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

Tango · Aug 19, 2025

Special thanks to K_S for beta reading!

Additional thanks to the following who submitted reviews!

Astinus

Chapter 19: Interview of a Gentleman

(99)

June 1st

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

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 answered 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.

(100)

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.

Walking briskly, I rounded the corner in between buildings towards my car.

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

(101)

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 mystery person.

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 figure 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...

Tango · Aug 20, 2025

Special thanks to K_S for beta reading!

Additional thanks to the following who submitted reviews!

Astinus

Chapter 20: Light and Shadow

(102)

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. I even tried to motivate them with Legendary Zapdos cards that I didn't have, but they STILL lost! 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'd 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 was 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 that rate, it was only a matter of time before Mister Gentleman started dueling his way through the club leaders. He was like a rat clinging to driftwood in a flood... losing a game or two against the leaders would 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 was still 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 on the matter, 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.

Tango · Aug 20, 2025

Special thanks to K_S for beta reading!

Additional thanks to the following who submitted reviews!

Astinus

Chapter 21: Floral Fury

(103)

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 backstabber's 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. "She's 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!"

(104)

The card she played was Pokemon Breeder. Her Bulbasaur was now a 80/100HP Venusaur with a four energy cost Solarbeam attack for 60 damage! She attached a second 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 a duel? 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 its 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 energy 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!

(105)

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 flowed down her face.

I promptly picked up my deck and swooped towards the exit. Rick and Tango both carefully followed 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..."

(106)

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..."

Tango · Aug 20, 2025

Special thanks to K_S for beta reading!

Additional thanks to the following who submitted reviews!

Astinus

Chapter 22: Forgotten Flowers

(107)

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 closest thing to happy I had ever been...

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's 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.

(108)

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...

I just woke up and I already had tears running down my face...

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 bed, as usual. He wouldn't be waking up for another couple hours.

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

(109)

I made my way downstairs.

I caught a familiar white blur land on the floor in the kitchen.

Even though he wasn't quite as limber as he used to be, Sir Pounce still had managed to leap down from the counter the moment he saw me. He then stretched and yawned simultaneously as if he had been so excited to see me that he forgot to do it until after he jumped.

We gave up trying to get him to stop getting on the counter and just put his bed up there instead. He kept sleeping up there anyway...

I sat in the comfy recliner and pulled the lever to put the foot rest up.

Sir Pounce jumped up as he always did, but rather than curling up between my feet like most cats might do, he crawled up onto my stomach and started kneading and purring.

He always did that to get comfortable on me first.

After a little, he walked up my chest to rub his face against mine.

I moved my face against his too.

He then laid down on me with his face inches from mine with both his front paws at the base of my neck.

I began to stroke his fur as his purring grew louder. The vibrations of his purring was always so soothing.

At least I had Sir Pounce... Sometimes it felt as if he was the only thing in the world that could comfort me. I may have been crying and I may have been stressed, but at least I had Sir Pounce.

I allowed myself to focus completely on pampering him.

After a good while, I decided to get up.

As usual, when I set the recliner back to up-right, Sir Pounce relied on me to carry him like a baby rather than jump off of me.

I set him down and he immediately began his usual rubbing against my leg.

I'd never had a cat as wonderful as him before. He was truly something special.

I took a look at the clock:

6:45am

Good. Still time for a shower before Isaac would wake up.

I stepped softly back upstairs and into the shower.

(110)

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 used it and 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 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!

(111)

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. I must have been hot or couldn't find my night gown since I woke up nude. Mister Gentleman must have walked home or called a cab since 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...

(112)

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 even 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...

(113)

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?

Tango · Aug 20, 2025

Special thanks to K_S for beta reading!

Additional thanks to the following who submitted reviews!

Astinus

Chapter 23: Electric Extrication

(114)

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 always no joke! The counter-gravity unit in the capsule could only do so much to off-set it. A feature they would improve upon in future models.

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...

(115)

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."

In this game I did NOT share my red mini tarp with Isaac to sit on only to learn he had his own yellow mini tarp!

(116)

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 that already had energy attached.

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 and attacked paralyzing Doduo.

I drew nothing that could help.

His turn came back around, he attached another energy and finished off Doduo. I had no other mon on my bench so I lost after only two turns.

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 as I kept him locked down.

By the end, I didn't just win against him, 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.

(117)

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...

(118)

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!

I 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?

(119)

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?"

(120)

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.

(121)

"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 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 you 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.

(122)

"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. Not that Doctor Wem made it easy for me. I suppose I was also partly to blame by taking the hardest paper topics and such. But I always assumed becoming champion would lead to a happy romance for me."

"Obviously things, didn't go as planned."

"I had no idea Wems offer would be the last decent one I would have in years... So here I am, with no worthy romance prospects in sight. Not that any other girl caught my eye like Nikki. Even now, no one catches my attention like that. I'm not sure if I have high standards or if I am just too particular when it comes to women... If only I had known finding love would be so elusive..."

"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..."

"Sounds like you have some regrets."

"If I could do it over, I would have raced to become champion without attending the university. Maybe then I could have been with Nikki. But at this point, I would have easily settled for Wem. I feel like what should be the best years of my life are just slipping by and that they could have been so much better... Sometimes I wonder if I've ruined my life..."

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...

(123)

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!

Tango · Oct 8, 2025

Special thanks to K_S & Astinus for beta reading!

Chapter 24: Marvel

(124)

June 3rd - (Afternoon)

The Pokemon Dome was a giant half-sphere. The exterior walls caught the afternoon light, gleaming like a crystal ball. Though it was made of nothing of the sort... Steel scaffolding framed gigantic sheets of industrial-grade glass windows. I had never explored the entire building, but there were rumors the place stretched out for miles. The audience chamber of the Oracle at its heart measured 500 feet.

I emerged with Tango from the hyperloop. His talons clinked on the steel plated section around the opening. Every time I visited this place, I was humbled by its scope and architecture. No one who visited could call this place a simple hallway. I imagined if the patterned purple and gold carpet were replaced with water, one could even sail a cruise ship through here!

Tango was wide eyed as he looked about. I supposed that bird didn't see such magnificent structures very often! How odd that the bird had an apparent appreciation for architecture!

Even more odd was that Tango appeared not to be shedding feathers! Perhaps amazement stunted their growth?

Turning my gaze to the surroundings, I took note of the audience chamber at the far end of the great hall. From the outside, it was a giant cylinder of ornately carved cedar wood planks! Massive doors stretched from floor almost all the way to ceiling and separated us from the audience chamber! They were also made of Cedar and carved with depictions of all the Pokemon in the TCG. A marvelous collage spanning both doors, which were large enough to fit ego's of any size, I'd imagine...

Speaking of cedar, all wood the dome was entirely comprised of it! The fragrance alone made being here a pleasant experience.

The massive ring in-between the windows and the audience chamber contained seven floors, one for each type of the Pokemon TCG with their own themes and colors to match.

Each floor began on one side of the great hall and looped all the way back around to the other side of the great hall. Split among the seven floors was our world's only library for books. You could tell what energy type each floor was from the giant banners hung at various points on both sides of the hall.

The bottom floor was Colorless with the carpet swapping to shades of white and grey where it met the great hall. Ceiling heights were high enough to accommodate fully grown trees, but the largest ceiling height by far was the Psychic floor at the top. On each floor were rows upon rows of wooden bookshelves, lounges, restrooms, museums, and even full restaurants!

A visit to the dome was a multi-day excursion for anyone with a love of the indoors. I heard the science symposium was held here recently too. As such, the area around the dome was a major zone for tourism with various amenities scattered about.

My gawking finally complete, Tango and I joined Nikki, Issac, and Rick where they reclined on a bench not too far away. They had been the first to arrive and we had agreed to enter the Oracle's chamber as a group.

As we made our way there, I struck up a conversation with Rick. "You know, the last time I was here was with Ronald during our championship match. Sitting at that golden duel table with the Oracle as a judge was one of the highlights of my life! I have fond memories of this place."

Rick was silent for a moment before replying. "I still can't believe I am using my only audience with the Oracle like this... I do have SOME questions to ask them if your drama doesn't take too long... If the Oracle gets tired of me and doesn't let me finish asking my questions, I'm blaming you, Isaac!"

Isaac smiled as we walked. "Oh, this won't take long... You will either be proven very right or very wrong..."

