Noctopolis Gym didn't look like a battlefield.
It looked like a cathedral holding its breath.
When the doors shut behind Cyrus, the echo rolled through the cavernous chamber like a sigh from the stones themselves. Stained-glass panes loomed overhead, casting long ribbons of deep violet and moonlit silver across the pews.
His boots clicked softly on the marble aisle. Every sound carried.
Something tinkled faintly… like distant bells.
Cyrus paused. Looked over his shoulder.
Nothing.
Just the empty cathedral.
But the air had the faint, mischievous shimmer he'd come to associate with the unseen presence stalking him for the past month. Hoopa wasn't visible — not even a silhouette in a reflection — but Cyrus could feel it the way you feel static on the back of your neck.
A ripple under reality itself.
Great, he thought. Perfect timing.
He exhaled, pushed forward, and approached the front alcove.
A robed attendant materialized from behind a column, candlelight catching on the embroidered sigils along their sleeves.
"Challenger Cyrus King," the attendant murmured, voice drifting like smoke. "The first spirit awaits you. Pass this threshold, and the path to the inner sanctum opens."
Cyrus unclipped a Pokéball."I'm ready."
The attendant raised theirs, releasing a swirling shape that materialized midair in a flicker of ghostly blue.
Opponent: Shuppet
Shuppet bobbed up and down mockingly, its single eye narrowing before it swooped low around Cyrus, brushing cold air past his cheek.
Ceruledge materialized in a burst of blue fire, swords humming as they slid free from its arms.
Cyrus steadied himself for the first command, and a faint, childish giggle echoed from somewhere behind the stained glass.
He stiffened. Not again.Not now.
He forced his focus forward.
The attendant lifted two fingers."Shuppet — Phantom Force."
Shuppet dissolved into smoke and vanished.
"Ceruledge — Circle Guard!"
Ceruledge spun its blades, a ring of azure flame whirling outward. Shuppet erupted from the floor behind him — only to be blasted back by the spinning heat, its body flickering from the failed ambush.
A soft, faraway hum drifted through the rafters. A little chiming, like someone shaking decorative bells for amusement.
Cyrus ground his teeth. Stay focused.
The attendant swirled their sleeve."Confuse Ray."
The golden spiral darted toward Ceruledge, weaving through pews like a hunting serpent.
"Ghost Blade!"
Ceruledge cut straight through the twisting ray, splitting it into harmless motes that drifted away like dust in sunlight.
Behind Cyrus, in the stained glass depicting wandering spirits, one of the silhouettes flickered — smiling for an instant before returning to normal.
Hoopa was definitely watching.
Invisible. Uninvited. Enjoying himself.
"Will-O-Wisp!"
Purple flame tossed itself forward in a ghostly arc.
"Bitter Blade!"
Ceruledge lunged, sliding between pews with deadly grace. Its flaming blades carved through the incoming wisp before cleaving directly into Shuppet's core. Blue fire spiraled upward, siphoning Shuppet's energy in a brilliant flare.
Shuppet twirled once, eyes spiraling… and dropped like a marionette with cut strings.
The attendant bowed."The first trial is complete. Proceed to the next chamber."
The massive oak door behind the altar creaked open, shadows curling at its edges like a breath.
Cyrus inhaled deeply.A tiny, delighted giggle echoed from somewhere impossibly far… or impossibly close.
He ignored it.
And walked into the dark.