Pokémon Trading Card Game 2: Doduo Adventures (Complete)

133TFR33k · Mar 5, 2025

Introduction

The Pokemon Trading Card game for Gameboy color:

A classic game with a sequel as well!

Sadly, the sequel never had an official release outside of Japan.

Eventually, a fan-made English translation surfaced and now it is possible to experience the game even if one does not read Japanese! The game had a host of new cards and characters beyond the original game making it the best way to experience the card game in its original form.

The story was very simple: in the first game, which takes place on TCG Island, you compete with your rival, Ronald, to gather the eight master medals from various clubs like the water or fire clubs, and then compete against the grand-masters to earn their legendary Pokemon cards: Dragonite, Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno.

Below is the map of the only island from the original game as it appears in the second game: TCG Island.

The sequel greatly expanded upon the first game by adding many more cards, locations, characters, music, and a continuation of the story from the original game which revolves around Team GR invading from a new island to steal the cards of everyone on TCG Island, and your journey to stop them. It also includes much more post game content allowing play against a variety of powerful card duelists known as ghostmasters.

Below is a map of the new land introduced in the second game: GR Island

Even with the sequel, the story is still very basic and much is left to the imagination of the player for how their world really works, hence the playground for writing fan fiction!

Our story follows the protagonist as he seeks to duel opponents with only common cards(aka no uncommon cards, rare cards, or promo cards!).

As an optional enhancement for the story, each number in parentheses is a clickable link to music on youtube which functions as a soundtrack for the story. Each track is intended to be played or repeated until you reach the next point in the story where a link for another track is included.

All forms of feedback are welcome, but with two stipulations:

I prefer at least one positive thing be said if all the rest is negative.
For negative feedback regarding my current writing style, please try to provide examples. Saying something like: "This line is sloppy and needs to be tightened up.", doesn't help me figure out how to fix it unless it's a recurring thing that you already provided enough examples to me on.

Listed below are changes to the story of the original games and important context for our adaptation:

1. All duels mentioned in the game were played by me in the actual game using the actual results. As such, the story doubles as a lets-play in written form. The level of details included for the various duels depends on the opponent and the stakes involved. The story generally focuses on the outcomes of the duels more than the duels themselves in order to appeal to a wider audience.

2. Author's Notes hidden behind spoilers are included at various locations in the story which help describe TCG rules, mechanics, and general information pertaining to the TCG games for anyone who hasn't played the games or the Pokemon TCG, for anyone who is curious.

Rating: T

Effects of gambling addiction. Mind-replacement without consent. Abduction. AI death.

Updates:

As of 4/12/25, Chapter 12 now includes what used to be Chapter 13. The final regular chapters are now 13 and 14. Those chapters used to be 14 and 15.
As of 5/2/25, Chapter 2 is now split into 2 parts. With it being in two parts, picture space was freed up allowing for more pixel art from the game to be added to both parts.
As of 5/11/25, Chapter 1 is now split into 2 parts. With it being in two parts, picture space was freed up allowing for more pixel art from the game to be added to both parts.
As of 5/20/25, Chapter 5 is now split into 2 parts.

133TFR33k · Mar 5, 2025

Important update!

As of 06/01/2025, I am working on a major overhaul to the prologue! The current version below will only be used up until the May 5th diary date in the fic itself. Once the revamp is complete, it will be split into various parts to compose the new prologue.

Prologue: Diary of a Gentleman

(1)

Diary:

April 3rd
After proving my worth as a card duelist on TCG Island by winning games against a slew of people who live on the island, I was able to gain a substantial amount of money and am now the rank of champion!

Apparently being this good at the Pokemon trading card game is not something that is easy to emulate! Perhaps graduating with highest honors from Pokemon Card Elite University gave me an edge? My deck packed full of strong rare and uncommon cards is a force to behold indeed!

For my 28th birthday this year, I was able to purchase a home in an upper class neighborhood with the money my dueling earned me! I also purchased this fancy red formal-wear suite. Of course I had to visit the barber to trim my hair, beard, and mustache! Seeing myself in the mirror, I think it all comes together quite nicely. My light skin contrasted with my brown hair, brown eyes, and my red suit. I'll need to look my best for the tutoring session with Billy, the 6 year old boy. His prestigious parents sought me out to help him with the most important part of growing up in our world: how to play the Pokemon Trading Card Game!

I believe my late grandfather would approve! He always did stress speaking well, dressing well, manners, and kindness. He may not have been the TCG Champion, but at least he was able to see me attain the rank. Making him proud has always been an aspiration of mine and I don't plan on failing the expectations he had for my life!

Speaking of expectations, this is my first time writing in this Diary. My grandfather had mentioned this is a family heirloom and that it is meant to be used. As it is now mine, I will carry on the tradition of writing in this diary until it is time for me to pass it to a future child or loved one. I shall keep it with me at all times! I even plan to include some pictures!

(1.1)

April 5th
Wanting to keep a record of my tutoring, I shall spare no detail in this section!

I arrived at the Mansion for Billy's parents and introduced myself. It seems my appearance was suitable as they made no mention of it. Good thing I always strive to look my best!

After being introduced to Billy, we relocated to the study where we began.

"Billy, do you know why I am here today?"

"Sure Mr! You're here to teach me Pokemon Cards!"

I nodded. "Do you know what it looks like to play the Pokemon Trading Card game?"

"OH! I know! You wear duel disks on your arms and call out these monsters that are holograms and play shadow duels!"

I shook my head, "Sorry, you must be thinking of some card game you saw on TV."

Billy looked profoundly disappointed. "Well there's still holograms in it right?!"

"There are no hologr-"

Billy leaped up from his seat and stamped his feet. "I WANT HOLOGRAMS! THAT'S HOW YOU PLAY CARDS!"

I had not anticipated teaching a child to be this difficult... Billy and I had to have a long chat about expectations but he eventually calmed down and understood the game is played with actual cards.

"Ok Billy, before I go over Pokemon cards, lets have a quick geography lesson!"

"Aww do we have to?"

I waggled my finger. "Now I'll have you know that geography is important! Its hard to understand the context of our world without it!"

Billy sighed. "Okaaaaay..."

I held up my finger as I closed my eyes to deliver a short speech: "Our world has 3 islands: TCG Island, where we are now; GR Island is to the east; and Neo Island, which is between the other two, but far north of them. The rest of our world is nothing but ocean."

Billy crossed his arms. "Doesn't our world seem kinda small to you?"

"Compared to what?"

"Like the TV show I watched with the Holograms!"

I smiled. "Ah, Billy, worlds that big are a fantasy! Giant islands called continents are a fun concept for a story, but I'm afraid our world is not that large. "

"Awww... I wanted continents," Billy then made an o-shape with his mouth as he remembered something, "hey Mr! How did you get good enough at Pokemon Cards to come teach em?"

I grinned. "Well Billy, I won duels with all the duelists on our island at each of the eight card clubs. After defeating the members of the clubs in at least one duel, it granted me the right to duel the club masters of those clubs. After winning against all of them, I earned the rank of champion!"

Billy brought a hand to his mouth. "Woah! That's so COOL! Did you have to beat the grandmasters too?"

I chuckled a bit. "I would if they were real, but you must be referring to one of our old legends. Who knows, maybe we will create a team of grandmasters one day?"

Billy frowned. "Well that sounds too easy to become a champion then!"

I looked up and to the right in thought. "You know... you might be right about that. Now that you mention it, it has been very easy for me to win games against the duelists here..."

"It must mean you ARE a champion though! If you beat everyone easily, that must mean you are amazing!" he said with eyes full of wonder.

Amazing? Is my skill at the game really that hard to attain? It's almost as if the other duelists are just there for kids to craft decks against and beat. They all seem to have at least a basic knowledge of the game, but their tactics are predicable and limited. They also don't seem to grasp the concept of optimizing their decks. Such a perplexing phenomenon...

Billy poked me to bring me out of my thoughts. "Hey Mr! I'm ready to learn Pokemon Cards Now! Make me the very best!"

I snapped out of it and grinned. "That's the spirit! So, you know how I said the game is played with cards?"

"You mean not-holograms?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, not-holograms! That's the same thing as cards."

"What about it?"

"There is one species of Pokemon that actually lives in our world with us instead only being in cards!"

"OOO! What is it? What is it???"

I replied with a confident grin, "That my boy, would be Doduo."

"Oh! I know those! The turkey birds that run around!"

"That's right, the turkey birds."

Billy was jumping back and forth from one leg to the next. "Oh! What about shiny ones??"

"Sorry, this isn't Neo Island, they might have shiny ones over there since I have heard they have shiny variants of cards, but we don't get those over here."

Billy stopped hoping back and forth and sighed. "Okaaaaay... well can Doduo at least evolve then?"

"Doduo can evolve in the card game, but the Doduo in our world can't seem to evolve into Dodrio."

"Why is that Mr?"

"Well, no one knows!"

Billy looked annoyed. "Then what good is Turkey-bird!"

I waggled my finger. "Turkey-bird doesn't have to evolve to be useful in the card game, its fighting resistance is powerful and it has no retreat cost!"

"Ooo! Those sound good! Tell me more!"

"If you have a Doduo companion and are using one in a duel, your real-life Doduo will take attacks from your opponents cards!"

Billy looked confused. "But how do card attacks hurt it? IS IT HOLOGRAMS?!"

I shook my head. "It is not holograms. The cards don't affect us or the world, but they do affect Doduo! Doduo can also feel its attacks upon Pokemon that would be from the cards! Its like Doduo has magic battles with Pokemon we can't see or touch!"

Billy looked up at me. "But why does that happen, Mr?"

I shrugged. "No one knows. By the way, Doduo are common enough, that all buildings are constructed to be Doduo-freindly with scratch-resistant flooring!"

Billy smiled. "That's why buildings have Doduo doors! Its for the turkey-birds!"

I nodded.

"Hey Mr. Why is everyone into the Pokemon Trading Card Game?"

I held up a finger. "Everyone important plays the Pokemon Trading Card Game. Do you know how you stop a bully from picking on you?"

Billy turned to the side in a direction away from me and threw out a punch like he was boxing against an invisible opponent. "Punch him in the nose!"

I was mortified. "Billy! No! We do not do that! You have to settle disputes with the Pokemon Trading Card Game! If a group of foreigners invaded our land, held our people hostage and stole most of our cards, the only way to stop them would be by playing the Pokemon Trading Card Game!"

Billy held his head in both his hands. "But that doesn't make any sense!"

I shrugged. "Maybe once you turn 7 you will be old enough to understand. Just trust me that the way you stop bad guys or make anything important happen is with duels."

As this is a diary entry, I am adding this line here to denote that the remainder of this entry pertains to mechanics of how to play the Pokemon Trading Card Game. If I do not want to read how to play it, I should simply skip to the next diary entry.

(1.2)

"Okaaaay. So Mr. Are you going to teach me how to play with not-holograms now with turkey-bird?"

I smiled. "I am indeed Billy! In the Pokemon TCG, you flip a coin to see who goes first."

Billy smiled. "Oh wow! That's exciting!"

I held up my finger as I lectured. "After that you have a hand of 7 cards. From this hand, you need to select at least 1 basic Pokemon. If you don't have a basic Pokemon, you shuffle and draw another 7 cards until you have at least 1. A basic Pokemon is an unevolved Pokemon. You cannot play evolved Pokemon by themselves. To play an evolved Pokemon card, you first must have had a basic Pokemon in play for 1 turn. When you play a basic Pokemon, you can put it in the active spot or the bench. Active is where a Pokemon can generally attack and receive attacks from the opponent in return."

Billy leaped a fair distance across the room. "Ooo! Attacks like from turkey-bird!"

"That's right Billy. Once a turn begins, the player whose turn it is draws 1 card from their deck. The main types of cards are: basic Pokemon, evolution cards (to evolve basic Pokemon with), energy cards, and trainer cards. Trainer cards are used for a 1-time effect and then are discarded. They can do a variety of powerful effects and any deck is improved by including at least some. You can have no more than 4 of any 1 kind of card or Pokemon. Example: if there are different versions of Ponyta, you can only include a total of 4 with as many of that 4 being whichever ones you choose. Most of the most powerful decks contain roughly half of the cards as trainer cards."

"Thanks Mr! Can you tell me what the best cards are?"

I nodded. "There are four different card rarities: Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Promo. Booster packs give primarily commons, some uncommons, and 1 rare. Promo cards do not come from booster packs and are the most difficult cards to obtain. You get them from special trades and events. Generally, the rarer a card is, the more effective it is."

"But how do I get booster packs?"

"To get those, you have to win duels! That's another reason you should build good decks and be good at the game!"

"Oh ok! So how do I make turkey-bird attack?!"

I held up my finger with my eyes closed as I explained. "Attacks require energy. To get energy, you have energy cards. To use the energy cards, you attach them to your Pokemon. Energy costs for attacks typically range from 1-4. You can only play 1 energy card per turn. Unless otherwise specified, energy you attach to your Pokemon stays attached to it so you can build it up over several turns to be able to attack. Each Pokemon has up to 2 attacks it can use, each with different energy requirements. Most attacks require at least some energy of that Pokemon's type."

"That's kind of confusing, can you give me an example Mr?"

"Sure Billy! A fire type might need 2 fire and 1 colorless for an attack for example."

Billy nodded.

I continued my explanation, "Any attack requiring colorless Energy can use colorless energy to satisfy the requirement or any other kind of energy. Pokemon have HP that is reduced by attacks. Attacking ends your turn. Attacks and evolution cannot be done on the first turn of the game for either yourself or your opponent regardless of who goes first. If you bring an opponent's Pokemon's HP to 0, it is knocked out. Once that happens, your opponent discards their Pokemon and all cards attached to it to their discard pile and then then move one Pokemon from their bench to their active position. You then pick up one of your prize cards."

"Ooo! I want prizes! What kind of prizes?"

"Prize cards are cards from your deck that are set aside in a separate area before the start of the game and determine how long the game will be. The more prize cards are used, the more opponent Pokemon you will need to knock out to win the game. The number of prize cards is determined by your opponent but stronger opponents will typically mean needing to pick up more prizes."

"Ok cool! So how do you win?"

"You can win in 1 of 3 ways: by claiming all prizes, by your opponent not having a Pokemon to place in the active position after one of their Pokemon was KOed, or by your opponent being unable to draw a card from their deck at the start of their turn if they already drew all the cards in their deck."

Billy raised his hand. "Mr! Where can I find opponents?"

"To find opponents, clubs are the easiest way and contain duelists that specialize in decks that their club pertains to. The grass club has decks with grass energy for example. Each club as a leader/master. Each club also has a lobby where you can talk to NPC's sometimes trade cards, and sometimes find opponents to duel. Clubs are located on TCG Island which is our island! GR Island has its own clubs which are called fortresses. Clubs only have 3 rooms and have fairly straightforward simple designs and decor while fortresses have several rooms and are more complex in design and decor comparatively."

"But Mr, how do you know about GR Island?"

"I read it in a magazine once!"

"Ok so whats the easiest way to make an opponent lose?"

"To do that, you should construct a good deck which uses types to target your opponent's weaknesses."

"How do I do that and what's a weakness?"

"Not to worry, Billy! I'll teach you both about weakness AND resistance!"

Billy clapped his hands excitedly.

"Most Pokemon have a weakness. Some Pokemon have no weakness. If a Ponyta which is a Fire type with a Water weakness takes an attack from a water type such as a squirtle attacking for 10 damage, weakness means that the opponent will take double the damage and the Ponyta would take 20 instead of 10. Exploiting weakness is one of the best ways to increase damage against opponents. Having a variety of decks to take advantage of this, is a good strategy for beating most opponents. Some Pokemon also have resistance. A Pokemon most commonly has no resistance, but some Pokemon have resistance to Lightning, Psychic, or Fighting. Resistance will always be -30 which means attacks that Pokemon takes from a Pokemon who's type they resist is reduced by 30. This means damage of 30 or less is ignored entirely. Resistance is a powerful defensive capability."

Billy gripped his arms. "But what if my opponent is targeting my weakness! What do I do!?"

"Ah, that would be a good time to swap your active Pokemon by retreating or switching your Pokemon! You can retreat your active Pokemon with another Pokemon from your bench after you pay the energy cost for retreating. The retreat cost can range from 0 to 4. Paying the energy cost means discarding a number of energy cards equal to the cost to retreat. Retreating can help to clear status effects and end some kinds of effects from attacks made by your opponent. You can also use some trainer cards or Pokemon powers to switch!"

"Thanks! So, what types are Charizard and Muk?"

"There are 7 Pokemon types: Grass, Fire, Water, Lightning, Fighting, Psychic, and Colorless. Charizard is a Fire type. Since there is no poison type, Muk is a Grass type."

"Ok! So, how do I play Charizard?"

"After evolving a Pokemon, you cannot evolve it again in the same turn. A Charmander cannot evolve into its stage 2 evolution Charizard but must first evolve into Charmeleon and then into Charizard after at least 1 turn has passed. Pokemon Breeder is a trainer card that allows you to bypass this restriction and evolve a Pokemon directly to stage 2."

After an in depth lesson on how to play the Pokemon Trading Card Game, I could tell the boy was spent, so I bid my farewell to Billy.

On my way out, I collected my fee from his parents.

(1.3)

April 15th
Unfortunately, I’m now so infamous on the island that no one will duel me anymore! Due to the sudden lack of income, I had to sell my vast collection of rare and uncommon cards! I would have had plenty of excess cash had I not recently paid my mortgage off! Unfortunately, I had not seen my current predicament coming...

Good thing paying off a home lets it permanently belong to you! Could you imagine having something like a real estate tax but having no money to pay the tax so the government just comes and steals your entire house away just from you failing to pay a tax that was only a small fraction of the total value? What a horrible world that would be to live in!

Running out of money would still be a problem though as there would be no more working utilities and then there is the matter of food... I will need to find a solution to this predicament!

May 1st
After pondering things for a while, I came up with a plan: from now on, I will only use common cards in my decks! No one will refuse to duel me if they know I am using all common cards! It was starting to get boring winning with fully powered decks anyway... This challenge should prove most stimulating!

May 2nd
I have constructed my very first all-common deck! The list is as follows:

FlashFire!

4 Voltorb Lv8
3 Ponyta Lv8
3 Dark Rapidash Lv24
3 Porygon Lv20
2 Doduo Lv10

4 Energy Removal
4 Energy Search
4 Pokemon Trader
4 Bill
4 Bill's Teleporter
3 Gambler
3 Gust of Wind
3 Switch
2 Nightly Garbage Run

7 Fire Energy
7 Lightning Energy

Voltorb. Thundershock: Flip a coin. If heads, the defending pokemon is now paralyzed. Group Spark: Does 20 damage plus 10 times the number of Voltorb in play. Retreat Cost: 0. Weakness: Fighting. Resist: none.

Ponyta. Kick. Fireworks: Flip a coin. If heads, discard 1 energy card attached to Ponyta. Retreat cost: 0. Weakness: Water. Resist: none.

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

Search your deck for a basic Energy card and put it into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward.

In game, Pokemon Trader is a common card rather than a rare card as its real life counterpart is. No more card pictures can be posted due to a 10 file limit for images so they will have the effects listed as spoilers instead.

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.

Flip a coin. If heads, draw 4 cards.

Shuffle your hand into your deck. Flip a coin. If heads, draw 8 cards. If tails, draw 1 card.

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.

With this, I should be able to avoid being too weak to any one thing and I can dish out large amounts of damage with Voltorb! I can even boost damage further with Porygon!

Unfortunately, when constructing an all-common card deck, the best ways to acheive drawing more cards is to use 'Gambler' and 'Bill's Teleporter'. Both cards require a coin-flip to be successful.

They also happen to be the only cards tied to Bill Incorporated. Bill owns a Teleporter that is responsible for the activation of the card. Gambler is also tied to the gambling wing of Bill Inc at the local establishment. For gambling a coin-flip is understandable, but a monthly subscription for automatic heads from the teleporter is completely uncalled for! (I signed up for it anyway because I need my card-draw!)

(2)

May 3rd
I intend to take things slow, at least for now. As such, I plan to visit the various clubs and duel all their regular members. If I can handle them, I will attempt to defeat the club masters as well!

May 5th
Duels have been largely successful so far! Type advantage is a powerful force indeed with Dark Rapidash allowing me to make quick work of the members of the grass club, and using Voltorb to vanquish the water club.

I even defeated a rather strange fellow by the name of Imakuni?!

His Snorlax was a fearsome foe but Porygon and Voltorb teamed up to take him down!

(3)

May 7th
In my most recent duel, I seem to have caught the eye of a Doduo! It just keeps following me around everywhere!

I tried to communicate that I do not have the funds or the inclination to keep it as a pet or feed it, but it follows me anyway! From its general behavior, I can already tell that it is lazy and gets its feathers everywhere!

On the other hand, if it causes people to take duels with me less seriously, it will likely reduce my chances of opponents refusing to duel me! Since I stand to benefit from this arrangement, I suppose I can tolerate it.

May 9th
Doduo continues to follow me and has begun taking attacks from my opponents cards... it actually loves it! Ridiculous! I realize that Doduo are common in our land but I usually don't have one around me long enough to realize if such behavior is common to them or not!

Oddly, I remembered hearing that they always sleep one head at a time, but this one seems to sleep with both! If it has the ability to stay awake at all times, I can't fathom why it would behave in such a manner!

At this point, I find it incredibly unlikely that this bird will ever leave me be. I have never seen such a stubborn Doduo!

I couldn't leave it behind even if I wanted to. Its recovery from attacks is simply too fast as are the legs that carry it! It also seems to hear very well while sleeping waking at the slightest noise, so sneaking away is likely a fruitless endeavor...

(4)

May 11th
I have now cleared the science club too but have now suffered my first loss against John of the Fire club! I only had Doduo, Porygon and one Voltorb to work with. There was simply no ability to draw enough cards as Gambler malfunctioned and his Magmar set me back too far even after I KOed it. I shall see how he does in the rematch though!

May 11th
The rematch was successful, but oh no!

Now we fell victim to the dreaded Johnathan who kicked us while we were down with only a Ponyta to our name with no energy!

Unfortunately, the teleporter constructed by the illustrious, Bill, had failed to draw cards 2 times!

After being on hold for several hours with the Bill’s company after the duel, I learned that despite a team of IT working around the clock, the malfunction is expected to continue for some time despite my pre-paid teleportation services! Perhaps it will be functioning once more in the next duel?

May 11th
Alas, Bill’s gambling establishment has not yielded the 8 cards I was so clearly in need of! Now I suffered another loss at Johnathan’s hands! Oh the shame! Surely my adventure shall not be ended right here by the likes of that pompous windbag!

If I still had my rares he would not have stood a chance! Then again, he would have simply refused to duel me and then I would be getting nowhere...

May 11th
I did not want to lose against my arch nemesis, Johnathan again, so I made arrangements to wait until 8pm to duel again since the teleporter seems to be more stable at night for some reason... Perhaps there are less users at that time? I also decided to bribe an employee of the gambling establishment. Although my funds are low, I hope the investment will pay off and my cards will now work as they should.

May 11th
My plan appears successful! I won 3 duels in a row against Johnathan. Hopefully his victories against me will prove to be just dumb luck!

(5)

May 11th
Although I have been earning plenty of booster packs from my victories as is the custom for duels, I have simply been selling them to earn more money since I already have a full play-set of all the common cards anyway!

Speaking of money, before leaving the fire club, I found myself feeling quite hot in my suit and the lobby of the club was selling fans! Alas, all of the Scyther themed fans were sold out. There were still fans left, but they were all Doduo themed!

Oh well, better to feel the breeze of a fan with Doduo than be miserably hot without it. I purchased the fan and made great use of it for the next 30 minutes. Doduo of course was quite smug regarding my purchase as it danced about gleefully.

May 14th
I decided to challenge the psychic club next. Of course they foretold my arrival but they also knew I would win! Some stress-free duels was a nice breather after the mishap at the fire club.

My foes here could only gaze with looks mixed of equal parts wonder and dread as I sliced through them like an inordinately heated knife upon a particularly flimsy stick of butter! Upon their dispatchment, they illuminated thusly that I should make haste for my rivals in lighting at their club of origin.

May 16th
The lightning club has fallen. Nicholas mounted a valiant defense as I struggled to procure the 2nd lightning energy in the game for something akin to 15 turns...

My next destination will be the fighting club!

May 18th
The fighting club offered Chris as a worthy opponent. After losing the first bout, I redoubled my efforts and brought him down a peg in the next!

Jessica was the last of the resistance to crumble.

Only one club now remains and its lightning resistance is most unsettling... the rock club!

May 20th
At last, the begrudging boulders have been blasted out of bounds! Ah, such splendid use of alliteration! It's a good thing I don’t plan to allow anyone to read this diary! How embarrassing that would be!

Anyway, the leader of the bunch proved to be Matthew who, after thwarting my efforts once, was not able to repeat his success!

(6)

May 22nd
At this juncture, we now find ourselves embroiled and entangled in a most expert extrication of the leaders of each club.

Our first foe shall be the green goddess herself, Nikki! It would seem her "Nik" name of goddess is well deserved as she harnessed the power of Pokemon Breeder to dash, decimate, depreciate, and destroy my designs by bringing forth on turn two of the game, a Venusaur bent on becoming my biggest bane! If such tactics are to be repeated by her, this may end my bid for greatness before it can truly begin! A rematch cannot not be avoided if I am to prevail!

May 22nd
To my great pleasure, not only was I afforded the honor of the initiative in our 2nd bout by winning the opening coin-flip, but I called forth the mighty Dark Rapidash to tread upon her schemes! Suffice to say I Nik'ed her good that time!

Ah my humor is quite humorous indeed! Almost a shame my diary shall never be read by anyone!

My next foe shall be the mermaid of the sea, Amy of the water club!

May 24th
The power!!! Overwhelming power the likes of which no foe has ever faced. An unstoppable torrent of 80+ damage attacks starting on turn 2!! To say that she had no chance doesn't begin to describe the utter folly of her attempts to undermine my challenge!

(7)

May 26th
My next defeated club leader was of the science club, Rick!

I shall now make our way to the one who wields the pure flame, Ken, leader of the fire club!

May 28th
There are most who quench flames with water and some who fight fire with fire. But it turns out if you just zap fire, it subsides rather easily! At least, that is how it must have appeared to curious onlookers as I tore through all opposition Ken threw at me!

Upon completion of the duel, I received a letter from none other than Murray leader of the psychic club!

"The fates have aligned and the over-performing deck of the common masses must have its satiation upon me."

Who was I to contradict the leader of psychic phenomena? To Murray!

May 30th
Satiation is indeed what occurred but not without a bout with the monstrous Mewtwo! Aided by the schemes of the vile Mr Mime which prevents weaknesses from functioning, it thwarted all efforts to bring it down in a single blow. A number of my allies fell to its might before bringing the abomination down. Thankfully the Kadabra that followed fell just short of victory.

With this latest triumph, I now set my sights on the leader of lightning, Isaac!

(8)

June 1st
Alas, the problem with bribing the employees of the gambling establishment is that once the develop a taste for the finer things in life they begin to dream big. Just when the 8 cards from Gambler was needed, I found the odds were once again outside of my favor. It appears more funds must be drained from the wallet now for the continued success of the bribery. Alas, such is the tax I must pay for the ability to win with common cards!

June 1st
What is a gentleman such as myself to do with a single Doduo faced with an Electabuzz? The answer is peck it twice and fall in disgrace. At least the rotund bird was doing its part for a change with successful coin flips before collapsing in a messy mass of feathers. (They always take such an absurd amount of time to clean and they stick to most objects with incredible ease!)

Needless to say, I lost, but I shall not accept such an outcome! Honor demands a rematch!

June 1st
When the rematch began, to my great dismay what should unfold but the exact scenario from the last game!

Now the gambling employees refuse to stack the odds even with the additional funds! Does their rudeness know no bounds? Whats more that Bill's Teleporter was yet again malfunctioning! There must be something afoul at foot here...

Though these setbacks were grave indeed, I managed to achieve stabilization and forged a path to victory!

(Unfortunately there are now additional feathers that require removal as that fat bird continues to revel in its masochistic tendencies…)

June 1st
Upon completion of that competition, a man approached me from the shadows and asked to meet him outside. As it turns out he wanted to conduct a short interview with me!

The interview pertained to my exploits with FlashFire!. The more people that know I am using common cards, the less I have to explain to opponents who would otherwise refuse to duel me!

I gave the man as many details as he wanted even though the mask he was wearing was somewhat disconcerting despite or perhaps because of the smile the mask had.

Apparently he is from GR Island! He had mentioned his king was scouting unusual talent and had sent him here to gather information.

Such a curious individual, but no matter!

With that now behind I now travel to the fighting club to test my mettle against its leader, Mitch!

(9)

June 1st
After greasing the wheels a little more, the gambler card yielded the payoff owed to me! As for Bill's Teleporter, the IT investigation determined it had been unplugged roughly half of the time! I do hope they determine the cause of such strange happenings as they do not provide refunds when the device fails to receive power!

Regarding my foe, the battle against the brute was building bombastically before the final bow was bestowed as I claimed the final prize of the game.

Our final opponent on my fair island is the leader of rock, Gene the great!

June 3rd
Gene the immovable, Gene the undaunted, Gene the master of pesky resistance to lightning. Though he resisted, he was not the immovable object he appeared to be! The culmination of our duel pitched Onyx against Doduo.

No doubt that bird lays about on purpose so it can get hit more often as the coinflips required for its damage failed often! It takes a perverse delight in spreading it feathers about like the plague it is... Begrudgingly, I must admit the effectiveness of that fat lazy excuse for a bird here. I suppose I shall endure the cleaning of its feathers with less of the usual frustration...

June 3rd
My challenge is now complete! There can be no doubt that even with a deck comprised purely of common cards I still remain strongest in the land and now I am no longer lacking in funds - at least for now!

If this shows anything, it is that with iron resolve, a deck full of commons and fat lazy birds, one can prevail despite the failure of bribery and the failure of power reaching a critical device!

(10)

June 4th
In the evening, I was in my study, sipping the sweetest cup of tea when a masked man swung in through my window!

He was wearing a mask with the symbol for colorless energy prominently featured, just like the one the reporter who interviewed me had!

He then demanded a duel with the stakes being that if he lost, he would repair my window and become my butler, but if he won then I must allow him to kidnap me! Of course I challenged him, figuring my chances to be good indeed and I could certainly use a butler!

Despite my exuberance, the duel proved to be intense! He used many colorless Pokemon with high HP like Chansey and Snorlax and a massive torrent of energy removal cards which crippled my ability to attack! In the end, I wasn’t able to KO a single one of his Pokemon and the duel ended in bitter defeat!

As he approached to bind me, Doduo jumped out and stood between him and I!

Could it be the bird is going to protect me?

My foe took a step back, bracing for an attack from the bird....

Doduo just stood there... Blinking, staring vacantly. Exhibiting no aggression!

My assailant then threw out a capture net upon it which caused it to tumble. Doduo then made a pitiful lazy excuse for a screech as it was hurled into the sky by some kind of anti-gravity device from a blimp in the sky!

As the fat bird ascended, its movement and expression was that of pure joy.

Before I had a chance to attempt escape I found myself bound in a net as well and suffering the same fate as the bird!

The moment I was aboard the blimp I was promptly gagged and put to sleep by means I cannot recall.

I woke up at some point to jot this entry down. Perhaps I can find a means of escape?

(11)

Mission Report

May 24th
Recent reports indicate there is a new card champion on TCG island. That miserable backwater hardly holds any duelists of interest, but recently it came to light that the new champion is also the one who is defeating the club masters with a deck comprised of only commons! Whats more is that this duelist appears to have no name! I simply cannot pass up the opportunity to investigate as this may be the breakthrough we have long awaited...

June 1st
I can't believe it! There it was! This changes everything. Our plans must now decelerate until the proper moment. His instructions were very clear that this should take precedence. Indeed it is the only thing that does! For now, I shall bide my time and report back to that imbecile GR King. He may rule our island, but is nothing compared to the one I truly serve...

June 2nd
Response came faster than anticipated. It appears the witch is being useful for a change! I was right to decide to come here myself. It may well have led to my selection for the abduction.

June 3rd
Preparations for the abduction are complete. Not that there was much to do. GR's blimps are well stocked for any task after all. Now all I need do is bide my time. I will strike at night when he is unlikely to have guests. I will forgo the duel requirement lest it prompt him to refuse the duel. His agreement is essential to avoid a massive overhaul of stage-one of the plan. From what I have heard, I am far from needing a duel requirement to defeat him and his confidence should be at an all-time high...

June 4th
The duel went flawlessly. What a hopeless idiot he was to think he could beat me with commons.

His Doduo on the other-hand displayed a possible aggression I was not prepared for! Hand to hand combat with a Doduo could prove deadly and I am too valuable to allow myself to perish now, not when the time is so close at hand! Fortunately, it went down with the back-up net I brought. Once it was caught, it was easier to just take it with me. I can unload it at the same time I unload our new passenger.

Besides, it may even prove useful.

June 5th
I read his Diary and understand his deck.

Unlike how careless he is with his diary, I actually take precautions to safeguard this mission journal, which is obviously not part of his diary. Only a fool would write sensitive information in the diary of an enemy unless it were to mislead.

His latest entry was amusing as expected, which is why I let him wake up and write it before putting him back to sleep again. I doubt he could escape the ropes, but I prefer to do things by the book.

Although he is no match for me, he should be able to put up a fight against the non-members on our island. This bodes well for the second stage of the plan.

As for the second stage, preparations are complete and the members are in place. They will be my eyes and ears without realizing it.

If the plan is successful, prophesy will be working in our favor!

As for the third stage of the plan, construction of the facility is not yet complete, but the hiring process is already underway. Once it is constructed, we will no longer be able to come and go as we please.

We will need someone on the inside, so I will need to get creative. One of the nameless should do. In fact, I already have a target in mind. If I were to arrange for deportation, I believe she will become quite receptive to my influence in the fresh absence of her only support. At that point, all I need do is put her on the same path as I. Once she is initiated, the real fun will begin.

The forth stage of the plan will prove most difficult. I will first need to antagonize him. The timing and set up for the final phase of stage four must fall within the parameters of the prophecy.

If it works, we will have all that we have worked for.

With prophecy working for us, the Third Eye disbanded, and the Ghostmasters sealed, the time is ripe!

It is now almost time. I will return the diary to the gentleman and I must soon unload the passengers. I will make sure none of his cards are missing as that would prove to be... counterproductive.

I will also leave the note with him that I was given. I read its contents. It should prove to be a most effective motivator for him.

My immediate task will be to report to the insufferable witch.

After that, I will wait and see what happens and will involve myself beyond my predetermined role only if needed until stage three of the plan.

End Report

Authors notes:

Imakuni?! is a joke duelest the game included with a weird battle track for any duels. He is one of the weakest duelists and plays badly. You can easily earn cards by defeating him, but he travels around the various clubs and fortresses so it can be hard to find him.

Apparently it is possible that actual Pokemon roam the islands in the games but you never see any. I took this concept and applied it only to Doduo for the story.

FlashFire! uses Porygon to switch weaknesses of opponents Pokemon to increase damage done by Voltorb and Dark Rapidash. Porygon can then retreat on the following turn with its 0 retreat cost without paying energy to swap in the Pokemon the opponents Pokemon is now weak to. AI in game cannot perceive the threat of weakness being switched with Porygon, so your ability to retreat to attack the new weakness is not something the AI opponent will try to prevent by retreating their active Pokemon which would clear the effect of Porygon's Conversion attack. This makes Porygon great vs AI but not nearly as much vs human opponents. Doduo has fighting resistance which allows it to defeat a variety of opponents of that type. Porygon also has Psychic resistance. Lightning resistance would greatly diminish the value of Voltorb, but Porygon can make it so that a ground type like Diglet changes its weakness to lightning. Resistance applies after weakness, which allows Voltorb to defeat things that resist it.

In the sequal to the original game, Team GR (aka Great Rocket) invades the island and steals all the Pokemon cards from those on TCG island using a blimp that sucks the cards up into a weird light which I interpreted as anti-gravity technology for the purposes of this story. The members of team GR wear masks representing different energy types and the first part of the game involves the player traveling to the different clubs to free them from Team GR to assemble a coin to allow them to use the newly added airport on the island to travel to GR Island. The player would then need to defeat all of the members of Team GR at each fortress in order to proceed to GR castle where the final duels of the story of the game take place. Team GR has several duelists that require you to use specific cards in your deck or to avoid using certain cards so the player is forced to craft multiple decks to proceed through the story.

