Watching the tense atmosphere between both sides on the field, Dawn held Piplup and unconsciously held her breath, her deep blue eyes fixed on Elekid and Pikachu.
Shinji stared at the battle-ready Pikachu opposite him, his dark purple eyes showing no ripples, having already made a precise judgment of both sides' strength in his heart.
Although the opposing Pikachu was already level 40, Elekid had also risen to level 28 during this period of rigorous training, leaving only a 12-level gap between it and Pikachu.
In Shinji's view, this level difference was only a minor influence.
A truly distinct strength gap only appears when there is a difference of more than 20 levels; for now, victory or defeat lay more in the Trainer's commands and the combat capabilities the Pokémon honed through daily training.
Of course, this 20-level gap was Shinji's standard; for an average Trainer, a 10-level gap would already make winning very difficult.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt."
Seeing Shinji standing there indifferently without saying a word, the feeling of being slighted made Ash take the initiative to order Pikachu to attack again.
"Pika—chu!"
Hearing the order, Pikachu slightly bent its limbs, and its entire body suddenly erupted with dazzling golden electricity, the energy rapidly gathering in the electric sacs on its cheeks.
Immediately, a thick, solid bolt of golden electricity, like a giant python emerging from its cave, blasted straight toward Elekid with a crackling roar!
Facing this menacing attack, Shinji's expression didn't fluctuate at all as he coolly and concisely uttered two words: "Block it."
Elekid's gaze was sharp; facing the incoming Thunderbolt, it didn't retreat but instead stepped forward, its arms instantly rotating at high speed, generating a strange force field.
The moment that thick bolt of electricity hit, it seemed to be absorbed by an invisible vortex, instantly drawn into Elekid's body.
After absorbing the Thunderbolt, Elekid's posture seemed to straighten a bit, and the light of the electricity around its body grew even more intense.
Its already strong aura rose to another level, and a flash of excitement crossed its sharp eyes as it stared fixedly at the Pikachu opposite it.
"What?!" Seeing this completely unexpected scene, Ash's eyes widened in shock.
Not to mention Dawn watching from the side, who covered her mouth with her hand, her blue eyes filled with disbelief.
"It... it actually absorbed the Thunderbolt directly..."
After a brief moment of shock, Ash quickly regained his composure, his brow furrowed tightly as he stared solemnly at Elekid and shouted loudly, "Pikachu, don't let it affect you! Use Volt Tackle!"
"Pika pika pika—"
Pikachu let out a series of rapid cries, its small body erupting with even more violent electricity. Wrapped in blinding electric light, it turned into a golden lightning bolt, charging toward Elekid at extreme speed with an indomitable momentum, leaving afterimages in its wake.
Watching Pikachu's thunderous assault, Shinji's face remained unchanged, his command still precise and calm: "Protect."
Elekid moved upon hearing the voice, crossing its arms in front of itself as a translucent green spherical barrier instantly expanded, shielding it firmly within.
*Thud!*
With a dull sound, Pikachu slammed hard into the solid barrier, the massive recoil force sending it flying backward.
At the same time, the recoil damage from Volt Tackle took effect, causing it to let out a cry of pain.
"Thunderbolt."
Shinji's command followed like a shadow, seizing the fleeting opening without a moment's delay.
"Bi-bi—!"
Elekid rotated its arms at high speed, frantically gathering the previously absorbed electricity along with its own energy.
In the next instant, a terrifying bolt of electricity, thicker than an ordinary Thunderbolt, erupted from its horns. Its speed far exceeded the norm, aiming straight for the mid-air Pikachu!
In a flash, the Thunderbolt's current accurately struck the airborne Pikachu.
"Pika—!" A shrill cry of pain echoed through the entire field, accompanied by Ash's heart-wrenching roar: "Pikachu!!"
After the Thunderbolt, Pikachu fell heavily to the ground, wisps of blue smoke rising from its body. Its originally bright fur had become charred and curled; it had clearly suffered a heavy blow.
