The candle had gone out.
Ren sat in the darkness of the sixth floor, his notebook still open across his lap. The Tower's silence was not empty it was alive. Each shadow shifted slightly, stretching unnaturally against the walls as if unseen hands tugged at them.
The others slept restlessly behind him. Ash snored lightly, Misty curled under her blanket, Brock sitting upright in meditative half-sleep. Even Cael had dozed off, though her Machop sat watch at her side.
Ren stayed awake, his gaze locked on the far corner of the chamber. He didn't need Ghastly to warn him. He knew.
"You can come out," Ren murmured, his voice soft but steady.
A faint shimmer answered. Like oil rippling across stone, the shadows bent and twisted until two small eyes glowed from within.
The form stepped forward, half-hidden, half-there: a small figure wreathed in smoke, its body fading into mist, its eyes burning with a strange green fire. It was barely taller than Pikachu, but its presence made the air heavier than Onix's boulder body.
Marshadow.
Ren exhaled slowly, steadying his pulse. Of course he knew what it was. In his old life, he had seen its sprite on game screens, read its Pokédex entries, the Gloomdweller Pokémon, born from shadows, a mythical ghost-fighting hybrid. He had never expected to meet it here, not in Kanto, but… of course it made sense. Lavender Tower was the perfect cradle.
And now, those glowing eyes studied him.
The voice from before came again, not aloud but inside his head.
"Do you seek to walk among shadows?"
Ren's lips curved faintly. "I already do."
The air thickened. The shadows stretched, coiling around the chamber like ropes of smoke. Ghastly rose beside Ren, eyes narrowed, tongue flicking in anticipation.
Marshadow drifted closer, its tiny fists clenched. The weight of its presence pressed down, not crushing, but testing.
Ren stood, pocketing his notebook. "So this is the trial, then. Not words, but will."
Marshadow tilted its head, then dropped into a stance, fists raised like a fighter.
"Battle, huh?" Ren smirked. "Fine. Ghastly, let's dance."
The room seemed to melt. Gravestones bled into shadow, the floor rippling like liquid darkness. Ren realized they were no longer in the physical Tower, Marshadow had pulled them into a realm of shadows, an illusion as real as flesh.
Ghastly hissed in excitement, its gaseous form expanding and contracting.
Marshadow moved first. With blinding speed, it darted forward, its fist glowing with spectral energy, Shadow Punch.
"Phase left!" Ren snapped.
Ghastly blurred, dispersing into mist just as the punch tore through where it had floated. The force of it cracked the shadow-floor like glass.
Marshadow spun instantly, following up with a sudden Feint Attack. Its fist struck true, grazing Ghastly even in mist form, forcing it to solidify with a cry.
Ren gritted his teeth. Of course. Fighting and Ghost in one. Direct power and deception combined.
"Counter, Hypnosis!"
Ghastly's eyes glowed, sending spiraling rings of psychic haze toward Marshadow. For an instant, the mythical faltered… but then its green fire flared, and it slid sideways into the shadows themselves, vanishing completely.
"Shadow Sneak," Ren muttered. His chess-mind calculated instantly. "He'll aim for the flank. Ghastly double back with Night Shade, wide arc!"
Ghastly shrieked, unleashing beams of spectral light in a sweeping radius. One struck true Marshadow erupted from the darkness, wincing.
But it wasn't down. Its tiny frame moved like water, slipping past Ghastly's mist, fists blazing. Spectral Thief.
The punch hit Ghastly square, draining its energy and using it in return. Ghastly reeled, its gaseous form flickering.
Ren's heart raced not in fear, but exhilaration. A mythical. Stronger than anything I've faced. But every fighter has a rhythm…
He replayed the last few exchanges in his head like a chessboard. Fast, opportunistic, feints into power. Predictable if you don't panic.
He raised his voice, calm and sharp. "Ghastly. Center line. Draw him in."
Ghastly steadied, hovering directly in front of Ren, eyes locked.
Marshadow hesitated, then lunged again.
"Now, Confuse Ray!"
Ghastly's eyes flashed blinding light. Marshadow flinched, weaving but faltering, its movements jagged for the first time.
"Follow, Lick!"
Ghastly's long tongue lashed out, crackling with ghostly energy. It struck Marshadow across the chest. The mythical staggered, smoke rising from its body.
Ren clenched his fist. "Yes. Pressure him, don't give space!"
Marshadow snarled, green fire blazing higher. It punched forward with another Shadow Punch, shattering the air itself. Ghastly took the blow, gasping but Ren was already moving.
"Now! Hypnosis again overlap with Night Shade!"
Ghastly's eyes burned, spirals spinning overlaid with a beam of ghostly force. The double-strike caught Marshadow mid-step, staggering it. Its flames flickered, its eyes narrowing.
For the first time, the mythical looked… amused.
The realm of shadows flickered. Marshadow lowered its fists, smoke curling gently from its form. The green fire dimmed to a soft glow.
Ren exhaled, chest heaving. Ghastly panted in its gaseous way, its form sagging.
"You're strong," Ren admitted quietly. "But not unbeatable. You fight with instinct. I fight with foresight. Together, we'd be unstoppable."
Marshadow studied him. The silence stretched then the shadows rippled again, and a Poké Ball appeared at Ren's feet. Not thrown, not dropped. Simply… offered.
Ren froze. His pulse hammered.
Slowly, he bent down and picked it up. The ball was ice-cold in his palm, etched with faint green shimmer.
He met Marshadow's gaze. "You're sure?"
The mythical gave a single, slow nod. Then it drifted forward and tapped the ball itself.
Click.
The sound echoed like thunder in the hollow dark. The shadows collapsed. The realm faded and Ren was back in the Tower, candlelight flickering again as if no time had passed.
The Poké Ball pulsed once, twice… then stilled.
Ren stared at it for a long moment. His lips curled into a rare, genuine smile.
"…Welcome home."
Ghastly floated beside him, eyes wide with awe. Ren stroked its misty head. "Don't tell the others. Not yet. They wouldn't understand."
He tucked the Poké Ball into his coat, hidden deep. His mind was already racing. Oak would be floored. Agatha… would be delighted. Too delighted. He couldn't let her know not yet.
Ash stirred in his sleep, mumbling something about Pikachu. Cael shifted slightly, Machop grunting.
Ren glanced at them, then back at the shadows. The Tower was quiet again.
But deep inside, he could still feel it: a second heartbeat, pulsing in rhythm with his own. Marshadow's presence, lingering in his soul.
He closed his eyes. For the first time in this world, he felt not like a visitor, not like a reincarnated stranger… but like someone chosen.
The shadows whispered around him, almost like a lullaby.
And Ren slept, the Poké Ball warm against his chest.