Officer Jenny squeezed through the crowd and walked quickly toward them.
She wore a standard police uniform; beneath her dark blue skirt was a pair of straight legs, and her black boots made a crisp clicking sound against the ground.
The uniform was well-tailored, perfectly outlining her slender waist and perky hips.
The police badge on her chest glinted in the sunlight.
Her features were delicate, with a professional capability in her eyes that wasn't overly harsh.
Her short hair was tucked neatly behind her ears, revealing a fair neck.
"Excuse me, are you Miss Aimi?"
Jenny walked up to Aimi, her voice clear but carrying a serious tone.
Aimi froze for a moment, an inexplicable sense of foreboding welling up in her heart.
"I am Aimi."
She nodded and then asked, "Officer Jenny, is something the matter?"
Jenny's expression became even more solemn.
She took a small notebook from her pocket, flipped it open for a glance, and then looked up, staring directly at Aimi.
"Is Anthony your father?"
The moment those words came out, the atmosphere on the scene instantly froze.
Aimi's face turned pale in a flash.
"Yes, Anthony is my father."
"What happened?"
Jenny took a deep breath and said, "Then please come and assist us in restraining him."
"He has lost his mind on Commercial Avenue."
"He's acting crazily, attacking anyone he sees."
"He's also commanding his Hitmonchan to attack everywhere."
Jenny's words hammered down one by one, each like a heavy stone crashing against Aimi's chest.
Even though she had said before that she was done with Anthony.
However, hearing the words "something happened to Anthony," her heart still tightened.
That was her father.
No matter how much of a bastard he was, he was still her father.
"Alright, Officer Jenny, please take me there."
Roy glanced at her without speaking, merely standing silently by her side.
Delia stepped forward and gently took Aimi's hand.
Misty also put away her usual playful smile, her expression becoming serious.
"Let's go too."
Jenny looked at Roy, then at Aimi, and nodded.
"Follow me."
The group followed Jenny, walking quickly toward Commercial Avenue.
...
Commercial Avenue.
This was the most prosperous part of the entire town.
Shops lined both sides of the street, their signs packed closely together.
Normally at this time, the street should have been bustling with people.
But now, the entire street was empty.
The shop doors and windows were tightly shut, and roadside stalls were overturned, with fruits and vegetables scattered everywhere.
Trash cans had been kicked over, and garbage was strewn all over the place.
In the middle of the street stood Anthony, gesticulating wildly and shouting something.
Beside him stood Hitmonchan.
"I am the Champion!"
"I am the Champion!!"
"We are the Champions!!!"
Anthony grabbed Hitmonchan's fist and held it high, as if showing off a trophy to an audience.
"Champion! We are the Champions!"
Infected by his emotion, Hitmonchan also raised a fist, but its eyes remained very confused.
Anthony let go of Hitmonchan's fist and began gesticulating wildly again.
"Come! Again! Fight! We must fight!"
He pointed at an overturned trash can nearby, his eyes wide, his pupils glittering with an abnormal excitement.
"The opponent is there! See him! That guy! Very strong! Very strong!"
He pointed at the trash can and gave an order to Hitmonchan.
"Hitmonchan! Use Punch!"
Hitmonchan hesitated for a moment but still walked up to the trash can.
It raised its fist and threw a punch.
With a loud bang, a large section of the trash can was smashed flat, and garbage flew out.
"Good! Well hit! Do it again!"
Anthony clapped his hands excitedly, jumping around like a child.
"Left hook! Right hook! Uppercut! Hit! Hit! Hit!"
Hitmonchan mechanically executed the orders, landing punch after punch on the trash can.
The trash can quickly turned into a lump of scrap metal, but Anthony still didn't stop.
"Again! There! There's another opponent over there!"
He pointed at a nearby bench and began commanding Hitmonchan to attack again.
The nearby pedestrians all stayed far away; not a single person dared to approach.
Two young men in work clothes stood ten meters away; one was clutching his arm with a pained expression.
"Damn, he's a psychopath. I tried to hold him back just now, and he sent me flying with one punch."
"That guy's strength is insane. He looks like he's up there in years, but he doesn't hold back at all when he hits people."
"Forget it, just wait for the police to handle it."
The crowd of onlookers grew larger, but everyone kept a safe distance.
