After hiding quietly for a long time, Kay finally felt that all the Bug-type Pokémons had gone inside the hollow.
He waited a few more seconds just to be sure, then slowly came out of the small hole where he had been hiding.
Without wasting time, he jumped down and left the hollow behind. But just as he thought he was safe, he suddenly came face-to-face with a Sewaddle.
It was the only one that had stayed outside. The two stared at each other for a split second, but before the Sewaddle could even react, Kay, startled and scared, hit it hard in the face with his foot. The small Pokémon flew off the branch and fell from the tree.
Kay stood there, shocked by what he had just done. He didn't mean to attack so fast, but fear had taken over his body.
His reflexes acted on their own. Feeling a mix of pride and relief, Kay climbed up a little and sat under a large leaf to rest.
His whole body was tired, and his mind was still spinning from everything that had happened inside that hollow.
He had spent too much time in there, and now he was worried that Player 27 might have already climbed to the top of the tree and come back down.
Climbing higher in his current state would be too dangerous. His body was sore, and his Pokémons were still hurt.
So, Kay decided it was better to go back down to the ground. He called out Eevee and Growlithe and started treating their injuries using the potions that were given to him at the start of the game. He carefully sprayed the potion on their wounds and helped them rest.
An hour passed. Kay sat far from the hollow, keeping an eye on it while his Pokémons slowly recovered.
From a distance, he saw that the group of Bug Pokémons had managed to save the queen and protect the eggs.
Even though he had started a fire near the nest, it looked like they put it out in time and protected their queen. Kay felt a little relief at that.
As the sun began to go down and the sky turned orange, Kay knew it was time to leave. Night was coming, and he didn't want to get stuck in the tree during the dark.
He began climbing down slowly, holding onto the branches carefully. After some minutes, he finally reached the ground again and walked toward the meeting place he had agreed on earlier with Player 27.
When Player 27 saw him, he looked surprised. Kay was covered in dirt, scratches and looked very tired.
Player 27 raised an eyebrow and asked, "What the hell happened to you? Did you go through all of that just to climb a tree and look for birds?"
Kay gave a tired laugh and then began to explain everything. He told Player 27 how he had entered the hollow so Growlithe could break through, but when he tried to go out after the breakthrough, he found himself trapped inside.
He explained how a whole herd of Leavanny had surrounded him and how he saw a powerful Leavanny queen guarding her nest after two Zangooses had attacked it.
As Kay continued to talk, Player 27's eyes grew wide in disbelief. He couldn't believe Kay had faced so much danger in such a short time.
Then Player 27 said, "Do you know that the Power Stone of the Leavanny queen could be sold for a lot of money?"
Kay laughed again and replied, "There was no way I could take that Power Stone. She was still very strong, even while injured. And even if I managed to beat her, I would've been attacked by her whole herd waiting outside. It would've been suicide."
Then Kay added, "Also, I wasn't able to reach the top of the tree. My Pokémons were too hurt from the battle, so I had to stop."
Player 27 nodded and said, "No problem. When I reached the top, I found a spot where a bunch of Flying-type Pokémons were circling in the sky. That must be where we need to go next."
Kay looked at Player 27 and said, "Nice, so should we go now, before it gets dark?"
Player 27 nodded and replied, "Yeah, I think that's a good idea. If we reach the place at night, we might be able to take some water without being seen by the Pokémons there."
Kay agreed and said, "So, let's go."
But then Player 27 added, "There's one problem. I don't think we can reach that place before night comes. It didn't look close when I saw it from the top of the tree."
Kay thought for a moment, then said, "Let's go anyway. When night comes, we can stop and make a camp somewhere on the way."
Player 27 smiled and said, "Yeah, that sounds good to me too."
The two of them started walking through the forest, heading toward the area where Player 27 had seen the Flying-type Pokémon flying in circles.
The sun slowly disappeared behind the trees, and soon, darkness started to take over the forest.
After about an hour of walking, it became harder and harder to see. Kay and Player 27 decided to stop and look for a place to set up camp before it got completely dark.
They searched carefully, trying to find a safe spot to spend the night. After a few minutes, Kay noticed a cave nearby.
But he immediately remembered the hollow he had entered earlier and how dangerous it had been.
He didn't want to make the same mistake again. Instead of going inside, he looked at Growlithe and said, "Can you check it out first? Use your nose and tell me if anything's living in there."
Growlithe barked and ran toward the cave entrance. It sniffed around for a few seconds, then quickly turned and came running back to Kay.
It barked again, louder this time, trying to explain something. Kay crouched down and listened to the sounds Growlithe was making.
After a few moments, he nodded, understanding the message. He turned to Player 27 and said, "A strong Pokémon lives in that cave. We should stay away to be safe."
Player 27 raised an eyebrow, a little impressed. He said, "Looks like you learned your lesson from earlier."
They both moved away from the cave and kept looking until they found a better place; a small hidden area under a medium-sized tree.
It looked safe, and there didn't seem to be any danger nearby. They checked the area carefully.
A few weak Pokémons were around, but they ran away when they saw the players coming. After making sure it was safe, they set up a simple camp under the tree.
Kay and Player 27 then agreed on something. They would let their Pokémons take turns watching over the camp during the night.
The night would be split into three parts, and each Pokémon would stay awake during its part to make sure nothing came close.
That way, both players could sleep the whole night without worrying too much. Even with the Pokémons watching over them, they decided to sleep only until dawn.
They didn't want to stay too long and risk being found by a strong wild Pokémon looking for food early in the morning.
See you in the next chapter...
Drop some Power Stones...