Because he still wanted to meet Santa Claus at the mountain peak, Mike did not stop the Grinch from leaving.
He watched as the other party took big green steps and disappeared halfway up the mountain.
"What do we do now? Should we send these three little ones down the mountain? They look like they're freezing to death." Although Mayor Augustus's face was full of disdain, his heart was indeed not bad.
As he spoke, he took off the plush hat on his head and put it on Cindy, the little girl whose ears were red from the cold.
This brought a lovely smile to the little girl's face.
"Mr. Mayor, please be kind. We don't want to go home..." Then, the little girl Cindy said cutely, "I want to go to the mountain peak and invite that Mr. Grinch to come back with us for Christmas. I can tell he's very lonely."
Then, to make her point more convincing, the little girl secretly glared at her two older brothers, who were admiringly gathered around Mike.
Mike's previous act of using his ability to save people was noticed by these two little ones, so they unanimously believed that Mike was a magician who could use "magic."
At their age, when they were full of imagination, they actually contributed a lot of worship points to Mike in such a short time.
Seeing their sister's "pleading" eyes, the two little ones finally shifted their target.
"Mr. Mayor, you're the best! Please take us to the mountain peak..."
"Yes, take us with you. With a big brother who can use magic accompanying us, the Grinch won't be able to hurt us..."
...
When children aged five or six deliberately act cute, it can be quite impactful.
Augustus, who was "pestered" by the three cute little ones, was clearly softening.
"Augustus, just take them with us. Anyway, we always have to go to the mountain peak to deal with the Grinch's matter." Martha, whose heart was with the Grinch, also spoke up to persuade the Mayor at this time.
"Alright," Augustus finally softened, but before setting off, he did not forget to sternly instruct the three little ones: "It's fine if you want to come with us, but you must be obedient, and remember to hide behind us when you see the Grinch..."
"I knew Mr. Mayor was a good person!" x3
After getting permission to go along, the three little ones cheered, interrupting Augustus's nagging.
Then, everyone set off again, walking towards the snow-capped mountain peak.
Along the way, Mike, who was mistakenly thought to be a magician by the little ones, saw their little faces red from the cold and once again cast his "magic."
He used the Power Of Faith to dispel the cold from their bodies.
On the other side, the Grinch, who had returned to his cave on the mountain peak, was nervously pacing back and forth in the cave.
Having "done all sorts of bad things," he seemed very afraid of Martha seeing him in his current state.
His whole body covered in green fur, his ugly monster face...
It was clear that the Grinch, like Martha, had a strange affection for the girl deep down.
The more this was the case, the more he feared her seeing his "ugly" side.
"I got it!" The restless Grinch suddenly noticed the various gift boxes piled up like a small mountain in the cave and excitedly muttered to himself, "This is war, a war to protect the spoils..."
Yes, the Grinch's idea was to use the Christmas gifts as an excuse to scare Martha and her group away.
So when Mike and his group arrived at the top of the snowy mountain, they saw the Grinch blocking the entrance to the cave with what he thought was a very overbearing posture.
Behind him were gift boxes piled up like a small mountain, and beside him were his dog Max, who was pretending to be fierce but was actually adorable, and the chubby retired reindeer.
"Is this a performance of a holiday stage play?"
Looking at such a grand scene, the little girl Cindy couldn't help but ask curiously.
It could be seen that the Grinch's preparations did not scare anyone.
"No, this is war, a war to snatch Christmas presents. Are you scared now!!!" The Grinch maintained a fierce expression and even deliberately bared his teeth at the little girl Cindy, who was like a curious baby.
"Then how are you going to deal with us? Are you going to spank us?" Cindy, finding this very amusing, mischievously made a funny face back at the Grinch.
"I said this is war, I'm not joking with you!" Realizing that the terrifying atmosphere he had created had no effect, the Grinch suddenly grabbed several gift boxes and tore them into pieces.
The ribbons and Christmas bells from the gift boxes scattered all over the ground, combined with the Grinch's ferocious expression.
For a moment, it was indeed a bit scary.
Mayor Augustus, seeing this, quickly pulled the three children behind him.
"How about it, are you scared?! If you're scared, then hurry up and leave—" Seeing that his appearance had successfully scared the children, the Grinch seemed a bit "guilty," but still maintained a fierce expression and said, "With me here, you can forget about getting back the residents' Christmas presents."
However, from beginning to end, his gaze deliberately avoided Martha, not daring to look at the girl's expression.
This also made his actions seem very strange.
"How about this?" Just then, Mike stepped forward and gently waved his hand, collecting the gift boxes behind the Grinch into his personal space from a distance.
He had already determined that this Grinch character was not a bad person, at most just a bit eccentric.
Moreover, there was a faint magical fluctuation around him, which was probably why he had turned into the Grinch.
However, before figuring out the specific situation, Mike did not rashly help the other party remove the curse on him.
"How is this possible? Where did the things go?" From the Grinch's surprised look as the gift boxes beside him disappeared, it was clear that even though he had become a monster, he only possessed a stronger physique than ordinary people, but no special abilities.
"This is magic, Mr. Mike is a magician!" Seeing the monster "defeated," Cindy's two brothers excitedly jumped out.
"Magic? Like that guy who calls himself Santa Claus, possessing special abilities..." The Grinch looked at Mike in a daze, having roughly accepted his defeat.
"Grinch, come back. You're also a part of Who-ville, and you should live with everyone." Just then, Martha took the opportunity to walk towards the Grinch.
"Don't come over, no one will like me in this state. Everyone will just see me as a monster..." The Grinch retreated into the cave, as if he was very afraid of the girl approaching him.
