The screen went black.
Then flickered.
A new seal appeared—one no one recognized.
Crimson and violet.
A single eye over a black spiral.
Then the screen cut to a dimly lit platform.
A figure stood in the center.
Tall.
Shrouded.
His voice was smooth. Controlled.
And wrong.
"People of the world. It is my duty to report that Ash Ketchum, Champion of Champions, was killed in a classified security operation earlier this week."
Silence across every region.
"He interfered with matters beyond his understanding. He accessed restricted data. He resisted containment."
"He paid the price."
The screen flickered—showing a still frame of the ruined crater, smoke rising from what looked like a battle site.
"I speak on behalf of those who have remained in the shadows to protect your world from what lies beneath it."
"From this day forward, Shadow will operate openly, as a League Enforcement Branch. We will bring order. We will prevent the next threat—before it starts."
The feed cut.
The world held its breath.
Pallet Town – Oak's Lab
The screen blinked off.
The room was silent.
Professor Oak lowered his glasses slowly.
Gary stood frozen.
Skylar stepped forward.
"No."
Misty turned to him. "Sky—"
"No," he said again, louder. "That's a lie."
Gary broke the silence. "They faked it."
Professor Oak frowned deeply. "No. That crater… it was real. That battle happened."
"But that doesn't mean he's gone," Skylar said, his voice sharp.
He looked at the desk.
At the League badge still sitting where Ash had left it years ago.
"I've seen Ash battle. You don't erase someone like that. You don't erase him."
Around the World
In Hoenn, Steven watched from the top of a tower, knuckles white on the railing.
In Sinnoh, Cynthia stood beneath a temple ruin, aura pendant glowing faintly.
In Unova, Iris shouted at the TV before storming out of the room.
Across Kanto and Johto, people stared at their screens.
Some cried.
Some raged.
Some simply sat, numb.
And everywhere… Shadow began to move.
Their insignia now public.
Their operatives taking "positions of authority."
The world was shifting.
And with Ash gone—there was no Champion to challenge it.
Far Away – Deep Mountains, Unknown Region
Wind howled through high peaks.
Snow lashed the crags.
But within a cave—sealed with psychic energy and insulated by aura—there was firelight.
Ash sat on a mat of dried straw, breathing slow and deep.
Lucario meditated near the entrance.
Pikachu slept by the fire.
Ash's arms were wrapped in fresh bandages. His chest rose and fell with effort, but his eyes were clear.
Focused.
He reached for his PokéDex.
Turned it on.
No signal.
Only static.
He looked out through the narrow slit of the cave toward the open sky.
And said quietly:
"…They really did it."
He lowered his gaze.
"They told the world I'm dead."
Lucario opened one eye but said nothing.
Ash's hand curled into a fist.
"…Then let them believe it."
"Because when I come back…"
He looked to the fire, eyes glowing faintly blue.
"I'll bring the truth with me."