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Chapter 86 - The special store

After a few more minutes, the healing process was completely over. The doctors and their Chansey partners, who had been moving around the room helping each trainer's Pokémon, quietly left through the same door they had come from. 

Peace returned to the hall, but Kay's mind was far from quiet. As he sat back down, he started thinking deeply about the gift the leader had given him. He needed to figure out how to use this advantage wisely. 

Kay had already checked the strength and potential of every Pokémon in the hall. It was clear to him that two stood above the rest: Scyther and Cubone. 

These two Pokémons had the highest potential and the best movesets. If Kay wanted to win this competition, he would eventually have to face them. 

After those two, Kay considered Vulpix, which belonged to the player who had survived alone in the first game, and the huge Onix used by player number 5. Both were strong, but still not as dangerous as Scyther and Cubone. 

For the rest of the day, Kay focused his thoughts on strategy. He imagined different battle scenarios and tried to prepare counters for each Pokémon he might face. 

He thought about how Eevee's and Growlithe's moves could be used in smart ways. He even thought about how the new moves that they were training on before could help them in the coming challenge. 

The more he thought, the more ideas he formed, and by the time night arrived, he had built a few solid plans in his head. 

Time passed quickly as Kay kept thinking and planning. Soon, the robotic female voice echoed from the speakers placed around the hall, calm and firm as always. 

"Lights will be turned off after ten minutes," it said. 

Hearing that, Kay stood up, stretched a little, then got ready for sleep. He lay down on his assigned spot, feeling a mix of excitement and curiosity. 

Tomorrow, the special store would finally open, and he would see what kind of items were available to help him grow stronger. 

The next morning, Kay was awakened by the same robotic voice he had gotten used to. "Time to wake up." The voice repeated itself at regular intervals, waking everyone slowly but surely. 

Kay sat up and looked around. A few players had already gotten up and were quietly preparing for the day. 

Others were still lying down, clearly trying to enjoy a few more minutes of sleep, especially after the hard challenges they had passed in the last few days. 

But that didn't last long. The Cubone-masked men started walking between the sleeping players, waking each one up firmly. 

Once all the players were awake and standing, the large steel door at the front of the hall began to open with a low rumble. 

Kay turned to look and saw the Marowak-masked man walking in with his usual confident steps. 

He walked to the center of the room, stood before all the players, and began speaking. "As we told you yesterday, the special store will be opened today," he said, his voice calm but clear. 

He paused for a second, then continued, "I want all of you to form a line according to your ranking. You will enter the store one by one, based on the order shown yesterday. This is important because some rare items are limited. In fact, there may only be one or two of some of them." 

The players looked at each other, understanding immediately that their place in line could make a huge difference in what they would be able to buy. 

The Marowak man gave them a moment to understand, then said, "Come on, let's go. Follow the guards. They will lead you to the special store." 

As he finished speaking, the Cubone men moved forward to organize the players into a proper line. 

Everyone took their place according to their ranking, with the highest-ranked player in front and the lowest at the back. 

Once the line was ready, the Marowak man turned and opened the large steel door that led out of the hall. 

One by one, the players began walking through it, following the Cubone men. For all of them, this was the first time they had exited the hall through that door. 

They glanced around with cautious curiosity, wondering what lay beyond. But for Kay, this was familiar. 

He had walked through this same door once before, back when Eevee had been injured and the leader had called him for the private meeting. 

After they passed through the large steel door, the Cubone-masked guards turned to the left and led the players through a long corridor. 

Kay instantly recognized the design; it was exactly the same as the last time he had been there. 

The walls had a light brown color, like dry desert sand, and they were full of deep cracks that spread across the surface. 

The entire hallway looked like it had been formed from parched, sunbaked earth. As Kay walked with the group, he looked at the other players and noticed the surprise on their faces. Most of them were clearly shocked by the unusual design of the place. 

'If they saw the leader's room, they'd be even more shocked and surprised,' Kay thought to himself with a slight smirk. 

He remembered just how strange and mysterious that room had been. But this time, Kay noticed something different. 

The path they were taking didn't match the direction he had gone the first time. The hallway was unfamiliar, and it was clear that the guards were leading them somewhere new. 

After several minutes of walking, the group reached a staircase. But unlike the last time, this one didn't go up; it led downward. 

Last time, the stairs had taken Kay to a higher level in the base, so this was a completely different area. 

As they reached the top of the stairs, the guards stopped. Two of the Cubone-masked men began to descend first, while the others turned toward the players and told them to follow in order, one by one. 

Kay guessed it was because the stairs were narrow and could only fit one person at a time. It wasn't possible to go down in a large group. 

The players did as they were told, forming a line and carefully going down the steps one after another. 

Kay stayed in his place, slowly descending with the group. When they finally reached the bottom, he saw a plain white door in front of them. 

On its surface was a clear symbol of a market. Everyone stopped before the door, waiting silently. 

Then, the Marowak-masked man came down the stairs as well. Without saying anything, he walked past the players and stood in front of the white door. 

He raised his hands and knocked on the door three times. Suddenly, a red beam shot down from a small device placed above the door. 

The beam scanned his mask slowly from top to bottom. After a short pause, a robotic female voice came from the device, saying in a calm tone, "Identity confirmed. You may enter." 

The door opened with a quiet mechanical sound. The Marowak man turned back to the group and said clearly, "Come on, let's go inside." 

The players didn't hesitate. They followed his command and walked into the room one by one. 

Inside, they found themselves in a large empty space. The room was filled with rows of chairs and tables, almost like a waiting area. 

At the far end, there was another door that looked very similar to the one they had just entered through. Everyone spread out around the room, quietly taking their places while looking around. 

Once everyone was inside, the first door slowly closed behind them with a soft hiss. Then, the Marowak man clapped to get their attention. 

When all eyes were on him, he pointed toward the second door and spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. 

"That door in front of you is the store; now stay in this space until the guards tell you it's your turn." 

The players nodded and waited silently, their eyes occasionally drifting toward the second door. 

See you in the next chapter... 

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