"I get it, but I just feel like I'm right!" Lusamife said, playfully pouting at her sister. She was convinced her speculation was spot on.
"Sis, you've never even experienced it, so how can you be so sure?"
"Just because I haven't eaten pork doesn't mean I haven't seen a pig run! I've watched those movies, okay!"
Lusamine's eyes widened in shock. "What?"
Since when had her sister been watching those, and why hadn't she been included?
Serena and Lillie exchanged looks of disbelief.
Was this really appropriate for them to hear?
Nanami, on the other hand, lamented that while she had her own collection of such resources, she wasn't quite close enough to these sisters to share them, much to her regret.
Meanwhile, Carl suddenly appeared in the second-floor office of a seaside building. This structure, closest to the beach, had become the frontline command post against the invading Tentacruel army. From the second-floor window, one could clearly see trainers directing their Pokémon in battle against the Tentacruel and their lesser counterparts.
Ash and his friends, along with the disguised Team Rocket, May, Touko, and even N, were all fighting in this area.
Thanks to Carl's timely warning, the League had already deployed an elite squad of trainers in the city. The local officials coordinated efficiently, preventing the city from descending into chaos during the Tentacruel attack. Without his alert, half the city might have been overrun, and ordinary trainers wouldn't have been able to mount an effective defense.
However, Carl had not disclosed the appearance of a giant Tentacruel; otherwise, the League would have sent in the military, turning the situation into an all-out war, which Carl wanted to avoid.
"The whole coastline, and they all gathered here. How convenient," Carl murmured to himself, gazing out.
He spotted familiar faces: Ash with his zigzag cheek marks, Misty with her signature ponytail, Brock with his ever-squinting eyes, and the talking Meowth, along with Jessie and James in their disguises. Seeing these characters in person gave Carl a strange sense of nostalgia.
Unlike characters like Cynthia and Serena, these figures held his earliest childhood memories, important companions throughout his life. Carl's attention was completely drawn to Pikachu. This little creature contained a fragment of Arceus's electric-type plate, giving it unusual power.
Pikachu's data panel displayed:
Species: Pikachu
Type: Electric
Ability: Static
Strength: Elite level
Special Ability: Can absorb unlimited electricity and use the plate fragment to unleash powerful attacks
"I see!" Carl realized, "The electric-type plate fragment is the source of Pikachu's special abilities."
Arceus, as the creator deity, wielded unfathomable power. Even a sliver of its power could suppress the mightiest legendary Pokémon. For instance, the Chalice of Punishment, with just water, fire, and ground powers granted by Arceus, could seal Hoopa, who could summon multiple legendary Pokémon.
The elemental plates, as Arceus's accompanying artifacts, held power second only to the creator itself. Now, a fragment of the electric-type plate had somehow shattered, merging with this Pikachu, giving it potential beyond ordinary Pokémon. The discovery both shocked and excited Carl.
This Pikachu seemed to have gained a weakened version of an artifact fragment, explaining its resilience to electric attacks and its ability to defeat thousands of Spearow in an instant.
Even Zekrom's electric shock only temporarily short-circuited it, highlighting its uniqueness.
Remarkably, many legendary Pokémon allowed Pikachu to ride them, without feeling offended, and would sometimes even be reprimanded by it.
If Pikachu could fully control this power, it would undoubtedly earn the title of the legendary 'Pika-God'.
"It's like a novel's protagonist getting a divine fragment ahead of time. Pikachu is truly the chosen one, isn't it?"
"In the world of Pokémon, Ash is just a side character, while Pikachu is the real star," Carl mused privately, though he had no intention of capturing Pikachu.
Once his World Tree fully matured, it would naturally generate power comparable to a complete electric-type plate, so a mere fragment held no allure for him.
However, making friends wasn't out of the question.
"Grandma Agatha is really taking her time, isn't she?" Carl remarked, turning his gaze to the Rocket trio battling the Tentacruel.
It had been half a month since he provided Jessie's information to Grandma Agatha, yet this worthy successor was still wandering outside?
He sent Grandma Agatha a message to inquire.
After all, Jessie was to be the future wife of Professor Oak!
Surprisingly, Grandma Agatha responded instantly: "Still under evaluation. She's already part of our team."
Carl immediately understood the situation.
Considering the Kanto and Johto Leagues, where many high-ranking officials had ties to Team Rocket, it was almost as if those regions were run by the organization.
President Damalanth had been keen on reforming, leading to two vacancies in Johto's Elite Four. Kanto maintained its ranks, but shadows lingered.
In such a sensitive period, for Agatha, a Kanto Elite Four member, to take a current Team Rocket member as her apprentice, the president would likely be furious.
If not for Carl's suggestion, it would have been outright rejected.
"It seems they're assessing her character and values..."
Carl felt reassured about the Rocket trio. Honestly, they had saved the world several times. Though they joined a villainous organization by chance, their true nature wasn't bad. Grandma Agatha should be able to address it satisfactorily.
Thinking of this, Carl remembered a few particularly special legendary Pokémon. Jessie's Wobbuffet was a reflection machine, capable of bouncing back even legendary attacks. And the Alolan Bewear, formidable enough to take on Ultra Beasts.
"I should ask Hoopa to take me there someday," Carl thought, before his attention was drawn back to the unfolding battle.
A massive tsunami was approaching, over a thousand meters wide and hundreds of meters high, threatening to engulf several buildings. In a critical moment, Cynthia and Lorelei acted, with twelve champion-level Pokémon showcasing their powers. Some froze the water with ice beams, others evaporated it with flames, and some used psychic abilities to reverse the flow.
With champions leading the way, other trainers quickly joined in. Dewgong's ice beams, Charizard's flames, Emboar's fire pillars, and Serperior's solar beams, even Pikachu unleashed Thunderbolt. Some moves seemed a bit off, but with everyone's combined effort, the crisis was averted.
In the animated world, such a scene would require the intervention of legendary Pokémon. But the rules of this merged world allowed ordinary Pokémon to perform miracles. Elite-level Pokémon could alter village environments, Elite Four level could influence towns, and champion-level were akin to strategic weapons. Like Cynthia's Garchomp, capable of sweeping tank battalions with a single Draco Meteor.