Houndour's trainer's eyes widened in horror as Eevee closed in on him. Panic surged through his body, and he instinctively turned to flee.
His heart pounded, and his breaths came out in ragged gasps, but before he could take more than a step, Eevee leaped onto him, slamming him to the ground with surprising force.
He let out a grunt as his back hit the cold stone floor, the weight of the small yet powerful Pokémon pinning him down.
Eevee's fur bristled, its fangs glowed ominously, and in the dim light of the corridor, its sharp eyes looked nothing short of merciless.
The trainer's breathing turned frantic as realization dawned on him. His lips trembled, trying to form words.
"No! Get off—!"
His words were cut short.
Eevee's jaws snapped shut around his neck. A sickening crunch echoed through the corridor as its fangs tore into flesh.
A choked gasp escaped the man's lips as his body jerked once, then went still. Blood gushed from the wound, pooling beneath his body. His eyes, once filled with fear and desperation, now stared lifelessly at the ceiling.
At the same moment, Houndour who had been running toward his trainer in a last-ditch effort to save him, skidded to a stop.
For a second, it was as if time had frozen. The darkness of the corridor cast shadows over the scene, and the only sound that filled the air was the faint sound of the dying player trying to enter some air into his lungs.
Houndour's gaze darted from its fallen trainer to Eevee, then back again. It took a hesitant step forward, sniffing the air as if refusing to believe what had just happened. And then something inside it snapped.
Houndour let out a furious, heart-wrenching howl. Its eyes turned bloodshot, its fur bristling as rage and sorrow consumed it.
Flames gathered in its mouth as it fired a scorching Ember attack straight at Eevee. The sudden burst of fire illuminated the dark corridor for a brief moment, revealing the pure fury on Houndour's face.
Eevee, still lingering over the dead trainer's body, barely had time to react before the flames engulfed it.
A pained yelp escaped its mouth as the impact sent it tumbling across the floor.
But even after landing, Houndour didn't attack again. Instead, it ran past Kay and Growlithe, ignoring everything else as it skidded to a stop beside its trainer's corpse.
The once-proud Pokémon lowered its head and nudged its trainer's face with its snout. No response.
Desperation crept into its movements as it grabbed its trainer's limp hand with its teeth, carefully placing it on its own head as if trying to coax him back to life.
But the hand slid off, dropping lifelessly onto the ground. Houndour let out a low whimper. It nudged him again, then again, but the reality was cruel and unforgiving; its trainer was gone.
Kay watched this pitiful display without a shred of sympathy. His eyes remained cold, his mind already calculating his next move.
He had no interest in the grieving Houndour. What mattered to him was the battle's conclusion. His voice, void of hesitation, echoed through the corridor.
"Growlithe! Double Kick! Eevee! Quick Attack!"
Houndour was still mourning when Growlithe lunged at it from behind. Before it could react, a powerful kick slammed into its ribs, sending it stumbling forward. The impact forced a bark from its throat.
As it tried to turn around, he felt another hit...
BAM!
The second kick struck its jaw, launching it into the air. Houndour yelped in pain as it crashed onto the ground, struggling to get up.
Its legs wobbled, its breathing ragged, but its fight wasn't over yet. It gritted its teeth, growling weakly, determined to avenge its fallen trainer.
Kay, however, had no intention of letting it continue.
"Eevee! Now!"
Eevee, moving at lightning speed, blurred through the corridor with Quick Attack. A second later, the force of Eevee's strike sent Houndour flying once more, slamming it hard against the corridor wall.
A deep thud echoed as dust rose from the impact. Its body crumpled to the ground. Its limbs twitched for a moment, then fell knocked out.
Kay narrowed his eyes. A few seconds passed. Houndour didn't move.
"Finish it," he ordered.
Without hesitation, Eevee walked up to the fallen Pokémon. It lowered its head, its fangs glowing once again.
A moment later, it sunk its sharp teeth deep into Houndour's throat. Blood spilled onto the cold stone floor.