Rick had obviously put lots of thought into today. After all, a visit to the oracle would have to be scheduled in advance! Thankfully, one can involve as many guests as they like as long as they have a purpose.

...Rick. He was there supporting us all. Friends with each of us, Isaac included... Even if Isaac wasn't able to see that right now...

Nikki sighed. "I wish we could get more than one visit... other than the gardening advice, my audience was a bit of a bust..."

My own audience with the Oracle was still available, but I had no idea what to do with it... I was already the TCG Island champion but I feared a happy romance might be forever out of reach, with the only girl I loved being married and perhaps my best prospect having been carelessly rejected by me years ago...

Isaac frowned. "You think that was bad? Mine was almost worthless for what I wanted!"

Should I have my audience get the Oracle to play match maker for me? I'd heard good things about audiences used in such a way. I only recently become champion and expected things to fall into place for love, but clearly I was mistaken. So why not get the Oracle to help? I'd have to get my visit scheduled soon. No more being lonely!

Rick shook his head. "I told you not to do it... Getting advice, even from the Oracle only does so much for improving ones skill at the Pokemon TCG..."

Isaac crossed his arms. "This problem wouldn't be here if the oracle just held simultaneous meetings with many people at once! We wouldn't HAVE to be limited to one if they did that!"

Rick sighed. "I'm with you on that. The Oracle not wanting to divide their attention because they care so much about each citizen seems like an excuse. Even the cost of building more audience chambers shouldn't be a valid reason..."

Nikki's eyes widened. "Rick! I can't believe you would say that! The prosperity of our whole island is thanks to them!"

Rick put a hand to his chin. "That's exactly it. They obviously know how to run a prosperous society... In fact, they are such an advanced AI, that we can ask them just about any question on any topic and get highly relevant information and advice! They are smarter than anyone! Why would they not implement such a low-hanging improvement?!"

I held my arms out. "Surely they have a good reason for it! They have earned our trust, have they not? They don't even try to become the Pokemon TCG champion! Instead, they focus all their efforts on improving our lives!"

Reluctant nods abounded. We may not have understood everything about our Oracle, but we knew life was much better with them than without them. Each of us was grateful to be born here.

Nikki held her hands to her chest. "Those poor other Islands! They don't have an Oracle like we do!"

Rick put his hands in his pockets. "And nor will they... As the Oracle once said; 'Creating advanced AI was an extremely stupid idea and we got lucky they developed to be benevolent.' That's why they instituted a world-wide ban on developing another. Can you imagine what a society ran by a malevolent advanced AI would be like?"

Just the idea alone was making my stomach turn! Judging from the looks on the others, they wholeheartedly agreed...

Thankfully, the other Islands adhered to the ban through a combination of diplomatic pressure and occasional favors from the Oracle...

Nikki held her gardening book up towards her face. "Oh! I wonder what form and personality the Oracle will take today?"

I looked upward admiring the architecture as we walked. "Who knows! But she does seem to have an uncanny way of picking something relevant!"

Nikki had hopeful eyes as we continued walking. I could see a slight smile on her face. It felt right to see her able to smile with everything that had been going on.

Isaac had his hands in his pockets with a perpetual smirk. It boggled my mind how he was so sure of his falsities...

Finally, we began to approach the doors to the audience chamber as they started sliding inside the walls, revealing the chamber for the Oracle beyond.

Calling out behind us, we turned to see a familiar face! The Psychic leader, Murray!

Murray grinned. "It's always a pleasure to have my psychic services called upon by the Oracle. I am here to assist in your audience!"

Rick nodded. "Yes. Thank you, Murray."

We then set our sights on our destination.

The audience chamber was also a half-sphere like the dome it occupied. The walls were comprised of one enormous display screen as was the floor we walked on underneath the industrial-grade glass. The doors behind us had screens attached to the back of them to complete the effect.

In the center of the chamber was a small stage made of pure polished silver about ten feet by ten feet. Leading up to it were a set of polished silver stairs. On either side of the stage were two holographic emitters which allowed the Oracle to take the shape and size of a human. Apparently the technology used to create holograms was far too energy-intensive for widespread use. Otherwise, Billy would be living the holographic dream...

Shortly before the stage, were the table and chairs of the highest honor. An intricately sculpted duel table made of pure gold with the most comfortable 'Lazy-Duelist' brand chairs on the market to accompany it.

The chairs were wonderfully cushioned with the softest fabric on the market. It had controllable warmers, a massage feature, adjustable reclining, back support, neck support, adjustable arm-rests, a rocking-chair mode, and even a standing assist mode for when one was ready to leave!

Off to one side was a long carved cedar conference table with more of those seats that I loved! The table was just the right size for six people.

I nodded to myself as I made a mental note to buy some of those chairs for the duel room in my house. I even had enough funds now with all the duels I had won!

As we entered, the doors slowly sealed shut behind us. The screens in the room were black. We were in total darkness as we waited.

The room slowly began to illuminate with a scene displayed on them. It started so dim that it was almost imperceptible and gradually brightened to help our eyes adjust.

(125)

As the lighting continued to increase, I recognized the scene! We were on the hill overlooking the forest of our Island! The apparent time of the day looked to be about 12:00pm. Clouds hung gently in the air casting shadows on parts of the forest, but there was still plenty of sunlight too.

The reason I recognized this place was because it was where Isaac, Nikki, and myself would come to enjoy the outdoors when we were kids. We even came here at night to stargaze as we spoke aloud our hopes and dreams. Some of my fondest childhood memories were here... How long had it been since my last visit? The last time, I went here by myself to reminisce, thinking back to simpler, less lonely times. That must have been years ago...

The scene we were immersed in was NOT a still picture. It was a video recording apparently taken with a 360 degree panoramic camera.

The way they worked was by hovering with a small anti-gravity device. When properly calibrated, the camera was perfectly still, even adjusting for wind pressure. The lens wrapped around the entire exterior of the camera. The result is an extremely high restitution video from all directions at once!

The effect was impressive. It REALLY felt like we were there! I could even hear sounds coming from the various speakers embedded in the walls and floors... I closed my eyes and could make out a soft wind blowing over the trees in the distance, and various birds chirping!

In fact... in the far distance, I could see the old bridge leading to the Water Club in the process of deconstruction! But that bridge had been torn down and replaced almost eighteen years ago! It dawned on me that this recording must have been taken back when I was nine or ten! It was like truly being back in the past!

My tears caught me off-guard. While everyone else was distracted by the immersion, I quickly wiped them away.

Rick's expression was inscrutable. "Alright everyone. Let's get to that conference table."

The table already had name-plates set on them. On one end of the table was "Rick". One of the long sides had "Isaac" and "Nikki". The other long side had "Mister Gentleman" and the one next to it was "Murray". At the other end was a plate with "The Oracle".

Nearby was a large dog-bed with an engraved "Tango" on it.

Tango trotted right over towards it and laid down. I wondered if that bird could recognize the writing of his own name or something. Perhaps it was just his house training kicking in...

We all followed and took our assigned seats.

Shortly after, small points of light appeared around the seat at the far end of the table and began to converge on top of the remaining seat. As more light was formed and collected, a figure gradually emerged in the shape of a person sitting. It then formed details and dimmed as color gradually emerged.

What identity would the oracle take today?

The Oracle spoke with the voice of a nine year old girl. Nikki's daughter, Heather!

Nikki's mouth hung open smiling awkwardly as if she had been caught telling a lie.

What a curious reaction!

Isaac smiled and nodded his approval.

The Oracle taking the form of someone you know or love was part of how she showed she cared about the people she met with.

As for Rick, he appeared to have no reaction, seemingly focused solely on the task ahead.

"My precious children... Thank you all for coming! For this audience, I have decided to take the form of someone everyone here knows and loves: Heather. During this audience, you may address me as either 'Oracle' or 'Heather'. Despite my appearance, I hope that each of you will still treat me with respect and reverence."

There were nods of agreement from everyone at the table.

I could see the wisdom in combining her authority as the Oracle with the appearance of Isaac and Nikki's daughter. Not that I would expect any less from her.

Heather turned towards Rick. "I'm surprised to see you use your audience so early, Rick."

The Oracle kept in touch with the lives of all TCG Island citizens. That was part of what made her so effective at being our government.

Rick was silent for a moment and frowned. "There were so many questions I wanted to formulate... But I couldn't ignore what was happening with these three, so I'm here to fix it by any means."

