On the other side of the screen, a trio of misfits paused for a moment before bursting into excitement. "The boss wants us to catch a Pikachu!" one of them exclaimed. "He must really trust us, meow~," another chimed in. They were determined to succeed this time, each of them chuckling victoriously at the thought of it.
Meanwhile, Giovanni was fuming, slamming his desk with frustration. "What a joke! I have more Pokémon than I can count, and they think they can placate me with a run-of-the-mill electric rodent?" He pointed angrily at the screen displaying data on Mewtwo. "How can any Pikachu compare to Mewtwo?" he roared.
Nearby, Caitlin and others watching Giovanni's reaction were utterly incredulous. Carl, however, appeared thoughtful. "It's possible it could," he mused, thinking of the legendary Pikachu.
"Pikachu?" Cynthia's voice came from behind, catching Carl by surprise. Ever since witnessing Mewtwo, she had been intrigued by this enigmatic man. "Are you talking about the Pikachu they just mentioned?" she asked with curiosity.
Carl chuckled inwardly, surprised that Cynthia had overheard his offhand comment. Living carefree as he did now, he had no qualms about admitting it. "Yes, that's the Pikachu."
"Why call it the Pikachu of legends?" Cynthia teased. Carl smiled slightly, "In a way, yes. That Pikachu certainly deserves the title."
The title wasn't given lightly. This Pikachu had a history of taking on legendary creatures, even besting the mighty Ho-oh at times. Carl recalled an instance when Ho-oh had kindly bestowed a feather to Ash as a guide, only for Pikachu to later unleash a Thunderbolt at it on Azure Mountain. Ironically, Ash had only survived thanks to Ho-oh's intervention.
Carl couldn't help but ponder the look on Cynthia's face if she heard about Pikachu being able to ride on Arceus's clone. Unfortunately, Cynthia had lowered her head, hiding her expression.
"Simply put," Carl shrugged, "that Pikachu will be able to defeat Steven's MEGA Metagross in about seven or eight years."
Cynthia and Caitlin's faces were painted with disbelief.
"Are you mad?" Caitlin jumped up. "That's Steven! The heir of the richest family in Hoenn, who started training a shiny Metagross at the age of six and maintains his champion status even while digging for stones all day!"
She began counting on her fingers, "Pikachu can't even beat Raichu, let alone a pseudo-legendary. And Steven's Metagross? It's said to be the most promising to break into the master level!"
Caitlin thought Carl was speaking nonsense. To train a common electric mouse like Pikachu to elite level was lucky enough; defeating a pseudo-legendary MEGA Metagross was unthinkable.
MEGA-evolved pseudo-legendary Pokémon were extraordinarily powerful. Steven's shiny Metagross, especially in its MEGA form, was almost touching the divine threshold, renowned as one of the strongest forces at the time.
Yet Carl confidently claimed that a new trainer's Pikachu would one day directly defeat this Metagross. Such a statement seemed too outrageous, even for fiction.
"You think I'm joking?" Carl raised an eyebrow slightly.
"I'd be crazy to believe you," Caitlin retorted bluntly.
Carl couldn't help but laugh. He knew that since being transported to Kanto by Cosmog, Caitlin had regained control over her psychic powers, which explained her newfound confidence. She was like a child with a new toy gun.
But he wasn't about to back down.
"How about a bet?"
"What kind of bet?"
"Since you're so certain, let's bet on whether a Pikachu can defeat Steven's Metagross within the next ten years," Carl proposed, deliberately extending the timeframe as a precaution. After all, in this merged world, Ash's protagonist halo might not be as reliable.
Besides, even if such a Pikachu didn't exist, he could always train one himself. The bet didn't specify it had to be a wild Pikachu.
"Deal!" Caitlin agreed without hesitation. Carl cheerfully pulled out paper and pen to jot down the agreement. Cynthia and the others watched, bewildered by how things had escalated to this.
"Are you really going to do this?" Cynthia asked once they had signed the agreement. She shared Caitlin's skepticism but knew Carl was shrewd and well-informed.
"Just wait and see," Carl replied with a particularly pleased smile, offering little explanation. He flicked the agreement in his hand, feeling delighted with Caitlin's unconditional compliance. It was a good day for him.
Watching the two of them—one brimming with pride, the other full of excitement—Cynthia sighed, feeling helpless. These two were natural rivals. She had a hunch Caitlin might end up on the losing side, but she couldn't dissuade her. The more she tried, the more determined Caitlin would become.
It was best to get Caitlin away from Carl, who was too dangerous to linger around. Cynthia thought, "I wonder if this is the Kanto region. It's the perfect excuse to leave."
She glanced again at the three little creatures by Carl's side. Could any Pokémon transport so many people thousands of miles in an instant? If so, it must be a legendary. But these balloon-like creatures as legendary Pokémon? Cynthia found the thought amusing. If she couldn't even discern the power of beginner-level Pokémon, there was no point in her being a champion.
Could it have been Mewtwo who just left? Why would Mewtwo do that? To capture Giovanni? Why choose them? The more Cynthia pondered, the more confused she became.
"He found us!" Serena suddenly exclaimed. Everyone immediately turned to the Rotom Pokédex screen, where Giovanni was seen staring directly at the camera.
"Someone managed to get here," Giovanni muttered to himself. "Is it a coincidence, or was it sent by the League?"
Watching the drone hovering in the air, Giovanni's exterior remained calm, but inside, he was seething with rage. The League President's relentless pressure and internal betrayals had steadily eroded his influence in Kanto.
What infuriated him even more was Mewtwo's sudden rebellion, wiping out years of meticulous effort. First, the idiotic ramblings from the trio, and now even his most secretive base had been breached. Recent events had been nothing short of disastrous.
"Both Damalanchi and Lance will pay today," Giovanni vowed coldly, summoning his Pokémon as if preparing for a showdown. Garchomp, Flygon, and Beedrill emerged in quick succession. Though not Flying-types, they all possessed flight capabilities, swiftly closing in on Carl and the others under Giovanni's command.
"He's coming straight for us!" Lillie shouted in panic.
Serena, sharp-eyed, noticed the problem. "How did he lock onto us so quickly?"
"Because he's the King of the Ground," Carl explained solemnly. "As far as I know, Giovanni possesses at least two special abilities: Viridian Force and ground-type related powers. We're in a forest, standing on the ground, completely exposed to his senses."
Facing a top-tier adversary like Giovanni, apprehension was only natural.
"Carl, what do we do now?" Serena asked, her worry evident. Just the title of Team Rocket's leader was enough to convey Giovanni's formidable strength.
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