacob's lips curled into a faint smile as he lowered his voice. "The greatest value of force lies in deterrence — in the threat and the warning it sends. Since you've already decided to act, you should leave a mark deep enough that everyone thinks twice before crossing you. Here's what you could do..."

… … … …

Dawn was still hours off, and the full moon hung high overhead.

Wynne and Som's expressions were grim. Late as it was, the two of them rode their Flying-type Pokémon hard toward the outskirts of Golden City.

They hadn't expected Edwin to come back — and now that he had, he'd wasted no time seizing control of the entire park.

"We're here."

As they neared the park, they found the whole place unnervingly still, as quiet as the night itself. Their eyes fell on the sentry post in the corner, where the patrolman on duty lay sprawled on the ground, locked in a deep, pained sleep — clearly caught in the grip of some nightmare.

The two of them vaulted the iron fence and dropped into the open courtyard at the center. The silence around them carried a strange, unsettling edge.

"This is Darkrai's work... Giovanni's doing." Wynne's brow furrowed, unease creeping into his voice. "Let's head upstairs first."

"Old Wynne, I warned you not to provoke Giovanni. Look what's come of it now." Som's face twisted with a hint of complaint.

"No use complaining about that now. Didn't you quietly go along with what Theo was doing? Are you really willing to hand back the profits you've already got your hands on?" Wynne said coldly. "Theo may be my man, but don't forget — we're all in this together."

"...Fine."

… … … …

The two of them stepped into the park's main building, went straight up to the top floor, and pushed open the door to a lavishly furnished private room.

Inside, several people were already seated. Giovanni, Edwin, Sammy, and Theo — the last of these bound to a chair with rope, a gag stuffed in his mouth.

At the sight, Wynne's face darkened for a moment before he caught himself, forcing a smile as he stepped inside. "Giovanni... Edwin, when did you get back? You should have told us — we'd have prepared something to welcome you. Has this boy Theo done something to offend you?"

Som followed Wynne in but said nothing.

Jacob sat off to one side, quietly watching the scene unfold. Tonight belonged to Edwin; Jacob was only here to observe.

"Mr. Wynne." Edwin's smile turned sinister. He rested one hand on Theo's head and used the other to yank the sock gag free. "I came back to Golden City today and found a mob storming Paradise Hospital — smashing, looting, setting fires. I followed the trail here and found out it was Theo's doing."

"So, Mr. Wynne — what do you think I should do about that?"

Hearing this, Wynne's face darkened further. He cursed the fool silently in his head, then glanced toward Giovanni, seated off to the side. Giovanni said nothing, and that gave Wynne a bit more nerve.

Wynne rounded on Theo, his voice thick with fury. "Theo! What in the world are you doing? Can't you keep your own men in line? I know you're sore about handing over the gray-market businesses you used to run, but that's no excuse for letting your people run wild. I've told you again and again — Paradise Group is our closest partner now, and you're still letting your men act out. You're putting the bigger picture at risk and driving a wedge between us! I'm sorely disappointed in you!"

"Now apologize to President Edwin — quickly!"

"I'm sorry... President Edwin, this is my fault. I failed to keep my people in check..."

Wynne's furious scolding, paired with Theo's groveling apology, brought a faint smile to Jacob's lips.

Say what you will, but Wynne hadn't clawed his way to the top of his organization on strength alone — his gift for improvisation was something else entirely. Every word he'd just spoken had landed exactly where he wanted it to.

Not only had he cleared himself of any blame, he'd also pulled Theo out of the direct line of fire, pinning the whole affair on Theo's subordinates acting without orders.

Edwin's mouth curved into a cold sneer. He meant to use this to establish his authority — he wasn't about to let Theo off that easily. He turned to Wynne. "Can't keep his men in line? Mr. Wynne, it's not quite that simple. Over the past several days, nearly every one of Paradise Group's holdings has come under attack — our ships at sea, our shops in the city, the hospital, even our transport crews. You still think this is just a matter of loose discipline?"

"What?!" Wynne had a genuine gift for theater. His face twisted into shock as he glared at Theo, managing to look both wounded and furious at once. "Unbelievable! What exactly have you been doing these past few days, to cause a mess this serious? President Edwin, if that's the case, do as you see fit — I won't stand in your way."

"I was wrong! President Edwin, please — I was wrong!"

Slippery as ever, Wynne had turned retreat into an advance, leaving the thorny question of Theo's fate squarely in Edwin's hands.

For all his ruthlessness, young Edwin was still no match for a veteran like Wynne when it came to words — though Edwin had his own strengths, and cruelty was chief among them.

"In that case," Edwin said, his expression turning vicious, "let's just kill him." He drew a pistol from his waist and leveled it at Theo, who went rigid with terror.

"No! Please, don't kill me!" Theo hadn't expected Edwin to act so directly. He begged desperately, his eyes darting to Wynne. "Boss, save me! Please, save me!"

At Theo's pleading, Wynne's expression darkened as he turned to Edwin. "President Edwin... Theo's guilty, sure, but all he did was fail to control his people — that's not a crime worth his life. We'll be close partners going forward, and Theo's practically one of us now. Do me this favor and let him off, just this once."

"Give him a chance to make up for it through service instead. He's a capable Trainer, after all, and we could use the extra hands."

Jacob only stroked his chin and watched Wynne, thinking to himself what a talent this man was — smooth-tongued and thick-skinned in equal measure.

Whatever Wynne's reasoning, it seemed to grate on Edwin — or perhaps clever talk simply wasn't his way of handling things.

He said nothing more. Cutting straight through the argument, he raised the pistol toward Theo and pulled the trigger again and again, emptying the entire clip.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

… … … …