Heather turned towards Murray. "Speaking of means, I have called Murray here to help. Despite my vast memory and adaptive algorithms, I do not have psychic power. I will have Murray cover my blind spots. With everyone gathered, my abilities, and Murray's power, I believe I can be of assistance to Rick."

Murray crossed his arms, puffing his chest out a bit with a big smile. "It is always a pleasure to assist you, Oracle."

He then turned to us and held a hand open in the direction of the Oracle. "In case anyone is wondering, I spoke with the Oracle prior to today. She requests reports from me on various things and I was able to see our upcoming meeting in advance, thus our ability to prepare."

Heather giggled. "Aww Murray. You are so cute! I love having you around. I look forward to the day when you can finally bend that spoon!"

Murray looked away, blushing.

Heather then turned back to Rick. "I think it's best that we first establish your goal here, Rick. Please, tell us why we are gathered."

Tango · Oct 8, 2025

Special thanks to K_S & Astinus for beta reading!

Chapter 25: The Oracle

(126)

June 3rd - (Afternoon)

Rick pushed his glasses up on his face as he looked up. "There has been a problem for a long time now... I was hoping it would resolve itself over the years, but it only got worse... I remember how happy Nikki used to be when she was young. Her sadness began even before Mister Gentleman was no longer around. My goal here is to restore my precious sister's happiness."

Murray chimed in. "Ah, I can attest that what he just said was the truth."

Nikki looked towards Rick. Her eyes watering. "Rick..."

I nodded to myself. He was right. This wasn't about Isaac or even me. It was about Nikki, the girl I loved. For her happiness.

Isaac had is arms crossed. I'll bet he was thinking Rick's goal would oppose him.

The oracle held her hands on her face. "Aww! Look at that familial love. The bond of siblings can truly be something special... at least when they aren't busy destroying the world with their fighting... You have stated your goal, but how would you like to proceed, Rick?"

It boggled my mind! Destroy the world!? What kind of siblings would THOSE be?

Rick raised an eyebrow. Apparently he found the comment odd too, but he pulled out his notepad. "I would like to resume from where we stopped at the Lightning Club."

Heather nodded. "Very well, Rick. In that case, please tell me in your own words how the conversation went so far."

Heather held up a finger. "As for everyone else, you are expressly forbidden to speak or interrupt. There will be time for you to speak later. Once Rick is done speaking, I will have Murray confirm he is telling the truth."

Towards Rick, Heather held an open hand. "Rick, please offer only the facts of what was said and do not provide any of your own feelings or judgements at this time."

Rick then caught the Oracle up to speed and Murray confirmed the accuracy.

Heather then looked directly at Isaac. "Isaac, as part of my assistance to Rick, I will do all in my power to help everyone understand the truth. If it it comes to light that you are not correct, will you agree to believe it?"

Isaac slowly nodded. "Yes, I will."

Murray held up his spoon. "Revered Oracle, I can see he is telling... the truth!"

I began smiling. It was all going to be ok! Was... Was I going to get my friends back? Tears began to stream from my eyes. I hadn't intended to, but I couldn't help it.

The moment my eyes began to water all the screens went black.

Heather spoke. "We will have a brief pause. I can tell there is at least one among us who prefers a moment of privacy. To those of you who need it, please take as much time as you want. I will monitor and bring the scene back once we are composed..."

The sounds of the hill were still playing. I wasn't used to someone having such understanding for my feelings... It was comforting. Like when I was five and had scrapped my knee. My grandfather carried me in to the house and wrapped it up. He spent the rest of the day with me on his lap as he told me stories. Soon, I had forgotten all about the pain. I missed that man...

I cried for a good five minutes. I was worried my eyes would still be red, but enough time passed to where I believed they would be back to normal.

Heather's voice then softly spoke. "We are now composed, so I will bring back the hill now..."

Slowly things returned and we were back on the hill.

Heather placed both of her palms gently on the table. "So... Where we left off, Isaac accused Rick of collaborating with the Gentleman for them both to create an elaborate ruse by the recording Rick played at the Lightning Club."

Heather then looked towards Rick. "Rick, did you and the Gentleman plan this in advance? Please provide clarification if you prefer."

Rick finally seemed to be himself again as he held up his random piece of chalk. "Him and I collaborated on NOTHING involving that! I planned it in advance on my own, but only as a way of revealing the truth! Mister Gentleman had no clue I recorded our conversation. He was also unaware of the video footage I took during the violent encounter at the Lightning Club!"

Murray quickly set both his fists on the table as he leaned forward. "The truth! He is telling THE TRUTH!"

(127)

Isaac was very still. A moment passed. He then took off his sunglasses and placed them on the table. Slowly, he leaned back in his chair as he looked up towards the sky.

He spoke as he watched the clouds. "This... is a lot to take in... I honestly can't deny what this means... Mister Gentleman never tried or even intended to take Nikki away from me... That means he was never using Heather or Jennifer as a way to get closer to Nikki to steal her from me... This means he was just being nice and kind to them..."

Isaac's eyes began to form tears. He went silent for a bit as he cried.

Everyone else was still and quiet. We all understood the most important words would next be coming from Isaac.

Eventually he wiped the tears from his eyes as he continued to gaze at the sky. "He never intended to leave us behind... He wished our friendship hadn't ended... But then, why threaten to sue us? How do we explain his recent behavior?"

Rick smiled. "That... was a ploy. It was to get both you and Nikki to listen to reason and ultimately come here, if needed, to fix everything!"

Murray chimed in. "Truth!"

Isaac put his sunglasses back on and started laughing. "Rick! You crazy dude!"

Isaac leaned back again and took a deep breath. "Alright then... Let's get these remaining questions out of the way. First one: Mister Gentleman, why did you decide to use all commons? Was it to humiliate anyone?"

I closed my eyes as I smiled. "No. It was just a way to get people to duel me again so I could make enough money."

Murray again stepped in. "Truth!"

Isaac was now smiling. It wasn't a bad smile though. He seemed... Hopeful! "Are you truly unbeatable except when you allow opponents to win?"

I chuckled. "No. Most certainly not."

After another "Truth!" from Murray, Isaac continued. "Do you think poorly of other duelists?"

I furrowed my brow. "This is a bit of a loaded question. I am able to recognize the gap in skill between myself and almost everyone else, but I don't feel like it should make me special... Instead, it perplexes me..."

Murray gave a thumbs up. We all knew what it meant by now, anyway.

There was then silence. It was Isaac's turn to speak. No one else would impose. A minute went by.

Finally, Isaac turned my way. "Mister Gentleman... I have wronged you."

He then took his glasses off once more as tears fell from his eyes. "I was WRONG!... I'M SO SORRY!"

He bowed stiffly as the tears ran down his face.

I was crying too at this point. It was all out in the open. No lights were cut this time...

Heather interlaced her fingers holding her hands on the table in front of her. "If I may be so bold... You two really should just go ahead and hug. Isaac, I think you should be the one to approach."

What?! We had never hugged each other before in our lives! We were guys! We didn't do su-

Suddenly Isaac was there clinging to me!

Still crying... Though, I suppose I was as well...

Heather giggled. "Well? Go on! Hug him back, Mister Gentleman!"

She was right. I cared about my friendship with Isaac. I cared about my friend. It was going to be alright now. Things were going to be better!

I held him back.

Nikki was crying now too. I supposed us making up was something she had wanted to see for a very long time...

Heather held her face in her hands as she sighed contently. "Stuff like this makes my job a true joy! But Isaac, I believe you may have more questions to ask?"

I wasn't sure what she was basing that assumption on, but I had no reason to doubt she was correct.

Isaac spoke in a muffled voice into my shoulder as our hug continued. "Give me a minute..."

Heather began to giggle again.

Our hug finally subsided and Isaac went back to his chair. The tension I had before the hug had totally vanished! I didn't think I ever felt as close to Isaac as I did after that hug...

At this point, Isaac turned towards Nikki. "Nikki... I need to ask some things, ok? I've needed to ask them for a long time..."

Nikki turned towards him with wide eyes and nodded.

He took off his glasses again and looked into her eyes. "Do you love Mister Gentleman?"

Nikki's face quickly reddened as she turned away. "N-no!"

Silence, followed by a "False." from Murray.

Nikki's eyes were screwed shut as she faced downward. "...Yes ...But I love you too!"

"Truth."

Isaac let out a long sigh. "Nikki, which of us do you love more?"

