"Grandpa! Grandpa! Ash has superpowers! He can just move his fingers and pull the Apricorns straight from the tree. He can even communicate with Pokemon that normally can't be spoken to. It's simply amazing!" Chihiro excitedly shared the marvel she just witnessed with her grandfather.
Mr. Kurt was taken aback upon hearing this but then patted Chihiro's little head with a smile and said, "Hehe, really? That must have been quite an eye-opener for our little Chihiro! You can leave the Apricorns here; you can pick them up tomorrow. Also, I'll have figured out the GS Ball research by then."
Ash nodded: "I understand, Mr. Kurt. We'll be waiting for your good news then."
In just one day, Mr. Kurt made twenty-eight Apricorn Balls and secretly included the GS Ball research, something only he could achieve.
Since there was nothing else for them to do, Ash and his friends bid farewell to Mr. Kurt and then found a place to make a video call to Professor Oak.
They mainly called Professor Oak to inform him that the GS Ball had been handed over and to discuss the next destination.
"... Hmm, the nearest city to Azalea Town would be Goldenrod City. Goldenrod is a major city in the western part of the Johto region; it's the largest city by scale and has the strongest economic and technological capabilities in Johto. Its status is comparable to Saffron City in the Kanto region."
Goldenrod City's name seems to have a resemblance to Saffron City.
It seems like the names of these high-end cities are all leaning towards gold. As this city is a strategic area like Saffron City is in the Kanto region, there should be a very powerful Gym Leader stationed here.
"The original Gym Leader of Goldenrod City is Whitney. She's a well-known Trainer in the Johto region, and her Miltank silently defeats challengers who come to try their luck." Professor Oak flipped through his manual, looking up information about Goldenrod City.
"Miltank, huh? It's a Pokemon I've never faced before. Is there any specific level for it?" Ash asked curiously.
"Its level is probably at Gym Peak, but according to some challengers, it's even more troublesome than Elite Level Pokemon. Furthermore, the battle difficulty at Goldenrod Gym is only Intermediate and Advanced; there's no Beginner level available for challenges. Which means the weakest Pokemon at Goldenrod Gym is Elite Level, and it requires at least a three-on-three match."
Upon hearing this, Ash showed a thoughtful expression.
The weakest are Elite Level, and it also requires three-on-three. This clearly isn't suitable for Serena to challenge.
It seems Serena's badge collection progress will have to be delayed.
"Besides the Goldenrod Gym itself, there's a very powerful external gym in Goldenrod City... though calling it an external gym might not be right; it should be called the Battle Pyramid in the Battle Frontier."
"Battle Frontier?" Ash asked with a puzzled look.
He had heard God knows how many times about facilities like Gyms, but it was the first time he had heard of facilities like the Battle Frontier and Battle Pyramid.
"You can think of it as a battle facility similar to Gyms, but it's not the same rule system as Gyms." Professor Oak explained earnestly: "The Battle Frontier exists in the Kanto region. Once you defeat the seven leaders of the Battle Frontier, you can dominate the Battle Frontier, and only by defeating the previous six battle facilities can you gain access to the location of the seventh battle facility, the Battle Pyramid."
"Strictly speaking, the Battle Pyramid is the strongest battle leader in the Battle Frontier, and its leader is known as Pharaoh Brandon, who owns Legendary Pokémon, with power comparable to a Champion Trainer."
After Professor Oak's explanation, Ash had a rough understanding of the Battle Frontier's basic framework, which could be just seen as another region, with the seven battle facilities akin to Gyms.
However, once you have proof from the seven Gyms, there isn't any subsequent tournament to participate in, but challengers will get the title of dominating the Battle Frontier, which is a symbol of strength and honor.
Countless people challenge the Battle Frontier for this title, but very few actually succeed.
The first six battle facilities are acceptable to deal with, but the final battle facility, the Battle Pyramid, not only is its location secretive, but its strength daunting.
Even obtaining the location of the Battle Pyramid requires quite some searching time because unlike other facilities, the Battle Pyramid is mobile!
Although beating the six battle facilities gives a locator for the Battle Pyramid, even following the locator, it requires an unknown amount of time to find it.
Once found, the opportunity to challenge is limited to a few times. After the Battle Pyramid flies away again, you'll need to challenge the six battle facilities anew to get its location again.
Unless you're able to find its next resting place after it flies away.
There is no particular order to the seven facilities in the Battle Frontier; aside from the universally recognized difficulty of locating the Battle Pyramid, you can choose which other six to start or finish with.
Even with the Battle Pyramid, if you can find it, even without any proof from the Battle Frontier, you can challenge it as your starting point in the Battle Frontier.
In the past, the Battle Pyramid was elusive, with its location unattainable without the locator given after defeating the six other facilities.
Currently, the Battle Pyramid is stationed in Goldenrod City and known to all.
Hence, the intensity of challengers is easily imaginable; the entrance of the Battle Pyramid is routinely packed. Some even start queuing the night before, yet might still not get a chance to challenge the next day, as some have queued for two or even three days!
After all, Pharaoh Brandon has made it known he will remain in Goldenrod City for a month. Since a week has already passed, challengers are scrambling to seize any available window to challenge.
What if someone wins? Then the remaining six facilities will be a piece of cake.
Ruling the Battle Frontier holds prestige comparable to an Elite!
Even though it lacks actual power, the reputation is undeniable, which can be converted into many things.
So, the already bustling Goldenrod City is now overwhelmed with even more people!
It's said that within just one week, its GDP matched its usual two-month growth, if not more.
After Professor Oak's thorough explanation, even Ash's mouth was wide open.
This Battle Pyramid is ridiculously exaggerated! Not being able to queue up even after three days—how crazy popular is this!
But then again, this trainer named Brandon has Champion Level skill and Legendary Pokémon, which understandably attracts many challengers.
Even if defeated by him in one move, it can serve as bragging rights—"I battled a Champion Trainer, I faced Legendary Pokémon!"
The ones truly aiming to defeat Brandon are few, most are motivated by the mentioned reasoning.
That's why the Battle Pyramid is so wildly popular.
"I want to challenge the Battle Pyramid too!" Ash decided promptly.
"I knew you'd say that. With your travel pace, you should be there in about two weeks. But be careful, Ash, as Brandon possesses the Three Divine Pillars. With your current skill level, it might still be quite challenging."
The Three Divine Pillars are Regice, Regirock, and Registeel.
They are equivalent to the Three Divine Birds and Three Holy Beasts, representing secondary Gods. Brandon could single-handedly capture the Three Divine Pillars, which indicates that his personal strength, even without the Legendary Pokémon, is quite formidable!
"I understand. So my next goal is set; the Gym Badge challenge will be at Goldenrod Gym, and training improvement will come from Mr. Brandon. Hopefully, I can have an exciting battle with Mr. Brandon!" Ash's voice was full of anticipation.