The gameboy color games can save the game, but it calls the ability to do that the "diary". Thus when you save the game the game indicates that "Insert Protagonist Name" wrote in the diary.

Only the Prologue is written in diary format. All the remaining chapters will have much more details.

133TFR33k · Mar 5, 2025

Chapter 1 - Part 1: GR Island

(11.5)

When I awoke I found myself on an unfamiliar island with a folded note-card set underneath my deck of cards laying nearby:

"If you wish to return to your island, you must seek the king of this land and earn his favor! To do so, you must defeat all willing opponents using nothing but common cards. Unwilling opponents are those that require you to change the cards in your deck. If they do this, they are unpopular social outcasts whom no one likes but merely tolerates. Their favor is meaningless. Oh and don't count on any booster packs to help you either. Instead we will be giving out IOU's for you to claim if you can defeat the king. If you do not seek the favor of the popular folk of this island, you shall simply starve as the inhabitants of the island (both popular and unpopular) find amusement in your suffering. -GR(aka Great Rocket) Psychic Leader Claire"

Attached to the note was a brochure map of GR Island detailing numbered locations and various duelists, kind of like what one might pick up at an amusement park. It even had an x drawn on it with a note “You are here”!

Doduo, of course, was nearby.

I'm sure my assailant could have sold it, but the way it spreads its feathers about likely made it more trouble than it was worth. Apparently the bird finds the prospect of starving amusing. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. That bird regenerates at an incredible rate. Even if knocked out in battle, it wakes up shortly after, picks itself up, and follows me no matter how swiftly I may walk. With it able to do that, I imagine it can go an incredibly long time without food...

Doduo rolled around in the grass littering its feathers about. But feathers, however irritating they may be, were the least of my concern in such a situation...

(12)

I checked my pockets but confirmed I was now missing my wallet, so I knew I would be unable to continue my bribery of the gambling establishment. Perhaps they will accept IOU's? I chuckled to myself a bit.

Hopefully my time on this island would be shorter than the amount of time I had set up to gain from my prior bribery. I did still have my other common cards with me, but I had already created the strongest all-common deck I could think of. The only one that seemed elated by this over-all situation is that bumbling bird. Of course it should love this.

To get out of this mess, I knew I would have to do exactly what the note said: win duels against the duelists of GR island. Checking the map, I saw that the first location was the GR fortress of grass. As I was not keen on starving, I reasoned the best way to proceed would be to play all worthy opponents in each fortress culminating in winning a duel against the leader. There would simply be no time to travel about dueling only basic members of a fortress and then traveling around all over again just to challenge the leaders.

I was glad I had a hearty victory meal prior to my kidnapping. At least the note said nothing about dehydration, so I can presumably have water at least.

Before I began traveling, I reasoned that I might need the teleporter to be operating at peak efficiency as I had never been to this island before and had no idea how strong the opponents here could be! I pulled out my phone and dialed the number for Bill’s company.

(13)

As I painstakingly navigated through a tangled web of phone prompts Doduo decided to frolic in a nearby field spreading its feathers about. I suppose an experience of being stranded with the threat of starvation like this is exactly what that bird dreams of...

After selecting a total of no less than forty-six phone prompts the line finally went to a queue to be answered!

An automated voice played: “Please hold while we work to connect you. Your estimated wait time exceeds what we have been programmed to say. We value your time and thank you for your patience.”

What kind of purgatory is this? If this is what happens when they value my time, I don’t think I would EVER want to find out what the opposite looks like!

Then it came spouting forth. Oh it sounded pleasant enough at the time, but little did I know just how long this hold time music would be playing… Refusing to have my phone blare what would soon become my absolute least favorite string of notes and sounds, I decided to use my earbud headphones instead - just one though! To use two, I would have to be quite mad indeed...or a Doduo I suppose.

I then found myself thinking of Doduo... its rotund body looked like it could make a reasonable mount and its legs are surprisingly sturdy and limber... But those feathers... if I should try to ride it, those feathers would infest every inch of my suit pants! Dare I befoul my precious attire with a plague of its detestable feathers? If I ride it though, I can conserve energy and reach destinations likely far faster than I would on foot...

It wasn't long until I found myself attempting to ride the dumb bird.

I confirmed it could support my weight rather easily, much to its dissatisfaction. It clearly wanted to be crushed, but at 170 pounds and at a height of 5"11, I simply just didn't have what it took to measure up to that dumb bird's aspirations.

Since I had come this far, it was time to start moving! Right now. In that direction. Over there! The bird simply stood there... I spent the next five minutes trying to get it to move when it finally started to go! In the wrong direction!

I waved my arms around gesturing as overtly as possible. "No! Not that way! Turn over here! This way! Please?"

At that Doduo stopped, tilted one of its heads, and then started pecking the ground with both heads quickly forming a hole. It then plunged one of its heads in, scooping up some worms in its beak. Mortified, I watched it feast on something so unpalatable that I would rather starve than eat! As it ate, the faces it made suggested it was objectively disgusting and yet it just couldn't seem to get enough of them! Well, at least my appetite won't be bothering me for a while now!

Having seen enough, I dismounted and confirmed the horrible truth: I was now covered in the feathers of the foul fowl.

I then had one more idea: with a long nearby stick, I stabbed a worm and remounted the fat bird. I then held the stick out ahead just out of reach of its long necks. Doduo looked at me. It then looked at the stick. It then made an expression of... amusement mixed with...smugness!? It then used one head to grab the stick from me and the other to eat the worm!

"Why?!" I grabbed my head with both hands in frustration.

So apparently it has some modicum of intelligence, yet it uses it only for the purposes of driving one mad! Clearly, relying on that bird for travel was far out of the question! I then began my trek on foot to the GR Grass Fortress while meticulously plucking feathers out of my suit the majority of the journey! I wondered to myself just how that bird can seemingly be molting at all times everywhere it goes... The bird of course made sure to follow, often running ahead only to circle back as if to tell me just how ineffective my poor excuses of legs were to its own...

(14)

After finally arriving at the GR Grass Fortress, I noticed the entrance was full of grass with bushes in the corners with vines growing on the walls! Some random sections of grass was left longer. Normally one would have to go outdoors to experience the outdoors, but not so in this place! There was a doorway to the right leading to the lobby and a doorway dead ahead leading to the depths of the fortress.

First, I paid a visit to the lobby and of course it had a restroom and one of the best inventions of mankind! A water fountain! Ah, to be able to drink as much fresh water as one desires free of charge was a dream come true on an island bent on my starvation! After I drank my fill, I made it a point to stop at the water fountain at every future fortress I would travel to. I also noticed Doduo using the Doduo water fountain near by as well.

The lobby was very much like any typical fortress or club lobby with its own nuances. For this one, I noted the hardwood floors and flower beds in the corners. It had the food and snack counter too as well as the typical PC in the corner. In the center, of course, was the duel table. No proper lobby would be complete without that! Feeling refreshed, I then made my way inside the main section of the fortress.

I entered the first room and took note of the dim lighting in the place. All of it was coming from patches of some kind of bioluminescent moss that grew on and around the various rocks and boulders! There were also several mushrooms. Most of the floor was simply dirt.

Doduo began jumping around the room ramming itself into the moss covered rocks. Some of the luminous moss was getting in its feathers which were scattering about the place in typical Doduo fashion. Since the place was mossy with an outdoor feel, I felt no obligation to pick up Doduo's feathers, for once.

Standing in the center of the room in foreboding dim lighting was my first opponent from GR Island according to the brochure: Melissa. She wore a large straw hat with the GR logo on it, a white shirt and a pair of blue overalls. She was blond with freckles and had her hair in pigtails. I guessed her age might be sixteen.

She noticed my approach as she just finished yawning. "Maaaaan, its so boring here. The king ordered everyone at their posts ages ago. What took you so long to get here?"

I was rather annoyed. "Apologies if my kidnapping has inconvenienced you. I'll try to be kidnapped better next time."

She then laughed. "Wow! I thought the kidnapping was just a rumor! So they really did do that? Finally something interesting around here! You know what's more boring than watching grass grow?"

My expression was blank. "Watching moss grow perhaps?"

Her jaw dropped. "Woah! How did you know I was going to say that? Are you a psychic?!"

Noting that her reply was too genuine to be sarcasm, I gave my reply: "No, I am not psychic."

She was clearly impressed. "Wow you must have amazing intuition!"

I sighed. "You wouldn't happen to have any food would you?"

She then put her hand in her pocket and began speaking as she started pulling out an individually-wrapped large chocolate-covered pretzel!

"Oh well sure! I have this- WAIT A MINUTE! The King decreed that NO ONE is allowed to give you food!"

I remained calm. "Did the King give you the name of the one you could not give food to?"

She then blinked and stared blankly for a moment. She then opened her mouth as she took a balled fist and smacked it into her other open hand.

"...No! He didn't, but he said the gentleman would be wearing a red suit! That means you!" She pointed at me.

I placed a hand upon my chest. "Oh this suit? Why this is a crimson suit my dear! Why would you think it is red?"

She then stared hard and suspiciously at my suit and then at me. I gave her my most convincing confident smile before she spoke again.

"Iiiiive never heard of crimson before. I think you're making up colors! Nice try bucko!"

"Bollocks!" I snapped my fingers as I looked down and to my left before looking back up at her again, "well, if you are unwilling to believe me, then perhaps you would care to wager your food in a duel?"

She confidently crossed her arm with her eyes closed. "Nope! I don't need to do that! Our leader, Parker, said that your only way off this island is to duel us! So, you're going to duel me anyway!"

I lamented how close I was to that pretzel she had in her pocket, but proceeded to duel her.

My Dark Rapidash made short work of her. As expected since this is the grass fortress.

She threw her arms up in frustration. "Wait what? That's it?? Nooo! My shift isn't even close to being over and the King had us clear our entire schedule just to duel you!

I began gathering my cards.

"Say... you wouldn't want to maybe duel me again would you?" She asked as she batted her eyelashes.

I crossed my arms. "Not at this time unless you are willing to part with food."

She signed. "Aww... alllllright... just be sure to come back here if you ever want to play again, okay?"

I tilted my head. "After being kidnapped and starved, I should think the chances of that are quite low indeed!"

What is with the people on this island? The King orders a kidnapping and they simply find it interesting? They don't seem particularly willing to part with any food either!

Finished with its unique form of 'fun' Doduo trotted along with me as if it hadn't just spent the last good while ramming itself violently into glowing moss-covered rocks and boulders...

I then passed through the doorway and unlit hall to the next room which contained proper lighting.

The room was roughly half the size of the previous one. The floor was covered in straw with bales of hay stacked in all the corners. In the middle of the room stood my presumed next foe, James! He wore the same getup that Melissa had but had his hat angled in a way to cover one of his eyes while exposing his blue hair on one side and the back.

Noticing the hay, Doduo immediately leaped into the pile in the back and began rummaging about in it. I imagined this would make for quite the mess...

James didn't notice though since it was behind him and he was confidently staring right at me.

"So! You managed to defeat Melissa did you? Well too bad you have to get past ME!"

Doduo leaped out of one pile in the back. It looked more like a straw-duo by this point. It immediately jumped into another nearby pile to repeat the process.

I grinned. "Do you use grass types my good man?"

He proudly declared, "I sure do!"

"Oh good, this will be quick then."

I noticed the confusion on his face as we began our duel.

James fell easily to my Dark Rapidash.

He clasped his head in both hands as he stared intently at the cards I had already begun to pick up. "Noooo! Why did you have to have a fire deck!?"

I corrected him, "Actually, it's a half fire deck, but of course I would favor the fire side of it against you."

He crossed his arms and looked up and to the right with his eyes closed. "Ha! Well you just got lucky! There is no way you will beat the others on our island! I wonder how many it will take for you to meet your match?" he smiled cruelly at me.

I rolled my eyes as I made my way to the hall towards the next room with Doduo now trailing behind me. Hay had now worked its way into almost all of its plumage. It's true I am very far from my goal and I am indeed benefiting from type advantage here, but it's not like I have a choice! I must press on if I am to avoid starvation!

As I walked down the hall I could hear James in a loud voice: "My hay! What happened to my hay?! This is going to take HOURS to clean! NoOoOoO!!!"

I couldn't help the smile that worked its way onto my face. I had a good chuckle as I walked down the rest of the hall.

In the next room it had neatly trimmed grass with some small flowers in it as well scattered about. The walls were lined with shelves, some with orange flowers and others with purple.

Doduo looked rather bored in this room as it yawned with both of its heads.

I then encountered Liz who was watering flowers...alone... in a corner. She was wearing another one of the straw hats with the GR logo but she had on a green shirt. She had freckles, blond hair, and looked to be about twenty years old.

The moment she caught sight of me, she started spouting some such nonsense as that she would be unwilling to duel me unless I change my deck to suit her fancy! Clearly she was one of those unpopular folk of the island. She then started her drivel of how no one ever wants to play with her and how she just wished everyone would only use grass energy in their decks!

Unswayed by her pleas, I declined to debase my deck in such a fashion purely for her entertainment. She then muttered something about how the masses of the downtrodden shall overthrow the yolk of the popular as she resumed watering her flowers with the intense look of one who had been denied for the very last time... Not wanting to linger there, I walked away as fast as I could farther in to the fortress!

I finally made my way to the deepest reaches of the fortress. It was a massive indoor garden! The floor was all grass with some patches that were allowed to grow longer and some small patches of flowers here and there. Shortly past the entrance was a wood log bridge over a small stream right inside the building! It looks like it was constructed over a real stream from the outside. I noticed some fish swimming in it as I crossed. In the center of the room were hedges trimmed to the shape of giant letters "G R". Further ahead was a hardwood platform which was up against a bed of purple flowers along the back wall. It was flanked on both sides by small pine trees which extended into the corners. Standing on the wooden platform was a man.

With all the space, Doduo began running about the room kicking up small amounts of grass and flowers that mixed with the straw and feathers dislodging from it. It was quite the impressive mess.

The man on the platform introduced himself as Parker and smiled at me as if I was a guest and was not actually kidnapped and being forced to duel my way through the island to avoid starvation!

I spoke first. "Good sir, while I can appreciate the virtue of manners, I think the kidnapping puts a bit of a damper on it wouldn't you agree?"

His smile became a nervous one. "Well... yeah... sorry about that! I personally was against it, but when our king wants to do something we don't exactly get to tell him no..."

I brandished my deck. "Enough pleasantries. The clock of my starvation ticks and I'm ready to be done here. En-guard sir!"

With the Fire and Lightning types of my deck, it was perfectly suited to counter Parker's deck. He did not last long. I swiftly turned to leave once it was done as he stood there with with his awkward nervous smile after he lost so badly.

Doduo, of course, trailed me on my way out.

As we passed by Liz she was watering flowers but was smiling as she did and looking directly at me the entire time. So unsettling!

As we passed by James, he was hard a work piling up hay. One of the piles nearby had yet to be tied. I caught sight of Doduo pausing and looking at James, presumably to make sure he was distracted.

It then kicked over a nearby hay pile as it quickly scampered away to catch up to me. As we walked further away, I heard James call out again.

"Not agaaaain! HOW does this keep happening?!"

Chuckling again as I made my way down the hall, I thought I had caught Doduo... snickering? When I took a closer look though, its face was as dumb and vacant as usual. Odd.

I soon arrived at Melissa's room again as I noticed she was closely inspecting her surroundings.

As I walked by, I heard her muttering. "Now where did I put that pretzel! My special chocolate covered pretzel! Where did you go?"

Before leaving I stopped by the lobby again for more water.

(15)

Before I could make it to the water fountain, I finally heard a voice from the earbud! After held in a form of torturous stasis for what felt like an unimaginable vast eternity to reach the Bill's Incorporated company, a clearly outsourced representative with a thick Neo Island accent asked for my name!

I quickly took a seat at the duel table, switched to speakerphone and announced my identity and scope of my inquiry to discover why Bill's teleporter so often finds itself unplugged despite my prepaid services! I awaited the next words with baited breath but the representative disclosed to my abject horror that I had reached the incorrect department for my inquiry, despite the fact that I had already been transferred twice!

Quickly, I attempted to explain the situation thus far, but as I laid out my case the representative spoke with greater haste than I and announced I would again be transferred! As the abominable music from my phone resumed its tortuous melody, I felt my heart sink in despair.

Will no one solve this mystery?!

Just when I imagined it could get no worse, my fat lazy bird of a Doduo began to dance to the tune of my misery as it littered the floor with more of its precarious plumage! Of course that bird would prefer this ghastly torturous track!

Had I the free use of my communication device, I might even find a way to escape this island, but the prospect of a disconnection of the current call after my incalculable suffering at the hands of phone prompts, absurdly long hold times, transfers, and monotonous low quality sound attempting to pass itself off as music, proved to be an even greater penalty than death by starvation, so I elected to remain in the current state of things...

With a heavy heart and the constant noise of what should be a useful device, I embarked on my next quest to the GR club of lightning... but not before Doduo poked me with its beak.

I whirled around tilting my head as I went. "What?!"

It simply stood there with a dull vacant look in its eyes. I was about to turn back around when I noticed on the duel table behind it was an unattended packaged large chocolate pretzel! What luck! I hastily shoved it in my pocket and embarked to the GR club of lightning savoring my pretzel as we journeyed there.

Under normal circumstances, I would have inquired as to the pretzels owner, but with kidnapping and the threat of starvation, all bets were off!

(16)

When I finally found myself fixed inside the fortress of lightning, I feared my feet may give in to fatigue so I floundered to the lobby in search of a chair to flop upon to rest my weary legs.

This lobby had large pipes made of glass with visible electrical current along some of the walls. The floor was large steel tiles.

I discovered the only open seat was at a duel table with a man sitting on the other end!

The man introduced himself as Peter.

He looked to be about twenty-four years old and wore a striped red and white shirt with a black undershirt. He had short brown hair and a small goatee.

Peter, informed me that in order to sit, I must be willing to duel him.

I could understand that, as it was a duel table after all. What kind of monster would just sit down at one taking up space like that when there are always so many people looking to have a duel? No. Such manners would be far beneath my upbringing. I of course agreed to the duel as my primary mission required me to anyway.

My Voltorb made quick work of him and for the spoils I was able to enjoy the seat a while longer.

Once I was refreshed, I made my way to the water fountain, drank my fill, and then made my way to the interior of the seemingly experimental facility of lightning.

The first room had a pit so far down that I could not see the bottom. A steel bridge connected the entrance to the other half of the room which was lined with construction fences presumably to keep people from falling to their deaths. The floor was comprised entirely of more large steel tiles. There were a couple machines, one in each corner. They looked like old-style very large computers. At one of them was another member of team GR.

Doduo was looking excitedly over the edge into the dark abyss below. It looked so badly like it wanted to jump right in but was seemingly restraining itself.

The GR member introduced herself as Cassie. She had a protective helmet with the GR logo on it and wore glasses, a black shirt, and yellow overalls. She looked to be about ten years old.

Before I could even begin to greet her, she waylaid my ears with praise and adoration for Pikachu cards and of her firm believe that all duelists everywhere should have decks that contain 4 of them. I wished to pass by, but of course the button for the door to proceed was located directly behind her. All attempts to pass by were met with an and equal and opposite reaction as she continued her declaration of all things Pikachu! I was suddenly starting to sympathize with the staple status citizens as she droned on and on for what must have been 30 minutes! Finally she asked me if I would duel her with her conditions.

I replied back the moment the last single syllable of her silly sentence was complete: "No thank you."

At this she wailed the wail of a thousand tortured souls.

As she was finally distracted by her own distress, I dodged to her side and found my hand upon the button of my salvation! With the door now open, I quickly retreated to the next room. On my way out I heard the onset of a call to an apparent acquaintance of hers: Liz of the GR Grass club. Wanting to be about my way, I tarried not a moment longer.

Doduo followed me but looked longingly back at the abyss of doom from the previous room. I reasoned that bird must have the survival instinct... of a spoon.

As I entered the next room I found a massive red pipe-shaped machine that took up the entire right wall. On it were large letters: GR. In the far left corner were a couple other smaller machines Presumably intended to monitor the large red monstrosity. At a small control panel on the monstrosity was another member of team GR.

Doduo looked crestfallen with the room as it continued to look longingly back down the hall towards the previous room.

As I approached, the member of GR turned around revealing himself to be an elderly chap named Chip. He wore a protective hat with a welding mask that was turned up so he could see normally. He wore a yellow suit and brown tie. His hair had all turned white with age and his eyebrows were very bushy.

It turns out he was completely obsessed with lightning energy.

I attempted to explain to him that with the addition of another energy type to a deck, it is more adaptable and less prone to weakness, but he adamantly and stubbornly refused to listen stating that with a strong enough will, the power of lightning can overcome all odds. I resonated somewhat with this as Voltorb does indeed seem to make a case for such things, but never in isolation. The efforts of its allies are what allow it to triumph!

I offered to demonstrate the deck I displayed, but he would have none of it and demanded I debase my deck to that of only lightning. When I refused, he became obstinate and ornery indicating that any who had not attained an age such as his was of lesser intelligence and was unable to understand the insignificance of all other energy types when compared to that of lightning. I left the man of questionable sanity to his ramblings as he hobbled away to the prior room in a hurry calling out to Cassie.

Doduo let out what sounded like a sigh as it followed along.

I now entered the final room of the fortress and found myself quite shocked that there were no popular duelists to stand between myself and the GR leader of lightning, Catherine!

The room had a large GR logo stamped in the middle of the floor and a large control panel with all sorts of flashing lights just past it and attached to a massive machine with large pipes and chambers or sections. Lining the room were glass pipes with visible electrical current running through them!

Doduo looked like it was considering a criminal charge of property damage to get its kicks from the electrical currents in the glass pipes but it seemed to be restraining itself again.

Catherine wore the same style of welding cap that Chip had as well as a yellow suit white dress shirt underneath and a blue tie. She had long blond hair and deep blue eyes. she looked to be roughly age 14. She spoke.

"Oh wowza! Its the gentleman!" She hopped up and down a couple times. "You look like you might be fun to duel! Come on! Fight! Fight!"

I replied with a confident grin. "Very well, lets see who's lightning is stronger, shall we?"

Amusingly, Catherine's specialty was to induce absurd amounts of power into lightning Pokemon increasing their damage by ten. To her abject horror, this worked very much against her as my own electric attacks ripped through all of her defenses with incredible ease!

Upon losing she remarked "Oh no! I've been beaten with my own rules!! Bzzt!"

With another leader down, I deigned to declare my next destination as the fortress of water!

Any reference to “Neo” is referring to the Pokemon Trading Card Game Neo rom-hack. It came out recently and uses cards that came out just after the original sets.

Certain opponents in the game change or add a rule to any duels played against them such as Catherine's ability as described in the story above.

133TFR33k · Mar 5, 2025

Chapter 2 - Part 1: The Undersiders

(23)

Upon returning to the lobby from the maze of the fighting fortress, I found the leader had returned! From what I could overhear in his conversation with the secretary, apparently in his exploration of his own maze he triggered one of the trap doors and he spent the better part of an hour inspecting the wall for secret passages! Eventually he turned around and found the stairs that had loomed behind him the entire time.

"I must have found the hidden switch to release the stairs," he proudly proclaimed.

The receptionist simply wore a mortified look as she mouthed in my direction the words "please make it stop" as she shook her head mortified.

It would seem he did not find a secret switch to escape as there never was one. The passage was already open and he had been too fixated on the wall to notice! Regardless of the apparent intelligence of this foe, his muscles were quite defined and he had a conventional charm about him. He wore black karate garb and introduced himself as Brutus. He informed that he developed his muscles from sparing with what appeared to be a disturbingly battered but equally disturbingly satisfied Doduo sitting up against the nearby wall. As such, all fighting resistance is eliminated for any duels against him as he informed me. I then sensed what could only be described as longing from my own Doduo as it peered at Brutis. That dumb bird wants the pain to be higher than usual of course! Regardless, if I am to progress, I must surpass this towering foe of a man!

The duel commenced and I denied my opponent to properly gear his Pokemon with energy as Porygon and Voltorb cut through his lighting resistance. Towards the tail end of the conflict, Dark Rapidash made short work of his lazy Scythers.

I don't think I have ever seen a Scyther attack. It seems all they do is take hits and then retreat once they can bare no more. To my amazement, their laziness exceeds even that of Doduo.

Speaking of Doduo, I made it a point for the entirety of the duel to avoid its use. In truth, I expected it to be full of despair at such a prospect, but through the keen twinkle of its eye I could tell it must have decided I indeed have affection for it to deny it of its joy and that it found comfort in that denial. There is something terribly wrong with this bird - no perhaps their entire species, and yet it offers a certain wisdom in finding happiness in unfortunate circumstances. Something to ruminate over perhaps?

Brutus mentioned he must need bigger muscles to win. He then walked back into the maze as his own Doduo trailed behind him eager for more punishment it seemed.

There is yet one more destination before I can embark to the psychic stronghold where that insufferable leader lurks whom presumably orchestrated my kidnapping. Said destination is the Colorless Altar. I was not thrilled with the prospect of walking to yet another destination as my legs were starting to protest quite earnestly at this point. Still, I have to keep going! As I journeyed to that distant structure, I pondered what kind of a place it might reveal itself to be.

I judged I must have been about half way there when I had to rest on a nearby log. How was I going to continue walking? My feet were killing me!

Just then, a rather curious thing happened. Doduo lowered itself near me as it had done for Ellen! Could it be? Is this bird actually going to help? Dare I attempt to ride it once more? With feet throbbing this badly, I reasoned I didn't have much to lose by trying, so I climbed on. To my utter surprise, it began to run. IN THE CORRECT DIRECTION! As it turns out, it ran me all the way to the Colorless Altar without me needing to point where to go!

After dismounting, I confirmed I was now covered in feathers again. I spent the next good while picking them out. At least the bird was somewhat useful outside of a duel for once!

(24)

I then shifted my focus upon the structure known as the Colorless Altar. Despite the name, the exterior was covered in a green metal. The structure appeared to be mostly submerged under the ground as the outside from what I could tell was just about the size of a 20 person tent. Indeed, passing through the doorway I found a flight of stairs descending diagonally down what appeared to be probably a hundred feet.

As we proceeded downward, I noticed Doduo having a somewhat peculiar reaction. The way it strutted and its posture almost reminded me of a king entering their castle. Hah! I suppose the bird thinks itself important just because it's type is colorless! We then reached the bottom of the stairs and found ourselves in a grand hallway.

The floor had a a checkerboard pattern of dark and light, medium-sized stone tiles off to the left and right sides. In the middle was a path of solid continuous granite that went straight ahead into what appeared to be the main chamber. The entrance to the inner chamber was flanked by two oversized goblets emitting continuous flames for lighting. The walls were stone and had a structured pattern that resembled something like a bee hive.

Upon entering the final and primary chamber, I noticed three mysterious figures garbed in white hooded robes upon a raised stone stage at the top of a small flight of stone stairs. They loomed as they peered at me intently. Each one emerged from the shadows and stepped into the light of two more flaming goblets at the base of the stairs as they lowered their hoods and introduced themselves: Alan, Avery, and Seth.

Alan was somewhat shorter than the other three and was slightly chubby. His hair was cut short with no particular style to it and he had large square shaped glasses. He seemed to be probably about twenty years old.

Avery was thin and had a pointed nose and a light beard but no mustache. He seemed to be perhaps twenty-five years old. Most notably, he wore a Pikachu hat that was in stark contrast with the rest of his clothes or the others!

Finally there was Seth. He had no facial hair, was average in build and wore a white bandana around his forehead. His hair was short, but long enough for some of it to fall over the bandana. His eyes appeared to stay perpetually shut. I'm not sure how he sees with them! As for his age... it was difficult to guess, but perhaps thirty.

I stared at them. They stared at me. I stared at them more. They stared at me more.

Quickly growing tired of this inexplicable silence I opened my mouth to inquire as to which of them I may duel, but each of them all spoke in a clashing cacophony of confusing drivel. Unable to hear any of them clearly I could make out great excitement from Avery regarding Dark Pokemon and that any good deck must contain four of them. From Alan he had specific excitement for four Dratini. From Seth, it was four Pidgey.

By this point I have had it up to here with all these insensible demands and asked any of them if they were man enough to duel me without hiding behind their fanaticism. They then began a heated argument among themselves bemoaning that each of the other two would not change their preferences, so that they would be in unified alignment with each other.

I then inquired of Avery why he was wearing a Pikachu hat. He informed that it was a gift from his dearest younger sister Cassie of the lightning club. This revelation certainly tracked as I recalled her incessant overbearing love of all things Pikachu. Apparently he cared for her enough that he would always wear it even though he wishes Pikachu were a dark variant.

I then inquired if he would agree to a duel if my deck contained three Dark Rapidash. He defiantly crossed his arms, turned up his nose, and proclaimed that his choice was clearly the best of the three as I had only asked him, but that he would not accept anything less than full compliance. I then reasoned that three was the optimal number for my deck, but of course his reply was that four dark Pokemon is always optimal in every deck.

I paused for a moment to think and then asked the other two if they agreed with his assessment. As planned they then resumed their heated argument. Using the diversion as cover, I made my escape from the terrible trio.

As I was leaving, I turned back and noticed Seth who peered at me with closed eyes. What is beyond those eyes, and what should happen if he were to open them? I felt a sense of unease that hinted at unbridled power kept locked deep away by his farce of a four Pidgey requirement. Even in argument, he did not truly seem bothered. I couldn't help but wonder what a duel with him would be like. I considered myself fortunate to not be required to battle him as I set out on my journey to the fateful encounter with the GR psychic leader, Claire.

(25)

As I approached the imposing psychic stronghold, I was met outside by three hooded individuals in purple robes that were clearly worn over their regular clothing. They introduced themselves one by one as the removed their robes: V

Victoria, who was full of energy and expression with her short spiky hair and mischievous smile and looked to be about 14,

Clyde, who even after removing his disguise still had an air of mystery about him and looked to be 15,

and Heidi, with her traditional beauty and aura of authority about her. She had long dark blue hair with bangs. She wore a white kimono and a big red hairpin in the shape of the letters GR. She was thin and tall with blue eyes and a pointed chin. She appeared to be about 20 years old.

They Insisted that they had vital information key to prevailing over the GR psychic leader Claire, they bade me to join them in an important meeting of sorts at the GR Challenge Hall.

Though this was not in the direction I had intended they provided me with the most exquisite large salted pretzel. You know, the kind that you might get at a mall that is heated and can almost make for a meal by itself. Having not had any intake of proper food for the duration of this excursion, I found myself in agreement to their request.

Along the journey, Victoria was simply beside herself with adoration and praise for all things psychic and how all decks everywhere should only have psychic energy in them. To my astonishment or perhaps horror, Clyde agreed with her assessment as long as said deck also contained 6 total Gastly and Haunter cards! Heidi expounded upon this further by imposing yet another restriction that said deck must also contain no trainer cards! As such, the 3 were united in what they considered to be the ideal deck: all psychic energy, a total of 6 Ghastly and Haunter, and with no trainer cards what-so-ever.

I calmly described that such a deck would surely not get far in any competition let alone in a card format of only all common cards! At this they exchanged knowing glances with each other and declared that I must duel against their self-imposed restricted deck. Did my ears deceive me? They are actually willing to duel me with such restrictions in place only upon themselves!? The only requirement for me was that it must happen at the GR challenge hall as part of their meeting. I was unsure what to say to this, so I agreed. Such a simple deck would have absolutely no chance against my splendid common deck!

(26)

Upon arrival to the GR hall, I noticed the lobby was packed with individuals. I soon realized each was one of the "unpopular folk" of the island! Indeed they have all gathered here, but to what purpose I pondered?

They all stood to one side of the doorway leading up to the center of the lobby with the duel table. At the end of the table, sat none other than Seth of the colorless altar! He simply sat patiently peering at me through those eyes that somehow see despite being closed.

Doduo took a quick look about the room and spotted Ellen in the back from the GR Fire Fortress and began trotting over in her direction.

Heidi then stepped out to the other side of the table and addressed the crowd: "My fellow Undersiders, we have been denied a chance at each of our deck formats by the so called popular standard format folk! I am ashamed to admit my mother Claire has continued to champion their cause and ignores my pleas at every turn! Would not this fair land be best if each of us were able to impose our deck construction ideals one at a time every day in rotation to all who live here?!"

At this the masses raised their fists and shouted affirmations in a relatively simultaneous fashion.

I caught sight of Doduo now beside Ellen doing a dance. Ellen seemed to be completely distracted by the bird instead of listening to Heidi's speech...

Heidi dramatically extended both arms out diagonally with her open palms facing the crowd. "But how can we achieve such an ideal society?! Who among us has the audacity to challenge them and win while imposing restrictions upon none but themselves?! My fellow Undersiders, I present this distinguished gentleman to you!" she pointed boldly towards me, "he has battled his way through the entirety of TCG Island and most of our own island as well! He has never shied away once from his resolve of using only common cards in his deck! What's more, he has not once attempted to impose this restriction upon anyone but himself! I believe there are two among you who have things to add."

(27)

She gestured towards someone in the crowd as she stepped back and was replaced by Jacob of the GR water fortress.

Doduo continued its antics with Ellen causing her to try not to laugh to avoid unwanted attention.

Jacob spoke "Thank you, thank you all! You know, this reminds me of a day I was at the stream pondering the superiority of water energy..."

At this, the crowd began a stir into an uproar as everyone was shouting various obscenities at him. "No one wants to hear your crap Jacob! If I hear one more anecdote involving water I swear I will lose my mind!" I heard someone shout loudly near my ear.

Embarrassed, Jacob took a more diminished posture and spoke again. "Um.. so what I was getting at was that this gentleman took the time to listen to me for over an hour! I don't think anyone has ever listened to me so intently before, so I think he deserves our respect!"

He then stepped down as someone behind me muttered "Oh thank Lugia he is done!"

(28)

Next to take the floor was none other than Kara of the GR fire fortress!

Kara interlocked the fingers from both hands together at her chin. "Thank you everyone for gathering here!"

The crowd replied with various phrases of adoration including one that caught my ear: "Such a sweet girl I never hear her push her love of only Fire Energy very far, all she wants is a roughly 70 degree room to duel in!"

Kara placed he left hand upon her chest with her right hand on top of it. "As you all know, it's very hot at work every day, but I always try my best! I often asked for lava not to be flowing throughout the room and for the temperature to be 90 instead of 105, but my boss Bernard needs it that hot, so I just try to help! He even lets me attempt to impose my selfish restrictions of only fire energy on others!"

At this I heard a murmur nearby: "Poor girl, she doesn't realize that all fortresses everywhere allow the members to stipulate whatever duel conditions they want".

Kara interlocked the fingers on both hands at her chest as she looked upward. "I worked hard every day in the hope that my boss would one day gift me a small fan so I could use it as I work, but it's been so hard on him and he always helped me understand that we just don't have the budget for it. However! Upon our last meeting together, this kind and generous gentleman gave me the greatest gift of all! This special mini-fan that depicts the gentleman's most precious ally and friend, Doduo!" her right hand was extended towards me.

At this I inwardly cringed. This was the fan I picked up on a whim at the bargain bin of of the TCG island fire club! Of course the only one they had left was the Doduo version. I did my best to present a convincing smile.

I also noticed Doduo perked up upon hearing it and started to dance more with even more ridiculous flare than usual! Ellen was having an even harder time preventing herself from bursting out laughing.

Kara held her fists slightly out from her chest as she leaned forward with her eyes closed as tears ran down her cheeks. "The last time I was that happy is when I was given a chance to move out of the orphanage to make my own money by working at the Fire Fortress!"

The crowd in relative harmony all made various sounds of sympathy.

It sounds like the poor girl lost her parents and was forced to abandon her childhood and never received a single gift in her life?! Had I known a tiny little fan would have such an impact, I would have given her an entire barrel full of them!

Kara dropped her hands to her sides and looked downward. "I had never even been given a gift before unless you count the water energy Jacob gives me from time to time..."

At this, I heard someone nearby muttering to someone else: "How awful! I heard her parents passed in the flood they had in that region five years ago! She is too nice to tell him why! Someone needs to have a talk with that boy!"

Another voice answered "What?! Really?! I've never heard that before!"

The original voice murmured again. "Yes well it wasn't big in the media at the time due to..."

She lost her parents at age FIVE?! Just old enough to remember and miss them?! I closed my eyes hoping my empathy would somehow reach and comfort her. Silly perhaps, but it was all I could do right now...