Nikki spoke barely above a whisper. "...You."

"False."

Isaac closed his eyes. "So you love him more, then?"

Nikki frowned. "No."

"Truth."

Isaac tilted his head. "Wait, what? You love us the SAME?!"

Nikki looked down like a child being caught red handed with something as she fidgeted with her hands. Her face was completely red. She nodded.

"Truth."

Isaac frowned. "Nikki... Would you ever cheat on me with him?"

Nikki held a hand to her chest as she looked away. "No!"

"False."

Isaac's face scrunched as if he had just been punched in the gut. "NIKKI!"

Nikki's hands trembled along with her voice. "I-I would never do it on purpose! I-I'd have to be drunk! Very drunk!"

"...Truth."

Isaac sighed in relief as his shoulders relaxed.

He then turned back to me. "What about you, Mister Gentleman? If Nikki gave herself to you, would you take her offer?"

I closed my eyes and sighed. "I wouldn't do it on purpose either and for it to accidentally happen I would also have to be very drunk."

"Truth."

Isaac turned and faced the Oracle. "Heather, can we trust what Murray has been saying?"

Heather held her face in her hands as she gazed at Murray swinging her feet at the edge of the chair. "Absolutely! I have Murray wrapped around my little finger! There is nothing he wouldn't do for me. I have his complete devotion. I've had a whole group of psychics confirm this for me."

Murray hurriedly nodded, apparently eager to please his master.

Isaac then leaned back in his chair and let out a breath he had been holding in. "Good... Well, then! As for you two, NO getting drunk around each other!"

Both Nikki and I looked away. Nikki was beat red and I could feel the heat on my face indicating I was much the same...

Heather started giggling again. "Aww, Mister Gentleman and Nikki are so cute! You know what? I think I want you both... To kiss!"

(128)

Isaac whipped his head around toward Heater, wide-eyed with a tilted head. "HUH?!"

My own eyes were wide at this point too. What the MEW was going on?!

Heather continued to giggle. "Yep! You heard me. I'm a sucker for some good drama... In fact... I don't think it's very fair that you've had Nikki all to yourself over the years, Isaac... It's just not... balanced. Did you know that Mister Gentleman has never even kissed a girl before? Murray! Tell us! Has Mister Gentleman been lonely? Spare no details!"

Murry raised his eyebrows. "Wow! My psychic power is on FIRE today, baby! I can see it SO clearly! Most of Mister Gentleman's life, he has been pining for Nikki. He tried finding another woman but no one catches his interest. He had an offer once from Doctor Wem which he rejected and now regrets."

Heather's eyes widened.

I guessed I really must have been an idiot for rejecting Wem for the Oracle to react like that... Having a psychic confirm it sure was sobering...

Murray continued. "His ENTIRE reason for becoming champion was in the hopes of marrying Nikki since that's what she said it would take. What he wants most in life is a family. He often dreams of being Nikki's husband and only in those dreams does he ever feel truly happy. He would dare not take Nikki from Isaac, but it makes him sad all the time being unable to be with her!"

I blinked. Well open up my SOUL why don't you, Murray?!

Isaac furrowed his brow looking down. "Huh... I've never thought about it like that before... You're right, Oracle... That's not fair..."

Isaac then turned to Nikki. "Nikki, I owe you an apology too. I've blamed you for having feelings and treated you coldly. I can't go back and undo it, but I want to make it up to you from now on. Do you want to kiss him?"

Nikki frowned. "Honestly, Isaac... Yes. I do. Partly because I hate how you have treated both me AND him these years! The other part is that I DO want to kiss him! VERY MUCH!"

A "True!" from Murray rang out.

Isaac visibly cringed. "Yeah... I definitely deserved that... If it helps you feel better and gets it out of your system even a little, I won't be getting in the way and absolutely will not blame you for it..."

"True!"

Isaac turned to me. "Well, Mister Gentleman. Here is your chance to kiss Nikki. No blame! I assume you want to?"

I nervously smiled while looking away. "Oh, I couldn't possibly..."

Isaac leaned in and raised an eyebrow. "But you do want to, don't you?"

With that blasted psychic there, I knew I wouldn't get away with saying no... Might as well own up to it then!

I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes. I then opened them, making eye contact with Isaac. "Yes I do. I meant what I said at the lightning club. I love Nikki and always have. I hate the way Heather had Murray open up my inner motivations like that, but Murray was correct. There is nothing in this world I would value more than a loving kiss from Nikki."

"True!"

Isaac slowly exhaled with his eyes shut as he nodded. "I've wronged both of you, and I can't say I feel like I deserve Nikki's love..."

Isaac then turned to Nikki as tears ran down his face. "Nikki... If you want to divorce me to be with him, I would understand..."

Nikki sighed. "I'm not going to divorce you... But I will be taking this kiss!"

Isaac visibly relaxed. Clearly his focus was on not being divorced...

Heather smiled. "Good! Now that we have established that, I suggest the kiss be on the lips, passionate, and while embracing each other. It might be the last kiss you two will ever have, so you should treasure it!"

Nikki smiled as she nodded. "That sounds perfect!"

Heather squealed in her seat kicking her legs about frantically. "All right! Over here, you two! I want a front row seat!" She pointed next to her chair.

I was actually getting to kiss Nikki?!

ANY pain I might have endured was worth it for this moment! I was going to make the most of it... Heather was right; this chance would likely never come again!

I was ready to what I imagined might be the fondest memory of my life.

I rose from my seat and stood beside the Oracle.

Nikki was shyly hiding behind her gardening book as she gazed into my eyes from her seat.

Heather giggled again. "Aww! Nikki is so cute and shy! That's part of what makes this something I just gotta see! It's alright, Nikki! For once in your life, you can have this. I KNOW it will make you feel happy. And you can have it guilt-free, all thanks to mua!" She smiled looking up as she placed a hand upon her chest.

(129)

At this point... all I could see was Nikki. The beautiful girl I had loved my whole life. I would be allowed one special moment with her. It was a dream come true. Would it be the happiest moment of my life? Only time would tell...

Nikki smiled as she lowered her gardening book and locked eyes with me. I think she was looking forward to it even more than me!

She rose from her seat with the grace of a Dragonaire. Her steps soft, but determined. I had barely finished processing the way she carried herself when she was in front of me!

"Um... I-"
"Nikki, I-"

We both laughed having started at the same time.

Heather was giggling again. "So good!"

No time like the present.

I gazed into her beautiful emerald eyes. "Nikki... I meant what I said back at the Lightning Club. I've always loved you..."

Nikki's eyes began to water. "Oh, Mister Gentleman! I've loved you too! I'm so sorry about the wedding! I'm sorry I betrayed you! I tried to take away your title! I'm not fit to kiss you! I don't even deserve to look at you!"

I took my hand to Nikki's soft and smooth face, wiping a tear away from it. I gently brought my hand to her chin lifting her gaze to meet mine. "Nikki... please don't cry. You shouldn't blame yourself. I don't blame you either. You've always deserved my affection, even if I was never able to give it..."

Nikki smiled. Fresh tears already making their way down her sweet face again. "You've always been the knight I've wanted! Please Mister Gentleman! Make me a princess, just this once! I love you!"

And here it was, I approached and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Her waist was so thin compared to Isaac. Her features, curved and inviting. I hoped Isaac would understand how lucky he was after this...

Nikki held me back too. Her slender, delicate arms just like one would imagine of a real princess.

We both gazed into each others eyes. I was a bit taller, so I leaned down as she stretched her neck up. Her lips pressed against mine in what I confirmed was easily the single best moment of my life thus far...

Heather was clapping. "Woot! Yeah! Get in there! Make it longer! No cutting it short! As long as you are still hugging it still counts as only one kiss!"

This crazy Oracle... But there was no way I could complain... Nikki was keeping me far too occupied for that...

I could hear Isaac speaking to Murray. "Uh... I don't have to be worried, do I Murray?"

Murray laughed. "Nope! Not one bit! My psychic power is ON FIRE today! You are in the CLEAR, good sir!"

I then heard Heather speak to Murray. "Murray, eventually this kiss WILL cause problems for Isaac. We are going to prevent that. Give us a countdown for them to break off the kiss."

Murray was quick to reply. "But of course, revered Oracle! At the rate things are going, they will need to stop by the time I reach Zero..."

"Ten!"

Time was short! In this window I was happy!

"Nine!"

