Kay quickly packed his things and prepared to leave. He returned his two Pokémons, Eevee and Growlithe, into their Pokéballs, slung his bag over his shoulder, and took one last look at the luxurious room he had enjoyed the day before.
There was a calm sadness in his eyes, a soft wish that he could return here after the next game as a finalist.
With a quiet sigh, he stepped out, leaving behind the cozy warmth of the room that had given him and his Pokémons rare peace in this monstrous tournament.
The hallway leading to the main gathering hall felt colder than usual, as if it carried the tension of what was about to come.
When Kay arrived, he noticed several other players already present. Some stood in silence, arms folded, while others whispered to one another in hushed tones, trying to hide their nervous energy.
The guards, wearing their usual Cubone masks, stood watchfully around the perimeter, not moving a muscle.
Minutes later, the large iron door at the front of the hall creaked open with a long, grating sound. All heads turned.
The Marowak-masked man entered, walking with the same measured steps and calm confidence he always carried.
Behind him were five more men wearing Cubone masks, each one silent and stiff like a statue.
The Marowak man stopped in front of the group, his eyes scanning them from behind his mask, as if counting each soul and measuring their strength.
"I hope you enjoyed your stay in the luxurious rooms, because what comes next will be very difficult," he said with a low, unreadable tone.
His words cut through the silence like a blade. The players stood straighter now, their expressions hardening.
The man continued, his voice echoing across the hall. "It's time to reveal the rules of the fourth game; the game that stands before the final challenge."
He paused, letting that sink in before announcing, "In this next game, fighting other F-rank players is strictly prohibited; that's the first rule. This will be a survival challenge. You will be entering the dungeon you heard about yesterday, and you will remain there for five full days."
Almost immediately, one player raised his hand and asked the question that had likely formed in everyone's minds, "Five days based on time in the human world or the dungeon's internal time?"
Kay nodded to himself, silently agreeing. It was a good question. Time often flowed differently in dungeons; spending two days inside was equal to only one hour outside.
The Marowak man answered, "As I said, this dungeon is not like the others. Humans created it, and because of its unstable nature, time inside the dungeon runs just like it does here in the human world. Five days in there equals five days out here."
A faint murmur passed through the players as they absorbed that information. They were all confused because it was the first time for every one of them to hear such a thing.
Then, the Marowak-masked man added coldly, "The game can end early if, during those five days, all but two players die. If that happens, the last two standing will automatically qualify for the final round without needing to complete the five days."
That revelation stunned everyone. The rule was brutally simple, almost too simple. Just survive. Kay instantly understood the reason behind it.
They needed to ensure there were enough survivors for a final game. The VIPs who were watching everything unfold behind the scenes wouldn't accept an anticlimactic end to this tournament. They wanted a showdown. A dramatic final match to watch.
Still, something in that rule was open to interpretation. If fighting was forbidden, but the goal was to survive for five days or to be among the last two alive, then wouldn't teaming up with other players still play a role in succeeding in this game?
Kay wondered how much the organizers would tolerate. One thing was clear to him: surviving alone for five days in a place like that would be nearly impossible. Forming a team, even temporarily, might be the smartest and safest move.
The Marowak man continued, "You should also know that this dungeon is unlike any other you've faced. Unlike the first game, there are no limits to the rank of Pokémons you may encounter. Bronze. Silver. Maybe even stronger. Anything could appear. Even we couldn't predict the rank of Pokémons or control it."
At that, the hall seemed to grow colder. A shiver ran down Kay's spine. The idea that silver or even gold-tier Pokémons could be encountered inside made this mission sound more like a suicide march.
He glanced around, wondering which of these trainers he could possibly trust for such a task.
Maybe one or two had shown decency in the earlier games, but still, five days was a long time. Desperation could change anyone.
Another player hesitantly raised their hand and asked, "What exactly are we supposed to do inside the dungeon? Is there an objective or a task?"
The Marowak man turned his head slowly toward the speaker, then stared at him in silence for a moment that felt far too long. When he finally spoke, his voice was cold and final.
"Just stay alive for five days. That's all."
That simple sentence told Kay everything he needed to know. This wasn't a mission. This wasn't a treasure hunt or a challenge of strategy. This was survival in its rawest form.
Kay slowly raised his hand, his voice calm but clear as he asked, "What about food and water? We know that Pokémons inside dungeons usually vanish when they're defeated, so we can't rely on hunting them for food."
Even though Kay asked the question, deep inside, he already had a good guess about what the answer would be.
He wasn't asking only for himself, but also for the others, to make sure everyone heard it from the Marowak-masked man directly.
The man stood still for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Like I said earlier, this dungeon is not like the others. It's man-made, unstable, and very different. When a Pokémon is defeated in this dungeon, it does not vanish like in regular dungeons. The corpse remains."
Kay nodded as if to himself. That was exactly what he expected. Because time flowed normally in this dungeon, just like in the human world, Kay had already figured out that maybe the usual dungeon rules didn't apply here.
This dungeon was created by humans from the human world, so the laws inside were likely copied from the human world.
Then the Marowak man clapped his hands sharply, grabbing everyone's attention again. "With that, I think all the rules are now clear. I'll leave you to prepare and plan for the game ahead."
He turned and began walking toward the large door that led to the back room. But just before stepping through, he paused. His body stayed facing forward, but he turned his masked head slightly to the side.
A grin was carved clearly into the mouth of the Marowak mask, and his voice echoed with a strange mixture of amusement and cruelty.
"Also, you are not allowed to leave this hall tonight. You will sleep here. If you want to return to your luxurious room, then survive the next game."
Then he disappeared behind the door.
Kay remained standing, silent for a moment, taking in everything that had been said. He let out a quiet sigh and thought to himself, 'They want us to form teams… That's why they're keeping us all here. They know the next game is extremely dangerous.'
It was clear now. The organizers were pushing them to work together. If everyone had to sleep in the same room the night before the game, they'd have no choice but to speak to each other, to plan, maybe even to form alliances. It made sense.
A five-day survival mission in a dungeon filled with dangerous Pokémons of all ranks couldn't be done alone, not unless you were unbelievably strong or unbelievably lucky.
Kay knew he was strong, and his Pokémons were improving fast, but he was also realistic. Surviving alone for five days in unknown terrain wasn't smart.
Kay didn't want to reveal his true power, especially since he had two Pokémons, Eevee and Growlithe.
So Kay stood there, quietly thinking. His eyes slowly scanned the other players in the hall.
He began to consider each one of them: who looked trustworthy, who had strong Pokémons, and who might work well in a team without being too risky later on.
It was like a puzzle, and every piece mattered. He had to be smart, weigh the risks against the benefits, and make a careful decision.
See you in the next chapter...
Drop some Power Stones...