BAM!
But right at that moment, March 7th's voice suddenly rang out along with a sharp jolt of pain.
"Hey, wake up... Wake up..."
"Phew, I made it in time! Thank goodness you didn't end up like that!"
Boothill blinked his eyes in confusion. "W-What happened...?"
March 7th hurriedly tried to pull him away from the danger zone.
The camera panned around at that instant, revealing the situation all around them.
Those who had been sane just moments ago, including Montana, had all turned dull and dazed.
"No time to explain. Hurry, I need your help!"
"I'll go wake Montana. Hurry!"
March 7th spoke to Boothill not knowing his condition.
Boothill did not speak anything, just standing there with a blank face.
After March 7th confronted the Assistanana, feeling something wrong, she immediately asked Boothill and turned to escape the place.
"..." But Boothill said nothing. It was hard to tell whether he even still remembered March 7th.
But he continued to follow her quietly.
The "Assistanana" merely watched them leave with calm, making no move to stop them.
"Though the regression process was unexpectedly interrupted... I look forward to seeing what more interesting changes might occur."
The Assistanana spoke softly, with a faint smile.
He wasn't in any hurry. Because he knew, March 7th could never escape this place alone.
Those who had already established a connection with him were closing in from all directions, like zombies,
Surrounding March 7th and Boothill tightly.
"What the heck… they are actually blocking the way now?!"
March 7th pulled Boothill along, but they were trapped at the stairwell.
This situation was seriously troublesome.
She didn't dare to hit those in front of her, These were just ordinary people.
And escaping wasn't an option either...
"You're free to leave, if you wish. But not with my subject. He's still under observation." came the Assistanana's calm voice from within the crowd.
"Mm-hmm. Unlike typical humans, his modified body is impervious to physical deterioration. With a steely grit and determination that never wavers, he can easily resist all forms of corruption."
"Ah, a Galaxy Ranger like him... It'll be worthwhile to see what I can turn him into."
The Assistanana stepped out of the crowd with a quiet chuckle.
The moment she saw him, March 7th tensed, ready to fight.
But the Assistanana didn't seem to care in the slightest.
He already knew what she was thinking, she wanted to escape and call for help, believing that these human-turned-monkeys had lost their reason and were controlled by him.
"If that's the case, why do you believe ... that you really woke up the Ranger?"
The Assistanana's smile remained, but his tone turned suddenly sharp and menacing.
"Mr. Galaxy Ranger, would you please fire a shot at this young lady?"
"Hey-!" March 7th turned to look at Boothill.
As she did, she braced herself for the worst, prepared to fight the very ranger she'd just saved.
But Boothill's response went far beyond her expectations.
"But sir, killin' folks is against the law, especially when it's a lovely lady like her."
The voice was young, like that of a child.
And before March 7th's eyes appeared a surreal scene that could only exist within a dreamscape.
Boothill's eyes closed tightly as his body began to float in the air.
Brilliant light radiated from within him,
And gradually took the form of a little boy. He had Boothill's same gray-black hair with streaks of silver, tied into a short ponytail.
His small, fair face was soft with roundness.
Only his eyes were black, not the mechanical lenses Boothill usually had.
When he appeared, he gently cupped the remaining light in his hands, as if afraid it might fade, then spoke, a little embarrassed:
"Huh, I'm the star of the show now? All 'cause of this here gun?"
"It's a nice gun alright. But using it to take a life? I have no such intention."
"How about the two of you settle your own scores, while I'll be on my way?"
The sudden transformation stunned not only March 7th,
"Wait a minute... Is this what you wanted me to see?"
Even the audience were speechless.
Moments later, the comments exploded like fireworks.
...
: AAAAAH! Oh my god! Little Boothill!!
: He's so cute, SO CUTE!!!
: Didn't think we'd ever see kid Boothill in the main story!
: And now of all times!
: Young Boothill is too adorable!