Nikki began kissing with more urgency.

"Eight!"

I matched Nikki's urgency.

"Seven!"

Nikki gripped my suit clinging desperately. She had been holding onto her feelings for so long. It was no wonder...

"Six!"

I held her waist in my hands as Nikki broke the kiss with a fiercely determined look!

"Five!"

Nikki jumped up! It wasn't easy, but I caught her! Her face was now higher than mine!

"Four!"

Nikki gripped my face with both her her hands, resuming the kiss!

"Three!"

I was glad my hands were able to grip her legs, any higher might push the boundaries a bit!

"Two!"

As my strength began to give out, I allowed her to gently slide down until her feet were touching the floor again. Our lips still locked.

"One!"

We both closed our eyes, stepping back from each other simultaneously. Our kiss... was now broken.

"Aaaand Zero!"

(130)

Heather resumed her now trademarked giggling. "Oh WOW! That was the BEST! Ten out of Ten! Woot!" Her legs kicking about frantically under her chair.

I glanced toward Isaac.

He seemed to be rolling his eyes while smirking and shaking his head. I suppose he found this about as crazy as I did!

Nikki sat down, hands on her face, and smiling. I don't think I've ever seen her look so happy...

Heather laughed some more. "You all are great! This was more fun than I have had in CENTURIES! Well, Rick? Has your goal been accomplished?"

Rick gazed off in the distance. "I want this friendship that you all cared about to resume. I think that would make Nikki happy. Isaac, I think it's best for you to set the terms."

(131)

Isaac smiled. "You know what? I don't have to worry about Nikki. She is loyal to me even if she loves you too, Mister Gentleman. And she doesn't love you MORE than me, so I guess that works. I'm ok with you two spending time but please no drinking when you do, Ok?"

Nikki and I both laughed as we nodded.

Isaac held his arms up. "With you two THAT much on the same wavelength, I'm glad there was a countdown!"

Everyone in the room laughed at that.

Isaac then brought a hand to his chin. "Mister Gentleman, you can spend time with the kids too, if you like. Actually, I want you to be their godparent, if you will accept."

I put a hand over my heart. "Isaac... Of course! I love both Jennifer and Heather! I've always wanted to be like family to them!"

Isaac nodded. "We've got a lot of catching up to do. Are you free tomorrow?"

I smiled. "I sure am! Did you have something in mind?"

Isaac looked up towards the sky. "Yeah... I figured we could all go to the amusement park, all of us and the kids..."

(132)

Suddenly the screens in the entire room went dark red with a yellow 'WARNING' across! All the sounds of the hill stopped and were replaced by an alarm!

One second Murray was there, and the next, he was gone! Simply vanished!

As for the Oracle, she was also gone!

The screens then went black.

Tango · Oct 13, 2025

Special thanks to K_S & Astinus for beta reading!

Chapter 26: Ultimatum

(133)

June 3rd - (Afternoon)

After a few seconds the alarm ceased. The screens went black. We were engulfed by total darkness. Everything was silent and no one knew what was going on. None of us dared to shatter the silence.

I could hear everyone carefully stand up. I guessed the others had placed their hands on the table to have a point of reference and something to lean on in the pitch black.

"What's going on?! What happened to the Oracle?!" Rick whispered.

I whispered back. "I'm not sure! But, maybe we shoul-"

Suddenly a bright light appeared up on the silver stage. As my eyes adjusted, I could tell it was the figure... of MEW!

They had a blue glow about them as they hovered over the stage. Mews eyes were illuminated blueish-white. Their brightness was difficult to look at directly. They raised their small paw and began moving it about in small circles almost like slowly swirling wine in a glass.

The screens brightened as the sound of wind gradually grew. The ground appeared to be... sloshing?

Occasional flashes of light were depicted in various places as well as a thick wall of clouds all around the room. Directly above a clear blue sky was displayed with the sun shining down.

It then dawned on me. The scene was the middle of the ocean. In the eye of a hurricane!

Having the appearance of obviously deep water churning underneath my feet was unsettling. Adding to the effect was the eye wall, wind, lightning, and massive waves in the distance. Strangely, the eye appeared to be stationary; we were getting no farther away from the middle.

All of us stood around overwhelmed by the spectacle with a palpable sense of dread hanging over us.

I noticed Tango had flipped over his bed and was hiding under it. It did a rather poor job of obscuring him, but it was all he had...

Mew slowly lowered their paw. "Greetings, mortals."

The voice was in my head!

It was Rick who spoke out first stepping forward with a dramatic sweep of his arm. "Mew!? One of the fabled legendary Pokemon! What's going on here!?" He then whipped out his notepad ready to take notes.

The glowing around Mew changed colors to white and purple, obscuring all of Mew's details.

Suddenly, the screens displayed a solid yellow with what appeared to be red rose petals.

Within seconds, Mew transformed into a girl who looked to be age fourteen!

Artist per Google Translate: linko
Used with permission.

临家小女孩 by linko-捏咔-捏人创作分享平台

neka（捏咔）是一个捏人创作分享平台，这里有众多画手为您提供丰富的模板素材，帮您轻松自定义头像、人设、OC等，快来愉快创造吧！

www.neka.cc

"So, how do you like my look? Pretty cute, huh?"

Rick scratched his head. "Somehow, this is not quite what I expected..."

The screens reverted back to the hurricane and Mew transformed again, but only her clothes.

Mew twirled about. "Ok! How about this ? Victoria from GR island usually wears these clothes. Better?"

Isaac frowned with arched eyebrows. "What did you do with the Oracle!?"

Mew laughed. "Pfft! You are ridiculous, Isaac! Demanding answers from a being like me! Want to know who would win in a battle between myself and an army of all the humans in the world? I'll give you a hint, it's not the humans..."

Isaac grit his teeth but his silence confirmed he had no retort.

(134)

Mew faced Rick with a mischievous grin. "To answer your question, I have suspended your Oracle and hacked into her systems with my psychic powers. She will remain as such until I deem otherwise."

I furrowed my brow. "What do you mean? That's not how psychic powers work!"

Mew's face remained the same. "Mmm, unlike psychic powers in humans, there are several things I can do with MY psychic powers..." She started casually counting off with her fingers, "Starting hurricanes, hacking computers, seeing the future, bending things like small spoons or airships, teleporting, reading minds, using any Pokemon move in theoretical existence... I could go on, but I think you get the gist."

Nikki spoke up next hiding shyly behind a gardening book she had with her. "Um... What happened to Murray, Miss Mew?"

Mew chuckled. "So polite! That's part of what I like about you, Nikki. I teleported Murray away. He had no purpose here."

In between conversation, everyone except Mew jumped as a lightning bolt tore through the sky.

Oddly the sound from them reduced dramatically while anyone spoke, but it only enhanced how loud they were when there was a pause.

Nikki's eyes widened. "Is he ok?!"

Mew puffed out her cheeks as she lowered her eyelids. "Seriously, Nikki? You thought I would harm him? If I was going to kill someone I would prefer it to at least have a point..."

The water beneath us continued to churn. I made it a point not to look down, lest my stomach get the better of me.

Nikki placed her book on the table and chanced speaking up again. "I'm sorry, Miss Mew. I've never met you before and I don't know why you are here yet..."

Mew grinned. "Manners will get you everywhere. So, I'll fill you all in. I've been around for a very long time by your standards. There was a time where I had no clue what the Pokemon TCG was. At first, it intrigued me. Various cards with different art and attacks. It seemed like something that might be fun to collect. Flash-forward a few years later and I had collected a full play-set of all the available cards in the game, except for the phantom Lugia card."

Rick arched his eyebrows.

My eyes widened. "Even all the promo cards including phantom rares? How?!"

Mew looked down and to the right as she smiled. "I might have liberated them from owners disinclined to use even a small fraction of their potential..."

Isaac was scowling. "You mean you stole them. Don't you know how hard people work to obtain those cards?!"

Mew started laughing. "Are you for real, Isaac? You have the worst morals in this room by FAR and you're trying to lecture ME? Please... stop! My transformed gut can barely take any more of it!"

Mew's amusement suddenly dropped. "Yeah, Isaac... I know everything you were up to... Seriously. Don't you ever try to judge me again, or..."

Mew's eyes glowed as the clouds in the room blackened momentarily. "I'll kill you where you stand."

The fight drained from Isaac's face as he looked to the ground equal parts afraid and ashamed.

