"Go, Nidoking! Use Earthquake!"
Gary's voice rang out as Nidoking stomped heavily on the ground. The shockwave from Earthquake spread out, instantly taking down the opponent's final Pokémon.
Shortly after Ash secured his victory in the third round, Gary's third-round battle also ended in success.
"Alright, next up is Gary's crucial fourth round."
"Since the gears of fate have already shifted, let's see how much I can actually change!"
Watching the victorious Gary from the spectator stands, Gu Yuan spoke with excitement.
"Honestly, I can't let you guys come out and ruin the show at a time like this."
After whispering to himself, Gu Yuan disappeared from the spot using Teleport.
"You three, what exactly are you doing here?"
As the low voice drifted over, the Team Rocket trio felt an urge to burst into tears upon hearing that familiar tone.
Ever since Gu Yuan appeared, it was one thing for their operations to fail repeatedly, but who could understand the feeling of not even being able to finish their opening catchphrase!
In an attempt to avoid being discovered by Gu Yuan, the three of them had waited a very long time before finally appearing at the Indigo League venue. To their dismay, Gu Yuan sensed them immediately anyway.
"You should be well aware that the Pikachu you've been trying to catch is currently competing in the Indigo League."
"I think even if you caught Pikachu now, it would at most prove you completed your mission."
"But if you wait until Ash and Pikachu achieve an outstanding result before snatching it away, wouldn't that prove your superior vision? You might even receive an unexpected reward. Don't you agree?"
Seeing that Gu Yuan hadn't immediately sent them flying but was instead patiently explaining things, the Team Rocket trio fell into deep thought.
"Think about it carefully. In any case, I feel that if Ash leaves after achieving great results, you can strike while he's off guard. That's much better than trying to force it now under the spotlight and making things harder for yourselves."
Seeing that his words were having an effect, Gu Yuan added a final remark with a smile before commanding Alakazam to warp the three away.
As for capturing them, Gu Yuan felt it was better to pass. Who knew if some accident would allow them to escape? It was better to simply change their way of thinking.
After dealing with the Team Rocket trio, Gu Yuan rushed back to analyze the matches for Ash and Gary.
This time, Gu Yuan focused on Gary, clearly analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of his opponent.
With his prior experience, Gary took Gu Yuan's analysis very seriously.
Based on Gu Yuan's analysis, a clear tactic gradually formed in Gary's mind.
The fourth round began. The first to duel was once again Ash, and his opponent was a girl named Jeanette Fisher.
Under normal circumstances, Ash's most suitable Pokémon to deal with her would be the strongest in his team, Charizard.
However, to hide his strength, Ash did not send Charizard out directly. Instead, he let Bulbasaur take the lead.
The battle started as expected. Relying on its decent strength and move proficiency—which was far better than in the anime—Bulbasaur successfully helped Ash defeat two of the opponent's Pokémon.
That was until it encountered the opponent's final Pokémon, an unevolved Bellsprout.
"It's just as Brother Gu Yuan said. I really can't believe someone could train a Bellsprout so exceptionally. But the victory of this battle will definitely be mine!"
Seeing Jeanette indeed release Bellsprout, Ash whispered excitedly while immediately recalling Bulbasaur.
Against such an opponent, Bulbasaur was not quite suitable.
Opening his second Poké Ball, Ash sent out the prepared Muk.
"Go, Muk! Use Body Slam!"
At Ash's command, Muk launched an excited charge.
"Bellsprout, use Razor Leaf!"
Leaves as sharp as blades flew out, but they couldn't cause any damage to Muk at all.
Seeing this, Jeanette could only try having Bellsprout launch different offensives, hoping to stop Muk's charge.
Unfortunately, the Bellsprout that excelled at using softness to overcome strength met a Muk that was even softer than it was.
With its moves failing to work and being constantly affected by the stench emitted by Muk, Bellsprout's composure gradually collapsed. Finally, Muk found an opening and pinned it down directly with Body Slam.
At first, Bellsprout struggled desperately under Jeanette's orders, trying to break free.
However, under the dual effects of the heavy pressure and the stench, Bellsprout's resistance grew weaker and weaker.
By the time Muk moved its body aside, Bellsprout was covered in a foul smell and had lost its ability to battle.
While Ash was celebrating his victory, Gu Yuan immediately left the stands and rushed to the battlefield where Gary was located.
On the field, the battle between Gary and Melissa was reaching its final moment.
Because Gu Yuan had analyzed the opponent's strength for Gary beforehand, by the time Gary sent out his final Pokémon, Nidoking, the opponent's final Pokémon, Golem, had already exhausted a large amount of stamina.
"Nidoking, Earthquake!"
At Gary's voice, Nidoking stomped the ground fiercely, sending a shockwave toward Golem.
"Golem, use Defense Curl to leap into the air and dodge, then charge directly at Nidoking!"
Melissa's response was also excellent. She had Golem leap into the air and used that momentum to launch an attack at Nidoking.
But with Gu Yuan's guidance, how could Gary possibly let Melissa succeed?
"Nidoking, Ice Beam!"
Long before the battle began, Gary had Nidoking constantly train with Ice Beam.
Now, Ice Beam successfully came into play.
The frigid beam shot out, directly hitting Golem while it was in the air and unable to dodge.
The type advantage of the Ice-type move forced Golem out of its Defense Curl state.
"Now's the time! Use Earthquake to finish it!"
At Gary's command, Nidoking exerted sudden force. Under the impact of Earthquake, Golem's massive body directly collapsed.
This time, Gary's fourth-round battle also ended in victory.
It seemed that because the gears had shifted earlier, the development of reality showed even more deviations from the original destiny.
"Hooray! Hooray! The brat successfully won and broke into the top sixteen!"
"That's right. With the brat's strength and the guidance from that person, he can at least reach the top four or even higher."
"When the time comes, if we can snatch his Pokémon, the boss will definitely be satisfied!"
Watching the live broadcast, the Team Rocket trio spoke excitedly.
At this moment, they had been successfully brainwashed by Gu Yuan. Feeling that Gu Yuan's words made perfect sense, they planned to stay quiet for a while and wait until Ash was off guard to steal his Pokémon.
However, they ignored the fact that, as the person who had plotted for them, how could Gu Yuan just sit back and watch?