Kay glanced down at the lifeless trainer and his Pokémon. A smirk tugged at his lips. His eyes flickered with something dark, something triumphant.
"It seems the hunter has become the prey," he murmured.
Without wasting time, he crouched beside the trainer's corpse, his fingers quickly searching through the man's pockets. His movements were precise and practiced. Moments later, he let out a satisfied chuckle.
"Jackpot."
He pulled out a small box from the man's jacket. Flipping it open, his gaze landed on exactly what he had hoped to find; a small device, identical to the ones given to Team 2 players.
His smirk widened. This was the real reason why he had decided to face this man. This rare device would be very useful for Kay.
Kay pocketed it, then retrieved some potions from his bag. Without a word, he knelt beside his Pokémons, carefully applying the healing items to Eevee and Growlithe, mending their wounds.
As the soothing effect took hold, his eyes lifted, locking onto the dark corridor stretching ahead.
Then after a signal from his hand, Kay said, "Let's go."
Kay continued moving deeper into the corridor, his steps steady and cautious. Eevee and Growlithe walked beside him, their ears perked, their senses sharp for any sign of danger.
The air was thick with an eerie silence, the only sounds being the low voice of Kay and his Pokémons' footsteps.
The further he walked, the colder the air became. A faint mist clung to the ground, swirling around his ankles as he advanced.
For the next few hours, Kay encountered numerous Ghost-type Pokémons lurking in the darkness.
After many intense battles, Kay continued his way deeper, and in an instant, he checked his Pokedex to check the time.
Four hours had passed.
That meant there were only two hours left until the end of the game. Time was running out.
Along the way, he encountered several players, but none of them engaged in combat. At this stage of the game, everyone knew that fighting among themselves would only weaken their chances of survival.
Each player was focused on pushing forward, avoiding unnecessary conflicts, and conserving their Pokémon's strength.
Eventually, Kay reached a crossroads; two separate paths, one leading to the right and the other to the left. He paused, scanning the area.
There were no clues as to which path was safer, but something in his gut told him to go right.
Making his decision, he stepped forward into the right corridor. But as soon as he had advanced a few meters, the path was abruptly blocked by a solid wall, which meant that he had chosen the wrong path.
Kay sighed, realizing he had made the wrong choice. "Tch. A dead end."
He turned back to return to the crossroads when suddenly he heard Eevee shouting.
"Eevwee!"
Eevee barked loudly, its body tense as it jumped up and down, pointing its paw toward the blocked path.
It wasn't just a simple bark, there was urgency in its voice. Kay narrowed his eyes and turned toward the stone wall again.
"You sensed something, Eevee?"
Eevee barked again, confirming his suspicion. Something about this wall wasn't right. Kay quickly called Growlithe over.
"Growlithe, see if you can find anything strange about this wall," he ordered.
Growlithe obediently moved forward, pressing its nose against the cold stone. It sniffed along the surface, taking its time, moving carefully as if searching for a scent.
After several moments, it suddenly stopped. Lifting its head, Growlithe locked eyes with Kay and then pointed its nose toward a very specific spot on the wall.
Kay immediately followed its gaze, narrowing his eyes. At first, nothing seemed unusual.
The wall was just like every other in this dungeon; old, worn, covered in dust and cobwebs. But as he focused more, he noticed something odd.
A small section of the stone was clean. Unlike the rest of the wall, there was no dust on its edges.
Kay's lips curled into a smirk. "I see… So that's how it is."
Stepping forward, he reached out and pressed his palm firmly against the dust-free stone.
Click.
The wall rumbled. The ground trembled beneath his feet as the stone began to shift. Dust fell from the ceiling as the once-solid wall rotated horizontally, revealing a hidden passageway behind it. A wave of stale, untouched air rushed out from the newly revealed corridor.
Kay's smirk widened. "A secret path, huh?"
Without hesitation, he stepped inside.
See you in the next chapter...
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