No one dared to go up.
After all, Anthony's muscles made it clear he wasn't someone to be trifled with.
Roy's gaze swept across the street, and he suddenly saw something.
There was a large screen at the corner of the street.
The screen was originally meant for advertisements, but it was currently playing a video recording.
The content of the recording was the finals of the P1 Fighting Competition.
On the screen, Roy was standing in the ring as the host handed the gold belt into his hands.
Then the scene shifted to Roy making a victory lap with Primeape beside him, the gold belt shimmering under the lights.
Below the screen was a line of large text: "Congratulations to Contestant Roy for winning the P1 Fighting Competition Champion!"
"Dad!"
Aimi instantly rushed out from the crowd, running toward Anthony.
"Dad! What's wrong with you! Please stop!"
"Dad, it's me, I'm Aimi..."
"Look at me, Dad..."
Hearing her voice, Anthony whipped his head around.
His eyes stared straight at Aimi, his pupils glittering with an unfamiliar light.
"You..."
Anthony tilted his head, staring at Aimi for several seconds.
Then his expression suddenly changed, becoming excited.
"Opponent! You are an opponent!"
He raised his hands, assuming a fighting stance.
"Come on! Fight! I am the Champion! I won't lose!"
"Hitmonchan! Attack her!"
Anthony pointed at Aimi and commanded loudly.
Hitmonchan looked at Aimi, a trace of hesitation flashing in its eyes.
It recognized Aimi.
When it was young, it was Aimi who had fed and raised it.
Hitmonchan's fist was raised, but it didn't strike directly.
"Hit! Hitmonchan! Hit!"
Anthony's voice became even more impatient as he waved his fists, his expression distorted.
"What are you doing! I am the Champion! Obey my command! Hit!"
Hitmonchan's body trembled.
A caught Pokémon cannot forcibly resist its Trainer's instructions.
Hitmonchan's fist slowly rose, aiming at Aimi.
At that moment, a flash of red light appeared.
Roy released Primeape, which stood directly in front of Aimi.
It crossed its arms and took Hitmonchan's punch head-on.
"Thud!"
A dull sound rang out.
Primeape's body didn't budge, standing firmly in place.
Hitmonchan's fist was held fast by it, unable to move.
Roy stepped out from the crowd and stood by Aimi's side.
His expression was calm, but his eyes held a coldness.
"Are you alright?"
Aimi nodded, saying with a panicked expression,
"I'm fine, but why doesn't Dad recognize me anymore..."
Jenny hurried over from behind. Seeing that Roy had already acted, she quickly said:
"I've already contacted the hospital and the Pokémon Center; an ambulance will be here shortly."
"The most important thing right now is to get Mr. Anthony to calm down."
"Don't provoke him any further, wait for the professionals to come..."
Before Jenny could finish, Roy had already stepped forward a few paces.
"I'll go."
Roy's voice was flat, as if he were stating something perfectly ordinary.
When Aimi heard this, her face changed immediately.
"Roy!"
She grabbed Roy's arm, her voice full of worry.
"My dad... he's a professional fighter by trade."
"You'll be in great danger."
Aimi's fingers tightly gripped Roy's sleeve.
She looked at Anthony's solid muscles and then at Roy.
Though the two were about the same height, the difference in their physiques was very obvious.
Anthony's shoulders were broader, his chest thicker, and the muscles on his arms were like lumps of iron.
While Roy wasn't thin, he still seemed somewhat slight when standing before Anthony.
Aimi was truly worried.
She didn't want Roy to get hurt.
Roy turned his head to look at Aimi, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.
"Don't worry."
He paused, then added, "I've trained too."
"Didn't you find that out last night?"
Aimi: "..."
She was stunned for a moment.
Then her entire face flushed red from her neck all the way to the tips of her ears.
Of course she knew from last night...
In the bath...
That steamy scene instantly flooded into her mind.
Roy had even picked her up...
"You... you..."
She stammered, her eyes darting around, simply not daring to look at Roy.
This scoundrel.
How could he say that here!
Aimi was so embarrassed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
But strangely, the tension, fear, and worry from just now were all swept away by Roy's single sentence.
The messy fears and anxieties in her head were all replaced by those face-reddening images from last night.
