Carl chuckled to himself, thinking, "I never planned on sharing my research results. Even if I wanted to collaborate, there are plenty of talented people in Westvale. Why involve outsiders?"
He casually shifted the topic, mentioning he had a few questions for Dr. Foster. Professor Oak quickly found the number. "Got it, how about I dial it for you?" Without waiting for Carl's response, he took the liberty of pressing the call button.
Carl looked at the others helplessly. "Weren't you looking for Cynthia?"
In unison, they replied, "We're not in a hurry."
"I'm not in a hurry either," Cynthia chimed in from the side. She was more interested in hearing Carl's secrets than anything else.
"Suit yourselves," Carl shrugged, realizing he wasn't planning to hide anything that wasn't important.
With a sly smile, Professor Oak tapped the screen of his phone. Carl was caught off guard, suddenly realizing he'd been set up.
"Well done!" The others shot approving glances at Professor Oak.
"Hello, Professor Oak?" A young man's voice came through the phone, sounding tired.
Hearing this voice, Carl felt a vague sense of unease.
"Ethan, are you experiencing life as a Pokémon again?" Professor Oak asked warmly, not directly stating his purpose.
"Not today. It's a coincidence you called; I was planning to contact you. Professor, that gigantic Pokémon I mentioned before appeared again today."
Carl's eyes narrowed.
"What?!" Professor Oak's smile vanished as he urgently asked, "Is it an ancient Pokémon or a mutant? Or does it have something to do with Dynamaxing?"
"Unfortunately, I'm not sure," Ethan replied regretfully. "It was only around for a short time. After finding me at the lighthouse, it left. We can rule out Dynamaxing because the monitoring equipment didn't react."
"I personally think it's an ancient Pokémon, as I sensed loneliness in its voice and disappointment when it saw me. It seems to be looking for something..."
"A companion," Carl interjected suddenly.
"Exactly!" Ethan's voice came through with a slap, as if hitting his thigh. "It was drawn to my recordings, seeking companionship."
"Given its size and its search for a companion, it's likely an ancient Pokémon that's survived to this day."
"Brilliant analysis," Carl clapped, "No wonder you're Dr. Ethan."
"Thanks for the reminder... wait," Ethan suddenly realized, "Who are you?"
"Dr. Ethan, it's Carl."
"Carl? My father mentioned you, something about being the developer of the XY games?" Ethan's tone was probing.
Carl paused briefly. These so-called social elites never knew when to keep their mouths shut.
"Yes, that's me," he replied calmly. "Actually, Professor Oak contacted you at my request."
"Mr. Carl, is there something you need from me?"
"Just call me Carl. I wanted to ask about that giant Pokémon."
"Then call me Ethan," Ethan said, perking up. "But I rarely mention this to anyone, because no one believes me."
"Unfortunately, I was late," Carl sighed. "I had planned on capturing it."
Cynthia's reminder had brought the ancient Dragonite back to his mind. With his skills, he could handle even the strongest Pokémon. He hadn't expected it to have already appeared.
According to the original trajectory, Ash should be catching Pidgeotto in Viridian Forest, then challenging Pewter Gym, catching the starter Pokémon, and finally encountering the Dragonite at Ethan's lighthouse.
But the real world and animation were different; Pokémon were stronger, and variables were more numerous.
"Wait, you speak as if you knew it would come?" Ethan was confused.
"Is that so strange?" Carl countered.
Ethan was momentarily at a loss. Predicting the future wasn't surprising? But considering it was Carl, it seemed plausible.
Thinking of his father's speculations about Carl, Ethan quickly believed it and eagerly asked, "Do you know what this ancient Pokémon is?"
Carl shrugged. Since he couldn't capture it, he might as well be honest. "It's just a Dragonite, but it's particularly large, probably around 800 feet tall."
Lance was stunned.
"Wow, you said you didn't know about pseudo-legendary Pokémon, and now you're dropping bombshells like that!"
"A Dragonite over a hundred feet tall? How strong would that be?"
"Carl, is there really such a large Dragonite?" Lance asked eagerly, his face full of anticipation.
As a Dragonite expert, he knew ordinary Dragonites averaged only about 7 feet tall. His carefully bred one was considered tall, but it was only 8 feet.
Comparing 8 feet to 300 feet was like a child standing in front of a giant, unable to even reach its knee if they jumped.
"Don't talk about Dynamaxing."
Dynamaxing was essentially a Pokémon releasing energy to distort space, creating the illusion of growing larger without actually changing size. Though in Dynamax form, physical contact was possible, like Corviknight being used as a transport tool.
"It's a bit like the legendary transformation, where the body doesn't change, but it can gather a massive energy form?"
"Even if Dynamaxing could truly enlarge, it would only multiply a few times. A Dynamaxed Dragonite would be at most over 65 feet."
"65 feet compared to 300 feet is like a child standing in front of a giant, not even reaching the knee when jumping."
"With a Dragonite of that size, even a casual Hyper Beam could wipe out a swath, right?"
"If our family could obtain this ancient Dragonite..." Lance's mind raced with excitement.
Carl glanced at him, teasing, "Ethan has seen it firsthand, why not ask him for details?"
Considering the timeline might have already changed, he thought it best not to speak too definitively.
"Wait, let me calculate!"
Before Lance could speak, Ethan's voice came through the communicator: "I built a lighthouse on the white cape, 360 feet tall. The lighthouse is 558 feet from the sea, totaling 918 feet."
"At that time, the ancient Dragonite stood in the sea, yet it was able to look down on me standing atop the tower. Calculating this, its height is at least 984 feet!"
Hearing this number, everyone was stunned.
Even Carl was surprised. He knew the ancient Dragonite was massive, but he hadn't expected it to be so exaggerated.
"That's just absurd!"
Imagining this behemoth using Hyper Beam, Carl couldn't help but shiver. With its size, even if its strength was average, its destructive power would still be astonishing.
Luckily, he hadn't rashly tried to capture it, or he might have been soundly defeated, even without a battle.
"Lance, are you planning to capture this ancient Dragonite?" Carl noticed Lance's stunned expression and deliberately asked.
The question clearly hit a sore spot.
"You've got to be kidding!" Lance immediately denied, "Its strength is definitely on par with legendary Pokémon, maybe even able to rival minor legendary beasts. How could I have such an idea?"