As the light faded, Winona, Zinnia, and Steven each claimed their rewards. Winona's eyes sparkled as she clutched the Wind God Crystal she had so desperately sought. They had each completed their battles in under half an hour.
Finally, it was Feng Che's turn. A Noctowl shimmered into existence in the center of the arena.
This was no mere statue, but a living guardian that had inhabited these ruins for a millennium. Its plumage was a striking deep red, with six golden triangular patterns on its chest. Its beak and talons were a soft pale pink, and its brow featured a sharp, cream-colored 'V' shape.
Most notably, its eyes pulsed with a faint, rhythmic blue light.
Pokémon: Noctowl (Shiny, Psychic-Awakened) Gender: Female Potential: Excellent (Green) Ability: Keen Eye Level: 68 Type: Normal / Flying (Awakened Psychic sub-traits) Status: Just Woke Up Evaluation: A thousand-year guardian of the ruins. Its accidental awakening of Psychic powers makes it an invaluable subject for research.
"A Quasi-Heaven-tier Noctowl with awakened Psychic abilities... I suppose only you are fit for this," Feng Che muttered. "Go, Greninja!"
Greninja materialized, its eyes narrowing as it appraised the ancient bird. It could sense the immense pressure radiating from the Noctowl.
Greninja: Another powerhouse. Good. Let's see if your psychic tricks work on a shadow.
Greninja's hands blurred as it launched two Water Shurikens.
Noctowl: (Yawning) So sleepy... Why did the ruins call me up now? This frog looks annoying.Noctowl: Maybe I'll just go through the motions, let him 'win,' and go back for another nap.
The Noctowl's eyes flashed blue. The Water Shurikens froze mid-air, suspended by an invisible force. With a lazy flap of its wings, the Noctowl sent the shurikens flying back toward Greninja. They embedded themselves in the stone at Greninja's feet, dissolving into harmless puddles.
Throughout the entire movement, the Noctowl made no sound. Its wings were perfectly silent.
"Greninja, Ice Shuriken!"
Greninja raised its left hand, condensing a massive Water Shuriken. It then infused the orb with bone-chilling frost and—crucially—a swirl of black, malicious energy. By layering Dark-type energy over the ice, Greninja created an attack designed to pierce Psychic defenses.
The Noctowl, still mid-yawn, tried to use Confusion again. But this time, its mental grip slipped right off the dark-infused ice.
Noctowl: Wait, what? Dark energy?!
Startled, the Noctowl snapped awake. It performed a high-speed Aerial Ace, banking sharply to avoid the spiraling blade.
Noctowl: Too close! I almost lost my guard. I was going to let you win, but now you're just being rude!
Enraged, the Noctowl spread its wings and fired two Shadow Balls. Greninja responded by clenching its fist, causing the Ice Shuriken to shatter into hundreds of jagged, dark-coated shards that rained down on the bird.
The Noctowl countered with Air Slasher, creating a wall of vacuum blades that pulverized the ice fragments. The temperature in the arena plummeted as frost coated the floor.
The Noctowl dived, its talons crackling with black electricity as it used Shadow Claw. It lunged for Greninja's throat, but its claws passed through nothing but a fading blur.
A Double Team illusion.
The real Greninja appeared directly on the Noctowl's back. With a hand glowing with frozen energy, it slammed its palm into the bird's spine, instantly encasing the guardian in a block of ice.
As the Noctowl tumbled to the ground, wide-eyed and terrified, Feng Che flicked a Poké Ball. The red light consumed the bird before it hit the floor.
As I thought, the guardians here can be captured.
He picked up the ball and looked at the reward dropping from the ceiling: a shimmering Fairy Crystal.
The Final Vow
"Mew," Feng Che said, looking directly at the statue of the mythical Pokémon at the far end of the arena. "I wish to take the Final Trial."
The statue erupted in a blinding radiance. A small, pink, ethereal figure drifted out—a lingering consciousness left behind by Mew eons ago.
"You wish to face the end?" Mew's voice echoed in his mind, sounding like a playful child.
"I do," Feng Che nodded.
"Very well. To pass, you must defeat two entities created by the Unown. If you succeed, you gain the Unown themselves and every treasure left in these halls. If you fail, the rewards you have already earned will be stripped away."
Mew paused, its expression turning serious. "Regardless of the outcome, the ruins will collapse after this battle. Do you still accept?"
"I accept," Feng Che said without hesitation. You can't catch the wolf without entering the den.
"Then face the origin."
Mew snapped its fingers. Two Unown drifted down from the ceiling. As they hovered, they began to glow with a terrifying, primordial light. Their forms stretched and warped, absorbing the ambient energy of the ruins.
In a matter of seconds, the two tiny symbols had transformed into the illusory, yet powerful, forms of Ho-Oh and Lugia.