Seeing Aimi's reaction, Roy felt relieved.
This was the effect he wanted.
When someone is nervous, the best way is to make them think of something else.
He didn't need to say or do anything else; as long as he made her blush, the tension in her mind would relax.
Roy patted Aimi's hand and pulled his sleeve out of her grasp.
Then he turned around and looked at Primeape.
"Primeape, go control Hitmonchan."
"Just pin it down, don't be too rough."
Primeape nodded and immediately lunged forward, sending Hitmonchan flying with a punch...
Roy, meanwhile, walked toward Anthony.
Seeing someone approach, that light of excitement shone in Anthony's eyes again.
He raised his hands in a fighting stance and began shouting again.
"I am the Champion! I am the Champion!"
"Are you here to challenge me too? Come on! I'm not afraid!"
"I am the strongest! I am the Champion!"
Roy stood before him, looking at this crazed middle-aged man.
His eyes were very red, his pupils dilated, and saliva hung from the corner of his mouth.
The collar of his shirt was open, revealing solid chest muscles and collarbones.
Sweat trickled down his neck, soaking his collar.
Anthony was still shouting: "I am the Champion! I am the Champion!"
Roy raised his hand.
"Slap!"
A loud slap rang out.
The crisp sound echoed through the street, and everyone froze.
Jenny's eyes went wide as saucers.
What had she just said?
Don't provoke him!
And this man went up and delivered a slap?
"Mr. Roy!" Jenny grew frantic, her voice changing pitch. "What are you doing! Get back here!"
"You'll enrage him like that!"
Jenny stomped her feet in anxiety. Although this was the first time she had met Roy, for some reason, she was inexplicably worried about him getting hurt.
That worry came strangely, as if it were for someone very important, making her incredibly tense.
"Come back! It's dangerous!"
Jenny's voice was even trembling slightly.
But Roy didn't move.
He stood his ground, staring directly at Anthony.
Having been slapped, Anthony was momentarily stunned.
Then his expression slowly shifted from confusion to rage.
"You dare provoke me?"
"Provoke me, the Fighting Champion!"
He suddenly raised his fist, muscles tightening and veins bulging.
That punch came whistling through the air, aimed right at Roy's face.
The speed was astonishing.
The force was also terrifyingly large.
If this punch landed squarely, an ordinary person would likely be knocked out instantly.
Jenny's heart leaped into her throat.
"Watch out!"
She almost screamed it out.
But Roy didn't even blink.
He raised his hand, his palm steadily catching Anthony's fist.
Anthony's fist was enveloped by Roy's palm, unable to move.
Anthony's eyes widened as he desperately tried to pull his fist back, but Roy's fingers were like iron pincers, deathly gripping his fist.
"What..."
A trace of disbelief appeared on Anthony's face.
Roy didn't give him time to react.
His other hand balled into a fist and punched Anthony directly in the stomach.
"Thud!"
A dull impact sound.
Anthony's body doubled over, his mouth hanging open as saliva dripped out.
But Roy didn't stop.
He let go of Anthony's fist, grabbed Anthony's arms with both hands, twisted his body, and performed an over-the-shoulder throw!
Anthony's hundred-and-eighty-pound body was flipped right over by Roy like a sack of grain.
"Boom!!"
Anthony slammed heavily onto the ground, his back hitting the hard stone road and kicking up a cloud of dust.
His eyes were wide, his mouth agape, completely dazed from the fall.
But Roy still hadn't finished.
A faint blue light flashed in his eyes.
Intermediate Psychic Power, activate!
Invisible mental energy surged from Roy's mind like a tide, pouring directly into Anthony's brain.
Anthony's body jerked violently and then began to tremble intensely.
That frantic mental energy was forcibly suppressed by Roy's Psychic power.
Anthony's gaze slowly shifted from madness to confusion, and from confusion to vacancy.
His body stopped struggling; he lay on the ground, panting heavily.
But he was still muttering intermittently.
"I am the Champion..."
"I am the Champion..."
His voice grew smaller and more slurred, finally turning into an incoherent murmur.
Roy let go and stood up, looking down at Anthony.
Anthony's eyes were half-closed, his pupils dilated, and he lay limp on the ground as if all his strength had been drained away...
***********************************
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