Everyone knew deep down that Carl's real weight in the situation far exceeded any machine or tool.
Damaris didn't hesitate and got straight to the point. "As a token of gratitude, we plan to give you a Pokémon egg with Elite-level potential, rivaling the best starters."
"This Gible egg shares the same parents as Cynthia's Garchomp, ensuring top-notch lineage. It's a favor her grandfather owed me from years back."
"I have no children and have dedicated my life to the League. I'm willing to give this egg to you, hoping you'll share insights on how the battle between Mewtwo and Team Rocket will unfold."
Carl's previous predictions had earned Damaris's trust. Even if uncertain, he wanted to fulfill his duty as the chairman.
For Damaris, keeping a pseudo-legendary Pokémon for himself was pointless compared to giving it to Carl as a gesture of sincerity and gratitude from the League.
"I'm touched by such generosity. It would be impolite to refuse." Carl placed the egg aside, then spoke earnestly. "I'll be blunt: it's best not to interfere with Team Rocket's attack on Mewtwo, or you'll just be throwing lives away."
"Lives away?" Damaris was taken aback by the severity.
"In the face of such divine power, even the strength of Champions is insignificant!" Carl declared firmly. "Even if you team up with Team Rocket, you won't stand a chance against Mewtwo!"
Everyone gasped in disbelief. Although they weren't sure how powerful a Level Three Legendary was, they knew their own limits. Hearing that even a combined effort would fail was hard to digest.
"Look over there." Carl pointed to a distant black storm over the sea. "That's created by Mewtwo's psychic power. You can confirm it with satellites."
"What?!" The crowd was utterly shocked.
They had assumed it was just a regular typhoon, but Carl revealed it was Mewtwo's doing. More astonishingly, it wasn't through the move Rain Dance but sheer psychic manipulation of the weather.
Ethan Cross suddenly realized something, his expression turning serious. "You mentioned Giovanni knows Mewtwo's power, yet he still chooses to capture it. Could it be... he really has a way to counter Mewtwo?"
Carl scratched his head awkwardly. "Well... if I had to guess, it's about fifty-fifty."
The answer left everyone gasping once again. Carl had said Mewtwo could easily defeat them all, yet Giovanni could hold his own. More terrifying was that Team Rocket in Kanto wasn't even as strong as its Johto branch.
"Don't misunderstand," Carl quickly clarified. "I'm not talking about direct combat power. You all understand type advantages, right?" He paused. "Team Rocket extracted genes from a Mew fossil to create Mewtwo. It's only logical they'd prepare countermeasures."
This revelation made everyone see the light. Team Rocket wasn't relying on brute force but had a specialized method to counter Mewtwo.
It's evident Team Rocket isn't a match for Mewtwo—its power completely overwhelms them. But Giovanni's bold enough to confront Mewtwo, suggesting they must have a special method for dealing with it.
Carl analyzed, "Even so, their success rate is only fifty percent. It's not overestimating Team Rocket; it's that Mewtwo might be even stronger than we imagine."
Team Rocket having a method to counter Mewtwo is a fact. Otherwise, Giovanni wouldn't be searching the world for it, knowing its power. The fact that Mewtwo could later face off against Kyurem yet never retaliated against Team Rocket suggests some caution toward them.
Still, Carl had more faith in Mewtwo. "It's a miracle."
Ethan Cross suddenly asked, "Should we stop Team Rocket, then?"
"What do you mean?" Carl countered.
"To lower Team Rocket's success rate." Ethan Cross said firmly, "If Mewtwo is so strong that even combined forces can't defeat it, but Team Rocket has a way, then we should hinder them."
Damaris agreed with this sentiment.
Carl sighed. "Are you smart or foolish? Mewtwo now despises all humans. Interfering won't win its favor; it'll only fuel its hatred. Giovanni's no fool; he might use you to weaken Mewtwo."
"So we just watch?" Ethan Cross asked, unwilling to accept it.
"Why not enjoy a breeze, have a late-night snack, and let Team Rocket do the work?" Carl replied casually.
"I'm worried Mewtwo might lose," Ethan Cross frowned.
"And if it does?" Carl took a bite of his skewer, speaking slowly, "Even if Mewtwo is defeated, it doesn't mean it'll be captured. Giovanni might win, but he might not claim it."
He brightened up, "This skewer is quite good."
"Want to try?" He offered one to Caitlin.
"This cheap food doesn't interest me," Caitlin replied with a slight haughty tilt of her chin.
But when she saw Sabrina enjoying her skewer, Caitlin's brow furrowed slightly.
Seeing Cynthia's untouched skewers, she relaxed.
"Sabrina's just being polite to Carl. Cynthia, on the other hand..."
The next moment, she almost jumped.
"Strange, don't you only have trouble choosing ice cream flavors?" Carl muttered, picking up the beef skewer in front of Cynthia. "Only lamb skewers are left, no more dilemmas."
Cynthia stared at him expressionlessly.
She had decided to start with the beef skewer!
No, lamb has a strong taste; I should eat it first, then cover it with beef...
No, wait, lamb first affects the beef's taste. Better start with beef...
Forget it, the choice has been made for me.
She slowly took a bite of lamb and showed a satisfied expression. "Kanto's lamb skewers are indeed delicious."
"Indeed," Carl nodded in agreement.
Caitlin:
I really want to eat; what do I do?
Suddenly, a piece of beef was pushed into her mouth.
"Eat it," Carl withdrew his hand. "The beef skewers taste better than lamb. I used scissors, didn't touch it."
Caitlin chewed instinctively, finding it more delicious with each bite.
After a while, she elegantly wiped her mouth. "Order, give me a hundred of each skewer, and make them look nice."
"You think you can eat that much?" Carl raised an eyebrow.
Caitlin generously proposed, "I'll cover this meal."
Carl chuckled, "You do live up to the 'wealthy' title."
He's never one to turn down a free meal.
Ethan Cross suddenly interjected, "Now's not the time to discuss barbecue, is it?"
"Quite the opposite." Carl leisurely replied, "Watching the showdown between Mewtwo and Team Rocket, how can we not have snacks?"
"You think we won't intervene?" Ethan Cross raised his cloak. "Even with a sliver of hope, I want to stop Team Rocket."
Carl applauded, "Even if Mew might intervene?"
"Of course... wait, what?" Ethan Cross's eyes widened.