"No, Grinch, you're wrong. At least I don't think you're a monster..." Martha said emotionally, "The Grinch I remember was a very kind and gentle person."
Are they starting to confess now?
Mike looked back at Mayor Augustus, whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
Everyone was clearly here to catch the Grinch, but it was the Mayor who ended up getting hurt.
What a melodramatic plot...
After confirming that the Grinch was not dangerous, Mike was not in the mood to stay and watch the "love triangle," so he walked towards another cave on the mountain peak.
This cave was not far from where the Grinch lived, and it was scattered with many festive items like ribbons and Christmas hats.
However, a thin layer of dust had already accumulated, indicating that Santa Claus had been out working and hadn't returned for a long time.
After exploring for a while with no success, Mike returned to the Grinch's side.
"The meaning of Christmas is to spend it with family. Even without gifts, everyone will be happy gathering together..."
When Mike arrived, he happened to hear the little girl Cindy making a bet with the Grinch.
The Grinch, accustomed to loneliness, stubbornly believed that people liked Christmas only because they could receive gifts on that day.
If there were no Christmas gifts, then there would be no Christmas.
"I agree to go down the mountain with you and see. If everyone can still be happy without Christmas gifts, then I'll admit I was wrong." The Grinch, with complex emotions, secretly glanced at Martha, whose face held an expression of hope.
For this girl who never gave up on him, he finally chose to try and re-integrate into Who-ville.
It must be said, love truly has magic.
A very hurt Augustus: ???
At the same time, the residents of Who-ville, without Christmas gifts, spontaneously began to decorate the town to welcome the upcoming festival.
Some brought colored paper and scissors from home, some brought pine trees from the forest, and some were distributing holiday cards they had made themselves.
With collective effort, even without exquisite gifts, the residents of Who-ville still filled the entire town with a festive atmosphere.
When Mike and the others came down the mountain, they saw such a lively scene.
"Was I really wrong? Why can everyone be so happy even without Christmas gifts...?" Being alone for too long made it difficult for the Grinch to adapt to the lively atmosphere before him.
"Cindy was right, gifts aren't important, being with 'family' is what makes you happy—" Looking at the Grinch's complex expression, Martha lovingly held his big hand.
"I understand." The Grinch, feeling strength from the girl, walked onto a high platform and loudly said to all the residents of Who-ville, "I am the Grinch, and I apologize for stealing everyone's Christmas presents. Here, I want to say to everyone: I'm sorry—"
Just as the Grinch sincerely apologized, a man about his age curiously approached.
"Hey, Grinch. I remember you, we were high school classmates. Why did you dress yourself up like this? It's so cool!!!"
"He can be our holiday mascot..."
...
Contrary to what the Grinch expected, people didn't seem to be afraid of his monster-like appearance.
Instead, because of his unique look, some put a Christmas hat on him, and some helped him wrap a ribbon garland around him, dressing him up as a Christmas mascot.
Martha, on the other side, also took this opportunity to give the Grinch a hug.
"Don't be sad, Mr. Mayor, Sister Martha abandoned you, but we're here with you..."
Cindy and the other two little ones seemed to realize that the Mayor was very sad at the moment, so they, with their precocious wisdom, offered comfort.
Augustus, who was only a little disappointed, immediately looked sorrowful when the three little ones mentioned it.
Finally, he "angrily" extended his demonic claws and messed up the three little ones' hair as punishment.
"Mr. Mayor, do I still need to arrest the Grinch and send him to prison now?" Mike asked at this opportune moment.
"Forget it." Augustus looked at the Grinch and Martha in the crowd, shook his head, and said, "I always knew that the Grinch wasn't a bad person. And Martha was never that happy when she was with me..."
Alright, it seemed the Mayor had found peace.
Therefore, he no longer had any intention of targeting the Grinch.
"You're a good person," Mike promptly gave him a good person card, then with a wave of his hand, he released everyone's stolen Christmas presents and continued to say to the Mayor, "Next, I'll trouble you to return these gifts to the residents."
Although Christmas could be celebrated without gifts, Christmas with gifts was clearly more complete.
After bidding farewell to the Mayor, Mike quietly walked over to Santa Claus, who was wearing a festive red outfit.
[Instant Movement (Trait)]... [Transformation Ability (Trait)]... [Materialization Ability (Trait)]...
[Power Of Faith * Energy + 600w]...
This old man, whose ability was no less than that of a Guardian Angel, was definitely Santa Claus himself.
"Merry Christmas! Young man, this is a gift for you..."
Santa Claus seemed unsurprised by Mike's arrival and cheerfully handed him a gift box.
"Very fresh apples, thank you for your gift." Mike took out a red apple from the gift box and took a bite; the taste was unexpectedly good.
It was indeed rare to be able to eat such delicious apples in the dead of winter.
"By the way, when are you going to lift the curse on the Grinch?" After finishing the apple, Mike casually asked on behalf of the Grinch.
"When he understands the meaning of the festival and finds his own happiness, the curse will naturally be lifted," Santa Claus replied cheerfully.
"Playing games." Mike shook his head, but feeling that Santa Claus had no ill intentions, he did not continue to press the matter.
And with the Grinch and Santa Claus confirmed to be no threat, Mike's Christmas mission was basically complete.
Just as he was about to leave and return to Genovia, Martha in the crowd kissed the Grinch.
In this sudden kiss, the wide-eyed Grinch gradually shed his monster features and transformed back into a handsome young man.
"Beauty and the Beast? The Frog Prince??"
Feeling Santa Claus's mischievousness, Mike shook his head with a smile again, then opened a spatial gate and walked in.
He decided that tonight, he could also have some special fun with Mia and the other girls.
After all, during a holiday, what you want is excitement.