"Isn't this what you taught me?" Lillie put on an innocent expression.
"Once in a while won't hurt," Serena said, her eyes drifting.
Lillie chuckled, "Sister's self-control isn't strong enough, huh?" Watching Serena's embarrassed reaction was just too amusing.
Carl saw this and couldn't help but chime in, "There's really nothing wrong with having a midnight snack." He knew Serena was only concerned about it because of him.
"Are you saying Serena is wrong?" Lillie teased.
"Technically, yes, but that's for ordinary people." Carl finished his last sip of soup, "I won't gain weight no matter when I eat."
Sabrina and Caitlin exchanged glances, recalling his mention of some unique training method.
"That's impossible!" Lillie declared, "I know some people don't gain weight easily, but that's just because of a good metabolism when they're young. What you're saying is just not possible."
"Not possible?" Carl raised an eyebrow, "You really think so?"
"That's not scientific!"
Carl almost burst out laughing. Talking about science in a world with Pokémon? The Pokémon themselves are the least scientific things around!
Seeing Carl's expression, Serena gave Lillie a sympathetic look. This girl was taking things too seriously.
"Not scientific?" Carl glanced at Sabrina and Caitlin. The two immediately understood, remembering their past experiences of being overstuffed with desserts and wanting to learn his training method.
Sabrina spoke first, "Lillie, do you know what we've been through?"
"What?"
"Watch this." She fiddled with the communicator on her wrist.
A virtual screen flickered on, showing everyone being playfully tricked by Mew, frantically eating desserts. Caitlin and Carl paused, simultaneously looking at Sabrina.
Who would bother recording such scenes? This was practically a collection of everyone's embarrassing moments. With footage of big names like Lance, Lorelei, and Professor Oak caught in awkward moments, posting this online would definitely stir up a storm.
This girl has a dark side, Carl thought to himself.
Caitlin's eyes lit up. Though sneaky, the thought of it was quite entertaining.
"Look! The Kanto Elite Four, President Damalan, and Professor Oak are all here!" Lillie excitedly pointed at the screen.
Serena leaned in, "What a scene!"
The footage was filled with rarely seen big names, but soon their focus shifted to everyone's eating habits.
"Why are they competing to eat desserts?"
"Professor Oak paused to take a break, only to suddenly stuff his mouth again."
"Cynthia looks a bit anxious."
"So many desserts, it's like a dessert eating contest."
"So envious!"
Lillie and Serena were completely off-track, more interested in the desserts. Especially Serena, a sweet tooth herself, couldn't take her eyes off the screen.
The video showcased a variety of desserts, from design to flavor, each more tempting than the last, with packaging showing logos from different shops. Such a feast was truly enticing.
"Really want it, so envious," Serena openly expressed her desire.
Sabrina and Caitlin exchanged a meaningful glance.
"What's going on?" Serena felt a bit uneasy under their gaze.
Lillie suddenly noticed something odd and whispered, "Serena, don't you think Cynthia and the others are eating too much? Even Caitlin, who's always so elegant, has a swollen belly and she's still going."
Caitlin: ?
"Sabrina," Caitlin stared intently at her.
Aside from Sabrina herself, everyone was caught on camera.
"So embarrassing!"
"Have Rotom delete your part later," Sabrina said without turning back.
What else could Caitlin say? She could only accept this compromise.
"Definitely too much!" With Lillie's reminder, Serena realized the issue too.
Even as a sweets lover, she couldn't possibly eat that much. Yet everyone in the footage seemed unable to stop, including the usually graceful Caitlin, the serious Damalan, the stern Lance, the dignified Agatha, the strong Bruno, and the knowledgeable Lorelei.
What on earth was going on?
"These desserts weren't eaten willingly," Caitlin quickly explained, "Mew forced us to keep eating, which is why it looks so ungraceful."
She had to clarify this to prove she wasn't lacking self-control.
But Lillie and Serena's attention had completely shifted.
"Forced by Mew?"
"Caitlin, you encountered the legendary Mew?" Lillie asked, full of curiosity.
Serena looked at Sabrina expectantly.
Caitlin was at a loss for words, mainly because she had been forced.
Sabrina calmly said, "We met Mew, and Carl made her mad, which is why all this happened."
"Carl upset Mew?" Serena and Lillie were completely off track.
They felt like they missed a lot of exciting moments.
"Not really upset, I just said a few truths that Mew happened to overhear," Carl said, appearing particularly confident in the World Tree's domain, casually recounting what happened in Viridian.
Lillie and Serena listened, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
Daring to say Mew has a bad temper right to her face? That was just too bold.
"So Carl, you ate a lot even before Caitlin started on the desserts?" Lillie finally got to the point.
"That's right," Carl answered calmly, "I ate more than any of them. While Mew forced them to eat, I was still eating, and faster than them."
The two girls nodded, they did see that in the footage.
But it was still unbelievable.
"But Caitlin and the others were full to bursting, yet you didn't show any change at all," Lillie said, puzzled.
"Seems strange, doesn't it?" Carl smiled, voicing her thoughts.
Lillie blushed but still asked seriously, "There must be some special reason, right?"
"Correct!" Carl nodded, "Besides psychic abilities, I also have aura powers."
"Aura growth requires both physical and mental enhancement."
"I can convert the food I eat into energy to strengthen my body."
He wasn't lying; he could indeed do that. Though eating too many sweets did get tiring, so he transported them away.
He looked at Lillie with a smile, his eyes seemingly saying, "Little girl, forget about science, this is 'magic'."
"Such an incredible ability?" Serena said enviously, "I wish I had that ability too."
More amazing than never gaining weight, was being able to eat as much as you want without gaining weight!
Caitlin frowned, "Aura isn't something everyone can master. This special ability is a stepping stone to becoming a Champion, and ordinary people can't learn it." She paused, "I've never heard of anyone with aura powers being able to eat anything without gaining weight."
Her implication was clear, Carl's ability was indeed rare.
"Now do you believe I'm not boasting?" Carl smiled at Lillie, "Some things are just that magical."
------------------------
Patreon Advance Chapters: p@treon .com / kirekky