As the atmosphere grew quiet once more, all eyes locked onto the Marowak-masked man.
The players were ready, waiting for the next announcement with focused expressions. After the excitement and intensity of the special store, they knew that whatever came next would be serious.
The man stood in the middle of the base's hall, his voice calm and steady as he began to speak again, "The next game will be held in a very special location."
Whispers spread among the players. Kay narrowed his eyes, sensing that something unusual was coming.
The Marowak-masked man scanned the group, making sure everyone was listening, and then continued, "The next game will take place inside a dungeon."
At first, that announcement didn't impress many of the players. Most of them had years of experience with dungeon raids.
A player standing near the front crossed his arms and said aloud, "What's special about a dungeon? We've all raided hundreds of them. This is nothing new."
The man's gaze shifted toward the speaker, and he gave a slight smirk behind his mask. "If you would let me finish," he replied, voice sharper now, "you'd understand what's different about this one."
The players quieted, curiosity now mixing with tension.
"This dungeon wasn't discovered. It was created. Not by nature… not by the gates… but by humans. Scientists, to be exact. It was part of a research experiment."
As soon as those words were spoken, silence fell. Then came the shock. Eyes widened. Some players exchanged nervous looks. A few began whispering in disbelief.
Kay's heart skipped a beat. He stared at the man, stunned. A man-made dungeon? That idea alone was beyond anything he had imagined.
From what Kay knew before, dungeons were natural phenomena. They appeared when mysterious gates opened from the Pokémon world, allowing creatures and strange environments to enter the human realm. Dungeons were dangerous, chaotic, and completely out of human control.
But this was different.
Did they create another gate to the Pokémon world? Kay wondered. Or… did they build a world of their own from nothing?
Confused and curious, Kay asked the system in his mind, 'System, how can humans even create a dungeon? That doesn't make sense.'
The system responded in its calm, emotionless tone. "Naturally, dungeons are created when a Pokémon with a powerful Power Stone releases high levels of energy. The leader of a dungeon is often the source of its creation. If humans managed to find a Power Stone with an extremely high energy level, it's theoretically possible they could create one."
That made sense, but it also raised more questions. Kay was about to ask again, but the system kept talking, as if anticipating his thoughts.
"However, you should remember that this only works in the Pokémon world, where energy fills the air. In the human world, where energy is scarce, a Power Stone would need to be much, much stronger, perhaps equal to the power of a legendary Pokémon's stone. That's the only way a dungeon could form here."
Kay's eyes widened. A legendary Pokémon's Power Stone? That level of energy was almost impossible to obtain.
Kay could barely believe it. 'Did they really defeat a legendary Pokémon? Or did they somehow find its Power Stone without a battle?'
The thoughts were overwhelming. As he tried to process them, the Marowak-masked man raised his voice again, pulling everyone's attention back to him.
"There's something else you should know," he said, his tone more serious now. "The scientists who created the dungeon… lost control of it."
That sentence struck the crowd like lightning. The players fell silent once more, but this time with unease.
"No one could control what's inside anymore; the environment, the Pokémons, the layout, it could all be different from what was intended. This game won't be just a challenge… it will be the most dangerous one yet."
The gravity of the situation was clear. The players exchanged nervous glances, realizing this next game could be deadly. Kay could see the tension in their eyes, even the most confident players now hesitating.
"And one last detail," the Marowak-masked man added. "Originally, the scientists aimed to build a Psychic-type dungeon. But something went wrong during the process. Now, the dungeon's energy is unstable. It now had a mixture of Psychic and Normal-type energy. The results… are unpredictable."
As soon as the Marowak-masked man finished explaining where the fourth game would take place, one of the players raised his hand and asked loudly, "What about the rules of the game?"
His voice showed curiosity, but also caution, as everyone knew that the deeper they went into the tournament, the more dangerous things became.
The Marowak man replied calmly, "For now, that's all you should know. The rules will be revealed tomorrow." His tone made it clear that no further information would be shared at this moment.
Hearing that, Kay began to think quietly to himself. 'If the next game is inside a Psychic-type dungeon,maybe I could find clues or methods to evolve Eevee into Espeon.'
He knew that evolutions in this world required more than just stones or levels; they required many complicated things.
The evolution process in this world had a lot of varieties, which made it harder to discover new evolution paths, even for Kay, who knew the results before.
A dungeon filled with Psychic energy might be the perfect place to learn more about Eevee's future evolution.
While Kay was lost in thought, the Marowak man spoke again, this time in a more relaxed tone. "Since you are only two games away from discovering the winner, and you have made it this far, you all will now have access to your own private rooms."
Excited murmurs immediately spread through the group. The players were clearly happy with this new piece of news.
After sleeping in common areas and traveling together constantly, having a private space would be a big comfort.
The Marowak man pointed to a small door on the right side of the room. "Follow the guards through that door. You will find a hallway filled with numbered rooms. Your room number matches your current ranking."
He then added, "Each room also includes a private training area, where you can train with your Pokémon in peace."
Without waiting, the players stood up and began following the guards wearing Cubone masks.
Kay walked with them silently, his eyes observing everything. Once they passed through the small door, a long corridor came into view. On both sides of the hallway were many doors, each with a glowing number above it.
Kay walked down the hallway until he found door number 6. Standing in front of it was a guard who gave a small nod when he saw Kay approaching. Without a word, the guard opened the door and allowed him to enter.
Kay stepped inside and was immediately surprised by what he saw. The room was huge; much bigger than the bedroom he had back at his parents' home.
The floor was smooth and clean, the walls were painted in warm colors, and the lighting was soft and welcoming. It felt like a high-class hotel suite.
There was a large bed in the middle of the room with soft, white sheets and thick pillows.
Nearby, he saw a clean private toilet and a shiny shower room, separated by frosted glass.
But what really caught his attention were the two small pet houses on the side of the room, each clearly built for a Pokémon.
One pet house was designed with warm tones of brown and orange, clearly made for Growlithe.
It looked like a small cave with soft, heat-resistant padding inside, and the entrance had tiny flames painted around it.
The inside had a heat lamp that mimicked sunlight, perfect for a fire-type Pokémon to feel at home and relaxed.
The second pet house was much softer in color, with light purple and cream shades. It had a soft, round bed inside and a few small toys designed for comfort and play.
This house was clearly made for Eevee, who loved cozy and calm environments. There was even a small blanket inside, shaped like a tail, giving it an extra touch of cuteness.
Kay smiled as he looked at both houses. His Pokémons would be very comfortable here.
Then, he noticed another door to the right side of the room, just past the main entrance. Curious, he opened it and stepped inside. What he found was a large private training area.
The training space was very impressive. The floor was reinforced with different types of surfaces: one section was made of sand for ground-type training, another of padded stone for physical attacks, and a third was filled with artificial grass.
There were also many machines and tools placed around the room, dummies for target practice, moving targets, weight machines for strength exercises, and even a large screen for simulating battles.
Each corner of the training area was clearly marked for a different kind of workout. One part had floating blocks for agility training, another had scent trails for tracking practice, and another corner had floating orbs that moved randomly to help train reaction time.
Kay was very impressed by this training room.
See you in the next chapter...
Drop some Power Stones...