Pokemon: Ace's Adventures!

Deep within the dense forest beside Fuchsia City, Ace and his friends stood before a grand structure that seemed completely out of place.

A Japanese-style castle loomed before them, its towering walls adorned with traditional wooden architecture. The curved roofs, decorated with intricate carvings, gave off an air of mystery, as if the building itself was watching them. A thick mist lingered around the base, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Ace, Dawn, Serena, May, Ash, Misty, Gary, and Brock stood in front of the massive doors, their expressions varying from curiosity to confusion.

Ash scratched his head, staring at the castle. "Wait… this is really the Fuchsia City Gym?"

Ace nodded. "Yeah, this is the place."

Ash blinked before nodding dumbly. "Huh… I was expecting something more… normal."

Gary crossed his arms, letting out an irritated snort. "Tch. Whatever. Let's just get this over with."

His foul mood was obvious—he had lost a game of rock-paper-scissors, meaning he had to battle last, while Ace would go first, followed by Ash.

As the girls inspected the castle in fascination, Brock eyed the thick rope hanging near the entrance. His curiosity got the better of him, and he reached out, giving it a firm tug.

DING! DONG! DING!

A series of metallic chimes echoed through the forest as the heavy wooden doors creaked open.

The moment the entrance fully parted, five shurikens shot out at high speed!

But before anyone could react, a blur of green and white moved in front of them.

Smeargle landed gracefully, its tail paint glowing faintly as it caught all five shurikens mid-air. The shurikens crumpled in its grip, revealing them to be nothing more than folded paper.

Ace's blue eyes flickered with a faint rainbow hue as his power activated instinctively. His Poke-Force surged within him, preparing to retaliate—but he quickly calmed down.

Standing upside down on the ceiling near the entrance was a girl with purple hair, her arms crossed as a Venonat clung to her shoulder.

Ace immediately recognized her from the anime and deactivated his power before anyone noticed. However, his friends and even the girl remained oblivious to the fact that, for a split second, Ace had been ready to fire a Hyper Beam at her.

The girl suddenly flipped down from the ceiling, landing softly on the ground. She smirked. "Your Smeargle is pretty good."

Ace crossed his arms, returning the smirk. "You know, I could file an assault complaint for that stunt." He chuckled. "But since those were just paper shurikens, you just dodged jail time."

The girl paled, waving her hands in panic. "W-Wait! It's not like that!"

She cleared her throat before standing straight. "I'm Janine, the daughter of Gym Leader Koga! I was just testing you all."

Before anyone could reply—

FWOOOOOSH!

A loud flurry of wings erupted as dozens of Zubats dived from the sky.

"DUCK!" Misty yelled as the group instinctively crouched.

The Zubats swarmed past them, entering the gym before circling behind Janine. Their wings flapped rapidly, creating a powerful gust of wind.

Then, just as suddenly as they had appeared, the Zubats dispersed, revealing a mysterious figure standing behind her!

The group's eyes widened in shock, while Ace's mind nearly short-circuited.

'Did Koga just pull an Itachi Uchiha?'

Yes. The man standing before them, appearing out of nowhere, was none other than Koga, the Gym Leader of Fuchsia City.

With a swift motion, Koga knocked his knuckles against Janine's head.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Janine whined, holding her head as a comical bump appeared. "Dad! That hurts!"

Koga sighed. "What have I told you about annoying and harassing challengers?"

Janine pouted, rubbing her head. "But it was just a little test…!"

Ignoring her, Koga turned his attention to the group. His eyes scanned each of them before his gaze landed on Ace.

A small smirk formed on Koga's lips. "If it isn't Ace Drago."

Ace blinked in surprise before pointing at himself. "Wait… you know me?!"

Koga nodded. "Of course. You've become quite famous."

The entire group looked at Ace in shock.

Koga continued, his tone serious. "Not only did you and your friends successfully capture Hunter J, one of the most wanted criminals in the world… but you were also responsible for the discovery of living prehistoric Pokémon."

Dawn's eyes widened. "Wait, what?!"

Koga nodded. "The battle between you and Hunter J led to the discovery of a hidden valley filled with ancient Pokémon. Thanks to you, those Pokémon have been safely relocated to a secure sanctuary where researchers are now studying them. Soon, they'll begin a breeding program to restore their species."

The group stood in stunned silence.

Misty blinked. "Hold on—why are we only hearing about this now?"

Brock let out a sheepish chuckle. "Well… after everything that happened, we were all so exhausted that we just spent the next day lazing around. I guess none of us checked the news."

Ace scratched the back of his head. "I didn't expect this much attention…"

Janine, now recovered from her father's scolding, eyed Ace from head to toe. "Huh… So this is the guy who caught Hunter J?"

Ace awkwardly cleared his throat. "Uh… yeah."

Koga suddenly became serious. "Now then, Ace… I assume you're here to challenge my gym?"

Ace nodded firmly. "That's right."

Ash stepped forward. "And after him, I'll be next!"

Gary scoffed before stepping up as well. "Tch. And I'll be the last one to battle."

Koga smirked at their determination before turning on his heel. "Very well. Follow me into the gym."

Without another word, he led the group inside.

As Ace and the group followed Koga into the gym, the scene shifted…

At the docks of Fuchsia City, the air was thick with the scent of salt and oil, the sound of waves crashing against the harbor echoing through the empty pier. The area was mostly deserted, save for the cargo containers stacked like a metallic maze.

Perched atop one of these towering containers, a lone figure sat casually, one leg dangling over the edge while the other rested firmly against the steel surface. A faint blue glow reflected off their face as they intently watched a holographic screen projected from a sleek wrist device.

The screen displayed a small, hovering drone moving stealthily through the sky, its mechanical arms tightly clutching a square metallic box.

A timer blinked ominously on the box's surface—A BOMB.

The figure let out a low chuckle, their voice filled with amusement and anticipation.

"The destruction of Team Rocket begins now."

Their lips curled into a smirk as they leaned forward slightly, their gaze locked onto the moving drone.

"One of Team Rocket's secret commandments… Koga… will soon meet his death."

The screen zoomed in on the drone, its design sleek and high-tech. But one detail stood out—a distinct emblem painted on its side.

A stylized 'S' intertwined with the shadowy visage of Darkrai.

The scene lingered on the ominous drone, its blinking lights reflecting off the cold metal of the bomb it carried, as it steadily advanced toward its deadly destination.