I then opened my eyes again to resume my focus on Kara's speech.

Kara faced towards Jacob with her eyes closed and hands still at her sides as they made fists, "No, Jacob I do not want to build a deck with only water energy! I've told you this many times!"

At this, most of the room but Jacob had a good chuckle. Jacob on the other hand was turning beat-red.

Kara recomposed herself and gestured towards me again. "This man has my respect!" At that, she gave a small curtsy as the crowd applauded.

(29)

Heidi then took to the floor once again. "It has long since been foretold that a foreigner would arrive to our island from an island within a 402.5 mile radius of our island, and I don't mean anyone outsourced from Neo! It was said he would bring unity to the UN-unified and bring about great societal change! It is my hope- no, my belief that this distinguished gentleman we see before us is the foretold one!"

At this everyone was silent awaiting the remainder of her speech.

Heidi continued "However, there is still one more foretold event that must occur before we can rally behind our new leader. He must defeat the acolyte of the phantom card Lugia, whom we all know is Seth, in a duel using the restrictions from the GR psychic club Undersiders! Mr gentleman, I implore you to take your rightful place as our esteemed leader upon winning this fated duel!"

At this I did the only thing natural to do and took my seat opposite to Seth. As he peered through his eyes I could tell he was squinting them. Ha! The chap thought to scare me pretending his eyes were totally closed the whole time!

"Gentleman, we shall now see what you are made of. Do be gentle with me,” he said as he peered undaunted, totally unbothered, and actually amused.

Something about this put me totally on edge.. as if this entire duel was a farce and that he has no intention of dueling in any serious capacity.

I brandished my deck, poised to place it upon the duel mat. "I shall do what any man must do for additional pretzels! That is to challenge you to a card game of ridiculous unbalanced proportions to determine the fate of the entire island!"

The duel commenced. He played an energy on his lone Gastly Lv8 which had 30 HP and attacked with Sleeping Gas. The coin flip resulted in tails and thus my Voltorb was still awake.

I responded by removing his energy with Energy Removal, attached a lightning energy to my Voltorb, and attacked with Thundershock which resulted in Gastly becoming paralyzed. It returned to his turn and he attached another energy and passed his turn. I then attached a 2nd lightning energy to Voltorb and attacked with Group Spark for 30 damage to knock out his Gastly.

Since he had no remaining Pokemon, I won!

The duel was over in a flash resulting in my victory. At this he merely grinned and nodded with his nearly shut eyes the same as ever.

Heidi then took to the floor yet again and proclaimed: "Undersiders, we now have our leader! To unite our cause we have new uniforms for all of you to don!"

She then pulled out a box stuffed full of hoodies and continued. "Please everyone take one, we have ordered enough in all sizes for everyone except Jacob!"

At this, Jacob appeared equal parts confused and curious and when he reached the box, he pulled out the one with his name labeled but it was for a size larger than anyone on the island. With no hesitation, he pulled it out and put it on. It looked completely ridiculous.

I then noticed the figure on the hoodies; it was a stylized emblem of my greatest bane made manifest: Doduo! Of course it was Doduo. Upon glancing at the bird it became evident it was positively and immensely pleased with itself. I pondered how it could be so happy when this was clearly far from the usual treatment it craved. One can never know all there is to know about Doduo it would seem.

Heidi then announced, "Henceforth we Undersiders shall be known as the Doduo Alliance!"

The crowd then began to cheer and holler as they hoisted me onto a chair built into a platform with wooden spokes for them to carry.

"My liege!" Heidi bowed her head with reverence before looking back up at me.

"It pains me to no end we are unable to supply you with an anti-gravity blimp for the journey back to the psychic stronghold, but we hope you will accept our humble hands in its place! Our duel restrictions are simply too strange for the standard folk to entrust us with such technology on all but the most rare of occasions!"

(30)

I pocketed my deck. "Erm.. yes very good then, carry on my wayward companions we shall make our way to the psychic stronghold and then to the castle! Rest assured that I shall rest in this chair until I am needed and only after I am given another pretzel for the journey ahead!"

At that, someone from the crowd supplied the requested pretzel and thus our journey barreled inexorably towards its inevitable conclusion.

I also noted that Doduo decided to allow Ellen to ride it for the journey. It seemed immensely pleased with itself and strut about as if showing off a prize medal it won at a fair or something. Meanwhile Ellen appeared to be having a blast with a big smile upon her face.

Energy Removal is one of the most powerful trainer cards. Because you can play any number of trainer cards per turn, even if your opponent has set up multiple energy over multiple turns, you can remove them as much as you want as long as you play enough energy removal cards. It only removes 1 per Energy Removal card, but its a powerful defensive tactic against both AI duelists and even human opponents.

Blastoise has a Pokemon power. Pokemon Power's are passive abilities for certain Pokemon with often powerful effects. Blastoise has a power called Rain Dance which removes the 1 energy per turn limit for attaching water energy to water Pokemon. This ability is so powerful, that a deck crafted to take advantage of it is one of the most powerful in the game and one of the most powerful decks to use in the old pvp metagame.

In the original games there were a a few promo cards known as Phantom Cards. I believe there were 4 in each game. They are normally unobtainable but at least in the 2nd game, 2 of them can be claimed as prizes for the Game Center which is a building/location in the 2nd game where you can participate in various activities to win chips that you can exchange for prizes.

The other 2 phantom cards in the game are Here Comes Team Rocket and Lugia. Normally to obtain these, you would have to perform what was called a card pop with another player using the link feature of 2 gameboy colors. As such, these cards are almost impossible to obtain legitimately and typically cheating is the only real way to have them.

133TFR33k · Mar 5, 2025

Chapter 3: Return To GR Island

(37)

It wasn't until nearly a month had passed when I took sight of a most curious letter on my desk on top of a box! The letter was embossed with the royal GR seal!

I opened it and it read: "My dear friend, thank you again for all the good you had done when you were last here. I wanted you to know we have set up a new gaming establishment and it has a most enjoyable castle attraction in which one duels several opponents! I would be honored if you attended the opening ceremony. Please stop by if you please."

Signed the GR King - Villicci.

PS: I heard you like Pretzels so please enjoy the gift box. It has a variety of assorted gourmet pretzels from our finest pretzel bakeries.

Most interesting! I had thought I had defeated all the inhabitants unwilling to disgrace my deck with their rules, but it seems there were still some left! Since I have gone so far already, I may as well go all the way! But first... Pretzels!

After eating entirely too many of the delicious pretzels, I gathered my travel gear, wallet, one of the large bags of pretzels, a fully charged phone and charger for good measure, before setting out to the airport.

With the king's letter in hand and a desire to visit my newfound friends on GR island coupled with Doduo's eagerness to throw itself once more into danger, I found myself back at TCG Island’s airport for my second ever voluntary trip via blimp!

I must say that a voluntary trip makes all the difference in the mood! I found myself actually looking forward to my arrival!

As for Doduo, it had a special glint in its eye and it took great care in preening its plumage to look its best. The bird had even lost a little weight in the past month!

Speaking of Doduo, I had noticed that it tended to not leave its feathers about the house nearly as bad as it used to! Perhaps molting season is over or something?

After a relaxing flight, we finally arrived at the GR regional airport.

(38)

According to the map enclosed with the letter, the game center was one of the closest buildings to the airport so I made my way there.

Upon arrival, I was impressed by the sleek layout and neon lights. As I crossed the threshold, the doorman informed me that the King has been anticipating my arrival and is waiting in the lobby.

He also noticed my Doduo and pointed out the Doduo daycare that was past an archway to the right. He also commented that the daycare does not have a door because trying to obstruct Doduo would just lead to broken doors if the Doduo become tired of it.

Doduo was rolling around with excitement at the prospect, so I stopped inside to take a look. It was a spacious room with a running track along the edge and several large boulders some of which reached considerable height. There were other Doduo in there; some running, some jumping off of the rocks to land on their heads, and some running right into the boulders.

And feathers. More feathers than I possibly could have imagined. My word they were everywhere! Perhaps it is not molting season after all? Doduo's feathers are a mystery unto themselves....

As I continued to examine the room, some of the birds were fighting each other in ways that looked quite painful, but as I have come to expect, they didn't seem to mind! There were also several buckets of worms scattered around the room and a large birdbath in the middle of the room. There was also a water fountain designed for Doduo to drink from in the corner.

My Doduo surveyed the room and seemed amused. It then charged headlong into a fight between several Doduo and began a flurry of pecks and kicks as it happily took attacks back in the process. This was all a bit too noisy for my taste so I turned to leave my Doduo to its unique form of 'fun'. I'm sure it will find me later, and if it doesn't then that just means I don't have to clean feathers at home anymore!

Upon my arrival to the lobby, I noticed a rather strange man in a one-piece fuzzy red body-suit that looked like it had cartoon bear ears on it. I couldn't tell if he moved suddenly when I entered the room or if the color of his suit drew the attention of my eyes to him.

He was standing near the bookshelf, facing a blank wall. He was performing exaggerated very old dance moves. I think disco is what they used to call it.

He bore a striking resemblance to the strange man in the black suit near the beginning of my common Pokemon card deck journey! What was his name again...? Ah! Imakuni!?

As I approached, he suddenly stopped dancing and twirled around to face me!

"I'm Red Imakuni?, The Rouge Rogue of Stardom! What do you want? Did you come to watch me dance? Oh, or are you after an autograph?"

I asked if he remembered me from our game on TCG island.

"You met WHO? Imakuni? That can't be, because I am Imakuni? Red Imakuni?"

I explained how the other Imakuni? wore a black suit just like him.

"Black?! Could it be there is an imposter of me?! I cannot stand for this! He must be made to face me... in a DANCE OFF!"

I asked him if he would like a duel.

"A DUEL?! I'm a busy and important guy! I also have to find that other me! If you are lucky, maybe I'll duel you once you learn to dance half as good as me. For now I'm going to take Imakuni? out and put him on the clearance rack! When you see me next, I'll be even redder than I am now! I'm off to find my rival in dance who dresses in black! I just love traveling. See you!"

And then he waddled away. Such a peculiar fellow...

Just then king Villicci entered the lobby. "Ah my friend! It is good to see you again! I was just giving the center one last walk through to make sure it was in tip top shape for the grand opening of the card dungeon. You sir have the opportunity to be its very first challenger! Please come right this way!"

At that, I followed in the kings footsteps as he led me to the game chip counter.

The king gestured towards the nearby counter on our left. “For the various attractions, we employ the use of these game chips -not food mind you - which act as tokens. If you ask the receptionist here, she will supply you with some. I’ll be just over here as you tend to that.”

He then walked to the other side of the room with the prize counter.

(39)

I approached the counter and was given a bag of game chips from the receptionist. As she handed them to me and I went to take it, her grip held firm on the bag.

"Good sir, you will do well to remember to return these chips before you leave," she mentioned with a clearly fake smile on her face.

I smiled nervously. "But of course fair lady!"

She then leaned in close, the smile now dropped from her face as she breathed: "That's what they all say at first... They never learn. You have no idea how many folk leave with their chips in their pockets... Do you have any idea what it takes to manufacture these or what they are even made of? I don't care if you are the king's friend. These. Chips. Will. Be. Returned."

After that her smile returned in full bloom as she cheerfully added in a normal "Please enjoy your stay~!" as her grip on the bag finally relented.

As I backed away slowly from the counter, her smile once again faded as she stared daggers at my bag and then at my face. She then glanced around to make sure no one was looking and then took her index finger and dragged it across her throat slowly and deliberately.

Meanwhile, the king was oblivious to the entire interaction as he was giving the prize corner nearby a close inspection. He looked up, noticing my bag of chips and motioned for me to follow him inside the game center proper.

As I treaded, I could feel the receptionist's cold stare upon me like the stare of one who had lived a thousand life times and had suffered torment for nearly the same length. I imagined she would make a fine partner for Seth of the colorless altar, as I felt a shiver run down my spine.

(40)

The king spoke as we walked. "I have long saved up funds for the construction of this place. Rare cards weren't the only thing I was doing with all my money, you see! Ah, see this, attraction here is called Bill's Computer." He gestured towards it with one hand.

As he mentioned it, I inwardly cringed. Why anyone would voluntarily install one of Bill's inventions given all that corporation was currently going through was unfathomable to me.

The king held his hands out in front of him with his palms up and his fingers spread and curled. "It turns out I was able to get it for quite the deal you see..." He went on in great detail to explain the discount, the mail in rebate, the special promotion, and his 20% off coupons...

Turning to another corner of the room, he continued: "Ah, over here we have the coin toss combo! You know, at first I was going to install a VR game where you play as and explore the world as a Scyther, but it turns out the cost for a coin toss table was so much more reasonable that I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to save some money! A penny saved is a penny earned as they say!"

My heart sank. I would have loved to play that! What could be better than living as a Scyther?! With some effort I forced the thoughts of what-could-have-been out of my mind.

The King chuckled a bit as we continued, "Ah, and here we have the Black Box"

I peered at the mysterious imposing mass of electronics and pipes.

The king stroked his beard. "In truth we actually have no idea of the full scope of how it works, thus the name we gave it. No one knows what its original name was either. We found it in some ancient ruins beneath this structure from before the renovation and construction of our game center. All we know is that you put 5 cards in and it transforms the cards! It then contacts the local mail department and arranges for the new card to be mailed to the sender!

At this I was definitely confused.

The King held out his hands open palmed as he shrugged. "It may sound miraculous, but that is what it does! It took many generations of scientists in our family to even just make these discoveries. Regarding the original structure that was here, it bore some resemblance to the sealed fort on our island. My family records go back many generations, but the purpose of that fort has always eluded our understanding and no one has even been able to venture inside for about one-hundred years. The construction is of a most unusual material that does not give way to any known conventional means of bypassing it. A rather curious place!"

We then made our way to the back of the center.

"And here my good fellow is where we make the money!" He gestured to the back wall lined with slot machines. "I took a tour of Bill Incorporated's HQ years ago and was impressed with their gambling wing. The tour guide explained the basics of it and of its ability to create wealth! I then decided to implement slot machines here. Just look at all the happy customers too!"

(41)

As I glanced over the machines I saw several folks sitting seemingly in trance pulling levers over and over again.

I heard one lady say "Come-on baby just a few more spins to the jackpot! Once I hit it, I'll regain all the money I lost on my unlucky streak from my late husbands life insurance and then some! Then I will have the money to buy my poor disabled daughter that basic house she has always wanted!"

I looked in another corner and saw a rather concerned looking man. "20 thousand! I can't believe I have lost that much already! My wife will kill me if she finds out! I need to win this back or I can never return home again! Come-on jackpot!"

I looked to another corner and saw a young man. "What, so I'm just supposed to stop now that I am out of money? That would make all the money I spent on this stupid machine pointless! I'm not going home until I at least earn back my losses! Time to whip out the ol credit card!"

I then saw an elderly man in the center of one of the rows.

"Ah," said the king "That man is one of our regulars! Our best customer, in fact! May he live long and never run out of money!"

I overheard the elderly man. "Hah, give the money to my grandchildren they said. Bunch of spoiled brats. They never want to work for anything.”

He continued in a whiny voice “Inflation they say! The value of wages is dropping! I can't afford a house! Why does rent keep increasing!”

He then continued in his normal gruff voice “Pathetic excuses from that entire lazy generation. They won't see a dime of my money! Not when I could be spending it here! Ah the thrill of the chase! It makes me feel young again. Whats a couple hundred million compared to so much fun?"

I then thought I caught something to the effect of "I've killed for less..." as he stared dead pan pulling the lever over and over and over and over again....

At one more machine I saw a young boy approach the slots. I then realized that I recognize that boy! Its Billy! I simply cannot allow this!

Before I could think anything else, an employee approached the boy. "I'm sorry Billy, you know you have to be 21 years old before you can use the gambling machines."

Billy looked up with wonder. "When I grow up, I'm gonna win it big so I'll never have to work and I can pay off my parents mortgage so they never have to go bankrupt again!"

The receptionist replied: "Aww thats so sweet Billy, you run along now!"

I then thought to myself "I'm shocked to hear his parents went bankrupt! They were living in a mansion so I thought they had a stable life! What is going on here?!"

I resolved to look them up when next I return to TCG Island.

In one final seat, I noted a middle age man as he slowly released the lever with unfocused eyes. "That's it then. I am finished. No more money. Maxed out cards. The money I received from leveraging my mortgage. The inheritance money. Even my late uncle's blood money..."

He slowly began to walk out of the establishment with a look as if the mans soul had been drained from his body. Shuffling slowly and inexorably towards the exit.

I suddenly found myself feeling ill. As if everything wrong in the entire world had somehow packed itself into 60 square feet. I looked to the king but he seemed completely oblivious to it all. He must have a hearing impairment.

Over the noise of the room I asked the king about the final attraction.

"WHAT?" said the king in a loud voice.

That confirms it then. He most certainly does not hear well. Perhaps he uses hearing aids that he forgot to bring.

I then spoke up louder.

(42)

The King smiled. "Ah yes, the main attraction! We thought about what to do with this space for some time when I had the most brilliant idea! Why spend money to great an attraction from scratch when we can use the old existing ruins and convert it into a Card Dungeon! Thus we get all the look an appeal of authentic ancient ruins for virtually no cost at all!"

The king then went into great detail of all the money it would have taken to
pay off a crew of NEO immigrant construction workers to create such a place.

The king clasped his hands together. "Well then, my friend! Do enjoy your foray into the dungeon! When you are finished, please do pay me a visit at my castle. I would love to hear how it went!" With that, the king gracefully made his exit.

I looked upon the intricately carved stone doors.

"Welcome! This is the card dungeon! It's 10 chips per game. Would you like to play?" the nearby employee asked.

"Indeed I would fair lady!" I remarked as I bequeathed the requested chips.

Prior to entering the first dueling chamber, each of the presumed opponents came out to greet me. The first introduction was by a lady of stunning beauty in a graceful dress. Though she wore makeup which had the effect of making her appear more mature, but I would say she was probably only 21 years old. She was about a foot shorter than I. Her light brown eyes were probably the nicest of any I had seen on the island!

I listened intently as she spoke. "Greetings friend! My liege the king Villicci has informed us of your impending arrival! Since your departure from our island on your first visit, he recognized that your ability to best everyone on our island with a deck full of commons meant that our common level dueling skills needed improvement!"

It's about time duelists start improving! Maybe if they do it enough, I won't have to handicap myself anymore to get people to play me!

Queen waved her hand out in front of her as if issuing a royal decree. "His first action was to create a core team of stronger duelists who's function is to gradually introduce more complex tactics and deck-building skills to the islands inhabitants. Our team still uses all cards at our disposal, and we are utilized for this attraction, but the majority of our time is spent refining our skills and testing our mettle against one another. After a most grueling training regiment, we can proudly state with confidence that some among us can now go toe to toe in matches with our king!"

Oh! That sounds quite intriguing! They ought to make for good opponents then!

Queen took her hand and made a fist and brought it to her chest. "As such, we believe we will provide ample challenges in our roles here! As this is our grand opening, the king wanted to make sure we were able to stand against more than just himself to prove that we are up to the task. For that, he could think of no better opponent for us than you!"

I nodded approvingly.

Queen held her hand out with her palm facing up. "Normally, we would have a system of wagers in place to progress further into the dungeon, but for our grand opening, you need not worry about those. Furthermore, you are welcome and invited to challenge us as many times as you wish! The order will begin with Pawn here,

followed by, Knight over here,

then, Bishop right here,

Rook over there,

and finally myself whom you can address as Queen." She gestured towards herself.

"Of course these are not our real names, but for the sake of the attraction, it is what we use here. Do you have any questions for us good sir?"

I smiled. "It gladdens me to see evidence of the King's reforms! I would be positively delighted to duel each of you. My deck does still contain only commons though, so I can never promise to win without fail, but I hope you will find my tactics and strategies helpful for your further development! I have no current questions and look forward to our bouts!"

Queen bowed while holding the edges of her dress. "Very well! We shall take our places and will open the doors for you shortly. Thank you for indulging us and we hope your foray into our dungeon is both stimulating and enjoyable!"

With that, the team withdrew behind the stone doors and after a moment, the door re-opened, inviting me inside. The room was simple for the majority of it with a duel table in the middle, but the walls were covered in highly detailed painted murals. As promised, Pawn was to be the first opponent and was already seated at the duel table.

Red Imakuni is some kind of different version of Imakuni from TCG Island and has a different battle track than the original and is the same general concept.

In the game, you simply cannot walk out of the Game Center until you turn your chips in. The NPCs will stop you and there is no way to leave until you do. There is no automatic chip return. This limitation made no sense to me and is pretty annoying so I couldn't resist playing with that idea in the paragraph above.

133TFR33k · Mar 5, 2025

Chapter 4: Ruins of The Card Dungeon

"Before our duels, might I examine the fine painted stone murals of these ruins? I hear they are authentic and I find them most intriguing!" I gestured towards the walls.

Pawn opened his arms and hands towards me. "Absolutely! The King mentioned we would likely get some folks in here only for the ruins. You are welcome to examine them at your leisure! If you have questions, just let me know! I'll answer what I can. Just let me know when you are done!"

I gave a short bow. "My thanks to you! Yes, I will take a look."

(43)

Now that there was no rush, I took in the overall scope of the painted stone murals.

There were depictions of various Pokemon cards and some rather interesting looking individuals. The paint was kept in excellent condition as I could not detect many flaws in it. The walls were littered with writing as well, but it was in some strange language that I was unable to identify.

I knelt down running my fingers across some of the writing carved into the stone. "One should wonder what this all means! Pawn, have these runes, the writing on the walls, ever been deciphered?"

"Yes! I heard from Queen that the King hired an expert who lives on the island! I heard the expert sometimes lives somewhere else too. I'm not sure if he decoded them, is working on it, or gave up! The Game Center building was already constructed when I began my training here for the attraction, you see."

I stood up redirecting my focus to some of the painted murals. "Thank you, my good fellow. I shall simply ask the King when I next see him."

On the left wall, there were a total of 9 individuals depicted. Their appearances varied greatly.

One appeared to be a small but confident boy perhaps of age 10.

The next had a splendid taste in apparel not unlike what I might like to wear myself in fact! He wore a monicle and a top hat!

The next was another kid but perhaps age 13 and had a cunning intensity about him.

Next looked like a clown of some sorts that one might find in a circus!

The next looked to be a perfectly ordinary fellow with no defining characteristics whatsoever.

The next was clearly robed in the garments one might expect of a train conductor!

The next wore a robe, a mask that resembled a skull of a large bird, and had an air of mystery.

The next appeared to be a girl in a maid uniform.

Finally at the end was a young woman with a casual appearance and her hair in a ponytail.

All of these figures were prominently displayed in ways that appeared significant and celebrated. To the right was yet another space, similar, but set apart from the others. It was filled with an indistinct human figure which looked like it was made of light.

I leaned close to it attempting to find any potential hidden details. "Pawn.. these figures I see depicted here are rather specific. Do you know anything about them?"

Pawn stood up talking as he approached. "Well of course I do! Our island is very familiar with the history of these individuals."

He began to point at the figures one at a time as he introduced them.

"The one on the very left here is Axel. He was the first of the great heroes."

I brought my hand to my chin in thought. "Please forgive my ignorance on this as I did not grow up here, but what deeds did he accomplish to have him known as such?"

Pawn touched his hand to his forehead. "Apologies! We don't often get visitors from TCG Island here on GR Island. I'll fill you in!" Pawn gave me a thumbs up.

I nodded with a smile.

"From what we can tell from our history books, Axel was only 10 years old when he defeated a man, a scientist, who was trying to destroy our world roughly 1,000 years ago."

I felt my jaw dropped. "Why would anyone try to do such a thing?! Surely the fellow must have been quite mad!"

Pawn offered an awkward looking half smile with some teeth showing. "Yeah... I'm with you on that. That scientist must have been insane or something... We are lacking specifics of what exactly transpired, but as the legends go, the scientist wielded god-like powers but still had a normal deck to play the Pokemon Trading Card Game with."

Pawn resumed his usual cheerful demeanor. "Anyway, Axel used the power of his Wigglytuff deck to defeat the scientist in a duel to put an end to his remaining schemes, but the legend has it that the scientist was able to bring our world closer to the destruction he had planned."

I found my hand upon my chin again. "I suppose no one else has continued those plans since our world is still here 1,000 years later. Science can do many things... I wonder how close the legend is to the actual truth?"

Pawn looked me in the eye with his eyes wider. "If it IS all true, then it means we need to be extra careful with our world because it means we can break it!"

With my left thumb upon my left cheek and the rest of my hand and fingers just beneath my nose, I looked to the right as I considered the unsettling hypothetical ramifications.

Pawn then pointed to the next figure. "This man here is known as Magician.

He was a follower of the 'Third Eye' which is a religion that lasted all the way up until about just 7 years ago.

I nodded. "That is one impressive track record! I believe that would have been the longest running religion in our world is it not?"

Pawn tilted his head and looked up and away. "Hmm! I think that is probably true, but I haven't studied all the religions of our world to be sure."

I waved a hand past my face. "Apologies for the slight derailment of your explanation. Please continue."

Pawn nodded. "Our history books tell us that Magician defeated a follower of the ancient religion of Lugia. The Lugia religion had been a peaceful one that looked forward to the coming of their foretold one who would be granted the true power of the Lugia phantom card."

The Lugia religion seemed beningn, so I wondered what might have transpired as Pawn continued speaking.

"Roughly 900 years ago, a common follower of their religion had a radical shift in her belief. As the years went on, the beliefs of their entire organization shifted too and eventually that follower became the first grand cardinal of their religion. Once this happened, their religion became a doomsday cult bent on unlocking the hidden power of Lugia to destroy our world."

I felt my brow furrow. "Another individual wanting to destroy the world? I can't fathom why someone would be trying to do that in the first place! I assume this is where Magician stepped in."

Pawn held up a hand with his fingers curled and touching his index finger to his thumb. "Exactly! The Third Eye sent Magician with his Invincible Pokemon deck which is said to have used various Pokemon Powers to prevent his Pokemon from being KOed. When he defeated the Grand Cardinal, the cult of Lugia stopped its hostile activities and became a secretive religion that no longer worshiped openly. It is said that they did not elect another Grand Cardinal for roughly 100 years."

I looked up holding my chin between my thumb and index finger of my right hand. "Invincible eh? Sounds like an opponent that would be worth my time to duel with an unrestricted deck!"

Pawn looked like he was slowly being convinced of an idea. "Well, you are a card champion from TCG island and you were able to defeat most of the duelists on our island including the King with a deck full of commons! I'd probably pay to see someone like you face off against a legendary opponent like that!" Pawn was now smiling broadly.

I looked down with a small smile. "Alas, too bad these individuals are gone. They would have made for worthy opponents that I have no doubt would be fun to duel!"

Pawn shrugged with his eyes closed. He then pointed to the next figure. "Here we have Warren, who at 13 years of age, was sent by the Third Eye to use his Sealed Trainer Deck to defeat the next Grand Cardinal of the Lugia religion. It is said that his deck was able to prevent the use of all opponent trainer cards!"

At this my eyes went wide. "What kind of monstrous deck is that?!"

Pawn gave me a knowing look. "Seriously. After getting better at the Pokemon Trading Card Game, I understand the value of trainer cards! Something that can prevent their use sounds almost impossible to beat!"

I nodded uncomfortably as I felt a shiver run down my spine. Half my unrestricted deck was comprised of trainer cards!

Pawn held up his finger. "Anyway, this Cardinal was a man who operated from the shadows. The legend has it that he had plans in place to bring about the destruction of the world. The history books indicate the Grand Cardinal's plots were largely unknown even by the Lugia cult. This took place roughly 800 years ago."

I squinted my eyes. "Again with world destruction! If the rest of history plays out much the same, I think this makes a case for these tales being exaggerated to some extent or we would surely not be here talking! I also find it rather strange that these events and heroes seem to be spaced out in roughly 100 year intervals. Do you have any idea why?"

Pawn balled both his fists and brought them to his sides. "Actually, you are very correct in your observation! The remaining events all are spaced about 100 years apart too! In fact, everything you see painted here is dated back to about 1,000 years ago! Archeologists have long speculated that the psychics who live in our world must have some connection to these ruins."

I found myself speaking without fully intending to do so, "Fascinating..." I then regained my awareness. "Please do continue!"

Pawn smiled "Sure! I was actually hoping for people to ask about these ruins.

They had me study a TON of history to be allowed the position here! Unfortunately it gave me less time to practice at the Pokemon Trading Card Game, so I'm a bit behind in terms of power compared to the others..."

I placed an encouraging hand upon Pawns shoulder. "Do not fret, my good man! Being on this team has no doubt improved your abilities at the game and there are still at least some noble pursuits outside of the Pokemon Trading Card Game as well!"

Pawn smiled as he looked down. "Thank you sir!"

I removed my hand as he pointed to the next figure. "This man is Pierrot a strange fellow who is said to be the ancestor of the Imakuni family.

He wielded a powerful fire deck and was selected by the Third Eye to bring down the mad king Belthaos. According to history, this king became obsessed with scientific research and maintaining tight control over his subjects. Pierrot infiltrated the kings palace since he was a well known entertainer and used this chance to challenge the King to a duel. Upon completion of this duel, it is said the madness left the King. The legend has it that it was Lugia who instilled madness in the King who was a wise and benevolent leader prior to that. The legend also holds that Belthaos, in his madness used the power of Lugia to create Neo island."

My eyes went wide. "The creation of an entire island! This legend seems the most unbelievable of all thus far! I'll bet he was just an explorer who found the island and the legend exaggerated into him having created it!" I smiled confidently.

Pawn closed his eyes and shrugged. "Well, they are legends after all. Your guess seems good to me!"

Feeling acknowledged, I directed my gaze to the next figure as Pawn pointed to it.

"This man is known as Toby. That is all the history books say about him and there are no serious legends around him either. There is a folklore that kids who cheat at the Pokemon Trading Card Game will be haunted by him, but that's about it."

I tilted my head. "Well this is rather odd compared to the rest. No crazy legends? No world destruction plot? No notable deeds? Why is this fellow even up here??"

Pawn frowned as he shrugged. "I have no clue! I don't think anyone else does either!"

I chuckled as Pawn pointed to the next figure on the tour. "This man is Frank.

He wielded the Legendary Zapdos card to defeat a religious cult known as the 'Scions of the Deep' which specialized in water decks. Once he defeated them all, the cult disbanded and was no more. Legend has it that the cult planned to open a portal to another dimension to bring about a great flood into our world to wipe out all life."

My eyes went wide as part of my upper lip curled. "What horrifying foes to face if that legend were true! And he took down their entire cult on his own? What a powerful deck he must have wielded! He sounds like he could potentially be the strongest duelist I have ever heard of!"

Pawn's eyes were big as he tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Yeah... he sounds like he would be a real challenge to duel!"

Pawn then gestured to the next figure. "Here we have Masquerade.

It is unknown what their gender or age was. This person never revealed their face and had a mask that resembled a bird. The history books speak of a curse upon the land that caused roughly half of the entire world to get sick and die!

My eyes went about as wide as they could go. "What?! You are saying this is a matter of record and NOT a legend?! Why would this be missing form TCG Island history books?!"

Pawn held up his hands. "I think most of the deaths occurred here on GR Island and Neo for that. Also, communication and travel between our islands was uncommon during that era. TCG Island was probably impacted so little that it wouldn't have stood out much."

My mouth remained slightly opened as I looked down and to the right in thought before Pawn brought my attention back when he resumed speaking.

"Masquerade is also known as the bringer of modern medicine and the legend has it that he developed a holy water known as vaccine which had the power to dispel the curse. Since that time, our world has not had anything else like the curse. The legend has it that Masquerade used their Power of Darkness deck to defeat the God of Death who brought the curse to our world."

I crossed my arms. "Well in this case, I can certainly see why such a legend would exist. It sounds like without that vaccine everyone would have died!"

Pawn looked down and to the left and exposed his teeth. "Yeah... I'm so glad I wasn't alive during that time!"

Pawn resumed his tour: "Here we have Anna who was a maid of a wealthy individual said to be the ancestor of Bill.

Bill's ancestor, Bob, was recorded by history as greedy man who wanted to amass all of the worlds wealth. He used his money to control the King of that time as well as almost every other facet of society. The longer he remained in control, the more impoverished the inhabitants of our island became. He also had ties to the Lugia religion and was a major advocate for science, but all of the research he funded was secretive and was split into so many departments that society was unable to understand or benefit from whatever he was funding. The Third Eye trained Anna in the Pokemon Trading Card Game and she defeated Bob in a duel which resulted in him splitting his wealth among the people."

I snarled. "It sounds like greed at the expense of humanity runs in the family..."

Pawn smiled with his eyes closed. "Oh, surely Bill isn't THAT bad! Its hard to believe there was even someone as bad as Bob to begin with as it is!"

I looked at Pawn in the eyes. "I don't think its wise to underestimate the indifference of billionaires to human suffering."

Pawn pursed his lips to the right as he looked that direction as well. "Well maybe your right! I don't know! Its not like I could do anything about it anyway if Bill were just like Bob! I sure hope he isn't though!"

I closed my eyes and nodded. An understandable notion. Still, if Anna's story shows anything, it's that there is always a way to overcome human greed.

Pawn then pointed to the final figure: "Here we have Mary.

About her, there is only the legend that her spirit fights to this day using the power of her Blastoise deck against Lugia to hold it at bay from destroying our world. The legend also says that someday she will be defeated and Lugia will destroy our world if not stopped. The history books have little specifics on her."

I brought my hand to my chin again. "How odd. If the legends are true, Lugia helped create Neo island but Lugia also wanted to destroy the world? This seems inconsistent!" I looked down. "This doesn't paint a pretty picture for our world if we look at the overall context. Almost every legend is about our world being potentially destroyed! I can only assume there is some measure of truth to it!"

Pawn looked down as well. "If it is true, then it means we are due for the next threat."

We simultaneously shivered.

Pawn then pointed to the final figure of a person that appeared to be made of light "This figure is unknown to us. If we follow the same pattern of history though, I think it's likely we will find out who this person is very soon. I assume this will be either the next or the final hero."

I reached my hand towards it. "I wonder why this one is indistinct and seemingly more prominent than those that came before?"

Pawn put his hands in his pockets. "It's a question archeologists have long wondered about. No one alive seems to have an answer. It seems it is something we will just have to wait to see! Also, across the room there is a depiction of the Lugia phantom card, at least that's what the archeologists agree on. Just so you know, that is all I know of these stone paintings, but you are more than welcome to inspect the rest before we play!"

I extended my right arm across my midsection as I gave a small bow. "Thank you, Pawn."

I then resumed my inspection of the ruins.

On the far wall, there was an immense depiction of the Lugia phantom card. The context of this wall seemed the polar opposite to the one I had finished examining. Unsettling and ominous by comparison. Below the card, was the figure of a person. Indistinct but with 10 different shadows extending in several directions.

Between the two walls above the door leading farther to the interior was the symbol that is still used today for Colorless Energy. Underneath was a depiction of a table and a figure of indistinct light and a figure of indistinct shadow sitting apart from each other with the vague outline of a card game play-mat between them. The space behind the figure of light was clear with distinct imagery from several different Pokemon Cards. All of them equal size and shape for the cards themselves.

The space behind the figure of shadow had cards that were larger and more intense, but were empty. These cards however, did not appear confined to the depiction of the stone and simply kept going all the way to the corner with some being cut off as they met the corner. Some of the cards had crude shapes and others were more standard, but almost none of them appeared to match the shape and size of the cards on the other side.

The ceiling above gave the appearance of there being a large balcony lined with many indistinct shapes of shadow all peering over the edge. A thin bright-painted line connected them all and met each wall of the room as well. One of the shapes appeared to be giving an enthusiastic thumbs up! Several more shadowed figures could be seen behind them, with more behind them as well, but the farther back they were the more they faded to the black background until you could no longer distinguish any more shapes.

"A most curious depiction...I believe I am now ready for our games!"

(44)

With that, I took my seat. Pawn admitted he was eager to learn from me. Our first game was a close match with Pawn having claimed all but 1 prize! Seeing the determination and excitement in Pawns eyes, I decided to remain and played 3 more games. Although I won each, Pawn thanked me with a deep bow and vowed to become even stronger with the eventual goal of surpassing me. After bidding Pawn good luck, I resumed my descent deeper into the dungeon.

Upon entering the next room, I took a quick glance about to see if there was any different imagery, but all of it appeared identical to the previous room. I then met the gaze of Knight who seemed poised in the way one might expect of a knight. He also was wearing a full suit of armor, but I suspected it was not authentic metal because he appeared to move around a bit too easily in it. Either that or he had extremely well-toned muscles.