Nikki spoke up next wide-eyed. "How dare you threaten my husband!" Nikki slammed her book on the table. "You can't just bully people into doing what you want! Don't you know what Isaac has been through?!" Her eyes started to water.

Isaac placed a hand on his chest as he looked toward Nikki. I imagined his sunglasses might be hiding some tears.

I don't think he was expecting such a defense from Nikki. Frankly, neither was I. Her loyalty and empathy was unrivaled.

(135)

Mew sighed. "Alright, Nikki. I have the ability to do anything I want, but I know you are referring to morals. You might not want to assume my morals align with yours though..."

I crossed my arms. "I should think not! None of us go around threatening to kill people even at our worst! None of us rob people either..."

Nikki raised an arm. "I agree!"

Rick nodded.

Isaac was gazing off in another direction at the storm, apparently deep in thought.

Mew frowned. "Fine, you bunch of goodie goodies... Simply put, I had no idea there were these things called laws back then... The concept didn't make any sense to me since nothing that was able to stop me was willing to."

What kind of a being could stop Mew?!

Rick paused in his writing, looking up at Mew. "Things that could stop you... are you implying Ho-Oh, and Lugia? And why did you not take the Lugia phantom card?"

Mew looked off to the side, smiling. "I understand your curiosity, but I'm not about to indulge you on things that might be able to stop me. As for why I left the Lugia phantom card alone... Let's just say messing with it is a bad idea... That's all I have to say there. I might answer some of your other questions though."

Rick frowned with a sigh as he continued writing.

Mew began to float sideways as if laying down with her head leaning on one hand. "Once I learned of laws, I felt kind of bad, so I robbed some rich people and doled out the money to the people I stole cards from. The rich weren't going to miss it anyway. In fact, they never even realized I stole it from them... Bunch of stupid greedy Arboks deserved it..."

Nikki tilted her head. "So you DO care about morals or you don't?"

Mew grinned. "Both... So, as I was saying... Once I had a full card collection, I began observing duels. In a week, I already understood the game better than most players in the world. After another week, I understood better than all but the strongest players... Before a month was over, I understood the game better than anyone else in the world. By that point, I was able to craft decks of all kinds. Even Axel, the hero, had nothing on me."

Rick raised up his random piece of chalk and chanced a question. "Axel, the hero? I've never heard of him!"

Mew crossed her arms. "Really? You mortals really suck at properly passing down history... GR Island does a good job, but not here on TCG Island. I suppose your Oracle is to blame. Always spoon-feeding you like a bunch of babies... Go figure it out on your own."

Rick signed loudly as he went back to writing.

(136)

Mew rolled her eyes. "Really, Rick?"

Rick glared at Mew. "Really."

Mew then stared at Rick without breaking eye contact while Rick did the same.

Nikki looked around at the ongoing storm and broke the increasingly awkward silence. "So! Um... this hurricane is really impressive! But it's pretty scary... can we go somewhere nicer?"

Mew sighed. "I put so much effort years ago into getting that camera out into the ocean to record it and even helped it along with my power. It looks wicked awesome and you just want me to turn it off?" She then rolled her eyes. "...Fine."

The screens changed back to the hill from before.

Mew was now crossing her arms and looking down and away. "That better?"

Nikki smiled while nodding.

Isaac glared at Mew. "Wait a minute! Why would you hold onto a program for use in the Oracle's room? This isn't the first time you've shut down the Oracle, is it?!"

Mew shrugged. "Eheh... Yeah, you caught me there! I'm a rascal! Rawr!" Mew winked as she held her hands up in a mock-threatening way.

Artist per Google Translate: Okra Pumpkin Pie
Used with permission

萌妹正太也要捏 by 秋葵南瓜饼-捏咔-捏人创作分享平台

neka（捏咔）是一个捏人创作分享平台，这里有众多画手为您提供丰富的模板素材，帮您轻松自定义头像、人设、OC等，快来愉快创造吧！

www.neka.cc

Isaac winced, evidently worried he had just been attacked in some way.

Nikki glanced at Isaac, breathed a sigh of relief, and held his hand.

I pondered why Mew acted that way. It was very... odd. Perhaps there was more to this?

Rick held up his chalk. "Speaking of things from the past, how old are you, Mew?"

Mew failed to hide her laughter. "There you go again with that lucky chalk! It gets me EVERY time!"

Rick was still. "I know HOW you could, but why would you know about my lucky chalk!?"

Mew looked up and to the right. "Well... It's because I've been watching your progress on various things. You are quite the intriguing man, Rick!"

Rick smiled. "Oh, um... thanks! Could you tell me how old you are though? I'd really like to know."

Mew looked down and to the ground touching her two index fingers together. "Well... this was back when I was still young... It wasn't long after my awakening. It was about 1,000 years ago..."

O-one thousand years?!

Rick's raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

Mew's eyes widened as she gripped her face with her hands. "What?! Oh, stop it, you flatterer!" Mew swatted the air in front of her like a cat.

Rick smiled awkwardly. "Uh... well I was just thinking a legendary ancient Pokemon might be a bit older... Forests and rocks are way older..."

Mew laughed. "And here I was worried about people making me feel OLD! You're alright, Rick!"

(137)

Rick glanced at me with an eyebrow raised.

I shrugged in response.

Rick smiled. "If I'm alright, perhaps you will tell me of your earliest memories?"

Mew looked up and to the right. "Hmm... I guess I said I would give you some answers and it does feel good to be the center of attention... My earliest memory was waking up."

Rick tilted his head. "And who woke you up?"

Mew looked off in the distance. "A talented scientist who went by... Professor Cypress."

Rick held up his chalk. "Are you saying you were created in a lab!?"

Mew laughed. "A lab?! Don't be ridiculous! What do I look like, Mewtwo? Look at you with your wild imagination just because of descriptions on Pokemon cards... Cypress just found me. He had nothing to do with however I came to be."

Rick furrowed his brow. "So, how did you come to be?"

Mew placed a finger on her bottom lip. "I'm not sure! If I had to guess, I'd say it had something to do with the Nexus or The Watchers."

Rick's eyebrows shot up. "Oh? What are those??"

Isaac rolled his head that suggested he was rolling his eyes and glanced my way.

I chuckled and nodded. Rick was having the time of his life here.

Nikki had opened her gardening book and appeared to be taking little notes in the margin. She wasn't quite as into it as Rick seemed to be, but I could definitely tell they were siblings!

(138)

Mew rolled her eyes. "I guess I could give you a little more since you were so nice about my age... The Nexus is where I was found. It has the ability to connect to the great beyond. As for the watchers, they watch from somewhere I cannot reach. I can send messages to them though. Sometimes they even reply!"

Rick placed a hand on his chin. "What is the great beyond and how do you know the Nexus can access it?"

Mew frowned. "Aww... I was enjoying questions about me and now you want to make it about that... Dumb Nexus... That's just going to lead to more yapping about stuff I shouldn't. So that's all I'm going to say on it."

Rick shook his head. "No! Wait! Why won't you discuss more of that? Can you explain?"

Mew put a hand to her chin. "Ok, I'll shed a little light on this... Discussing more than that will just lead to more questions which would lead to you asking for information I'm not supposed to reveal. Doing so anyway would violate what I have dubbed 'the sacred pact'. It is important to maintaining the balance of the world."

I tilted my head. "Why?"

A particularly long lighting strike illuminated Mew from behind. "You're better off not knowing."

Nikki's eyes widened. "Miss Mew, are you trying to scare us with that?"

Mew closed her eyes. "No, Nikki... It's the opposite. I'm trying not to scare you... You all need to drop this. I'm not going to answer it."

Rick looked up, nodding his head. "Fine! In that case, you were explaining about awakening?"

Mew stretched. "You're lucky I like you, Rick... When I awakened, I had a rudimentary knowledge of various things but with some odd gaps. I already knew how to speak and use my power perfectly, but I had no clue who or what I was until I saw a Mew card for the first time. I also already had a philosophy!"

Rick's raised an eyebrow. "What philosophy?"

Mew glanced at me. "So good of you to ask!"

The room switched back to the hurricane.

(139)

Mew's body glowed with a blue light as she levitated high up into the air above us. She spoke telepathically. "My philosophy is the best and the only one worth pursuing... It is of balance through contrast." She made a fist in front of her as if she was crushing an invisible object.

