Pokémon TCG2: Doduo Adventures - Book One: TCG Island (In Progress)

[133TFR33k]

Reply To review of:
Chapter 10: WARNING: A Challenger Approaches!

Hey candy! Great to see you get the next review up!

Spoiler: Line by Line Reaction

hi again let me know if im doing something wrong but heres my next review

This looks great, but you may want to state at the top of your review which chapter it is for. It would increase the chance of someone else reading your review since it would help them avoid spoilers if they haven't read chapter 10 yet.

Also, if you put the bulk of your review inside a spoiler tag (like how I did here) it can conserve space in the thread. It's ok if you don't, but I think it makes a review look a little cleaner when one does. I believe I did this with my reviews for you in your fic thread.

Anyway, it's totally up to you on that on the review formatting suggestions. I'm very happy to receive reviews regardless!

Would probably flow better if you removed "had"

remove the space

First, I think it's usually formatted as FaceTime, but also thats an Apple branded thing i think so maybe replace it with "video call"?

*you're

All good things to correct. Fixed! Thanks!

How is he still holding the phone, then?

Uh... yeah... that's a micro-plot hole! lol

I switched his reaction to something else. I don't do phone calls very often in the fic, so I was NOT thinking about that!

Thanks! 😅

comma

honestly, im with the opponents here fighting a losing battle is despair inducing and id 100000% avoid ever ending up in a battle with them

Yeah, it's pretty understandable. Especially considering how much better he is at the TCG than the other duelists on TCG island.

oh no- did their friend steal their fiancee?? that would definitely ruin a relationship :(

Nikki was never his fiancee, but he did (and still HAS) a crush on her! (Though he does not act on those feelings) He tried keeping his eyes open for other woman, but so far he hasn't found anyone. He is a bit of a lonely protagonist. This will be expanded much further in future chapters. (ones I have already written but haven't had a chance to post yet)

dashes

I thought feathers were only shed when the Doduo card was struck? Or is it just whenever the player takes damage?

Gotan sheds much MORE feathers when being hit, but he is almost always shedding at least a little.

hell yea art focus

Yeah, it dawned on me how little I focus on it. I think this bit was very much needed.

i ASSUME this is an exaggeration? like hitmonchan cant be the strongest fighting type... and lv33 is pretty low...
Oh also, I'd say rephrase it to "In the next game, he pulled the single biggest threat to my deck: Hitmonchan Lv33", since stating its in the TCG is probably redundant

The short answer: It's no exaggeration. Hitmonchan Lv33 is terrifying to fight against for this deck.

I went back in to the fic and edited it to describe this better. Thank you for asking about it. I'm sure other readers would wonder the same thing!

The long answer: Evolutions like Machamp have way better numerical stats than Hitmonchan with 100HP and a 60 damage attack, but to get that, you have to have a Machop, leave it out for one turn, evolve it the next turn (Machokes attacks require too much energy, so it won't be able to attack yet), leave Machoke out for another turn and then evolve it to Machamp. Machamp needs 4 fighting energy to attack so it still can't attack. And then on the turn after THAT, you can finally get the last energy on Machamp needed for it to attack. Keep in mind IF the opponent plays ANY energy removal, it sets you back from attacking until you can get enough energy on it.

Hitmonchan has no prior evolution stage requirement. It can attack for only 1 energy, so even if the opponent has energy removal, you just attach energy and attack. If they remove your energy again, you just attach another and attack again. Due to how easy it is to play Hitmonchan and attack, Hitmonchan is one of the most powerful cards in the old metagame and is the one of the scariest cards for the FlashFire! all-common deck to play against.

I assume you mean in the opening hand?

Yes. I went back and clarified. Thanks!

So, did he play all 3 mons turn one?

He didn't HAVE to play them all on turn one, but to simplify it, I went back and said he did.

Is there any specific reason to go for a OHKO or is it just pride again?

If he does not OHKO, it means he is open for an attack back from Hitmonchan. Even ONE attack from it would KO his mon, so a OHKO would be needed.

"in the opening hand"

Glad he's not AS mad about it the second time

When the teleporter isn't working properly, it tends to do so for a while. He is used to it by now.

Oh, clever (can a pokemon retreat with any energy type?)

It CAN!

comma

"Finally, I drew..." (how did this happen??)

Ugh. Beats me. It makes no sense how that kind of error slipped in. Oh well, I fixed it. lol

"and attacked with Thundershock, paralyzing his mon"

Wait, are the cards commanded like real Pokemon or was he just being dramatic

He is just being dramatic here. (he MAY have seen an episode of Yu-Gi-Oh to inspire such drama... )

Wait, is there a global catalog of cards? How would you purchase a specific card? (for the record ive never played a TCG irl too)

So, you get cards from booster packs. You get booster packs by winning games. You can also purchase cards from card shops in their world. Cards are very expensive. They are used sort of like currency.

As for how they looked things up, you brought up an excellent point. I added a bit of how they pulled it up on the official website on Mister Gentleman's deskstop computer.

comma

Is making names for each deck setup a common thing?

In the game, you always have to enter a name for your deck, so in the fic, I always have decks have names. Even all the AI decks in the game have names.

aww, theyre starting to get close!!

Don't worry. WAY later in the fic (in Book Two) you will see this deck completed and IN ACTION.

very interesting battles written out, definite improvement from the prev chapters. i could follow it pretty well and it felt varied

I'm glad it seemed to work well! I think this makes a case for duels being ok even if they have more details in them.

I've decided I will start adding mentions to each chapter in my fic that people have reviewed.

A mention has been added at the top of the chapter for you!

As always, its awesome to get a review in from you, candy!

Thanks so much!

 

[133TFR33k]

Special thanks to K_S for beta reading!

Chapter 13: Rise​

(71)

May 18th

I had the urge to fly today, so I took to my personal passenger Scyther-themed drone from my drone pad on the back balcony of the home.

Ok... I suppose Scyther themed was an understatement... I may have had custom alterations done to it to make it look close enough to a real Scyther that people might think it WAS a Scyther...

As the drone ascended, I could see Gotan still sleeping in the yard.

Drone flight was, perhaps, my favorite way to travel. You never had to deal with traffic and could fly in a straight line to the destination to save time. Not to mention the incredible view from the large panoramic glass window. Part of the window extended down to me feet allowing me a partial view of the area I was flying over.

I liked to pretend I was a Scyther flying high in the sky when I rode in it.

It didn't make for a great transit method in a storm or an especially windy day, but today wasn't one of those days.

The fighting club was almost as far as the lighting club from the house, but my drone could reach anywhere on the island with more than enough power left to get me back home as well.

I enjoyed using its auto-pilot function as I gazed upon the clouds and all the little houses dotting the landscape below.

For once, I didn't have to put up with a dumb bird's antics. I may not have had Rick with me today, but it suited me just fine as I wasn't always in the mood for company.

The noise reduction glass made for a quiet and peaceful trip, as usual.

I found the ride to be most relaxing and therapeutic.

Before I knew it, I was already descending towards my destination.

---

(72)

I emerged into the lobby with my hands in my pockets.

I took a quick glance about to confirm the decor.

Large stone tiles comprised the floor.

There was, of course, the usual club symbol in the middle, a closed fist. It was as large as sixteen of the stone tiles making up roughly 10% of the floor.

Equal in size to that were four bright yellow pads separated from the walls by only a single row of stone tile. The pads were outlined in bright red and had large dark red symbols on them. The writing was unmistakably Neo Island's traditional style.

As for the walls, they were simple vertical wooden planks.

Red and white rugs connected to the other rooms of the club.

As I entered the training room, where the duelists would be, I took a brief look around. This room always confused me. The walls were filled with small platforms where various exercise equipment were on display as if it were a museum for a Neo Island dojo.

The first fourth of the room had hardwood plank flooring, but beyond that, it was covered by an interlocking light-green padding.

You would THINK that everyone in the club would wear traditional Neo Island training garb: a short robe with a sash along with slacks made in the same style and material.

Disappointingly, the two male members just wore basic brown t-shirts.

At least Chris tried a little with a headband... He was short with a broad jaw and short bushy eyebrows. He looked to be thirteen.



Michael, on the other hand, appeared to put minimal effort in... He looked to be twelve years old. Everything about him was plain, boring, and unassuming... It's not that he looked ugly or anything, it's just that there was nothing about him that really stood out in any meaningful way...



One of the members, Jessica, understood the assignment. She wore a red bandana and a light-blue traditional Neo Island training garb. She even had her hair in pigtails to avoid it getting in the way. She looked to be thirteen.



Their leader, Mitch had a traditional white training garb. His dark hair was spiked in various directions. He looked to be forty-five years old. As expected, his focus was on me.


"Ah, Mr. Gentleman. Previously we had opted not to duel you again, but we are no cowards. We will not refuse to fight your common card deck. Come and step onto the mat! We shall honor you with the fists of our cards!"

In reply, I performed a traditional Neo Island fighting bow while maintaining eye-contact as Mitch did the same. I then stepped onto the mat and went for my first opponent: Michael.



Micheal sighed. "Mitch won't let me not battle you. I know I'm just going to lose anyway, but I still have to go through the motions. Lets get this over with..."

It was hard to understand why such a pessimist could become a member of a club. Perhaps he was here to try to better himself?

I grinned. "Don't be so down, Michael! Last I checked, you do not have psychic powers to know the outcome of a duel! Let's have a good game together!"

He stared at me, scoffed, and then pulled out his cards.

---

Our duel didn't go very long. I had Doduo out and was impervious to his attacks with its fighting resistance while I chipped away at the HP of his mon. I also targeted his energy with Energy Removal. After I played the third one against him, he forfeited.



Michael gathered his cards and stood up. "Yeah... I'm done here."

He then left the club.

It was most unfortunate that he chose to become a member of the fighting club. Losing badly to a Doduo, of all things, did NOT look like a fun experience...



Mitch closed his eyes in shame. "Ah... Michael-san. He lacks discipline. I have been trying to train him as a favor to his mother... She has a very nice rack."

I hadn't realized Mitch had such a one-track mind. I brought my hand to my face. So much for 'honor'.

After thinking a moment, I convinced myself that a 'rack' was some kind of exercise equipment. For his display... Surely that was it...

Snapping out of it, I now set my sights on Chris.



Chris looked determined. "With our match, I will restore the honor of our dojo!"

---

Somehow, Chris was able to start with the one Hitmonchan level 33 in his entire deck. It was the same Hitmonchan card Ronald, the former champion had used to win a game against me. I had no Doduo or Ponyta against him and he proceeded to wreck me with it. I lost within four turns.



Chris smiled. "Honor has been balanced, but now I want to tip the scales in our favor! Will you honor me with another duel?"

Such a lucky game for him getting that Hitmonchan when I had nothing to properly fight it with. There was no way he would repeat such a feat.

I nodded. "Indeed."

---

In the next duel, he used Sandslash, Hitmonlee and Machop, but I had Doduo out again and trivialized his damage. I alternated attacking with Doduo and Dark Rapidash to bring him down. In the end, he did claim a couple prizes against me, but only for the calculated sacrifices I made to speed up my victory.



The poor chap was crying. "INSTEAD OF ADDING TO OUR HONOR I HAVE BROUGHT SHAME TO OUR DOJO!"

He left the training room and I noticed he hung a right down the hall, meaning he was probably headed to the bathroom to compose himself. Poor guy...



Mitch frowned with his eyes closed again. "Ah, Chris-san. He lacks commitment. I have been training him as a favor to his mother... She has very nice padding."

I raised both my eyebrows. Just how did these double meanings keep happening?!

Surely, he must be talking about floor padding though...

Before I could look about for Jessica, there she was right in front of me!

(73)



She threw a punch in the air a few feet away from me. "Mr. Gentleman! Thank you, SIR, for appearing at our dojo again! Master Mitch won't let me duel your unrestricted deck anymore! I find that a shame, SIR! I wanted to learn from you, since you are the best, SIR!"

Jessica's fighting spirit was top notch. I couldn't help but admire it. If I was ever to take a pupil to train under myself, it would no-doubt be her. Such drive, passion, and enthusiasm! Why couldn't everyone be more like her?

I grinned. "So you are ready for our fight, then?"



She smiled. "That's right, SIR! Hit me with everything you got!"

---

Jessica did not use any rock or ground types that might have lightning resistance. She used a mix of normal and fighting types Like Raticate, Machoke, and the occasional Doduo or Mankey. I was able to stall long enough with my own Doduo and then proceeded to sweep her team with my Voltorb.



Jessica covered her eyes with her bandana. "Master! I have lost! I shall increase the difficulty of my training and play duels blindfolded! But first, I will raise my fighting spirit... By shadowboxing!"

She the proceeded to punch and kick in various directions.

If she ever became my pupil, one of the FIRST things I would point out is how NOT to train to get better at the Pokmeon TCG...



Mitch resumed the same pose he had with the losses of the others. "Ah Jessica-san. She has much spirit but lacks skill. If only I was granted the proper time to help hone her duelist skills. Still, it is good she is a member of the club. Dealing with her mother has been challenging... but doable."

And just what was THAT supposed to mean?!

At that point, I honestly had no idea if Mitch was a proper club leader, or a wanton pervert chasing after multiple probably-married women!

How...? How was it not clear which it was?! I couldn't even ask him about it, because if I was wrong, what would that say about me?! No... It was better to leave well enough alone...

With that, I took my leave.

---

As I flew through the sky in my drone, I considered that I only had one club left to defeat the regular members of: the Rock Club!

Typing would be an issue as they can hit many of my cards weakness. It would also be harder to damage them with lightning as they tend to have resistance to it.

Still, if I could win there too, I should be strong enough to challenge the club leaders with my all-common deck!

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

This may be one of the most uniquely written stories out there, with all the asides and explanations and now visual inserts!

Hm, I've never used an all-commons deck but I did win a city tournament with an uncommon card as my central (the Masquerain that let you do so much more damage if you did x amount the turn before it was amazing) so I wager it can be done.

if I may, should be "trees" that are disappointing and not "tree's" since there's no possessive (this same typo shows up again later). And I'm also wondering why every sentence in this part is its own paragraph when often they're part of the same thought.

I like the aside the narrator has about remembering ages. It's charming and tells us a bit more about his thought process.

First and foremost, Nikki is the card leader, even with what she once meant to the narrator. Would it be correct to surmise that Isaac is in the same boat? Especially with how the card game has consumed his life for years.

Oh god even a tarp. I'm envisioning this man as being the Pokemon equivalent of Seto Kaiba, you realize.

PLAYING ON THE FLOOR? Oh god my posture is aching just thinking about it!

Hold up, the same Dark Rapidash card from the Rocket set? I see it's a common in Japanese but this still isn't that much of a card. How is he taking down whole decks with just that one?

Anyway, another good job! The narrator needs to get his head out of his ass and realize that all he'll have are regrets and cards if he doesn't do something.

 

[133TFR33k]

Hi Blackjack!

Thanks for the review of Chapter 1!

This may be one of the most uniquely written stories out there, with all the asides and explanations and now visual inserts!

Thanks! I hope the visuals added to the experience for you. I realize it is just pixel art, but they ARE from the game for a stylistic retro feel.

Hm, I've never used an all-commons deck but I did win a city tournament with an uncommon card as my central (the Masquerain that let you do so much more damage if you did x amount the turn before it was amazing) so I wager it can be done.

Always nice to have a player of the card game review. Sounds like you were quite the player too!

if I may, should be "trees" that are disappointing and not "tree's" since there's no possessive (this same typo shows up again later).

I make some odd errors now and then. The part with the trees was a new section I added that technically wasn't reviewed yet. Thanks for catching! I'll get it fixed.

And I'm also wondering why every sentence in this part is its own paragraph when often they're part of the same thought.

So, I used to have this problem of making too many paragraphs way too long. It seems I've started going to far in the other direction. I'll take a look.
Thanks!

I like the aside the narrator has about remembering ages. It's charming and tells us a bit more about his thought process.

It also makes it much easier for me to set the ages of the characters 😅

First and foremost, Nikki is the card leader, even with what she once meant to the narrator. Would it be correct to surmise that Isaac is in the same boat?

Yes, Isaac is a leader too. I'll go back in and clarify since it's not information I was intending to conceal.

Especially with how the card game has consumed his life for years.

