"For the fifth round, the number of Pokémon allowed in battle remains the same as before, meaning there are still only three."
"The only difference is that the battlefields have all changed into standard regulation battlefields. Because of this, you will have fewer environmental factors to worry about compared to earlier rounds."
"Furthermore, I will continue to do what I did before. I am only going to analyze your opponents' advantages and shortcomings. As for the specific execution, that remains entirely up to you."
Inside the room, a highly satisfied Gu Yuan spoke with a smile to Gary and Ash.
"No problem!"
"This is more than enough!"
Hearing this, Ash and Gary replied one after another.
Evidently, both of them had already tasted the sweetness of success from Gu Yuan's analytical breakdowns.
About an hour later, Ash and Gary left Gu Yuan's room together.
Even when they were out of Gu Yuan's sight, they didn't care to bicker. Instead, they rushed toward their respective rooms, completely eager to begin brainstorming their battle tactics.
"You're about to set off again, aren't you?"
Shortly after Ash and Gary left, Professor Oak came over to see Gu Yuan and asked straightforwardly.
"That's right. However, my operations this time won't carry any danger. I'm merely going to travel across various regions and take the opportunity to challenge the powerful wild Pokémon there."
Without denying it, since such matters could not be hidden from Professor Oak anyway, Gu Yuan candidly admitted the truth.
"In truth, you are already exceptionally outstanding. There is really no need to be so harsh on yourself."
Looking at Gu Yuan, Professor Oak expressed a hint of heartache and reluctance to see him go.
"But it is still not enough. Right now, I am still a bit too weak. I want to be able to fully stand on my own two feet as soon as possible!"
"I understand."
Sensing the absolute resolve in Gu Yuan's tone, Professor Oak chose not to press further.
"During your upcoming travels, you must ensure your own safety. Since you will be out in the world, never let your guard down against others."
"When battling those wild Pokémon, you must also leave yourself a contingency plan to ensure you can retreat safely."
"Honestly, when a person grows old, they become quite long-winded."
With a self-deprecating smile, Professor Oak prepared to get up and leave.
"Not at all. I would like nothing more than for you to impart more of your lifelong experience to me, Elder."
"There is nothing left. That's all I have. The rest you have already experienced for yourself."
"It's not easy to finally get a break, so I don't want to overwork myself too much."
Saying this, Professor Oak did not linger any longer and directly left Gu Yuan's room.
A few days later, the fifth round commenced.
This time, Gary was the first to duel against his opponent.
After both sides endured a prolonged, grueling battle, each was down to their final Pokémon.
The final Pokémon Gary sent out was none other than the Blastoise he had chosen at the very beginning and nurtured up to this point!
Conversely, Gary's opponent was left with only a Fire-type Magmar.
"Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"
Even with a type advantage, Gary did not act recklessly from the start of the battle until now. Instead, he maintained a steady and solid approach.
The torrential Hydro Pump surged forth, completely crushing Magmar's Fire Blast. The remaining power of the attack blasted squarely against Magmar's body.
Through repeated clashes, the Magmar that was previously able to dodge the residual force of Hydro Pump now had no choice but to tank the blow with its own body.
Without rushing, Gary continued to expand his advantage bit by bit, ensuring this wasn't a deliberate opening left by his opponent.
Ultimately, under Blastoise's continuous onslaught, the opposing trainer exhausted every trick in the book but remained powerless to change the situation. He could only manage a bitter smile as he accepted defeat.
With this, Gary successfully advanced to the top eight.
Next, it was Ash's turn to take the stage.
Just like in the anime, Ash's opponent was Ritchie.
However, because the Team Rocket trio had not interfered like they did in the original story, Ash and Ritchie were not familiar with each other at this point.
The only view both sides held of one another was that of an opponent—an opponent they absolutely had to defeat.
"Battle start!"
Accompanied by the referee's voice, Ash and Ritchie released their first Pokémon simultaneously.
Ash fielded Squirtle, while Ritchie sent out a Butterfree.
As the battle between the two sides began, because Ash had not been hounded or exhausted by Team Rocket, both sides appeared completely evenly matched from the very onset.
As time ticked away, Ash commanded Squirtle to gradually seize the upper hand.
Finally, with Squirtle's Water Gun scoring a precise hit, Butterfree directly lost its ability to battle.
Despite this setback, Ritchie defied the type disadvantage and sent out his Charmander.
It had to be said that in many aspects, Ritchie was incredibly similar to Ash. For instance, their Pokémon choices, their personalities, and the battle tactics they were accustomed to using.
The sole difference was perhaps that Ritchie was slightly more mature.
Having been worn down by Butterfree, even with the type advantage, Squirtle eventually fell at the hands of Charmander.
"Go, Pikachu! I'm counting on you next!"
After recalling Squirtle, Ash immediately sent out the Pikachu by his side.
In a fierce clash of electrical sparks and blazing flames, Pikachu constantly utilized its speed advantage to gain the upper hand. It eventually found a definitive opening and successfully knocked out its opponent.
With that, Ritchie also dispatched his third Pokémon, a Pikachu of his own.
The battle had progressed to a stage that completely deviated from the anime.
In the spectator stands, even though he knew Ash's chances of winning were extremely high, Gu Yuan still couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.
Amidst the colliding electric sparks, Ritchie fully demonstrated his capabilities, successfully defeating Ash's Pikachu, whose stamina had been heavily depleted.
"I choose you, Charizard! Use Flamethrower!"
Tossing out his final Poké Ball, Charizard materialized on the field with a ferocious roar.
"Zippo, Thunderbolt!"
The moment the Flamethrower erupted, Ritchie also commanded his Pikachu to strike back.
Flames and electricity collided in mid-air. Ultimately, the Charizard that possessed a far superior level of strength held the advantage. The scorching torrent of fire directly swallowed Pikachu's Thunderbolt.
"Keep it up, Charizard! Continuous Flamethrower!"
Having gained the upper hand, Ash's offensive became intensely aggressive.
Torrents of scorching fire boasting an incredibly wide area of effect directly pinned down Pikachu's speed advantage, forcing it into a head-on clash—the very thing it was worst at.
As the flames spread, the temperature within the battlefield began to spike rapidly, further draining Pikachu's stamina.
No matter how desperately Ritchie struggled, the gap in raw power simply could not be bridged.
In the end, Pikachu could no longer keep up with Charizard's tempo and was directly defeated by a final blast of Flamethrower.
Watching Ritchie's Pikachu collapse, Gu Yuan couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
No matter what rank Ash managed to achieve from this point onward, it proved that Gu Yuan possessed the capability to alter the original history of this world.
This meant that if Gu Yuan had not arrived, the family forces and the Kanto League's Hunter's Guild would not have been dismantled so easily either.
At the same time, it signified that from this moment forward, the future that Gu Yuan knew so well would undergo unimaginable transformations.
Now this is getting interesting. If everything remained completely unchanged, it would be far too boring.
Staring at the ecstatic Ash in the arena, Gu Yuan murmured with a thrill of excitement.