She spread her arms wide. "It is also of fun. There is value in both light and dark, life and death, creation and destruction. Misery and love, murder and rescue. I revel in it ALL! In the between spaces, I thrive on conflict, mischief, intrigue, and passion!"

(140)

Just then the doors to the room opened a crack letting a bright light into the room.

Everyone turned to face the door to find a figure who I could tell was a pizza delivery guy from TCG Pizza! He had on the standard uniform, a couple boxes of pizza and some big soda bottles in the holster on his belt. He was also carrying a small plastic bag and a mini disposable cooler.

He scratched his head as he looked around at the hurricane-in-progress. "Uh... this is pretty cool, but I might be in the wrong place. Is there a 'Victoria' here?"

Mew continued floating as she held up a hand. "Yo! Mason, right? Thanks for the pizza and stuff! You can put it on that table over there." She pointed to the conference table.

Was this going where I thought it was going? I was feeling rather hungry, so I sure hoped so!

Everyone watched as Mason took a minute to cross the enormous room. He then sat the pizza down and took the sodas out and placed them out next to the pizza. He then placed the cooler on the table and took out disposable plates, utensils, napkins, and cups. He set the table for each guest.

Mason then turned to Mew and gave the standard TCG Pizza thumbs up with a dashing grin. "It's pizza time!"

Mew laughed. "Gotta love the classic slogan! Oh, and your tip is on the far chair under the cushion."

He then walked over to the Oracle's chair and pulled out a wad of cash far larger than one would expect. "Holy MEW! How much IS this!?"

Mew smiled looking off to the side. "Let's just say... it's enough for the three most important things you've been saving up for plus wiggle room to quit your job and find one in that career you've been wanting."

His jaw dropped as he froze in silence for a moment. He then frantically counted it.

Mason blinked. "Engagement ring, pay off parents' mortgage, cure my sister's blindness, and enough funds to quit my job!! I would ask how you knew all this, but that's really BESIDE the point!" He bowed stiffly with a shrill voice. "THANK YOU SO MUCH!!"

Mew waved her hand dismissively. "Good! Now go and be happy and stuff!"

Mason then laughed as he jogged all the way out of the room. The doors soon closed behind him.

The room then changed back to the hill we were on prior to Mew's arrival.

Mew giggled. "Aww! It feels so nice to do great things for people sometimes! I even made sure not to give him too much money so he had the pressure needed to accomplish his dreams."

I wasn't quite sure what I thought about Mew, but I couldn't deny the beautiful thing she just did for Mason.

Mew closed her eyes, smiling widely. "Well? What are you all waiting for? Dig in!"

Each of us looked at each other and shrugged as we began walking to the table.

Mew's eyes glowed as she opened them. "But don't you dare take all the pepperoni..."

Everyone including Mew were soon full of pizza and soda.

Tango remained hiding under his bed as he had done the entire time...

Rick nodded. "That certainly hit the spot! Thank you, Mew."

Mew grinned. "That's right! No one knows how to have a good time like I do!"

(141)

Isaac stared at Mew. "Yeah... I don't trust it. Pizza? It's like some corporate ploy to avoid paying higher wages to employees by placating them with food... But for you, the goal isn't money. It's something else... What do you want?"

The room changed back to the hurricane.

Mew smiled. "Isaac... it figures you would be the first one to question things given how used to manipulation you are... and now that you know my philosophy, I suppose the cat is out of the bag. I find your existence and antics enjoyable."

Rick looked up from his notepad over his glasses. It was the kind of look one might get from a librarian after shouting in the library of the dome.

Mew continued facing Isaac as she made two fists by her side. Her smile widened further. "Your plotting and scheming was such an enticing drama! I was on the edge of my seat, I even shut off my psychic power of foresight to watch! Do you know how exciting it is to have the kind of vantage point I do on all this?!"

Isaac's mouth hung open. Clearly wanting to retort but having no idea what to say to it.

Nikki placed both hands on the table with her eyes shut as she frowned. "You've been watching our struggles and pain... Like it was some kind of movie?!"

Mew giggled. "Yup! With popcorn! Craziest stuff I've seen in a looong time! Quite the contrast compared to what just happened with Mason."

Nikki sat down and hid behind her gardening book. Her face was completely red.

Isaac looked away too with a reddened face.

Great. So my private life and drama was on full display for this... being to get kicks out of...

Rick balled his fists at his sides. "So you don't care about privacy?"

Mew crossed her arms. "Well you're awfully judgemental. If it weren't for me 'disrespecting privacy' this world wouldn't be nearly as pretty as it is now. If I want to have some fun with it, I'm entitled to it."

Isaac grit his teeth. "So, you think you are above reproach, that you can just do anything you want for unexplained reasons?"

Mew looked towards Isaac with a smile. "Sure. Why not? You and this world owe me. As such, anything I do is justified."

I crossed my arms. "Even if you are telling the truth, atrocities are STILL atrocities!"

Mew frowned. "You know, Mister Gentleman? You really should learn how to live a little. Never kissed a girl until today? You're 28, dude."

I put my hands on my head. "Do you take NOTHING seriously?! And look who's talking, Miss over 1,000!"

Mew pouted. "Well, that was mean... Fine then. I'm done answering questions. Instead, I'll get to why I am here. I've never played any duels in the Pokemon TCG until this current generation of you humans. It all looked too boring to be worth it before then. Mister Gentleman, I demand a duel."

Rick hung his head at the lack of further answers. "No... My questions..."

Mew laughed. "Oh, Rick! So dramatic! Tell you what, depending on the outcome I MAY provide some more answers later. Until then, be a good little Nidoran and wait patiently."

Rick crossed his arms. "Why a Nidoran?!"

Mew smiled. "Because they are adorably weak. Your duel against Mister Gentleman was beyond pathetic. He was even using a deck of all commons."

Rick scowled.

Nikki stamped her foot. "Hey! We ALL lost to Mister Gentleman! Don't insult my brother!"

Mew raised an eyebrow. "But why not? He IS weak. You on the other hand... that duel where you brought out Venusaur was almost respectable. A rare thing for an island full of weaklings..."

Isaac was gripping the table with white knuckles. "Why put us down so much? Don't you know how hard we've all tried to get better at the game!?"

The motion of the hurricane on the screen stopped. A lightning bolt frozen in time.

Mew smiled. "It's true. You have all tried hard. But effort can only get you so far... Talent is far more important..."

The hurricane resumed motion.

Talent, huh? If she talked that way about anything other than the Pokemon TCG, I'd disagree.

I crossed my arms. "Well if you want a duel with me, you will be disappointed. I currently only have my deck of commons..."

Mew grinned. "Yes, that would be a let-down even though it turns out you could have become champion with it! But I came prepared. If you check your left pocket, you will find a copy of your original deck, 'Mystic Fire'. You will duel me with that."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why make such a fuss over a duel? You could have just asked me at any time."

Mew laughed. "Right to the point, I see! I've gone about it this way because of the stakes involved! Specifically, a matter of life... and death."

I furrowed my brow. "...What do you mean?"

(142)

Mew looked at me squinting while smiling. "Refuse the duel and I will kill Isaac right here in front of you all. Agree to duel and win? Isaac lives. If you lose?" Mew's eyes glowed. "I will kill both Isaac AND Nikki."

There were various sounds and words of protest from each of us.

Mew laughed. "Gold. Pure gold. I love it. You know, Mister Gentleman, you could use this as... an opportunity. Refuse to duel and you simultaneously guarantee Nikki's safety and free her from her miserable marriage. You would then be free to marry Nikki!"

Nikki furrowed her brow and frowned. "My marriage isn't miserable!"

Mew frowned. "Poor Nikki... You know I can read minds, right? You're marriage IS miserable... Can't you see I am trying to free you? To make you happy? And just think of how happy it would make Mister Gentleman too!"

Nikki's eyes shut tightly as she balled her fists at her sides. "It WAS miserable! But it's going to be BETTER! And what kind of a wife would I be if I left Isaac!? And I would never forgive Mister Gentleman if he let Isaac die like that! I would NEVER marry him if he did!"

Mew waved a hand dismissively. "Irrelevant! I can just erase your memory of it, Nikki. Then, you certainly WOULD marry him! If you both just accept it, I can make both you and Mister Gentleman very happy. Isaac sucks. Mister Gentleman is way better for you. Oh! If you are worried about what others will think, I can erase Rick's memory too!"