Oh god even a tarp. I'm envisioning this man as being the Pokemon equivalent of Seto Kaiba, you realize.

In some ways, he is a little like Kaiba.

PLAYING ON THE FLOOR? Oh god my posture is aching just thinking about it!

Yeah. I had to. Most of the clubs in the game have NO TABLES where the bulk of the duels happen! It also made for an amusing scene.

Hold up, the same Dark Rapidash card from the Rocket set? I see it's a common in Japanese but this still isn't that much of a card. How is he taking down whole decks with just that one?

It is! He's taking them down because this is still a let's play in narrative form and in the game the AI plays badly and has bad decks lol

Anyway, another good job!

Thanks!

The narrator needs to get his head out of his ass and realize that all he'll have are regrets and cards if he doesn't do something.

Yeah. It's a problem for him for sure!

Thanks for stopping in! Hopefully will see you again!

 

[Astinus]

I've been catching up, and just read chapter ten. Again, I had to drop a review after a particular chapter, because of what I want to say about it.

And what I want to say is: so far, chapter ten is my favorite chapter!

To go back to the other chapters, I have to say that I like the addition of Rick. He's a fun character, and I guess he's trying to get Mr. Gentleman to relax as well? It's also good to have Rick along so that Gentleman isn't stuck talking only to Gotan. (Could you imagine what the tabloids would say about that?) Rick also helped to provide backstory for Gentleman. And the other Leaders.

I haven't watched the playthrough yet for this game, so I don't know how much you added to the characters, but I enjoy it. It's great to see them as people instead of just "I will defeat you with my deck in a children's card game!" roadblock obstacles on the quest to being a champion. It also helps that Gentleman is an adult like the other leaders, so he gets to know them as friends and can talk about their childhoods.

Also, because I haven't watched the playthrough, I don't know much about the oracle, but... It came off as creepy in a way. The way that the article was written about it. "All hail the oracle."

Now, as to what I wanted to say in particular about chapter ten... HITMONCHAN! That card was my favorite card in my deck when I used to play. Between that and Jungle Scyther (which Gentleman might approve of), I won many games. It filled me with nostalgic joy to see that card mentioned and as an opponent to be feared.

Plus, I liked how the whole chapter was written. You got in to the details of each match, so it felt like I was sitting there watching each turn. I wasn't sure how each turn would go, and it made it exciting because the match was allowed to take its time. It added to the interest of the three matches, especially since it was between two champions.

Going to continue to catch up, but had to drop a review about Hitmonchan.

 

[133TFR33k]

Reply To Review of Chapters 4-10.

Wow Astinus!

So great to see you leave a review all the way through chapter TEN!

I've been catching up, and just read chapter ten. Again, I had to drop a review after a particular chapter, because of what I want to say about it.

And what I want to say is: so far, chapter ten is my favorite chapter!

So, weird tidbit: in earlier versions of my fic, I had lots of complaints about the duel details being unenjoyable, but lately, all I seem to hear is people wanting MORE duel details!

This chapter I decided to go all in on details thinking it wouldn't be received well. But so far, people seem to like it!

Thanks a bunch for the feedback here. I may start adding some more depth to other duels too, and this won't be the last set of duels with more details!

To go back to the other chapters, I have to say that I like the addition of Rick. He's a fun character, and I guess he's trying to get Mr. Gentleman to relax as well? It's also good to have Rick along so that Gentleman isn't stuck talking only to Gotan. (Could you imagine what the tabloids would say about that?) Rick also helped to provide backstory for Gentleman. And the other Leaders.

By the way, Rick to anywhere NEAR this extent was entirely unplanned. It all came about from me being annoyed with having to write about Mister Gentleman picking up feathers all the time. I was like, ok how do I avoid this without breaking the spirit of the fic?

I was smiling to myself once I decided what I was going to do with Rick. He is one of my favorite parts of Book One, for sure! And believe me, he only gets better from here.

Glad he appeals to you too!

I haven't watched the playthrough yet for this game, so I don't know how much you added to the characters, but I enjoy it.

Well considering almost all characters in the game have absolutely no backstory and a few lines of dialogue, I'd say I added 90% of the depth to them at least. For Rick it would be 99% for sure.

It's great to see them as people instead of just "I will defeat you with my deck in a children's card game!" roadblock obstacles on the quest to being a champion.

Yeah, that's what they were in the original 1 chapter prologue. It was bugging me too much how the rest of the fic was so much better then the original prologue which is why I came back to greatly expand upon it.

It also helps that Gentleman is an adult like the other leaders, so he gets to know them as friends and can talk about their childhoods.

Yeah, I thought that might be better than trying to make the protagonist 10 or something.

Also, because I haven't watched the playthrough, I don't know much about the oracle, but... It came off as creepy in a way. The way that the article was written about it. "All hail the oracle."

So, in the original (only game 1), the end of the game has this voice that speaks to you when you inherit the legendary Pokemon cards. The cards hover on a technological pedestal. So, I was like, what the heck IS it? My solution is that it is a revered AI that runs their government.

And if you find it creepy... Well, let's just say that is not unintentional... 🙃

Now, as to what I wanted to say in particular about chapter ten... HITMONCHAN! That card was my favorite card in my deck when I used to play. Between that and Jungle Scyther (which Gentleman might approve of), I won many games. It filled me with nostalgic joy to see that card mentioned and as an opponent to be feared.

Yep, one of the strongest cards in the old meta. (I did my research) It also happens to be an absolute BEAST for the gentleman's deck to stop.

Plus, I liked how the whole chapter was written. You got in to the details of each match, so it felt like I was sitting there watching each turn. I wasn't sure how each turn would go, and it made it exciting because the match was allowed to take its time. It added to the interest of the three matches, especially since it was between two champions.

For something I was worried about, this is fantastic to hear! Thanks so much!

Going to continue to catch up, but had to drop a review about Hitmonchan.

At this rate, you will catch up faster than I can post! I'll continue to work on posting chapters to try to keep them coming for you.

Fair warning that not all of Book One is written yet, but it's getting close.

Once Book One is done, I can work on a repost for Book Two which shouldn't take too long.

After that I have a BOOK THREE already written that hasn't been posted at all yet!

I don't get many readers who make so much progress through the fic like you do. I'm really excited to see what you might think of the ending for both Book One and Two! (Assuming you are still on board. You seem to like it so far, so I'll take that as a good sign!)

 

[IFBench]

Hi! Finally here for our review exchange!

I kinda feel like the phrasing of "My deck packed full of strong rare and uncommon cards is a force to behold indeed!" is a bit awkward, particularly the "strong rare and uncommon" part. It initially made me think that the protagonist had strong cards, rare cards, and uncommon cards seperately, rather than strong rare cards and strong uncommon cards.
I also think you meant "suit" instead of "suite" in the third paragraph.

Other than that, though, the first section is pretty neat! A bit clumsy at times, sure, but it has heart, and it's a good way of introducing our protagonist.

Kinda sad we skipped over the talk with Billy about expectations. That kind of stuff is always fun for me to read.

"hey Mr! How did you get good enough at Pokemon Cards to come teach em?"

I think you meant to have the "hey" here have a capital H.

The tongue-and-cheek referencing about the gameverse Pokemon world, as well as IRL, are very cheesy, but also kinda charming. Neat!

I also like how Doduo of all Pokemon are the one real Pokemon in this world. That's so silly and fun.

I feel kinda bad for our protagonist, having to sell every single one of their cards.

The technical gameplay talk was a bit difficult for me to read through, but since (from what I recall) this is meant to be a fan sequel game to Pokemon TCG on the Gameboy, I understand why it's there.

Overall, this is a very odd fic so far, but not in a bad way. It's something I've never quite seen before, which is really neat! I'll have to see about reading more chapters eventually!

Thank you for writing this!

 

[133TFR33k]

Reply to Prologue Review

Hi! Finally here for our review exchange!

TWO reviews for my fic in ONE day? And one of them is from IFBench?!

Please give me more!

I kinda feel like the phrasing of "My deck packed full of strong rare and uncommon cards is a force to behold indeed!" is a bit awkward, particularly the "strong rare and uncommon" part. It initially made me think that the protagonist had strong cards, rare cards, and uncommon cards seperately, rather than strong rare cards and strong uncommon cards.

I see what you mean here. I played around with the wording a bit. I think that should do it.

Thanks!

I also think you meant "suit" instead of "suite" in the third paragraph.

Oof! How did that go unnoticed for so long?! 😅

Other than that, though, the first section is pretty neat! A bit clumsy at times, sure, but it has heart, and it's a good way of introducing our protagonist.

Its meant to be a bit lighthearted and silly for the Prologue. I'm glad it seems to work.

Kinda sad we skipped over the talk with Billy about expectations. That kind of stuff is always fun for me to read.

For some reason when I try to think of how to expand on it, I'm drawing a blank. Maybe I'll come back to it eventually.

I think you meant to have the "hey" here have a capital H.

The tongue-and-cheek referencing about the gameverse Pokemon world, as well as IRL, are very cheesy, but also kinda charming. Neat!

As long as they are at least mildly amusing, I'm ok with that. Glad it seems to work!

I also like how Doduo of all Pokemon are the one real Pokemon in this world. That's so silly and fun.

It evolved out of me playing the let's play this fic emerged from. Doduo was the butt of every joke and it just kind of morphed into a real Pokemon.

I feel kinda bad for our protagonist, having to sell every single one of their cards.

Yeah, I had to think of a reason why someone in an actual world would NEED to go around dueling everyone with an all common deck. That was the solution I came up with. The lets play it was based on was not something I was willing to do away with, so instead of scrapping it, I worked around it.

The technical gameplay talk was a bit difficult for me to read through, but since (from what I recall) this is meant to be a fan sequel game to Pokemon TCG on the Gameboy, I understand why it's there.

If you are talking about the part that went in-depth with Billy into the rules, I was intending that to be skipped by anyone who doesn't want to read it. Since you read it though, you might have an easier time with some of the other parts of the fic. That's probably one of the hardest things in the fic for you to read, so I expect you will have a better time with the content in the rest of it.

Overall, this is a very odd fic so far, but not in a bad way. It's something I've never quite seen before, which is really neat!

I don't think most fics get made in the way this one was lol...

That said, I haven't read enough other fics to really know for sure, but its what I keep hearing from people.

I'll have to see about reading more chapters eventually!

That would be great! I think you will find the next chapter to be worth checking out.

Thank you for writing this!

You haven't seen anything yet! Thanks for the review!

 

[133TFR33k]

Spoiler: Soundtrack temporary hiatus

For the moment, I will not be uploading soundtracks with newly posted chapters, starting with this one. This is to conserve time as I try to complete posting and writing Book One. If any reader wishes to have a soundtrack, please PM me and I will get it implemented if you prefer it there prior to reading. It will take me some time to select and implement, however. Later when I have more time, I will come back without being asked to add the soundtrack for this chapter and all remaining chapters for Book One.

Special thanks to K_S for beta reading!

Chapter 14: Breakthrough​

May 20th

After I had roused myself and showered for the day, I received a phone call from Rick!

He informed me he would like to accompany me again today.

Since he was coming over, I decided it was ok to let Gotan inside the house. After all, that's where we would all need to be!

And a good thing too! There was a dreadful storm going on outside that was expected to carry on for most of the day.

In retrospect, I was extremely fortunate that Gotan appeared to be house-trained. He avoided damage to anything in the house and even walked on the joints of his talons to avoid scratching the floor!

---

Rick raised an eyebrow. "So, what is this transportation method you speak of?"

We were standing in my garage with Gotan as well.

With a flourish and bow I pressed the button on my remote. Mechanical arms lifted the concrete slabs of the garage to reveal a large capsule with a hole to the side of it.

The magnetic field kept the capsule levitating.

I smiled. "THIS, my friend, is our ticket to the HYPERLOOP!"

Ah, the hyperloop. Such a magnificent feat of transportation. You sit in a capsule held in place by magnetic forces and are propelled along an extremely long underground pipe devoid of air to cut down on motion resistance. The pipes are kept at low-pressure to aid in speed as well. In theory, the capsule can reach over 700 miles per hour! The Hyperloop entry-point below my garage connects to the central hub. From there, one can visit any club in a matter of minutes!

---

Gotan squeezed in the back of the capsule. He had to prevent his legs and necks from extending to fit. He looked like a ridiculous massive ball of feathers, but he made it work.

Rick and I had the comfy seats in the front.

I pulled a lever to seal the capsule, another one to seal the garage and extract the air, yet another to open the seal to the tunnel, and finally the last lever to engage the drive!

---

After connecting to the hub, we were redirected to our destination.

Our capsule emerged from where the Rock Club symbol in the lobby would normally be. It had slid to the side to let us in. That was how it worked for all the clubs.

To return, I would only need to revisit the lobby and recall the capsule with the app on my phone. Alas, it did take a few minutes or perhaps longer if others were using the hyperloop, but the wait always paled in comparison to conventional travel time.

I stepped out of the capsule onto the gravel floor below. They had large bonsai plants in the corners, which they kept immaculately trimmed. Nearby the floor was comprised of large stone slabs of varying shapes and sizes decoratively placed to somewhat fit together.

The base of the walls were lined with a stone veneer and above that, the walls were smoothed stone. It looked as if the entire club was carved out of an enormous boulder.

Green rugs with red edges linked the lobby to the lounge and the main room of the club.

Gotan appeared to enjoy the tactile sensation of his talons digging into the gravel as he walked. It didn't look painful, but I suppose he was capable of enjoying more things than pain.

As for Rick, he was sucking up stray feathers, as usual and then paused. "Ah, the rock club. I do have a passing interest in geology, but perhaps the most notable thing here is their commitment to a Neo Island vibe."

I nodded. "Indeed. Those bonsai must have been imported. We used to have them on TCG island, but they went extinct here centuries ago."

Rick brought a hand to his chin. "Yes, it is a shame we must resort to imports for them, but my favorite part of this club is the main room with the rock garden!"

I smiled. "It really is something, isn't it? Such a simple concept yet, so tranquil!"

I strolled along like a man on vacation.

Emerging from the doorway, I paused and took in the decor while ignoring anyone who was there.

Where the rug ended was a path of stone fragments pieced together. It stretched all the way to a slightly raised platform of wood planks. Flanking either side of the platform were tall boulders.

All the rest of the floor was sand.

Other large stones were scattered about the room as well.

Each rock had rings etched in the sand around them. Each ring slightly farther out than the next.

It created the effect that what we saw wasn't sand at all, but water.

The 'stage' wasn't a stage at all, but a raft.

Each stone sang with its own unique voice. Together they created a marvelous chorus of harmony and peace.

Out of all the clubs, I would say the Rock Club had the most exquisite design. There was something to be said for Neo Island aesthetics.

I was going to convert my own back yard into a rock garden, but unfortunately, that was around the time my funds ran dry...

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath through my nose, holding it a moment.

I slowly exhaled through my mouth and opened my eyes. The club leader, Gene, was standing in the back on the wood planks.

He wore a slate-gray traditional Neo robe and looked to be perhaps 65 years old. His hair looked like a war between salt and pepper. The 'salt' had the advantage by far.

Gene had been the Rock Club leader for as long as I could remember. Even back to my childhood.



Gene had a stoic expression. "Mister Gentleman. Taking the time to admire the decor? Not many have the eyes to experience it the way you do. It brings a smile to this old man's face every time you do it." He smirked.



I leaned forward to bow over my right arm with my legs standing straight. "There you go again, Gene. I never did understand how you could always tell it was me.

Gene held his hand out as if offering something to me. "Listen long and hard enough and you will know all kinds of things. Sight holds back the development of other senses."

Gene was the most capable 'disabled' person I had ever met, to the point that even the word 'disabled' seemed a ridiculous word to describe him with. His blindness never seemed to hold him back from anything.

I nodded. "Indeed. I still remember the days in my childhood where you provided advice to me. Your unique perspective on things enhanced my sense of imagination."

Gene let out a laugh. "Yes! It seems it served you well considering you have taken to using a deck of all-commons to win duels now! How about that?"

I held my chin in one hand. "Ah, news indeed travels fast. It wasn't my preference, but at least it gives everyone incentive to duel me again!"