He spoke from within his helmet. "I hadn't thought Pawn would cause you such delay, Mr Gentleman."

I held out my arms. "The delay was of my own making, my good man. The stone murals caught my eye and I found the duels with Pawn to be most entertaining!"

Knight lightly laughed. "I hope that is not to say Pawn stretched you to your limits, good sir, or you shall be dismayed indeed!"

I crossed my arms confidently. "Ha! Win or lose, both have value. You either win and stay the course to your destination or you lose and simply learn to correct the course."

"The attitude of one truly suited to attain the things you have. Well, come and join me and lets see if your course is in need of correction shall we?"

I brandished my deck. "Indeed we shall, fine Knight!"

With that, we began a series of duels but not in the manner I had expected! Bill's Teleporter and Gambler are necessary risks needed to give the hope needed to prevail but as I knew all too well by now, their backfiring can be bitter indeed. Still, in many duels, I am able to rise above the adversity they sometimes create. Not so with Knight.

During our duels he revealed he was one of the ones who could play on equal footing with the king. Once I had finally bested him in the 4th game, the novelty of our duels had run its course and I found myself ready to proceed deeper.

I gave knight my most firm and respectable handshake before departing followed by a short bow to acknowledge him further and then proceeded deeper into the dungeon.

In the rooms that followed, the stone depictions remained unchanged. I met and dueled both Bishop and Rook both of which seemed satisfied with a single duel, both of which I was the victor. As I was also satisfied with the outcome, I proceeded to the final chamber where Queen was waiting.

133TFR33k · Mar 5, 2025

Chapter 5 - Part 1: Ghost of The Past

Upon entering the final room of the Card Dungeon, I noticed the back wall had a depiction of an indistinct shadowy figure with light surrounding its head across from a figure of pure light. The figures appeared to be playing the Pokemon trading card game together. After the momentary glance it took, I turned my gaze towards Queen.

"Welcome Mr. Gentleman!" Queen proclaimed. "You are quite the warrior to have made it so far! I have been eager to test my skills against someone of your caliber. I am the other member of our team that was able to play against the king on equal footing. Come and sit when you are ready so we may commence!"

I gave the best smile I could muster for her. "Happily my lady!"

I made my way to the stage and took my seat.

The moment I did, Queen suddenly jolted to a stiff almost shocked seating position with eyes wide open. Immediately after, she slumped forward as if unconscious.

I paused for a moment wondering what was going on. "Erm, madam if you require medical attention, I would be happy to..."

(45)

She suddenly sat up with her eyes wide and darting around the room. "Holy COW! This is definitely the weirdest one! So tall and... waaaaah!! what are these!!" She looked below at her own chest with a mixture of pure shock and embarrassment.

"Erm.. my lady..?" I visibly cringed.

She held the fingers on both hands to the sides of her head. "Oh I hope I'm not going to faint... I will never get used to this, but this is NOT what I was expecting!"

"My lady!"

She then whipped her head around and looked me directly in the eye. "So its you!"

I was taken aback. "Erm... yes? Is this supposed to be part of the attraction my lady?"

"ATTRACTION??!! What are you talking about!?" Her stance immediately became one of intense embarrassment.

I cringed a bit at the volume of her voice. Its a good thing the stone doors in the chamber seem to cut off noise from the individual rooms!

"Erm, the card dungeon attraction my lady. We are to begin the final duel or set of duels for the conclusion of the card dungeon attraction?" I gave a nervous smile.

She then sat with a blank stare for a few seconds before relinquishing her embarrassment with some light awkward laughter. "Oh! Like an amusement park! Oh thank goodness!"

I smiled awkwardly with my eyes closed. "Erm, its not to say you are not fair to look upon my lady I was merely-"

She slammed both her hands flat on the duel table. "NO! No. No! That is plenty fine enough!! Ohhh boy... MAN that was awkward!"

I was silent for a moment with my teeth exposed. "Erm I suppose? I must admit this was not quiiite what I was expecti-"

She swatted the air in front of her as it my words were something in her way. "OK never mind all that! This sure is weird but we simply don't have the time!"

I fully tilted my head. "But my lady I thought you had mentioned we had as much time as we desired?"

She suddenly became quiet and focused on me intently. "Wait what? Really?"

I held both my hands out with palms up. "My lady, I can only assume you must be suffering from acute memory loss. Not to worry, far be it from me to leave a lady in distress, ask me whatever you like and I will assist! You have my honor as a gentleman!"

"Oh I get to ask questions?? Ooo! I have a bunch! But first things first Mr., why do you say our time is unlimited?"

"Well you had mentioned we can duel each other as many times as we wished. As such, whatever amount of time we both agree is appropriate can be measured out to that effect."

She bounced in her chair a bit as I averted my gaze from what I imagine most men would have a hard time not noticing as I realized I was blushing.

She had a big smile on her face. "Oh wow! That's never happened before! This is great! Oh man, do you know how many times I have been cut off mid-sentence in the past? As long as the intent to duel is there this should work... I think!"

I brought my hand to my chin in thought. "My lady, you speak of the past but I find myself rather in the dark at this juncture pertaining to exactly what is ailing you!"

She then looked back with a slightly confused look on her face before planting the palm of her hand directly over her forehead. "Oh! I'm sorry Mr! I totally forgot how confusing this would be in your shoes! A hundred years makes it so hard to remember these things!"

I now felt more confused than ever. "A... hundred years? Well sure, anyone would forget things after that much time, but forgive me if this comes as a shock, but I met you just earlier today my lady!"

Her face went blank. "You met...," she cut herself off mid sentence and began to laugh hysterically. As her laughter provided enough of a break to speak she added: "No..stop.. my gut!!"

"Ohh.. man! No," she chuckled. "Nope! You and I have certainly not met before Mr. I can promise you that! Though... you do look somewhat like an acquaintance of mine."

I crossed my arms. "...righto... well, I am most thoroughly confused now. Ask questions if you like or if you are able to provide any answers to me I am all ears!"

She balled a fist and lowered it as if she just succeeded in a coin flip in a duel. "OK I don't know exactly how the timing of this thing works, but we should have more time than we usually do thanks to the multiple duel thing. I don't think we want to press our luck on it too much though, and we DEFINITELY need to be dueling as well as I think that might reset the time!"

I found my head tilting again. "Well that is certainly interesting but I'm not sure I follo-"

She clapped her hands together loudly. "OK! Stop! No time yet! We can pick this up after our first duel, but first I need to make some...updates," she grinned while deviously looking over her own deck, wiggling her fingers frantically. "Don't say anything else for now Mr! Just sit right there and we can start as soon as I work my magic!" She smile broadly.

(45+)

She then picked up her deck of cards and began to frantically thumb through all the cards looking both intrigued and amused. "Nope!" She pulled a card out of the deck and set it to the side.

"Wait..." She looked about and started digging into the various pockets in her robes.

"Ah! There we go!" She found a stack of cards and pulled it out in front of her. She was grinning enormously as she then began frantically thumbing through the cards. "Lets see... Ooo! Yep! And... this ...and this! Boo Yeah! Ah!" She laughed triumphantly. "Oh.. Hmm.. Ok then. How about... This! Yep! Alllright," she was now grinning deviously.

She took several cards from the pile and set them next to the deck. She then picked her deck back up and began thumbing through her deck. "Ok so.... this... this... wait what? Really??"

She was looking at her deck with profound judgment as if a professional Pokemon card player were looking over the deck of a newbie. "Hah! Noooope! Goodbye!" She took some cards out from her deck and set them away from it.

She then began counting the cards in the deck and the cards in the pile she had pulled aside.

"OK!" She then added several cards from the pile she had set aside to her deck.

"Whelp! It may not have my favorite, but this should be plenty!" She confidently grinned to herself with her eyes closed.

She then suddenly opened them and pulled both hands to her grinning mouth as she wiggled her fingers and rocked back and forth in her chair impatiently.

After chuckling a bit with a big smile on her face she set her deck forcefully upon the mat with a slightly surprised and slightly embarrassed look upon her face. She then looked up at me grinning while still slightly embarrassed but somehow completely confident at the same time. Truly one of the weirdest expressions I had ever seen!

"Alright Mr! Show me whacha got!"

Rather than ask additional questions, I decided to simply play along for now.

And with that our duel commenced!

Never before had I faced an opponent so utterly oppressive with the exception of the man who had kidnapped me. Outclassed?! Granted, the typing of her deck is especially problematic, but this somehow went deeper than that. A duelist of this caliber would not simply play the king on equal footing but would outclass him! What on earth is going on?? Her deck used several high HP basic Pokemon such as Hitmonchan and Lapras. It reminded me somewhat of Allison's psychic might deck that I had lost to in GR Castle! The duel was a solid defeat!

(45++)

The moment the duel concluded, she caught sight of my bewilderment. "Oh don't worry Mr. Its only natural!"

Her eyes shifted to the side but she was still smiling. "I'm sorry! Again, I know this is all confusing for you. Also, I maaay have gone a bit overboard with my modifications."

She brought her hands to her mouth to prevent herself from laughing. "Hey though! I noticed you are using a deck of all commons! Man that's pretty weak and weird but you actually built a deck like that which can KO my Pokemon even with me using a downgraded deck like this? That soo cool! You might even be the coolest duelist I have played and man if you knew just how many people I have played you would know just how much of a compliment that is!" She had a big and sincere smile on her face.

Feeling more lost then ever I offered my reply. "So... you downgraded your deck to play against me?"

"Downgrad- Oh!" She started laughing again before resuming

"No way Mr! This deck was stoopid weak before I modified it! Even weaker than that common deck you are running in fact!"

I replied with somehow ever-mounting confusion. "So you waited until we were ready to duel to pause and improve your deck when you remarked that we are low on time?? Am I simply just going mad or dreaming?"

She smacked herself on the forehead with her hand. "Oh man.. there I go again running my mouth without helping a bit! Sorry Mr!"

She performed a deep bow. "Ok! Lets help get things cleared up for you first. I think that will make things MUCH easier for you!"

I interlaced the fingers on both hands holding them near my chest. "That's all I have been asking ever since I sat down! Please do tell!"

She gave a confident smile and a small salute. "Ok so this is going to be a lot to take in, but remember that we can't be going real slow Mr! Where to start... huh... OK! So first I am definitely NOT who you see as me!"

My expectations dropped. "Madam, I realize that already, you mentioned at the entrance that Queen is the name you have in this attraction and that it is not your real name. I am aware of this fact alrea-"

She gripped her face in her hands. "What?? UGH! NO! Mr! I need to explain! Pipe down for a bit ok?"

"Very well! Do continue, I just thought I might be saving time..."

She swatted the air again. "No! It’s not saving time! That does not matter at all! What does matter is that my consciousness is not the lady you see in front of you! I'm not even a girl! Do you know how awkward it is to go from being a ten year old boy to being not only a girl but a woman!? I hope you never have to find that out Mr!"

Having had enough of being toyed with, I crossed my arms with my eyes closed. "Ok madam this goes beyond having some sort of mental issue, I see now your goal all along must have been to simply embarrass me in a duel and then to insult my intelli-"

She slammed her fist on the table jolting my eyes open. She was wearing a look of serious agitation. It was hard to believe she could be such a good actor. Every bit of her performance felt completely authentic.

"NO! NONONONONO!! WRONG! MR! I need you to listen! I'm telling the truth! I am a TEN year old BOY named AXEL! I'm what you might call a Ghostmaster! Though you wouldn’t have any idea what that is since no one has come to visit us in so long! Not that you CAN come visit us with that stupid SEAL upon the door to our fort!"

She sighed. "I don't know if you saw our fort, but its big and important looking though some people say it looks menacing. I'd tell you to just make a hole in the wall and enter that way, but there is nooo way of getting through those walls. You'd have to come through the front door for sure!"

I paused a moment and decided to weigh in. "I don't recall any buildings on this island that I have seen that I was not able to enter."

She looked up to the ceiling with grimacing. "Ugh! It figures you don't even know where it is! I guess that's what we get for being off the beaten path in a fort no one can open!"

As she spoke I pondered that this was simply all too ridiculous to be lies. Why bother to claim to be someone who died 1,000 years ago and what motivation would she have to treat me in this manner when it would so clearly put her at odds with the King anyway? So, at least for now, I decided I would simply take what sh...'he' says at face value. If I am to be embarrassed by it later as an elaborate hoax, at least it was to humor an attractive lady!

"All right" I rolled my eyes. "I don't know if this is an elaborate hoax, but I feel compelled to believe you regardless so I will continue from that perspective."

Axel then brought both his hands together with interlaced fingers to his chin. "Oh thank goodness! You don't know how LONG that took with the others! So much time tends to be wasted on just that alone! At this point, I know for sure we have more time than usual, but we still need to make the best of it!"

He nodded. "So, as I mentioned, I am Axel, the Ghostmaster. Ghostmaster might be a bit misleading, but its much easier to go with the short explanation than the long one, at least for right now."

"Nice to meet you, Mr!” He smiled sincerely.

(46)

“Did you see the painted murals in the previous rooms Mr?"

"I did indeed."

Axel placed a hand on his forehead as he faced upward with his eyes closed. "Oh good! I was worried when you mentioned this is an attraction that the importance of this place along with the notice of the murals had shrunk with time!"

Axel looked me in the eyes. "The left walls had nine distinct figures on them. That first one was me! Each of us saved the world from the shadowy figure on the right wall! You know, the one with the ten shadows who stands in the shadow of Lugia! I'm sure you know Lugia from the Lugia temple on the island though."

I brought my hand to my chin. "Lugia temple? I think everyone has heard of Lugia, but I can think of no such temple on this island."

"Well, it might not stand out as much as some temples as it was built underground, but its still a temple! I realize this isn't your home island though so you might not know as much about it. I'm sure if you ask the residents they can help!"

My head tilted. "How do you know I am not from this island?"

"How? Well, because we all weren't! Each of us heroes came from the same TCG Island that you came from! Because we came from it and I'm here, that means that you are next in line and that you are from it too!"

"I'm not sure I am following your logic here..."

Axel smacked himself in the forehead with his open hand. "Well duh! Of course you aren't following yet! I haven't got to all of it yet! I think we might be getting close to next deadline though. After all, this after-duel dialogue is getting pretty wordy. Its usually only a sentence or two of dialogue and really its only supposed to be a monologue at that! Yep, we've been pushing this waaaay farther than its normally supposed to go, so lets not push our luck! Duel me again Mr!" Axel grinned holding Queen's modified deck towards me.

At that, we entered into our next duel. Though I was now prepared for the specifics of Queen's modified deck in the hands of Axel, knowledge alone was simply not enough to prevail! The result was another loss. Normally this development would leave me at least a little flustered, but at the moment, I found myself profoundly fascinated by this truth (or perhaps ruse!) that I kept learning about from Axel.

(47)

With our second duel completed, Axel jumped right to it. "Ok now that we got that out of the way, back to my explanation! You are probably wondering how we saved the world. Saved is probably not the best word to describe it though. Its more like... preserved. Preserved from what you may wonder? From changes! What kind of changes? ...Bad ones."

Axel peered into my eyes with the most serious expression I had seen from him yet. "Very bad ones. To explain this, I'm going to need to explain something much more complicated first. Bare with me Mr! You know of our past right? TCG Island, the existence of legendary Pokemon cards and the clubs?"

I nodded.

"Well guess what? There is another version of our world where a hero traveled and defeated the 8 club leaders to gain the right to challenge those known as the grand masters. When this hero won, he inherited the legendary Pokemon cards."

My expression softened. "Well, of course I am aware of that! It is a common story told to children after all, but you claim these are real events that took place in some other version of our world?"

Axel held a finger up between his eyes. "Yep! So, from that world, lets call it the main world line of the Pokemon Trading Card Game, there was an event of immense significance that took place. That event created this island we see here, altered TCG Island, and even altered the decks and behavior of duelists!"

The way he described it almost sounded as if our world was an actual video game that had a sequel created, rather than just sounding like one in name only. I quickly dismissed the idea as it would be total rubbish! Still, it IS quite peculiar...

"But!" Axel held up a finger, "the island we are standing on here is not quite the same as what was created during that event."

I tilted my head as I waited to hear more.

"Let me put it this way, imagine an orb floating in nothingness. This orb is very big. Lets call it the nexus. From this nexus extends lines in various directions. World lines, if you will. One such line is the main world line. Along that single line are two smaller orbs, the Pokemon Trading Card Game and Pokemon TCG2. From the Pokemon TCG2 another line extends but its not one one that extends to TCG1, nor is it the one that extends to the Nexus. Instead, it extends to an orb larger than Pokemon TCG2 but no where near as large as the Nexus. For size comparison, imagine the nexus as the sun and Pokemon TCG2 as a small planet with our world being a mid sized planet."

My eyes were closed as I imagined what he was describing. I nodded.

"Ok, so now, the line that extends from our world to TCG2 is a dotted line instead of a solid line. The fact that its dotted means that it does not share the same world line, but does share a connection to the other world line. You with me so far?"

"As best one can be, please continue"

"Ok, so from our world line there is another dotted line. That line extends to the island we know as NEO."

I held up a finger. "Ah, I am indeed familiar with NEO! Worker immigrants from their island are often employed on this island for construction projects and they are frequently used for the outsourcing of IT work."

Axel brought a hand to his chin. "Ah! So that's what's going on with them these days! You might be curious to know that the island of NEO has its own Pokemon Cards that are wholly different from the ones we use on our island here!"

"What? But I have heard of no such thing as undiscovered Pokemon cards, especially not in such mass!"

Axel balled both fists as he brought them to his chest. "I know right? Its crazy! But what is even more weird, is that you will never see one of those cards on this island or TCG Island! Its like they don't exist... or at least they don't exist for us! This is also true in reverse!"

Axel held a finger up. "Let me ask you another question; have you ever been walking about and interact with someone who just doesn't seem to have an actual name?"

"Well... now that you mention it, I suppose so!"

Axel held a hand out towards me with his palm up. "Super weird right? You may also have noticed that you are totally unable to duel anyone that lacks a name or at least a title of a name. You called me Queen. That's a specific name. That's how I'm able to be here and that is how we are able to duel!"

How had something so rudimentary escape my notice?! He's right! Those without names never duel!

Axel raised an eyebrow. "Those without names? I have a theory: they are all immigrants from NEO! When they come here, they don't have a predetermined place in our world so they are card-less and are unable to have names! Instead they will always be something such as 'secretary' or 'attendant' or even someone like 'GR Girl'!

"Fascinating..." I found myself replying with.

"So you might be wondering about the cards they use on their island. How do they stack up to our cards? Are theirs stronger, weaker, equal... horribly unbalanced abominations? Do you see where I am going with this?" Axel peered darkly at me.

At this, I felt a distant creeping feeling on the fringes of my awareness.

"One of the key philosophies our world has always held to is that of the balance of variation of cards. This key tenant is required for our world to be fun! I don't know if there is something I can think of that is more important than the ability to have fun. Can you?"

I thought for a moment. "Fun you say? I have never given it much thought! But indeed, if I ruminate upon it, certainly everything is good because of it!"

Axel held both hands out towards me with palms up. "Exactly! Too little variation and you have essentially all the same cards. Imagine if everyone had decks of Magikarp and water energy because those are the only cards to exist!"

I covered my mouth with my hand. "Oh my word! What a dreadful reality one such as that would be! I imagine no one would be able to have fun in any duel that way!"

Axel took his left hand and gave a small chop in the air as his hand pointed at me at the end. "Exactly! Now imagine there is too much variation. So much, that there are 2,000 different duel mechanics, rule sets, and over 100,000 cards! While the possibilities may seem endless, so are the chances for horribly unbalanced abominations to be created!"

Axel held up a finger. "But it should take time to create cards! I doubt it can simply happen all at once. That's why the original orb in the main world line had fewer cards than TCG2! Creating cards doesn’t mean they will be used though. So how do you get new cards to be used?"

I covered my mouth in thought with my left hand and my other hand gripped the forearm. I then looked up. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Axel held up a finger. "They either need to play in different ways, complement existing cards in useful ways, or they need to outclass the cards that came before! But there is a problem with that. If new cards are even only sometimes stronger than those that came before, it gradually pushes the old cards into a place where they will be forever boxed and never used again!

I frowned. "What a sad phenomenon that would be! How can one claim to love the Pokemon Trading Card Game if they banish some cards to a box never to be seen again?!"

Axel closed his eyes and nodded. "I think you are starting to get it. By the way, that phenomenon is known as Power Creep. It is a sub-philosophy of our enemy. Why is it only sub you ask? Because his primary philosophy is even more disastrous than that!"

At this I began to grow concerned.

"His primary philosophy is to never lose! He plans to achieve it by a combination of power creep and scarcity."

I looked down placing my index finger and thumb upon the end of my chin.

Axel waved his palms towards me. "Imagine a card so powerful that everyone who wants to win needs to run it in their decks. Now imagine there was only one such card! The wielder of that card might be unstoppable in any duel! That is the goal of our foe and ultimate enemy. If he can't lose duels, then his plans cannot be disrupted!"

I crossed my arms with my head tilted. "Never losing is all well and good, but eventually one needs to challenge ones self and invent new ways to have fun with the Pokemon Trading Card Game! What is victory without the potential for loss? It sounds like this foe merely duels as a means to an end without realizing that the point of the Pokemon Trading Card Game is to have FUN! I may duel for money, but the reason I duel for money instead of doing something else is because it is fun!"

(48)

Axel wore a look of adoration. "I've met all the other heroes, but I think the way you think is the best of all Mr! No time to slow down right now though. NEO Island? It doesn't belong. It never did. It shouldn't connect to us at all yet it does! Why? Because the enemy by some means willed it to connect!"

I stretched my arms to the ceiling having already been sitting a while. "But I heard a legend that tells of the mad king Baltheos who created that island."

Axel held up a finger. "Yes, I had heard of that legend a long time ago, but its not quite right. Baltheos didn't go mad. He was essentially possessed by our ultimate foe. Also, he didn't create Neo Island. He reached through our Nexus and connected Neo to our world! Neo Island existed prior to that connection being formed!"

I held both arms out with my palms up. "But surely such power is beyond a mere human! How on earth could he accomplish such a task?"

Axel peered at me darkly. "He used a device with god-like powers called the Progenitor. The Progenitor is what created all of the cards we know and use. The Progenitor can create any cards within its database. It is also what is responsible for the creation of booster packs. Have you ever wondered why dueling someone over and over again always results in winning booster packs?"

I looked down and frowned. "Erm.. now that you mention it, that is rather odd objectively speaking. Why is it like that?"

Axel brought his fist down on the table with a small thud. "That's because the Progenitor creates them and places them in the pockets of anyone that loses a duel! Those that lose are not even aware of this process, they simply grab the booster pack out and hand it over!"

I couldn't understand why I kept missing so many obvious things!

Axel tilted his head down but maintained eye contact. "You might be wondering why booster packs are never placed in your own pocket though. That's because you are the next in line to oppose the enemy! No one knows why, but until your destiny is complete you will never need to hand out booster packs to opponents that win against you no matter how many times you may lose!"

At this point, I started wondering what other odd things I might yet learn from Axel.

Axel held a finger up. "There are some situations where booster packs are not given beyond the special case that is currently you. Duels that happen in these ruins are exempt as are any simulated duels in challenge machines, for example. There are other events and situations that can prevent booster pack distribution as well but those are rare."

I grabbed my hair with both hands. "How does something so objectively odd go without the notice of most folk!? Do you have any idea why?"

Axel put a hand to his chin a moment in though before replying. "Well... Maybe because it is so common-place, people don't think to question it? I'll bet there are lots of things like that about society if you really try hard to find them!"

I crossed my arms. "I suppose so. Still, it's quite fascinating!"

Axel waved his hand around in the air. "Anyway, The Progenitor is so unbelievably complex that no one can understand its full functions. It IS immensely powerful, but it did NOT create our world. The creation of our world came from the nexus and the creation of our nexus came from somewhere else. My theory is that it came from something more simplistic, but obviously more large. If we are the Pokemon Trading Card Game, my theory is that the nexus of our nexus, is simply Pokemon. I'm sure the nature of our universe is even more complex than that with more layers, but that should be sufficient for our purposes. I believe however that the Progenitor does have a connection to the nexus! Specifically, I believe the Progenitor is the vessel through which our world line from the nexus connects to our world!”

I replied without intending. "Fascinating.. if what you say is true, it upends and explains far more about the nature of reality than anything I have ever heard combined! Even if you are Axel, the hero, how would you know all this?"

Axel held up a finger. "The knowledge I have has been built up over hundreds of years of research by various scientists and psychics as well as things I have learned this past 1,000 years. Its a lot, I know, but do try to remember to breathe! I need you focused after all!"

I nodded with my eyes closed. "Apologies, please do continue since you mentioned our time is limited."

Axel gave me a thumbs up. "Now you're getting it Mr! Ok, so where was I... Remember when I said each of us Ghostmasters had saved the world? While that is technically true, it doesn't give you the full picture. There are times when we were not able to achieve full victory and our foe was able to gain ground. It was through one of such times that our world line was created to begin with. That event was the original upheaval."

If Axel didn't have my undivided attention before, he most certainly did now!

Axel gripped his chest below his neck. "By the time I was able to understand what I was supposed to do, our world line and world had already been created. I managed to stop him from furthering his plans any more than that, but that was all I was able to do.

Our foe, he isn't like any normal person. Also, my ability to be here and now and speak to you is definitely weird and I need to explain it, but that's going to have to wait for later. We need to get to our next duel! Ready when you are Mr!" He swept his hand outward towards me.

I held up a fist. "Very well then!"

133TFR33k · Mar 6, 2025

Chapter 6: Mint

(52) Nothing

Suddenly it began to dawn on me as to the situation I was about to find myself in now that Axel was fading! Before I could take any action, Axel slumped over in my arms and Queen awoke once more!

Her first reaction was to widen her eyes larger than I had even seen from Axel. This, of course, was followed by a high pitched scream that I suspected could break glass and at the same time came the strongest slap imaginable!

(53)

When I next awoke, I found my head laying upon something soft with a concerned but pleasant voice. When my eyes were able to focus, I could make out a person looming above me. It was Queen!

"Oh thank goodness!" Queen put both hands over her mouth. "I thought I had killed you! Can you imagine? The first day on the job and I kill the man the King proclaimed as his friend and ordered me to learn from?!"

Still a bit dazed, I allowed myself a little more time against the unusual pillow my head must have been on.

"I hit you without even knowing what was going on! I am SO sorry!" Mint held her hands together near her chin while closing her eyes.

I groaned. "Ah.. my lady, I appreciate your concern, that slap might have punched a hole in reality, but such things are a trifle to a stout man such as myself!" I smiled as best I could.

An incredulous look crept onto Queen's face. She then began a fit of pure laughter.

Once her laughing subsided, she gave me a look that clearly implied she was studying me or perhaps suspected me of something.

"Well, now that I know your not dead, I have to ask what on earth happened!"

"My lady, I do not say this lightly, but I am unable to properly explain what happened here. I simply ask that you look into my eyes and judge their sincerity and believe that I will most certainly explain it. What I can tell you right now is that nothing of any foul measure occurred and that all of your honor remains intact! To explain what happened, you will need to come with me."

(54)

She furrowed her brow. "Come with you? On the day of the grand opening? And you say you cannot even properly explain what happened? Are you fond of life my good man?" She inquired with a look more dangerous than I was aware a woman could produce!

"My lady!" I squeaked, "I would never make up such an obvious lie! Do whatever you will to me if I am lying but I promise on my word as a gentleman that I everything I have said is the unblemished truth!" I smiled nervously.

She then gave me the most suspicious stare directly into my eyes. Her eyes are quite lovely in fac- "FINE! You know what? I don't think any other patrons will even make it back here anyway! Do you know how few people would even make it past Knight even if given as many tries as they wanted? I'm supposed to learn from you anyway! Why not?!" Her eyes were wide.

I looked away hoping it would help even a little. "Please do not be angry my lady, as I said I will explain a-"

"YOU HAD BETTER HAVE THE MOST AMAZING EXCUSE I HAVE EVER HEARD OF MR GENTLEMAN!!"

I cringed with my eyes shut. "Absolutely my lady! My life is in your hands and I will not disappoint!" I opened my eyes a little to see her reaction.

She then gave me a look. It was a look I expect might be given to a small child caught red handed with something. "Fine. Lets go then... Where are we going?" She said shortly and to the point with no amusement whatsoever.

I held up my finger as her head continued to loom above me. "First my lady, we must visit the king in his castle. I must inquire as to the whereabouts of an archaeologist."

She then started to give me a look again so I added: "It is absolutely necessary, I promise!"

At this her gaze softened to mere suspicion. She then leaned back with a blank look and simply sighed out. "Fiiine."

She then looked down and added without any tone or humor "You can get off my lap now."

"Ah! Yes! I shall do that right away!" My composure lost, I scrambled off of her lap.

I quickly picked myself up, dusted myself off and straightened my apparel. "Erm.. if we are to be traveling I might need something other than 'Queen' to address you by, my lady."

At this, she scrunched up her face and let out another sigh. "So now my name is needed too? I suppose next you will offer the ring!" she exclaimed and continued "Oh fine... whatever... my name is Mint. Be grateful and you had better live up to your tall tale!" She stared at me with great displeasure.

I placed both hands together as I offered a short and diminutive bow. "My sincerest gratitude, Mint! Please be patient and I will explain everything. I am confident you will not be angry and that any hostility you may harbor for me will cease completely!"

She now wore a mischievous smile. "Oh we will see won't we? Because if not, lets just say the king might just be firing me after all!"

I straightened up and stared at the back wall. "I am absolutely sure it will not come to that!"

Mint then looked up as it appeared she suddenly remembered something. "I better grab my deck."

She turned to the table. "Why are my cards strewn about all over the table?"

I held my finger up. "That, my lady, will be part of my explanation to you. While I did nothing to your deck, you will find the cards in it to be different that what you had selected for yourself."

She began to give me a look as if I had just hurled the most dreadful of insults at her.

I hastily added, "Check the cards! I believe you will find the modifications beneficial!"

She simply gave me another look. A most terribly. Un-amused. Look.

She then plucked the deck from the table and began to thumb through the cards.

Before long she stopped and froze. "You are sure it was not you who altered my deck?"

Without being able to gauge the sort of reaction this might be, I braced for the worst and quickly added: "I did not."

After another brief pause, her entire demeanor shifted in a way some might find rather unsettling. "I really have to thank them! I was wondering what I should do to improve the deck but I have to admit these modifications look great!" Somehow, she now had a true smile on her face.

I believe that is the first time I have seen her smile in such a fashion actually. Yes, I saw Axel use her face to smile, but that was nothing compared to the wonder I now found myself transfixed on!

Just as quickly, her expression soured as just her eyes met mine. "And just what are you looking at?"

"Nothing my lady!" I offered while putting on my best performance in an attempt to appear casual.

She then returned to look through her deck some more. "Yes these are quite right! Whoever made these changes certainly looks like they knew what they were doing! I'll bet the King will be quite impressed when I show him this!" She gloated with another big smile.

Not wanting to be caught gawking again, I quickly mentioned: "Is everything in order then my lady? If so we should take our leave. My explanation to you and the required journey for it is somewhat time sensitive so I wish to avoid delay."

She turned back to me. "Yes, I find everything in order. Interesting that you should wish to hurry to your doom at my hands. Perhaps you are not lying after all?"

"That is precisely it my lady as you shall soon see! Let us be off then!"

(55)

Upon our exit of the attraction, Mint paused, and turned to the woman employee who manned the entrance.

"I will be taking my leave for the remainder of the day and perhaps longer as I am on my way to see the King. If anyone should make it to the final chamber, simply allow them to wager whatever they like prior to opening the door and allow them an instant win. It should not matter since I don't expect many or perhaps even any to make it that far."

The employee nodded her head. "Of course! Safe travels to you!"

After that, Mint stopped at a door that led to the employee’s-only area. “I’m not about to wear this dress everywhere. Wait here while I go change.”

I gave a confident smile. “I shall remain fixed upon this very spot my lady!”

She gave me another suspicious stare into my eyes and lingered for a moment before relaxing. “Good. I’ll be right back. I wouldn’t try to run if I were you either. I can run very fast when I need to...”

At this I stood up straight as if being inspected by an army drill Sargent. “I would not dream of it! You deserve an explanation for what you awoke to after all!”

Mint now had a look of slight suspicion again. “Don’t think you can hide either. I know this entire building and area like the back of my hand!”

With that, she slipped through the door. I stood patiently waiting, but about only thirty seconds after she was gone, the door quickly swung open again!

Mint was there and looked right at me for a second. “Good! I really will go change now.” She disappeared again through the door.

As I stood waiting, it occurred to me just how ridiculous this entire situation was. Just then, my Doduo rounded the corner looking positively pleased with itself. Half its feathers were missing and it had several scratches and bruises and wore an expression of near complete ecstasy. Clearly it loved every minute of the torture!

"Had a good time did you?" I grinned as I shook my head.

It simply looked at me tilting its battered heads.

My thoughts then drifted back to my encounters with Axel and Mint. So many things going on and things to keep track of! Now I hear I am some kind of hero? That may be stretching it a bit even for the esteemed leader of the Doduo Alliance! Still, it sounds like there is no one else up to the task…

Before long Mint returned and was no longer wearing a dress but what I assume is her usual casual attire! Like this, she bore a striking resemblance to a model I saw on TV once. The model on TV was considerably younger though. Interesting how such apparel works for children, young teens and young adults alike! I closed my eyes to recall the model I saw on TV:

Indeed the clothing, hair, and eyes all matched Mint perfectly! The only obvious difference was that the Mint in front of me was about 10 years older!

I scratched my head. "My lady... you have a striking resemblance to a model I saw on TV once..."

Mint smiled broadly. "Well of course I do! She is me!" She pointed to herself with her thumb smiling as she looked slightly upward with her eyes closed.

I squinted at her. "My lady... the model I saw was far younge-"

Mint started giggling.

"My lady, I'm not sure what is so funny..."

Mint smiled. "I did those about 9 years ago now I think. The company liked it so much they continued using the photo shoots for ads! There are kind of a lot of separate pieces to the set though, so you might not see many people wearing it all the way I do."

As she was deep in thought, I found myself drawn to her attire. I must say, the way it reveals her shoulders and thighs is quite a sight to behol-

Mint took a look at Doduo and then toward me.

“AHEM!” Mint looked annoyed.

Her reaction startled me. “Ah!!"

I then caught Mint rolling her eyes.

I regained my composure and gestured towards Doduo. "This is the bird who has been following me for over a month now. It was having some 'Doduo' fun in the daycare."

Mint rolled her eyes. "Well duh. Everyone knows how much Doduo love to take pain. If they don't have ways to hurt themselves they can actually get depressed you know!"

I chuckled. "I'm having a hard time picturing a Doduo being unable to find a way to hurt itself."

Mint held up a finger. "Well I heard on NEO island they have Doduo poachers! They hunt Doduo's and tie them up so they can't move. The Doduo love it at first, but when they realize they can't move or hurt themselves, they start to get sad! Apparently they view Doduo there as pests, so they invent ways to upset them! Poor birds!" Mint frowned.

I furrowed my brow. "I may not always like this bumbling bird, but I can't imagine trying to do something like that to it!"

Doduo was transfixed on our conversation staring intently at either of us. It was still as a statue.

I closed my eyes and waved my hand past my face. "Well! It is just a rumor you heard, people say all kinds of things about NEO, but I doubt there is any truth to most of it."

Mint looked down still frowning. "I suppose you're right.. it is pretty hard to imagine a place where they would do things like that..."

I caught a fist in my other hand. "Well then! We had best be off if you are ready to depart?"

Mint nodded.

Doduo seemed to regain its typical composure as it followed along behind us.

With that, we made our way towards the exit. Along the way, I gazed at what I now know is the Progenitor but continued walking as I went.

Continuing on, we passed by the chip and prize counters as I promptly pulled out the bag of chips and presented them to the attendant. She noticed Mint walking beside me and offered what I would have easily mistaken for a genuine smile if it were not for our previous interaction. The millisecond Mint's eye's were out of view she emptied the contents of the bag. With great haste and attention to detail, quickly counted out every chip.

In seconds she was finished and mouthed to me: "You get to live this time. Just be caaaareful..."

What on earth is with the women in this establishment?? One wants to end my life and the other wants to end it in an entirely different fashion! The only one I suspected might not take delight in my torment was the one Mint spoke to on our way out!

