---
The night did not retreat after the second summoning.
It deepened.
The Uchiha training ground remained encased within Tomoe's layered barrier dome, its surface shimmering faintly like heat over summer stone. Torches burned in disciplined lines along the perimeter walls, their flames steady and controlled — nothing like the spectral magenta wisps still drifting lazily from Unohana's Shiny Hisuian Typhlosion.
Madara stood tall at the center, golden-orange flames of his Shiny Ceruledge casting sharp, armored shadows across the cracked earth. Unohana stood beside him, serene, Typhlosion's pale blue back fur glowing softly under moonlight.
Tajima leaned upon his cane, eyes half-lidded yet razor-aware.
Around them, the elders maintained a cautious formation:
Gendo — Sharingan faintly spinning.
Senzō — sealing tags half-prepared between his fingers.
Hoshirō — gaze scanning beyond the barrier's edge.
Raiken — arms folded, battle chakra restrained but ready.
Michizane — memorizing every phenomenon unfolding tonight.
Kaida — calculating resource implications even now.
Tomoe — maintaining the barrier with meticulous chakra control.
And before them all—
Izuna Uchiha.
The younger brother of Madara Uchiha.
Deputy Clan Head of Uchiha Clan.
Prodigy and The Rival of Tobirama Senju
He stood with arms crossed, impatience dancing in his dark eyes.
"Well?" Izuna tilted his head slightly toward Keiji. "You've made Father a knight and Mother a spirit priestess. What did you reserve for me?"
Keiji allowed himself a faint smile.
"Speed."
Izuna's grin sharpened.
"Good."
Gengar floated at Keiji's shoulder, upside down, grin wide.
This would be different.
---
The Atmosphere Shifts
The air grew thinner.
Not physically.
Spiritually.
The breeze that had earlier carried warmth from Ceruledge's fire now shifted colder, whispering through the trees surrounding the training grounds.
Unohana's Typhlosion tilted its head slightly.
Its magenta ghost flames pulsed once.
Ceruledge's twin blades flared faintly in response.
Madara's gaze flicked toward Keiji.
"This one feels different."
Keiji nodded slowly.
"It is."
He stepped forward, positioning Izuna at the center of the previous summoning circle — now faded but still faintly etched into the ground by residual chakra geometry.
"Uncle."
Izuna raised an eyebrow.
"Stand still."
Izuna smirked. "You make it sound like I'm about to be dissected."
"Only spiritually."
Gengar cackled silently.
---
System Activation
Keiji closed his eyes.
Within his mind—
[Pokémon System Active]
[Clan Integration Sequence: Third Node]
[Candidate: Izuna Uchiha]
[Compatibility Thread: 97.3%]
[Type Resonance: Ghost / Dragon]
[Destiny Vector: Duelist — Legacy Spear — Phantom Vanguard]
[Shiny Probability: Elevated — Prime Lineage Effect Active]
Keiji inhaled.
"Commence summoning protocol."
Chakra gathered beneath his feet.
Not fire.
Not wind.
Not lightning.
It felt like compressed momentum.
The ground began to hum.
Senzō stepped forward slightly.
"This chakra pattern… it's structured."
"Yes," Keiji replied without opening his eyes.
"This one requires spatial anchoring."
Tomoe reinforced the barrier's upper lattice instinctively.
Gendo's Sharingan spun faster.
Izuna's grin widened.
"Now this feels interesting."
---
The Third Summoning Circle
Unlike the previous circles, this one did not glow red or gold.
It appeared—
Then disappeared.
Then reappeared.
As if struggling to stabilize.
Lines of pale spectral blue traced themselves across the earth in complex geometry — overlapping triangles and elongated spear-like symbols radiating outward.
The air above the circle shimmered, not like heat, but like distorted space.
Hoshirō frowned.
"It's bending perception."
"Yes," Keiji murmured.
"This Pokémon is not merely spiritual. It is spatial."
Madara's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Explain."
"It moves faster than sight. Faster than conventional reaction."
Izuna laughed quietly.
"Perfect."
The circle pulsed once.
Then again.
Then—
A sound.
Not a roar.
Not a growl.
A sharp, high-pitched whistle — like a blade cutting through wind at impossible speed.
Raiken shifted stance.
Shiny Ceruledge's flames rose slightly.
Shiny Typhlosion's ghost flames lifted higher, sensing disruption.
The spectral lines brightened.
Then darkened.
Then—
Exploded outward in a burst of unknown ghostly-colored flame.
Not magenta like Shiny Typhlosion.
Not golden like Shiny Ceruledge.
This was different.
It was a strange, almost teal-violet blaze that flickered between visibility and invisibility, distorting the air in jagged ripples.
The shockwave did not scorch the ground.
But it erased sound for half a heartbeat.
Silence.
Absolute.
Then—
Something moved.
---
The Shape in the Flame
Within the swirling ghostly blaze, a long silhouette formed.
Sleek.
Elongated.
Its head narrow.
Twin horn-like fins trailing behind like aerodynamic blades.
