Seeing that the figure currently battling inside the Gym was none other than Ash, Shinji's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"It seems I won't be able to challenge today." He reached a conclusion in a flat tone and turned as if to leave.
The Gym Leader was in the middle of a battle and clearly had no time to accept a new challenge; furthermore, the Pokémon would need time to recover their stamina.
"Hey, wait!" Hikari's hands were quick as she grabbed his arm, her deep blue eyes sparkling with curiosity and anticipation. "Since we're already here, let's watch Ash's battle. It might be useful for your challenge at the Steel Gym later, right?"
"Not necessary." Shinji didn't even look back, his voice remaining cold.
In his view, observing Ash's disorganized style of battling that relied solely on bonds was a pure waste of time. He'd rather use that time to develop a more detailed training plan.
However, Hikari was long accustomed to his rejection.
Not only did she not let go, but she increased her grip and dragged Shinji directly toward the spectator stands inside the Gym, saying in a matter-of-fact tone as they walked, "Watching won't hurt you; just think of it as keeping me company!"
Shinji frowned and struggled twice, but seeing Hikari's determined attitude, he eventually gave up resistance and allowed her to pull him to the stands.
Takeshi happened to be sitting there and spotted the two of them immediately, waving with a smile. "Shinji, Hikari, you guys are here too?"
"Takeshi!" Hikari let go of Shinji's hand and walked over quickly to sit down, her face full of curiosity. "We just arrived and saw Ash battling. This is my first time seeing a Gym challenge live!"
Shinji sat in the empty seat next to Hikari and merely gave Takeshi a slight nod as a response.
Takeshi was used to this, shaking his head with a smile before turning to Hikari to introduce the situation on the field. "You've come at a good time; this Gym match only started a little while ago. Right now on the field is Ash's Aipom facing off against Gym Leader Roark's Cranidos."
Hikari immediately turned her gaze toward the battlefield, only to see Ash's Aipom dodging left and right, looking quite pathetic.
Roark's Cranidos was aggressive, its head lowered slightly and surrounded by a faint white light. Every Zen Headbutt attack carried a powerful wind, forcing Aipom into a position where it couldn't fight back.
Shinji had no interest in whether Ash won or lost; his gaze was firmly locked onto that Cranidos, a sharp glint flashing in his dark purple eyes.
For him, the only value of this impromptu observation was to gauge the strength of the Gym Leader's Pokémon.
With a thought, the light blue system panel in his mind instantly expanded, precisely locking onto the swift-moving Cranidos.
[Cranidos ♦]
Level: 4 (Superior Rank)
Type: Rock
Ability: Mold Breaker
potential: Good
base stats: 35
Moves: Headbutt, Zen Headbutt, Focus Energy, Flamethrower, Head Smash, Take Down
The data presented itself clearly in Shinji's mind.
"Level 4..." Shinji muttered internally, showing no surprise. It was normal for a Gym Leader's Pokémon to have this level of strength.
He speculated that this was likely Roark's strongest Pokémon used for testing challengers.
After all, a Gym Leader's duty was to test and hone the challenger, not to crush them with absolute power.
Of course, Gym Leaders like Volkner of Sunyshore City, who were on par with the Elite Four, were a different matter—that level had already surpassed the scope of an ordinary Gym.
Just as Shinji expected, Ash's Aipom was soon defeated, and immediately after, Ash sent out Pikachu.
However, Ash's tactics remained simple and crude, commanding Pikachu to engage in a head-on collision with Cranidos.
A mocking curve touched the corner of Shinji's mouth. If not for being dragged here by Hikari, he really had no interest in watching such a "reckless" battle devoid of technical skill.
The subsequent battle unfolded exactly as Shinji predicted: Pikachu and Cranidos engaged in two more rounds of unadorned head-on clashes, with injuries mounting on both sides.
Just as Pikachu was about to charge again, Ash suddenly called a halt and recalled Pikachu.
"Turtwig, I choose you!" Ash threw his third Poké Ball.
As soon as Turtwig appeared, it tanked a Flamethrower from Cranidos and, relying on its type advantage, successfully counter-killed and defeated Cranidos.
The second Pokémon Roark sent out was Onix. Shinji's gaze swept over it again, and the system panel information updated:
[Onix ♦]
Level: 36
Type: Rock + Ground
Ability: Rock Head
potential: Medium
base stats: 385
Moves: Tackle, Rock Tomb, Screech, Double-Edge, Slam, Stealth Rock
The data was average and the level wasn't particularly high, but for an already injured Turtwig, it was still a difficult opponent.
Sure enough, when faced with Onix's powerful Double-Edge, Turtwig was knocked out in a single blow without any suspense.
Seeing this, Ash could only send out the Pikachu that had just rested for a short while.
Seeing this scene, Shinji shook his head slightly, already having reached a judgment—just like in the anime, Ash's first challenge at the Steel Gym would ultimately end in failure.
Even if the bond between Ash and Pikachu was deep, it couldn't magically repair the injuries Pikachu had sustained in the previous fight.
Facing a perfectly healthy Onix, Pikachu's attacks gradually became weak, and it finally fell under Onix's Screech.
"Pikachu is unable to battle! Therefore, the winner is Gym Leader Roark!" The referee's voice fell, and the Gym match officially ended.
"It's a pity, Ash." Roark's voice was gentle and encouraging. "I felt the bond between you and your Pokémon, but there's still room for improvement in terms of tactics. I look forward to your next challenge."
Ash picked up Pikachu and nodded vigorously. "Thank you, Mr. Roark. I'll definitely come back to challenge you again!"
Seeing the challenge match conclude, Shinji immediately stood up and walked toward the center of the field without the slightest hesitation.
"Mr. Roark." Shinji stood before Roark, his dark purple eyes looking directly at him, his tone solemn and direct. "May I challenge the Gym tomorrow?"
Roark sized up Shinji; this youth exuded a cold aura inconsistent with his age, and his eyes were sharp and focused. He was clearly no ordinary Trainer.
"Of course, no problem." Roark nodded with a smile. "The Gym always welcomes capable Trainers to challenge. I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow."
He never had a reason to refuse a challenger's invitation.
"Thanks." Shinji nodded slightly, then turned and walked toward Hikari, who was still standing in place.
Hikari was comforting Ash, who was holding Pikachu. "It's okay, Ash. You'll definitely win next time! You and Pikachu should get some rest first..."
Shinji walked up to Hikari, his gaze sweeping over the dejected Ash, and coldly spat out four words:
"Utterly useless."
After saying that, he didn't spare another glance for Ash or Takeshi and walked straight toward the Gym exit.
"Hey! Shinji, you—" Ash's face turned red with anger as he wanted to argue back, but Hikari held his arm down.
"Ash, don't mind him. Shinji just has a foul mouth..." Hikari hurriedly offered a word of comfort, then smiled apologetically to Takeshi nearby. "Takeshi, we're leaving now. See you tomorrow!"
With that, she jogged to catch up with Shinji, her light pink skirt drawing a light arc in the air.
Takeshi watched the two of them leave one after the other, shaking his head with a helpless smile before turning back to continue comforting the heavily discouraged Ash.