"Thunder Punch." Shinji's attack commands were linked one after another, cold and ruthless, seeking to completely crush his opponent.
"Pikachu, stand up! You can do it!" Ash looked at the fallen Pikachu and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Use Iron Tail!"
As if feeling its Trainer's burning conviction and refusal to lose, Pikachu trembled and actually stood up tenaciously, an unyielding fire burning in its eyes as its fighting spirit soared even higher.
It sprinted toward Elekid, its tail instantly lighting up with a blinding white light. When the light faded, it had taken on a hard, metallic sheen.
Pikachu leaped suddenly, twisting its body in mid-air to concentrate all its strength into its tail, swinging it fiercely toward Elekid.
Elekid's eyes narrowed, and it immediately raised its left fist, which was covered in violent electricity, meeting the attack head-on.
*Boom!*
Thunder Punch and Iron Tail collided with a roar. Violent electricity and metallic hardness clashed against each other as both sides fell into a brief deadlock.
Pikachu's level advantage manifested at this moment; even though it was injured, its strength was still not to be underestimated.
However, a slight curve appeared at the corner of Shinji's mouth at this moment, as if everything was under control: "Elekid, Brick Break!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a dazzling white light quickly lit up on Elekid's right hand, containing a sharp armor-breaking force.
Without hesitation, it raised its right palm high and, taking advantage of the deadlock, chopped down fiercely toward Pikachu.
"What?!" Ash's pupils shrank; Shinji's two-handed tactic was completely beyond his expectations.
In this critical moment, his mind raced, and he could only shout based on instinct and trust in his partner: "Pikachu, show him what you've got! Your Iron Tail isn't over yet!"
Hearing Ash's command, Pikachu immediately exerted all its strength to swing its tail, trying to knock away Elekid's Thunder Punch while adjusting its posture to meet Elekid's right palm with its Iron Tail.
However, Pikachu's speed in switching moves was still half a beat slower than Elekid's, who had undergone Shinji's rigorous training.
This was the difference in daily training results; every minute and second of accumulation could be converted into an advantage at the critical moment.
Just as Pikachu's Iron Tail was about to touch Elekid's right palm, Elekid's Brick Break had already descended with a sharp wind, striking Pikachu's body squarely.
"Pika—!"
Pikachu let out a cry of pain as its body was hit like it had been struck by a heavy hammer, flying backward once again and rolling several times on the ground before barely stopping, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Pikachu!" Ash shouted in heartache.
Pikachu struggled to stand up again, but its body only trembled slightly before it slumped down powerlessly, its eyes turning into the characteristic swirls, completely losing its ability to battle.
Brock stepped forward quickly and, after a careful check, announced in a heavy voice: "Pikachu is unable to battle. Elekid wins."
There was a hint of unavoidable surprise in his tone; Shinji's tactics and Elekid's execution far exceeded his estimations.
Ash immediately rushed to Pikachu's side, carefully picking it up and cradling it in his arms, gently stroking its body as he comforted it with a choked voice: "You worked hard, Pikachu... it's all my fault. It's because of my poor commands that you got hurt so badly."
Pikachu weakly opened its eyes, reached out a small paw to gently touch Ash's cheek, and let out a soft "Pika pika" with a slight smile, as if comforting Ash and telling him it was okay.
On the other side, Shinji wordlessly pulled out a Poké Ball, and with a flash of red light, recalled Elekid into the ball.
This result was within his expectations; during this time, he had specifically trained Elekid's speed in using both hands and the fluidity of its move transitions just to deal with Pikachu.
If it still couldn't win like this, then he would truly have to doubt his own abilities.
"I won," Shinji said coldly to Ash, his tone devoid of any boasting, only a matter-of-fact calmness. "There's no need for a third match. I already understand your level of strength."
With that, he didn't spare another glance for Ash or Pikachu, turning around and walking toward the interior of the Pokémon Center.
The sunlight stretched his shadow long, and the cold aura around him didn't diminish in the slightest, as if the intense battle just now was merely a trivial matter to him.