Gene nodded. "Far be it from us to refuse your challenge under these conditions. And please forgive our prior disengagement. It was never personal. Your deck had just become so powerful that it proved bad for morale... Please, duel any of our members as you see fit."

Rick had his notepad and Feathermaster ready to go.

Gotan was hoping from one foot to the next and was dancing. I think he knew that his fighting resistance would mean he would be taking several hits from opponent card attacks...

For my first opponent, I set my sights on Ryan. He had a simple haircut, wore large round glasses, and had a simple purple t-shirt on with a small white collar. He looked about 9 years old.



He was amicable, as usual. "Hi Mister Gentleman! Thanks for handicapping yourself. It's not much fun losing all the time. I look forward to our duel!"

The only problem with the duelists of our island is that they are content to stagnate... Why do they not try to improve themselves? There were so very few duelists that really seemed to have the capacity to take things to the next level...

I nodded. "As do I!"

---

Early on in our game, I had Doduo out. Ryan was using things like Graveler, Sandshrew, and Cubone. He was having a very hard time breaking through Doduo. Before he could, my Dark Rapidash engaged him. It wasn't able to stop everything on it's own, so once Ryan KOed it, I swapped to Porygon and converted weakness to lightning.

The handy thing about this trick is that resistance is applied AFTER weakness. This means my Voltorb could potentially do 120 damage reduced to a more-than-sufficient 90 after resistance!

Unfortunately, Porygon IS weak to fighting types and only had 40 HP, so it was a sacrificial play. I did not mind such plays as long as they netted me the victory, though!



Ryan had tears rolling down his cheeks. "Aw man... I never win!"

He then left the room. The poor guy...



Rick had just finished jotting down notes of the duel with an amused 'Hm!' and began vacuuming Gotan's stray feathers.

Doduo was looking particularly satisfied with all sorts of minor cuts and bruises all over. If I looked closely, I could actually see the cuts slowly sealing themselves!

My next opponent was Andrew. He had a gray t-shirt and it seemed he had dyed part of his black hair gray. He looked to be eleven years old.



He smiled as we made eye contact. "Mister Gentleman! I'm so curious to see your all-common deck in action! Seems cool!"

I smiled back at him. "Well, not quite as cool as you look! Going for the stone-gray, eh? Not too shabby!"



He was now grinning ear to ear. "Well I do try! Kind of helps get me in the mood to play with my rock deck!"

After Ryan felt so bad, I had wanted to help someone here feel at least a little good... Besides, I DID find thematic apparel to be in good taste!

I waved a hand over my suit. "Right back at you on that. This red isn't just because it's cool, its because I've got fire types in my deck!"



Andrew held his deck up. "Alright, Mister! Let's duel!"

---

Andrew played Ryhorn, Omanyte, and Kangaskhan in the duel.

I had Porygon and Voltorb in spades! Though I did have to use Pokemon Trader to swap Dark Rapidash from my hand to access one of those Voltorb.

He led with Kangaskhan with 90HP to spam "Fetch" attack to draw cards over multiple turns. I led with Porygon and attached a Fire Energy to use "Conversion" to switch his Kangaskhan's weakness to lightning.

He continued to draw cards while loading up energy. I loaded up energy on Voltorb. The moment Voltorb was ready, I had 2 others benched as well! Several of my draw cards such as "Bill", and "Bill's Teleporter" were working as well.

I slammed into his Kangaskhan with a 50 damage "Group Spark" attack boosted by weakness for 100 damage to OHKO the 90HP.

Not realizing the danger, Andrew had been stacking energy on it! He next brought out Rhyhorn with 70HP but it only had a single energy on it! He played another on it, but still was unable to attack. I retreated Voltorb for Porygon and switched weakness again to lightning.

His turn came back around and he supplied his Rhyhorn with the 3rd energy needed to attack for 30 damage, boosted to 60 due to Porygon's weakness, KOing it.

I brought Voltorb out and "Group Sparked" it for 50 damage boosted by weakness to 100 minus 30 for resistance for 70 damage to KO it!

He then brought out Omanyte. With no energy on it and only 50 HP, the game was soon brought to a close by my Voltorb.



Andrew frowned. "Beaten by a common lighting type? I thought I was at least better than that!"

I shook my head. "No, your deck has plenty of things to help against lightning. I just have ways of boosting my damage beyond what your rock types can withstand. The Voltorb I use can be very powerful, but come at the cost of very low HP. Don't be so hard on yourself. I am the Champion after all!"



My pep talk seemed to have worked.

Andrew's frown vanished. "You're right. Leave it to the Champion to pull off something amazing like that! You fought against your fighting weakness AND my lightning resistance and still won! I can only imagine how badly you've been beating everyone else!" He was then laughing again.



We then shook hands and Andrew wandered off to the lounge to get a snack.

It was nice to see someone have a positive outlook from suffering a loss against me.

Gotan was frowning with both heads and was squinting. It would seem his 'fun' was squandered by me not having a Doduo to play that game.

Rick was STILL jotting down notes from the duel!

I turned back towards the room and caught Matthew standing right next to me!



He had a confident smile. "Well well! Mister Gentleman! We meet again! I've been playing more games and have decided that I will become the next Champion! I'm going to start my journey by beating YOU here!"

It took some serious effort not to roll my eyes. This fellow always seemed to have misplaced confidence. If his skill at the game matched his confidence, he would no-doubt already be Champion...

He had a brown shirt with a cape, of all things... He looked to be twelve years old. His hair was a light gray-blue and was spiked to the sides. He was short and stout with particularly bushy eyebrows.

Even so, I had to admit he ran a slightly better deck than his peers. Taking into account weakness and resistance, it was certainly possible he could give me some trouble.

I grinned. "A high self-esteem as always, Matthew! I'm ready when you are!"

---

The duel ended in my defeat.

My draw cards failed and I was left with only one Voltorb and one Porygon, both weak to his Diglett. Once he attached the second energy to it, he started using Mudslap for 30 damage boosted to 60 from weakness. It's low HP didn't even matter due to its lightning resistance.



He was grinning. "OH YEAH! You see that?! I'm gonna be CHAMPION!"

I gave a small bow. "Well played! Surely you can win more than one game against me in a row, yes?"

He sat up straight. "Well obviously! I'm glad you asked! If you didn't I was going to!"

---

This next game proved to be much different. I had two Doduo to work with. All he had were fighting(specifically rock) types in this game. I proceeded to use Doduo's "Fury Attack" that only required one energy. It did 10 damage for each of two successful coin-flips. I used it over and over and over until all his mon were KOed.



Matthew closed his eyes and frowned as if doing so might make the loss he just suffered disappear. "I-I don't know what happened there! It was just a fluke! It's just DODUO... Ugh, I'm never going to become Champion if I lose to something like Doduo..."

It was hard to keep from laughing. THIS is why one does NOT run a fighting/rock type deck! Fighting resistance. It decimates them! To the point where even Doduo beats them easily!

I smiled. "If you really want to become champion, you may want to look into ways to deal with fighting resistance."

Matthew groaned. "Ugh! But I DO have some fire types in my deck, I just didn't DRAW any!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Well how many draw cards are you using in your deck?"



He looked back at me with full confidence. "Not one... but TWO Bill!"

I blinked. "And?"

He smiled. "And that's it!"

I scratched my head. "Matthew... you do know you can run four Bill, don't you?"

Matthew looked at me like I had just slapped him. "FOUR?! I couldn't do THAT! I already determined that TWO is the PERFECT number for them!"

I could feel my eye twitching. "Well... what about Professor Oak then? It allows you to discard your hand and draw a new seven cards!"



Matthew gave ME a look of pity?! "You mean to tell me that as the Champion you actually use that card? It discards cards! You can't use discarded cards! Professor Oak sucks! I would NEVER put one of those in my deck! No wonder I'm eventually going to become Champion!"

This was what I got for trying to be charitable... He just called the single best card in the entire game sucky... Clearly, I was wasting my time with this lost cause of a duelist...

I smiled. "Well, I look forward to your rise through the ranks... Without Professor Oak!"

I'd be shocked to my core if he ever became even a club leader at this rate...

Matthew packed up his cards and mentioned he was going to see Andrew in the lounge to boast about his 'impressive' win...



Gene had been listening and was smiling. "Well done, Mister Gentleman! I thought for sure your common deck would be stopped cold by our club's members! Considering what you are running, I am most impressed! I look forward to seeing what you can do against the club leaders!"

I nodded. "As do I, Gene. Until next time!"

With that, I turned about with Rick and Gotan following behind.



Rick nodded while smiling. "Fascinating! Only a single loss against the members of the rock club! And so many feathers too!"

Both of Gotans heads were smiling despite the various bruises and cuts everywhere.

It was hard to tell if he preferred getting hit by a few strong attacks or many tiny ones.

We soon arrived back in the lobby and I brandished... the remote!

Within minutes our ride had returned! We loaded back into the capsule and within another ten minutes, we were home!

I could still hear thunder outside the house. Such a good little hyperloop!



Rick looked at me with his eyebrows raised. "Yeah, I'm NOT going back out in that again. Getting over here was bad enough. You ok with me crashing here again tonight?"

I held my arms out. "With all the feathers you prevent me from needing to pick up after Gotan, I have no problem with that! Besides, I'd rather not send you back out in that storm anyway..."

Gotan looked longingly at me.

I raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Gotan?"

Gotan tiled both heads to one side much like a dog when asked a question.

I put a hand to my chin thoughtfully. "Are you wanting to take shelter from the storm inside tonight?"

Gotan squinted at me.

I smacked myself in the forehead. "Ah! Of course! You want to go out in the storm, is that it?"

Gotan started running around in tight circles, so I opened the garage door with the automatic button.

He ran outside and began leaping around madly.

I promptly had the garage door reseal itself off.

With the lightning attacks I had seen Gotan endure at the lightning club, I doubted even a bolt of lightning from nature would end him.

I furrowed my brow. "Rick... have you ever heard of a Doduo having died before?"



Rick raised his eyebrows with a smile. "Oh-ho! What brought this question on? Was it the storm outside?"

I nodded. "Precisely. From what I can tell, I don't think I have ever seen or heard of a Doduo succumbing to death before."

Rick held up a piece of chalk. (I had no idea where he got it from.) "You are not the first one to notice this oddity! The idea of any creature, even a Pokemon, being immortal is a ridiculous concept! They simply all look alike and, like a cat, it is believed they wander far away when death calls them. That way, they do not burden anyone they are close to!"

I crossed my arms. "But you have never seen a Doduo die or heard of one perishing before, right?"

Rick crossed his arms too. "This is correct, but how would anyone witness the death of a Doduo when they run so fast and presumably so far away to do it?"

I brought a hand to my chin. "You make a good point there. I'm not sure how anyone would catch one if it didn't want to be caught."



Rick held his chalk up again. "It is also suspected they are sneaky about it! There have been no confirmed incidents of someone catching on to a Doduo running away to die! No one has ever discovered a Doduo corpse or remains either!"

I put my hands in my pockets. "It seems we will never know the answer to this mystery."

Rick rose an eyebrow. "I wouldn't quite say that. I hear there is a Doduo research facility on Neo Island. Perhaps it is getting to the bottom of things? Maybe we will have answers in our lifetime."

Scientific progress in the world always seemed to go so slowly. I supposed it was either just too complicated or there weren't that many scientists. My history classes from the academy taught how technology improved at incredible rates in certain parts of history. I figured the current age is just slow to advance.

 

[133TFR33k]

Special thanks to K_S for beta reading!

Chapter 15: Conspiracy!​

May 21st

Today, I made phone-calls to the various clubs to schedule duels with the leaders.

I was in the living room on the couch with Rick sitting across from me.

As usual, the receptionists of the various clubs handled those kinds of things. Each of them all had a thick Neo accent.

I supposed they must have obtained work visas since they would not be able to legally immigrate here or become TCG island citizens.

Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I saw a Neo Island immigrant hold any prestigious position for a job...

I scratched my head. "Hey, Rick..."

Rick looked my way with an eyebrow raised. "Oh! You look like you have... an idea!"



I shook my head. "No, not an idea, but I AM wondering something..."

Rick smiled. "You've been wondering quite a few things lately, haven't you? All good science starts with curiosity. Ask your question and this scientific mind shall do its best to answer!"

I stroked my chin with my left hand. "Well... why do all the immigrants from Neo have such basic jobs? Any ideas?"



Rick looked dismayed. "Ah... matters of population and the job market are outside my area's of expertise..."



Rick then smiled confidently. "However! I CAN speculate! Immigrants from Neo probably need to obtain work visas to move here legally. To move here illegally would run afoul of Neo Islands emigration policy, which they take very seriously."

I put a fist in my hand. "Ah! I see where you are going with this. The oracle only allows visas for jobs that TCG Island citizens don't want. No one wants their kid to have to work as a lowly receptionist after all!"

Rick nodded. "Exactly! This frees our citizens to do work that is more fulfilling and challenging. It provides incentive for our young to aspire to higher education. If one of our citizens lack the intelligence or motivation, they can always live on UBI. As for the Neo Island immigrants, they are always free to return to Neo Island whenever they want. The oracle even stated it would pay for their airfare."

I tilted my head. "I don't think I have heard of an immigrant ever requesting to go home, but I suppose they kind of all look and sound the same, so maybe I wouldn't notice if one was suddenly gone..."



Rick frowned with wide eyes. "That is a horrible thing to say! ...It also happens to be exactly what I was thinking even if I wasn't going to say it... They really DO all sound alike and look similar! Are we a couple of racists or something?!"

I furrowed my brow. "WHAT?! Surely not! But no matter how hard I think about it, I can't think of anything that sets one apart from another!"

Rick looked down at the table. "We can come back to that in a moment, but I think I just realized something else too!"

I tilted my head. "Oh?"

Rick nodded. "When was the last time you saw anyone from Neo participate in a Pokemon TCG duel?"

I scratched my head. "Oh, well... um... huh. Never. I've NEVER seen one duel! Not ONCE!"

---

Rick and I sat in silence for a bit, but it was clear neither of us were coming up with any ideas why they never seemed to participate in duels.

We then returned our focus to the mystery of why they all looked the same. The next few hours were spent sorting through magazine clippings looking for any pictures we could find of Neo Island immigrants.

---

After a while we had several lined up side by side.

Rick was looking over them with a magnifier glass. "...Unbelievable! Even looking at them THIS closely, I CAN'T TELL THEM APART!"

I furrowed my brow. "What does that MEAN?! Are they some kind of androids or something?!"

Rick shifted his eyes to me. "Really? First racism and now you don't even think they are human? Besides, we don't have technology sophisticated enough to create something like that. NO WHERE in the world does!"

I started pulling my hair with both my hands. "Hey! I am NOT racist and YOU admitted you thought the same thing!! What do YOU think the reason is then?!"



Rick looked at the table. "I don't want to alarm you... but I think... they are clones."

My eyes went wide. "SAY WHAT?!"

Rick shook his head. "No, really. Think about it... They can't be androids and we can't tell them apart no matter how hard we try! What other alternative is there?!"

I looked up at a random wall in the room. "What is going on over there...? Are they just cloning people and loaning them out as workers?!"

Rick looked up at me. His expression blank. "...I don't think so. I've never heard of Neo Island charging GR Island or TCG Island any fees for us to get immigrants from them..."

I put both hands on my head. "So what's going on then?! They just grow people and let them wander around?!"

Rick looked down and to the right. "Maybe this is why they have such strict immigration policies?"

Neither of us had anything to say for a while after that.

Finally, Rick spoke up. "We can test this theory."

I tilted my head. "We can?"

Rick nodded. "Yes! All we need is a DNA sample from two separate immigrants. A single strand of hair would do."

---

We spent the next few hours asking random immigrants for strands of hair. It helped that Rick had his lab coat and that we needed the hair strands 'for science'.

---

Once we collected the hair, we asked a male immigrant to duel us in the the Pokemon TCG. We gave him Rick's deck and I opted to play against the immigrant.

My opponent shuffled their cards and... did nothing?

Rick raised an eyebrow. "Do you know how to play?" he asked the immigrant.

The immigrant scratched his head. "Nope! I have no clue!"

Rick explained how the first thing to do is to draw seven cards.

The immigrant drew seven.

Rick then took several minutes explaining the basics of how to play and how the immigrant would need to play a basic Pokemon in the active slot.