No matter. Once I am able to explain to Mint, I'm sure she will no longer treat me as such and I suspect the explanation will have quite the opposite effect! I daydreamed a bit about that as we exited the establishment. My thoughts almost allowed me to forget about my dumb bird companion. Its been smug the entire time, especially around the women of violent intent.

I looked at Doduo and wasn't sure if I should be more worried about it or myself...

Doduo's head tilted inquisitively. Don't tell me that bird can read minds now! I signed. It must just be learning to read my expressions... Look at me jumping to fanciful conclusions just because my entire world view was upended in a manner of hours....Erm... actually that does explain things rather well I suppose!

In the original game, you can play only as a boy who's cannon name is Mark. In the 2nd game, you also have the option to select a girl who's cannon name is Mint. Queen and Mint are separate characters in the game, but I thought Queen looked like she could potentially be Mint in a fancy dress and some makeup to appear older. For an interesting spin on things I decided to make Queen and Mint one and the same character!

At this point in the story, Mint now dresses and wears her hair in the same style as the way she looks as a protagonist in the game. The pictures in the chapter are original game art for her.

133TFR33k · Mar 6, 2025

Chapter 7: Reunions

(56)
Our journey en route to the bridge beyond the GR grass club met with a pristine shoreline. I had traveled this section of the island before, but since I found myself with a traveling companion other than the most basic of birds, I decided to offer a brief diversion.

I clasped my hands together. "My lady, around this bend is quite a sight of the ocean! Perhaps you would care to take a rest among the waves and sand before we continue? I find my own legs could do with a spot of tension release before the long journey ahead."

Mint tilted her head as she smiled at me from the side. "Are you pretending to be tired, so I can see the ocean Mr Gentleman?"

I coughed loudly. "I beg your pardon! I was simply just-"

She grabbed my arm dragging it in a hurry. "You're in luck because I am quite fond of the ocean!"

Having absolutely no idea of any words that would be beneficial for the situation, I simply went with the direction the mad woman was dragging me in. I had already decided to go there anyway, so why not? Doduo happily and absentmindedly trotted along.

Once we came to a large hill with sand on the side towards the ocean, we came to a stop.

Mint gazed out to the horizon. The wind from the sea flowing through her hair. The waves upon the beach, a form of white noise that is seldom heard in-person. "I've been so busy lately you see... Sometimes one can get so invested in the details of life...that they forget to stop and look around every once in a while... The wheels of life never cease and turn faster the longer they run... Sometimes... slowing down like this is nice."

We found a nearby log to sit upon to rest our feet as we took in the ambiance of the waves and the splendor of the endless ocean sparkling with the light from the sun like a million tiny living crystals. At least a few minutes went by as we mutually enjoyed both the rest and the experience with no words necessary.

As it turns out, the absence of the fear of starvation can do wonders for a trip abroad!

A voice rang out some distance behind me. "Well! Fancy meeting you here Mr Gentleman!"

I stood and turned about to see a familiar face wearing her usual bikini! "Brooke, leader of the GR water fortress??"

I glanced to see that Mint turned around on the log and Doduo was... running on the ocean? This would have shocked me had I not seen it literally run up a waterfall on my previous trip to this island...

Brooke replied as she jogged closer. "Hah! Of the water fortress no longer! I quit!" She reached us as she finished speaking while confidently crossing her arms with an up-turned nose and closed eyes.

I brought my hand to my chin. "Erm, usually the loss of one's employment can be met with a great deal of stress but you don't appear stressed, so am I to conclude this is a positive turn of developments?"

She placed her hands on her hips and smiled. "Positive? Is. It. EVER! Remember that problem I had with the tanning bed? Weeeellll as it turns out, my lawsuit against Bill Incorporated was a complete success! The ruling argued in my favor that the overload of the tanning bed could dramatically increase the chances of skin cancer later in life, so they opted to settle for five million! As long as I don't go overboard with it, I no longer have to work! This past month I've opted to take daily trips to the various beaches of GR Island to tan! Don't worry though, I'm using a good skin product for it and I only ever wanted light tans anyway. Its been so relaxing!"

My hand remained on my chin. "Ah, but if you are no longer the leader, I assume you selected a successor?"

Brooke smiled broadly as she gave a thumbs up with closed eyes. "Sure did! I went with Jacob from the water fortress! The kid loved water even more than me so I'm sure it will work out."

At the news of this development I could not help but imagine the hours upon hours of water monologues that would no doubt be delivered in those now-defiled halls... Just knowing that situation and that I need not return there filled me with optimism!

She opened her eyes as she looked as if she just remembered something. "Oh hey, speaking of fortress changes, there was another new leader as well! You know the GR fire leader Bernard? Well I hear he got demoted to janitor! It turns out, the Doduo Alliance had some words with the king regarding management of that fortress and the king was not too happy about all the money it took to keep lava cycling through the rooms! He promoted Kara to be the new fire leader! I hear everybody over there is having a blast now. Maybe you should check it out? I heard the king was heading over there for an inspection now that the renovation is complete."

If the King was over there, it might be a waste to travel all the way to the castle. If the King turned out not to be there, it should still make for an interesting diversion. It would be nice to see the folks from the fire fortress again, as I particularly enjoyed the company of Kara and Ellen. Speaking of Ellen, I don't think I have seen that bird bond with anyone more than it did with her. In the past month, I had grown somewhat used to the bird and didn't mind it so much if it got to do something it wanted every once in a while.

I casually crossed my arms. "It sounds like things have indeed been busy and I'm glad to hear the kings reforms are having a positive impact on things! As for your situation, it sounds like you have stumbled upon some good fortune!"

Brooke smiled. "Yep! By the way.."

Brooke looked to Mint.

"Who's the chick?" She looked back at me with a grin and mischievous wink.

Mint suddenly sprang up from the log. "The chick is Mint! I'm going on a journey with this man so he can explain how I lost consciousness and suddenly woke up in a teary-eyed, snot-nosed mess in his arms," she said casually.

Brooke's jaw dropped before she turned back to me. "Whoa Mr Gentleman! I had no idea you had such a way with the ladies!"

I replied despite the hopelessness of the situation. "I'll have you know it was through no fault of mine! I was trying to help-"

Brooke laughed. "Man! Sounds like you did a great job there! I need to find me a guy somewhere even half that bold!"

I could feel my eyes involuntarily roll hard.

Mint must have seen this as a challenge as she clung to my arm and chirped. "I know right! Its so hard to find men like this one. I keep suspecting he will sneak away at the first chance since he has so little hope of explaining such a situation!"

I groaned. "Oh why do I even bother..."

As my gaze shifted downward, Doduo had returned and was caught up in a dance. Yes, one must never forget the kinds of situations that will motivate Doduo to dance...

Brooke smiled. "Well, I wouldn't mind to stay and chat, but I think I better give you two lovebirds some space!" She winked, turned about, and jogged out towards the shore in the distance.

With the ambiance of the ocean mood now thoroughly soured, I dusted off the back of my pants from sitting on the log. "Well! I think we had better be off! We don't want to tarry here too long after all!" I began walking back to our route to the bridge beyond the GR Grass Fortress we would need to cross.

Mint kept up with me easily.

"So... what number would you give her?" She tilted her head as she leaned towards me a little while looking at me intently.

I stopped walking, furrowed my brow, and looked back at her leaning my head to the side. "I.. what? What number?"

She slowly nodded. "Oh.. so that's how its going to be..."

I gripped the sides of my head with my hands. "How what is going to be?? Have I not been toyed with enough for one day?!"

But, this only spurred her on further as she broke into a fit of laughter lasting well over a minute. The bird, of course dancing even harder than it was before we stood up. I thought the life of a hero would have some measure of status and importance! Not… whatever this is!

As we journey continued I explained to Mint it was best to first pay a visit to the GR Fire Fortress in case the King was there. She agreed.

(57)

The journey there relatively uneventful and I soon found myself back in the GR Fire Fortress. Upon entry, I noticed a massive temperature improvement in the foyer compared to my previous visit!

As much as Doduo loved its feathers burning, it still seemed exuberant to visit! It even begun preening and smoothing its feathers as it walked with one of its heads while the other kept watch and presumably to focus on walking. Each head would occasionally swap duties with the other.

I also caught sight of Bernard sweeping the floor. He was apparently working up quite a sweat with the cleaning and I noticed his work uniform had no fans installed. Situations sometimes require no words. I reasoned this was one such situation. Why put forth the time? This man clearly had more than this coming to him but likely doesn't understand the fortune he has left. If he is unable to recognize it, there is justice in that too. I walked right past him.

I noticed the areas of the floor that used to have lava in it instead had a red liquid which I conjectured was likely regular water with some kind of red dye in it. The execution of the effect gave it the basic appearance of lava but without the costly and dreadful temperature to go with it!

As we walked, Mint took a deep content breath. "Well! I had heard the Fire Fortress was hot, but I it feels like they have it at a constant 70 degrees in here!"

I turned to look Mint in the eye. "Hot does not begin to describe what it was my lady, I believe it was upwards of 110 degrees when last I visited!"

Mint placed her hands on her hips. "Well then, it is no wonder our king gave it a rework! It is a lot of money to maintain such high temperatures after all!"

As we continued I caught sight of Jess. She no longer was wearing a mask. It seems she dropped her emotional manipulation tactic in her duels! She caught my gaze and I gave her a little wink. She merely smiled back in return.

Mint had a sly grin. "Another woman who casually offers you shy smiles Mr gentleman? Just what kind of adventures have you been up to, I wonder?"

I groaned. "Oh please not now madam!"

She chuckled a bit, clearly pleased with herself.

It just then occurred to me how Mint was not altogether unlike Doduo. Just what is this life of mine? I groaned, inwardly this time, to prevent spurring her on further...

Next we encountered the room Kara used to be in, but it was empty. I suppose they have yet to fill this role. That they did not reinstate Bernard here and instead demoted him to janitor, was a breath of fresh air not unlike the fresh and optimal-temperature the fortress now featured.

(58)

Next was Ellen's room.

She no longer appeared to be about to pass out and instead enthusiastically jumped up and down with a wave when she saw me before adding: "Mr gentleman! Its so good to see you! Thank you so much the last time you were here! I might have suffered from heat stroke had you and your cute Doduo not lead me to return to the lobby! I know I didn't get on stage for you at the summit but I have always had terrible stage fright! Also...," she turned to look at Doduo, "I had a blast traveling with you! I don't know why your Doduo would only let me ride it, but it was so much fun!" She held out a hand and called for Doduo in a high pitched voice. Doduo immediately perked up and trotted over to her!

Doduo normally trots somewhat haphazardly in a very get-it-done kind of way, but this trot seemed... almost as if it had been practiced. It had an air of uncanny precision and.. poise? Most bewildering!

Ellen was smiling broadly as she petted Doduo's heads.

I coughed lightly to clear my throat. "By the way, do you know if the king is here currently?"

Ellen's focus was entirely on the bird, but amid her interactions with said bird, she gave her reply. "Oh the king? You just missed him! He was pretty pleased overall but mentioned how Bernard needs to do a better job of cleaning if he wants to become a regular duelist again here someday."

I snapped my fingers. "Ah, I will need to seek him out at his castle after all then. Well, I will at least stop in to see Kara before taking my leave. Nice to see you again, Ellen."

With that I offered a short bow and as Mint and I left the room, yet Doduo elected to remain behind! It no doubt plans to rejoin me as I leave, so I let it be.

As we walked, Mint managed to work another jab in "Yet another woman I see? And this one you led through the halls? I am I seeing a pattern here Mr Gentleman?"

I retorted. "The only pattern you will be seeing soon is that of causing baldness to my head should these attacks continue my lady!"

She brought a hand to her chest as she feigned being impressed. "OoOooo well played!"

One of the benefits of having low intelligence is the inability to detect patronage. Unfortunately that was an inability I lacked...

(59)

Finally we arrived at the leader’s room and the moment we entered, Kara immediately jumped up with a big smile on her face "Mr Gentleman!"

She then broke into a run and tackled me with a full hug.

I smiled nervously. "Erm! Yes! It is great to see you too Kara!"

I glanced to the side and confirmed the worst.

With another one of her looks, Mint chimed in. "Well Mr Gentleman! I had no idea you enjoy such youthful pursuits!"

I decided to simply provide the facts while maintaining a strict poker-face. The slightest slip up here could prove to cause my departure from this life far earlier than intended! "If you are wondering how I met Kara here, she was feeling particularly hot and I gifted her a small fan to help with her heat-related fatigue! She later helped in appointing me leader of the Doduo alliance, which resulted in her becoming the new leader here and all the recent positive changes we see in the establishment! I would be shocked if she didn't have any good will towards me!"

Kara looked up with a huge smile as she continued to cling to me. "That's so right! You are my favorite person Mr Gentleman! You can come by here any time you want and are welcome to duel anyone here! Every time I come to work and its not boiling-hot, I can't help but feel gratitude towards you! But who is this with you here?" She released her hug as she brought a hand to her mouth with wide eyes.

Mint spoke up this time. "Well, you see, our meeting was the most curi-"

I coughed loudly. "Ah, Kara! I would love to stay and chat more, but Mint and I are on the most pressing business for the King! Its too bad I cant stay longer but I'll be sure to visit you again sometime!" I turned the tables and dragged Mint along by her arm for a change!

Of course, this would not be without its consequences as Mint brought her other hand to her face as we moved swiftly towards the exit. "Oh my Mr Gentleman, you really are bold!"

I muttered back. "Madness! Pure madness!" Of course, since this illuminated my frustration, it sent Mint into yet another laughter fit. I suppose it is nice to see her laugh... paradoxical though that might be...

I could hear Kara as we were leaving. "Oooh! Ok! Please come back and see me again Mr! I love you~!"

I focused grimly on moving ahead quickly, trying in-vain to ignore the malicious aura I could now feel exuding from Mint...

Why Kara? WHY?!

Sure, it's an innocent enough phrase on its own, but with Mint present, it becomes a world-ending calamity!

We made our way back to Ellen's Room. Thanking the cards for ANY distraction, I found Doduo letting Ellen ride it as it jogged around the room. One of Doduo's heads focused on jogging while the other was trying its best to enjoy nudging against Ellen's hand. The heads seemed to be taking turns with it.

To my salvation, the spectacle seemed to have snapped Mint out of end-bringer mode as she began to chuckle at it! Now, my only hope is to pray Mint forgets...

The moment Doduo caught sight of me, its expression changed. For the first time that I can recall seeing, it had an expression something akin to profound sadness, but only for a moment. It then slowed and bowed to allow Ellen to dismount. She then pat its heads and gave it a full hug.

Somehow the bird actually seemed to enjoy it? I also noted that it also left only a single feather in her hand but not a single one on her clothes!

How does Ellen avoid all its feathers? Is she wearing anti-Doudo-feather-clothes or something?? Not that I have ever heard of such a thing, but at that point, I couldn't fathom how this was happening! As usual, Ellen's ability to avoid the plague of plumage eludes my understanding...

Doduo then trotted up for us to continue our travels. As we made our way to the exit, I caught Doduo sneaking glances back every now and then until Ellen was no longer in view. After that, I think I heard the bird sigh. Such a strange bird this is!

After a hasty exit, we resumed our journey once more to Villicci's castle. This too was largely uneventful, but the time went swiftly with the conversations Mint and I had along the way. Doduo was surprisingly docile the trip there, with none of its regular attempts to injure itself! If I didn't know any better, I would have said the bird was pensive!

(60)

After arriving to the castle we made our way to the lobby where I had dueled Allison before. There around the table sat:

the king Villicci,

Allison,

Clay,

and Seth from the GR Colorless Altar.

Upon laying eyes upon Seth, I instantly remembered the words of Heidi just prior to forming the Doduo Alliance. I paused in the doorway to think. Mint appeared to notice my expression and opted to simply wait.

I proceeded to think back to what Heidi said: "...However, there is still one more foretold event that must occur before we can rally behind our new leader. He must defeat the acolyte of the phantom card Lugia, whom we all know is Seth..."

I put my hand to my chin. The foe just goes around casually admitting who he is?! No.. that can't be right! He was crafty enough to trick the Ghostmasters and to seal them in their own fort! There must be more afoot here than would seem...

The likely answer; the foe is misdirecting. However, the fact that the only organized religion on the island is that of the colorless altar and that it is colorless must mean it has ties to the cult of Lugia since that is also colorless... With Seth parading around that he is the foe of the Ghostmasters, it must be someone else.

That leaves Avery and Alan. Avery wore the ridiculous Pikachu cap and if he is the foe trying to throw off the scent, that would make him the likely candidate. Of course, if the foe follows all of that logic, (which he very well may!) then that would make the likely candidate Alan! But if the foe follows that logic as well, then all of this logic is circular and pointless!

I'm getting nowhere with this reasoning.. For now it seems the only course of action is for me to forge ahead and wait for him to reveal himself, but it never hurts to be observant either...

I put my arm down and looked to Mint. "Apologies for the delay my lady. I had some quick thoughts to sort out, but lets proceed!"

Mint nodded. "Very well."

(61)

As we approached the king and the others, the 4 of them were just finishing card duels with one another when the king looked up to see me.

He held his arms apart as he stood to greet me. "Ah my friend! There you are! We were wondering when you might arrive! Come join us! I must hear how the card dungeon attraction went!"

It was Mint who spoke first. "My liege! The grand opening went well very indeed! You may be wondering why I am here though. This man ended up being the perfect sparring partner to learn from! I can attest that the strength of my deck has vastly improved! I accompanied him here as I suspected you would like to see the improvements to my deck! As for the card dungeon, I have made arrangements to keep it operational and profitable while I am away."

I had a sudden revelation! Mint is not taking an opportunity to sabotage me for once! I'd best have my wits about me though... I've had more than enough embarrassments lately!

The king caught his right fist in his left hand. "Ah Mint, you always did have an eye for the things I look for, that's why I put you in charge of the card dungeon to begin with after all! If you have improved that much, you might have even surpassed me! Come, I am eager to test your new modifications! Prior to that though, I must finish my prior conversation."

Mint bowed. "Of course my liege."

The king redirected his focus to me. "But what of your point of view, Mr Gentleman?"

I confidently crossed my arms. "Well my friend, I can certainly say your attraction is all its cracked up to be and then some! I did not win every duel within those halls even if I did win most.

The King smiled. "Splendid! It seems the duelists of the card dungeon were well-worth the investment of money!"

I nodded. "Indeed! I must admit though, that I do have another reason for my visit!"

The king raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell!"

I held out my hands with my palms up. "The ruins in the attraction caught my curiosity so much that I wish to read the writings on the stone walls! I heard you had hired an archaeologist at some point to study them. Have the results of those writings been published yet?"

The King stroked his beard. "Hmmm... yes I do remember hiring Mr Ishihara on the island for that. He is not an archaeologist per-se, but has taken to it as a keen hobby of his. As such, i didn't even have to pay him for his services! That did mean I was unable to stipulate the speed at which he would work on deciphering them though, lest he request a fee. His house is located a ways to the east of the castle. He owns a home on TCG Island as well and often travels between them, so it is possible he will be away."

I nodded. "Good information! You have my thanks!"

The Kind held out his hands again. “Of course my friend! Speaking of requests, you know I have been looking to make accommodations with the members of the Doduo Alliance including one from Seth here. Specifically, he would like to duel you, but he would like you to follow his usual rule of including 4 Pidgey. He is aware that I cannot force the issue, but I promised him I would make an earnest request to you."

I glanced at Seth. His gaze and bearing ever unwavering, almost like an opponent who knows they are about to win when they know the other player is unaware. Most unnerving, but then again, when has Seth ever been anything else?

I waved my hand nonchalantly. "Seth needed not go through so much much for his request. I will duel him."

The King smiled. "Splendid! In that case, I believe everyone has an opponent. Lets have some fun dueling shall we?"

With that Mint and the King sat on one side of the table with Allison and Clay in the middle with myself and Seth on the opposite end. For my deck, I removed both Doduo, 1 Ponyta, and 1 Dark Rapidash for the Pidgey's. It would be the first time my deck was to be without Doduo. Doduo had no qualms about this either way. At least its feathers shall remain attached instead of strewn about the place for a change...

With the modifications complete I gestured to Seth. "My comrade, what brings you here to request a duel with me?"

Seth clasped his hands together in feigned inferiority. "I am well aware of your prowess with the Pokemon Trading Card Game by now Mr. Gentleman, but to experience it first hand with my own deck this time allows for greater...understanding. As such, I am pleased to be the only member of the Doduo Alliance to have that privilege."

"I had not thought of it that way before but you are correct! Even the duel for the formation of the Alliance was with you, though it was with that terribly restricted GR psychic deck... Very well let us proceed!"

With that, all 3 games between the duelists began simultaneously.

(62)

The duel began innocently enough with Voltorb and Porygon out vs his Kangaskhan as active and Snorlax.

It would soon become a struggle for Energy as he removed all of my energy by the forth turn with energy already stacked to four on Kangaskhan.

Ponyta was played by then and took the brunt of the first comet punch without KO. No draw cards were arriving to my hand and Bill's Teleporter had failed.

The 2nd comet punch took down Ponyta.

I played a Pidgey to buy more time but was still without energy and card-draw. I was unable to defend myself while Kangaskhan continued its assault!

I managed to remove a double colorless energy from his Snorlax earlier with my Energy Removal, but his own Bill's Teleporters had been succeeding and he continued to attach energy.

I finally drew a much needed Fire Energy but the turn after it was played, Seth played Energy Removal again.

Finally some luck! Bill's Teleporter worked giving me energy and an Energy Removal! Seth had already KOed 3 of my Pokemon though. Can things turn back around or is it already too late?

Seth played yet another Energy Removal on me followed by switch and had his Snorlax KO my Voltorb! He didn't even need to remove the energy from it since he KOed it in the same turn! What's more is that my Pokemon cannot retreat due to Snorlax's power!

My only hope now was to attach my only energy to Porygon and pray for some lightning energy! Alas yet another Energy removal from Seth. I was defenseless yet again!

Another Bill's Teleporter worked so I brought out his other Snorlax since it had less energy on it. Must.. recover.. ability.. to attack!!

Gambler failed. The new Snorlax could now attack.

Dark Rapidash managed to get a Fire Energy on it, but I am still lacking another Fire Energy!

Snorlax retreated to a fully powered Chansey and it attacked with double-edge for 80 damage ending the game.

A complete blowout failure with energy removal having prevented all my Pokemon from attacking and Snorlax preventing retreats!

Not even a single Pokemon KOed on Seth's side..… This reminded me of something! The duel that culminated in my abduction! THIS must be the man who kidnapped me!

Seth put a hand to his mouth. "Oh my Mr Gentleman, not even a single prize card of yours has been claimed!" He gloated with the slight smile he always wears.

His smile grew ever-so slightly. "Don't worry, the addition of Pidgey clearly unbalanced your deck to the point where it could no longer function. I understand. In a real duel you would surely win!"

I replied doing my best to hide my frustration. "Well played sir."

Seth's smile increased yet again by an almost imperceptible amount. "Oh surely I was just lucky, everyone loses sometimes after all would you not agree?" he said as he placed his hand upon my shoulder.

Thinking quickly, I devised a solution to my current predicament. "Good sir, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it seems you could use a breath mint, would you like me to lend you one?"

That he did not need a mint was of no concern to me. I wasn't about to be power played in such a fashion even if he did just hand me my second most humiliating defeat as of yet!

In response to my comment for perhaps the first time, the amusement from his face dropped, but only for a micro-second before he replied. "Oh my apologies! My manners have been poor lately, I shall go attend to that immediately."

He stood and bowed deeply to the king and announced he must be on his way now and with that he made his exit from the castle.

His deceptive mannerisms, that he thought to use the loss against me to induce rage... it indicated he viewed losing a game as a grievous insult. That his deck was so powerful... that settles it. This man must surely be the foe the ghostmasters oppose! Whats more is that he now knows I am looking to study the carvings and has measured the strength of my deck! No wonder the ghostmasters implored me to train and have a suitable weapon to use against him!

(63)

Allison and Clay were still in their match but it looked like Mint had just finished hers. A victory for her and with four of her opponent's prizes still remaining!

The King clapped his hands. "Astonishing! Even Mr Gentleman did not give me so thorough a beating! I can only assume that he too has grown! Mint, effective immediately I hereby permit you to continue traveling with Mr. Gentleman. In fact, I order you to do so! This has been a wonderful turn of events!"

Mint appeared relieved as if she had been playing with every once of power and skill she could muster to achieve this permission from the King.

She bowed. "I thank you my King! If it is possible to further increase my prowess at the cards, traveling with Mr Gentleman will surely be the key to it!"

The king nodded to Mint and turned to me. "And how was your duel, dear friend?"

"Most illuminating." I had had a serious expression upon my face.

The Kind clapped his hands once. "Splendid! It is about time for my next meal however so I must depart to the dining hall, you are welcome to join me if you should desire, but please know there is no obligation to do so."

I gave a short bow. "Thank you my friend, but I have other business to attend to. Another time, for sure!"

The King nodded. "Very well I look forward to it!"

As we left the castle grounds, Mint turned to me with a sincere look. "I've never seen you duel before, so I stole glances of your game as it went, but it looked like it went as poor as possible! I can't imagine that is typical for you. Was your opponent simply that powerful?"

I replied somberly. "Indeed he was."

Mint help up a finger. "That's not a look one gives for no reason, but why should losing a duel worry you?"

I crossed my arms. "It was not a simple loss of a duel that concerns me. I believe that man was responsible for my original abduction to this island. There is more to this as well, and I will explain all as soon as I am able. Suffice to say that it is vital that I do not continue to lose to that man."

Mint waved a hand dismissively. "Oh you men can be such babies at times! Losing a game does not diminish your worth! Even if you are the esteemed leader of the Doduo Alliance and friend of the king!" She gave a wink.

I believe she was simultaneously attempting to cheer me up and bother me at the same time.

I sighed. "That is not it..."

She gave me a look clearly designed to cause loss of ones footing. "Ooohh so you were hoping to impress me then?"

I gripped part of my face with one hand. "Must we return to this?! Why must it take the presence of a king to contain your madness!"

She slyly replied. "Well I am a queen..."

Insufferable! Not to Doduo though! That bird was about as happy as could be!

(64)

Shortly after we left the castle gate, I heard a voice yelling behind me. "Miiiisssteerr Geeennntlleeeman!"

I turned around and found the source of the voice. It was Allison! She jogged a bit more and caught up.

She took a moment to catch her breath. "Good thing I finished up with Clay so quickly! I've been meaning to duel you again. The only deck I managed to win with against you last time was my Psychic Might deck! I would like to see if it will still win against you!"

Mint crossed her arms. "You do know we have urgent business to attend yes?"

She turned to Mint. "I see. Trying to hog all the improvement to yourself Mint?"

Mint kept her arms crossed as she tiled her head upwards with her eyes closed. "Why yes! It was the King who ordered it so after all! I suppose if he thought it was better to send you, he would have done so!"

Allison grinned. "Oh is that right? Well it seems the king is still only allowing funding to you for a single deck while I have always had three!"

Mint dropped her arms with her fists balled as she looked dead at Allison. "Well at least I don't need three decks to feel adequate!"

I stepped in holding my hands up. "Ladies! Please calm yourselves! Mint, you know a duel does not take long and you have me for the remainder of our journey, surely you could spare a little time without having to fight on my account?"

At this Mint's jaw dropped. "I am most certainly NOT fighting on your account! FINE duel her for all I care!!"

And with that, she stormed off.

Allison was smiling as she muttered. "Ha.. that will teach her to know her place."

Looked straight at her with a furrowed brow. "I beg your pardon?"

Allison seemed to have forgotten there was someone else still here with her and quickly composed herself. "Ah! Pay it no mind! I am ready for our duel if you are!"

And with that our duel commenced.

The duel was over in a flash. Hitmonchan took down Porygon and Voltorb before I had a chance to stabilize. It didn't help that Bill's Teleporter failed again.

Allison put her hand to her chin. "Ok it won again, but lets play a few more, if you accept?"

I acquiesced to her request as I was eager to manage at least one win, if possible.

We dueled again. She went first and used Hitmonchan to knockout my only Pokemon: Porygon resulting in another loss.

We dueled again, but I only managed to KO one of her Pokemon before she defeated me.

We dueled again but I only had out Voltorb and Hitmonchan KOed it on the first turn where she went first again.

We dueled one final time and I was able to KO three of her Pokemon, but that was about all my deck seemed to be able to do.

Allison closed her eyes. "I see. The low resistance rule that goes with this deck hurts both your Porygon and Doduo drastically for tanking options and my fighting types KO anything that is weak with a single attack. Dark Rapidash has a hard time dealing with everything in my deck by itself even if a backup is in place. It might not be possible for your deck to beat mine under these conditions. You still are able to defeat my other decks though! This is clearly a case of my deck countering the things your deck does best. Perhaps you should give thought to making another deck Mr. Gentleman?" She opened her eyes as she looked at me.

I stroked my beard. "A new deck? Hmm... Considering how far off it sounded like Mint went, I suppose we have some time. Very well let me see what I can whip up here!"

And just like that, I set my mind to constructing another all-common deck!

(65)

Some time passed and soon my modifications for my second deck were now complete! My friend Ronald back on TCG Island was impressed with my FlashFire deck and had offered a few suggestions for other ideas he thought would work well. We reasoned that a deck that swapped out Doduo and Dark Rapidash for Venonat and Venomoth would be the other direction to take it. As it turned out, there was even space now to add a couple Potion cards to the deck!

MothZapper

4 Voltorb Lv8
4 Venonat Lv12
3 Venomoth Lv22
3 Porygon Lv20

4 Energy Removal
4 Energy Search
4 Pokemon Trader
4 Bill
4 Bill's Teleporter
3 Gambler
3 Gust of Wind
2 Potion
2 Switch
2 Nightly Garbage Run

7 Grass Energy
7 Lightning Energy

Venomoth. Tornado Gust: If your opponent has any benched Pokemon, he or she chooses 1 of them and switches it with the defending Pokemon. (Do the damage before switching the Pokemon.) Then, if you have any benched Pokemon, switch this Pokemon with one of them. Rainbow Powder: Flip a coin. If heads, the defending Pokemon is now paralyzed. If tails, the defending Pokemon is now poisoned. Weakness: fire. Resistance: -30 to fighting.

Remove up to 2 damage counters from 1 of your Pokemon.

With my new deck at my disposal, Allison and I continued our duels!

The very next duel, MothZapper took Allison by storm. She was only able to KO 1 of my Pokemon!

Allison held up her hands. "Amazing! Mr. Gentleman, have you been playing with only a single deck this entire time?!"

I crossed my arms. "Well... of course I have! My aim was to defeat everyone on this island with it and that's exactly what I did! Well, for the most part anyway..."

Allison's jaw dropped. "This entire time you have been playing with one hand behind your back! I'm sorry I doubted your skill even for a moment when we first met good sir!"

"No offense taken madam!"

Allison crossed her arms with a content look. "I'm satisfied now, so I'll be heading back to the castle. I look forward to seeing what else you may accomplish though!"

And with that she took her leave.

(66)

I was about to start looking for Mint when I felt a tap upon my shoulder. I naturally turned the direction of the tap only to find no one standing there! I then turned the other direction only to see Min-

"BOO!" Mint jumped as she yelled it.

Losing all composure I let out a sound most unnatural for a man of my stature followed by - "CONFOUND IT WOMAN!!"

Mint then began to laugh uncontrollably for a solid minute as I glared at her.

"I saw your duels with Allison and I was so impressed with how you turned it all around Mr." The way she said it and the placement of a single finger of hers upon my chest had a way of drawing one in.

I was taken aback. "Wha- Erm... Yes, I suppose it was somewhat note-worthy..."

She smiled slyly at me. "With two decks now under your command, you might just find you can command more than decks."

I scowled as I closed my eyes. "I have had quite enough jokes today madam!"

Her laughter, of course, resumed. Though... I suppose there are worse fates, no?

Now that I have two decks to utilize, I shall henceforth pick the deck that should allow me the most advantage. Doduo doesn't mind anyway. That bird wouldn't mind if its own face hit a brick! And with that, we took our leave. Our bearing: the house of Ishihara!

133TFR33k · Mar 6, 2025

Chapter 8: Ishihara

(67)

We came to the presumed house of Ishihara and Doduo must have decided to go find some worms or something as it gleefully trotted over to a nearby field.

As we approached the door it opened to reveal a man. He was of average build and was only slightly taller than Mint. He had a bowl-style haircut which parted on the left side of his forehead. He was wearing a white long-sleeve shirt with red buttons and a black vest over it. Behind him was a small toddler clinging to his pant leg.

The man held his hands out with his palms up. "Welcome my name is Ishihara! King Villicci mentioned over the phone I should expect guests. You two must be Mint and the Gentleman, correct?"

I smiled. "Indeed we are! Has the King caught you up to speed on what we are looking for already?"

Ishihara gave us a thumbs up. "He sure has! Come on in!" he motioned with a wave of his hand as he pulled the door fully open.

As we entered, we took a moment to look about.

The home was simple in design with Stairs leading to a second level along the left wall. The first level consisted of two rooms in an open-floor plan. A spacious living room and the room in the back appeared to be a library of sorts. The living room had a large TV in one of the far corners, and a desktop computer with a headset and mic in the other far corner. There was a duel table in the middle what appeared to be high-quality comfy leather chairs. Underneath the duel table was a modern-style blue and gold rug. Hardwood floors were throughout the downstairs. Some toy blocks were heaped in a pile near the left wall and there was a large window on the right wall. Through the window I noticed Doduo digging around, presumably for worms.

Ishihara closed his eyes and nodded. "Its not much, but please make yourselves comfortable." He gestured to the duel table.

Mint and I took the two chairs closest to the window facing away from it. I took the one closer to the back room.

As we did that, Ishihara walked towards the back room. "Now let me see what I did with those notes..." We heard him rummaging about through papers.

The toddler was no longer clinging to his pants and approached the TV that had a cartoon on involving duel disks. The toddler went directly to the nearby outlet the TV was presumably plugged into and pulled out the plug! The TV of course turned off immediately as the boy reacted with a bout of intense laughter! He then plugged it back in before pulling it out yet again to repeat the cycle, though the TV was already off at this point. It appears the act of unplugging is what the boy finds so amusing!

Ishihara poked his head around the corner wearing a big frown. "Timmy! I told you to stop unplugging the TV! Or anything for that matter! Do you know how much money the teleporter cost to repair? You unplugged it while it was in use! Don't make me put you in time out again!"

At this Timmy relented and waddled to the other side of the room to play with blocks.

I called out to Ishihara, "is Timmy here by chance related to Bill, good sir?"

Ishihara poked his head back out. "Well... yes and no!" He then disappeared back around the wall.

I tilted my head. "Good sir! One surely is related or they are not!"

He popped back out again with an awkward smile as he rubbed the back of his head. "Eh... I suppose it had to come out sooner or later. Bill is me or rather I am Bill. No... that's not it. Bill is a fake marketing personality! I am the actual CEO of Bill Incorporated and when employees refer to Bill they are in fact referring to me!"

Mint had a look of concentration on her face followed by widening eyes, presumably at the realization that we are in the home of a corporate CEO billionaire!

My eyes shifted about as the situation and implications began dawning on me. "So you are the one who gave the idea to the King to install the gambling machines!"

Bill placed a hand upon his chest. "I...what? But Bill has never met the King before! I met him yes, but not as Bill! If he got the notion for gambling machines from Bill, he must have gone on a tour of our headquarters prior to the legal entanglements..."

My expression stiffened as I studied his body language. "I heard it was due to the mismanagement of the gambling facility you own that caused bankruptcy..."

Mint was apparently opting to remain silent. I suppose it could be hard to know what to say in a situation like this!

Timmy ran up to Mint with a yellow block in his hand offering it to her. Judging from her smile, Mint found this quite amusing. She accepted the block thanking Timmy. I suppose she viewed this interaction as a welcome excuse for her lack of participation in the conversation thus far.

Bill smiled awkwardly as he held up a finger. "Mismanagement is technically true, but its all part of the new-leaf five year plan for the company."

He then disappeared back behind the wall again as he continued shuffling through what sounded like paper and boxes. "Have you ever been to a gambling establishment before? I used to love them having never set foot in one. They always generated amazing profits for the company and helped to fuel our growth!"

