When Dipper declared his clear and firm refusal to return home, Wirt's colored eyes widened slightly.
But that was the only real emotion shown on his face.
After a moment of silence between the two individuals, Dipper finally attacked first.
Wirt nonchalantly dodged Dipper's Tesla gun attack, despite the short distance, thanks to telepathy, and slammed his fist into his face.
The strength of an individual superior to an ordinary adult struck the head of the 11-year-old child, who was known for his weak physical strength.
"You know... I didn't really want to kill or seal you."
"Bullshit, you really wanna play the hypocrite here?"
Dipper's words touched something deep in Wirt's heart, but the man knew it.
It's too late to convince or negotiate with the individual named Peter Thomson.
Either he dies in Dipper's mind, or gets sealed, or the former author #### risks leaving his most sadistic and intelligent protagonist free.
The last option is out of the question.
"S... stop!!"
Despite the child's pleading cry, the hand placed on his face didn't stop interfering with his brain.
The memory of the individual named Peter Thomson and Vegapunk in the soul, who had devoured that of Dipper Pines, was sealed.
Dipper's consciousness, inside Peter's soul, regained control, but this result isn't 100% certain.
The latter was too weak compared to Vegapunk or Peter Thomson.
'Vegapunk's brainpower still worries me...'
Interfering with Dipper's mind wasn't easy for him, and the final result still doesn't reassure him.
Sweat.
After wiping away the perspiration caused by the intense effort of influencing and manipulating a super brain, he opened his PC to observe the result.
[ You have interfered with the plot and main character of Gravity Falls ]
[ You have "sealed" information related to Vegapunk and Peter Thomson ]
[ The plot takes a unique direction ]
[ You receive 500 points for beating Dipper Pines in a fight ]
[ You receive 1000 points for definitively defeating the fanfic's protagonist ]
[ The world's direction takes an unexpected path by the new author, but this doesn't displease him ]
[ You receive 250 points for this unique path ]
[ You have a total of 1750 system points ]
Without a shadow of hesitation, he wasted points to guarantee total control of Dipper Pines in the body.
A loss of 500 system points, but it would have cost more without his telepathy ability.
He also used 150 points on the Tesla gun, which can now be recharged by mana and increases its energy release according to the user's will.
Of course, there are overheating risks in case of abuse.
"T... there, I've solved an urgent problem."
[ remaining points: 1100 ]
The only annoying thing now is a Dipper Pines possessing Vegapunk's pure IQ.
'If I had left Vegapunk's knowledge, the kid could have suffered from personality-related problems, but...'
But now, Dipper is simply a terrifying genius without the knowledge and experience of a scientist extremely advanced for his time.
He wasn't comfortable with such a terrifying IQ free and out of control.
'Putting an 11-year-old boy into slavery, that's... weird and killing him.'
The idea immediately repulsed him.
Writing Gideon's death back then was okay, but applying it right here? No... impossible.
After a moment of reflection, Wirt decided to stay close to Dipper and keep an eye on him.
He plans to find a solution someday, and he knew it would eventually happen with enough points.
Just a matter of time.
"Oh... I almost forgot this thing."
As he had placed Dipper on his back, Wirt remembered Ford's journal number 3.
He hesitated to leave it to Dipper, but ended up deciding to entrust it to him after a few quick photos from his PC.
As for the information hidden by Ford, he wasn't in a hurry to photograph it.
Dipper was even still unconscious.
Thus, he left the forest with Beatrix on his shoulder, Dipper on his back, and journal number 3 in his possession.
...
Knock knock.
After a moment, a man in his fifties, maybe sixties, opened the door to Wirt.
"Damn! Dipper?"
At first, his gaze was stern and suspicious facing the presence of a stranger (Wirt) in front of his door.
He suspected the latter of being a traveling salesman — a thought that didn't go unnoticed by Wirt.
But this mistrust disappeared immediately, as soon as he spotted Dipper on his back.
The child's bruised cheek, marked by Wirt's punch, immediately caught the old man's attention.
"Uh... U-Uncle Stan?"
(Image)
Dipper began to observe around him after being placed on a couch by his current guardian.
He scratched his head while muttering about various aggressive animals, before casting a strange look at Wirt.
"W-who are you? One of Mabel's new boyfriends?"
Wirt sketched a smile at this remark.
This confirmed the success of his mental modification.
In Dipper's eyes, he had simply lived the summer as in the original Gravity Falls story.
Everything that was related to inventions, Peter, or Vegapunk had been deleted or sealed by Wirt when eliminating their residual influences.
"Haha, no. I'm Wirt, and I was just stuck in the forest for a few days, and..."
Wirt began to explain his situation without lying, but without mentioning his PC, nor Earth.
And, of course, without mentioning Peter, still partly present in Dipper's body.
'I had to send some mental suggestions, but it's fine.'
It wasn't total mental control.
He had simply implanted certain thoughts in Stan and Dipper's minds, while they were thinking about him.
They remained the sole final judges of their thoughts.
No direct domination.
"My poor boy... you must have suffered."
Stan Pines pretended to worry about "this homeless child", before suddenly proposing that he stay at the Mystery Shack for free, in exchange for a little work.
An idea that, of course, had been subtly implanted in his mind by Wirt.
The old crook accepted it immediately.
"So? You accept to stay or do I call the authorities?"
To Stan's question, Wirt's answer was obvious.
"I-I think I'll stay... but you're sure, about the laws regarding minors?"
At these words, the old crook started laughing for a good while.
"Haha, my boy... *wipes his tears of laughter* nothing's illegal if nobody knows about it."
Worrying words, but perfectly normal coming from Stan Pines.
A man wanted in several states, who had changed identities multiple times.
'I tend to forget that he already had Mabel and Dipper make counterfeit bills in one episode...'
A funny character, but morally questionable.
"It's all well and good that Wirt's staying, but... where's he gonna sleep?" asked Dipper, casting a worried glance toward the stairs.
Stan had a moment of doubt concerning his "own idea", but Wirt immediately sent another mental suggestion.
"Don't worry, Dipper. I can see that Wirt's resourceful, right?" he said, asking for confirmation from the main person concerned.
"Of course! Otherwise, how would I have held up in the wilderness for all this time?"