Kay walked toward a nearby spot and sat down, still catching his breath. Only one more player arrived after him; a guy with a bruised face and a torn jacket who looked like he had barely survived the challenges inside the labyrinth.
And then a loud metallic clang echoed through the area. The door to the labyrinth slammed shut behind them, locking out whoever was still inside.
A few players flinched at the sudden noise, while others just stared at the sealed entrance, waiting for what would come next.
The Marowak man clapped his hands together, a slow and deliberate sound that drew everyone's attention.
"Well, well," he said, his deep voice carrying a hint of amusement. "It seems the second game has come to an end."
"Congratulations to the players who passed this second game successfully."
Without wasting another second, he reached for his Poké Ball and tossed it forward. In a bright flash of light, Alakazam appeared, standing tall with its twin spoons glowing faintly.
"Let's return to the base," the Marowak man declared.
A voice cut through the air before he could command Alakazam to teleport them.
"Wait!"
Everyone turned to see a player step forward. He was young, with sharp eyes and a tense posture. "What about the others? The ones who didn't finish the labyrinth in time?"
The Marowak man turned his head slowly, eyeing the player. Then, with a small chuckle, he said, "Hmmmm... I don't think you should be worrying about them; just care about yourself."
Kay crossed his arms, agreeing with the Marowak man. After everything he had seen inside the labyrinth, he knew there was no point in caring about the others in this tournament.
Still, the Marowak man decided to answer. His tone showed amusement as he spoke.
"But since you asked... I'll tell you."
A chilling silence filled the air.
"There are no players left alive inside the labyrinth. The corpses would be recovered by the organizers of the tournament after."
A few gasps were heard among the crowd. Some players' faces paled, while others remained expressionless, either because they had already accepted the brutality of this tournament or because they had seen firsthand how ruthless the competition was.
The Marowak man continued. "Eight players lost this round. One of them died from the curse of Gengar, Ghost-type Pokémons killed another inside the labyrinth, and the remaining six... were killed by other players."
The weight of his words settled over the group. Some players shifted uncomfortably, realizing just how brutal this tournament truly was.
But for Kay and a few others, this was nothing surprising. They had already seen enough bloodshed to know that this was not just a game; it was a competition where the worst versions of humans show up.
The Marowak man clapped his hands again, snapping everyone out of their thoughts.
"Enough talk," he said. "Gather here."
The players obeyed, stepping closer. Kay walked forward, his mind already shifting away from what had happened in the labyrinth. That was all that mattered.
With a silent nod from the Marowak man, Alakazam's eyes glowed, and in a bright flash, they were teleported.
As they blinked, a flash of light engulfed them, and in the next instant, they found themselves back inside the massive hall where the tournament had first begun.
Kay felt an overwhelming dizziness wash over him, his stomach twisting uncomfortably. He had experienced teleportation several times now, yet no matter how often it happened, the sensation never became any easier to bear.
His legs wobbled slightly, and he clenched his fists, taking a deep breath to steady himself. The moment his vision cleared, his eyes immediately shot up toward the giant screen suspended above them.
The numbers had changed. 16/36. Kay's expression darkened as he processed what this meant. After just two games, twenty players were gone.
More than half of the participants had been eliminated, wiped out in a matter of days. Whether they had simply failed or had died, a total of 20 players had failed this tournament.
As Kay was thinking about the difference in the number of players that lost in one round between the first game and the second one, a loud clap echoed through the hall, drawing everyone's attention toward the Marowak man.
He stood at the front with his arms crossed, his usual careless posture set in place. After a moment, his voice rang through the hall, clear and firm. "The rest of the day is a break, so you can rest."
A wave of relief swept through many of the remaining players. Some of them visibly relaxed, their shoulders sagging as the tension drained from their bodies.
Kay was beyond exhausted, his body aching from the sheer physical and mental toll of the past two days.
Even though Kay wanted to relax, he knew that letting his guard down in a place like this could be a fatal mistake.
Still, exhaustion won over caution, and he walked toward a quiet corner of the hall before slumping down against the cold stone wall.
Kay let out a deep breath, feeling the weight of his body settle. His arms and legs felt heavy, his head throbbing slightly. Every muscle in his body ached from the constant battles, the running, and the stress of survival.
He hadn't had a proper moment to rest since arriving here. His mind drifted as he closed his eyes, preparing to finally catch some sleep. However, just as the first hints of drowsiness began to settle in, Kay heard a voice near him.
"Hi, host!"
Kay's eyes snapped open. His body went rigid as his heart pounded against his ribs. He immediately sat up, scanning the room for the source of the voice.
But nothing. No one around him had reacted. The other players were either resting or whispering amongst themselves, completely unfazed.
Kay frowned. Had he imagined it? Maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him due to exhaustion.
He shook his head, trying to brush it off. Closing his eyes again, he let out a sigh and forced himself to relax. But then he heard the same voice one more time.
"Host! Answer if you hear me."
Kay shot up once more, his breath quickening. This time, he was sure he had heard it. But just like before, no one else reacted.
A strange chill ran down his spine as he clutched his head. What the hell was happening? If no one else could hear it, then… was it inside his head?
His thoughts raced.
'Telepathy? That was the only logical explanation I could think of. If that was the case, then maybe I could answer back the same way.' Kay analyzed.
Taking a deep breath, Kay focused his mind and responded without speaking.
'Who are you?'
A brief moment of silence passed. Then, the voice spoke again.
'I am Rotom. And I have been sealed inside your brain since the moment I entered your body during the accident with the broken Pokedex.'
Kay froze. His body stiffened as his mind reeled from the revelation. For a few seconds, he couldn't even process what he had just heard.
His first assumption had been that this was some sort of external force contacting him. But now, he realized that the voice was coming from inside him. His pulse quickened as his thoughts scrambled for answers.
Slowly, he began piecing everything together. His mind drifted back to the moment he had been electrocuted; the searing pain, the feeling of electricity rushing through his veins.
He had blacked out. But now, things were starting to make sense. His eyes widened as he recalled the exact sensation of electricity running through his body.
The pain had started from his injured hand, then spread upwards through his bloodstream until it reached his head.
As if confirming his thoughts, the voice in his head answered.
'Yeah, exactly! That's how I reached your brain.'
Before Kay could even react, Rotom spoke again. 'At first, I thought that I should get out of your body. But after I found out about you, about how you came from another world, and how you're desperate to grow stronger because you've provoked powerful people in this world, I've decided to help you because it would be more fun than staying in this room.'
Kay's breath caught in his throat. His entire body tensed. He was shocked by Rotom's revelation that it knew that Kay was from another world.
But, after some moments of thinking, Kay found that it's normal because Rotom was now inside his brain, which meant that it had access to his memories.
See you in the next chapter...
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