The immigrant frowned. "How do I do that?"

Rick crossed his arms. "I've explained how to tell what a basic Pokemon is already. You have one in your hand. Do you know which one it is?"

The immigrant shook his head.

Rick tilted his head. "But I explained it perfectly! Ok... Can you tell me which cards are NOT Pokemon?"

The immigrant shook his head.

Rick put his hands on his head. "ARE YOU MESSING WITH ME?!"

The immigrant looked scared and held his arms up as if expecting to be beaten.

Rick immediately dropped his arms to his sides and knelt down to apologize.

Rick then asked the immigrant if they knew directions to the closest club.

The immigrant was able to give perfect directions.

Rick asked several other questions as well.

The result: there was nothing one could really say was wrong with the immigrant EXCEPT when it comes to trying to play the Pokemon TCG!

---

Rick and I tried this with a few other immigrants, two of them female, with the same results!

---

When we got back to the house, I learned that Rick could perform a quick test with his handheld DNA analyzer device!

I scratched my head. "Rick... why do you have a handheld DNA analyzer?"

Rick looked back at me and smiled. "Oh, you NEVER know when you will need one of those..."

I squinted at him. "Uh huh..."



Rick waved his hand dismissively as small light on the device turned green. "Irrelevant! We now have our answer."

I was on the edge of my seat. "What?! What is it!?"

Rick dropped his smile. "From all seven DIFFERENT samples, three male and four female... The results came back and they are all... identical. All the females have the same DNA as the other females. The same is the case for the males."

My jaw dropped. "SO THEY REALLY ARE CLONING PEOPL-"

Rick shoved a pillow from the couch in my face. "SHHH!!!" He was now whispering, "Stop talking so loudly!!! We have just somehow stumbled upon some kind of GIANT conspiracy!!!"

My eyes went wide as I placed both hands on my mouth.

Rick glanced quickly to both sides and whispered more. "This was NOT that hard to figure out... I can't IMAGINE we are the ONLY ones to EVER do so..."

I looked back at Rick with wide eyes starting to feel a sense of panic, whispering back. "...Then what happened to the others?"

Rick looked at me with the most serious face I had ever seen from him and whispered back. "They must have been silenced. Either voluntarily... or more likely... by FORCE!"

I grimaced. Anxiety levels rising rapidly. "Who would FORCE it??"

Rick looked to his sides again and leaned into my ear. "It must be operatives from Neo, TCG Island, GR Island, or maybe ALL of them combined! There could be some kind of shadow government pulling the strings! Most likely, if we breathe a WORD of this to ANYONE, we WILL be targeted and go MISSING just like ALL the others who figured it out!!"

At that point, Rick and I made a solemn vow n e v e r to speak of our findings to anyone. We may not have had all the answers, but we had FAR more than enough!

 

[133TFR33k]

Special thanks to K_S for beta reading!

Chapter 16: Cringe-master 9000!​

May 22nd

From this point, I had had my fun with a variety of transportation methods. Now it was all business: Hyperloop time!

As is customary with a scheduled match against a leader, regular club members get the day off if they have already been dueled by the challenger.



Rick elbowed me lightly in the side. "So... do you like Amy?"

I furrowed my brow. "I do NOT want to like Amy. She is relentless in her pursuit of my prestige. Prior to becoming well known, she had NO interest in me whatsoever!"

Rick raised an eyebrow. "Ah, so you find her to be a threat to your overall dignity and you feel that dating her would be settling for someone? I take it you find her physically appealing but lacking the other qualities you desire?"

I scrunched my face. "Yes? I suppose? Something like that?"

Rick nodded. "Very well. In that case, I shall be your anti-wingman here!"

I had no idea what Rick meant by that, but it sounded helpful, so I nodded.

Gotan was dancing along as we walked. It was almost as if he could sense things were about to start ramping up against the leaders...

As we entered the main room of the club, Amy was laying on a beach chair tanning. Rubbing lotion slowly and deliberately down her bare legs... She then turned towards me and brought a hand to her mouth.

"Oh... my. Mister Gentleman... you've caught me in a tender moment... I feel so exposed..."

She definitely planned it this way...



Rick peered intently at Amy and spoke in a voice more nasally than how he usually sounded. "Hey, Amy... nice legs... you missed a spot... can, I... assist?" He then started breathing heavily.



Amy blinked and then cringed. "Oh... uh... ew... I was just finishing..."



Rick turned towards me and gave me a wink.

It would seem Amy didn't go for a club leader if it was a club weaker than hers. Perhaps she didn't go for the nerdy types either? Whatever the case, clearly she was NOT attracted to or interested in Rick...



Amy sat up. "Mr Gentleman... why is that dweeb with you?"

I put my arm around Rick. "You mean Rick here? He's been great! He follows me around and cleans the feathers Gotan leaves behind!"

Amy glanced towards Doduo. "Isn't that the Doduo that was following Imakuni around? Why is it now following you?"

I scratched my head. "Well... erm... I have no idea! But he spreads his feathers around like a plague when hit by opponent card attacks. I would have lost SO much time cleaning his feathers if not for Rick, here!"

Gotan did a fancy twirl throwing some feathers about in the process.

Rick struck an exaggerated pose with his vacuum and was showing off his feather vacuuming skills from the ones that were still falling.

Amy was now cringing with her eye twitching. "Please... get that creature out of here!"

I tilted my head. "What? How would one even go about making a Doduo go anywh-"

Amy waved her hand dismissively. "NO! Not Doduo! I don't care about that bird, I mean your cringe hired-hand, Rick! You don't have to pay him for his services!"

Amy put both her hands together pleading as she faced me, "Just send him away and I'll pick the feathers up myself... for free!"

Rick started laughing intermixed with snorting.



Amy held a hand to her chin and frowned. "I don't see what's so funny, you dumb geek! I'm going to REPLACE you! FOR FREE!"

Rick gave big toothy grin back to her. "Oh I don't think that will be happening... You see, I am not being paid for my services, except by Doduo feathers! Helping is it's own reward!"

Amy face contorted in disgust. "Don't you have a smelly science experiment to go conduct somewhere? It's hardly appropriate for a club leader to just go wandering around everywhere!"

Rick smiled back smugly. "Actually, I collect duel data as well! This advances both the science of my club AND the Pokemon TCG! Sorry Amy, but I'm here to stay! And you're one to talk regarding appropriate behavior for club leaders..." Rick was now wiggling his fingers in a disturbing fashion towards Amy.

I almost felt sorry for her. Almost. I believed she was counting on me being alone and all her carefully laid plans had now come unraveled...

Unable to deal with Rick any longer, Amy's composure finally broke.

Amy twisted her eyes shut and balled her fists at her hips. "FINE J-JUST DUEL ME, MISTER GENTLEMAN! HURRY!"

Well, that was easy.

---

Throughout the duel, Rick circled around making all kinds of dumb faces at Amy and commenting every time she had a setback in the duel.

Amy was getting her attractive butt handed to her that game.

My Voltorb were ripping her mon to shreds with weakness-boosted 80 damage, starting from turn two!

Soon, both my deck and Rick overwhelmed her. It was unclear which was more effective...

Amy looked towards Rick with a mortified expression. "OK! OK! NO MORE! NO MORE! I FORFEIT! EEK!!"

She then ran out of the club room in a panic, bare-foot, and presumably towards the lobby.

She left the booster pack prizes for beating her and even her own deck behind!

Meanwhile Rick was loudly laughing like a mad-man.



He then abruptly stopped and looked me in the eye. "So... How did you like my... Interference?"

It had to be one of the stupidest things I had ever seen!

I started full-on laughing while Rick joined in.

As for Gotan... wait a second... was he laughin- oh. Perhaps not, I guess he was just choking on... something? How odd.

---

May 23rd

This day, I opted to be lazy around the house.

I kept days open in between the scheduled games against the leaders in case any needed to be re-scheduled.

Rick returned home for the day, mentioning he had some more things to take care of.

Feathers would be easier to accumulate in-doors so I let Gotan join me inside.

Sometimes it almost seemed as though Gotan were watching TV with me, but that would be ridiculous, of course.

---

May 24th

Today Rick came over to duel me. There was no need to schedule duels against him.

Rick brought over some insane-sounding music to duel to. I don't think I had ever heard anything quite like it! He also drank a couple beers.

During our duel he was bobbing his head to the beat of it. I think he knew he was going to lose and wasn't concerned in the slightest.

Indeed he did lose quite badly! I had a full spread of Voltorb to hit him with 60 damage starting from turn two! It ripped through his low HP mon like Ekans, Zubat, Grimer, and Koffing.

"Well..." Rick belched loudly, "That was something!"

I rolled my eyes and started laughing.



Rick smiled. "I lost even worse than expected! This is shaping up to be the most interesting series of duels our island - no THE WORLD has ever witnessed! Club members AND leaders being bested by a deck of all commons! At this rate, you could have become CHAMPION using ONLY COMMONS!!"

I chuckled. "Yeah... I suppose so! ...Huh..."

I leaned back and looked up at the ceiling.

It was a sobering reality...

If I was good enough to become champion with all commons, it meant that I trained considerably more than I needed to become Champion...

It meant I might have had enough time to have a chance with Nikki before she was married...

My eyes caught me off-guard with how fast they started to water. I rubbed my eyes pretending they were too dry.

I knew the time would soon come that I would duel Isaac and Nikki.

For now, I still had some more duels with the other leaders to get through...

 

[133TFR33k]

Special thanks to K_S for beta reading!

Chapter 17: Tango​

May 26th

I soon found myself in the Fire club facing down Ken.

Gotan and Rick were nearby, of course.



He brought a fist up towards his shoulder. "Ah, Mr Gentleman, I never doubted your expert use of fire would pit us against each other once again!"

I rubbed the back of my head with my eyes closed as I grinned. "Well... actually it's mostly my Voltorb that do the work, but I'll admit there are times when Dark Rapidash does great taking point."

Ken crossed his arms. "Hump! I suppose you DID always like mixing other types with fire. I wonder what YOU would do with an all-fire deck?"

I tilted my head looking up and to the right. "I'm not quite sure! I don't often try to create mono-type decks. I find most play better with at least a dash of some other types as well. Perhaps someday I'll make a mono-fire deck just so you could see what I would run."



Ken laughed. "Well! I look forward to it! Coming from you, it would likely be the best mono-fire deck the world had ever seen! I would love to wield such a deck."

Ken was one of my fiercest supporters these days. Both because I became champion using fire types and because if I didn't become champion, I surely would have taken his place as Fire Leader. No-doubt if that somehow happened, I would be the strongest of all the club leaders by a wide margin. He'd never take it back from me and I believe he knew it...



Ken stared at me intensely. "But enough idle talk. Now, we test if your skill is so legendary that you can beat me with just commons!"

I put a fist out in front of me as I used to do so often in my youth as a fire club member. "Alright, Ken! Let's do this!"

---

Ken's deck surprised me! He was running not only fire types, but normal, fighting, and even WATER! For the longest time he had been so focused on only fire and now he was branching out!

During our duel, I used Voltorb to take down a Seel, a Dodrio, a Growlithe, and even a Hitmonchan! He seemed to have plenty of card-draw with multiple "Bill" cards as well as a "Professor Oak"!

He took down one of my Porygon and a Voltorb, but he ran out of mon before I did, and the duel ended in my victory!



Ken's gaze softened. "Ah, Mr Gentleman. I had hoped the surprise of the other types in my deck would give me the edge to defeat you, but you have bested me again. Indeed, you are the best." He then offered his hand.

I returned the offer and shook his hand. "Ken, you both surprised and impressed me with that. I never thought I would see you mix another type with fire, let alone two! And that isn't even counting the colorless types! Thank you, for the stimulating game."

Ken gave me a bow, which I returned as well.



Rick smiled. "Took down the Fire Leader already! You have already almost defeated half of the leaders! Not to mention Ronald the former champion... Watching you win so much with this deck... It's like history in the making!"

I nodded. "Just having the opportunity to do something as crazy as this is fun. Even I don't know what will happen, but I look forward to the conclusion!"

Gotan was dancing as he followed us out. Could it be that bird was cheering me on?

---

May 28th

For my next opponent, I revisited the Purple Palace. Erm... I meant the Psychic Club.

My usual entourage of Rick and Gotan were with me.

In the center of the room sat Murray. He was at it again... still trying to bend that spoon...



Murray smiled at me. "Welcome, Mr Gentleman! I will now reveal the fruits of my training!"

Murray then held his spoon out in front of him and strained as if he was lifting an object with every once of his strength.

To no one's surprise, the spoon remained upright.

Murray then scowled. "YOU STUPID SPOON! BEND I SAY! BEND!!! ARGH!!!" He then bent the spoon with his hands...



Murray threw down the spoon and raised his hands to the air. "CLAIRE!!! I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DID IT, BUT I HAVE HAD IT WITH THIS USELESS PIECE OF METAL!!"

I put my hands together and tapped my thumbs against each other. "Erm... I was hoping we could have our duel?"

Murray whipped around to face me and then signed. "I had hoped I would be able to finally bend the spoon with the power of my mind in front of you. You would have made for a credible witness. As for a duel... I already know I will lose against you... but I won't do that bad either... Come then! Let's play it out! I could certainly use the diversion!"

---

As Murray had foretold, this duel was not an easy one. His Mewtwo proved most troublesome. It was aided by a version of Mr. Mime which prevented all weaknesses and resistances from functioning.

This meant I could not rely weakness conversion with Porygon and Porygon's usual resistance against psychic did nothing!

Since I was unable to bring down Mewtwo with a single hit, it was able to KO multiple of my mon before I brought it down. Even then, Murray still had his Kadabra to fall back on. He almost claimed the win against me, but I was able to bring down Kadabra just in time.



Murray smiled. "Well, I may have lost, but it sure was satisfying having you on the ropes. Be careful in your future duels. Not all of them will end... in victory."

One should never take lightly what a psychic says. If duels against Isaac should fall within the range of duels I would lose... I'd lose my title of Champion permanently...

Murray then looked wide eyed at Gotan. "THIS... THIS DODUO... WHAT AM I LOOKING AT HERE?! WHAT IS THIS BIRD?!"

I scratched my head. "Uh... he's Gotan?"

Murray put his hands on his head. "NO!! ABSOLUTELY NOT! HE IS NOT GOTAN... HE IS... TANGO!"

I furrowed my brow as it dawned on me I had read the dogtags of Gota- TANGO backwards!

I closed my eyes and grit my teeth. "That... does make some sense!"

Rick put a hand to his face. "Ugh... I knew that name was really weird... Go figure... not Go tan..." he then started snickering to himself.

Gota-TANGO looked up towards Murray smiling with both beaks.

Murry squinted at Tango. "...There is more to this bird than his name... He is unlike other Doduo..."

Tango's eyes went wide.

Perhaps Murray's psychic power had an effect on Tango?

I brushed aside my thoughts. "How is Tango different?"

Murray continued to squint. "...I'm not sure... But there is more to him! Of that I am sure!"

Just then, I thought I caught Tango sighing in relief, but when I looked directly at him, he seemed his usual vacant self.

I brought a hand to my chin. "Fascinating. I wonder what Tango's deal is?"



Murray looked to me and smiled. "I do not know what Tango hides, but I believe you will find out someday."

I rubbed the back of my head. "Well! Thanks, Murray! Who knows how long I would have been calling that bird 'Gotan'!" I started laughing.



Rick had just finished scribbling down notes from the duel. "Your duel was particularly interesting. Such a close game!"

With that, Rick and Tango accompanied me home.

 

[133TFR33k]

Special thanks to K_S for beta reading!

Chapter 18: Strength of Stone​

May 30th

The time was fast approaching for my duels against Nikki and Isaac. I decided to put them off until the last moments with Isaac being last.

Next on my list was Mitch.

---

The hyperloop once again made short work of the travel time.

I arrived in the training room of the fighting club for my face off against Mitch. Tango and Rick were with me.

I noticed the room had changed since my last visit. The padding in the room appeared to be thicker and there was a display rack now added to the corner with Neo Island katanas in it. There was also a Neo Island clon- I mean immigrant woman kneeling down scrubbing in-between the hardwood floorboards.

Mitch had his back turned towards me. "That's the way! Push harder! Really get down there and work it! I will pay you well for your service!"

