POKEMON : THE WAY OF PERCEPTION

"It was you... who saved us?" After recovering from the initial shock, Ash immediately recognized the source of the Pokémon. The dream was now clear.

This Pokémon was none other than the legendary Pokémon, Marshadow!

At the same time, Ash quickly accessed his system interface to check Marshadow's information.

Marshadow

Type: Fighting, Ghost

Category: Shadow Pokémon

Ability: Technical Master

Skilled Master: When a Pokémon with this Ability uses a move with lower power, the power of the move is increased by 50%.

Strength: Unknown

"Sure enough... Marshadow is an existence whose strength is beyond comprehension. Is it in the realm of the gods? Or even beyond that?" After reviewing the information, Ash appeared to understand the situation better.

Marshadow did not respond verbally, merely glancing at Ash and giving a small nod to confirm. Then, it turned its gaze back toward the massive Dragonite, showing no sign of fear or concern.

The giant Dragonite, upon seeing Marshadow, was filled with intense fear. It roared at Marshadow, seemingly confused and unwilling to back down.

It could not understand why Marshadow had appeared here, nor why it had chosen to save these people.

Marshadow remained silent, staring at the giant Dragonite with an unwavering gaze. The Dragonite could sense from Marshadow's eyes that the legendary Pokémon wasn't planning to retreat.

The enormous Dragonite gritted its teeth, its fear of Marshadow apparent. It knew that Marshadow's power far surpassed its own. If Marshadow had wanted to, the Shadow Ball it had used earlier would have been enough to defeat it. This was the gap in strength—a power it could not overcome.

Marshadow was a true god, an entity that had ascended into the realm of the divine!

"Marsha..." Marshadow's soft cry pierced the air, and though its voice was quiet, everyone present—both humans and Pokémon—could hear it clearly.

While the humans could not understand its meaning, the Pokémon and Ash understood. The massive Dragonite's expression shifted as it looked at Ash with astonishment.

This human... was the Trainer chosen by Ho-Oh?

"Marsha——!" Marshadow's voice rang out again, more forceful this time. It was a warning to the giant Dragonite. If the Dragonite dared to continue its attack, Marshadow would not hesitate to strike.

The giant Dragonite stared at Ash, then at Pikachu, and after a long pause, it turned and fled, retreating without another word. The thick fog that had been rising enveloped its massive form, hiding it from view as it disappeared.

The group stood in stunned silence as they watched the Dragonite leave. Once it was gone, they turned their attention back to Marshadow.

"Pikachu, are you okay?!" Ash rushed to Pikachu's side, gently lifting the Pokémon into his arms. Pikachu smiled weakly, showing that it was fine.

The thunderclouds that had been swirling in the sky gradually dissipated, and the last arcs of lightning on the sea faded away. Aside from the collapsed cliffs, everything seemed to have returned to normal.

"Marshadow... it's really Marshadow!" Bill exclaimed excitedly, momentarily forgetting to investigate the secrets surrounding Pikachu and Ash. He approached Marshadow, visibly thrilled by the encounter.

Brock and Misty, though not well-versed in the history of Marshadow, could tell from the way it had dealt with the giant Dragonite that this Pokémon was far from ordinary. They too were curious about Marshadow's true strength.

Marshadow ignored Bill's excitement. It simply glanced at Ash before fading into the shadows, blending seamlessly into the darkness around them. No one noticed when it vanished back into Ash's shadow.

"It's unbelievable! I've experienced so much today!" Bill said, his voice full of excitement. Though he was tired, his spirit remained high.

"Not only did I see the giant Dragonite, but I also witnessed power that seems to belong to the realm of gods. And to top it off, I saw the legendary messenger, Marshadow!" Bill lamented that he hadn't been able to capture the moment on camera.

"Bill, was that Pokémon just now called Marshadow?" Ash, now holding Pikachu in his arms, turned to ask, while Brock and Mei also expressed their curiosity.

"Yes, that's right. Its name is Marshadow," Bill replied, his eyes still wide with excitement. "Not many people are familiar with it, and it's only mentioned in ancient texts. Marshadow is often referred to as the 'Legendary Messenger.'"

"The Legendary Messenger?" Everyone had heard Bill's earlier explanation, but they were still unsure what the title truly meant.

Bill continued, his voice more serious now, "It's said that Marshadow guides the 'Rainbow Warriors' to meet Ho-Oh. Marshadow is a legendary Pokémon that plays a crucial role in guiding and protecting those chosen by Ho-Oh!"

As Bill spoke, Brock and Mei exchanged glances and immediately looked at Ash, whose connection to Ho-Oh was already known to them.

"Ho-Oh..." Ash didn't fully understand Marshadow's origins, but he was beginning to piece things together. Having not seen the movie version of these events, he wasn't aware of all the details. Still, after hearing Bill's explanation, he understood the connection between Marshadow and the mythical bird Pokémon.

"So Ash was chosen by Ho-Oh…" Brock and Mei said simultaneously, realizing the significance of Ash's role.

"You knew?" Bill asked, surprised. He hadn't expected Brock and Mei to be aware of Ash's connection to Ho-Oh.

"Well, we met Ash on a route before. He was attacked by a group of Spearow, and after repelling them, he encountered Ho-Oh!" Mei explained, recalling the encounter. "Ho-Oh then gave Ash a feather."

"I've seen that feather too!" Brock added, remembering the day in the Pokémon Center under Mt. Moon when Ash had proudly shown off the Ho-Oh feather.

"Ho-Oh's feather?!" Bill's eyes widened with disbelief as he turned to Ash. "No one has ever been recognized by Ho-Oh before, let alone received a gift from it! A feather from Ho-Oh is incredibly rare!"

Bill's excitement was palpable. If he could study the feather, he might learn more about Ho-Oh's powers and origins.

However, Bill quickly suppressed his greed. He understood that the Ho-Oh feather was a gift to Ash, symbolizing Ho-Oh's recognition of him. Trying to take the feather would likely incur the wrath of Marshadow.

Taking a deep breath, Bill forced himself to calm down, looking at Ash with awe and envy. This boy was hiding a secret far greater than anyone could have imagined.