Marshadow emerged from the depths of the altar's shadow, its orange-red eyes glowing with a quiet intensity.
"Human, I am the proctor responsible for the Rainbow Hero Trial on Mt. Tensei," the spirit stated, its voice echoing with a hollow resonance. "I am Marshadow. You must defeat me before you are permitted to place the Rainbow Wing upon the altar."
"Once the wing touches the stone, a Rainbow Bridge will form, and the emissaries of Ho-Oh will descend. You must pass their tests before you can truly face the Master of the Skies."
Marshadow clapped its hands together, unleashing a barrage of Shadow Balls crackling with black electricity.
"I have already siphoned a portion of your Ditto's strength," Marshadow added confidently. "Now, show me your wisdom. Command your Ditto and try to overcome me. Though I should warn you—my power is immense. I can take on a dozen Pokémon of its kind at once."
Hearing this, Ditto was nearly white-hot with rage.
Ditto: This little grey smudge actually dares to look down on me?!
Fuming, Ditto's gelatinous body rippled violently. It split itself into three distinct entities. Moments later, two Genesect and one Sixteen-Winged Crobat stood atop the summit of Mt. Tensei. The Crobat's wings shimmered—one pair was gold and another silver, vibrating with the residual power of the legendary wings.
Marshadow stood frozen in shock.
Marshadow: This Ditto has... this kind of power? I moved too soon.
It realized the energy it had siphoned was a mere drop in the ocean of Ditto's potential.
Marshadow: Fine. It seems I must draw upon my hidden reserves.
A thick, black miasma erupted from Marshadow's body, and its headgear began to glow with a brilliant, neon-green light. When Marshadow's fighting spirit is fully ignited, it enters its Zenith Form. Its helmet, wrist guards, and collar flared up like green and yellow ghost-fire.
Feng Che watched as the spirit's aura intensified. "Ditto, use Odor Sleuth (Foresight)!"
The Sixteen-Winged Crobat's eyes flashed with a piercing yellow light. Marshadow's misty, ephemeral body suddenly became distinct and solid in the physical world.
In response, Marshadow became a green blur, slamming a fist into the Crobat with explosive force. The bat was sent hurtling through the air, smashing into the mountain's stone face and leaving a massive crater. It clawed its way out, wings tattered and covered in debris, and immediately used Roost. Golden motes of light flooded its body, knitting its cells back together while the stone fragments fell away.
Its predatory instincts were fully awakened. The Crobat became a purple streak of light, launching a Brave Bird. Its sixteen wings frictioned against the air, generating white-hot sparks that coalesced into a giant flaming phoenix wreathed in the power of the Rainbow Wing.
Meanwhile, Marshadow was locked in a brutal melee with the two Genesect. It found their "Ultra-Pure Iron" armor to be incredibly resilient, but it countered with a relentless Bullet Punch. Countless fist-shaped dents appeared on the armor faster than Ditto could repair them.
Normally, a Genesect would have been crushed, but these were Ditto's clones. Ditto redirected the kinetic energy of the punches into the ground, causing the earth to split into deep chasms as if it had been plowed by missiles.
Just then, the "Fire Phoenix" arrived. Marshadow turned and threw two heavy punches. The first dispersed the flames; the second sent the Crobat spiraling into the sky.
The effort drained Marshadow significantly. It panted, feeling its energy reserves dip. But in that brief moment of distraction, it looked back to find the two Genesect completely repaired and unscathed. Marshadow was so frustrated that literal smoke began to rise from its head.
"Alright, Ditto, stop playing around. Let's finish this. Use your ultimate Genesect form and end the fight!" Feng Che shouted.
Ditto's three clones rushed together, merging into a single, magnificent Ultimate Genesect.
Marshadow: It can merge its forms?! The spirit was dumbfounded. Marshadow: Still, I won't go down that easily!
Marshadow lunged with another Bullet Punch, but the new Genesect vanished.
Marshadow: So fast! Its speed has doubled!
Genesect swung its monomolecular scythe-arms. Marshadow snickered and sank into the ground, vanishing into the shadows. The scythes hit nothing but air.
"Ditto, watch the shadow beneath your feet!"
A Shadow Ball erupted from Genesect's own shadow. Ditto reacted instantly, a Shadow Claw slicing the orb in half. The resulting explosion cratered the ground.
"Fly high! Stay away from the surfaces!" Feng Che commanded.
Genesect's thrusters roared, propelling it into the sky. Marshadow flickered through the shadows on the ground below. Suddenly, the black miasma from its body began to spread, infecting the wild Pokémon living on the peak.
One by one, the mountain's residents—Primeape, Fearow, and Golem—turned toward Feng Che, their eyes glowing a manic crimson as they lost all reason.
"This is Marshadow's soul-manipulation," Feng Che noted to Mewtwo. "It's turning them into mindless puppets."
It was as if Marshadow had opened Pandora's Box. Everywhere the shadow passed, madness followed. A wall of frenzied Pokémon began to charge toward Feng Che, roaring for blood.
The trial has turned into a chaotic brawl. Should Feng Che use his "Dragon Force" to suppress the madness of the wild Pokémon, or have his Ultimate Genesect ignore the minions and focus on a "Techno Blast" finish for Marshadow?