Yesterday's pincer hardness contest ultimately ended with Kingler's victory. After all, Kingler's large pincer possesses 10,000 horsepower, and the painful impact it delivered to Pikachu's Iron Tail was incomparable to Corphish's.
However, today, Corphish proved to be quite outstanding.
"Corphish, use Crabhammer to hold it off!"
On the official route, Ash was having a Pokémon battle against a Trainer he met on the road. The opponent had a Normal-type Zangoose.
"Hehehe~"
Corphish's two large red fists glowed white, and one punch was enough to block Zangoose's Metal Claw. The experienced Corphish quickly jumped up and swung its other fist, slamming hard into Zangoose's body, knocking it away and securing the victory.
"Impressive, you win!"
The wild Trainer on the road took out 100 League Dollars as a prize, offered a compliment, and hurried away with his Zangoose.
"Amazing, that makes 50 straight wins!" Dawn excitedly approached Ash, her face flushed and her large blue eyes sparkling. "Watching you makes me want to battle too!"
Brock watched them but didn't intervene, as Ash's performance was indeed excellent. Relying on the recently returned Corphish and Kingler, he had achieved impressive results. This was despite the scarcity of wild Trainers on the road. If there were twice as many Trainers, Ash might easily reach 100 wins.
Ash didn't say anything, but looking at Dawn's sweet and slightly bashful expression, he involuntarily placed his hand on her forehead and gently stroked her hair.
Although Dawn's face deepened in color, she didn't refuse, simply turning her head away, unable to meet Ash's gaze.
Pikachu peeked at the rapidly warming atmosphere between the two. It silently flattened itself on Ash's shoulder, doing its best to hide its presence and become an expert observer. Although Pikachu considered leaving, it feared its movement might break the mood, so it stayed put.
As for how Ash's hand could easily reach the girl's forehead, it was thanks to the effects of Aura, which had started to make him slowly grow taller. In recent days, Ash had grown nearly half a head taller than the girl. While he was still shorter than Brock, it was a good start. At the very least, at a future League Conference, he wouldn't be perpetually referred to as the "10-year-old Trainer." Remaining stuck at the age of 10, hailing from Pallet Town, was his greatest fear. Looking at the sweet and lovely life before him, he affirmed that he definitely did not want to be forever ten years old.
"Alright, you two, it's time to keep going!"
Brock glanced at the handsome pair with a hint of envy, then checked his Pokétch, signaling it was time to move.
"Coming!" both Ash and the blushing Dawn replied in unison. They walked toward Brock, holding hands.
Pikachu timely jumped off Ash's shoulder, yawned, and followed the couple.
Leaving Eterna City's territory, the forests began to thin, replaced by wide-open plains. The trio arrived at a small town, planning to rent three bicycles to take the famous Cycle Road to Hearthome City. Since the area between Eterna City and Hearthome City was mostly flat, a direct road had been built between the two major cities, complete with rental stations for cyclists.
"According to the latest map update, it looks like there's a small town called Sinnoh's Alamos Town on the way, and a Pokémon Contest is about to be held there!" Brock shared the news while cycling. The map indicated that Alamos Town, located on the Cycle Road, would host a Contest in a few days. However, taking this route would mean detouring, not going directly to Hearthome City.
"No problem!" Ash firmly replied while cycling. "Let's go to Alamos Town first. The Contest and Gym in Hearthome City aren't going anywhere, so there's no rush!"
"Thank you, Ash!" Dawn said excitedly.
Ash gave a confident smile, but his mind was already turning over the implications of going to Alamos Town. In his memory, this was the site of the confrontation between Dialga, the God of Time, and Palkia, the God of Space. The entire town was nearly annihilated by their fallout. This was the beginning of the crisis involving the Legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh, and it had to be handled seriously.
"It looks like it's time to call the main team back!"
To safely resolve this crisis, he needed his strongest Pokémon. This meant recalling the ones currently training in the Charicific Valley. With so many high-level Charizard there, he figured their progress must be substantial.
"Oh, the Egg is glowing!"
Just as Ash was cycling and strategizing, Dawn suddenly pointed to the Pokémon Egg in her bicycle basket. Like a chain reaction, the Pokémon Egg in Ash's basket, visible through the incubator, also began to emit a bright light. Even the Egg Brock had obtained from the Pokémon Dress-Up Contest did the same.
All three Eggs behaved identically.
"They're about to hatch!" As a Breeder, Brock immediately understood what this meant. He shouted excitedly, "There's a Pokémon Center up ahead! Let's go hatch them there!"
The excited Brock took the lead, cycling quickly, with Ash and Dawn close behind.
"Finally, they're hatching! I didn't think it would take this long!" Ash stared excitedly at the flashing Egg. His little darling, Chansey, was about to debut. This not only meant the team's medic was arriving but also potentially a new main player. Once the time was right, evolving it into a Blissey and pairing it with an Eviolite would give it formidable combat power. Combined with status strategies like Substitute-Toxic or Minimize teams, it would certainly shock people.
Thinking this, Ash also sped up, rushing towards the Pokémon Center.