Carl revealed his hand, either because he was completely confident or because he felt he had no choice.
From Cynthia's observations, Carl was anything but foolish; he simply had a laid-back demeanor. While it was true that even her Pokémon and Sabrina's stood powerless against him, the question lingered—why risk exposing the Dragon's Pond if he wanted a peaceful life? Was he not afraid of the trouble it might bring?
It seemed Carl wasn't worried about greed from others, but there was clearly a reason he had to let them know. The key was the necessity of harnessing the power of Dragon-type Pokémon to activate the pond.
Given his abilities and resources, capturing a Dragon-type Pokémon was not difficult for Carl. Yet, his choice to involve Cynthia's Garchomp suggested he had higher standards—a powerful Dragon-type was essential for the process.
"Being too smart isn't always a good thing," Carl said with a chuckle. "Not that it's a secret—I just didn't expect you'd figure it out so quickly. After all, you're both a scholar and a champion."
"Did I guess right?" Cynthia asked with a confident smile. "Do you need me to find two more champion-level Dragon-type Pokémon to help? In a collaboration, it's only fair to ensure both parties benefit."
"No need for now," Carl declined politely. He didn't want more people to discover the Dragon's Pond, especially those with champion-level Dragon Pokémon, as they came with complicated backgrounds. Involving Cynthia more deeply would only make future requests harder to refuse.
He was focused on long-term growth. The World Tree was his foundation, and as long as he continued his efforts, reaching legendary status was just a matter of time.
Regarding the Dragon's Pond, Carl found that the conditions for maintaining its effects were more lenient than expected. After the initial activation, simply involving adequately skilled Dragon-type Pokémon within the next few months was enough to sustain its benefits. For instance, if champion-level Pokémon activated it in the first month, elite-level ones could maintain the same effect in the second.
March was a pivotal time, and a good start was crucial. What Carl needed wasn't a tag team of champion-level Dragon Pokémon, but rather a combination of elite and top-tier Pokémon.
This information gap worked to his advantage. In reality, his needs were much simpler than Cynthia had imagined.
"I'm just suggesting," Cynthia said, shifting the topic with a smile, "but if you're wondering where to find suitable Pokémon, aren't you the one who knows best?"
Carl hesitated. Since when did she have such confidence in him?
Seeing Cynthia's meaningful look, he suddenly understood. "Ah, you mean from the game."
Indeed, the game revealed Team Rocket's schemes, predicted future events, and even mentioned the existence of Mewtwo, making him seem all-knowing to others. Perhaps they even believed he had the ability to foresee the future.
In truth, he just knew the storyline.
Wait! Speaking of the storyline...
Carl's eyes lit up. He did know quite a few strong Dragon Pokémon friends.
Just then, Cynthia's holographic communicator on her wrist beeped.
"Top-level contact?" Seeing the call from Ethan Cross, Cynthia answered immediately. "Using Elite Four privileges to contact me, is something wrong in Kanto?"
Ethan's image appeared in the air, and they exchanged silent glances through the screen.
At that moment, Carl had an epiphany and, glancing at the image, remarked, "Hey, isn't that Dodo?"
Cynthia:
Everyone present:
Ethan: ?!
Professor Oak and others: "Cynthia, you're really good at promoting Ethan's nickname."
The call suddenly cut off, and Ethan's image vanished without a word spoken.
"Why did Ethan hang up?" Daniel Ward wondered aloud.
Ethan looked exasperatedly at the league president. "President, this isn't my fault. Cynthia's been spreading my nickname, anyone would be upset." The more he thought about it, the more he believed he should stand against Cynthia.
Daniel Ward and others exchanged bewildered looks; this time, Cynthia had clearly overstepped.
Back at the Dragon's Pond, the atmosphere was a bit tense. Carl tried to lighten the mood. "If the call ended that fast, it probably wasn't anything major, right?"
Cynthia sighed, rubbing her forehead. "It's hard to say with Ethan, but you've certainly given me a headache." Recalling Ethan's reaction to the nickname, she felt a pang of regret. Although it was her slip initially, Carl's comment had made it harder to explain.
Seeing Cynthia remain silent, Carl offered, "Want me to explain things for you?"
"Are you sure you can handle it?" Cynthia asked, somewhat skeptical.
Carl winked playfully. "Not sure?"
Cynthia chuckled and called Ethan again.
Meanwhile, in Kanto's Fuchsia City, just as Daniel Ward was about to make a call, Ethan's watch rang.
"It's Cynthia," said Lorelei, noticing the caller ID.
Ethan huffed, ready to hang up, but Professor Oak answered first.
In an instant, both sides' images were projected through the watches. Seeing the scene, Carl casually remarked, "Hey, Lorelei, you and Ethan… Oh, sorry, slip of the tongue."
Ethan's veins bulged in anger, his mouth twitching.
Lorelei adjusted her glasses, calmly assessing Carl, her tone steady. "The young man has quite the sense of humor."
Carl replied with a grin, "Still pales in comparison to Aunt Lorelei."
Seeing the two at odds, Cynthia quickly nudged Carl aside and addressed the holographic projection. "Lorelei, have you arrived in Fuchsia City?"
"Yes," Lorelei replied, tapping a few buttons on Ethan's wristwatch.
Several projections lit up in succession, showing Professor Oak and Daniel Ward among others.
Serena and Lillie gasped at the sight—these were prominent figures usually only seen on the news.
Carl, however, greeted them casually, "Hey, Professor Oak!"
The room fell silent.
Cynthia widened her eyes. "Did you just call Professor Oak…?"
It was known that Professor Oak was not only an academic giant but also a top trainer in his youth. Even Cynthia's grandfather spoke of him with admiration.
Even Caitlin and the others were stunned.
On the other end, Agatha chuckled. "How bold."
Professor Oak laughed heartily.
Carl scratched his head. "He told me to call him that." In truth, he held great respect for Professor Oak.
During their first call, Professor Oak had told Carl to call him "bro." Although he later changed his mind, Carl wasn't about to give up the opportunity. He imagined how amusing it would be to have Ash and Gary call him grandpa someday.
In their later conversations, Carl noticed Professor Oak often called him "brother." This made him wonder if the professor had a particular fondness for the term. But Carl didn't dwell on it, just chalking it up to the professor's personal quirk.
"Professor Oak insisted?" The others looked at him incredulously. Calling each other "bro" with someone so young seemed peculiar.
"I meant privately," Professor Oak explained helplessly. This admission confirmed Carl's words were true.
Everyone realized that Professor Oak had such an unusual preference.
"I'll keep that in mind," Carl said casually, clearly planning to continue using the nickname.
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