I brought a hand to my face.

Was Mitch's wording intentional? Perhaps he enjoys messing with folks...

Rick was snickering.

Tango...! I turned to look at him and thought I caught some kind of expression shift. If it was, the bird was too quick to be sure...

But of course, such things are an absurd flight of fancy... Those birds can't understand speech, let alone humor. Still... Tango is supposed to be different in some way. I wondered what the difference could be. He seemed like an ordinary Doduo to me... not that I have spent a great deal of time around other Doduo, but surely if the difference was significant or obvious I would have caught it by now...



Mitch turned about and nodded to acknowledge my arrival. "Ah, Mister Gentleman. I had hoped to have a little more of my renovations completed prior to your visit..."

I tilted my head. "What's all this you have here, Mitch?"

Mitch gestured towards the katanas. "Authentic ornamental katanas, imported from Neo Island. Michael's mother is a fine artist who specializes in woodworking. This rack was custom made for my efforts to take Michael under my tutelage."

So, THIS is what he meant by 'Michael's mother's rack'!

Mitch raised a foot and stomped down. The stomp hardly made any noise and left an indent in the padding that was quickly reconstituting itself.



He then looked up and smiled. "This padding is far more comfortable to sit and play duels on!"

Unbelievable! This must be what he meant by 'very nice padding'! Somehow this was turning into a case of just a big misunderstanding! Though, he may want to be careful about making the floor too comfortable as that would invite the dreaded stall-out deck users! NO one wanted THAT!



He then held up a balled fist with his eyes shut. "It also helps prevent Jessica from hurting herself when she shadow boxes while blindfolded... Regrettably, I have yet to break her of that habit... her mother gets very upset when her daughter gets bruised as a result of falling over during it. Explaining the injuries has been difficult, but I do it because of the potential for greatness I see in Jessica."

And just like that, Mitch's name was cleared. All was right in the world now so I could call it a day! ...Except I was here to duel, so perhaps not quite yet...

I smiled. "I can certainly understand wanting to train Jessica. Her fighting spirit is top-notch! It's great to see you keep your club in good condition and search for ways to improve it too! The kids in your care as members of your club deserve no less."



Mitch laughed. "You always did understand club vibes and aesthetics. Fitting qualities for our champion!"



Mitch now had a determined glare. "But you are here for our match. Let's see if your common deck can handle the might of my fighting types!"

We then both bowed and took our seats upon the mat to duel.

---

The game was off to a promising start. Three Bill's Teleporter in hand! Surely at least one would work and allow me to draw four cards!

To my dismay, all three failed...

At least I had Doduo as my active mon...

Speaking of Doduo, Tango was beaming with both heads like a kid at a candy store convention!

For the first good while, I was using Doduo to tank against Machop and the same version of Hitmonchan that was the bane of my deck's existence...(The one the former champ, Ronald, used against me.)

I kept attacking over and over with Doduo. Thankfully, Doduo was able to KO both Machop and Hitmonchan, but Mitch now had a Kangaskhan out and used it to finish off Doduo. I brought out Porygon and converted Kangaskhan's weakness to lightning.

I drew 'Gambler' and won the coin-flip to get a new eight-card hand!

I started setting up multiple Voltorb and attaching energy while Porygon tanked hits from Kangaskhan.

It wasn't long before Mitch played Mr Mime of all things! It was the one with the power to cancel out all resistance and weakness! So much for weakness conversion...

Mr Mime proved to be a double-edged sword, however, as it also prevented weakness from affecting my Porygon and Voltorb for any more fighting types he might have played.

After enough turns elapsed, I assembled several Voltorb on my bench and began zapping away. He managed to take one down with Kangaskhan, but once I KOed that, the rest of his mon offered little resistance.

The game was won!



Mitch laughed. "Would you look at THAT! Everyone on the entire island has been keeping an eye on the news lately of your victories."

I grinned. "Oh? Making waves, am I?"



Rick put his notepad away. "Indeed. You now only have three more leaders to go before you will have beaten us all with ONLY commons!"

I pocketed my deck. "Well, this challenge isn't complete yet, but I'm confident that whatever the outcome is, it will be one to remember."



Mitch nodded. "I look forward to seeing how far your power will carry you. Go beat the remaining leaders!"

Tango was so badly bruised that he had taken to rolling along the floor with the usual dumb smiles on his beaks. His sense of direction appeared to be either severely dampened or being completely ignored as I watched him tumble into various walls and corners along the way...

Rick was stepping awkwardly to try to account for the odd shifts in direction from Tango, sucking up feathers with the Feathermaster as he went. Eventually he started predicting his movements!

I wasn't sure what was more ridiculous; the deck of commons I was using to beat all the duelists on TCG Island, or my entourage...

---

Having felt confident at this point in my ability to win AND the speed of travel via hyperloop, Mitch wasn't the ONLY leader I had scheduled to duel today!

Mon that use fighting energy are either weak to psychic or are weak to grass and resist lighting. The later is what my next opponent would use.

He was potentially the strongest opponent vs my current deck.

But I needed the strongest. Especially with what would be on the line in my inexorable match against Isaac.

My next opponent: leader of the Rock Club, Gene!

---

I soon found myself with Rick and Tango across an almost empty rock garden in the Rock Club.

At the 'raft' at the far end sat a lone figure with closed eyes.

...Gene.



Apart from his mouth, his body was still as stone. "Mister Gentleman."

I smiled. "You could tell it was me from all the way over there, Gene?"

Gene shook his head. "I do have keen hearing, but the scraping of talons from your Doduo, the sound of a pair of dress shoes, and steps from specialized slip-resistant sneakers was rather unmistakable. That, and I have had my whole life to practice."

I chuckled. "Your sense of hearing never ceases to impress me. You've never let a lack of sight stop you. The way you have held position of leader for so many years... well, it inspired me to say the least."



Gene laughed. "Helping to inspire our champion when he was young. I'll add it to the long list of things I was never expected to achieve."

I crossed my arms. "Gene. I need you to do your best to give me a thrashing in a duel. I need to make sure I am ready for what's ahead."

Gene tilted his head. "Ready? You find yourself unable to rely on your wit and proven deck?"

I shook my head. "It's not enough. The stakes are higher than ever."

Gene chuckled. "Got yourself in some trouble, eh? Let me guess, it's something to do with Nikki, isn't it?"

My jaw dropped. "W-what?! I... How did you know?!"

Gene waggled a finger. "The way your movements changed around her, it was unmistakable to me. You were in love with her. You never did end up with her and there is something very much unresolved between you. Throw in your old best friend who married her, and its a disaster. I've been around a long time and have developed a keen sense for these things."

Hoping for some advice, I described to Gene everything that happened between Isaac and myself lately.



Gene furrowed his brow. "I see. That is quite the predicament you have found yourself in. Even if you win against him, I have a feeling it will be far from over, but perhaps at least Nikki will hear you out if you can win against them both. Surely you don't intend to sue Isaac..."

I hung my head. "No... I said that to him in anger. Suing him would mean suing Nikki and I can't bring myself to do that."

Gene crossed his arms. "Well, don't let Isaac know that. For that matter, don't let Nikki know either. Your anger for Isaac could help shake her confidence in Isaac's side of the story. If you win, let one of them 'talk' you out of the lawsuit. Perhaps then, at least one of them can be reasoned with."



Rick raised an eyebrow. "I agree with Gene, here. We can't afford to fight fairly against Isaac. Let's use every advantage we can short of cheating in the Pokemon TCG, of course. Above all, you are not in the wrong here, Mister Gentleman. If anyone is, it's Isaac."

Hearing those words from Rick helped me far more than I expected. Despite being Nikki's brother, and in a position predisposed to taking Isaac's side, he had my back...

I had to will back some water getting in my eyes as I turned to Rick. "I'm not exactly sure why we became friends, but I'm glad we did. Thank you, Rick. That means a lot to me."



Rick rolled his eyes. "Ugh... Don't ruin it by getting all mushy! And just so you know, I will NOT be getting drunk and passing out on your couch with you again!"

I brought a hand to my face.



Gene smiled. "Ah, a round of drinking has a way of breaking through barriers. You end up doing and saying things you normally hold back. It can leave you closer or farther from those you know. My drinking days from long ago taught me that much. I'm happy you seem to have found a good friend."

Rick may be a little rough around the edges at times, and was quite a bit odd, but Gene was right. He was a good friend.

Rick was now focused on scouring the floor for as many and ANY feathers he could find. He seemed to have an acute urgency about it.

Tango was grinning as he rolled around in the sand. Somehow, he managed to not disturb the rings around the various stones almost as if he had planned it! Actually... he looked to be creating giant rings farther out than the ones already there!

Could it be... THAT TANGO UNDERSTOOD ROCK GARDENS?!

I quickly dismissed the idea. A dumb bird who perfectly understands the concept of rock gardens, but little else? Ridiculous! Perhaps it was his house-training coming into play mixed with sheer coincidence...

It was a pity I didn't get the miraculous spectacle on camera. No one would ever believe me without it!

---

Gene pulled out his sleeved deck from his robe. Each sleeve had a unique pattern of braille so he could tell each card apart. Since everyone would always announce what actions they take in duels as was the world-wide custom, Gene was always able to easily tell what was happening in a duel. It also didn't hurt that his memory skills were sharper than a Doduo's talon.

The duel with Gene commenced.

The first half of the game was a struggle as I had only one Voltorb to rely on! Surviving meant praying thundershock kept his Ryhorn locked down long enough to pull other mon from my deck. One hit from it would be all it would take to KO Voltorb...

Thankfully, I was able to hold out long enough to get Ponyta to the bench. I even managed to load it with enough energy and evolve it into Dark Rapidash before Gene managed to KO my Voltorb.

Ryhorn's HP of 70 and attack of 30 made it quite a troublesome opponent for Dark Rapidash, but thankfully I was able to disable it with two Energy removal cards long enough to KO it. It still managed to hit Dark Rapidash once, however.

Next Gene brought out Geodude and Dark Rapidash traded blows with it until it emerged victorious, but with only 10HP remaining. The coin-flips required for Geodude's attack to hit, proved to be its downfall.

By that point, I had drawn and played a Doduo to my bench!

Good thing too, because he had out another Rhyhorn and defeated Dark Rapidash with it!

From then on, it was Doduo vs Ryhorn and then vs Gene's last remaining Pokemon: Onix!

I kept attacking and slowly whittling down it's HP. Gene wasn't drawing any more mon to set to his bench and I managed to KO Onyx before he could draw any!

And so, with only 4 out of 6 prizes claimed, the victory went to me!



Gene placed his hand of cards down. "Good work here, Mister Gentleman... Do your best out there, and good luck."

 

[candycanearter07]

Spoiler: review

This looks great, but you may want to state at the top of your review which chapter it is for. It would increase the chance of someone else reading your review since it would help them avoid spoilers if they haven't read chapter 10 yet.

Also, if you put the bulk of your review inside a spoiler tag (like how I did here) it can conserve space in the thread. It's ok if you don't, but I think it makes a review look a little cleaner when one does. I believe I did this with my reviews for you in your fic thread.

ohh ok

Uh... yeah... that's a micro-plot hole! lol

I switched his reaction to something else. I don't do phone calls very often in the fic, so I was NOT thinking about that!

psychic phone levitation :D

Yeah, it's pretty understandable. Especially considering how much better he is at the TCG than the other duelists on TCG island.

almost like hes the player character lol

Gotan sheds much MORE feathers when being hit, but he is almost always shedding at least a little.

ohh ok that makes sense, did they have to go out of their way to get a doduo card :D

Hitmonchan has no prior evolution stage requirement. It can attack for only 1 energy, so even if the opponent has energy removal, you just attach energy and attack. If they remove your energy again, you just attach another and attack again. Due to how easy it is to play Hitmonchan and attack, Hitmonchan is one of the most powerful cards in the old metagame and is the one of the scariest cards for the FlashFire! all-common deck to play against.

oh god yea that would suck

When the teleporter isn't working properly, it tends to do so for a while. He is used to it by now.

string of bad luck my beloved

As for how they looked things up, you brought up an excellent point. I added a bit of how they pulled it up on the official website on Mister Gentleman's deskstop computer.

card game wikipedia lol

In the game, you always have to enter a name for your deck, so in the fic, I always have decks have names. Even all the AI decks in the game have names.

oh neat, i guess it would make it more dramatic

Don't worry. WAY later in the fic (in Book Two) you will see this deck completed and IN ACTION.

i meant the two of them were growing closer lol

 

[133TFR33k]

Review of chapter 10 reply #2

Spoiler: Reaction

ohh ok

Yep! Just like that!

psychic phone levitation :D

almost like hes the player character lol

Well, in a literal sense he is. It's MY skill at the game he is using since it's a let's play. But if you are looking for an in-fic reason... I plan to eventually include one.

ohh ok that makes sense, did they have to go out of their way to get a doduo card :D

Nah, Doduo cards, like everything else in his deck are common cards. Even in THAT world, common cards aren't too pricey.

oh god yea that would suck

string of bad luck my beloved

There is also a reason for it to behave this way...

card game wikipedia lol

Essentially.

oh neat, i guess it would make it more dramatic

Yeah, it's easier to talk about different decks that way and it stays true to the source material which I like to do whenever I reasonably can.

i meant the two of them were growing closer lol

Oh! Yeah, they were already friends prior to this chapter, but building a deck together is a pretty important friendship milestone in this world, for sure.

 

[133TFR33k]

Special thanks to K_S for beta reading!

Chapter 19: Interview of a Gentleman
​

June 1st

It was the day prior to my scheduled face-off with Nikki. I had planned to use it to collect my thoughts and focus my resolve.

Rick had things to take care of again today, so it was just myself and Tango.

I had just finished breakfast when I received a phone call: '555-555-5555'.

I answered it as a video call. "Stephanie."



She offered her usual smirk. "Mister Gentleman. It's been a while since you last sold your booster pack..."

I raised an eyebrow. "Missing your cut? Don't worry, I have the day off. It was about time to replenish my funds anyway. I trust you will continue your end of the bargain to slant the coin-flips of "Gambler" cards in my favor?"

Stephanie nodded. "You bet. Just make sure you sell them. That's an awful lot of money you have tied up there. If something were to happen and you were unable to sell them... well, lets just say I would be unhappy. Especially after all this work I have been putting in for you..."

I tilted my head. "If something were to happen? Do you KNOW something I don't?"



She smiled. "Of course I do. I know several things you don't. I AM a psychic after all... Don't worry. You and I have this agreement going, so it's in my best interest to help you, right?"

Something was off here... I couldn't put my finger on it.

I squinted. "Uh huh..."

Stephanie laughed. "So suspicious! But all I've done is help! Besides, you might not even die-" Her eyes then went wide. "O-oh! Got to go! I'm late for that... that thing I'm supposed to do! See you later!"

Click.

Tango tilted his heads.

My eyebrows were raised with my mouth hanging open.

MIGHT not even DIE?!

I then had a thought in the back of my mind. What if THEY are now after me?

I learned their secret with the Neo Island clones... What if they intend to torture me for information?! What if they install some kind of mind-control device in my brain?! What if they clone me and replace me with the clone?!

I shook my head.

I could be here all day speculating about things that may or may not even happen...

There wasn't even any guarantee THEY were after me! Stephanie could have just been talking about a paint bucket dropped on my head or something! Maybe I would go to the ER and be back on my feet in a few days... No sense in getting hysterical about things...

I let go a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

...Well, regardless, I could use some more funds...

To the local card shop we went!

---

I exited the card shop with my pockets now unburdened from booster packs.

I exited the shop and rounded the corner in between buildings towards my car.

From the left, I passed by a small alley. In my peripheral vision, I saw a figure of a person standing there!

The figure spoke the moment I came into view. "Are you the TCG Island champion?"

The voice the figure used was strange and evidently filtered through some kind of voice-program. I couldn't even tell if the figure was a man or a woman! For that matter, I had no idea how old the figure was either!

I stopped and turned towards the figure.

Tango went wide-eyed for a moment before finding a nearby trashcan to pluck in for Mew knew what! The bird made considerably less noise in the trashcan than I would have figured...

Perhaps he used to pick through the garbage can of his previous owner looking for scraps to eat? Stealth would certainly aid in such a task... But it was no matter!

