When Kay heard the healer's words, he instinctively looked at the man, searching for any sign of deception. Then, he slowly lifted his head to meet the leader's gaze.
The first thing he noticed was the smirk on the leader's face, which was clear from Groudon's open mouth.
Then, the leader clapped his hands together and spoke in an amused tone. "It's all up to you, Mr. Kay. Do you want them to proceed with the treatment and take Eevee inside?"
Kay was about to answer without hesitation, but before he could speak, the leader raised a hand to interrupt him.
"Of course, you wouldn't be allowed to go inside with your Pokémon, it's a confidential area."
Kay's mouth closed, and his thoughts raced. His first instinct had been to say yes, but only if he could accompany Eevee.
However, the leader had anticipated this and cut off that possibility before Kay could even bring it up.
'It seems like he has left me with only two choices, either I trust them and let Eevee go inside, or I refuse and rely on natural recovery, meaning I'll have to withdraw from the tournament. Eevee's condition is no longer life-threatening, but if I choose not to let them treat him, he won't be in any shape to battle anytime soon.' Kay thought grimly.
Kay clenched his fists. If he refused treatment, he would be forced to use Growlithe in the upcoming match, and even though Growlithe was strong, he was still in the Intermediate Steel stage, and facing Pokemons in the Superior Steel stage would be so unfair.
After carefully weighing the risks, Kay finally let out a slow breath. "Alright, take Eevee inside for treatment."
The leader's smirk widened slightly. "Exactly as I predicted you would choose," he said before giving a nod to the healer.
The healer stepped forward and gently picked up Eevee in his hands. Then, he turned to Kay and said, "Give me Eevee's Pokeball."
At that moment, Eevee, still weak but aware of what was happening, struggled in the healer's arms. Its little body trembled, and it let out a soft, distressed cry.
"Eevwee...".
Kay immediately reached out and stroked Eevee's head gently. "Eevee," he said in a soothing voice.
"Don't be afraid. They're only going to treat you so you can be ready for the next game. I promise that nothing bad will happen to you."
For a brief second, Kay thought he saw a slight reaction from the leader, just a flicker of weird movement from its head.
But the moment passed so quickly that Kay couldn't tell what it meant. Deciding to ignore it, for now, he focused on his Pokémon.
Eevee, hearing Kay's reassuring words, stopped resisting. Its body relaxed slightly in the healer's arms.
Kay's words were absolute in its heart; if Kay said it would be okay, then Eevee trusted him completely.
With a soft bark, "Eevwee…" it called out to Kay one last time before being carried away.
Just as the healer carrying Eevee disappeared behind the curtain behind the throne, the leader clapped his hands once more.
Then, with a serious expression, he said, "Now, let's take things seriously."
Kay was caught off guard by the sudden change in the leader's demeanor. Just moments ago, he had been playful and amused, but now his tone was cold and strict.
"I heard from one of the guards that you said if we didn't heal your Pokémon, we would be unjust. Is that right?" the leader asked.
Kay, still trying to process the sudden shift in tone, simply nodded.
Seeing the confirmation, the leader continued, "Now, I want you to tell me why you think that. And if you don't convince me, I will tell them to kill your Eevee inside."
Kay's eyes widened in shock. His whole body tensed up. He felt like the ground beneath him had vanished, leaving him in freefall.
For a moment, he didn't know what to do. His mind raced in all directions, searching for a way out.
This situation reminded him of the dangerous situations he had faced before; those moments when he stood powerless, unable to do anything but hope that things would turn out okay.
The leader's voice cut through his thoughts. "Where did your bravery go? Just moments ago, you were saying you would face me. Did the cat eat your tongue?"
Kay gritted his teeth. 'Maybe I misjudged them. Maybe this organization is nothing more than another criminal group that only cares about money,' he thought.
But right now, he had no choice but to talk his way out of this. He had to find the right words to convince the leader, otherwise, Eevee's life would be at risk.
What hurt him the most was that he had promised Eevee that nothing bad would happen, and Eevee had trusted him completely.
He couldn't let that trust be broken. He began imagining Eevee breathing its last breaths while waiting for Kay to come and save it.
Then Kay took a deep breath to shake those thoughts from his head and spoke. "I thought it would be unfair because when we began the game, you said you took our belongings away so that everyone would be equal."
The leader nodded. "Yes, we said that, and we are fair in that, don't you think so?"
"Yes, absolutely, but in the next game, if my Pokémon isn't treated and you've taken my belongings, I won't be able to heal it with the potions I have. That would be unfair because we would be forced to face opponents with fully healthy Pokémons while mine is still injured."
The leader leaned back slightly. "But before the first game, we gave you all an equal amount of potions to heal your Pokemons if they got injured," he countered.
Kay nodded. "Yeah, that's true. But that was only for the first game. I already used up all my potions, and they weren't enough to heal Eevee completely."
The leader stroked his chin. "So, are you saying that because we took your belongings, we should take responsibility for treating your Pokemons if they get injured?"
Kay nodded. "Yes. Also, if our Pokemons are in their best condition, the games will be more exciting for the audience watching."
The leader twitched slightly after hearing Kay's last words.
Kay thought, 'For sure these matches are being filmed. It wouldn't make sense to invest so much money in a tournament like this without sponsors. I assume some very wealthy people are funding this tournament, and they would want to watch high-quality matches.'
Then Kay continued, " Battles where one side is already half-defeated before it even begins are very boring."
Kay noticed that the leader didn't respond immediately. He took a pause, thinking deeply. Then, after a few moments, he smirked and said, "Oh? You're smarter than you seem."
Another moment of silence passed before the leader finally said, "I think…I am convinced."
The leader leaned back slightly and said, "Alright. Since you managed to convince me, I won't kill your Pokémon. Also, your Eevee has already been treated, but it will need three days before it can battle again."
When Kay heard that, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. He tried his best to hide his happiness, but he couldn't. His lips curled into a slight smile before he could stop them.
However, along with his happiness, he also felt confused. Why did the leader heal Eevee if there was a chance he would kill it? Was he just messing with him?
As Kay was lost in thought, the leader spoke again, snapping him out of his confusion.
"It was just a test, I was never going to kill your Pokémon."
Kay clenched his fists. He had been so tense, thinking Eevee's life was truly in danger, but it had only been a test.
This showed that Kay should become stronger to protect himself and his family.
See you in the next chapter...
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