Noctopolis didn't wake up so much as it shifted.Fog rolled low over the cobblestone streets, swirling around streetlamps shaped like skeletal candelabras. The city's old quarter—Shadowreach—loomed ahead, where every building seemed a little too tall, a little too narrow, a little too eager to lean over the street and listen.
And in the center of it all stood the Noctopolis Gym.
Calling it a gym felt… inaccurate.
It was a cathedral carved from blackstone, its stained-glass windows depicting ghost-type Pokémon in twisting poses, lit from within by cold violet light. A bell tower spiraled into the fog like a crooked finger.
Cyrus let out a slow breath."So this is it."
Next to him, Kina would've made some crack about gothic architecture, but Kina was halfway across the region by now. He was alone today.
Well… not really.
Ditto perched on his shoulder like a blue blob-parrot, humming in that wiggly way it did when excited.Gengar had already vanished, probably phasing through walls for fun.Ceruledge stood tall at Cyrus's right side, silent and poised.Tyrunt gnawed on a railing post until Cyrus tapped its snout.Meltan rolled behind them like a dropped metal marble.
Bloodmoon Ursaluna brought up the rear, enormous, solemn, and still healing, but strong enough to walk at his side.
Together they looked less like a challenger's team and more like a paranormal SWAT unit.
A soft giggle danced through the air.
Cyrus stiffened."Hoopa?"
Nothing appeared. No ring shimmer. No musical echo.Just fog drifting.
Hoopa was hiding. Watching.Great.
Cyrus pushed open the cathedral doors.
They groaned like something dying.
The entry hall stretched out before him—vaulted ceilings, long candle rows that should've flickered but somehow burned perfectly still, and murals of spectral Pokémon chasing human shadows across the stone.
A receptionist floated down from the rafters.
Literally floated.
It was a Froslass wearing a gym attendant sash, holding a clipboard. She smiled.
"Welcome… challenger." Her voice echoed like it came from behind Cyrus. "State your name."
"Cyrus King."
Ceruledge drifted slightly closer to him, protective.Bloodmoon Ursaluna lifted its head, snorting.
The Froslass scribbled something with an icicle quill.
"You may proceed. The Leader awaits in the Sanctum."
"Cool. Which way—?"
All the candles flickered at once, and the cathedral doors behind him slammed shut with a boom.
Froslass pointed toward a tall archway that hadn't existed a moment ago.
Of course.
"Great," Cyrus muttered. "Illusion puzzles already."
Ditto morphed into a tiny, smug Gengar and floated ahead.Tyrunt chased after it, nipping the air.Meltan pinged against the floor tiles with a metallic clank.
Up ahead, the Sanctum doors creaked open just enough for a misty hand to wave him forward.
Ceruledge stepped between Cyrus and the doorway, blades low.
"Easy," Cyrus whispered. "They're just setting the mood."
He hoped.
The Sanctum
The Sanctum was shaped like a vast circular chamber, its domed ceiling painted with a cosmic swirl of stars and ghostly silhouettes. Floating lanterns drifted in slow orbits, shedding pale blue light.
And at the far end stood the Gym Leader.
A tall, angular man draped in dark robes, his hair a curtain of black-blue. His eyes glowed faint violet behind thin spectacles. Three ghost Pokémon hovered around him like ministers—Mismagius, Banette, and a massive Chandelure burning with cold fire.
"Cyrus King," the Leader said softly, voice reverberating in the chamber. "We've been expecting you."
Cyrus blinked. "…We?"
Mismagius smiled with far too many teeth painted on its gem.
The Leader stepped forward."I am Elias, Keeper of Shadows and Leader of the Noctopolis Gym. I understand you seek the Wraithmark Badge."
Ceruledge moved like a shadow to Cyrus's side.Gengar appeared upside down from the ceiling.
Elias's gaze swept the team."Your ghosts are unruly," he murmured. "Your blades, disciplined. Your titan beast wounded. And your… Meltan is eating my doorframe."
Cyrus turned.Sure enough, Meltan was chewing happily on decorative metal trim.
"Meltan! Stop that!"
Elias waved a hand. "It is of no consequence. This gym values chaos."
Great. Perfect. Love that for him.
He stepped closer—too close—and peered into Cyrus's eyes.
"There is something else with you," Elias said. "Something… older. Watching."
A chill ran through Cyrus's spine.
Hoopa giggled faintly in the shadows overhead.
Cyrus swallowed. "I know."
Elias's lips twitched. "Good. Awareness is the first step to surviving this battle."
He extended a pale hand and gestured to the arena circle etched into the stone floor.
"Come, Cyrus King," Elias said. "Let us see if your ghosts obey your will… or if they'll turn on you when the shadows grow deep."
Curling wisps of fog formed around the arena.
Ceruledge's blades ignited.Gengar's grin sharpened.Ditto bounced in place.Bloodmoon Ursaluna loomed protectively.
And from somewhere unseen—
A tiny giggle rang out like silver bells.
"Heeheehee~ Showtime, Cyrus…"
Cyrus clenched his fist.
"Yeah," he whispered."Let's do this."