I resumed my focus on the mystery person standing before me.

They were wearing a light-gray body-suit. It reminded me of something a diver might wear.

They had a mask with the Pokemon TCG colorless symbol. It lit up yellow where the eyes and mouth were. I wasn't quite sure how they saw out of it... The mouth was a smile. The eyes were squinting.

Around their neck was a white choker with big letters attached along the front. A red "G" a white "2" and a red "R".

This person didn't even know who the champion of TCG Island was! Must have been another tourist... Judging from the choker, it seemed this person was from GR Island.

Their apparel and location of our meeting was a bit disconcerting, but I had the day off anyway, so what could it hurt to indulge in a brief diversion?

I held my arms out. "Correct my dear, oddly-dressed tourist!"



The figure then leaned closer holding their hands together. "Splendid! I've been looking everywhere for you! In this suit, I go by GR2, but I am not a tourist. I am a talent scout on a mission for the King of GR Island! I've heard of your exploits with your all-common deck! Is is true you defeated club leaders with it?"

Ah, it was about time I got some recognition abroad! And one could not find more concentrated talent than yours truly!

I gave a broad smile back. "Indeed I have! It's been quite the experience so far!"

I then explained at length my various accomplishments and details of my decks since he mentioned he wanted to feature it in a GR Island magazine!

Who knew how monumental such an occasion could be? Perhaps I was about to become world-renown?

I took out my diary and wrote down their name, lest I forget it.

GR2 waited patiently and oddly still.

I put my diary back in my pocket and looked up. "Erm, did you have any more questions for me?"



After a second GR2 looked like a jolt of electricity had just ran through their body as they turned to face me. "O-oh! Haha! No. I have all the answers I need... And far more than my wildest imagination... Many thanks to you... Champion..."

GR2 then grabbed a handle on a nearby rope that was dangling over the roof down next to them and was pulled up by some unknown mechanism over the roof and out of sight!

I suppose I could have tried to chase after them from the ally and street below, but they had obviously put a lot of thought and effort into their departure spectacle. Who was I to ruin a good moment for them?

I took some additional notes down in my diary for reference later. After all, if I were to visit their Island later, it wouldn't do to have no foreknowledge of their culture!

Tango then looked up with both heads from the trashcan. He scanned around with both heads for a moment and then resumed trotting alongside me as if both GR2 and the trashcan were never even a thing.

The remainder of the day was tense and quiet. I'd be seeing Nikki tomorrow. Since she runs a grass deck, I doubted she could even beat me once, but it was the drama of the overall situation that festered in my mind...

 

[133TFR33k]

Special thanks to K_S for beta reading!

Chapter 20: Light and Shadow​

May 16th

I allowed the rest of the club members to go home early for the day. Fat load of good they do anyway after the embarrassment of them losing to an all-common deck...

I found myself pacing back and forth on my stage.

That was NOT what I had in mind when I succeeded in getting all the other clubs not to duel Mister Gentleman...

The idea was for him to run out of money and hopefully force him to pick up some low-class job in a struggle to make ends meet. Him relying on UBI would also be acceptable since it would be the very bottom of our society. There he could live out his life in abject obscurity, fading from the minds of everyone.

Who would have thought he would or COULD pull off using an all-common deck? Somehow, the elitist snob STILL walks all over us with it!

I pulled out my directors chair from the back and perched it atop my stage.

The lights were set in a rhythmic ambient pattern to help me think.

I reclined in my chair with a hand to my chin as I began to ruminate.

Mister Gentleman's visit to my Lightning Club today was a bit of a mixed bag.

All the regular members continue to be disappointingly weak. It angers me that they put up such a pathetic fight. Even my own daughter...



No, it wasn't enough that he dragged me through the mud all those years ago... Now he had to drag Jennifer through the mud too! She is too innocent to know when she is being messed with. Watching that made me want to strangle him...



Fortunately, I've had a lot of time to plan my revenge against him. I wasn't about to let my emotions ruin it all.

Going back on my agreement to take Jennifer to the park wasn't fun, but she needed to know what a Doduo cloaca-wipe Mister Gentleman really is. Someday, she will thank me for helping her learn that.

I can't believe he tried to say I used her just to get at him. What a piece of garbage.

Speaking of garbage, it's disgusting how he tries to ingratiate himself with Jennifer and Heather. They are MY kids! NOT HIS!!




As for Nikki... Any second he lingers around her is a second too long...



Every time I heard her mutter his name in her sleep, my anger boiled... The only way she could truly be mine is if she stopped thinking about him... Or learned to hate him.

I didn't know if I could get her to hate him, Mew knew I tried, but I couldn't be too overt or things would just unravel...

No, the better method was to get her to stop thinking about him. But as long as he is celebrated by our society with their incessant talking and writing about him, that wasn't going to happen...

It was all because of his champion title... Without it, he would be NOTHING!

I wanted that champion title and he breezed ahead effortlessly and stole it from me.

That's where my new plan came into play.

He already looked bad to Jennifer and the rest of the Lighting Club. Once Jennifer would cry to Nikki, I could fill in the details a bit. I'd have a family discussion so Heather could understand too.

As for his reputation, I'd already done what I could getting Stephanie to write that tabloid about him. It may have cost me a month's salary, but it was worth EVERY cent! She has quite the active imagination...



At this rate, it is only a matter of time before Mister Gentleman starts dueling his way through the club leaders. He is like a rat clinging to driftwood in a flood... losing a game or two against the leaders will not deter him. If I wanted to bring him down, my options were limited...

At least I would have Nikki make the same stipulation as me: if Mister Gentleman lost a two out of three match against her, he would permanently forfeit his title of champion.

He would still be at his weakest using only commons in his deck. This way there would be two tries to dethrone him... One for my self, and one for Nikki...

Though to be honest, I didn't have any confidence in Nikki winning against him. If her grass types didn't get in the way, her adulterous feelings towards him would...

So, I supposed I really only had one shot, but if I could take him down, hopefully Nikki would stop dreaming about that piece of filth...

She had no clue that I knew about her feelings. To her credit, she at least had the decency to hide it. I would have rather not known, but her sleep-talking ruined it... Once this is done, I never want to hear her call out "Mister Gentleman" in her sleep EVER AGAIN! Even if that was all I've ever heard her say, I KNEW what it meant! I was NOT stupid!

Anyway, I paid Stephanie some more money to keep messing up the coin-flips for Mister Gentleman's "Gambler" card, so hopefully that would give Nikki and I an edge against him. Truthfully, I had hoped the coin-flip interference would have stopped him a while ago, but Stephanie couldn't always get perfect results with it. Too much 'company monitoring,' she said.

Even if we couldn't make him lose his title, I had one more surprise in store for him...

Stephanie had her hands in many useful things... It was through her that I got in touch with GR2.



I did have to pay a finder's fee to Stephanie, but what other choice was there?

GR2's fee, however, was quite steep. I had to max out the credit cards and take out a personal loan for it... But they were worth their price, and I needed the job done right.

GR2 was a true professional. They even performed a mock-kidnapping on me as a demonstration. Even aware it was coming, I still wasn't able to stop it.

And GR2's deck? Monstrous. No common deck would stop it... Even I stood no chance!

Mister Gentleman wouldn't know what hit him.

It was perfect.



With him gone, he would eventually fade from the public eye... Hopefully Nikki's mind would finally be faithful to me.

Who knew? With him out of the picture, maybe I could finally become the champion I always should have been? Then, Nikki would look at me the way I'd always deserved.

 

[133TFR33k]

Special thanks to K_S for beta reading!

Chapter 21: Floral Fury
​

June 2nd

It was time for the face-off with Nikki.

Why did it have to be in such horrible circumstances?

I recalled the plan Rick helped with. I needed to be angry at Isaac. Not that it would be hard to do THAT... But I also have to be unreasonable and unyielding towards Nikki. Could I really put on a good enough act for that? I suppose Rick did say he would help me with it. Hopefully his natural acting skills would make up for the lack of my own...

Rick had recorded to his phone the discussion the two of us had regarding the plan to put on an act. He explained it was in order to properly explain to Nikki later that it was all just an act. Good thing too, because I didn't want poor Nikki permanently thinking I had no trouble harming her to get to Isaac!

We stood in the lobby, poised to enter the main room of the Grass Club.



Rick gave me a nudge. "Just stick to the plan and follow my lead, ok?"

I nodded.

Tango's claws tapped against the brick path as we went deeper in.



Acting as though I had threatened litigation for beyond the lifespan of a normal human being, Rick made a show of slowing me down. "PLEASE Mister Gentleman! Don't take it out on my sister, I beg you!"

"Rick," I snarled, "You have NO right to beg me anymore! Isaac is going to get what's coming to him and Nikki will go down with him for taking that scheming backstabbers side!"

Tango stepped gingerly towards the corner and hid behind a bush. Since there was no way he was in on our act, being the dumb bird that he is, I reasoned that confrontation upset and scared him. Kind of like a dog... poor bird.

I heard a woman's voice call out. "He said you would blame him! Jennifer told me how you made her cry!"

Nikki stepped out from behind the bushes at the back of the room.



I glared at Nikki. "Did he also tell you how he used Jennifer just to get at ME?!"

Nikki narrowed her eyes at me. "So you admit it then?!"

I laughed in a half-crazed sort of way. "Admit WHAT?! HE was the reason she cried!"

Rick pleaded with me. "Mister Gentleman! I know Isaac went back on his word to take Jennifer to the park when she won the game against you, but Nikki wasn't there to see the whole story!"

I snapped back at Rick. "Shes standing right there BLAMING ME, RICK! I'M NOT BACKING DOWN!"

Rick went silent holding up his arms and cowering back a few steps, for added effect.

I brandished my deck and pointed it at Nikki. "I'm going to take this FIRE deck and RUIN your grass deck. THEN I'm going to give Isaac a thrashing NEXT!"

Nikki was usually so shy. It didn't take very much to have her doubt herself. I could see the hesitation made manifest in her expression.

I felt like the bad guy... What's the point in winning if it meant treating her like that?!

... No... I needed to stay focused. It was the only way to even attempt to resolve things!



Nikki's hand was trembling slightly. "F-fine! I'll fight you! You will leave my family alone if I win and no longer be champion!"

I scowled at her. "So you really DID take his side! I cracked my knuckles. I'll be sure to make this QUICK!"

---

The first game against her went exactly how one would expect for a grass deck vs a deck with fire. I was quick to get Ponyta out and evolve it into Dark Rapidash. After that, I was attacking for 30 damage boosted to 60 every turn.

I burned through a Caterpie, an Exeggcute, and a Bulbasaur before she was out of mon and lost the game.



Nikki glared at me. "I don't know when you became a bully with your cards, but that's NOTHING like the gentleman I used to know!"

I held my hands up in mock-fear. "Oh NO! What are you going to do? Beat me with your flowers?!"

Nikki's eyes narrowed with a look of fierce determination.

I hoped she hadn't seen me swallow. I don't think I have ever seen this look from her before... I felt a shiver run down my spine...

---

As I went into the next game, I led with Doduo. I also had a Voltorb benched.

Nikki led with Bulbasaur. She went first and attacked with a tackle for 10 damage bringing my Doduo to 40HP.

I heard a smack from the corner of the room as a small flurry of feathers floated around in the air around Tango. It seemed the range on these card attacks was farther than one would guess! Tango had always been nearby, so it was the first time the range came to my attention.

I could hear some furious scribbling. It seemed Rick couldn't resist jotting down notes about this odd range phenomenon...

I attached energy to Doduo and attacked her back. Two heads for 20 damage! Her Bulbasaur was now at 20HP!

Back to her turn.

Nikki glared at me with watery eyes. She then yelled: "FINE YOU JERK!"

The card she played was Pokemon Breeder. Her Bulbasaur was now a 80/100HP Venasuar with a four energy cost Solarbeam attack for 60 damage! She attached another energy and passed her turn.

No energy removal in my hand... no significant draw cards... not drawing any more mon... and it STILL had 80HP even AFTER a perfect hit?! In all my years I had never seen a grass deck do what she just did here... Was I going to lose? To a GRASS DECK?!

I started powering Voltorb up while I attempted to attack again with Doduo. One heads for 10 damage... Not good!

The next turn came around and she stared daggers at me while she loaded the third grass energy on her Venasuar!

I was glad I had a good poker face, because with my champion title on the line, this was horrifying!

I loaded another energy on Voltorb and benched a Ponyta.

I attacked again with both tails for 0 damage...

Nikki's expression was calm. She took a card from her hand and revealed it.

Grass Energy.

She closed her eyes a moment and then opened them suddenly as she declared her attack!

Doduo was wiped out.

I selected Voltorb to take it's place.

As for Tango, I could smell charred feathers from here and heard a thud from him no-doubt hitting the floor as he fainted.

I absolutely could NOT let her do that every turn!

Finally I drew an Energy Removal card! I used it to remove one of her energy.

Nikki was now smiling.



In this context, a smile was the only thing that could have been scarier than what I had seen so far...

She must have had even MORE Grass Energy in hand to keep up it's ability to attack!

I loaded a fire energy on Ponyta and attacked again with Voltorb for 30 damage! Now it was down to a much more manageable 40/100 HP!

Nikki began her turn and revealed a card in her hand to me.

Pokemon Center.

I wasn't sure why she was only revealing it and not playing it. It removes all energy from a mon in order to heal it completely. What was she going to do, remove all three energy just to heal?

She played a Caterpie.

It then dawned on me what was about to happen. It was something I had never seen ANY opponent actually USE before!

She used Venusaur's power, Energy Trans, to move all grass energy off of it to Caterpie! She then played the now-dreaded Pokemon Center to completely restore all of Venusaur's HP! She then used Energy Trans again to move all three energy back and attached ANOTHER one from hand!

She declared her next attack as I saw tears escape her angry eyes.

Voltorb took enough damage to be KOed twice over...

Ponyta took it's place.

I drew another Voltorb and benched it. I then played Bill's Teleporter and drew four cards. Next I attached another Fire Energy to Ponyta and then evolved it to Dark Rapidash. I attacked for 60 damage bringing her Venusaur back where it was again. Unfortunately, my Dark Rapidash only had 60 HP.

Her turn rolled back around Dark Rapidash was no more.

I now had Voltorb, but was out of energy.

Her turn rolled back around and she took down my last remaining mon.

If she was able to do that again... Everything would go to shambles!

Thinking quickly, I slowly clapped. "Bra... vo. It took everything you had including luck, but you managed to win... I hope you enjoyed yourself, Nikki, because that's all you will be winning."

It seemed my feigned confidence was working.



Despite her win, Nikki seemed unsure of her chances. "I-I'll do it again! You'll see!"

---

However she managed to do it last game, it was not something she was able to repeat this game.

The next game allowed me to swiftly set up Dark Rapidash and once again mow her mon down until all 6 prizes were claimed by me. I kept her locked down with Energy Removal along the way and would use Gust of Wind to access any mon she struggled to build energy on.

No Venusaur descended to the field in THAT game to save her!



Nikki was silent as she stared at the floor. Tears flowing down her face.

I promptly picked up my deck and swooped towards the exit. Rick and Tango both carefully following at a distance.

It seemed Tango already finished regenerating from the Solarbeam from earlier.

I paused and grinned as I called out over my shoulder. "One down..."

---

It wasn't long until I was back at the house, thanks to the hyperloop.

I was sitting on my couch with my face covered with a couch pillow.

I spoke through the pillow. "I can't BELIEVE I treated her that way! Now she will hate me forever! It's a good thing I left, because seeing her cry almost made ME break down in tears too!"

I assumed Rick rolled his eyes since I couldn't see him. "What is with you and Isaac anyway! Both of you are FAR too dramatic! As long as the plan goes well, you won't have to worry about it!"

I groaned through the pillow. "I still wish I didn't have to be so mean..."

 

[133TFR33k]

Special thanks to K_S for beta reading!

Chapter 22: Forgotten Flowers​

June 3rd

So, here I was in another one of my dreams. Just me, little Nikki. Age nine instead of twenty-eight like I was supposed to be...

On a patch of grass, maybe twenty feet away, was a picnic blanket. On that blanket were my two best friends who were also nine years old instead of twenty-eight:

Mister Gentleman,


and Isaac.


