While the players were waiting for permission to enter the store, the Marowak-masked man added something that made the room even more serious.
"This store is dedicated to all the participants of the tournament; even the players who are taking part in the S-rank tournament will get their items from this store."
He paused, giving the players a moment to understand what that meant. The silence in the room grew heavier. Most of the players looked around, surprised and even more curious now.
The Marowak man then continued, "So, you will find some extraordinary items in there, but you won't have all the time in the world. The first-place player will have 40 minutes, the second-place player gets 35 minutes, the third gets 30 minutes, and the rest of the players will each have 15 minutes."
That short announcement changed the atmosphere in the room completely. The players realized that not only were there valuable and possibly rare items inside, but time was also limited, especially for the lower-ranked players.
Kay listened carefully and felt more confident that there would be something amazing waiting inside.
He knew that if the strongest players in the world risked and came to this tournament, then the items inside would be so valuable.
But Kay had already started thinking ahead. He didn't want to waste time looking at every item slowly. He had a strategy.
His plan was simple: he would look for the Power Stones first, he needed them for the possibly near breaking through of his Pokémons, and then, if there was enough time left, he would explore the rest of the store to see if there was something else that was even more valuable.
When the countdown reached its final moments, he would quickly return to the Power Stones and buy them.
Soon, the guards moved to the first person in the line; Player Number 8, the trainer who owned the strong Scyther.
They told him it was time to enter, and he followed them through the second white door.
The players stayed quiet, watching closely. Everyone in the room was focused, trying to guess what kind of things were behind that door.
A timer appeared on the screen above the door. It began counting down from 40:00… 39:59… 39:58… and so on.
Time passed slowly as everyone waited for Player 8 to come back out. When the countdown finally reached zero, an alarm rang, and the white door opened again.
The Scyther's trainer stepped out. The players all turned to look at him, hoping to read something from his face.
But his expression was difficult to understand. He looked like he was deep in thought, maybe even confused or unsure.
Kay observed him closely. 'He's probably wondering if he made the right choices, maybe he picked something, and now he's thinking that he missed something better.' he thought.
It was a reminder to Kay that even someone with more time might struggle to make a good decision with so many options.
That made Kay's task even harder. He would have only fifteen minutes. If someone with forty minutes came out looking unsure, then Kay would have to be very careful not to waste even a single second.
Next, the second-ranked player entered the store. As soon as he disappeared through the white door, Kay began to doubt his own plan.
He thought, 'What if I'm making a mistake? What if there's something inside that's way better than the Power Stones I can find outside?'
He felt torn between two choices. Should he use this rare chance to grab a truly special item that he might never see again? Or should he focus on the Power Stones, which were very important for his Pokémon's next breakthrough?
It was a difficult decision. On one hand, letting go of this opportunity might be foolish. On the other hand, if his Pokémons didn't get the Power Stones they needed, they would miss a valuable opportunity to raise their potential and strength.
He needed to find the right balance. After a few minutes of serious thinking, the second-ranked player came out of the store. Just like the first player, he looked unsure and lost in thought.
Now it was the third player's turn to go inside. As he entered, Kay continued thinking about his strategy.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt he needed to act wisely. Then, finally, Kay reached a conclusion.
He would stick to his original plan. He would first find the Power Stones and make sure he knew where they were.
Then, if he found something that was truly worth the risk, something rare and useful, he might consider changing his mind.
He would decide based on what he saw. That way, he wouldn't waste time, and he wouldn't miss a chance for something great.
After Kay made his final decision, he waited calmly. Just a few moments later, the white door opened, and the third player stepped out of the store.
Kay watched his face carefully. Just like the others before him, the third player looked lost in thought, unsure if he had made the right choice inside.
Kay noticed that every player who had gone inside the store came out with the same expression; serious, silent, and thinking deeply. It was clear that choosing from the store wasn't easy, even for those with more time.
Then it was the fourth player's turn. But starting from this moment, the time for each player was shorter, only 15 minutes.
That made the challenge even more difficult. Kay knew that less time meant more pressure, and more pressure meant a higher chance of making mistakes.
The countdown started again as the fourth player entered. Everyone waited quietly, eyes on the clock.
When the countdown reached zero, the alarm sounded as usual, and the door opened. But this time… nobody came out. A tense silence filled the room. Then, suddenly, they heard a loud voice coming from inside the store.
"Please, this is my choice! Let me take it with me, please, please!"
The voice belonged to the fourth player. It was clear that something had gone wrong. A few seconds later, two Cubone guards appeared, dragging the player out of the store.
When they reached the door, they gave him one last strong push, and he fell to the ground in front of everyone.
The Marowak-masked man walked forward and stood in front of the fourth player. He looked down at him and spoke with a firm voice. "Since you failed to choose any item before the countdown ended, you won't be able to buy anything this round."
The fourth player looked like he wanted to protest, but before he could speak, the Marowak man raised a finger and said, "Shshshshsh...". "But remember, the store will stay open during the coming games."
He paused, then continued, "That is... if you win your next game. Players who lose their upcoming match will lose all of their TentaDollars."
Then, narrowing his eyes, he added, "And since you didn't leave the store when the countdown finished, even though the guards told you to, 200 TentaDollars will be deducted from your account."
The fourth player didn't say a word. He just nodded, clearly afraid that if he argued, they would take away even more of his money. The mood in the room grew heavier.
Next, the guards told the fifth player to go inside the store. The white door closed again, and the countdown began.
Kay's turn was getting closer, and he knew he had to stay focused. He couldn't afford to panic or get lost in hesitation like the fourth player.
He repeated his plan in his mind and prepared himself mentally so that when his turn came, he would be fast and confident.
When the countdown ended again, the fifth player stepped out of the store. This time, the Marowak-masked man clapped his hands, smiling.
"Impressive, you decided not to choose any item this round and save your TentaDollars for later. You're betting that you'll win the next game. I respect that choice."
Kay listened to him carefully. He quickly understood what was happening. The Marowak man wasn't just praising the fifth player, but he was also trying to influence the rest of them.
He wanted everyone to consider doing the same thing: leaving the store without buying anything.
But Kay wasn't going to fall for that. He knew there was a risk of losing the next game. If that happened, he would lose all his TentaDollars, and the chance to buy anything would disappear with it.
Kay had made up his mind. He would not follow the others. He would make the best use of this opportunity and pick what was most important for him right now.
See you in the next chapter...
Drop some Power Stones...