(68)

The shuffling stopped for a moment. “One day though, I went to visit one incognito, but what I saw there shocked and disturbed me! All those poor people developed gambling addiction to the point that they would neglect even their own families! My parents were always kind and supportive of me growing up, but I learned I had created something that took that away from children! Sometimes even the children themselves would become addicted!"

I couldn't believe the direction this appeared to be going... is BILL of all people not the filthy-rich capitalistic scum I had assumed him to be?!

At this, Mint looked down in apparent shame. It seems she is not fond of the gambling at the game center she works at.

The shuffling of papers and boxes resumed. "Once I found out, I knew what I had to do. The first thing was to even out the winnings and get rid of the jackpots. I redesigned our systems to slowly pay out more money to the people than it took. With no more jackpots and most folks no longer going in the hole, my casino's started going in the red and I would slowly start closing them down.

Timmy noticed Mint looking down and offered another block to her. This one was blue. Mint found this cute judging from her expression.

"My company is so large that I had plenty of other divisions to rehire the casino employees to so that they would not be out of work and become homeless. I may hate casinos now, but I refuse to abandon the people my company hired!"

The shuffling stopped again. "Oh! I'm rambling too much when I haven't even offered you guys some drinks! I just made some fresh lemonade, you want some?"

Mint raised both her hands wiggling her fingertips. "Oh yes please! I meant to get a drink while we were at the castle but I totally forgot!"

I closed my eyes and nodded. "Yes I think that would be great if you would!"

Timmy did his best to try to copy Mint's gesture. "Peeba!"

Bill poked his head out rolling his eyes. "Timmy, the word is drink not peeba...."

Mint started giggling at that as she started making faces at Timmy causing him to laugh.

Bill noticed Timmy's interaction with Mint as he held his face in a hand grinning.

He then disappeared back around the wall. "Alright! Give me a minute and I'll get those drinks right out!"

He continued as I heard a squeak presumably from opening a cabinet. I then heard some light clanking followed by small thuds. "Anyway, my hope was that the ones addicted would not feel like going through the effort to move to a new town to keep gambling as the casinos started to shut down. Some do move, but many don't. Overall, the statistics show my plan is working. I have also been using my company to aggressively buy out casino's and treat them the same. I have fueled much of my personal savings into this project as well. I was worth $700,000,000,000, so I was able to make a noticeable shift in gambling in our society.

Mints crazy face at Timmy froze as she heard the dollar amount. Timmy only found this even more hilarious though as he was now laughing even harder.

I now heard the unmistakable sound of an ice maker from a refrigerator stopping and starting multiple times. Shortly after I heard the sound of liquid cascading and churning with cubes of ice as they clanged against glass.

Bill continued speaking: "I also dedicated enormous sums of money from the company to it as well. I got a bit overzealous with it all though and soon found myself having to navigate bankruptcy for the company. It was hard, but worth it, as Bill Incorporated now has an almost complete monopoly on casinos and gambling devices!"

I could barely believe what I was hearing!

Bill brought out our drinks as we began to sip them. Timmy took a sippy cup.

I don't think I have ever had lemonade quite this! What was in this stuff? Organic lemons?? Each sip was an exquisite refreshment in and to itself. Just the right amount of sweetness and tang without it being overbearing!

Bill disappeared again behind the wall as the sounds of rustling again resumed. "Even so, this drain on finances caused a number of other concerns including the TV, aka teleporter over there. I had the TV built over it to make it appear that way because I didn't want people to know who I am. People tend to treat you differently when you have money. Money doesn't make me special though, it just arbitrarily gives me more control than other people have.

Mint started to make a small tower with the blocks Timmy supplied her with as Timmy was rummaging through the blocks presumably to pick out more.

The rustling sounds from the other room continued. "Its not like I inherently deserve it though! Plenty of people work harder than I do and don't have even a fraction of the wealth I had. I say had because I've caused myself to struggle a bit on purpose because I know my company caused even greater struggles to others! For the rest of my life, I've made it my mission to help all those I have wronged and prevent others from falling down the same hole!"

(69)

I turned my eyes far to the side. "So your company never had a problem with bribery to increase winnings?"

Timmy had now brought Mint several other colors of blocks and watched in wonder as she stacked them neatly into an even taller tower.

The rustling paused. "Bribery? Sure we have had some of that. It doesn't really matter though since the machines all follow the algorithms I wrote them to follow. Besides, if people are getting a little more winning's, that's ok. Casino's need to die."

I felt my jaw drop. "My good man, I don't think I have ever heard of some one with so much money who has done more good than you appear to be doing!"

The rustling resumed. "It might be tempting to think that way, but I just look at it as percentages. I doubt the percentage of my excess wealth used to help others differs too much from those less fortunate than myself. While I do allow myself to feel happy for doing good, my philosophy is that it doesn't make me any better than what you might call the common man."

I held a hand out towards the other room. "Even so, I think were everyone to take a similar philosophy as yourself, we might all be better off!"

The rustling paused again. "Perhaps, but the world has been turning for a very long time. Surely if most people were capable of overcoming their vices, we would be seeing something better to live in by now eh? Still, we all owe it to each other to try our best. Things aren't static and can get worse or better!"

I nodded with my eyes closed. "Well said my good man!"

I then realized that I won't need to redirect any more funds towards the bribery! Perhaps my winnings assisted with the closing of some casinos though!

Mint's tower was now enormous. Timmy reached over and pulled a block out causing it to tumble as Mint cringed from the falling blocks and the noise. Timmy, meanwhile, was laughing hysterically!

Bill was unfazed from the blocks. Apparently he was so used to them that they no longer registered to his ears as noise.

The rustling once more resumed. "Still, if the king has slot machines installed, its only a matter of time until he increases the scale of the operation. I'll have my company reach out to him on my behalf and see if I can get this turned around. If I can't reason with him, I can offer to buy them from him. If he wants to create more to sell to me, I'll just poach his employees and get them to work for me instead by paying them more. I'll put their talents to work on things that will help folks out like infrastructure! If he hires more, I'll poach more. Eventually he will get frustrated with that wing and close it down altogether."

Bill finally stopped ruffling through boxes and papers. "Ah here they are! I finished translating the various writings but it's all some kind of code that doesn't make sense on its own. From what I can tell, these probably represent some kind of password for a machine of some kind."

Mint was now sitting on the floor with Timmy near the blocks creating little structures with them which Timmy was all to happy to demolish as soon as she stopped shielding them as she built them. I was surprised to see her so... quiet. She certainly does seem to have a way with children...

Bill stepped our from around the corner handing a stack of papers to me.

"These are copies of the original's. You are welcome to them! It was pretty fun trying to figure them out, but was a little easier than I had hoped..."

I accepted the papers.

"My sincere gratitude!" I nodded my head for a small bow from where I sat.

Bill closed his eyes as he smiled and nodded back. "Ah, I forgot I have the conference call in a few minutes, did you two get what you needed?"

I smiled. "Indeed we have my good man! Many thanks!"

Bill nodded. "Ok great! Feel free to visit again sometime if you like but I might be at my other house. I hope you and your girlfriend have a good day!"

Before I could correct him, he had already put a headset on and began speaking while Mint and I let ourselves out to give him some privacy for his call.

Timmy waved as we left. Mint gave a smile and a little wave back.

Mint then turned to look at me as if to study me.

I tilted my head. "What?"

"Oh! Nothing. Nothing at all!" Mint started to examine the sky in a direction away from me.

Doduo trotted promptly up with a worm still dangling from one of its beaks. It had grass and flowers mixed with its feathers.

(70)

With that, we now had what we needed for the Progenitor. I explained to Mint we would now need to return to the Game Center. She was a bit confused by this since it is where we started, but she was more curious than anything else. We made our uneventful journey back there.

As we entered the game center I paused at the Doduo daycare, and noticed the Doduo inside all peered at my Doduo and hid themselves! My Doduo glanced towards them and continued to walk forward with its smugness on full display.

I started walking towards the game chip counter when Mint put out an arm to her side in front of me. "Oh, no need! As an employee, I'll just let her know you are a special guest today."

Mint approached the counter. "Hi Trish, this man is my guest today so he will be omitting the chip requirement."

Trish presented another one of her fake exact-replicas of a real smile. "Oh! Of course! Enjoy~!"

So unnerving!

We proceeded past and made our way to the Progenitor. Taking out the instructions from Bill, I entered the code over the course of five minutes. It was a complex sequence of feeding it specific Pokemon cards followed by holding down various buttons. After waiting a few seconds at the end, the machine spit a card back out! Finally! I picked up the card and confirmed: the final phantom rare, Here Comes Team Rocket!

Mint's eyes went wide. "I have never seen someone operate the black box like this before! And what IS that card? Did you just create a NEW POKEMON CARD?!"

At this, all heads in the room turned to us. Both Doduo's heads were first on Mint and then on the card as it peered intently at it.

I laughed loudly. "Oh don't be silly my dear Mint! Everyone knows you can't just obtain a new Pokemon Card!"

I grabbed her hand leading her towards the exit. "Lets go grab some lunch my lady!"

Mint played along. "Oh yes! I am rather hungry! I know of the best pizza joint nearby too..."

Our fake conversation carried on as we walked. As we made our way past the chip counter again, I noticed Trish was no longer standing behind it.

So creepy.

I imagined her not being there would be a relief, but instead I only found myself more unsettled. Doduo, of course, is oblivious to such unsettling things as it welcomes misfortune.

(71)

As we left the game center we passed by someone... it was Bill!

"Mr Ishihara?" I whipped my body around to face him.

Bill turned around as well. "Ah! How about that! I didn't expect to see you again so soon Mr Gentleman!"

He leaned in closer and spoke in a low voice. "I'm here to acquire a badge for late night entry under pretenses of studying the ruins some more. This whole structure wasn't here when I was here last. Just the ruins. Anyway, once the place closes down I'll have the run of it all since there is no security!"

At this Doduo tilted its heads inquisitively as Bill continued. "I'll be able to examine the slot machines up close and anything else that may catch my interest! That it will be late night is kind of exciting too! Reminds me of my college days! Being able to tell someone what I'm up to makes it fun too!" Bill was now wearing a sly smile.

I matched Bills volume. "Ah! So this is what billionaire philanthropists get up to when no one is watching!"

Bill smiled broadly. "Heck yeah man! I can't wait!"

Mint leaned in too also matching our volume as we all huddled together like we were planning some grand conspiracy. "Wow that does sound pretty exciting! So when are you going to come up with something exciting to do Mr Gentleman?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Actually my lady, I think you will find our next destination to be quite unforgettable!"

Mint brought both hands to her cheeks. "Oooo~ I'm intrigued now!"

Bill held up a finger. "Oh hey, I almost forgot but since you two know my secret maybe we can be friends? No one is interested in Ishihara and too many people are interested in Bill. It puts me in a weird awkward middle-ground!"

Mint and I replied at the same time using the same word: "Certainly!"

We both looked at each other and laughed.

Bill put his hands on both of our shoulders as we were still huddled all together. "Great!"

We then exchanged phone numbers.

Bill made a fist and pulled it down like he just won a game of the Pokemon Trading Card Game. "Alright! Time to begin phase one of the secret mission! I'll catch you two lovebirds later!" Bill winked before abruptly turning and jogging to the game center entrance.

133TFR33k · Mar 6, 2025

Chapter 9: Name

Mint put her hands on her hips in a huff.

"Well, it looks like we continue to have the impression of being a couple! I won't be able to find any boyfriends at this rate! Are you going to take responsibility for this Mr Gentleman?" she tilted her head towards me with those wide stunning eyes of hers...

I raised both my hands above my head. "Responsibility for what?! All I have done is the bare minimum of what I needed in order to provide the explanation you demanded!"

Mint spoke softly, “responsibility for what indeed...,” Mint was staring straight at me with those eyes of hers.

I found myself transfixed for a moment before I realized I might be staring too long. "W-Well! I think we might actually want to get some lunch after all since there will be no places to eat when we get to our next destin-"

(72)

The next thing I knew I felt a tug on my tie and Mints lips were pressed against mine!!

She quickly pulled away. "Oops... I tripped. How clumsy of me."

At this point I found the powers of concentration to be quite elusive and I found myself quite absentminded. "Tripped? Ah.. that could be bad..."

Mint maintained eye contact. "Very bad indeed... It could give someone the wrong idea..."

I was still locked in a haze. "What idea..?"

Mint placed her hands on the sides of my face. "That you aren't a good kisser... You wouldn't want them to think that, would you?"

"Uh... no that would be... bad..."

Mint slowly nodded. "Exactly, it sure would..." Mint leaned closer as I felt a tug upon my tie again. Needless to say from this point I became far more familiar with Mint's face than I had anticipated or dreamed! ...Not that I could possibly summon the force of will to complain!

Needless to say our lunch was a bit of a blocked out blur, as I found myself with only the smallest awareness of my surroundings! I don't recall what that bird was doing either. It was Mint who had to remind me that we were supposed to be in a hurry!

Once we got back on the road it gave some time to converse.

I was vaguely aware of Doduo trotting along behind us. It seemed keen on keeping its distance and being quiet.

Mint clung to my arm as we walked. "I'm still curious in this explanation of yours, but at this point you had better not think explaining will be getting rid of me."

I looked back at Mint as if she had just ordered me to burn down an orphanage."Get rid of you? I would have to be quite mad my lady!"

Mint gazed my way with the endless depths of her eyes. "Good, then you should start calling me by my name Mr!"

I looked down. "My apologies... Mint. I'm not sure how to explain this, but I haven't exactly had experience with romance before..."

Mint raised an eyebrow. "At your age that really is quite scandalous... but I don't think you have much to worry about," she reached out and held my hand.

At this what else could I do but hold it back? Who knew a lady could have such an effect!

My words of advice for any seeking love condensed into a single sentence: Put yourself in a situation where a 1,000 year old replica of a ten-year-old boy's brain temporarily overrides the brain of a woman causing amnesia to her for the duration, then in a private room get the person to become a crying mess while hugging you with the duration of the brain override effect immediately ceasing in this position, waking the woman up while you are completely unable to properly explain! Works 100% of the time!

We then stopped for a moment and she again made eye contact. Just gazing at her was like lying in the most comfortable bed you could imagine and getting a full body massage!

"So, are you just going to kiss a girl and get her name without telling her yours?"

"Well actually it was you who ki-"

She placed a finger on my lips for a moment before taking it away while continuing to look.

"Well I... "

She leaned in closer while maintaining eye contact with her eyes slightly widened. "Yes?"

I then spat it out: "I don't have one!"

At this Mint took a step back and tilted her head with a look of complete confusion. "Wait... what??"

I cleared my throat. "I don't have one. I... kind of bypassed it!"

Mint gave a thousand yard stare off in a random direction before looking back at me and replying "How... how on earth have you been walking around with no name and I am apparently the first one to even ask!?"

I felt my face go about as red as it could possibly go. "Well... I have no idea! You are the first one who ever has!"

(73)

At this Mint began to laugh uncontrollably for several minutes. She eventually tried to speak up again in between the laughter. "Ouch! ...My face!" Mint has holding her gut with one arm and her face with one hand. "Please!!...No more!!! ..can't talk... about ...this ....any more ....right now! Can't ...even think ....about it! Please ...subject change....NOW!" She continued to laugh in pain.

I then decided to mention the most interesting thing I could to help calm the laughter. I held up a finger. "How about this! Our destination is the sealed fortress and the Pokemon from the game center is in fact a brand new Pokemon Card! This card is the very last new card that our world is supposed to have! This card acts as a key to unseal the fortress which holds the explanation for that time we had in the ruins!"

That appeared to be working, but only a moment before Mint started laughing again as she struggled to speak in between laughing. "What... are you ....talking about ....your supposed to... make me.... STOP ....laughing!"

My mind now racing to come up with a solution. ANY solution!

"Ah!! That did not occur to me! But its true! I'm serious!" I gave her my most serious face to help hammer it home.

Unfortunately the only thing it hammered was her already badly beaten gut as she was now full-blown laughing again. My attempt having failed, I could now only watch and cringe as the laughter took its full toll on her.

After that for the next good while, Mint forbade me from speaking altogether...

(74)

As we drew closer to the Sealed Fortress, Mint finally allowed me to speak again.

I began my explanation anew. "So what I said before is correct. The Sealed Fortress has the proof for an explanation so outlandish that I doubt you would believe it even now! This card is the last new card meant to be created and is the key. If you will listen, I'll explain everything as we finish our journey to the Sealed Fortress, just please hold any questions until the end."

Mint agreed and I began filling her in on everything I learned from Axel.

Once the explanation was complete Mint closed her eyes and nodded. "Well, there is no way you could come up with such a detailed and absurd lie if it were not true. The evidence is so close by too! There wouldn't be any point in lying about it now."

She opened her eyes and made eye contact. "I believe you."

I gripped my arms as I sighed in relief. "Thank you, Mint."

Mint smiled. "Good, you keep using my name Mr. and don't forget! We really need to give you a name though! I'm not moving forward in this relationship with you until you have one!" She crossed her arms and tilted her head towards the sky with her eyes shut.

I found my hands gripping each other anxiously. “So… are we a couple then?”

She met my eyes. “Well what do you think Mr?”

I looked away and down. "Erm...," I looked up at her with an awkward smile. "Yes?”

Mint stared into my eyes again and rolled hers a little. “Well if that is true, then what does that mean for you?”

I began to clam up but attempted to answer anyway. “Well.. I did not go looking for love, but... if we are a couple... it would feel better to me than saving the world!"

I then looked away towards the ground. "Erm.. probably not what I am supposed to say being the hero the Ghostmasters claim me to be...”

(75)

Mint maintained eye contact. “Oh my... I do seem to have quite a powerful effect. But do you want to know a secret?” She said as she leaned in close.

I looked back with an awkward smile again. “Um... yes?”

She then grabbed my tie again and brought her lips close to my ear as she whispered: “I felt that way about you first.”

At this I began to feel in a haze again. My word! If I had known a lady could have such an effect, surely I would have sought out a fine lady sooner! Though, if I did, I doubt I would have met one so... utterly perfect in every way! Of course I realize that one can never truly be perfect, but my heart would hear absolutely none of tha-

I suddenly found Mints lips upon mine once more in much the same fashion it all began!

After potentially the most amazing experience of my life thus far, we decided to sit on a hill overlooking the last leg of our journey to the sealed fortress. We both leaned back to gaze at the clouds.

Mint spoke softly. “So, as I mentioned, you want this to go farther? You need a name, Mr.”

I gazing at the clouds. "Well, I have been thinking of some names..."

Mint quickly sat up and turned towards me with her big... perfect... eyes. "Oh really?? Like what??"

I looked back to the clouds as I held a hand up between them and myself. "Well... I haven't really decided on any, but I was tossing some around, I wasn't thinking all that hard though..."

Mint grabbed my arm and started shaking it. "Tell me! Tell me!"

I turned back to her as she stopped shaking my arm. "Erm... ok! So I was thinking maybe... Red?"

(76)

Mint now had a mortified look. "You were thinking of naming yourself after a basic color?! What kind of idiot does that!! NO! Absolutely NOT!" Mint crossed her arms in a big X.

I looked away. "W-well! Its ok! I said I wasn't very serious..."

Mints eyes were big and full of curiosity. "Still, that's pretty weird! I don't think I have ever heard of someone thinking to name themselves after a color! What else were you thinking?"

I again looked up to the clouds. "Well ok... I was also thinking of the name Ash..."

Mint tilted her head. "Ash, huh? That's no where near as bad as Red! Ash is somewhat normal I suppose... as long as you don't try adding another name to it like Ketchum at the end or something! I bet that's something a guy like you might try to do too!" Mint pointed her finger accusingly at me.

I turned towards her somehow scowling and frowning at the same time. "Two names? What a weird concept! Who would call themselves 2 different names anyway?! It makes it so complicated! I find myself rather insulted you would even entertain the notion that I might!"

Mint rolled both her eyes and her head. "Well excuuuuuse me, Red! What else you got?"

I grit my teeth. "Well I was thinking maybe something like BasicBro..."

Mint gave me a look. It was a look like she had asked a simple math question to an esteemed professor and they just confidently gave her the absolutely wrong answer! "WHAT ARE YOU SEVEN?!"

I quickly covered my ear that was closest to her with my hand. "Owch! My ear!"

Mint held out her hands like she was gripping a ball in each hand with her eyes darting about. "This is absurd! You really need my help here!"

I could feel myself blushing again as I looked away. "Erm... I don't exactly have much experience coming up with names..."

Mint now had a look of exasperation. "This isn't about experience! My goodness! Ok! I'm going to help you out here... May I make a suggestion?"

Mint gave me a look as if there was only one correct answer to her question.

I turned to face her with another awkward smile. "Erm... yes?"

Mint rolled her eyes. "Ok! I think you should pick a normal basic SANE name! Like Mark! I could see you as a Mark. Whatcha think?" She tilted her head looking at me with those dazzlingly pretty eyes of hers.

I stroked my chin thoughtfully for a moment. "Hmm.. it does have a decent ring to it I suppose. Still, once I have a name there is no going back. That's part of why I have been putting it off! I'll need to give this some thought for a while before I decide on anything official. Thank you, my dear Mint."

Mint looked like she was holding back a laugh. "Dear indeed! BasicBro! Pffft!" She then began laughing again.

I looked down. "It really wasn't that funny...," I mumbled.

Mint jabbed her finger at me. "Yes it was! No one names themselves crazy things like that!"

133TFR33k · Mar 6, 2025

Chapter 10: Sealed Fortress

(77)

Finally we arrived at the Sealed Fortress. It was relatively small but comprised of some sort of green shiny metal. It reminded me of the material of the exterior of the colorless altar! The double-doors were a massive fifteen feet tall and covered with depictions of various Pokemon Trading Card Game energy symbols. Where the two doors met, there was an outline in the exact shape and size of a card. As I approached, the perimeter of the card indent lit up with light blue light. I then took Here Comes Team Rocket and placed it into the indent.

Once that happened the doors receded into the walls at the sides of the door not unlike automatic doors at a super market, though much more impressive in terms of the size and material of the doors!

Doduo decided not to go inside and instead ran around the nearby fields to frolic and perhaps dig for some more worms.

We made our way inside and looked about the large entrance room noticing the floor appeared to be all made of small brick-shaped slabs that looked like marble. Some sections of the floor had damage. The interior walls appeared to be the same mysterious metal as the exterior walls. Everything looked immensely old. As expected of a one-thousand year old structure, I supposed.

Lining both sides of the arch that lead to a hallway were metal fire bowls lit with large blue flames. At the far end of the hallway I could see another room.

We proceeded through the hall and entered the main chamber. The walls and floors were the same, but the majority of the room was a large stage surrounded by more lit fire bowls on the floor surrounding the stage. In the center of the stage was a steel duel table lined with red felt. Lined along the back wall were 9 golden statues. I recognized them right away as the 9 heroes I had learned about back in the ruins of the card dungeon.

Once we ascended the stage, a semi-translucent rather-ordinary figure spontaneously appeared as if he was a light turned on by a light-switch! "OoOoOoOO I am the ghost master Tooooobyyyy you should not have come here OoooOoo..."

Ah, this must be the ghostmaster that appeared to have done nothing significant!

Right after that, another ghost appeared. "There you go again Toby. Must you always be so dramatic?! Hi~ I'm ghostmaster Anna! I would be happy to serve you~!"

Anna, I recalled was the one who brought about the defeat of Bob who had once tried to rule the world using his vast wealth!

The rest of the ghostmasters, except one, all appeared and said in unison: "Welcome!"

(78)

Then one final ghost appeared as the others vanished. "Mr! You made it! It's me! Axel!" He smiled broadly.

He then ran up and did his best to attempt a hug even though he was mostly incorporeal. Attempting to hug him was somewhat like the feeling of pressing the wrong ends of magnets together. The feeling of resistance like you are touching something, but not quite touching.

"Hugging really doesn't work at all between two of us Ghostmasters, but as long as your body is real I can feel it a little!" Axel said with a bittersweet expression.

He then turned to look at Mint. "Right on the money! You brought her! One of the high priests said the final hero would, although I forget which one now! I still have no idea who she is though! Could you introduce me Mr?"

I grinned confidently. "Certainly my dear boy! This wonderful lady is Mint."

Mint gave me a smile that indicated I most definitely said what she was hoping to hear!

I crossed my arms and nodded with my eyes closed. "She is a splendid duelist in her own right and very recently became my partner in romance! In retrospect, I think we might have you to thank for that!"

At this, Mint grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze.

Axel's jaw dropped with a smile. “Oh WOW! I helped you get a girlfriend?! How??”

I held my arms out confidently with my palms up. "I've explained to her everything about the discussion you and I had in the ruins and she set out on a journey with me to arrive here for proof of my claims. The reason why is tied to the name she went by when I first met her: ...Queen."

At this Axel's eyes went wide and began to tear up! "Que-Mint! I'm so sorry for the trouble I caused you!" He stiffly bowed.

Mint reached out with her hand towards the ceiling as if she could see the sky beyond it. "It's hard to believe such technology exists! I understand why you did it though. Its ok, Axel, you don't need to worry. Would you like to try another hug with me this time?"

Mint looked at Axel as she held her arms wide open for him.

Axel hurriedly shook his head yes, ran towards her, and tackled her into a hug. The two stayed that way a minute before he looked up at her with a big smile.

"Even like this, its been so long since a nice lady hugged me! Thank you so much Mint!" He buried his face against her.

Mint smiled benevolently. "I heard how you missed your mom and from now on, if you need a hug, you just let me know, ok? I'll help you as much as I can. The worst is over now. Your fort is unsealed now too! Besides... I have you to thank for meeting this amazing man."

Mint turned her smile towards me.

Ah... such a pretty face. I can’t believe I am so lucky!

Axel looked up at Mint again still in the hug. "Yeah! I almost forgot what real hope felt like! We can't relax yet though! The real battle is about to begin and we need to train if we are going to have a chance of winning! But before that, there is a little more I want to explain to you that I didn't have a chance to explain back in the ruins."

At this, I replied: "Yes, I had a feeling there would be a little more. Go ahead Axel."

(78+)

Axel continued to hug Mint as he explained. "Ok thanks! So first, I am not actually a ghost. The way I was able to be there with you in the ruins was through the use of a machine inside the walls of that room in a sealed vault. The machine is the Mindmaster 2.0. With it, I was able to temporarily override the brainwave patterns of the person I inhabited.

My eyes went wide. "My word what a frightening bit of technology! I shudder to think of how something like that might be abused! I'm shocked to learn technology like this was even permitted to exist to begin with!"

Axel gripped Mint a little tighter. "Funny you should mention that.... but first let me explain more."

At this, Mint and I exchanged worried glances with each other.

Axel continued to embrace Mint. "The Mindmaster 2.0 has a timer that I don't fully understand, but once that timer expires I am no longer inhabiting the body I borrowed and am back here. The way the Mindmaster 2.0 works, the only effect it has on the body of the donor is that they have a loss of memory during the time occupied. Once they wake up, they don't remember that time, but everything else regarding their mind is intact with no damage whatsoever."

Mint looked pensive as she started to nod her head.

Axel looked to the side. "In truth, I don't like having to use it, but its one of the few things linked to the outside world through which we can interact with others. If we don't use it, we are unable to warn the next hero and when that happens another upheaval inevitably follows and our world becomes even more warped than it was before! Changes are not inherently bad, but the kinds of changes that come about from this must be stopped at all costs! Even so, I still feel bad using the Mindmaster 2.0."

Mint stroked Axel's head. "I know you do. Its ok! Remember that it ended up being a good thing!"

She gave him a wink and a sweet smile.

Axel began to blush a bit as he tried to kick a nearby rock without letting go of Mint, but was largely unsuccessful in getting it to move much. "I don't think I've met someone as nice as you before. You remind me of my mom..."

At this Mint squatted down to hug him with the side of her head against his.

Axel looked more at peace than I had seen him thus far either occupying Mint's body or the form I saw before me. "What I wouldn't give to stay this way even in a form like this for a long time..."

He then closed his eyes in concentration. "Right now we should stay focused though. If our foe wins, we will be sealed away again for sure, but this time there won't be anyone to unseal us again. I can't deal with that again... not even with the company of all my ghostmaster friends here..."

Mint pulled away enough to face Axel. "I know you are over 1,000, but you will always be a sweet kid to me. I'll let you go now so we can do our best to never put you through that again ok?"

Tears began to flow from Axel's eyes as he hugged her a bit tighter for a moment before letting go and struggled with great effort to calm himself. He looked like he was about to cry as hard as he did in the ruin's with Mint's body prior to my first hug with him.

Axel wiped the tears that had now made their way down his cheeks as he closed his eyes. "Thank you so much Mint, I know it may seem simple, but having to go a hundred years with no kind touch from anyone at all... it almost broke me. Even an embrace as I am now was denied to me as I waited those many long years and decades in these halls..."

Mint held her hands together at her chest as I could see her own eyes getting watery. My heart felt heavy.

Axel scrunched up his face and brought one of his fists to his forehead. "I've distracted us enough! Please pay no more worry to me right now!"

Axel resumed a normal posture, breathed deeply, and then opened his eyes. "So... the reason the Mindmaster is 2.0 instead of 1.0 is because the original Mindmaster is in the control of our enemy. You might think, so what? He is just using an old model of inferior quality! Well.. that theory would be completely wrong.”

At this I began to notice a sense of creeping dread.

Axel stared towards the ground. “You see, the 2.0 was created the same as the original but with limits to the functions of the original. With the original, our foe is able to completely and permanently override the brainwaves of the host body. In essence... it ends them..."

Axel continued to look down, but now gripping his arms with his hands. A shiver visibly flowed over him.

Mint was looking serious and determined upon hearing that.

Axel closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "Once the ability for misuse was understood, the entire Mindmaster project was put on hold, the prototype was meant to be destroyed, but it was stolen. Our foe has the prototype. It is the only explanation for his many returns. His figure in the ruins has ten shadows... Each shadow represents his reincarnation. We do not know the whereabouts of the prototype. Our foe could have moved it anywhere since the last upheaval. Though our primary objective is to prevent upheavals, our secondary objective is to destroy the prototype."

As I ran my hand through my hair I confidently stated: "Then that is exactly what we shall do!"

Mint gave me a bashful side-eyed look!

Axel looked my way. "The prototype is also able to update the stored brainwaves of our foe upon the end of his life and hold them ready until the next host arrives. The prototype has limitations though. It can only activate the mind override function once every hundred years."

I snapped my fingers. "Now this is making more sense!"

Axel put his hands in his pockets. "There is more. From the Mindmaster project came an offshoot project called the Ghostmaster project. It was developed per the advice of the high priest at the time as a way of preserving the heroes to aid in the fulfillment of the destiny of the final hero. Although ghostmaster implies we are ghosts, that is not technically true."

At this, I tilted my head a bit.

"Similar to one of the functions of the Mindmaster prototype, a Ghostmaster is a machine used to store brainwave patterns. It is unable to superimpose those patterns on anyone though. Instead, a technology called holograms was created which allows us a temporary body of our own which is what you see us with here. With it, we can stand, walk, and sit. Our hands are just solid enough to be used for duels, but that is the extent of the body it provides us with. Unfortunately, the hologram range is limited to the inside of our fortress. The Mindmaster 2.0 is the only way in which a real body can be occupied again by any of us."

I thought amusingly to myself that the boy I had tutored, Billy, would have an absolute field day in here at the mere mention of the word hologram.

Axel crossed his arms. "I also want to point out that card-transformation is only possible for Lugia and not for Here Comes Team Rocket. Lugia was not meant to exist in our world. Not in our current worldline and not in the original either. For some reason, this makes it able to transform. Speaking of which, Merrill and Togepi are other cards not meant to exist in our world but because there are multiple copies of them, transforming them into cards in the nexus is not possible. The only card that has that function, is Lugia."

With my potential questions answered, I nodded. "Thank you Axel. You can count on us to help!"

Axel smiled. "Great! Alright then, are you two ready for your training?"

(78++)

At this both Mint and I turned to one another and nodded our heads.

Axel gestured to the duel table. "We pulled out the spare chairs so the table can seat four at a time, that way both of you can duel at the same time! It might be a little cramped though."

Mint waggled her finger. "Oh you don't need to worry about that. If Mr Gentleman is thinking the same thing I am, I think we prefer it that way!"

Mint smiled towards me.

I smiled broadly. "Best training ever and I get to sit next to the most beautiful lady I have ever laid eyes upon!"

Mint gave me the very best look! A shy smile with those gorgeous eyes of hers! "Remember Mr. you need to focus on your training! If you don't, I'm going to have to sit on the other end of the table!"

At this I replied with the utmost formal urgency! "My focus shall be sharp as a Doduo's talon! No need for you to move, my dear!"

Mint smiled. "Good, because I know how you get when I distract you too much!"

We then both found ourselves gazing into each others eyes.

Axel clapped his hands together. "OK! So each of you pick out an opponent and let the training begin!"

Mint and I simultaneously turned and looked at Axel as we replied: "Right!"

(79)

I selected my first opponent: Anna.

She was the one with the maid uniform. I opted to duel her with MothZapper.

Most of the game was an unusual struggle for getting enough energy, but although she was KOing some of my Pokemon, she simply lacked the raw power to do it quickly enough. With enough stalling I managed to start going on the offensive. She slowed me down with status effects sometimes and we traded blows, but with one prize remaining, I finished her off!

Anna perfomed a curtsy. "Thank you very much for the battle! Once you save the world, please do visit again! I'll be waiting for your to return!"

And with that, she faded away.

For my next opponent I selected Warren. He was the older kid with the intense look. He was the third hero who the Third Eye sent to defeat the secretive second Grand Cardinal of the Lugia cult.

I selected MothZapper once again.

My opponent attempted to seal my trainer cards away for the entire duel but was unsuccessful. Not only that, but he failed to KO a single one of my Pokemon!

Warren snapped his fingers looking away with a scowl. "Dangit All--! In the end. I Lost! Tch!! I guess it was inevitable. Mark my words, Mr Gentleman: I won't be defeated next time!"

And with that, Warren disappeared.

For my next opponent I selected the man with the fine apparel! Magician! He was the second hero and defeated the first Grand Cardinal of the Lugia cult.

My weapon of choice? MothZapper!

With the ability to get around his tricks, my deck made short work of him. He did, however, manage to pick up a couple prizes along the way!

For my next opponent: Masquerade, the mysterious seventh hero who ended the curse of illness that threatened to wipe out all the people of our world. No one knows how Masquerade produced the vaccine. No one even knows Masquerade's gender. Quite an enigma this one is!

I opted to continue the use of my new-found best deck, MothZapper.

With careful manipulation of the battlefield making use of the full capabilities of Venomoth, I defeated my foe without them earning a single prize!

Masquerade sat still in silence, their expression indistinguishible. With a distorted deep voice, they spoke: "Well done, Mr. Gentleman. The ability to safegaurd our world is never to be taken lightly. With the power at your disposal, I am expecting great things from you..."

They then vanished, leaving me to select my next opponent.

Almost half of the ghostmasters defeated without a single loss yet!

For my next opponent I selected Toby! At this point, I figured I would just continue to use MothZapper unless I met an opponent that I would need FlashFire! for.

Porygon and Voltorb tag teamed his entire arsenal and secured victory before he could even take one prize!

Toby waved his limbs around as if he were trying to pretend the concept of bones didn't apply to his hologram. "OooOoooOoo you got me good there! Until next time!"

He then vanished as a light would from turning off a light switch.

Looking to try my luck, I wanted to see how MothZapper would stand up to fire so I selected Pierrot as my next foe!

Pierrot was the clown and fourth hero who took down the mad king Beltheos, but not before the foe used Beltheos to connect Neo Island to our world.

To my astonishment he went down after only able to claim one prize against me!

Indeed, MothZapper is quickly proving to be the most powerful common deck... in the world!

But now, the final three obstacles loom: Zapdos, Blastoise, and Wigglytuff!

For my next foe, Frank with his legendary Zapdos deck! He was the sixth hero who single-handedly ended the Scions of the Deep cult.

The first game was over almost before it began. A loss caused by two Nightly Garbage Run and three Pokemon Trader in the opening hand. Only one Energy too.

On the 2nd game he only managed to take down two of my Pokemon before he was defeated. It was a high intensity game though, as Voltorb can be KOed just by him playing a Zapdos.

Now for the next foe: Ghostmaster Mary with Blastoise!

I recalled that Mary was the Ninth hero who was trapped by the foe inside the sealed fortress along with the foe.

Voltorb tore through Mary's Pokemon with the help of Gust of Wind to take down key threats. She claimed not even a single prize!

Unbelievable! Only one loss vs all the ghostmasters so far!

