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Champion-level Gym Leaders are virtually impossible to find. Neither Giovanni nor Raihan are ordinary Gym Champions.
Giovanni chose to become a watchdog of the Viridian Gym because he needed a public position to cover his identity as the leader of Team Rocket.
Raihan, on the other hand, did so because the Galar region doesn't have the Elite Four. In the Galar region, besides Champion Leon, the highest position is that of a Gym Leader.
Therefore, the strength of Gym Leaders in the Galar region varies greatly. Strong ones include Champion-level powerhouses like Raihan, and Elite Four-level trainers like Marnie and Bea.
Weaker ones range from Elite to Professional, with some mid-tier Gym Leaders.
In terms of Gym Leader strength, the Galar region is undoubtedly number one. After all, they don't have the Elite Four; trainers who could become Elite Four members can only remain Gym Leaders.
To climb the ranks, one must defeat the Galar region's Champion, Leon.
In conclusion, while it might sound strange that the Galar region has a Champion Gym Leader, it's actually quite reasonable. However… the fact that the Johto region also has a Champion Gym Leader is truly bizarre!
"Pryce was an extremely powerful trainer back then, but one of his partners seemed to have encountered some mishap. So, although he's still the Gym Leader, he almost never accepts challenges. He's essentially just a retired Gym Leader in Mahagony Town, holding the title in name only."
"Some trainers, unaware of Pryce 's past, still challenged him after he refused, only to be utterly defeated by Pryce's full power. Some trainers even lost their will to fight and gave up being trainers altogether."
"From then on, Pryce earned the nickname 'Pryce of the Eternal Ice Wall.' This nickname refers both to the fact that the Pokémon he uses are like eternal ice, impossible to break through or melt, and to the fact that Pryce's attitude towards people is as cold and unyielding as an iceberg."
"So, without sufficient strength, it's best not to..."
"...challenge him." Professor Oak gave his final advice: unless absolutely necessary, don't challenge Pryce, the trainer.
Because once you challenge him, he won't show the same mercy to Ash and his friends as other trainers.
Defeat is commonplace for trainers. Aside from Leon, who claims to have never lost since his debut, who hasn't lost a Pokémon battle?
However, losing to Pryce is different from losing to anyone else.
He truly destroys your confidence in every aspect, making you lose even the confidence to become a trainer. Otherwise, why didn't those trainers who lost to Pryce eventually quit becoming trainers?
That's because, besides the defeat in battle, their confidence, as...
The trainers' mentality was utterly shattered by Pryce.
The Pryce of the past wasn't this cold-blooded and ruthless, but that was in the past. Now, Pryce was as cold as an eternal iceberg. Without thorough preparation, it was best not to challenge him.
While he had some mental issues, his strength was undeniably top-tier in the League, comparable to the world's best trainers. If one didn't possess the strength to battle champion trainers like Lance, challenging Pryce was tantamount to suicide.
Even Ash, without using Mewtwo, was no match for Pryce.
"Wow, that old man was that strong! But then again, he looked so fierce in the photo, clearly not someone easy to get along with," Ash remarked, looking at Pryce's serious and cold face.
"I'll go, and I'll win."
After staring at Pryce's photo for a long time, Gary suddenly spoke up. He had made up his mind; Pryce was his ultimate goal before the Silver Conference!
If he couldn't even defeat Pryce, then entering the Master Eight would be like offering himself up as cannon fodder.
None of the trainers in the Master Eight were weaker than Pryce; in fact, they were all stronger.
Because the trainers who could participate in the Master Eight were all top-tier trainers, and unlike previous trainers, they possessed systems that could improve their Pokémon—Dynamaxing, Mega Evolution—making their overall systems far superior to those of the older generation of trainers.
Therefore, if he couldn't defeat Pryce, then the Master Eight championship was just a pipe dream.
"I'm going too, Gary, let's see who defeats Pryce first!" Ash waved his fist, speaking to Gary with a hint of provocation.
"Hmph, of course, I'll be the winner."
Gary said confidently, a smile playing on his lips.
Professor Oak, watching the two compare themselves, shook his head helplessly. Should he say these two were just fearless youths, or were they simply overconfident?
But to be honest, given Gary and Ash's growth rate, if they made Pryce's gym their final battleground, it wasn't impossible for them to win.
'Old man, hopefully the battle with Ash and Gary will awaken your frozen heart.' Thinking of Pryce's ordeal, Professor Oak felt a pang of helplessness.
If it were him, he probably wouldn't have fared much better than Pryce, but he wouldn't be as obsessed as Pryce.
"If you want to challenge the Silver Conference, the first stop is to register in New Bark Town, and then you can start challenging the Johto League gyms. The book I gave you has the locations of the gym leaders in each region; take a look."
"Grandpa, give me one too! What's the meaning of only having one!'"
"Do you think I'm not worthy to challenge those powerful Gym Leaders?" Gary said to Professor Oak with slight dissatisfaction.
This book was clearly intended for Ash. Even his grandson didn't receive that kind of treatment, so why was Ash getting special treatment?
"Ahem, at first I did think you wouldn't need it, but now you should find it somewhat useful. Ash, keep this book for now, I'll make a copy for Gary." Professor Oak coughed awkwardly, then bluntly stated his thoughts.
It wasn't that he wanted to discriminate, but rather that while Gary was his grandson, he was far inferior to Ash, even now.