Mister Gentleman always was fond of the color red. He was sporting his usual old red bandana and unbuttoned red collared shirt over his gray undershirt.

Isaac didn't start dyeing his hair blond until he was fifteen, so he had his natural black hair here. He had on a yellow and white T-shirt.

I guess the blond was a sort of rebellious phase that he never quite grew out of. I'll bet he thought it made his hair look like lightning! I guess I was one to talk since I starting dying my hair green around the same age...

Rick had natural green hair though! I may have been a tad jealous of it...

This was a recurring dream. The setting changed, but it was always us back when we were all nine years old...

The time before I betrayed Mister Gentleman by dating Isaac... It was the happiest time of my life...

It was also before I learned I would never play the TCG on equal footing against Mister Gentleman ...



I hid my smile behind my hand. "You two were just sitting there waiting on me?"



Isaac answered first. "Well, duh! It wouldn't be our special champion's club if you weren't here too, Nikki!"



Mister Gentleman spoke next. "I will always wait for you, my lady. Some day, I'm going to win that champion title, and when I do, I'll be back to marry you."

He always did know how to steal my heart. Even if he never spoke quite like that in real life...



Isaac face started getting flushed. "Hey! No fair hogging Nikki! I love her too!"

Dreams can be pretty confusing at times. Even some basic concepts can spontaneously sprout new rules that didn't belong...



I giggled a little. "Aww you two are so sweet! That's why I'm going to marry both of you! That way you can keep me company and love me forever!"



Isaac smiled. "Fine by me! I'm going to love you more though!"



Mister Gentleman waited until Isaac finished speaking. "I welcome Isaac's assistance in making you happy, my lady. I have to sleep sometimes after all, and I would rather have someone reliable around to keep you safe when I'm away attending to business. Your happiness is my reason for living."



Isaac stomped his foot. "Hey! I'm not going to be a backup husband! When we are both there, we SHARE her! Understand?!"



Mister Gentleman closed his eyes, smiled, and nodded. "I agree. It needs to work for both of us. That's the best way we can make our wife happy, after all."



I gazed back and forth into their eyes. "I love both of you so much! I'll be the best wife for you, you'll see!"

I supposed this was a mix of many things... nostalgia, regret, and a need for the love I was lacking...

But dreams had to end sometime, and I woke up. I always did before I could reach a happy ending...

Waking up like that always made me sad.

Obviously, I couldn't have both of them in the real world... Even if I could, it wouldn't be fair to them...

But I felt terrible.

Thinking back to when I really was nine, I had been conflicted. Picking one meant betrayal of the other. Both options felt wrong because they left the other behind... In truth, they still felt wrong. That's why I was going to marry whichever became champion. Doing that would have taken the choice out of my hands and the guilt along with it.

It wasn't perfect, but I loved them both. It was the best answer I could think of...

In that dream the perfect solution was only such because it was a dream. Everyone there, including me, could accept it without objection.

The solution was so close... I all I had to do was reach out and touch it!

But it was snatched away... yet again.

I knew it would never work in real life. I knew that... But maybe just once, it would be nice to have that dream reach the solution...

If only I could be happy without the guilt... If only my husband would love me... Even if just for a little while...

Yet even my dreams denied me of any true happiness... Even temporarily...

Thinking back, I had set the bar of 'champion' way too high. It was cruel, even. I think I realized that when I had made the decision to marry Isaac. Everyone on our island wanted to be champion. Counting on any one person becoming it was nothing more than a childhood delusion. That was what I told myself in those days when I was eighteen... And yet, Mister Gentleman got there, defying all odds!

And that impossible goal met... It had set something off in my dear Isaac. Pushed things farther than they had ever been...

My mind shifted to the day at hand. The match loomed over everything.

6:00am

Entirely too early to head to the Lightning Club.

Isaac was snoring loudly in the bed, as usual. He wouldn't be waking up for another couple hours.

On bad days like this, I needed a long, hot, shower.

I often had a mental image of myself as a young girl. I wasn't sure if it was caused by stress, dreams, or both.



At least the water could pamper my skin while thoughts ran through my mind...

I never imagined I would be facing potential litigation from the one I had missed so much.

To think things between him and Isaac spiraled so badly out of control...

I guess it all started that day Isaac lost with his brand-new deck to Mister Gentleman five games in a row... Isaac had spent so much time and effort crafting it. He had won against all the members in the club. It's what allowed him to claim the Lightning Leader position...

But when Isaac lost those games against Mister Gentleman, something in him changed. At first I thought it was a good change. He seemed more determined than ever and winning so many games against others!

His determination even inspired me to try harder too! So what if he had his butt handed to him by Mister Gentleman? He was going places, and so was I!



As the years went on, I noticed our improvement slowed to a crawl and then ceased. It was like we both hit a wall and no matter what we did, we couldn't get past it.

That's why I used my once-in-a-lifetime visit to the Oracle to ask her to help me improve at the Pokemon TCG! Every TCG Island citizen is born with the right to one meeting in their life with the Oracle. Being an AI she could be any gender depending on their mood. For me, she was a girl.

All the advice she gave was useful. It even proved helpful in other areas of my life, such as gardening! But when it came to the Pokemon TCG... It was like all the rules went out the window. Nothing worked!

Eventually, I decided there must have been something wrong with me... I was broken in some way that just couldn't be fixed. Even the Oracle couldn't fix me... That's how broken I was...



Did someone like that really deserve to marry a champion?

Surely not.

That's why I was drinking that day after I had just turned eighteen.

I couldn't believe I ran into Mister Gentleman there! We were drinking and came back to my place for more, but I couldn't remember anything after that.

I guess I managed to find my bed. Apparently I was hot or couldn't find my night gown since I woke up nude. Mister Gentleman must have walked home or called a cab at some point. I was there alone.

Even so, I thought I had dreamed he kissed my forehead... It was such a sweet kiss.



Too bad it wasn't real.



If it were and he was there with me, maybe I would have given him a chance? Maybe I would be with him now?

No use in what-ifs.

If I dated him, my kids would not have been born. Was I so selfish that I would undo their births if it meant giving him a chance? How could I be?

No... I had made my choice. I had to live with it for better or worse.

Dedication to my family is most of what's left of my self-worth. That's why I try so hard to take care of everyone! If I were to divorce, I would feel like there was nothing of me left...



So, after drinking with Mister Gentleman, I realized that there wouldn't be any point in waiting. I didn't deserve to marry a champion. I was already dating Isaac. He might not have had the spark he once had, but he had always been there for me... So I married him.

I wish Isaac was able to feel better about himself. I tried to cheer him up whenever I could, but it's like he just wouldn't let me in. In turn, my own needs got ignored too...

I could feel tears flowing now. The water hid them, but I knew... I couldn't let me family see me like this. They all depended on me. The shower was the only place I felt safe enough to be weak... To be hurt.

I think Isaac and I had both hoped having kids would help us feel more fulfilled. To an extent, it did. There is little I wouldn't do for my kids and husband, and I know I have been a good mother and wife...

Isaac really tries with the kids too. I'm glad he is able to find it in himself to give them more than he gives me. Children shouldn't suffer for things that aren't their fault.

But ultimately, I wasn't happy. This wasn't the life I had longed for. It wasn't even close...



Yes, I was Grass Leader, but when Mister Gentleman came back around years later with his unrestricted deck, Mystic Fire... I didn't even stand the slightest chance.

Rick would come around sometimes. I could tell he still cared about me. He always tried to cheer me up. I've heard him talk with Isaac for hours trying to help Isaac improve his outlook on life too. Sometimes he would just chat about random things with Isaac.

But to be facing litigation from Mister Gentleman?

I didn't know what to believe anymore...

My family painted a clear picture of what was happening, but Mister Gentleman was more angry than I had ever seen him... Had I even seen him angry before? I was doubtful...

I crossed a line.

I knew how much his champion title must have meant to him. He used to talk all the time about it when he was a kid.

Using the stipulations Isaac made me promise to use... I tried to take it away from him... Why did I do that?



He also seemed upset that I took Isaac's side, but Isaac is my husband! I should support him... Why did it feel so off then? No matter what I did I was letting someone down and making the wrong choice...

I also might have lost it a bit when he beat me with his fire cards the first game... could he really be a 'bully' if he was just trying to defend his title? I couldn't help it though... I really hated it when people used fire cards against me...

His comment about flowers made me even more angry... Just because I use Grass and am weaker than him did NOT make me weak! Just because I'm shy and soft-spoken did NOT make me weak! Just because I'm delicate with things and orderly did NOT make me weak!



But I was weak.

I lost to a deck of commons... and no matter what I did, I couldn't improve at the game!

...But at least I beat him in a duel! And I did it with a giant flower too! Venusaur!



Or that's how I would look at it if it weren't for the situation...

Rob my childhood friend of his dream, or face financial destruction.

At times, my life just felt like a series of bad options to choose from...



Maybe that's why I liked gardening so much. You can control it. The amount of water, the temperature, selecting where to prune or not to prune, and the soil. Give a plant everything it needs and it will grow beautifully.



The outcome today was going to be bad.

Either Mister Gentleman would be robbed of his dream, or we would be financially destroyed.

Since my kids were involved, I knew I would have to side with Isaac again...

But I had made up my mind. No matter the outcome, I would see it with my own eyes.



Maybe I could talk Mister Gentleman down if he won?

 

[133TFR33k]

Special thanks to K_S for beta reading!

Chapter 23: Electric Extrication
​

June 3rd

It all came down to this.

My reputation, title, and friendship with Nikki.

I'd written off Isaac as a lost cause at this point... When we were kids, he was never anything like that. We both had lofty goals of becoming the new champion with a pact to do it together as rivals. Certain that no one would be powerful enough to challenge us...

How did it go so wrong? How did my playful competition with Isaac turn so cut throat? I would undo it if I could, but surely it was already too late...

As for Nikki, she used to say she was going to marry the champion. What she said really stuck with me. I'm not sure why, but I believed her. An adult might not take the promise of a kid seriously, but a kid doesn't even entertain the notion that a promise would be broken. Or, at least I didn't...

When did Nikki start looking at me so coldly? Why? If she was going to pick someone, why wasn't it me when I won all those games against Isaac when we were nine? Surely it could have been worth a date, even if only to the local playground...

I suppose Nikki changed her mind as she grew older. How else would one explain her marriage to Isaac?

I couldn't bring myself to blame her. Years are longer when one is young. Waiting would have felt like an eternity...

To make it worse, she had no clue I loved her. As I traveled and honed my deck and dueling skills, her and Isaac never stopped spending time together. It was an ideal situation for a couple. A shame Isaac was lacking in so many things that Nikki deserved...

But in the end, both Isaac and Nikki let go of their aspirations from when they were young. I was the only one who held on no matter what...

The dreams of a child CAN be part of their future. Those aspirations shouldn't be an object of ridicule, even by oneself! I was living proof, having accomplished my childhood dream... It just didn't mean all I thought it was supposed to mean...

Feeling frustrated, I shook my head with a groan, trying to dislodge the 'might haves' from my mind.

I had more immediate concerns.

Considering Stephanie's slip up from recently... That something hideous was going to happen that MIGHT not kill me... I wasn't sure what to expect or what it could possibly entail. I'd have to be cautious around Isaac. THAT was for sure...

At least I would have Rick and Tango there with me...

---

I emerged from the hyperloop pod and smoothed my hair.

The g-forces of the acceleration were no joke!

A quick look about confirmed there was no one but Rick, Tango and I in the lobby.

After the violence last time I was here, I wasn't keen on ignoring my surroundings...

Tango's heads were darting around like they were looking for presents.

No hidden assailants for him to suffer blows from today!

As for Rick, he was unusually pensive.

For once, he was missing some feathers to vacuum! Perhaps he was thinking of getting them on the way back...

Appearing timid or afraid was off the table, so I placed my hands in my pockets and casually paced into the light at the entrance of the main room.

The rest of the room was dark.

There was a click, and then I was standing in complete darkness.

Clearly, Isaac was trying to intimidate me.

I displayed no signs of unease. I merely waited.

Finally, Isaac's voice rang out. "Rick, you've done what you could over there. He's not going to listen. You don't have to hang around him anymore, but we could use your moral support if you want to stay."



Rick was still, apparently considering his options. "Thanks, but I intend to focus on data-collection. This will be a monumental match regardless of the outcome."

Isaac spoke again from the darkness. "Fine with me. You've always been welcome."

With a click, the lights turned on, but not in a way that obscured vision. In fact, the entire room could be seen clearly.

Isaac waited in the middle with Nikki by his side.



Nikki refused to make eye contact with me.

I wondered what she might be feeling...



Isaac had a confident smile as he turned my way. "You and I have some unfinished business... old pal."

His confidence was odd. Considering how he was the final hurdle for my deck to overcome, even he should have been worried. Did he NOT care about the lawsuit? I had a sinking feeling that there was more to this...

I raised an eyebrow. "You fetched the words right out of my mouth."

Tango's heads shot up as both heads glanced about quickly at the mention of the word "fetch".

Perhaps his previous owner used to play it with him often! Maybe I'd give a try later... If I got out of this mess...

"But the time for words," I brandished my deck and pointed it at Isaac, "has ended."

---

The opening game provided me with only a Porygon. As for my hand, it was full of energy cards, evolution cards and no draw cards. I was in trouble already!

Isaac had three mon and Electabuzz as the lead.

Electabuzz was quite a powerhouse. 70 HP, a one Lightning Energy attack for 10 damage with a coin-flip for added paralysis, and a two Lightning Energy attack for 30 damage or 40 with a successful coin-flip.

He went first and paralyzed Porygon with 10 damage to it.

One more energy and one more attack would mean my defeat in the first duel.

My turn came around and I used the Energy Removal card I just drew on Electabuzz, hoping to keep it down a while longer.

His turn came back around and he had no energy to play! No attacks this turn!

This went on for a couple more turns as I got three energy on Porygon to start attacking with Psybeam. I managed to inflict confusion on Electabuzz as well!

His turn came back around and he played a Bill card to draw two more cards. He then used Switch to bring out his Doduo, attached Double-Colorless Energy to it, and attacked with two successful coin-flips for 20 damage!

He also had another Electabuzz and a Voltorb on his bench. His deck was pretty similar to my own, except his had uncommon and rare cards in it. Also he was only running Colorless and Lightning whereas I was running those and Fire as well.

I still only had one mon left and it was at 10HP, so I used a trick I found that seemed to work against most opponents. I wasn't sure WHY it worked. It honestly should not...

I played another Energy Removal on his Doduo and used Gust of Wind to bring out his weakened Electabuzz. I COULD have KOed it, but then he could bring out another mon and finish me off, so instead, I passed my turn.

As for the ploy: opponents don't like to attach energy once their mon is weak past a certain point. For some reason, everyone seems to view attaching energy at that point as a 100% waste with no way of it ever being useful in any situation!

Sure enough, both Isaac and Nikki looked completely stumped at that play.

It made no sense! Both of them had MORE than enough raw intelligence to see through such an obvious ploy...

My strategy worked perfectly.

Isaac refused to attach energy to it which would allow me to stall for time to draw what I needed to recover.

In normal circumstances, I might have pointed out such an obvious flaw in logic... But I dared not speak it here, lest it cost me the game.

Suddenly, I was reminded of the duel testing that Rick and I had with a Neo Island man! The man had more than enough intelligence to learn the rules of the game, yet when play was attempted, he simply couldn't understand how! Was a less severe version of that happening with Nikki and Isaac?! Just what was going ON?!

But now was not the time for speculation. Everything was riding on these games...

After a few turns, Isaac played a Switch card to break out of the invisible cage that he didn't know I had him in.

After a tense five turns, I had drawn and lost multiple mon, but had finally taken down both his Electabuzz with a fully powered Dark Rapidash as my active mon.

He then used Energy Removal on my Dark Rapidash and attacked with his Magnemite. He had been building up several Magnemite on his bench by that point.

I benched another Voltorb and was now able to attack for 40 damage with it's Group Spark which I used to bring down a Magnemite.

He then brought out Electrode and attached a Lightning Energy to it. Electrode could not attack with one energy, but with another it would KO my Voltorb so I switched to Dark Rapidash and attacked for 30.