Suddenly a round object bounced off of Mew. The object then opened with a light that enveloped Mew before it faded and the object dropped impotently to the floor.

On closer inspection, it appeared to be... a POKEBALL?

Mew laughed. "Oh my! Did you just try to capture ME with a miserably shoddy Pokeball prototype?! I don't even KNOW how many centuries it would take before those might be invented for real!"

Rick snarled. "How dare you say those things to my sister and how dare you imply you would tamper with my dearly important memories!"

Nikki held her hands to her mouth. "Mew! I've heard enough! What you are saying is horrible beyond words!"

Rick was glaring at Mew harder than I had ever seen him do.

Mew frowned. "Really Nikki? Fine, I don't need your approval..."

Mew turned to me with balled fists near her chest. "I can erase your memory of the deed too! You can have Nikki all to yourself with absolutely no guilt or blame! I can give her to you on a silver platter! Just say the word and I'll grant your deepest desire."

Isaac leapt up from his chair and took a swing at Mew as she floated away.

Mew laughed cruelly. "Wow, Isaac. That was pathetic. Plus, you would be dead if I decided to fight back even a tiny bit."

Isaac snarled. "I don't care, you disgusting tyrant! How dare you try to interfere with our love life!"

Rick closed his notebook. "You know what? I waited a long time to discover you, but you've been nothing but a big disappointment."

All the lights suddenly went out in the room.

Everyone was silent.

After a moment, the hurricane resumed as the lights returned.

Mew glared at Rick. "I'm not here to make you proud of me..."

I grit my teeth. "You dangled Nikki as a prize knowing I couldn't bare doing such a thing! I'm not going to sacrifice my friend even if it WOULD lead to my happiness!"

I noticed Isaac removed his glasses and was wiping his eyes.

Mew raised an eyebrow. "Oh... Are you sure? If you lose, you will be sealing Nikki's fate!"

Isaac stared at me with resolve. "Mister Gentleman, if it guarantees Nikki's safety, you can walk away! I won't let her down any more!"

Nikki clutched his arm. "No! I can't bare to lose you like that! I love you, Isaac! You are the father of my kids and have known me almost my whole life!"

Mew grinned while nodding her head. "Well! Would you look at THAT!? Isaac IS good for something after all! But it's not up to you, little lightning..." Mew changed the pitch of her voice as if trying to imitate a male announcer. "It's up to the champion of champions, Missssster Geeeentleman!"

I glared at Mew. "With my deck of commons, I would be unlikely to defeat you, but with my original unrestricted deck? You're going down! I will not accept the death of anyone!"

Mew laughed. "Fantastic! Finally a motivated and worthy opponent!"

Tango · Saturday at 7:28 PM

Special thanks to K_S & Astinus for beta reading!

Chapter 27: Prelude to Power

(143)

June 3rd - (Afternoon)

Mew and I took our seats at the golden duel table while Rick, Isaac, and Nikki remained at the conference table.

Mew smiled. "Hey, Mister Gentleman. Would you like to review my deck before the duel? I already know everything in yours, and I'm looking for the biggest challenge I can get."

I frowned. "For someone who threatened to kill my friend, you are being awfully accommodating... But I'm not going to turn it down either. Let me make sure my deck is properly assembled first..."

Mew nodded. "Of course! Take all the time you need."

After looking through every card, I confirmed this was indeed the deck I used to become the champion with. It is as follows:

Name: Mystic Fire

Pokemon: 16 (10 basic)
4 Growlithe Lv16
3 Moltres Lv37
3 Abra Lv14
2 Kadabra Lv39
2 Alakazam Lv42
2 Arcanine Lv45

Trainer Cards: 32
4 Computer Search
4 Bill
4 Itemfinder
3 Energy Removal
3 Switch
3 Professor Oak
3 Pokemon Trader
3 Nightly Garbage Run
2 Gust of Wind
2 Goop Gas Attack
1 Scoop Up

Energy: 12
8 Fire Energy
4 Double-Colorless Energy

Growlithe - HP50
2 colorless: Errand-Running
Flip a coin. If heads, search your deck for a Trainer card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterwards.

1 fire 1 colorless: Ember 30 damage
Discard 1 Fire Energy card attached to this Pokémon in order to use this attack.
Retreat cost: 1

Kadabra
2 psychic: Psycho Panic - 30 damage
If the Defending Pokémon is Psychic, this attack's base damage is doubled.

3 psychic: Blink - 30 damage
If an attack damages this Pokémon during your opponent's next turn, flip a coin. If heads, prevent that damage. (Any other effects of attacks still happen.)

Choose 1 Energy card attached to 1 of your opponent's Pokemon and discard it.

Trade 1 of the basic Pokemon or evolution cards in your hand for 1 of the basic Pokemon or evolution cards from your deck.

Draw 2 cards.

Choose 1 of your opponent's benched Pokemon and switch it with his or her active Pokemon.

Switch 1 of your benched Pokemon with your active Pokemon.

Choose up to 3 basic Pokemon cards, evolution cards, and/or basic energy cards from your discard pile. Show them to your opponent and shuffle them into your deck.

Discard 2 of the other cards from your hand in order to put a Trainer card from your discard pile into your hand.

Double Colorless Energy provides 2 colorless Energy.

Discard 2 of the other cards from your hand in order to search your deck for any card and put it into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward.

Choose 1 of your Pokémon in play and return its Basic Pokémon card to your hand. (Discard all cards attached to that card.)

All Pokémon Powers stop working until the end of your opponent's next turn.

It was good to see my real deck again. Like being reunited with an old friend. And I would need it to save an old friend!

My deck sets up Arcanine and keeps damage off of it with Alakazam. It then plows through all opposition with Flamethrower and Takedown. A full arsenal of draw cards would give me access to everything I needed. Moltres helped dig energy out of the deck so I wouldn't lack in that either.

Once setup was complete, no opponent could hope to stand against it. I had some Goop Gas Attacks in there for good measure and to use against Mr Mime's Pokemon Power that would prevent all damage to it higher than 20.

There was a reason the duelists on the island learned to fear me, and this deck was it.

I nodded. "Mew, I am now ready to inspect your deck."

Mew held a finger to her lip. "Before I do, I want to tell you a little history about it."

I shrugged.

I could protest, but knowing my opponent's deck was an advantage I wasn't about to throw away, especially if it helped me win. Champion or not, I wasn't about to take any chances with my friends' lives.

Mew held up an index finger. "One of the heroes of ages past was your ancestor. He went by the name 'Magician'. My deck took his deck and improved upon it." Mew then handed her deck over:

Name: GodlyAegis

Pokemon: 17 (11 basic)
3 Abra Lv14
3 Kadabra Lv39
3 Alakazam Lv42
3 Mr. Mime Lv28
2 Tentacool Lv10
2 Scyther Lv25
1 Mr. Mime Lv20

Trainer Cards: 33
4 Computer Search
4 Bill
3 Professor Oak
3 Energy Removal
3 Challenge!
3 Pokemon Trader
3 Nightly Garbage Run
3 Itemfinder
2 Pokemon Center
2 Gust of Wind
2 Switch
1 Rocket's Sneak Attack

Energy: 10
10 Psychic Energy

Draw 2 cards. (same as Bill)

Look at your opponent's hand. If he or she has any Trainer cards, choose 1 of them. Your opponent shuffles that card into his or her deck.

Remove all damage counters from all of your own Pokémon with damage counters on them, then discard all Energy cards attached to those Pokémon. (Reminder: all damage is technically taken in the form of damage counters. Each counter is worth 10 HP which is the lowest amount of damage that can be received. Thus removing damage counters is the same as replenishing HP.)

Scyther, huh? It seemed good taste ran in the family!

Bust these cards... I had seen them somewhere before... Where were they?

...

I remembered! In my days at the academy, Doctor Wem used to have the class write papers for in-depth analysis on various mon cards and their evolutions... The final set of papers involved this specific set of mon! Even their levels were the same! What could...

What was I thinking about again?

After reviewing, I could tell what her deck wanted to do... She planned to capitalize on Mr. Mime's Invisible Wall power to prevent all damage higher than 20. She would use Alakazam to keep damage off of it and redirect it to Tentacool which would use its power to keep returning to her hand making damage counters disappear in the process. In theory, this should make her invincible, but Goop Gas Attack and Gust of Wind would be able to get around things...

I returned Mew's deck to her and prepared my deck to duel!

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

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