"Battle start!"
Accompanied by the referee's voice, Ash, who had successfully passed the preliminary rounds, released his Krabby for his first-round match.
On the opposite side, the first Pokémon Mandy released was an Exeggutor.
What is this? Watching an anime reenactment from a front-row seat?
Looking at the familiar scene in the arena, Gu Yuan couldn't help but think to himself.
Truth be told, seeing this up close gave Gu Yuan a refreshing feeling.
Furthermore, Ash had grown significantly in terms of tactics thanks to Gu Yuan's special training.
Even though it was the same match, the details differed quite a bit from the anime.
Come to think of it, besides being a Pokémon researcher, Professor Oak likely held the status of a Breeder, and a top-tier one at that.
Otherwise, that Krabby Ash caught couldn't possibly have grown to such an extent without any prior training.
Just like in the anime, Ash's Krabby smoothly evolved into Kingler during the battle.
Coupled with Ash's more mature command, it successfully pulled off a three-Pokémon sweep, helping Ash win his first-round victory.
Just as Gu Yuan thought Ash would become a bit more composed, he saw the victorious boy excitedly rush toward the reporters and cameras.
"I really can't do anything about him."
Seeing this, Gu Yuan, who had used Ditto to disguise himself to avoid notice, shook his head helplessly. He left the stadium immediately, intending to wait for Ash's return at the hotel.
Since he had already sounded the alarm for Ash earlier, Gu Yuan wasn't worried that the boy would lose himself in the glory of victory.
Opening the door and seeing Gu Yuan inside, Gary couldn't help but show a smile.
Before Gary could speak, he spotted Ash already waiting in the room, and his smile vanished instantly.
Gu Yuan didn't need to guess to know exactly what would happen between Gary and Ash next.
"I called you both here to discuss tactics, so keep quiet."
Gu Yuan still held great authority in front of the two.
Following Gu Yuan's words, Gary reluctantly sat down beside Ash.
"Fine. Now I will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the next opponents you'll face, as well as their advantages and shortcomings. As for how to deal with them, that's up to you."
"We'll start with Ash."
Seeing the two of them sitting together in rare silence, Gu Yuan spoke with satisfaction.
With Gu Yuan's current insight and experience, analyzing the strength of the Indigo League participants was a simple task.
Soon, Gu Yuan finished analyzing the opponents for Ash and Gary.
As he said at the beginning, he was only responsible for analyzing the opponents. Which Pokémon to field and what tactics to use remained entirely up to Ash and Gary.
Not long after the analysis ended, Ash and Gary faced their second opponents.
"Nidorino, Poison Sting!"
At the opponent's command, Nidorino followed up with an attack.
However, Ash's reaction speed was significantly faster than the opponent imagined.
"Squirtle, dodge with Withdraw, then use Water Gun to end the battle!"
A pillar of water surged out, its startling power directly blasting Nidorino away.
By the time Nidorino hit the ground, it had lost its ability to battle and fallen unconscious.
With that, Ash successfully won his second match.
In the anime, Ash's second opponent didn't show many Pokémon except for the final Nidorino.
However, based on the opponent's data, Gu Yuan was able to analyze enough intelligence.
Yet, as if some invisible force was at work, Ash still sent out Squirtle to successfully defeat the opponent's final Nidorino.
I don't believe it. With my strength, I can't change reality!
In the spectator stands, Gu Yuan felt his competitive spirit flare up.
Even the family forces and the Hunter's Guild were facing premature destruction under his influence. Gu Yuan did not believe he couldn't change the outcome for Ash and Gary in the Indigo League.
First was their ranking.
From this moment on, Gu Yuan activated his system's detection function to ensure that once the Team Rocket trio appeared, he could drive them away immediately.
Second was studying Ash and Gary's opponents.
Ash's opponents were easy to handle since Gu Yuan could easily analyze their strength using information from the anime.
Gary's side was a bit more difficult, but Gu Yuan remained confident.
At this time, Ash and Gary, unaware of Gu Yuan's burning determination, were still immersed in the victory of their second-round matches.
The next afternoon, Gu Yuan analyzed their opponents for them once again.
Meanwhile, Professor Oak and Aunt Delia also arrived to watch Ash and Gary's matches.
Ash's third-round match was against a trainer named Pete Pebbleman.
On the field, both sides sent out their second Pokémon.
"Go, Kingler! Bubble Beam!"
Compared to the anime, where Ash insisted on having Kingler use a direct assault to defeat Cloyster, the current Ash was much more mature.
Against an opponent like Cloyster with weaker Special Defense, Bubble Beam undoubtedly dealt more damage.
By now, Kingler had used its incredible strength to toss Cloyster into the air. It was unable to dodge the incoming Bubble Beam and took a direct hit.
When Cloyster fell, it was unconscious and out of the battle.
"I'm counting on you, Arcanine!"
Watching Pete release an Arcanine against the Water-type Kingler, Gu Yuan found it somewhat unbelievable, whether back when he watched the anime or now.
Most importantly, Kingler had actually been defeated then!
Now, Gu Yuan wanted to see if Kingler's fate would change after his special training.
"Go, Arcanine! Use Dragon Rage!"
"Kingler, Bubble Beam, then use Crabhammer to strike the ice!"
Bubble Beam surged forth, quickly eroding the Dragon Rage. Immediately after, Kingler slammed the ice surface heavily, causing numerous cracks to appear.
In this way, Ash didn't force Kingler into a direct clash with Arcanine. Instead, he constantly destroyed the Ice Field.
As a Fire-type Pokémon, fighting on an Ice Field was already restrictive.
Furthermore, the repeated release of moves caused the ice to begin melting, further weakening Arcanine's power.
As time passed, Arcanine's stamina continued to drain.
Seeing this, Gu Yuan nodded in satisfaction.
Even if Kingler still failed, as long as Ash sent out Pikachu next on a field covered in water, defeating a soaking-wet Arcanine would be incredibly simple.
However, the gears of fate began to shift at this moment.
Abruptly, Ash changed his stalling style and ordered Kingler to charge forward. With an astonishing momentum, it rushed right in front of Arcanine.
After pinning Arcanine down with Crabhammer, it ended the battle directly with Bubble Beam!