Kay closed his eyes and let his thoughts drift back to all the anime and manhwa he had seen in his past life.
He recalled countless system status windows. As memories layered over one another, he slowly started shaping an interface that suited his current needs.
He didn't want something too flashy or overly complex; instead, he wanted clarity and efficiency.
With that in mind, he began adapting the system's layout, tweaking it mentally until it matched his vision: simple yet powerful, minimalistic but full of potential.
When Kay finished visualizing it, Rotom spoke from inside his head with a hint of amusement, 'I get what you want. Wait a minute.'
Suddenly, three sharp beeping sounds echoed in Kay's head, 'Beep, Beep, Beep,' and then a mechanical voice rang out clearly in his mind:
'System created.'
A surge of excitement ran through Kay's body. Without thinking, he spoke aloud, "System, open Eevee's status window."
When Kay said that, some players who were near him turned and looked at him. Kay pretended like he was searching for the source of the voice as well.
From within his mind, Rotom replied with a slight tone of mockery, 'I can hear you just fine; you don't need to say it out loud, just say it in your head.'
But Kay grinned and responded in his head, 'I know, I know, but saying it out loud like that was one of my childhood dreams.'
As his words ended, a translucent holographic screen materialized in front of him, floating in the air.
It was slightly curved and tinged with a soft blue glow, just like the ones he'd always seen in fiction. His eyes eagerly scanned the display.
***
Eevee
Potential: Dark Orange
Stage: Superior Steel
Moveset:
Proficient: Tackle, Sand Attack, Swift, Toxic
Expert: Wish, Dig, Quick Attack, Double Team
Elite: Helping Hand, Bite
***
Kay's eyes widened as soon as he noticed the "Dark Orange" potential. That wasn't a color he'd seen before in the classifications he had seen before, which meant it had to be an advanced feature that only Rotom could reveal.
'System, what is this Dark Orange in the potential zone?' asked Kay in his thoughts.
Rotom answered immediately, his voice carrying a bit of pride, 'That's a subdivision of the Orange tier. Potential is more complex than what most people see. Each color has three levels: Light, Base, and Dark. Eevee is currently in Dark Orange, which is just a step away from breaking into Red. I can see that level through the energy of the Power Stone.'
Hearing that, Kay couldn't help but feel admiration for the System. The depth of knowledge Rotom possessed and the way it could dissect a Pokémon's core strength was simply incredible.
And the realization that his Eevee was nearing Red Potential made his heart race with excitement. With the right Power Stone while breaking through, Eevee could surely reach red potential.
Feeling pleased, Kay added, 'System, I'll stop calling you Rotom from now on. I'll just call you System. It sounds cooler and fits this whole setup better.'
'No problem; there's no difference for me.' Rotom replied casually
Now feeling even more curious, Kay thought, 'System, show Growlithe's status.'
Without delay, another window popped up, right beside Eevee's, and Kay leaned in to read it.
***
Growlithe
Potential: Base Red
Stage: Intermediate Steel
Moveset:
Novice: Helping Hand
Proficient: Sunny Day, Double Team
Expert: Ember, Double Kick
***
Kay's eyebrows shot up again. Growlithe was already in the Red Potential tier, even if just at the Base level.
As Kay examined Growlithe's status window, he nodded slightly, satisfied. Just as he had anticipated, Growlithe's potential was Base Red.
It was a powerful confirmation of what he had suspected all along. Kay was sure that Growlithe hadn't reached Dark Red potential yet.
He wanted to explore more features of the system, but his body felt heavy, his eyelids drooping.
The adrenaline that had pushed him through the day was now gone, and sleep began pressing on his senses like a soft but irresistible weight.
Realizing how exhausted he truly was, Kay decided to leave the rest for later. He lay back against the cool stone wall, closed his eyes, and let his thoughts fade. The System could wait. Sleep, for now, was far more important.
The next morning, Kay woke up to the now-familiar tune of the same eerie music that signaled the start of a new day.
At first, it had been unsettling, but after several days of waking up to the same sound, he had grown used to it.
He sat up and rubbed his eyes, slowly adjusting to the dim light of the massive hall. Around him, other players were also waking, most of them groggy, silent, and tense.
In front of them stood the Marowak masked man, surrounded by several Cubone masked assistants.
Kay instinctively felt the pressure return the moment he saw them. The man waited until everyone had fully woken before clapping his hands sharply, drawing attention with a grin behind the bone mask.
"Nice. Let's move on to the next game," he said, his voice calm.
"As half of the players have already been eliminated, the third game will be interesting."
The players looked around, whispering nervously, some clutching their Poké Balls tightly. Kay stayed quiet, listening.
"The third game is called the Bounty Game. In this game, you will all be teleported to a massive island. Before teleporting to the island, each of you will receive a small box." Continued the Marowak man.
He gestured, and several Cubone masked figures began walking between players, handing out tiny black boxes. Kay took his and held it carefully, curious.
"Inside this box," the Marowak man explained, "you'll find a black card with a number. That number represents the number of your target. Each of you has a number on your shirt, displayed on your chest. That number is how other players will identify you. Your task is to find the player whose number matches the card and defeat them in a Pokémon battle. But remember, someone else also received your number. You are someone's target as well."
Kay opened the box and looked around, checking that no one was looking at him. Inside was a sleek black card with a white number: 27.
He quickly scanned the room for anyone with that number on their shirt, but didn't see anyone immediately.
Around him, players were also opening their boxes, eyes flicking around the hall, trying to spot their targets.
As expected, several players immediately tried to cover their shirt numbers with jackets or hands. One even started ripping at the shirt to cut out the numbered area.
The Marowak man chuckled when he saw this and raised a hand. "You should know it's forbidden to cut or cover your shirt number with clothing or items. Once on the island, you could hide it with your hand or your arm, but right now, while you're in this hall, your number must remain visible to everyone."
Grumbles and curses followed, but no one dared break the rules now. They had all seen what happened to those who defied the game in previous rounds.
The Marowak man continued, "You will be sent to the island shortly. You'll have twenty-four hours to complete your mission. You are only allowed to attack two players: your target and the one targeting you. If you attack anyone else, you're disqualified immediately."
That caught Kay off guard. It was the first time since the games began that there were limits on combat.
Up until now, players had attacked anyone they wanted, ambushed others in the middle of the night, or teamed up to trap lone trainers. This new rule was a major shift.
Kay thought about it carefully. The rules weren't made for fairness; they never had been. So why now?
After a few seconds of reflection, he guessed the answer. They probably lost more players than expected during the first two games. If they let everyone go wild again, the tournament might end too early.
See you in the next chapter...
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