: And that composition when he appeared, so beautiful!
: I suddenly feel relieved… The Assistanana has no idea what Boothill was like as a kid!
...
The audience wasn't unfamiliar with young Boothill.
Clips of his childhood had long circulated online, fans had seen his early life countless times through side stories and fan edits.
They had literally watched him grow up.
But even their excitement couldn't compare to The Assistanana's.
"That's. Right.... This is merely a hollow dream, so even if they turned into monkeys here, their physical bodies in the real world will not be subjected to any biological deterioration."
"The Ranger's extraordinarily staunch and unyielding mind made him an even more valuable specimen to be studied. His mind hasn't been completely wiped out, instead..."
"... he is neither a monkey, nor is he a Galaxy Ranger."
"He's a young Boothill, one from many years back. Back when his homeland hadn't been ravaged, when he lived as a carefree child in the grasslands."
The Assistanana's voice grew manic.
This orderly regression, not a full regression, but a partial one was far more valuable for research.
If such incomplete regression could be controlled, then humanity wouldn't need to wait for monkeys to evolve into humans again,
They could simply start over from childhood!
Evolution would accelerate beyond imagination!
And if the outcome wasn't ideal, Then they could just regress people back to children again!
The Assistanana's eyes blazed with wild fervor.
It was as if he could already see the Original Doctor's praise shining upon him.
"Miraculous... Be it the Sweet Dreams Troupe or myself, he can end it all with just one shot."
"But it just so happens that the decision to pull the trigger has to be made by his soul rather than his body. The child version of him now is completely incapable of firing his own gun."
The Assistanana gazed at Boothill like a madman beholding a divine revelation.
A ranger who once stood against the Dr. Primitive, now stood having forgotten everything.
A subject worthy of dozens of papers!
"Alright, Mr. Cowboy," he said, eyes gleaming, "come to me. Let's finish your final lesson now..."
The Assistanana's smile twisted, like that of a crazed zealot, as he extended a trembling hand.
"Hey! Don't go over there!"
March 7th called out to Boothill who started following the Assistanana.
To buy the Assistanana enough time, all the members of the Slumbernana Association surrounded her, stopping her from interfering.
She could only watch helplessly as young Boothill slipped into Boothill's body, then followed the Assistanana away.
Soon after, in a corner, the Assistanana spoke gently: "How do you feel now?"
Boothill shook his head, and a child's voice came out of him."It feels like... I'm dreaming? No, wait... it's like eating a warm meal. Strange... when did I fall asleep? I still have tons of things to do. I guess Nick's gonna kick me away later."
"It doesn't matter. It's time for you to come back to reality. How does it feel? Does waking up from a dream bring you misery?"
The Assistanana spoke as if he were really talking to a child.
"Misery? Why, no!"
Boothill shrugged. "It's a shame you're stuck in a dream, can't lay eyes on the land I love. It's so gorgeous, you'd be willin' to die right there."
The Assistanana laughed heartily. "It's hard to believe someone so young would use that kind of analogy."
He found Boothill more and more interesting. Though he knew about this ranger's past, the finer details still surprised him.
So, on Boothill's home planet, kids that young already spoke of life and death? That truly was early maturity.
With pride, Boothill replied smugly, "Ain't nothin' strange about that, people gotta find ways to soothe their souls, part of that is comin' to terms with life and death."
"There's a saying from Aeragan-Epharshel: "Death is the fairest form of grace"."
"For the good-hearted, death keeps their purity intact. For the cunning scoundrels, death ends things clean and quick."
The Assistanana was very pleased with that answer. "Since that's how you see it, then why not share that fairness with the whole world, in the name of the Dr. Primitive…"
As he said that, the Assistanana quietly stirred up more of his power, thickening the memetic influence around them.
Just as he expected, Boothill nodded in confusion and reached out his hand toward him.
'Good boy!'
The Assistanana praised him silently.