(80)

Axel appeared again without needing be asked. "Woah Mr! You're incredible! MothZapper is stronger than FlashFire for sure! I'm getting excited now! This time, we duel for real!"

I selected MothZapper again.

The duel began! Magmar and Hitmonchan overwhelmed me with Gust of Wind aiding them and they cut through everything I had in less than six turns ending in my defeat.

On the 2nd game we had an epic war that dragged on for what must have been thirty or more turns! Part way through Axel ran out of energy for five turns, but kept retreating and using Scoop Up to bring his damaged Pokemon back to his hand to prevent me from picking up prizes! After he took four prizes, I slowed down on offense and played more conservatively. We then had a game of cat-and-mouse, as the Pokemon in the active slot on both sides were a continual revolving door. I slowly got through his defenses and KOed several Pokemon with one prize left. Eventually I found the opening I needed and took down his sixth Pokemon!

(81)

I turned to my left and found Mint had completed her duels against them at the same time and was looking to check on me too! We both smiled before looking back towards Axel.

Axel clapped his hands. "That was the fastest training we have ever had for the next-in-line hero or should I say heroes! The means to defeat the foe is specifically for Mint!"

I did a double-take.

"Mr. Gentleman, you have beat us all with your all-common deck and only took two losses against US! By now, you have what it takes to challenge anyone! What we have to give is the product of many games among each other. We set out to make the strongest version of my deck that we could. Its very important that this deck has the smallest possible chance of losing. One of the high priests directed us to make it and to give it to a female hero in the final foretold days. The one we are to give it to is obviously Mint. This deck... it is my magnum opus. You will surely need it for what lies ahead!"

Tuff As Nails

4 Scyther Lv25
2 Chansey Lv55
3 Jigglypuff Lv14
3 Wigglytuff Lv36
2 Grimer Lv17
2 Muk Lv34

4 Professor Oak
4 Itemfinder
4 Challenge
4 Computer Search
4 Bill
3 Nightly Garbage Run
3 Rocket's Sneak Attack
2 Energy Removal
2 Switch
2 Gust Of Wind
2 Pluspower

5 Grass Energy
4 Double Colorless Energy
1 Full Heal Energy

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

Ask your opponent if he or she accepts your challenge. If your opponent declines (or if both Benches are full), draw 2 cards. If your opponent accepts, each of you searches your decks for any number of Basic Pokemon cards and puts them face down onto your Benches. (A player can't do this if his or her Bench is full.) When you both have finished, shuffle your decks and turn those cards face up.

Special Energy Card: If you play this card from your hand, the Pokemon you attach it to is no longer Asleep, Confused, Paralyzed, or Poisoned. Full Heal Energy provides 1 colorless energy. (Doesn't count as a basic Energy card.)

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.

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.

Attach Pluspower to your active pokemon. At the end of your turn, discard pluspower. If this Pokemon's attack does damage to the defending Pokemon(after applying weakness and resistance), the attack doe 10 more damage to the defending Pokemon.

Axel swung out his hand with a dramatic flair. "This deck is able to shut down all Pokemon Powers that your opponents have with Muk! It has a variety of trainer cards to help it be a suitable weapon against any deck. By now you also should be aware of the power of Wigglytuff. Having tested this deck against the other Ghostmasters, I can definitely say it is the most powerful deck I have ever seen."

Axel then bestowed the deck to Mint!

Mint looked at it with wonder. "You say I'm going to need this? What kind of monstrous foe am I to face?"

I crossed my arms. "Who knows, but maybe it will be Seth. His deck was probably the closest I have seen to Axel's regular deck in terms of power."

Mint's face became full of determination at that.

Axel held a finger up. "If the foe is Seth, it might be possible to save Seth after defeating him in a duel. The Mindmaster prototype had only one fail-safe built in: If you say the name of the person after defeating them in a duel and the Mindmaster wasn't used too long prior to it, it is possible to revert the mind override! We actually have succeeded in utilizing this function before. Its part of why the foe never wants to be able to lose."

Axel looked up with wide eyes apparently remembering something. "Oh! I forgot to mention, before you both can complete the destiny that lies ahead, you must first seek out the current high priest of the Third Eye. Do either of you know who that could be?"

I stroked my beard thoughtfully. "They can obtain knowledge from outside of this world right? I'm not sure who might fit that bill, but if you are talking about the power of foresight, only the GR psychic leader, Claire, comes to mind on this island. I think she would be a good person to check with first. Erm... I just remembered that I heard the Third Eye had disbanded long ago though..."

Axel now had a worried look. "The Third Eye religion provided vital information to us to stop the foe in almost all of his previous incarnations. If they disbanded, this is not looking good! Regardless, both of you should go meet Claire. Hopefully she will be open to using her power to help! Before you go though, I have one more thing to give you both."

Axel pulled out two small devices and spoke again "These earbuds will allow you to hear my voice from anywhere. They have small camera's built in as well as mics, so you will be able to talk with me and i'll be able to see through the camera!"

I gave a short bow. "You have my utmost gratitude. I will do all I can to preserve our world from our foe!"

Mint held up a fist. "And so will I!"

Axel nodded. "Alright then! Lets go see Claire!"

As we exited the now un-sealed fortress, Doduo rejoined us again. Its feathers full of grass and flowers from all the rolling around it presumably did. Axel then tested the functions of the earbuds and confirmed he could speak to both of us or one of us at at time. He also let us know how to deactivate them for privacy if needed.

We then set out to see Claire!

In the game, Toby tends to act as the leader for the Ghostmasters and makes it seem dangerous for you to be in their fort all ominously. Him acting this way here is just a callback to how he acts in the game.

Replacing your mind with another is nothing new for the Pokemon universe. Bill did it in Pokemon Red when he swapped bodies with a Pokemon. As such, I figured it was fair game as something that can happen in the story.

Any time Axel mentions cards that were not meant to be there, he is referring to 2nd generation Pokemon Cards which were extremely limited in their inclusion in the 2nd game.

133TFR33k · Mar 6, 2025

Chapter 11: Portent

The three of us made for good company as we swapped stories and information about the world of today vs the world leading up to this point.

Doduo just trotted along vacantly. I suppose even if the bird could understand our conversation, it wouldn't be hearing anything Axel was saying.

Our journey was an uneventful one and we soon found ourselves at the GR psychic stronghold. Upon our arrival, Claire came out to meet us.

Claire smiled. "Ah there you two are. Right on time."

I put my hand to my chin. "So you are the high priest then?"

Claire raised an eyebrow. "High priest? I'm the GR psychic leader. We haven't gone by priest in a long time. It was a misnomer anyway because we don't even know where our psychic power even comes from. Pretty ironic from the ones who can see so many things outside of our world, eh? I know you are looking for assistance, but my help will come at a price..."

I furrowed my brow. "Do you not know what's at stake here? Why would you require a price?"

Claire smiled slyly. "Let me put it like this: The world is in danger. Is there a price you would not be willing to pay to save it?"

Axel chimed in. "What on earth is Claire talking about! I have never seen such an unhelpful high priest in my life! We don't have time for this nonsense! Just agree so we can go."

I stared at her a moment as she waited.

Finally I rolled my eyes. "Fine! What do you want?"

Claire examined her nails. "Oh nothing much... Just a favor later on..."

I squinted at her. "What sort of favor..."

Claire smiled. "It's a secret."

I stared at her. "I don't like secrets."

Claire placed a finger on right below her bottom lip. "Well, I do. All I need, is for you to agree to it and promise you will hold up your end of the bargain."

I held my hands out as if gripping two large objects. "But how can I agree to it if I don't even know what it IS?"

Claire shook her head. "Not my problem. Agree to it. Or don't. Your choice."

Mint crossed her arms. "Why the fixation on the gentleman? Do you need a favor from me too?"

Claire smiled at Mint. "Actually, yes, I do. It will be the same favor I will ask of him, in fact. One you will need to jointly agree on."

Mint tilted her head in confusion.

I gripped my head in my hands. "This better not be anything LIKE the kidnapping!"

Claire now had a big grin. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. This is a favor you will certainly struggle with at first, but believe me when I tell you that you will be grateful to me later..."

I was dumbfounded at this point. Just what on earth is this old woman talking about?!

I felt my eye twitching as I reluctantly gave my reply. "Fine."

Claire gazed deep into my eyes. "...Are you sure? There is no taking this back later."

I glanced to Mint and she nodded to me.

My resolve was settled as I crossed my arms. "Very well. I may not know what this favor entails, but it IS to save the world. I give you my word we will comply if it is within our power."

Claire looked down and to the side but looked right at me with her eyes. "Oh it will most certainly be within your power. I guarantee you that."

Claire turned to Mint. "So, do I have your promise as well, Mint?"

Mint's eyes went a little wide. "But I never told you my name!"

Claire smiled at her. "I know many things, Mint. But what I do not know, is your answer to my question!"

Mint crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "Very well, you have my word. It's not like you are giving us much of a choice!"

Claire nodded. "Quite right. I am not giving either of you a choice. Thank you both for your support on this. It will be quite helpful later. So, ask your questions and I will answer all that I can."

I shook my head. Just what have I gotten myself into now?!

Doduo yawned with both its heads.

(82)

Mint raised a fist. "Will we encounter the foe and defeat it?"

Claire placed both hands upon the top of her cane. "Encounter? Most definitely. Defeat it? That remains unknown even to me."

Axel relayed a question through me. "Who is or who will the foe be inhabiting?"

Claire frowned. "I do not know specifically who it will be, but I know some of who it will not be. First, it will be no one from TCG Island. Second, it will not be me, though if it was, I wouldn't tell you, so I guess you will have to consider me a possibility from your perspective..."

Claire sighed.

I furrowed my brow. "That would be quite problematic if it were you since we need your insight to proceed!"

Claire looked up and to her right for a moment as she considered her response. "I plan to reveal several things that ought to help, so as you see these things come to pass, it should help to prove my innocence in the matter."

I looked down and nodded. It would have to do. We didn't exactly have many options at this juncture.

Claire stretched her neck in a way to pop several joints. "It will not be Villici nor will it be my daughter Heidi. It will not be Ishihara, otherwise known as Bill. It will not be anyone that would need to travel through the nexus to reach us even if that were possible. It will not be from outer space. Besides, there is nothing out there anyway. It will not be a Ghostmaster though I suspect that should already be obvious. It will not be Kara, the current leader of the GR Fire Fortress. It will not be Brooke, the former leader of the GR water fortress. It will not be the king's executive, Clay. It will not be Peter, whom you dueled in the lightning fortress lobby. It will not be Alex of the GR water fortress. It will not be Red Imakuni, though he would have been an amusing and unexpected possibility. It will not be versions of anyone from the original world line. Our world was made from a split from the original world line so everything we have here came from there but there is no longer any crossing between the original worlds and ours. That is all I am currently certain it will not be."

I put my hand to my chin again. "What are the plans of the foe in the near future?"

Claire nodded. "This, I know some of. The foe will secure two locations. One will be the game center, since it houses the Progenitor. The other will be the Lugia Temple. As the foe cannot be in two places at once, he or she, whom I will call "he" going forward for simplicity, will have at least one accomplice. The foe was originally male anyway, but in his second incarnation only, he inhabited the body of a female. Make of that what you will.

That version of the foe must have been the first Grand Cardinal that was stopped by Magician!

Claire held out a hand with one still on her cane. "The Lugia temple is located inside the colorless altar. I have seen a vision of it. There is a hidden switch which will move the altar to review a set of stairs that go deep underground. The location of the switch is unknown to me. You will need to defeat either the foe or an accomplice to learn of its location."

I put my hands in my pockets. "What else do you know of the temple?"

"In the temple of Lugia beneath the colorless altar is the altar of Lugia. It is in a massive unlit cave with a single stone bridge lined with torches leading to the center of the cave. A massive stone pillar extends from the bottom of the cave up to meet the bridge creating a large platform. On this platform are two torches and the altar of Lugia. Just beyond the altar to the left and the right of it are the torches. The bridge is separated at the mid section by a smaller platform that contains a ritual duel table. This table will be the site of the final duel to determine who shall inherit both the Lugia phantom card and the right to place it upon Lugia's altar."

Quite the place, I mused.

Claire stretched her side a bit. "Upon placing it, the card can become any card from the Pokemon Trading Card game, not just from what our world currently has and it extends beyond NEO as well. Although it can become any card, I believe I can peer into the beyond to see what the foe intends. Are you ready for me to make the attempt?"

Everyone was in agreement for her to proceed.

Claire closed her eyes and then opened them again. Though her eyes appeared normal, they seemed unresponsive. "Ok, right now I am currently blind. Please prop me up so I don't fall over. I will NOT be dealing with another broken hip after the last one and if I fall over I will stop helping right here and now! Also, this is NOT the favor I was referring to earlier, just so we are clear. That won't come until after this whole ordeal is over one way or another."

Mint and I worked together to prop her up.

(83)

Claire held her hands out in front of her as if reaching for something. "I see... the phantom Lugia card and a swirling darkness around it. The intensity is growing.. it... IT'S... I CAN'T BELIEVE IT"

My eyes went wide. "What?! What do you see?!"

Claire's jaw dropped. "ITS SO FITTING!"

Mint had a confused look. "Wait what?"

Claire laughed. “See for yourselves! I will now share the vision! Be warned that should the foe succeed he will be able to obtain not only the one card but an entire play-set of FOUR of them!"

Claire continued "As for the deck the foe intends to construct, it is as follows!"

TheAbyss

4 Shadow Lugia

Trainer (44)
4 Bill
4 Item Finder
4 Energy Removal
4 Computer Search
4 Super Energy Removal
4 Goop Gas Attack
3 Professor Oak
3 Rocket's Sneak Attack
3 Gust of Wind
3 Gambler
2 Nightly Garbage Run
2 Scoop Up
2 Full Heal
2 Energy Retrieval

12 Psychic Energy

Trade 1 of the other cards in your hand for up to 2 basic Energy cards from your discard pile.

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

Discard 1 Energy card attached to 1 of your own Pokemon in order to choose 1 of your opponent's Pokemon and up to 2 Energy cards attached to it. Discard those Energy cards.

Claire appeared to regain her vision as we stepped back from her. "Needless to say, this deck cannot be defeated by anyone who is unprepared to face it. In order to even properly attempt it, you would need to craft a deck specifically for taking it down. To make matters worse, the foe will have a special condition: 'Shadow Lugia is unable to be affected by any Pokemon Powers or Attack effects that would remove it from it from the field of play.' This means you will not be able to hurl it back into the deck with the likes of Gengar or Dark Machamp nor would you be able to blow it away with Pigeot's Hurricane attack! One must examine the limitations of the deck to find a way to defeat it. I believe all of us should pool our thoughts and collaborate on a deck to take down The Abyss. I will also attempt to reach into the beyond to seek help from a higher power!"

Claire then reached through the beyond to seek outside help. "For this, I will attempt to reach the strongest constructor of decks within my awareness: bulgarian_kid If you are there, I beseech you, please aid us in the construction of this deck!"

Claire closed her eyes. "I do not know if he will answer. These things are never certain. Should my plea fall on deaf ears we will have to make do with the best deck we can craft. While we wait on a potential answer, I will continue to discuss other things."

(84)

Claire pulled out a small device. "First, take this. It can plug directly into the Progenitor. It is not capable of doing much, but it will allow you to specifically thwart one of the foe's plans."

Mint accepted it with a smile. "Thank you Claire!"

Claire nodded. "The preservation of our world is paramount. If too much chaos ensues it would surely destroy us. I will do what I can to help since the gentleman has agreed to the favor for me later. As I mentioned, the foe will need to secure two locations. Time will be limited. Once the conditions are set, the foe need only sit at the duel table and wait. If enough time goes by, he will be crowned winner by default. The foe is arrogant. If he believes you are going to challenge him, he will not take his seat until his adversary arrives. He believes himself to be unbeatable even prior to him potentially obtaining Shadow Lugia! He will have good reason for his confidence even if he somehow were to become aware of the function of the device I handed you. You must be completely prepared to face him and examine all potential avenues to victory."

At this, I felt a certain sense of dread. Just what kind of monster duelist is this?

Claire placed her hands upon the top of her cane again. "Remember that in order to learn the location of the switch to access the temple and altar of Lugia, you will need to defeat one of his accomplices. I am now aware there will be two of his accomplices at the game center. I recommend one of you search for one accomplice while the other duels the one who will appear in the open. I recommend that whoever defeats an opponent first and obtains the location of the secret switch starts making their way to the colorless altar, alone if need be, to signal to the foe that you will challenge him. A defeated accomplice may inform him of your movements, but will be unable interfere in any other way with the outcome to determine the new owner of the Lugia phantom card."

I nodded committing the information to memory.

Claire stretched her back. “As for the temple of Lugia, I do not know how many of the foe's accomplices there may be. Once the other accomplice at the game center is defeated, whoever is there should make their way towards the temple of Lugia to rejoin the other. If the first game at the game center is lost, you may rely on your partner to attempt to win instead. As long as one of you is able to win, you will be able to progress. If both of you lose, you will need to get creative to find a new ally to assist, but you will have to do it quickly. I trust it will not come to that though.”

Mint raised a fist. "We will do our best!"

Claire nodded. "Unfortunately, there is nothing else I can think of to inform you of that may be of help. So, while we are still waiting for a potential reply from the bulgarian_kid, lets see what we can come up with!"

At this we collectively poured over cards and potential strategies for our collaborative deck.

As we worked on it, Doduo was rolling around in a nearby field. It looked quite bored.

(85)

After some time passed by, we finally settled on a decklist!

Claire put a hand to her chin and smiled slyly. "So, we have a little time left now... tell me how far along you both are in your relationship!"

Both of us were a little surprised, going wide-eyed and turning red.

Claire laughed. "Oh come now! Surly talking about it should not be a problem considering just how much you both were kissing in front of the game center!"

Mint's jaw dropped. "YOUR POWERS LET YOU SEE THINGS LIKE THAT TOO?!"

Claire cringed. "You don't need to yell. I'm not actually going deaf yet even though I expected to at least a decade ago... As for my powers, I didn't need them for that nor did I require use of my extensive surveillance system, though either would have sufficed... No, I simply heard it through the grape vine! A good social life helps to keep ones wit sharp!"

Claire chuckled. "So? What else! Do you know how boring it can be sitting in that stronghold all day?"

I furrowed my brow. "Surely one could keep themselves entertained with the powers at your disposal!"

Claire rolled her eyes. "Even my powers have their limits. The truth of the matter is that most of the time I am not able to use them even if I tried! Once I expend them, they take a good while to return. Hence why I enjoy interrogating young couples about their love lives! Sometimes I even set up a fortune teller tent and promise to reveal what I can see in exchange for some tantalizing details! Speaking of which, I may be able to provide a glimpse into the a possible future for the both of you. It would be a future that assumes you defeat the foe though. If that doesn't happen, all bets are off. Want to see? If so, each of you tell me something interesting!"

Mint grit her teeth. "Ok, you got me there, I'm pretty curious, so I'll go first. This man doesn't have a name! He said he BYPASSED it!"

Claire tilted he head. "bypa-what?

Good sir! You can't just go through life with no name!" With that she gave my head a smack with her cane.

I grabbed my head with both hands. "OWCH! Well pardon me for taking my time to pick out a good one!"

Claire looked at me intrigued. "My! What an anomaly you are!

You need to pick out a name. Make sure you do before you arrive at Lugia's temple at least! I can just see it now: the world ending as the foe wins and Mint doesn't even know what to call you before everything you know is gone! Ridiculous! But it is also so interesting that I find myself satisfied with just that!"

Claire smiled. "So, as promised, I will now provide some insight into the possible future of your romance. Should you defeat the foe, the two of you will have such a strong bond that you will both consider it durable enough for marriage! It would be some time before one of you actually has the guts to propose to the other though... It won't be as much time anymore though because me telling you that just changed the outcome!"

Claire cackled.

Mint brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh wow! I don't know what to say! Thank you! No doubt you saved me from YEARS for a proposal from him as this dolt is thick as a tree!"

Claire held up a hand. "Don't get too excited. He still won't have any idea how to propose effectively and it will still stall him even IF by less. You're going to have to be the one to propose if you want it in a timely fashion."

At this i felt embarrassment take full hold of me.

Mint held up her hands in fists near her face. "UGH! So much for my ideal fantasy proposal!"

Claire had a sly smile. "Oh don't worry, even so, you both will consider it well worth the effort it takes for you to be the one to propose!"

At this, both of our faces reddened.

Claire looked like she was holding back a laugh. “You’re going to have to make sure you win against the foe, your future children are depending on you!”

At this both Mint and I were as embarrassed as we could possibly be.

We would have children as in plural?! My embarrassment was now slowly being replaced... by a sense of pride!

Mint on the other hand was so embarrassed she was now hiding her face with both her hands!

Claire smiled. “I would tell you how many children you would have, but some things are better left open-ended. Needless to say that in this future, you will both be... exceedingly fulfilled.”

(86)

Mint was suddenly very quiet and was behaving more shyly than I had even guessed was possible for her!

Claire suddenly widened her eyes as she stared in a random direction. "I now have a reply to my inquiry!"

"It seems our potential ally is weary about... roleplaying? I have no idea what he means by that! Oh of all the- Now he is being silent!"

Claire blinked. "Well, you have my apologies! I have no real idea why he won't help us! Perhaps I should ask a random lurker after all..."

I tilted my head. “But what are these lurkers you speak of?”

Claire held both her hands out waving them around. “Remember the ceiling of the ruins of the card dungeon? There were shadows looking down indistinct, UN-numbered, and without expression. They represent the lurkers who traditionally only observe and nothing else. The one giving the thumbs up was the bulgarian_kid though by definition that does mean he is not a lurker. Lurkers typically observe from another world but never interact. I believe them to be a form of ascended beings with strict rules about interaction with our wold. I am unsure why the bulgarian_kid was an exception to that. Perhaps he is their leader?”

I scratched my head. "These Lurkers sound quite powerful if they are able to help us. It is a pity we cannot count on their help."

Claire then cleared her throat. "Sadly so. It seems then we must assemble our best combined efforts after all!"

And with that, we worked to assemble the cards we had picked out into our final hope should all else fail!

SealedStar

4 Togepi Lv8
4 Mr. Mime Lv28
3 Doduo Lv10
3 Dodrio Lv28

4 Itemfinder
4 Computer Search
4 Bill
3 Maintenance
3 Energy Removal
3 Pokemon Trader
3 Professor Oak
3 Rocket's Sneak Attack
2 Lass
2 Nightly Garbage Run
2 Revive
2 Super Energy Removal

5 Psychic Energy
4 Recycle Energy
4 Double Colorless Energy

You and your opponent show each other your hands, then shuffle all the trainer cards from you hands into your decks.

Shuffle 2 of the other cards from your hand into your deck in order to draw a card.

Claire held the deck up high. "With this deck, the weakest of all Pokemon will have the power to smite the mighty!"

She then handed the deck to me which I stashed in my pocket. With the deck we needed in-hand we bid our farewells to Claire and set out for the game center.

It was late afternoon when we arrived at the game center. Both Mint and I exchanged glances with each other and nodded. We were determined to see this through and come out on top!

Inspiration to create this fanfic spun out of what was originally just a ridiculous written-form lets-play. The idea to craft a basic deck was a spin off of a topic I posted on a message board for the game for non-rare decks, aka decks without promo cards or rare cards. The idea for that deck was mine, but the reason I went from being a lurker on the board to someone who posted in the first place was so that I could reply to the really cool decks that bulgarian_kid had posted on gamefaqs for the game. The original raw version of this fanfiction is included inside the topic I created for FlashFire!. Without bulgarian, I would still be a lurker and this fanfiction would not exist.

In the original game you can inherit the legendary Pokemon cards after defeating the grand masters and defeating your rival Ronald in one final duel. The ability to inherit Lugia through a duel directly uses that same concept.

In the games, the temple of Lugia does not exist. The colorless Altar does though. I created the temple for the story.

133TFR33k · Mar 6, 2025

Chapter 12: Rivals

(87)

We entered the game center with Doduo trailing behind. We wanted to be thorough and check everywhere for the foe and his accomplices, so we visited the lobby first. Doduo had no apparent interest in the Doduo daycare and trotted along behind me instead. Sitting at the duel table on the far side was Seth! Peering at us expectantly with an air of dangerous confidence about him.

"So.. you made it." He smiled deviously.

I stared at him. "If you are here, that must mean our primary foe is NOT you!"

He grinned. "Yes, that's right! My master is a far more potent duelist than I! I believe at this point you are likely aware of various things... Who would have guessed the Progenitor had yet another fruit to bear! That's right, we knew you would be seeking access to it and deduced we would meet you here! Though you unsealed the fortress, it won't even matter. Before you can even get started you both are going to lose to me right here right now." He smiled confidently.

I addressed Mint while my gaze was fixed on Seth. "I have some unfinished business with this man. My last duel ended in disgrace. You go find the other accomplice." My eyes narrowed on my opponent.

Mint kept her eyes on Seth. "Got it. I'll find out who it is and be sure to win! If I'm not back by the time you win, you go ahead to Lugia's temple."

Seth raised an eyebrow. "So.. you knew of the other accomplice.. it doesn't sound like you know who it is though." He smiled. "Good luck."

With that Mint walked away to find her opponent and I took my seat across from Seth.

He then pretended to remember something. "Oh by the way! You have to put four Double Colorless energy in your deck to duel me."

He struggled to prevent himself from laughing. "I'll be playing with my deck unaltered of course."

I scowled at him. "Fine, but this time will be worlds different knave!"

With that our epic duel began!

(88)

I selected MothZapper as my deck and after modifications, we began our duel!

For the modifications, I took out one of each type of energy and two Bills Teleporter for the Double Colorless energy.

I began with Venonat and paralyzed the Lickitung.

He removed my energy and attached one to Snorlax on his bench.

I then attached another energy, removed his and then won the coin-flip again to hold down Lickitung.

He attached a recycle energy and passed back to me.

I attacked again but did not hold it down this time.

He struck back with Tongue Wrap after attaching energy and paralyzed Venonat.

I emptied my hand: used switch to rid status, played two more Venonat and attached another energy to one of the new ones, and then I used Energy Removal. With my hand now empty except for Gambler, I played Gambler and won the flip. I then attacked and paralyzed him again.

He played an energy and ended his turn.

I then evolved the front line Venonat, attached energy and used Tornado Gust. He brought out Chansey, so I brought out Porygon.

He attached energy and passed.

I attached double colorless to Porygon and converted weakness to grass.

He attached another energy and won the flip for scrunch.

I then played another grass energy and swapped for Venomoth and attacked with rainbow powder and paralyzed it.

He removed energy and attached another and passed.

I then attacked again with poison this time.

He switched to Snorlax and attached energy and passed.

I poisoned that too.

He attached energy to something else and passed.

I attacked again and paralyzed again.

He used Super Energy Removal and played another energy and passed.

I then used switch to get around Snorlax's block power, attached energy to Venomoth, and finished it off to swap out for Porygon.

He brought out Lickitung. He used Itemfinder to get back Super Energy Removal and hit my other Venomoth with it. He then paralyzed Porygon.

I attached energy to Voltorb and Gust Of Wind to bring out his weakened Chansey and passed.

On my next turn, I attached another energy to Voltorb and converted weakness to lightning.

He attached another energy and succeeded at scrunch.

I brought out Voltorb and paralyzed.

He attached an energy and passed.

I played another Voltorb and group spark to finish Chansey.

Lickitung came back out and hit Voltorb with Pluspower but did not paralyze it.

I used potion and switched to Porygon to convert to Lightning weakness.

He did not paralyze Porygon so I switched back to Voltorb and Group Sparked again for 80 leaving it at 10.

He removed my energy again and paralyzed so I gambled twice in a row and lost both coin-flips.

I brought out Snorlax with Gust of wind and passed.

He attached a second double colorless and finished off Voltorb.

I then swapped to Porygon, used potion on it and attached another Double-colorless and confused Snorlax.

Snorlax hurt itself.

I continued the assault.

He hit Porygon and put it to sleep while replacing confusion with sleep. Both Pokemon woke up.

I finished off Snorlax with Porygon but he revenge KOed it with Lickitung.

I attached another lightning energy to another Voltorb and finished off Lickitung.

I brought out Snorlax and used Gust of Wind to hit it for 50 with Group Spark after playing another Voltorb.

I then finished off his Snorlax and was down to the last prize, but he brought a fully energy loaded Kangaskhan out and knocked out Voltorb.

I tried to tank with Venomoth but he KOed that too.

I then brought out my other Venomoth and attacked to cause him to bring out Lickitung.

From there we were both almost out of cards.

Our duel was full of many twists, attacks, tactics, and KOs. In the end, all the energy removal he played ended up preventing me from having the power needed to finish him! As my last resort, I stalled out and won with 1 card remaining in my deck!

For once, Seth was furious! "What is this?"

He spat. "You constructed a better common deck and barely came through? You fool. Defeating me might be monumental for you, but it is pointless in the bigger picture. You will fail to stop my master and the world shall be shaped to his designs!"

Doduo was looking rather smug after my win. Excellent! I hoped the smugness of it got under his skin even just a little more!

I then demanded that he provide the location of the secret switch.

"Hah! You actually want to challenge him? I can't wait for the results..." He smiled again.

He then provided the location of the switch. Since Mint had not returned yet, I set out for the Temple of Lugia with Doduo in tow.

(89)

As I left my gentleman to his foe, I set about finding the other accomplice. The first thing I noticed was that Trish was not at her usual post. It then dawned on me! Since when is she Trish?! Was she not one of the nameless from Neo Island!? If she has a name now, what does that mean?!

With my target selected, I asked a nearby employee where she was. They mentioned she went farther back in the game center. As I proceeded to the room with the Progenitor, I noticed that she was not in there either. I then made my way to where the slot machines were, but found nothing there either!

I popped into the employee-only area, but after a quick look about, I didn't see her there either.

I then made my way towards the card dungeon and the employee there mentioned as I approached that someone is in the middle of a challenge. Deducing this must be where Trish went, I followed her in.

In the first room, Pawn informed me that Trish already won the first game!

So, she does have a deck now! And if she is strong enough to beat any opponents at all in here, she isn't to be taken too lightly…

I proceeded to the next room and found she had also defeated knight! At this point I really started to wonder about just what kind of deck she must be using to pull off such a feat!

As I continued I also found she defeated both Bishop and Rook!

So... she must have selected this site wanting to be found! Pretty clever since if she is in the back room she can simply wait for me.

I entered the final room and found Trish sitting at one of the chairs at the duel table. Something was very different about her today. The way she wore her hair, the way she was in casual punk style cloths instead of her work attire, even the way she did her nails. Edgy in every way with a posture to match! I gave her a stare that let her know I meant business.

She replied as she inspected her nails. "So... here we are."

(90)

Trish turned to look right at me with narrowed eyes. "It was sickening watching you walk around with that man and having to pretend to be nice to you! In truth, I hated you both from the very start! You know what else I hate? Manufacturing game chips. BY HAND! Guess what happens when people walk out of here without them? The boss forces ME to work OVERTIME making them! Since they pay me a "Salary", I get NOTHING for it! Oh, I asked about getting a machine to manufacture them, but the company just wants to save money!" She had a crazed look in her eyes as she looked up.

I cringed a bit at that. The King is definitely too much of a penny pincher... I couldn't believe when he decided to forgo the idea of a Scyther VR game... for a COIN flip table...

She scowled as she shook her head. "I wasn't going to take THAT, but my only recourse was to impress upon people to NEVER leave with them! Oh, I did it nicely at first, but no matter what suggestions I have, they always ignore me! Just like how management ignores every single one of my ideas..." She looked ready to dismember something. "Funny how that works when you don't have a name!"

Her eyes were open wide as one of her eyelids was twitching. "Being NAMELESS, I was unable to duel! My life as a second-class citizen was always set in stone, never allowing me to ever be anything more than a simple receptionist! That was before I met a man of real power and worth: Seth! He was the only one who seemed to understand how it feels to live such a life. The ONLY one who cared when my fiance just UP AND LEFT ME WITH NO WARNING! He never even said goodbye..." Trish looked away scowling.

Her eyes shifted back to meet mine again. "Seth allowed me to touch the sacred Lugia card which had the power to grant me my name! Once I gained the ability to duel, I trained under him to learn how to duel. It was brutal and I lost almost every game! Eventually I started learning and created the deck you see here now! Dark Triad!"

Dark Triad

3 Pikachu Lv13
1 Pikachu Lv16
3 Dark Raichu
2 Clefairy Lv15
2 Dark Clefable
2 GR’s Mewtwo
1 Mr. Mime Lv20
1 Scyther Lv25

4 Energy Removal
2 Switch
2 Pokemon Trader
1 Lass

4 Professor Oak
4 Bill
4 Challenge!
4 Computer Search
4 Itemfinder
2 Nightly Garbage Run
2 Gust Of Wind

12 Lightning Energy

Clefairy. Follow Me: If your opponent has any benched Pokemon, choose 1 of them and switch it with his or her active Pokemon. Shining Fingers: The defending Pokemon is now asleep. Retreat Cost: 1. Weakness: Fighting. Resist: -30 Psychic.

great_rocket_s_mewtwo_by_linkinboss_dhmnchx-fullview.png

Trish narrowed her eyes on me again. "I heard how you tend to use many high HP basic Pokemon, so I crafted the ultimate offense to attack your entire bench at once! I will finally have my revenge against the natives of this island and usher in the change that Seth's master will bring about!"

I had been silent enough at this point. "You do realize that Seth's master is the reason you are here to begin with right? He created the bridge to Neo! If anyone should be your enemy, its him!"

Trish scowled. "LIES! Seth told me you would try to trick me, and I'm not going to fall for it! Once I defeat you there will be nothing left to stand in our way!"

I crossed my arms confidently. "Oh, and what makes you think Mr Gentleman won't be sabotaging your entire operation?"

Trish squinted her eyes. "Even IF he should somehow defeat Seth, he will never defeat our master, so all that is left is for me to defeat you!"

I cracked my neck. "Not likely! I'll bring you down and then I'll be taking down your master as well! I'm not about to let him destroy the balance of our world!"

Trish swatted the air with a sweep of her arm. "My master seeks to expand our horizons. Someone as puny-minded as you would never understand the scope of his greatness! I'll prove it to you here and now!"

I noticed that she was not sitting on the side of the table that Axel could potentially use the MindMaster2.0 with, but even if he could use it to control her, it might not count as a win against her and thus would be meaningless. I took my seat opposite of her and with that our vicious duel began!

(91)

The duel raged as we laid into each other with devastating attacks. I kept her at bay with Rockets Sneak Attack and Energy Removals while shutting down her powers with Muk and targeting her key threats with Gust of Wind including a Dark Raichu which I KOed in one hit with the aid of a Pluspower. The deck Axel bestowed upon me allowed me to keep the upper hand, but I had not expected the two prizes she managed to take before she was defeated! Indeed she was on the verge of taking more if she had more time to attack with Dark Raichu!

(92)

With the duel over Trish simply hung her head. Tears ran down her cheeks. "Is that all? Is there NOTHING I can do to find my place in this world?! I've been looked down on my entire life. Its so unfair that people like you, who have ALWAYS had EVERYTHING, to get that kind of power... this deck crushed the other four, even Knight! ...It should have taken you down too… Who would have thought you would have that kind of power tucked away?"

I had finished picking up my cards and started to leave, but I stopped to listen as she spoke more.

"I suppose not even the master will be able to stop you now... Hah... you know, I think I lost my fiancee to a gambling addiction. I have no idea where he is now. One day… he just never came home... Seth said things like that are common for gambling addicts. I work for a man who employs slot machines. I can't even quit because then I would have no money and would become homeless in less than a month. It wasn’t supposed to be like this!" She held her head with both hands as she continued to look down at the duel table.

I could have kept walking, but I felt compelled to listen more after this, so I turned around to face her as she continued.

"When he was here we pooled our resources and finances… Now its all I can do just to keep my head above water. Just one paycheck away from oblivion. Just one medical emergency from losing what little I have... Once I go there, there is no returning to society... my credit score would be in shambles too from it... You know employers check credit scores these days? You can't even work without it! And who else would hire a nobody... like me anyway? And then there is you... Perfect job... perfect... looks.... perfect man... perfect life." Her face twisted in rage as she slammed her fist down on the table as the tears now flowed freely.

I looked to the floor as I started to get a sense of the hopelessness she was no doubt feeling.

