Chapter 5: The Trial of the Dead
Midnight Bell
The bell of
Nowhere Gym
echoed across
Nowhere City.
One deep chime.
Then silence.
The streets emptied instantly.
Doors closed.
Lantern flames dimmed.
Even the mist itself seemed to retreat.
Mira Looks Nervous
"…Why does it feel like the city just disappeared?"
Standing before the massive cathedral-like gym,
Elior exhaled slowly.
"…Because the trial is beginning."
The ancient doors creaked open on their own.
At the top of the staircase stood
Morrigan.
Her silver hair flowed gently despite the still air.
Her eyes reflected the pale moonlight.
"…Only challengers may enter."
Mira blinked.
"…Wait, what?!"
Morrigan nodded calmly.
"…The dead speak only to the one seeking answers."
Elior Steps Forward
Mira looked worried.
"…Be careful."
Elior smiled faintly.
"…I'll come back with the badge."
The doors shut behind him.
BOOOOM.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Then—
Blue flames ignited across the hall one by one.
The gym interior resembled an endless corridor of mirrors and gravestones.
Whispers echoed from every direction.
"What do you fear most?"
Elior turned sharply.
No one stood there.
A ghostly mist gathered before him.
Slowly—
A familiar figure emerged.
A younger version of himself.
Alone.
Weak.
Lost.
"You're not strong enough."
More shadows appeared.
Voices from his past.
Failures.
Defeats.
Doubts.
"You can't protect anyone."
"You'll lose them all."
"The abyss will consume everything."
Elior Clenches His Fist
"…No."
The shadows advanced.
The corridor darkened.
Suddenly—
The environment changed.
Elior now stood within the ruins from the Abyssion battle.
Broken stone covered the ground.
Blood stained the earth.
And before him stood
Umbrael
"…Tell me, Elior…"
"…If hope fails…"
"…what will you become?"
For a moment—
He could not answer.
Because deep down—
He feared that possibility himself.
A dark aura erupted behind him.
Eclipse Lunashade emerged beside Elior.
Its eyes glowed softly.
Not with rage.
But reassurance.
Elior Understands
He finally smiled.
"…Maybe I'll fail sometimes."
"…Maybe I'll lose people."
"…But I'll still keep moving forward."
The shadows froze.
"…Because that's what it means to believe."
The corridor trembled.
The ghostly figures slowly dissolved into light.
The whispers faded.
At the end of the hall—
A massive door opened.
Candles surrounded a battlefield of black stone.
At the center stood Morrigan.
Silent.
Waiting.
"…You passed the Trial of the Dead."
She raised a Poké Ball.
"…Now prove your heart in battle."
Ghostly flames spiraled around the arena as Morrigan declared:
"The Phantom Badge battle begins NOW."
And the journey continues.....