Despite the fact that Gary and Ash fought evenly in the previous battle, Ash still had his most crucial move unused: a move that could instantly boost a Pokémon's power level by a whole stage.
If he used it, Gary wouldn't stand a chance against Ash.
However, Gary's progress was undeniable. With a Champion-level Blastoise capable of Mega Evolution, Gary was already qualified to challenge powerful Gym Leaders from other regions.
Give Gary more time, and even Gym Leaders with top-tier Champion strength might not be a match for him.
"No need, Professor Oak, give this to Gary. I've already memorized it all." Just as Gary was rolling his eyes at Professor Oak, Ash handed him the roster.
He had already spent some time memorizing all the information on it. Since developing Aura, his brain had evolved; he could memorize even vast amounts of Pokémon knowledge after hearing it only once, though applying it still took some time.
As for written information like this, memorizing it was a piece of cake for him.
"So fast? There are over twenty trainers' names on this, along with their locations, and you've memorized it all?" Professor Oak asked, slightly surprised.
"Memorizing it? I can practically recite it backwards! Don't worry, Professor Oak, my memory is excellent. Besides, if I forget, I can just call Gary and ask him to look it up for me."
Gary took the roster from Ash, giving a slightly helpless smirk, "You really don't mind bothering me?"
"Hey, why are you being so polite with me~"
...
After discussing the roster, Ash and Pikachu headed back. On the way, Ash rested his hands behind his head, pondering where his first stop should be.
He had memorized the locations of all the Gym Leaders on the roster, and the closest first stop to New Bark Town was Norman, stationed in Violet City.
The Gym Leader was from Hoenn, possessing Champion-level strength and using Normal-type Pokémon; he seemed like a good opponent for his first challenge.
"I've decided, my first stop will be Violet City!"
"Pikachu?!" Pikachu tilted its head, somewhat confused.
"Mr. Norman is a trainer from the Hoenn region. He's currently in Violet City. After we register in New Bark Town, we'll go to Violet City to find him. I remember there used to be another Gym Leader in Violet City..."
Ash scratched his head, thought for a moment, and finally found the original Gym Leader in Violet City in his memory: Falkner.
This was a native Gym Leader of Violet City, specializing in Flying-type Pokémon. However, he followed in his father's footsteps; his father was away traveling, and he was managing the Gym in his father's place, making him a relatively new Gym Leader.
However, Falkner wasn't actually weak, because of the Pokémon he used... It was his father's Pokémon, and its strength was genuinely at the Gym Leader level.
However, compared to Norman, it was still somewhat lacking. Ash set his sights on Norman as his first Gym Leader, a good opportunity to experience firsthand what the Hoenn region's Pokémon were all about.
"Pikachu~" Pikachu crossed its arms and nodded knowingly. In short—it was time to find a strong opponent to battle!
He had just returned to the Elite Four level and needed a worthy opponent to warm up!
Whether it was an Elite Four member or a Champion, bring it on!
"Come on, Pikachu! What are you posing for?" Ash's voice snapped the battle-ready Pikachu out of its reverie. When it came to its senses, it found Ash already several meters ahead, while it was still standing there imagining how to fight the enemy it hadn't even met yet.
"Pikachu!" "Wait for me!"
...
"I'm back!" "Pikachu~~"
A person and a mouse pushed open the door, only to find no one coming to greet them. Serena and Misty were leaning against Delia on the sofa, the three women laughing incessantly at something, while Brock was arguing with Mr. Mime about cleaning duties.
"Wh...what's going on? Mom, what are you doing?" Ash asked curiously as he walked over, but his face immediately turned red when he saw what Delia was holding!
It was a collection of photos from his childhood!
If they were just ordinary photos, it wouldn't be so bad, but there were photos of him as a baby and as a child, including bedwetting, falling down and crying—all of them!
These photos were all taken by Delia to document Ash's childhood, specifically during his first "that" kind of events. It would be one thing if Delia looked at them herself, but why show them to Misty and Serena?!
"Mom! Why did you take these photos out?!"
"Hehe, what does it matter? Misty is your girlfriend now, shouldn't you let your girlfriend know about your childhood?"
"You call that childhood? My childhood wasn't like this at all!" Ash said irritably, thinking of taking the photo album, but seeing Misty and Serena's suppressed laughter and interested expressions, he ultimately gave up the idea.
Oh well, let them look if they want. They've already seen it; it's too late to snatch it back now.
"This photo was taken when you went to summer camp, Ash... This little girl looks so familiar?" Delia flipped to a photo; it was a picture of Ash carrying a bug net with a girl wearing a straw hat and a little skirt.
The girl had a small scrape on her knee, but her face was beaming with a bright smile. Ash, needless to say, was grinning from ear to ear, his white teeth practically gleaming.
When Delia saw this girl, she instinctively felt like she'd seen her somewhere before, not in a photo, but in real life.
"Which one? Oh, this... isn't that Serena?" Ash leaned closer and immediately recognized the person in the photo. It was Serena, sitting to Delia's right. This was the only photo they took together at summer camp.
He was still young then and had forgotten most of it. Now, having awakened his Aura, he could even recall small details from his childhood.
"Serena? Ah! It's Serena! I knew she looked familiar!" Delia exclaimed, looking at Serena beside her, a strange glint in her eyes.
It seems this girl and Ash are definitely more than just travel companions. His son's really something!
Maybe he'll bring two daughters-in-law home for the New Year this year!