Unfortunately, in their frustration, Damaris and the others overlooked a small but crucial detail.
"But it's not like you have nothing to do," Carl suddenly spoke up.
"What do you mean?"
"You've been so focused on the battle between Giovanni and Mewtwo that you've missed something important," Carl said, adjusting his sitting posture with a casual demeanor. "From the looks of it, Giovanni only needs his high-tech gadgets and a few trusted aides to suppress Mewtwo."
"So, what are all those regular Team Rocket members doing gathered in Vermilion City?"
This comment snapped Damaris to attention.
Indeed, if Giovanni and a few core members can handle Mewtwo, why gather so many regular members?
If not for Team Rocket causing such a commotion, the League might not have even noticed anything unusual in Vermilion City.
Without interference from the League, wouldn't that make their actions much easier?
These regular members must have another purpose.
"What exactly are they planning?" Damaris couldn't help but ask.
Carl's lips twitched slightly. He didn't have all the answers.
This was just something he figured out by using his head. Surely, they couldn't expect him to know everything?
"Damaris, do you want me to handle all of Team Rocket's members for you?" Carl asked, half-jokingly.
"Can you really do that?" Damaris's eyes lit up.
"Hmm?"
"..."
Realizing Carl was teasing, Damaris laughed awkwardly and quickly turned to Ethan Cross. "Ethan, start tracking the movements of the regular Team Rocket members immediately!"
In fact, Ethan was already on it without needing an order.
"President, something's off!"
"What is it?"
"There's not a single Team Rocket member near New Island!"
"Same goes for Vermilion City!"
"So, where have all those Team Rocket members gone?"
They vanished right under the League's nose?
"Giovanni's distraction tactics are rather impressive," Carl mused, rubbing his chin. Team Rocket was definitely up to something big.
What could they be plotting?
"President, can we access satellite imagery?" Carl suddenly asked.
"Satellites?" Damaris was initially taken aback, then questioned, "Did you discover something?"
"Need to verify something," Carl replied succinctly.
Damaris quickly contacted the relevant department at headquarters. Soon, a 3D projection appeared before them.
"Scan from New Island towards Twin Islands."
The image shifted accordingly. When the scan reached the sea between the islands, Damaris suddenly called for a stop.
Lorelei exclaimed, "It's Articuno!"
Above the ocean, dark clouds gathered, lightning flashed, and a biting cold wind swirled. A legendary Pokémon, icy blue and crowned with an ice crystal crown, was gracefully soaring through the storm.
More alarming, dozens of submarines with the R insignia were surfacing, transforming into aircraft and releasing a network of electrified nets. These nets connected, forming a giant capture grid.
"They're trying to capture Articuno!" Damaris's face changed drastically as he grabbed the communicator and issued three urgent orders: "Issue a red alert, locate Articuno immediately, and mobilize reinforcements!"
Turning to the others, he continued, "Lorelei, Agatha, Blaine, you need to join Ethan and stop Team Rocket!"
Tasks were quickly assigned, with Bruno, Cynthia, and Professor Oak staying behind to handle any unexpected situations. Before leaving, the team promised to stay in touch.
Once the others departed, Damaris turned to Carl, his tone filled with gratitude and curiosity. "We owe you for this. But how did you figure out that Team Rocket's target was Articuno?"
The potential consequences still lingered in Damaris's mind. If Carl hadn't warned them, the League's hasty actions might have led to disaster. Worse, they might never have uncovered Team Rocket's plot against Articuno. If Team Rocket acquired such a powerful legendary Pokémon, the League's defeat would be almost certain.
Carl calmly explained, "Giovanni went to great lengths to divert your attention, so their plan must be significant. With Mewtwo on one side, there must be an equally important target on the other. The appearance of the Legendary Birds will inevitably alert Lugia, the guardian of the seas. The nearest bird would naturally be Articuno from Twin Islands."
Giovanni's plan was indeed clever. He created chaos in Vermilion City to draw the League's attention, hoping to capture Mewtwo and weaken the League's strength. Meanwhile, he used an attack on the Safari Zone as a decoy, with the real target being Articuno.
Even if they failed to capture Mewtwo, securing Articuno would provide a backup plan.
Unfortunately, with Mew's presence, Giovanni's Mewtwo plan was doomed. But the situation with Articuno was precarious unless Lugia intervened in time. Thankfully, the League received the information, all thanks to Carl.
"How did Team Rocket discover Articuno?" Damaris asked, furrowing his brow.
Carl cleared his throat awkwardly. Cynthia immediately caught on. "Is it because of you?"
"Sort of," Carl admitted. "They might have been trying to verify information from a game, and accidentally stumbled upon Articuno's location."
Damaris was still confused. "What are you talking about?"
Bruno explained, "President, they found clues through a Pokémon game on an XY console."
"So, the legendary locations marked in the game are real?" Damaris finally understood.
Damaris gasped in surprise. "If that's the case, then the abandoned power plant with Zapdos is real too?"
"It's real," Carl confirmed, "but the Zapdos in reality doesn't stay there permanently. It just occasionally visits to recharge."
"Even occasional visits are enough!" Damaris said excitedly. "This could be a rare chance to regularly encounter a legendary Pokémon. If we can establish a good rapport with Zapdos, it might help more people achieve something special."
A thought struck him. "Wait! If Zapdos and Articuno have fixed appearances, then what about Moltres..."
Damaris furrowed his brow, trying to recall Moltres's location from the game, but couldn't. While many had captured Zapdos and Articuno, Moltres remained elusive.
"Carl, isn't there a designated habitat for Moltres in the Kanto region in the game?" he asked urgently. For the Kanto League, Moltres was more significant than the other two legendary birds.
"Are you asking where Moltres frequently appears?"
"Exactly!"
"Of course, there is."
"Where?"
"Find it in the game yourself," Carl replied with a smile.
"Huh?" Damaris didn't quite follow.
"The current game map is incomplete," Carl explained. "After the next update, you'll be able to locate Moltres's habitat in the game."