Silas was so furious he laughed, looking up and down at Firth, whose legs were trembling uncontrollably.
With a thud, the fat man collapsed to the floor, babbling in panic, "It was Rabby! He said that after he became squad leader, he'd give me all the resources for half a year… The plan was his, the cleanup was his… Then he disappeared. I don't know where he is now…"
"Rabby?" Silas muttered, turning to look at Shiro. He remembered that man. He had gone missing along with Shiro. Wasn't it Rabby who had taken him away?
Shiro spoke flatly, "When I left Spikemuth, I killed him."
So it was all his dear 'Uncle' Rabby's doing. Too bad the man had died too easily.
But back then, there had been no choice. Rabby had been thorough and cautious, following him out of town with the clear intent to tie up loose ends. If he hadn't struck first, he wouldn't be alive now.
It was only thanks to Marnie showing up in time that he'd had the chance. Thinking about it, he owed her a bit.
Silas was surprised and asked, "And the body? We never found it around Spikemuth."
"I had Toxicroak dissolve it into water," Marnie said from the doorway, leaning casually against the frame.
Silas' eyes widened in disbelief as he turned to his daughter. "You helped him escape?"
"Yeah." She crossed her arms and nodded like it was nothing.
He rubbed his temples, dizzy from the truth hitting him.
Had his daughter spotted Shiro's potential early on and 'invested' in him? And then this potential recruit joined Macro Cosmos and stole her own family's Gym Challenge spot?
What exactly was going on between these two? Were they in on this together from the start?
He took a couple of deep breaths and felt… it wasn't too bad.
If that was the case, then even if Piers had ruined himself with laziness, there was still Shiro and Marnie. They were all family, and as long as Spikemuth and the Gym didn't fall into an outsider's hands, it was fine.
He looked at Shiro again and smiled, though the strange expression sent a shiver down his spine.
Silas kicked Firth hard and said coldly, "Rabby may be dead, but you were still the main culprit. What have I always said? Fight if you must, but not inside Spikemuth. And never kill your own. You knew you were the mastermind and still stayed in my gym? What were you thinking? Did you think I'd cover for you?"
On the ground, Firth clutched his ribs where the kick had landed, a dazed look creeping into his eyes.
Right… why had he stayed in the gym? Hadn't he planned to run first? Get to the edge of town, then see how things went…
A sudden shudder ran through him. A faint psychic glow flickered in his eyes.
Silas didn't notice. He kicked him once more and cursed, "You worthless dog. You deserve to die!"
"Die!"
Firth suddenly threw his head back and roared. His bulky body shot up from the floor like a missile, slamming into Silas in an instant. His hands, wrapped in psychic energy, drove straight through the man's chest with ease.
Blood sprayed from the massive wound, then poured out like water from a broken dam. Within seconds, it had soaked the black clothes, leaving a deep, dark stain.
Silas stared in shock, mouth wide open, the short moustache above his lip twitching. His eyes bulged, locked on Firth, and only one thought echoed in his head—why?
He couldn't understand how this cowardly underling from moments ago had… had dared…
Bang!
Two Poké Balls at his waist cracked open. A Scrafty and a Toxicroak burst out, instantly launching attacks at Firth.
In their rage, the two Pokémon tore off their target's limbs and head. Blood splattered across the main hall, staining the purple carpet black. Chunks of flesh clung to the walls and the bases of the pillars.
'Damn it! Now there's no way to find out who the real killer was!' Shiro was shaken, his mind racing.
He'd felt something familiar just before it happened, a psychic presence. But his own abilities were too weak to recognize it right away.
That power… He'd sensed it not long ago, during his battle with Piers. At the time, he had been too distracted by the boy's strange behavior to think much of it.
The real culprit had used a clever trick. They took advantage of his visit for revenge to seize control of Firth. Then, when Silas got close, they used him to strike.
It had to be planned in advance.
The attack had been too quick. Silas didn't have any Ghost-types that could hide in the shadows to guard him. And once the kill was done, his enraged Pokémon emerged and destroyed the only witness, wiping out all clues.
While Shiro was still piecing things together, Marnie finally snapped out of her daze and cried out, "Dad!"
Scrafty and Toxicroak kept mauling Firth's remains as she ran to her father's side.
Though their relationship had been distant, he had never scolded her over anything. Whatever she asked for, he had always tried to give.
Two gaping wounds in his chest bled freely. His life was slipping away. His lips moved, forcing out his final words.
"Mar… Marnie… protect the gym…"
"Yeah…"
Her cheeks were wet without her noticing. She knelt by his body, covering her mouth and nose, nodding in silence.
A few grunts panicked and attempted to slip out the side but were blocked by Corviknight at the gym entrance. Kennya and another thin Team Yell member kept backing away from the bodies, their faces pale.
It had happened so fast. No one could believe it.
Silas was dead.
Kennya grabbed her companion and ran toward the inner hall.
They had to tell Piers. He was resting in one of the Gym's rooms right now.
Shiro quietly stepped up beside Marnie. Silas lay below, lifeless, eyes wide open even in death
'Who was behind this?'
He couldn't tell who wanted the Gym Leader dead so badly. It wasn't him, and it wasn't the company. And it sure wasn't Marnie or Piers… there had to be someone else.
'The one who had lent Piers those Pokémon!'
A flash of realization struck him, though he couldn't immediately place who it was.
With Firth and Silas dead, his revenge was all but finished.
Now he had to find the real killer. Otherwise, being here when it happened would make him the prime suspect.
Although Macro Cosmos and the gyms were in conflict, Rose would never want a Gym Leader dead right at the start of the Gym Challenge, not even one with a bad reputation.
More importantly, Rose would suspect him, and fear that people would connect his personal revenge to Silas' death.
Rumors would spread. The truth might be that a random Team Yell grunt had snapped and killed the Gym Leader, but people would rather believe that Shiro, a Macro Cosmos man, had done it.
The news had to be contained until the killer was found.
He turned sharply and shouted, "Corviknight!"
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