Everything was deathly silent. The air in the Fuchsia Gym was heavy, the tension palpable. Everyone—Koga, Janine, Ace, May, Dawn, Serena, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Gary—stood frozen, their eyes locked onto the battlefield. Gengar lay at Koga's feet, unconscious, swirls in its eyes.
The referee stepped forward, raising his hand. "Gengar is unable to battle! Since all of Koga's Pokémon are unable to battle, the winner is Ace Drago!"
The gym erupted in cheers. Serena and Dawn clapped excitedly, while Ash pumped his fist into the air. Gary smirked with approval as Brock nodded in respect.
"I can't believe it..." Janine muttered, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Dad... lost?"
Koga's lips curled into a small smile as he silently returned Gengar to its Poké Ball. "You fought well, Gengar," he murmured. His eyes then shifted to Ace, who had already rushed toward Smeargle.
Ace dropped to his knees, scooping up his exhausted Smeargle into his arms. "Smeargle! You did amazing!" he laughed, spinning his Pokémon in his arms despite the weight. Smeargle let out a tired but happy bark, its tongue lolling out as Ace hugged it tightly.
"Woof!" Smeargle's tail wagged weakly, but it snuggled into Ace's chest, clearly proud of itself.
Koga approached Ace with steady steps, his expression calm yet respectful. "That was an impressive battle," he said. "Now I understand why you were able to take down Hunter J."
Ace's smile widened as Koga reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small scroll. With a single smooth motion, he unfurled it, revealing a shiny Soul Badge embedded in the center.
"You've earned this," Koga said, presenting the badge.
Ace's eyes sparkled as he carefully took the badge, holding it up in the light. "I just got the Soul Badge!" he declared triumphantly.
"Woof!" Smeargle barked happily alongside him.
Koga then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small TM disc. "This is TM Gunk Shot," Koga explained, handing it over. "A powerful move. It should serve you well."
Ace took the TM with a grateful smile. "Thanks, Koga!"
Suddenly, Gary's voice cut through the excitement. "Wait! What's behind Ace?!"
Ace froze. His eyes widened as he felt a cold chill creep down his spine. Slowly, he turned—and his heart nearly stopped.
A shadow was rising from the ground behind him.
"What the...?" Ace breathed. His arms instinctively tightened around Smeargle as the Pokémon in his arms growled weakly at the dark shape.
Koga's expression darkened. In a swift motion, he stepped in front of Ace, his hand brushing against a Poké Ball at his belt. "Be on guard."
Ash, Serena, Dawn, and the others leapt down from the stands, surrounding Ace and Koga as the shadow slowly took shape.
The figure shifted and twisted unnaturally until it formed the silhouette of a childlike figure. Two glowing red eyes opened within the darkness.
Ace's breath hitched. "No way…"
The figure stepped forward, its form becoming clearer—a small body with tendrils of shadow curling around it, burning red eyes piercing through the gloom.
Ace pointed, his mouth falling open. "Marshadow?!"
Ash's eyes widened as he quickly pulled out his Pokédex, but the screen glitched and buzzed with static. "No data?" Ash said in disbelief.
Ace's heart hammered in his chest. "It's Marshadow... a mythical Pokémon. It's said to be Ho-Oh's messenger!"
"Ho-Oh's messenger?!" Serena exclaimed, looking stunned.
"Why would Ho-Oh's messenger be here?" Misty wondered aloud.
Dawn's eyes narrowed. "Wait… Ash and Misty said they saw Ho-Oh when Ace had met them at the first day of Ash's journey, right?"
Misty nodded slowly. "Yeah… we saw Ho-Oh that day. It flew right above us."
Koga's eyes sharpened as he processed the information. "You kids saw Ho-Oh?"
Ash nodded. "It just flew in the sky above us…"
Dawn's gaze turned toward Marshadow. "If Marshadow is Ho-Oh's messenger, then what is it doing here? Why is it following Ace?"
Marshadow ignored the chatter. Its eyes glowed menacingly as it suddenly raised one arm. A spike of dark energy surged through the air.
A chilling aura swept through the gym as Marshadow's fist pulsed with ghostly power. Its eyes narrowed as it swung upward.
BOOM!
A deafening crack tore through the air as a massive hole was blasted through the gym ceiling. Everyone shielded their faces as debris rained down.
"What the hell was that?!" Gary shouted.
Ash's gaze shot upward. "A… drone?"
A metallic device hovered above the gym, wires and flashing red lights attached to its frame.
Marshadow's form flickered. In an instant, it vanished and reappeared beside the drone in midair. Its shadow-covered arm pulsed with dark energy as it drove a punch into the drone's side.
CRACK!
The drone spiraled uncontrollably before erupting into a massive explosion in the sky. The blast scattered the clouds as smoke curled through the air.
Ace's mouth dropped. "Did that drone… have a bomb?!"
Serena's hand covered her mouth. "Marshadow… just saved us?"
Marshadow drifted downward, landing soundlessly on the battlefield. Its red eyes flickered dangerously toward the gym entrance.
Ace followed Marshadow's gaze—and his expression twisted into a scowl.
Flying on a dark Honchkrow, a masked figure drifted into view. His black coat billowed ominously as he hovered above the broken roof.
Ace's voice darkened with rage. "Sin…"
The figure's mask—shaped like Darkrai's face—gleamed under the broken moonlight. Sin's eyes, cold and calculating beneath the mask, narrowed.
"Tch." Sin's voice was a low growl. "A mythical Pokémon had to ruin everything… and why is this kid here?"
Koga's gaze sharpened as he stepped forward, his tone as sharp as a blade. "So… you're Sin."
The tension in the air spiked dangerously.
"The infamous Sin…" Koga's voice was laced with venom. "The most wanted man in the world. The deadliest assassin. The only person to ever have a death penalty and shoot-on-sight order from the League."
Sin chuckled darkly. "Since you're so well-informed about me, Koga… why don't I share some information about you in return?"
Ace's brows furrowed. 'Information about Koga?'
Sin's eyes glinted beneath the mask. "Maybe… Janine would like to know what her father's been up to in the shadows."
Koga's face tensed. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple.
Ace's stomach dropped. His eyes widened in realization. 'No way… it can't be…' His mind raced back to memories from his previous life—the Pokémon manga.
Sin's grin widened. "It's a pleasure to meet one of the top executives of Team Rocket, Koga~."
The gym went deathly silent.
Janine's face paled. "D-Dad…?"
Her voice cracked as she took a hesitant step back. Her wide, trembling eyes locked onto her father.
Koga's expression hardened, but the guilt in his eyes was impossible to miss.
Ace's fists clenched. 'No… this is bad. This just got really bad.'