After walking for some time without meeting any dangerous Pokémons, Kay and Player 27 began to notice a change in their surroundings.
There were rays of sunlight breaking through the trees ahead, shining brightly from what seemed to be an open area just past a few more trees.
Kay slowly raised his hand, signaling Player 27 to stop. Then, he looked at Eevee and spoke in a low voice, "Eevee, I want you to go ahead and check the area. Make sure it's safe."
Understanding the situation, Player 27 also ordered his Cubone to follow Eevee, just to be sure they were prepared for anything.
The two Pokémons stepped forward cautiously, moving between the trees and disappearing into the light.
A few seconds later, Kay and Player 27 followed them closely, still keeping their steps quiet and careful.
As Kay gently moved aside the last tree in front of him, his eyes widened in amazement. What he saw completely took his breath away.
Before them was a wide, crystal-clear lake. The sun was shining directly on its surface, making it sparkle like diamonds.
On the far side of the lake, the light had created a small but perfect rainbow. The whole scene looked like something from a dream.
Even more impressive was the number of wild Pokémons peacefully drinking from the water.
They weren't fighting or running, just calmly sharing the space in harmony, as if this place was sacred.
Kay stood there for a moment, unable to move. He leaned on a nearby tree, completely mesmerized by the beauty in front of him.
His eyes were wide open, and his mouth was slightly open too. For the first time since entering the dungeon, he felt peace.
Player 27 noticed the way Kay was frozen, so he walked up to him and coughed to get his attention. "Do you think you're at a zoo or something?" he whispered sharply. "Wake up. This is the most dangerous place you've ever been in your life."
Kay blinked and snapped out of his daze. He laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head, saying, "Yeah… sorry. I just forgot myself for a second."
But then, Kay's face turned serious again. He started scanning the area, trying to observe the types of Pokémons at the lake, their strength, and how many there were.
He quickly noticed that many of them were Psychic and Normal types. Some of the Pokémons he saw included Eevees, Rattatas, Slowpokes, and even Slowbros.
To his surprise, he even spotted a Slowking, a Pokémon that, in this world, hadn't been discovered yet.
Then Kay saw something that shocked him even more: Espeons. Not just one Espeon, but three of them.
They were moving gracefully around a group of Eevees, which seemed to follow them like little siblings.
Kay couldn't believe his eyes. Espeon was an evolved form of Eevee that wasn't discovered in this world yet as well. It was clear that this dungeon was home to some very special Pokémons.
While Kay was still watching the Espeons with great interest, Player 27 spoke up. "This lake is too open," he said. "If we go out there to collect water, we'll definitely be seen."
Kay nodded slowly. Player 27 was right. The distance between the trees and the lake was too big.
Running through that open space without being noticed was nearly impossible. The wild Pokémons might think they were enemies and attack immediately. Kay started thinking hard, trying to come up with a plan.
After a few minutes of silence, Kay suddenly clapped his hands lightly. "I got it," he said. "We have two options. The first is to wait until nightfall and hope that no nocturnal Pokémons come here to drink water. That way, we can move more safely in the dark."
Player 27 looked at him and waited for him to continue.
Kay understood and added, "The second option is to send our Pokémons with empty bottles. They'll go out there pretending to be wild Pokémons and fill the bottles with water while blending in."
Player 27 nodded slowly. "That could work… but I didn't see any Growlithes or Cubones here since we entered the dungeon. It might be suspicious if they go out there."
Kay agreed and said, "Exactly. So, we'll only use Eevee. There are many Eevees here, so my Eevee will blend in easily without causing alarm."
Player 27 turned to Kay and spoke in a serious tone, "I think the second plan is the only one that could actually work. Waiting until night to collect water would be way too dangerous. We don't know what kind of nocturnal Pokémon might come out, and we might not even see them before they strike."
Kay nodded in agreement. "Yeah, exactly what I was thinking," he replied. "If a night Pokémon sees us before we even realize it's there, it could be game over. We'd be risking our lives just for water."
The two of them stood silently for a few seconds, both fully aware that sending Eevee alone was a big risk, but Kay had no other choice.
Kay slowly kneeled down beside Eevee. He gently held out a water bottle and looked into Eevee's eyes with determination.
"Buddy, I need your help," he said calmly. "Take this bottle, go to the lake, and try to fill it up for us. It's really important. You're the only one who can do it without raising suspicion."
Eevee wagged its tail and nodded eagerly, its eyes sparkling with pride. It let out a confident cry, "Eevwee! Eevwee!" clearly happy to be trusted with such an important task.
It clutched the bottle in its small jaw and began slowly creeping toward the edge of the forest, careful not to make any noise or draw attention.
But just as Eevee was about to step out from the tree line into the open space near the lake, a sudden loud and sharp cry echoed through the air.
It was a piercing sound that startled everyone. Kay and Player 27 froze. Even their Pokémons flinched in fear.
The sound was so powerful that it made Kay's heart pound as he turned his head toward the lake to identify the source.
As his eyes scanned the sky above the lake, he saw something that left him speechless; a massive Pokémon with wide wings and a thick, powerful body was flying over the lake.
It had bright orange scales, two long antennae on its head, and a confident, almost royal presence.
It was a Dragonite, and from its movements and aura, Kay could tell that this Dragonite was extremely strong, far stronger than any Pokémon they had seen so far.
Unfortunately, the Dragonite was too far away for Kay to use the system to read its status page, but just its appearance alone sent chills down his spine.
As soon as the Dragonite appeared above the lake, every single Pokémon that had been peacefully drinking from the water fled the area in fear.
Even the ones that seemed strong, like Slowking and Espeon, didn't try to stand their ground; they simply ran.
Within seconds, the lake was empty, and the only creature left was the Dragonite, who hovered slowly down toward the ground.
As Dragonite reached the edge of the lake, something even more shocking happened. A man appeared, riding on the back of the Dragonite.
He looked to be in his forties, with a mature, experienced face. He jumped down from Dragonite's back with smooth movements, walked to the water, and pulled out several bottles, which he calmly filled.
After filling the bottles, he climbed back onto Dragonite's back, but before flying away, he suddenly turned his head and looked directly toward the trees where Kay and Player 27 were hiding.
Even though they were hidden behind the tree line, his sharp eyes seemed to cut through the forest.
That look alone made Kay stumble backward and fall to the ground. His body trembled from the sheer pressure of the man's gaze.
It was as if the man had sensed their presence without even seeing them. However, despite that terrifying moment, the man didn't attack or even approach them.
He simply turned his head away, as if deciding they weren't worth his attention, and gave Dragonite the signal to fly.
As the man disappeared into the sky, Kay finally got back on his feet, his legs still shaky. He turned to Player 27 and noticed something strange.
While Kay had been overwhelmed by the man's aura, Player 27 didn't seem affected at all.
In fact, Kay felt a strange pressure coming from him instead. For a split second, he could swear that Player 27's presence was... different, stronger, darker.
But just as Kay was about to say something, Player 27 noticed him looking, and the strange feeling suddenly vanished, as if it had never been there.
Kay shook his head, trying to focus, but something about that encounter didn't sit right with him.
Two things about the mysterious trainer stood out. First, he had bottles that looked exactly like the ones given to them by the tournament organizers, which meant he was likely a participant in the same deadly tournament.
Second, his uniform looked almost identical to theirs, except it was gold instead of the standard green color.
Kay had no idea what that meant. Was he from a special group? Was he a champion or someone above the regular players? None of it made sense.
See you in the next chapter...
Drop some Power Stones....