As the other player turned his back and walked toward the opposite edge of the cliff with his Zubat flying beside him, Kay took the opportunity to observe the Pokémon more closely.
With a quiet thought, he activated the system, asking it to scan the Zubat and display its stats in front of him. A holographic window appeared in front of Kay, and he read through the details quickly.
Zubat
Potential: Base Orange
Stage: Superior Steel
Moveset: Supersonic, Air Cutter, Wing Attack, Mean Look, Confuse Ray, Quick Attack, Toxic, Gust
Kay raised an eyebrow, impressed. This Zubat wasn't just strong, it also had a wide variety of moves, ranging from status-inflicting to offensive flying-type attacks.
It could confuse enemies, trap them, poison them, and finish them off with speed-based assaults. It was clearly trained well.
Kay smiled faintly. The boy had only used a few of Zubat's moves during their battle against the wild Pokémons, clearly keeping most of its abilities a secret.
That confirmed that the trainer was clever and cautious, still not fully trusting Kay.
Kay respected that mindset. In this tournament, revealing too much could cost a player the entire game.
Turning back toward the view from the cliff, Kay resumed scanning the island below. As his eyes moved across the open plains and forests, he spotted a movement; a young trainer was battling a group of wild Pokémons.
Kay squinted and focused on the scene. The trainer was commanding a male Nidoran, which was darting around, launching Poison Stings at a group of Pidgey.
The Pidgey tried to counter by attacking from the sky with Gust, but the Nidoran was agile and well-trained.
It dodged with swift side-steps and responded with Horn Attack while using trees as footholds, knocking a Pidgey out of the air.
The others flapped harder, but the wild group couldn't keep up. It was clear the trainer had the upper hand.
Kay watched for a few minutes, trying to remember where he had seen this player before.
He looked carefully at his face and posture, and suddenly it clicked in his mind, 'He was among the members of Team 2 that caught two Pokémons in the first game.'
Kay frowned slightly, trying to remember his number, pressing his temples between his hands.
Then, like a sudden flash, the memory returned. The number stitched to that player's jacket during the second game was '22'.
Kay noted it mentally. After Kay remembered his number, he shifted his gaze to other parts of the island.
He knew that the player would win easily against the group of Pidgey, and Kay would only waste time if he remained watching him.
Over the next hour, he stood near the edge, watching in silence. He spotted three more players.
One of them he recognized; it was the man with the Onix from the first game. Kay remembered his number and his strength well; he had the number of 5.
The other two players, however, were unfamiliar, and Kay hadn't noticed their numbers before.
Eventually, Kay stepped back and turned toward the other player on the opposite side of the cliff.
The boy was still focused on his own lookout, Zubat still hovering around him. Kay walked a few steps in his direction and called out, "I'm going now. I wish you good luck." His voice was calm and polite.
The other player looked over his shoulder and gave a short nod without saying a word.
Kay made his way down from the cliff, his footsteps quiet on the rocky path. Once he reached the base of the cliff, he took the road that penetrated the forest to the right.
The trees offered cover, and for a while, he walked silently between them, the sound of birds and rustling leaves filling the air.
But even though he didn't look back, he knew the other player was watching him from above. Kay didn't need eyes behind his head; he had Eevee.
"Watch the guy on top of the cliff," Kay told Eevee quietly. "When he stops watching us, let me know."
Eevee walked beside him obediently, its ears twitching and eyes glancing upward from time to time. A few minutes passed. Then suddenly, Eevee let out a soft bark, "Eevwee…" It was the signal.
Kay smiled slightly. "Good," he whispered.
Without wasting time, Kay stepped off the forest road and slipped deep into the trees surrounding the road, using the cover of the thick branches and undergrowth.
He turned around and silently made his way back toward the cliff, but this time, he headed to the left side.
His boots barely made a sound as he moved through the foliage. Kay knew exactly what he was doing.
Kay knew that the other players would share Kay's previous path with other players. Kay wasn't going to give him that advantage.
Kay was sure that the other player didn't notice him when he changed his direction; Kay made sure that no one would know his real location.
Kay went deeper into the forest on the left side of the cliff, carefully stepping over roots and brushing past low-hanging branches.
The sunlight barely made it through the thick canopy, casting a cool green glow over everything.
As he walked, he pulled out his Pokedex, which had been repaired before the game started.
He tapped the screen and looked at the time; it had already been two hours since the game began. That meant he only had 22 hours left to find his target.
He sighed quietly. "This island is huge," he muttered. "I need a real tactic… just walking around won't help."
Kay kept moving forward through the quiet forest, his eyes scanning the area. After a few more minutes of walking, he noticed a small opening between the trees.
Curious, he approached and saw a narrow cave carved into the side of a rocky hill. It wasn't large, but it looked deep enough to give him some cover.
Kay stepped inside, thinking it would be a good spot to rest and plan. 'I'll figure out my next move here,' he thought.
But the moment he stepped past the entrance, he heard screeching sounds above him. A group of Zubat suddenly flew down from the shadows of the cave, flapping wildly and circling him.
Kay took a step back, pulling out Growlithe's Pokéball and tossing it into the air. "Long time no see, buddy. Forget me; I couldn't call you while the other player was around." Kay said quickly
Growlithe appeared in a flash of light, barking out loud, "Graaaw!" The sound made Kay smile. "Don't worry, I'm here now."
Eevee jumped in front of Kay, already ready for battle, its eyes narrowed at the Zubat flying overhead.
The cave echoed with the high-pitched sounds of Supersonic. There weren't many Zubat; only five in total, and after quickly checking their stats using the system, Kay realized they were weak.
The strongest among them had only reached the Intermediate Steel stage, and its potential was Light Yellow. Not much of a threat.
The battle began fast. One Zubat flew straight toward Kay, but Growlithe barked and launched an Ember, hitting it mid-air. Before the Zubat could recover its balance, Growlithe reused Ember on it.
The Zubat screeched and fell, fainted. Another tried to confuse Growlithe with Supersonic, but Eevee leaped from behind and slammed it with a powerful Quick Attack, sending it crashing into the cave wall.
The remaining three were dealt with by Growlithe and Eevee in less than five minutes. None of the wild Zubat had landed a single hit, and neither Eevee nor Growlithe was hurt.
Kay looked around at the quiet cave now, a few fainted Zubat scattered on the floor. He smiled and nodded. "Nice work."
Then he turned serious again.
"Eevee," he said, pointing at the cave entrance, "go keep watch. If you see anyone, let me know right away."
Eevee nodded and trotted to the entrance, ears perked and alert. Kay then turned to Growlithe. "You stay close. If something happens, I'll need you ready."
Growlithe barked softly and sat beside him, eyes watching the shadows.
See you in the next chapter...
Drop some Power Stones to motivate me to write more...