The leader's voice echoed through the labyrinth once again. "From my experience, it's true that Gengar doesn't attack players, but as I said before, it likes to play tricks that could harm the players a little bit."
Kay listened carefully, knowing that this information was important. The leader paused for a moment before continuing, "But as the game began and all the players entered the labyrinth, Gengar chose one player that caught its interest… and curse him."
The room fell into complete silence. Even though the players couldn't see each other, they could all feel the weight of those words.
The Marowak man waited for a few seconds, clearly enjoying the fear he had created. Then, he continued in a slow and deliberate voice, "The curse drains the life power of the player continuously with time. The player will feel himself getting weaker as time passes, and if he doesn't stop the curse... he will die after a certain period."
Kay frowned. This was bad news. He clenched his fists as he listened, knowing that the leader was purposely pausing to make them even more anxious. It was clear that he enjoyed keeping them in suspense.
After another brief pause, the Marowak man finally continued. "But don't worry. There is a way to stop the curse. The cursed player must find another player and challenge him to a Pokemon battle."
The leader let his words sink in before adding, "If the cursed player wins the battle, Gengar will stop the curse on him. However, Gengar will then place the curse on the loser instead. If a player refuses the challenge, Gengar will count him as a loser, meaning he will automatically be cursed. But Gengar will not stop the curse on the first player until he wins a battle."
Kay's expression darkened. This meant that players would be forced to battle no matter what. Refusing wasn't an option.
The Marowak man then explained something else. "That's why we gave you a bigger number of potions this time. If a player loses a battle and his Pokemon is injured and unable to fight, he won't be able to stop the curse. That's why we provided more potions to help you recover your Pokemons and continue fighting. Remember, we gave you all equal chances. "
Kay now understood why the players had been given more healing items. But before he could think too much about it, the Marowak man delivered his final warning.
"However, you must know that potions cannot heal all types of injuries. Severe injuries will not be healed by potions. So, you must protect your Pokemons from serious harm. Because if your Pokemon suffers a severe injury... it means your death from the curse, as you won't be able to challenge any other player with your injured Pokemon."
As soon as the announcement ended, Kay took a deep breath and analyzed the situation. He quickly reached three important conclusions.
First, the only way to prevent the curse was to use the special devices given to Team 2. This meant that the other players had no choice but to battle.
Second, the Tentacruel Tournament had been organized before. The Marowak man's experience proved that this wasn't the first time this cruel game had been played.
Third, Pokémons had to be protected from severe injuries. A single bad hit could mean instant death for the trainer cursed by Gengar.
But despite understanding all this, one thing still confused Kay. 'If a player was cursed, how was he supposed to find another player to challenge?'
Kay looked around the corridor. It was still empty. He hadn't seen or heard any other player since entering the labyrinth.
If everyone were in the same situation as him, lost in different corridors, then how were they supposed to find each other?
Kay stopped walking and took a moment to think about everything he had just learned. The curse, the forced battles, the severe injuries, everything was designed to make this labyrinth even more dangerous. Kay thought that he needed a plan.
After carefully considering his options, Kay decided to run instead of walking, but he had to do it quietly.
He wanted to find other players as soon as possible, but at the same time, he didn't want to be discovered first.
If another player was already cursed, they might immediately attack him to pass the curse onto him.
With that in mind, Kay began running with light and silent steps, moving like a panther hunting its prey.
He controlled his breathing, making sure he didn't make unnecessary noise. Every movement was careful and precise.
As he ran through the dark corridors of the labyrinth, he found nothing but endless paths and empty silence. However, just as he was about to pick up his pace, a strange sound echoed from above.
"KeKeKe…"
It was a laugh. A deep, eerie chuckle that sent chills down Kay's spine.
Kay immediately stopped and looked up at the ceiling, trying to find the source of the sound. At first, he saw nothing but darkness.
The corridor was dimly lit, and the ceiling blended into the shadows. But then… something appeared.
A long, unnatural row of sharp, white teeth slowly materialized in the air. The teeth were stretched into a wide, sinister grin, glowing faintly in the dark.
Kay's eyes widened as the rest of the creature's body began to take shape. A huge, purple form emerged, following the teeth. It had deep red eyes that glowed with malice.
The moment the creature's full body appeared, it let out another laugh; louder this time, as if enjoying the fear it was causing.
Kay froze. His breath caught in his throat.
It was a Gengar.
But this wasn't just any Gengar. It was massive, far larger than the size Kay had expected any Gengar to have.
The sheer size of it was overwhelming, and the oppressive aura it emitted was suffocating.
Kay felt his body refuse to move. His instincts screamed at him to run, but his muscles wouldn't obey. The sinister presence of this Gengar was enough to paralyze him in place.
That's when Kay finally understood. The terrifying aura they had felt at the entrance of the labyrinth wasn't just the general atmosphere of the place. It was coming from this Gengar.
A terrifying thought crossed Kay's mind.
'If this Gengar ever decided to attack humans, it could easily destroy the entire Kanto continent on its own.'
The world was divided into six great continents: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos.
Kay swallowed hard. He could only be grateful that this monstrous Gengar had no interest in wiping out humanity.
Kay stood frozen in place. His entire body felt stiff, as if invisible chains were locking him in place.
He tried to move his arms, even just his fingers, but nothing responded. It was as if the very air around him had turned into an unbreakable cage.
The Gengar continued to levitate around him, watching him with those glowing red eyes. Its wide, sinister grin never disappeared, and it gave off the feeling that it was enjoying Kay's helplessness.
Kay wanted to reach for his Pokedex to scan the Gengar and check its stats, but he couldn't even lift a finger.
Still, even without checking, he knew one thing for sure, this Gengar was on a completely different level.
It wasn't just strong. It was something beyond every Pokémon Kay had seen before.
Just as Kay was thinking about how to escape, something happened left him completely shocked.
See you in the next chapter...
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