Then Kay followed the guards' instructions and slowly walked toward the white door; the entrance to the special store.
As he got closer, his heart began to beat faster. He was trying to stay calm, but he knew that what waited behind that door could change everything.
This was his chance to get rare and powerful items, and he couldn't afford to waste even a second.
When he reached the door, he glanced at the Cubone-masked guard standing beside it. The guard met his eyes and gave him a small, firm nod.
That was the signal that he was allowed to enter. Kay took a deep breath, grabbed the door handle with one hand, pushed it down, and stepped inside the special store.
The moment he entered, the door closed behind him. The room inside felt quieter, more serious, almost sacred, like a place meant for careful thinking.
Two other guards were standing just a few steps beyond the entrance. Kay tried to continue walking into the room, but one of them immediately held up a hand to stop him.
"Leave your Pokéballs with me until you go out," the guard said in a neutral, calm voice. It was more of an order than a request.
Kay simply nodded. He wasn't surprised. He knew they were being careful, and he didn't see a reason to refuse that.
Kay knew that the organizers and the guards knew about Eevee and Growlithe, so trying to keep secrets here and giving them one Pokéball instead of the two was useless.
Also, Kay was grateful that they asked for his Pokéballs after he went inside the store, not outside in front of the other players.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out the two Pokéballs of Eevee and Growlithe, and handed them over to the guard without hesitation.
The guard accepted them silently and gave Kay a brief nod in return. With that step complete, Kay continued his walk further into the store, fully aware that the countdown had already started.
As he moved forward, the first thing that caught his eye was a large screen mounted high on the wall in front of him.
The screen displayed a digital timer, slowly ticking down second by second. It was a cold reminder that his time here was limited. Every decision he made had to be quick but wise.
Kay then looked to his right and noticed a desk, and behind it stood a man also wearing a Cubone mask.
But unlike the guards, this man was dressed in clean, dark blue clothes. It was immediately clear that he had a different role.
The desk had a few papers neatly stacked on one side, and in the center of it, there was a rectangular electronic device with a narrow slot in it.
Kay immediately recognized the golden symbol of the TentaDollar on the device. This had to be the payment station.
He guessed that when a player wanted to buy an item, they would bring it here, insert their card, and the amount would be deducted. The man in blue was probably in charge of making sure the process went smoothly.
Then, Kay turned his head and looked at the rest of the store. What he saw made his eyes widen for a moment.
The room was larger than he expected and filled with many shelves. These shelves were arranged in neat rows, and each group of shelves was painted in a different color.
It was clear that the store had been carefully organized, likely based on item type, purpose, or rarity.
Some shelves were dark red, others were silver, some were golden, and a few were deep purple.
Kay began thinking about the purpose behind these colors; Were the gold shelves for the most expensive or rarest items? Were the purple ones connected to some sort of mystery or power?
Then Kay shook his head to pull away these thoughts from his head; it wasn't the right moment to think about that.
Without wasting any more time, Kay walked straight toward the man in blue behind the payment desk.
He knew that asking that man would optimize a lot of time for him, the man could lead him directly to the items that Kay needed.
Wasting even a single minute could cost him a valuable item. He had entered this room with a plan, and he was determined to follow it.
First, he would check for Power Stones, then look at the other shelves to see if anything truly special caught his eye
Kay walked quickly to the man in the blue clothes and stood in front of the desk. He didn't want to waste any more time, so he asked directly, "Hey, I want to know where I could find the Power Stones here."
The man looked at Kay for a moment, then replied calmly, "If you want my help, it will cost you 200 TentaDollars."
Kay froze in surprise. He didn't expect to be asked for money just to get help. 'Wasn't this man supposed to help players?' Kay thought about it.
Now it made more sense why the earlier players had left the store looking so unsure or upset.
Maybe they had also needed help, but didn't want to pay. That would explain why some of them had wasted their time looking around and ended up with nothing.
Now Kay had to make a quick decision. Should he pay this man and get help right away? Or should he trust his own instincts and search the store by himself?
Kay thought hard for a few seconds, trying to weigh all the possibilities in his mind. If he searched alone, he might find the Power Stones, but he could also waste precious time. If he paid, at least he'd go straight to what he wanted.
Still trying to find another way, Kay asked again, "Can you answer one question before paying?"
The man's answer was cold and clear, "No, I can't. Pay first."
Kay looked up at the countdown screen. Only 12 minutes left. His heart beat faster. Time was flying, and he couldn't afford to make a mistake. He didn't want to end up like the others, walking out confused and empty-handed.
He made his choice.
"Okay, I'll pay," Kay said without hesitation.
The man showed a little reaction. It seemed he was a little surprised by Kay's quick decision.
Then he nodded and said, "Alright. What do you want to ask? The 200 TentaDollars will be taken when you finish shopping."
Kay leaned forward and asked clearly, "Where can I find the Power Stones?"
The man pointed to the right side of the store and answered, "You'll find them on the white shelves on the right."
Then he added more details without emotion, "This store has Power Stones for almost all Pokémons, for every stage and potential, except for some rare Pokémons or the highest potential ones. The shelves are arranged in alphabetical order."
Kay was surprised by how much information the man gave him, but he didn't waste a second.
He immediately turned and ran in the direction the man had pointed to; the right side of the store.
As he moved quickly between the shelves, Kay looked for the white ones. It didn't take long before he found them.
There were many white shelves, all full of shiny items, each labeled with a Pokémon's name. Kay's eyes scanned the letters quickly.
He began his search from the start of the alphabet. Letter A. He found a shelf with Power Stones for Abra, Absol, Aerodactyl, Aipom, and many more.
There were a few names missing, probably the rare ones the man had mentioned, but Kay didn't stop to think too much about it. He had no time to waste.
He kept searching, shelf by shelf, until he finally reached the section for Arcanine. The Power Stones were displayed in clear glass boxes with names and descriptions below them. Some looked bright red, others deep orange, glowing faintly.
Kay looked up at the countdown again.
Only 9 minutes left.
See you in the next chapter...
Drop some Power Stones...