He used Energy Removal on it, attached another energy to Electrode, and used Sonic Boom to attack my Dark Rapidash for 30 taking away half it's health.

On my turn I switched back to Voltorb and finished off his Electrode.

He then brought out a Magnemite, but refused to attach energy to it.

Back in the invisible cage, it would seem. All because I had the ability to KO it with a single attack from my active mon...

The next couple of turns allowed him to take down my Voltorb by keeping it locked down with paralysis by using another Magnemite.

Once Voltorb was KOed, I had another ready to take its place and used it to crush his last remaining Magnemite.

Victory was mine.



Isaac frowned in anger. "I honestly don't know how you managed to win that game, but if the rest go even a little bit better than that... You're done for."

He was right, I SHOULDN'T have been able to win that game. His tactical blindness was the ONLY reason I did!



Nikki, meanwhile looked like she had seen a ghost. I don't think she was too confident in Isaac's ability to win two games in a row against me.

---

Game two.

I had out a Doduo and nothing else. Bill's Teleporter failed. Gambler failed.

He had out Electabuzz.

I lost in two turns since he went first.



Isaac smiled. "One more game like that... Just one more and you will plague my family no more! Once I defeat you, I'll go on to become the new champion too!"

He was getting too confident. Quickly, I thought of a way to keep the upper hand.

I narrowed my eyes at him as I smiled. "You misunderstand. I've been toying with you in both games. I threw that last one on purpose."

Isaac's eyebrows raised for a moment. "Y-you're bluffing! No one is that strong at the game, not even YOU!"

It wasn't hard to push his paranoia about me a little farther.

I raised my head with my eyes closed. A smile upon my face. "Ah, poor Isaac. You've never won a single real duel against me. No one has. You never had a chance to begin with."

Isaac's eyes widened again as I could tell from his eyebrows over his sunglasses. He looked down at his hands.

If he wasn't afraid of my skill before, I'd bet he was then!

There was now fear in his expression, but also a willingness to go down fighting.



Nikki looked to be an odd mixture of worried, bewildered, and excited.

I supposed if what I said was actually true, it would be pretty darn impressive...



Rick was focused solely on his notepad. His expression inscrutable.

---

The final duel played out the same as the second initially, except this time Gambler came through for me. It was all I needed to get things moving.

As the turns progressed my field became more and more powerful and I kept his locked down.

I didn't just win against him this game, I turned it around from a hopeless game to one that I completely dominated him in.

Isaac was silent, looking down at his cards wide-eyed as I could tell from his eyebrows. He was utterly still.

I felt a massive weight removed from my shoulders.

I had won, and my champion title was safe, but the real battle was yet to begin...

The one to reforge my childhood friendship with Nikki.

---

I had lost the match against The Gentleman!

What's more was the revelation about his skill that unfolded itself before my very eyes... just what WAS he? A deity of some kind?!

I then realized that GR2 would NOT be enough to stop him! GR2's plan required them to win a duel! If what Mister Gentleman said was true and the only way he ever lost was by choice... Then NOTHING I do would ever be able to stop him! Not even GR2!

I felt the fight drain out of me. It was like trying to fight a tidal wave with a spoon. I had lost in every way imaginable...

My eyes burned as my vision blurred, but that was nothing compared to the full gravity of the situation dawning on me...

Without GR2 able to succeed, there would be no way to stop the imminent lawsuit. With finances already thin, it would ruin me!

I had failed my family!

And for what? Nikki calling his name in her sleep? Even if she ACTIVELY fantasized about him, she was still married to me...

Was my issue not being able to ever become champion? What was that compared to the financial security of my wife and kids?!

It dawned on me just how trivial these things really were... As I stood on the edge of a financial abyss...

To top it all off, I attacked a man who actually used to be my friend! ...Just because he beat me in some games!

I could feel the tears running down my face now.

What had I done? I even threw little Jennifer's feelings at him!

I felt a hand.

It was a familiar hand. Rubbing my back... Nikki...

The woman I was so convinced didn't love me properly... Honestly with everything I had done, she SHOULDN'T love me! Yet here she was, no judgement... just trying to comfort me... The one who deserved it least!

My voice choked out my words. "Nikki... I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

She merely pulled me to her in a hug.

Not having the energy to do much, I clung to her arms as I wept. She was crying too as I felt them fall in my hair...

Why had I been so cold to her all these years? Nikki was a wonderful wife! She always had been!

I was angry with myself. I couldn't live up to my dream and it never felt like I deserved her...

I heard Nikki call out as she held me. "Please Mister Gentleman... please spare us! I know I don't have the right after what I did, but at least for our kids, if not for us!"

Mister Gentleman gave his reply. "Nikki... One way or another I'm going to make sure this matter is settled. Before I can decide what to do, I'm going to need to talk to the instigator of this entire ordeal... Isaac."

Talk. To me?

I wasn't sure what he was looking for exactly. Even if I was wrong for biting off more than I could chew, it didn't change the fact that Nikki wanted him or that he would try to get close to my kids so that he could be closer to her... He was still trying to steal her from me. I might agree to never attack or antagonize him again, but I hated him.



I removed my sunglasses and wiped my tears away before replacing them. Then I sat up and looked him right in the eyes. "If you drop the lawsuit, I'll stop the hostilities."

He looked right back at me. His eyes bold and piercing. "Not good enough. You need to understand how wrong you were about everything. I will not bend until you do."

Oh that was rich coming from him. If he thinks I'm just going to blindly swallow his lies he ha-



Rick held up his vacuum and powered it on for a moment. "Attention, if you please. I'm not sure how you all imagined this conversation would be going, but toss all those notions out the window. I'm going to mediate this discussion, and I will NOT be taking 'no' for an answer."

What was Rick talking about?

Glancing about, I could tell everyone else was just as confused as me.

Rick smiled. "I've had several ideas to fix this lovely mess you all created. Clearly, an intervention is needed. I'm going to walk you all through it step by step. Oh, and Isaac, you aren't going to like this first bit, but it's for your own good."

My eyes went wide. What was he talking about?!

Rick then pulled out his phone. "You see, during the last time Mister Gentleman was here, I happened to take a recording of the entire event on my phone..."

I felt my heart skip a beat. "R-Rick! There is NO need to be digging out things like that! Everyone already knows what happened!"

Mister Gentleman's eyes narrowed. "Oh, but why not take a look at it anyway? That way Nikki can be better... informed."

Nikki looked down at me and then at Rick. "Rick? What's going on? Why is everyone so tense about this video?"

Rick dropped his smile. "Frankly, Isaac's version of events twisted what happened around so badly that he all but lied to you."

I suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe. Just how bad WAS this day going to get?! At this rate, would Nikki even STAY with me?!



Nikki looked down at me.

It had been a while since I had last seen a look like that from her. The last time it happened, she didn't speak to me for an entire agonizing week...

She closed her eyes and balled her fists at her side. "Play the video, Rick."

---

Everyone was dead silent while the video played...

I would have tried to escape the room, but Mister Gentleman's Doduo appeared to be napping directly in the only exit of the room!

Nikki wasn't supposed to see that she-

smack

Suddenly I was looking in a different direction with my sunglasses flying across the room. My face, stinging.

Yep, I guessed this is where she would divorce me. It was nice having a family while it lasted. Throw in the lawsuit on top of it and I may as well find a hole to crawl in and die...



"ISAAC! HOW COULD YOU!"

I couldn't believe Rick actually did that to me. So much for being pals, I guess.



But it was Rick who spoke up next! "I'm not done yet. What you just saw, Nikki, is a result of all the things that have been festering in Isaac's mind. I'm not looking to deal with the symptoms of this problem, I'm going to rip out this weed by the roots."

Huh. When he put it like that, it almost made me think he was trying to help in some misguided way.

I finished retrieving my sunglasses from across the room and put them back on.

Rick pulled out a notepad and began reading. "Exhibit A. Isaac's assumption that Mister Gentleman let Jennifer win the duel out of malice. What do you have to say about that, Mister Gentleman?"

Mister Gentleman balled a fist towards Rick. It was the same gesture he used to make when getting pumped up for a duel when he was a kid. "I wanted her to have a good time at the park! I was willing to lose my game against her just so she could!"

Um, no... not fair.

I wasn't about to let him get away with lying about his intentions. If Nikki was going to divorce me and he was going to sue me anyway, why bother holding back?

I scowled. "This is absurd! Of COURSE he would tell YOU that!"

Rick held up... a taser?!

He clicked the taser on showing electricity between the two end points. "From here on out, the gloves come off. When I said I was going to mediate. I meant it."

I swallowed. "Rick... buddy... you wouldn't really ta-"

The taser activated again in his hands.

Aaaand that was my cue to shut the Mew up, I supposed.

Fine! But I was STILL going to speak up, if only to point out the errors!



Nikki was... smiling?! "Yeah... I think we better just do as Rick says here. The last time he got like this... it wasn't pretty."

Rick turned to Mister Gentleman. "It seems we need some more clarification. Why did you want Jennifer to be able to go to the park?"

Mister Gentleman threw his arms by his sides. "Why? What do you mean why? Have you seen how cute Jennifer is?! Throw in that she is Nikki's daughter, and how could I possibly hurt her?!"

Time to jump back in.

I glared at Rick while raising my hand.

Rick nodded to me.

I put my hand down as I grit my teeth. "Everything he is saying is to ingratiate himself with 'Nikki's daughter'. Notice how he left me out about being her dad! He wants to steal Nikki AWAY FROM ME!"

Nikki gave me a look of pity.

Mister Gentleman tilted his head to the side mouthing 'what?'

Rick was shaking his head.

Was I REALLY the ONLY sane person here?!

Rick turned to Mister Gentleman. "Alright, you stand accused of trying to steal Nikki from him. What do you say to that?"

Mister Gentleman was such a good actor, the look of anguish on his face ALMOST convinced me.

"Steal her? This may be stupid, but I don't care. I love Nikki. If she were single and I could marry her, I'd do it without hesitation. I've always loved her, ever since before I was nine!"



Nikki looked shocked to hear that, but I had known all along... Finally he revealed himself to be the traitor I always knew he was...



I crossed my arms. "Right from the backstabber's mouth. You all heard it. What more is there to say?"



Rick pushed his glasses up on his face. "Mister Gentleman admitted he loved her. But feelings alone are not a crime. And Nikki is not single."

I held my hands out like I was trying to crush grapes with them. "But he is trying to make her divorce me! He is trying to MAKE her single! Even all this must be part of his plan!"

Rick crossed his arms. "Yes, that IS at the heart of this matter, isn't it? What say you, Mister Gentleman?"

Mister Gentleman closed his eyes. "...It's not my place to interfere in Nikki's marriage. I know loyalty is she something she values in herself. Getting her to abandon that would be cruel to her. If things here causes her to divorce Isaac, it won't be from me pushing it that way."

I slammed my fist in my hand. "AH HA! But you don't deny that you would be with her if she DID divorce me! To pretend not to cause it and THEN to have her! THAT is your plan!"

Mister Gentleman set his jaw. He must have been upset I sniffed out his little game!

Rick gestured to me. "Isaac. For him to be willing to do that, it would mean to rob you of your wife. Also, to succeed in a plan like that, he would need to have planned it in advance and been taking actions gradually over time to reach his 'goal'. Do you agree this wasn't an impulsive plan and do think he would be ok with doing that to you?"

Hah! If all the rest of the questions were this easy, I might turn things around AFTER all!



I sat up straight and looked at Rick I was determined to show them how messed up Mister Gentleman was.

"Obviously. He's been in love with her for years, so he would have been planning this for years. He never cared about me. I'm sure he thought it was FUNNY stomping me in duels before I told him I'd had enough! He's been biding his time, looking for the right moment to strike or for me to die. That's why he has been single all these years!"



Rick held up his prized piece of chalk. He never used it to write with. It was his lucky chalk, after all.

"Ah! In that case, why don't you have a listen to the conversation Mister Gentleman had with me on the drive over to see you last time, Isaac!"

What was he talking about?

Rick began the sound-only recording.

---

"So, Mr. Gentleman. When was the last time you saw Isaac? I'm not talking about during your bid to become champion. I mean before that."

"It was long ago... I was barely a teenager at the time. Isaac had put together a new deck. According to Nikki, he had worked a very long time on it and was winning duels against the other members of the Lightning Club left and right with it."

"I suppose Isaac challenged you with it?"

"He did, but he wasn't able to claim a single prize against me after five games. After that, he told me he was done playing the Pokemon TCG with me. Nikki didn't want to play anymore either. She preferred grass types which were weak to the fire I used. Since we had nothing else in common, we stopped spending time together."

"Do you regret beating Isaac so badly?"

"...I've never been one to hold back, but losing their friendship was unacceptable. I wish I had been wise enough to understand how to avoid it..."

"That must have hurt, given your feelings for Nikki."

"I would have liked a way to spend time with her after that point, but things had ended a bit awkwardly and I didn't know what else I could suggest... I hadn't intended for us to go so long without spending time together. One week became two. Two weeks became two months... As the length of time increased, so did the awkwardness of trying to break the stalemate... Before I knew it, we had gone years without meeting up..."

"That sounds like it was about the time she started dating Isaac."

"Once I heard that... there was no going back. It would have been too painful for me... What would we have done together at that point anyway? I regretted the fact that I was not already the champion. I thought if I just had enough skill, I could have sped it up and I wouldn't have lost her OR him. From then on, I didn't just study and play the Pokemon TCG... I breathed it, and devoted all my time to my academy studies."

"You graduated top of your class in an unmatched record standing, yes?"

"I did. I had always assumed becoming champion would lead to a happy romance for me, but here I am and there's no romance. Not that any other girl had caught my eye like Nikki. Even now, no one catches my attention. I'm not sure if I have high standards or if I am just too particular when it comes to women..."

---

This was quite a bit to wrap my head around... What was all this? Was this real?

...NO.

It dawned on me what must have been happening...

It was Rick!

He's been IN on it the whole time! I didn't know when or why, but he took Mister Gentleman's side! They have been planning and plotting it all TOGETHER!!

As for Nikki... I could tell this was WORKING on her! Her face was full of anguish.

That's the first step... Get her to feel guilty. After that, it would shift to painting me as a monster... Once that was done, he would smooth talk her and let her 'choose' to divorce me 'on her own'. He would make it look like HER idea!

They were all out to get me. ALL OF THEM!



I balled my fists. "I see through the LIES! Rick is on HIS side! They recorded that in ADVANCE as part of their plan!" I held my hands out to Nikki, "Don't you see, Nikki? They both betrayed you!"



Nikki looked back at me. "That's wrong. If they wanted to do that, they would have just left things alone at the video."

No, no, no, no, NO!!!

I shook my fists in front of me. "NO! They are just doing that to make Mister Gentleman LOOK better to you! Don't fall for their LIES, NIKKI!"

Nikki closed her eyes and looked away as she held her arms.

Just like that then. They had turned her against me...

They rigged this WHOLE thing against me!

Rick pocketed the taser and held his arms out. "Isaac... we aren't trying to gang up on you! I was keeping this to myself, but my goal here is to help your relationship with not only Nikki, but Mister Gentleman too!"



I shook my head. "I can't trust ANYTHING you say anymore Rick!"

Rick brought one of his palms to his face. "Isaac, you thick DOLT! WHY?! WHY MUST YOU MAKE ME DO IT?!"

Everyone in the room was now looking at Rick.

Rick rolled his eyes heavily. "Fine! EVERYONE here, you are ALL coming with me!"

Mister Gentleman spoke first. "Erm... why? Where?"



Rick grit his teeth. "Why? I think that's pretty obvious. Despite my best efforts, Isaac REFUSES to LISTEN! Where? The only place left we can resolve this... My final resort and trump card to play... A meeting with the Oracle. MY meeting with the Oracle! You bunch of thick-headed... JERKWADS!"

The Oracle? Yes... that would work. They couldn't keep up their LIE if the Oracle was involved! But to think that he would be willing to use his lifetime visit to the Oracle on this...

If he was lying, both his lie and his hatred towards me would be exposed... If he was telling the truth?

IF that were to happen, it would mean I was wrong... about EVERYTHING!

Fat chance of that...

---

After two rounds of travel from the Lightning Club via hyperloop, we arrived at the Pokemon Dome! Within it was the Great Hall, the audience chamber... for the Oracle!