Two smaller shapes perched upon its head—
Then vanished.
The elders blinked.
"What—?" Hoshirō muttered.
"I saw—" Raiken began.
But the shape flickered.
Then disappeared.
Izuna's eyes widened slightly.
For the first time tonight, he did not grin.
Keiji's Sharingan activated instinctively.
Gengar's grin vanished entirely.
There.
Within the distortion.
A long phantom dragon hovered, translucent and coiled midair.
Shiny Dragapult.
Its body a cool, slightly darker teal than standard form, with a subtle spectral sheen running along its sleek frame. Its triangular head bore two horn-like fins trailing backward like twin lances.
And resting upon its head—
Two small Dreepy.
Tiny dragon-ghost hatchlings.
Their eyes glowed faintly.
Time felt thinner around it.
Madara saw nothing clearly — only flickers.
Unohana narrowed her gaze.
Shiny Typhlosion's flames lifted higher.
Shiny Ceruledge stepped forward instinctively.
But the form refused full visibility.
It existed half-in, half-out.
[Summoning Stabilization: 72%]
[Spatial Instability Detected]
[Ghost-Dragon Phase Conflict]
Keiji clenched his jaw slightly.
"Hold."
Izuna's chakra flared unconsciously.
The phantom dragon's eyes snapped toward him.
Recognition.
Predatory intelligence.
And something else.
Approval.
The air split.
Without warning—
Shiny Dragapult's head tilted.
One of the Dreepy perched upon it opened its tiny mouth.
Then—
Shiny Dragapult launched it.
---
The Launch
The motion was instantaneous.
No visible preparation.
The Dreepy became a streak of ghostly energy — a living projectile.
Raiken's instincts screamed.
Gendo's Sharingan tracked—
Then lost it.
Hoshirō spun.
Senzō half-formed a seal.
But the Dreepy was gone.
Vanished mid-air.
Not dispersed.
Not destroyed.
Gone.
Only three individuals tracked its full arc:
Keiji.
Gengar.
Izuna.
Keiji saw the distortion ripple across space — a small tear in perception as the Dreepy phased between dimensions momentarily before reappearing behind Izuna's right shoulder.
Izuna felt it.
Not physically.
Mentally.
Like a blade testing range.
Gengar's eyes widened.
"That thing didn't miss."
The Dreepy hovered for one fraction of a second behind Izuna—
Then blinked out of visibility entirely.
The summoning circle destabilized further.
The larger silhouette of Shiny Dragapult flickered violently.
Tomoe shouted, "Stability failing!"
Keiji slammed chakra downward.
"Anchor!"
The circle flared brighter.
Teal-violet ghost flame spiraled upward in a pillar.
The silhouette sharpened—
Long body.
Broad, flat head.
Twin horn fins.
Hollow chest cavity glowing faintly with ghost energy.
But still not fully solid.
Madara stepped closer.
"What is it doing?"
Keiji answered quietly.
"Testing him."
Izuna did not move.
He grinned again.
"So that's your game?"
He released a pulse of controlled chakra.
Not aggressive.
Not defensive.
Invitation.
The air vibrated.
Shiny Dragapult's spectral outline solidified another degree.
The second Dreepy briefly became visible on its head — eyes gleaming.
But before full emergence—
The ghostly teal flame exploded outward once more.
A second shockwave.
Stronger.
The barrier dome rattled violently.
Tomoe strained.
Shiny Typhlosion's ghost flames rose high.
Shiny Ceruledge's golden blades ignited bright.
And
Shiny Dragapult's outline vanished entirely.
The circle collapsed into darkness.
Silence returned.
---
Aftermath
The ground was cracked in a perfect circular radius.
The air felt cold.
Madara's eyes burned toward Keiji.
"Explain."
Keiji exhaled slowly.
"It's incomplete."
Izuna tilted his head.
"No."
Keiji looked at him.
"It chose you."
Izuna smirked faintly.
"Then it can stop hiding."
Gengar drifted closer.
"It didn't hide."
Keiji nodded slowly.
"It phased."
Senzō stepped forward cautiously.
"Where did the projectile go?"
Keiji glanced toward Izuna.
Behind him, just at the edge of perception—
For a brief second—
A tiny Dreepy flickered into visibility.
Perched calmly upon Izuna's shoulder.
Then vanished again.
Only Izuna felt its faint, cold weight.
He smiled wider.
Madara noticed the shift in his brother's expression.
"What do you feel?"
Izuna answered without hesitation.
"Excitement."
The trees beyond the barrier rustled.
The night deepened further.
Somewhere unseen—
Something else had watched that launch.
Not spiritual.
Not Pokémon.
Something calculating.
Keiji felt it again.
The same unknown observer from earlier.
Stronger now.
Interested.
[External Surveillance Confirmed]
[Source: Unknown]
Gengar's grin did not return.
High above the treeline, in a blind spot between barrier layers, a faint distortion rippled — as if something had briefly tried to copy the Dreepy's phase pattern.
And failed.
---
End of the Chapter
---