After finishing breakfast, the trio quickly packed up, ready to continue their journey to the next city: Eterna City.
Ash, Dawn, and Brock faced Zoey to bid her farewell.
"Zoey, we have to head to Eterna City, so we have to part ways here!" Dawn said with a wave and a smile.
"I hope to see you again soon!" Zoey waved back. "I hope we can meet again at the next Contest!"
"We will! And I won't lose to you next time!"
Their eyes were sharp, both revealing an unyielding competitive spirit. The two girls were not only friends but also fierce rivals in Contests. After a brief farewell, Dawn continued the journey with Ash and Brock, leaving Zoey behind to catch Water-type Pokémon in the river.
"Say, what kind of Gym is the Eterna Gym? Will the Gym Leader be as strong as Mr. Roark?" Dawn asked, eager to open a new topic as they walked.
The strength of Roark, especially his powerful Tyranitar whose roar seemed to cover the whole city, had left a deep impression on Dawn.
Of course, Ash is the strongest! The thought made the girl bend slightly, her blue hair falling around her face, her light blue eyes fixed on the handsome boy.
"The Gym Leader... I'm not too sure," Ash said, recalling the Gym Leader's unique preference for Grass-type Pokémon—a masochist comparable to Jessie. That woman could somehow be immune to Grass-type physical and special attacks; even James was afraid of Cacnea's spikes, but she didn't fear them at all.
"It's a Grass-type Gym. And the Gym Leader has been in the position for some time, so she should be sufficiently powerful." Ash knew that the fact she was immune to Grass-type moves alone meant she was formidable. He'd even compared her to a "Super Ash" type of physique. That woman treated Cacnea's Pin Missile as a massage; the thought alone was unsettling.
"Oh!" Dawn's eyes lit up, sensing the Gym Leader's strength. "In that case, will you send out Pikachu and the others?"
"Probably not. I've been continuously training Grotle and Aipom, plus Staravia back at the lab. My plan is for them to make their official debut at the Eterna Gym Battle!" Ash gently explained his decision to the expectant girl.
The debut had been postponed once for unavoidable reasons, so he wouldn't disappoint the three Pokémon this time. Besides, thanks to battles, move training, and top-tier Pokéblock diets, all three were already quite strong. They had all reached the Elite level, with Grotle being close to Gym Leader level, which should be enough to force the opponent to use their full strength.
"Oh! That's a shame," Dawn said, sounding a little disappointed. She had been looking forward to seeing Pikachu and the others have an intense showdown with a powerful Gym Leader.
"Pika! (My powerful presence has attracted a fan!)" Pikachu whispered to Ash, scratching its head.
"Something like that," Ash replied. Dawn's reaction clearly showed her interest in high-intensity Pokémon battles. Stimulating, powerful battles were the mainstream of this world. While Contests were popular, Pokémon battling would always be the number one favorite, holding the highest status in the hearts of people in the Pokémon world.
"Alright, you two, hurry up and catch up! Eterna City is just ahead!"
Brock, diligently serving as the team's navigator, waved at them, pointing to the visible outline of the town and urging them to speed up.
"Coming!"
Dawn raised her hand in response, then energetically pulled Ash forward.
"Sigh, even now they have to rub it in my face," Brock sighed, then looked at the town ahead, preparing to enter the city and seek out the Nurse Joy he held dear. Hehehe! Thinking about this, an involuntary tear of excitement streamed from the corner of his mouth.
By the time the trio arrived at Eterna City, it was around noon. Their first stop was the Pokémon Center. After checking in, they headed straight to the Center's restaurant to grab lunch for themselves and their Pokémon.
"We now bring you the Elite Four Lucian versus the Challenger..."
As the trio focused on their food, the TV was playing a rerun of the previous year's Lily of the Valley Conference champion challenging the Sinnoh Elite Four's Psychic-type specialist, Lucian.
In the Pokémon world, the Elite Four and the Champion were the most revered positions. Every year, top trainers issued challenges, attempting to replace them. However, this was rarely an easy feat, even for the annual Conference champions.
In Ash's memory, the Elite Four positions were never easily replaced. The challenger being shown—the trainer with Scizor—had undoubtedly lost to Elite Four Lucian. The gap in strength was huge; Lucian had only needed to use one Girafarig to completely sweep the Conference champion in a 6-on-1, crushing display. Even the challenger's ace, Scizor, was one-shot by Girafarig's Psychic, teaching the trainer the difference between a Conference champion and an Elite Four member once again.
"The Elite Four are too strong! One Pokémon was able to completely defeat a champion's full team! That's amazing!" Dawn, seeing the Elite Four challenge for the first time, radiated excitement, her blue eyes sparkling.
"I remember this is Lucian, the Psychic-type Elite Four member of Sinnoh. His power is truly impressive!" Brock quickly flipped through his notes and confirmed Lucian's name.
"Yeah," Ash nodded in agreement.
A single Psychic attack that could one-shot the x2 resistant Scizor showed the immense gap between an Elite Four member and a Conference champion. However, Ash also mused that the result might be related to the quality of the Conference champion. Judging by the performance, that trainer's team was less formidable than even the team Paul would field in the future. If Paul had been the challenger, a 6-on-1 sweep would have been impossible; at the very least, Paul's brutal switching tactics would have forced Girafarig out. Whether Paul could have gone further was hard to guess.