Then he too extended his hand, and clasped Boothill's.
But the moment their hands met, Boothill suddenly tightened his grip.
The arrogant Assistanana didn't think much of it. He thought it was just a fleeting instinct.
And then… The boy's soft voice murmured:
"No problem, Teacher. But there's something else I have to tell you ..."
"I was worried about missing my shot ... but now that I've gotten ahold of you, I reckon I won't."
The moment those words rang out, the one who woke from the dream wasn't Boothill.
It was the Assistanana. He gasped and tried to pull his hand back, but couldn't!
"H-How's this possible ...? The regression should've occurred already ..."
The Assistanana looked up and saw that sly, triumphant smile on Boothill's face. His heart exploded with disbelief.
"The regression should've occurred already..."
Boothill exhaled in relief and pulled out his revolver.
His voice returned to its original tone.
Only his voice, though, his mind was still that of his younger self.But that alone proved something, the regression placed on him was fading.
"Phew ... Wanna know something? I was worried I had it all wrong just now!"
"But now, there ain't no problem, 'cause only an evildoer asks "why" before he dies."
Boothill smiled and pressed the barrel of his gun to the Assistanana's forehead.
"I ain't deaf, alright? While you were yappin' so loud, did it ever cross your mind I could tell good from evil?"
"It's as Nick said: Revenge needs no excuses, just like how there's one thing in the world that doesn't need to be taught ..."
The blood-pumping BGM kicked in at that moment.
The viewers in the stream chat went wild.
Even when Little Boothill first appeared, no matter how much they trusted him, unease had lingered.
They were afraid he'd been successfully brainwashed.
But now it was clear, the Assistanana's brainwashing didn't stand a chance against Boothill!
...
: I knew it! Whether it's Boothill or Little Boothill, they'd never let us down!
: First failed brainwashing ever!
: That's why he's a top-class ranger!
: Even Tiernan turned into a Blood Sin Spirit and held on that long!
: The Assistanana's arrogance did him in, thinking kids are easy to fool!
: If you dropped him on Boothill's home planet, he wouldn't last two minutes, those gun-happy kids would drop him first!
: Cool! Cool! Cool!
: You can always trust Lan-bro's taste and judgment!
: Just like Boothill said, children's sense of good and evil is the purest of all!
: Especially a kid like him, after everything he's been through!
...
While the chat was exploding, the Assistanana completely lost it.
"Even for someone born with a bad nature, the first time doing something like this should weigh heavily on their conscience ..."
He rambled, trying to rationalize Boothill's actions, believing the regression had turned him into a child incapable of understanding what he was doing.
But he didn't expect it, the kid didn't hesitate at all!
He's still just a child, right?! Was Boothill really that ruthless even back then?
"Is that so? Well, I reckon you got that wrong."
Boothill curled his lip. "Be it a wanted criminal with the blood of many on their hands or a young cowboy who's never fired a gun, both share a common instinct in every sense of the word ..."
"... And that's to put a bullet in anything evil, muddle-fudger!"
The Assistanana's face flushed red.
He was being schooled, by a kid!
But Boothill didn't give him any chance to respond.
Bang!
The revolver roared!
The bullet pierced straight through the Assistanana's head, blasting a gaping hole through his mechanical skull.
"Oh, and by the way," Boothill smirked, "when I said I'd love you to death, I wasn't lying. I really meant it."
"Death is the fairest kindness of all, especially for cute things like you."
In the instant he fired, Boothill's consciousness fully matured again.
His mind, soul, speech, and memories, all returned in that single moment.
And the live chat reached its peak!
...
: HAHAHAHA! Serves him right! That bastard finally got executed!
: Damn right! When it comes to brainwashing, Boothill's the best cure!
: Death really is the fairest thing in the world!
: Turns out Boothill's been a tough one since childhood!
: Even if you brainwash him ten thousand times, regress him ten thousand more, Boothill will still end up just like this!