Trish buried her face in her arms on the table as she wept. "Society is a vicious machine... turning without mercy... grinding the poor and desperate to dust... I'm shackled here... with no escape… I suppose I'll even be fired now too since you are valued so much more... than someone like me…"

(93)

I thought to myself a moment. So much of what she is saying... its not coming out of no where! There are big problems with the world! Could I really just walk away and leave her like this?

Everything inside me implored-no demanded that I not walk away. "I don't know where your fiancee is, but I think I know someone who might be able to help us find him! As for your job here, I forgive you and I'm sorry you've been through so much... I also believe the king will be getting rid of the slot machines soon. Your looks are their own kind of style... don't worry about it. Hang in there Trish. Even though you might have been hiding your true feelings, I never disliked you…"

At this, Trish went still. Her head was still in her arms though.

Closed my eyes and nodded. "Its going to be ok. I refuse to just leave you like this. I’m going to help you. We have to stop Seth's master first though. The chaos he would cause by winning would make the problems here seem small by comparison... Oh.. and I'm going to have a chat and see if I can't get a chip machine for you here at work while I'm at it."

Trish looked up with painful hope in her eyes. "I want to believe... so I will while I can. Hope.. I maybe there is still some?” she choked with tears still in her eyes. “...Thanks Queen... and good luck. You will need it...," her expression went blank, "to get that chip machine."

I looked back at her blankly.

Suddenly we both burst out laughing!

Once we calmed down, I replied while still smiling "You can call me Mint if you like. I have to get going though if we are going to have a world where those things I said can happen... including the chip machine."

We both laughed some more as I exited the room.

My thoughts soon resumed their serious tone. That was all I could do for her for now.

Our world.. it can be a cruel and miserable place if we let it. Its not enough to just let society handle the problems of individuals because the people with those problems all-too-often have no say in how the world is set up. They way things are, some people who should deserve a chance never get one. Something to think about it seems…

Putting that aside for now, it was time to follow my gentleman, hopefully to witness his victory, or at least claim it for him!

(94)

I put my hand to my ear. "Axel come in."

I could hear the excitement in his voice. "Axel here! I've been staying quiet but have been watching the whole time! Wow Mint, you've really taken a shine to Tuff As Nails! That deck Trish had was no walk in the park either! I'm not sure even I would have beaten her using my normal deck! I've been monitoring Mr. too. It took everything he had, but he defeated Seth! He is currently on route to Lugia's temple. If you leave now, you might get there about fifteen minutes behind him."

I smiled. "Nice going Axel! I have to say teaming up like this and being able to talk over the line here makes me feel like I'm in a spy movie!"

"Yeah totally!"

I then exited the ruins and slyly approached the Progenitor. I made sure no one was watching, and then I clandestinely attached the device that Claire had given us.

With that, we departed for the colorless altar.

The route to the colorless altar was uneventful, though I passed the time chatting with Axel.

(95)

Once I was about ten minutes away from my destination, Axel's voice suddenly became concerned. "Mint! I've just lost contact with Mr! He collapsed on the floor and the communication device must have dislodged! Its sitting on the floor. I can't tell if he is moving or his condition! Was he ambushed? Mint, be careful down there! It feels like some kind of trap!"

My jaw dropped. "Collapsed?! You can't see how he is doing? I need to get there NOW! He needs me!"

I began to run, I can't afford to wait now! What if his life is in danger?!

Axel chimed in. "Good! Lets get there as fast as we can! If it's some kind of trap, they will have less time to set it and if Mr needs us, getting there quicker might help! I can tell you he found the switch and made his way to a room with a duel table and a statue of Lugia! That's where he collapsed!"

Hang in there my Gentleman! This distance won't keep me away long!

Luckily, my morning exorcise routine has kept me decently in shape, so running this final stretch was well within my abilities!

As we approached the exterior of the colorless altar, I was swiftly approached by Doduo! It seemed to be in some sort of panic and ran ahead for me to follow. Doduo leading or not, I knew exactly where I was going!

I soon crossed the threshold of the temple and reluctantly slowed my pace to a quick walk. If I'm ambushed here, there won't be anyone to rescue my Gentleman!

(96)

The colorless altar was silent as a grave. The dancing shadows on the wall cast by the torches were the only movement for the eyes to follow as I scanned for any signs of threats. Proceeding cautiously, I made my way deeper in.

Axel whispered "I'm glad you slowed down here. I'll keep an eye out as best I can as we go. I'm glad Doduo slowed down and is keeping quiet too!"

I nodded and continued to sneak ahead. The camera allowed for Axel to at least see the motion of my head so he would know I nodded even if he was not able to look at me directly.

I made my way to the altar and found it open revealing stairs below the official structure. I peered down the stairs, took a quick look around, and crept down them as silently as I could while trying not to go too slow. The stairs winded as they went which prevented me from seeing more than a few feet ahead at a time.

Eventually I came to a hall lined with various painted murals. They depicted Lugia and a figure holding out their hand at an altar for a shadow in the shape of a card. There were other murals too, but I couldn't afford to be distracted as I forged on ahead. At the end of the hall loomed a large wooden door. Doduo stood patiently beside it. I crept up to it and began to turn the handle to open it. I held my breath and went slowly expecting it to pierce the silence with a loud squeak. To my relief, the door opened completely silently.

Axel whispered to me. "This is it! He should be right over there but he's not!"

Doduo followed me in as I scanned the room and saw nothing that would indicate a trap. The statue of Lugia loomed ominously, but on the floor near the statue, I noticed Mark's earbud. I wanted to grab it, but was worried it was a trap, so I left it there for now.

I then heard footsteps ascending the stairs at the opposite end of the room! If this is a trap, they have already failed, I reasoned.

(97)

I called out. "What have you done with my gentleman!"

Two figures emerged from the large stone door which automatically closed quickly behind them. It was Alan and Avery: the other members of the colorless altar!

Alan pushed his glasses up on his face. "The master informed us you would be arriving. You will have to win duels with both of us if you wish to proceed. The door will only open by a means that only we are aware of."

I glanced at the door seeing no handles or obvious means to open it.

Alan held his hands out. "As for your gentleman, he has been brought to the altar of Lugia in the depths below."

I glared at him. "What did you do to him?!"

Avery stepped forward. "We have not touched him. All we have done is what Seth instructed us to do."

I balled my fists feeling rage well up within me! "IS HE HURT?!"

Alan took a step back. "No! He is physically fine."

I stared daggers at them. "You will let me pass. NOW!"

Avery put an arm out in front of Alan. "No."

I scowled at Avery. "Neither of you have any hope of stopping me, I suggest you both move aside now because you WILL both lose!"

Avery crossed his arms. "That's fine. Our master advised us that we will have no hope of winning against you. We need only delay your descent."

I swooped down into my seat. "Then come here. I am ready!"

Alan took the seat first.

(98)

With the power of Tough As Nails, I laid into Alan with a ferocity far beyond his capabilities. He attempted to stall the duel with every means he had available but it barely even slowed me down. I mercilessly KOed his Pokemon while stripping his hand of useful trainer cards. Plus Power helped KO even Pokemon he thought might be safe for a turn. It wasn't long until Alan was defeated having not claimed a single prize against me!

He left his seat and Avery took it next. The duel with him went much the same as he was also defeated without having taken a single prize!

(99)

Avery looked down. "We did even more poorly than I thought, but our master informed us that you pose no threat and waits for you below. The master wants you to bear witness to the ascension once you are defeated."

His words left me uneasy. How could any opponent be so confident they could win against me with a deck this powerful?? I pushed the thoughts from my mind. Failure is not an option! My gentleman needs me and our world needs me! I refuse to fail!

I spread my arms with balled fists. "Your master's designs have been foiled before, and it will be no different now! Count on it!"

At this, Avery and Alan walked to opposite corners of the room and pressed two hidden switches at the same time as each other. The stone door then opened. Avery then bowed and gestured to the stairs leading to the depths below.

I took to my feet and first picked up Mark's earbud from the floor that Axel had given him and boldly went forth with Doduo following behind me.

Crossing the threshold of the room to the stairs, my pace was swift as I descended deeper and deeper beneath the earth. Eventually I passed a large archway with the stairs continuing farther down. The stairs at this point were built into a bare rough wall of solid rock on one side and the other side opened into a massive cave and chasm that extended an enormous distance that was much farther down than up.

I could make out a bridge far below lined with blue-flame torches every so often on both sides. The bridge looked like it had little in the way of railing on the sides, but was wide enough that it shouldn't matter. The top of a large natural-stone pillar was extended from the darkness below to form a platform and form a midway point between both sides of the bridge. On the platform appeared to be a duel table. At the center of the chasm, I saw a much larger platform of the same style as the previous one with what must be the altar of Lugia. At the table in the platform at the middle of the bridge, appeared to be a figure of a person standing behind a large chair, but the details were impossible to determine from such a distance. I descended the winding path with stairs until I finally arrived at the bridge.

Doduo and I pressed forward across the bridge and arrived at the duel table.

The duel format starting with Mint's first duel in this chapter was not a real duel but one I imagined since the AI has nothing like it and I did not want to create both decks as physical versions or having to find some kind of computer program to simulate them just so I could duel them against each other. This will also be the format for any remaining duels in the story at this point.

133TFR33k · Mar 6, 2025

Chapter 13: Cypress

(100)

As stepped onto the platform and approached the duel table, I called out: "I know you are there behind the chair! What have you done with my Gentleman?! Show yourself!"

A voice both familiar and unfamiliar called out. It was the voice of a man. "Your Gentleman has yielded to me and now serves me."

I balled my fists. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT YOU LIAR! GIVE HIM BACK NOW!"

The voice replied calmly. "Perhaps he shall return to you if you defeat me in a duel, but know this: you cannot win against me. No one can! Oh, I have heard of how powerful your deck is and must admit I am impressed. My ascension will be more complete if I have a powerful ally like yourself. I offer you the chance to share in my greatness as my second in command. I would even be willing to entertain ideas you may have for the changes to come to our world. You and I will be like gods! To show your devotion, simply drop to your knees and bow your head in respect. Then, I will approach and take your hand. I will allow you to walk beside me to share in my destiny."

I scowled. "You're insane if you think I would do that! You're going to PAY for what you have done to our world!"

The voice began laughing. "Oh how you amuse me, my dear Mint! Very well, perhaps you will change your mind after this..."

(101)

The figure emerged from behind the chair and stepped into the light. I froze in horror as I realized the voice belonging to the man in front of me was the same as the one that was behind the chair: Mr. Gentleman!

I seized up unable to move or speak.

He spoke with the voice of the man I loved. "I replaced his brainwaves with my own, of course."

He held his arms out confidently. "I'm sure you were expecting that I had already incarnated to this world in some other body. In truth, I set aside specific instructions for the religion of Lugia following my most recent demise. Seth, the leader, carried out my plans prior to my awakening in this body. Once all the pieces were in place, Seth arranged for one of the two of you to enter this place which led to my re-awakening."

I could barely speak. "But.. how! How did this happen?!"

He smiled. "Seth had the MindMaster prototype set to automatic activation. Once your gentleman passed by, he became my vessel! I needed time for the effect to take full hold, thus the need to delay you."

My throat felt like it was closing up. "Who.. are you??"

He held a hand up near one of his eyes with his palm facing him. His other eye was visible in between his fingers. "I was originally known as 'Professor Cypress', but I have outgrown that archaic title. You may now address me as 'Master Cypress' as all my subjects do. I am the current Grand Cardinal of the Lugia religion. Not that it is a real religion. It is simply a tool to keep a tight control on a focused group of individuals. After all, preparation for my return is rather difficult when I am not always inhabiting a vessel."

He then began performing various stretches with MY man's body! "Your gentleman will not return to you. I am far beyond him. I already have the man you love and I will have far more. Offer yourself to me and I will allow you to share in some of my power and glory. I have even decided to allow you the honor to serve my needs for companionship as you are not only powerful, but quite beautiful as well. Should you need love, I will bestow it upon you. You would be my most precious subject. Indeed you are the best in every aspect, the only one worthy to serve me in this way. You need only pledge your eternal loyalty to me here and now without resistance. Come Mint... kneel to me and bow!" He stood up straight and gestured with his hand towards the floor on my side of the table.

Axel was keeping silent, probably not wanting to give away the fact to Cypress that we could speak.

My thoughts and emotions raced. It was like many voices in my head all vying for control! Everything came tumbling out in less than a minute of thought:

He already has my gentleman! If I can't get him back, Cypress is all that remains! Someone like that won't just overlook rejection though... If I refuse him, what kind of things might someone like that do? Do I even really have an option to refuse? If I don't refuse, he is saying he will share with me? I can't deny he is at least smart to have arranged all this! He said he will let me rule with him! If I take his offer, maybe I'll be in a position to minimize the damage he causes? What if I can help him make good decisions? He says he can beat my deck even though it should lose to nothing!

(102)

I then felt a sense of weight and resolution.

NO! A future with a man who murders peoples minds? Could I even pretend to love a man like that? One who elevates himself above me and seeing me as something beneath him like a mere pet?! What if his plans are bad and I can't convince him to change them? Everything could suffer with me having done NOTHING to even TRY to help! I don't know if its already too late, but if I don't at least try to stop him, I may as well be murdering my love myself! Is his deck truly invincible? I can’t just give up without a fight! I must oppose this monster… with all that I AM!

My thoughts subsided as I felt determination well up from within me.

I stared him down. "I refuse. Your plans are going to end here by MY hands!"

He smiled broadly. "Though I offered you the easy way out to serve me directly, I was hoping with every fiber of my being that you would refuse!"

He smiled even more with a wild look in his eyes. "So willful! Breaking you will be most exquisite!”

What is this man? This sort of confidence doesn't just come out of no where... I began to feel a creeping sense of dread.

He closed his eyes and nodded. “I see we will need to duel to solve this! Very well! I will demonstrate to you that it is pointless to resist me. Once you understand, you will give yourself to me. That is how I prefer to have you!"

He looked right at me. It was a look like he was hungry for a delicious slice of cake that he was about to eat and I was the cake! I felt a chill run down my spine.

Anger mixed with fear. That is what I felt toward the man in front of me. Rage, I willed it to be! How dare he?! This will not stand! I will bring him down! I must for my love, for the world, and for ME! I quickly took my seat and slammed my deck down, coldly staring directly into his eyes.

He merely looked back at me amused. "Perfect... everything is so perfect... Now you shall experience what it is to duel against the inevitable. To duel against... me."

He held his arms out as he turned his head upward with closed eyes.

With that, he took his seat and placed his deck upon the mat. "It doesn't matter what deck I use against you, actually. I can even use this deck of all commons! The result will be the same."

He smiled deviously. "My duel requirement is that you use a deck comprised of one Shellder Lv8 and fifty-nine Fire Energy."

Pure fear gripped my heart. "WHAT??!"

He maintained his smile with his eyes closed as if he had just stated the most normal thing in the world. "Oh don't worry, its just a little duel requirement."

My eyes widened. "YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

He smiled contently. "Oh but I can and I have my dear, Mint. It was simply a matter of adding an exception to myself for the global default range of duel requirements..."

I began shaking. I couldn't tell if it was from fear, rage, or both! "I REFUSE THOSE CONDITIONS!"

I then began to draw my cards as Cypress looked confused. "How can you do that?"

Axel then chimed in unknown to Cypress: "AH! It must be the device Claire gave us to attach to the Progenitor! Oh MAN that was close!"

I regained some composure. "Oh you don't like that? Well my decree overrides yours. Too bad!"

He then gave the first annoyed expression I had seen from him yet. "I'm not sure what you did, but its still not going to help you. In fact...," his expression calmed as he nodded, "this turn of events will probably be more enjoyable anyway!"

He smiled as he began to draw his cards and the duel to determine the fate of everything began!

(103)

Very early on I realized that he was playing with MothZapper! How DARE he use my gentleman's deck against me!

Axel commented: "Hey Mint, I'm going to continue speaking sometimes, but its probably best not to give away that we are communicating. So I'll speak and you can just listen. If I ask you a question, it will be yes or no and you can signal to me with short yes or no whispers or slight nods or slight shaking of your head."

I gave a small nod.

Axel continued. “I'm shocked to see Cypress use a deck this weak! It IS the best all-common deck as far as I can tell, but its hardly the BEST deck! We already thwarted his deck restriction plan! Why is he still so confident?! Play carefully, Mint! We don't know what tricks he may have up his sleeves and we can't afford to lose here if we are going to save Mr! What's more is that Mr has the SealedStar deck we crafted! Without it we will be defenseless to Shadow Lugia! If we lose this duel here, we lose e v e r y t h i n g!"

Axel was right, everything is on the line here! This should be an easy victory for me, but if I mess it up its the END!

As we played, I quickly built up my bench, but Rocket's Sneak Attack wasn't very effective against only common trainer cards in his hand.

His Pokemon of course had low HP. Many things could take his Pokemon down in a single hit. We traded some energy removals as maintaining energy early on was a struggle for both of us.

After three Energy Removal all targeting my double-colorless energy, he found an opening to KO two of my Pokemon! Not only can he use Mr's deck, he can use it to its maximum capabilities!

After a few more turns I was finally starting to take back control. Once I had enough momentum built, I began sweeping his team. Each KO left his expression totally unfazed. Is he really that good at bluffing?!

As the turns progressed I was making strides on claiming prizes until there was only a single prize left. Cypress then looked at me and smiled confidently.

(104)

I now stood next to the card table with Cypress no where to be seen. Our cards were no longer on the table.

I looked around frantically. "What just happened?!"

Cypress then stepped out from behind the chair. When did he get back there again?! "My dear Mint.. I didn't think I would actually need to use it, but you forced my hand! Well done! I was right to select you to share a portion of the throne of my ascension!"

I balled my fists. "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH OUR GAME AND OUR CARDS?!"

Cypress merely smiled. "Oh I have done nothing with them. You will find them right there in your pocket in fact!"

I immediately checked my pocket and confirmed he was right! "Then were did our duel go?!"

Cypress held his hands in front of him tapping his finger tips from both hands together rhythmically. "Ah, that duel we were in? I didn't think it was going too well, so I erased it from existence."

If it weren't for the confident smile he was wearing and the strange circumstance, I never would have believed him.

I started to feeling a profound sense of anxiety. "Duels don't just vanish! Since you forfeited, fork over Lugia NOW!"

Cypress waggled his finger. "You wound me with your lies, Mint! Why, you and I have never even dueled before! I am under no obligation to turn Lugia over to you."

I could feel my anxiety mounting quickly. "Yes we have! We were in a duel! Put the cards back up so I can finish you off!"

He smiled darkly. "But that would be against the rules! You do know how to play the Pokemon trading card game don't you? You need to play from start to finish after the cards have been shuffled."

At this I grew angry. "YOU CHEATER!"

He held a hand to his chest as if he had been wounded. "Surely I did not cheat, for if I had, I would be forced to surrender Lugia to you as the Progenitor would impose it upon me the same as anyone else!"

"FINE THEN!" I retorted as I stormed ahead right towards him. Lets see how he likes a punch to his smug new FACE!

I charged him, but was quickly knocked back hard by some unseen force! I tried to step back to keep from falling over, but found the edge of the platform was too close! I was FALLING!!

Suddenly I was standing on the platform again. I had been about to die! I collapsed to my knees unable to stop my eyes from leaking some tears.

Cypress loomed as he stepped out from behind the chair... again? "Well that's not quite what I had in mind for my anti-gravity repulsion defense... You see, it prevents anything from passing beyond a certain point on this platform. The deactivation lever is naturally on this side of the platform where the shield has no effect. I designed it as a contingency, and a good thing that I did! Somehow I doubt this body would deal well with physical attacks from you. Do not worry though my dear, I have saved your life. Perhaps you are now grateful enough to belong to me?"

I shot him an angry look. "It's YOUR fault I was falling to begin with!"

At this he cringed a bit. "A partial truth. You were the one who actually tried to attack me, after all. I didn't have to save you, you know. Are you saying you are ungrateful? Should I have let you fall to your death?"

As much as I hated to admit it, I certainly would have died right there had he not done whatever he did to get me back on the platform again. I calmed myself.

"Under normal circumstances, I would surely thank someone for saving my life, but these are not normal circumstances. You only saved me because you want to claim me as a prize!"

Cypress smiled confidently. "And what of it? Do I not deserve the best of prizes? With this power, you can see I can and will keep you safe. That's not all I can do either. There are so many paths available to me now..."

If it weren't for who he was, I might have even felt flattered.

I furrowed my brow. "What are you even talking about and what happened to our duel?!"

Cypress began pacing with his hands clasped behind his back. "For some reason, this gentleman had a very curious book on his person. A ...diary." Cypress paused his pacing and looked at me with a sinister grin.

I shrugged as if he just said something stupid. "So? What's so special about that?"

(105)

Cypress waggled his finger. "In order to explain that, I first need to clue you in on a bit of history."

I merely stared at him.

He began to pace again in the same fashion. "During my time as a researcher, I conducted various studies on the Progenitor. I am something of a prodigy and was able to make considerable progress on learning its functions. Of course, i kept most of that knowledge to myself. I was also involved with the development of the MindMaster prototype. It was to be the most important invention of our time! We could have kept the best scientific minds alive for the advancement of society! Those fools at the academy were unable to put aside their petty morals to achieve greatness! Who cares if you wipe out the brain of a criminal or homeless person! They are just going to rot and use up valuable resources! I suppose more than anyone, they were simply afraid of its potential. Not only that, but they issued a warrant for my arrest on 'crimes against humanity' they said!"

Cypress's expression changed to disgust as he continued.

"But no... even with starting with the minds of homeless and criminals, those imbeciles STILL rejected my wondrous proposal! Once it became clear they would not listen to me, I uploaded my mind to the machine and staged a robbery to make it appear as if the machine had been stolen. Having no way to escape the fate of my original body, I was arrested. Guess what they did next?"

I remained silent as I continued staring daggers at him.

His face twisted with a deep intense hatred. "Those sick freaks put ME to death!!"

He then stopped pacing, closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and slowly regained his composure. "Unbeknownst to them, I had already found my first vessel and uploaded my mind to its brain. It was at that moment that I, Master Cypress, was born. I saw what they did to my original body, and I HATED them for it! From then on, I would use my knowledge to strike back at those fools while furthering my own ambitions!"

His pacing resumed. "As time went on, so-called heroes would arise to duel me with disgusting levels of success! Unfortunately, the MindMaster prototype may only be used every one-hundred years. Attempting to redesign it would be beyond even my superior intellect on its own, so I had to make do with what I had. Once each vessel that served its purpose, the machine would automatically update, ready for another vessel to eventually inhabit. I had the Lugia card from the beginning and learned what its full capabilities were. It was easy to create a religion around it. The desperate are always hungry for some belief to cling to you see..."

(106)

Everything he said made me want to vomit, but I realized that more information was unlikely to make things worse so I continued to listen while he continued.

His pacing continued. "One of the things I learned from the Progenitor during my time as a researcher was of the existence of a seemingly simple book that the Progenitor references to render our entire world at the time of the last entry!"

At this, I started to feel a creeping sense of dread. Just where was this going?

Cypress stopped pacing and caught one of his fists in his other hand. "I had hunted for it for centuries and finally I deduced its location via the use of the Lugia religion! I knew there was something strange about Mr Gentleman when he did not appear to have a name, yet he could duel! He was not an immigrant from NEO, after all. One of the things I was able to learn about the diary is that its owner has the ability to name themselves It then stood to reason that they would have to exist for at least some time without a name! Unfortunately when the world of NEO became connected, there were many immigrants with no names! I did not realize they would translate in that way upon reaching our island! My hunt became far more difficult with them here. Part of the instructions to the current leader, was for him to locate the owner of the diary and to have them fall into the trap!"

Wait a minute... he is saying that he had Seth plan this from before my gentleman even walked GR Island for the first time?!

Cypress held a hand up near his face as he curled the fingers on one hand meeting the tips of those with his thumb. "I could not simply just steal the diary, because I learned that the progenitor only accepts entries from its owner, but upon my upload to this vessel, I am now considered its owner!"

Cypress put his hands behind his back as he nodded with his eyes closed. "Admittedly, this plan was highly risky, but the rewards of success were simply too great to ignore! Seth wisely used prophecy to help guarantee his success. Otherwise he would have attempted a more... direct approach. Indeed he was the perfect tool for the job!"

I furrowed my brow. "Is that all people are to you? Just tools?"

He waved his hand dismissively. "Not all people, but certainly the vast majority of them. Don't worry my dear, as my valued pet, you will be so much more than a tool!"

Now he has said it openly, he considers me nothing more than a PET! I stopped to think a moment. Perhaps I should try a different approach? What would it hurt anyway?

I held my hands out with my palms up. "If you keep treating people so far below you, how will you ever have respect from peers or mentors? How will you form friendship? Have you never felt lonely?"

Cypress looked at me confused. "Loneliness is a weakness. I guarantee society spits upon it! The only way to feel valued is to establish superiority and use power to get what you want. Playing a rigged game only leads to rigged results. Instead, you need to redesign the game and make everyone else play that! One good way, is to harness the ability to change fate."

I assumed he was now getting close to his point. I listened intently.

He held a finger up. "Speaking of fate, the diary by itself is useless, but combined with the signal device I invented, I only need to press a button and our entire world resets to the time of the last entry!"

At this my mind started racing at the implications.

He smiled. "The device is coded to my specific brainwave pattern, so don't get any funny ideas about trying to use it. As you might have deduced, the last entry was just prior to me revealing myself. Do you understand your position yet?"

This situation slowly began to dawn on me.

He held his arms out confidently. "Upon reset, my memories are kept. There is no limit on the number of times I can reset our world, that means there is no limit to the number of duels you will have to win in order to stop me! What's more, you cannot reset the duel, but I can. If you will win, I will simply reset. If you will lose, the duel will continue to its completion! Tell me, dear Mint, how many games in a row do you think you can win against me? Five... ten... fifty... one-hundred...," he smiled darkly, "Five-thousand?"

He paused a moment before he tilted his face towards the ceiling with his arms spread wide taking in a deep breath of air with his eyes closed. "Ah, I've waited centuries for this moment! There is no limit to my patience at this juncture!"

With this I felt walls closing in around me on all sides! I could barely breathe! My thoughts imposed themselves upon me as my expression changed. He's won! There is no way of stopping him! And he's insane! There won't be anything resembling our world left when he is done!

He gazed at me eerily. "Ah! Good! I can see from your face that reality is starting to set in. Don't worry, I've allowed you and the ghostmasters to retain your memories upon resets. Its so much more satisfying when you know what it is that I am doing. I know they are watching." He smiled and waved at the camera on my device. "So, my dear Mint, are you ready to give up yet?"

I fought back against the creeping hopelessness welling up inside me and shot back at him with all the will and anger I could muster: "NO! I'll STOP YOU THIS TIME!"

He then began to laugh as he clapped his hands together. "Excellent! Oh, Mint, you don't disappoint do you?! Even faced with the impossible, you STILL want to try to win! I shall savor every last drop of your hope until there is nothing left! Once you are empty you will fill with acceptance and pledge yourself to me! If you do not, I can find infinite ways to abuse the power to reset the world! Perhaps you will not like me at first, but I'll have all the time it takes to bend you to my will and I don't care what I have to do for it either! Eventually, you will break!"

I wanted so badly to cry, but I HAD to focus! I couldn't LET him win! I took my seat at the table and he took his. Our second first duel began!

(107)

From this point on, I played fast and focused on hitting him with everything I had! Maybe I can convince him I'm too strong to ever beat! This game is going well! He only took one prize and he is now down to 2! Another KO, just one mo-.

The duel vanished again. I started to feel claustrophobic in my own body. I yelled "AGAIN"

He came back out and we went to our third first duel. No prizes for him this time! Now only ONE more prize!

Another reset. I was now having a hard time breathing but did my best to conceal it.

This went on for 9 more duels before I paused and added "Fine! I won't duel you then!"

I started to feel relief, but it was short lived.

He clasped his hands together. "That also works. Once I take my seat and enough time elapses, I will simply win by default. I think it would be a real shame to allow me to win so easily though, don't you?"

I could feel the cracks begin to form in my expression as I could feel despair breaking through my willpower.

He gave me a look of pity. "Oh, don't worry Mint! I won't take the win for myself just yet. Perhaps I can be reasoned with! We can take as much time to talk as you wish."

I hated that his words started to comfort me, but right now it was the only hope I could cling to!

Axel finally chimed in. "Mint, I know this is bad, but continuing to duel him puts us at risk. We can't get through his ability to reset. Unless we deal with that first, there is no way to stop him! I need time to think. I'll see if I can come up with a solution. For now, try to get him to keep talking!"

(108)

Claire said I should explore all avenues to victory so I decided to take Axel's advice and keep Cypress talking.

I looked up at Cypress allowing my hopefulness to be on display. Lets see if we can play on his emotions! "Did you mean what you said? You will talk to me?"

Cypress's gaze softened. "Mint... ah you are so cute when you look at me like that. It figures you would be though. I always have an eye for great women after all. We certainly can talk. All I want, is for you to ask nicely."

I allowed myself to feel flattered to make the interaction more convincing. I looked down to the floor. "I would like... to talk with you."

Cypress leaned over holding his hand to his ear. "Good! But I need you to address me by my proper title and with manners."

I felt sick. Must I really do this? I set those thoughts aside. I needed to keep us talking.

I was still looking down. "I would like to talk with you... master Cypress... please..."

Cypress held his arms out wide as he smiled. "There you go, my pet! One step closer to the bond we shall soon have! You are simply adorable when you ask so sweetly. As promised, we can now converse. I will now allow you to ask questions which I shall answer! The more we speak, the better acquainted we shall become with each other after all! Ask any and all questions you like my dear!"

It was so hard not to show any disgust on my face and to keep the contents of my stomach inside my body. I felt like I needed mouth wash for both my mouth and brain. BUT it's to get my man back! Got to keep going!

"The ones who ended the life of your original body are long gone. Why do you continue your hatred of the world?"

Cypress raised a finger. "I do not hate the world. I merely see it as stagnant. I hated the individuals who ended my original body, but as you mentioned they are gone now and every minute I live is a constant passive revenge against them. Simply being alive is enough to make me feel wonderful knowing that they are all gone and will stay gone!"

Despite what it took to get here, talking felt so much better than dueling right now. I could feel some of the tension release that had been gripping me.

Cypress began his signature pacing again. "There have been so few scientific breakthroughs since I had my original body. I had the solution to it and they ignored it! Its a shame really. The Pokemon trading card game has also been stagnant. Its like we had living cards -he held his hands up as he paced- originally, but we kept using them over and over again until they died. After that, we still used them and continued to the world of today where we play with the bones of the dead cards! We need change."

Tension continued to decrease, I started to feel that I could breathe again.

He paused his pacing as he turned towards me and pointed. "The deck you currently wield is proof. A de-facto best deck? Such a thing in a healthy card game environment should be a state of temporary being, not a crowning achievement to last for all time. The more you wield that deck, the less fun it will be for your opponents. Fun is what drives our world. If you take it away, all that is left is a grave.

I crossed my arms. "Fun? How is NEVER losing fun?"

Cypress smiled. "Who's fun is more important? Mine or someone else? Obviously my question is rhetorical: mine is the most important! You know what I find fun? Winning. Being the undisputed best. Receiving all the praise and adoration for my skill, intelligence, charm, and of course my other perfect qualities..."

My reaction to that was speechlessness. What do you even SAY to something like that?!

He resumed his pacing. "Even our original world line has been stagnant. Whatever created it has ceased! This is why the only way for us to have a real future is by tying other worlds to ours. The nexus is a curious thing but it contains many wonders. You see? I am generous to you with my information. Ask what else you may like!"

He stopped to wait for my next question.

I felt ashamed as I realized I was grateful to him for being so accommodating with his willingness to speak instead of dueling.

Axel chimed in again. "Great Mint! Keep him busy, I'm discussing the situation with the other Ghostmasters. We will see if we can find a way out of this!"

Axel's comment made me feel a mixture of hope and anxiety in equal measure. What if they can't find a way?

Setting aside those thoughts for now, I met his gaze. "Why did you sacrifice yourself to seal the ghostmaster's fortress?"

Cypress looked confused. "Sacrifice myself..? OH! Hah! That was not actually me. I'm embarrassed to say that something must have gone wrong in that century and I wasn't able to use the MindMaster to download my mind into a new vessel at that time! As long as the Lugia religion properly indoctrinates its members and leaders though, I do not strictly need to be active as they will act as my proxies. I am troubled that I was stopped before I could even get started that time, but at least the current leader at the time did his job by sacrificing himself. If only the fort had remain sealed..."

I continued to focus and proceeded to my next question: "Why do you have knowledge of recent events if your mind was only just recently downloaded into your current body?"

Cypress held up a finger. "Ah, one of the functions of the MindMaster is to accept knowledge uploads from the various members of the Lugia religion. As such, I am aware of all that has transpired recently. Interesting, no?"

I tilted my head. "Do you know why is Doduo the only Pokemon card that walks around as a Pokemon?"

Cypress's eyes widened. "Actually... yes! I do! During one of my incarnations where I had partially succeeded, I was actually able to tap into the nexus of Pokemon! I was afraid of the full implications of its use, but I wanted to test it, so I selected a relatively weak and non-threatening Pokemon to bring forth: Doduo. I'm not sure I selected the weakest Pokemon in retrospect, but its certainly far from the strongest at least! Its very strange though, because it can take attacks from Pokemon cards. This seems to only occur when it is being used in the deck, however. Curiously, it does faint, but as far as I am aware, it never dies!"

At that, Doduo looked immensely pleased with itself. I had been so focused on Cypress that I had largely ignored the bird for the past good while.

I crossed my arms. "The changes you make are very large. Aren't you worried about the stability of our world?"

Cypress bought a hand to his chin. "Yes, you do have a point Mint. There IS such a thing as too much. Its why I didn't delve too deeply in the Pokemon nexus and have stayed close to the Pokemon Trading Card Game nexus instead. My earlier attempts yielded some... unsatisfactory results. Still, I am the one best equipped to navigate these waters and I owe it to our world to do so!"

I was starting to run out of good questions, so I went with an easy one to buy time to think of the next one. "The Ghostmasters told me of your philosophy to never lose duels and that your ultimate goal is to obtain a play set of cards to construct and ultimate deck. Why?"

Cypress nodded. "This one is more simple than the other questions, but I don't mind answering. We have all the time we need. If we get hungry or tired, I can simply reset so we can continue! To answer that, I will start by stating the obvious: to make things happen in our world, you need to win duels. If you don't want your plans disrupted, you need to win duels!"

Good, keep talking.

Cypress began pacing again. "If you never want your plans disrupted, you need to never lose! Although you have won all the games we have played so far together, I am not truly losing because my plans are unaffected by it. Though I can now just reset, its simply more straightforward if I don't need to. I like all my plans to have contingencies. Better planning makes for better results."

I found myself wishing our own plan had more to it as I continued to feel the pressure of the overall situation even though talking helped some.

He continued pacing. "One only needs to look at how my deck requirement plan was somehow circumvented to understand the need for contingencies! I still don't understand how you did it, though I am sure you are not prepared to tell me yet. No matter. Once you have pledged yourself to me, you will happily tell me all I desire!"

I felt a bit numb at his last comment. If we fail, what if he is right? What if I do have a breaking point? I suddenly felt like crying again.

I pushed the bad thoughts back and re-focused myself. "So, you don't care about some Pokemon Cards being left behind as the influx of new cards flow into our world or about the effects of power creep?"

Cypress stopped pacing and waggled his finger. "As I mentioned, these cards have been used too much already. As for power creep, I suppose you could try to create your own cards, but why do that when so much content in the nexus exists already? Whatever created the original world line has abandoned us. We are left to our own devices. The only way to move forward is if we do it ourselves!"

I looked at him hoping at least one of his answers would be better. "What about the people who live here and are happy? What if they don't want to change?"

Cypress closed his eyes and shook his head. "Most people are not qualified to make decisions for society. To put it simply, most people are too stupid to be allowed opinions. Just look at the Doduo Alliance! Everyone in it wanting to impose their restrictions on everyone else! Its not just mob rule, its stupid mob rule!"

At least my next question was easy to think of.

"But what about the ways it forces others to experiment with their cards and craft new decks?"

Cypress put his hands in his pockets. "I admit there is some merit in that, but the better solution is my solution to introduce big changes and new cards."

"Is there not some compromise that can be reached between what you want and what others want?"

Cypress threw his arms open. "Compromise? Why should I reduce myself to the level of the stupid masses? Their opinions are worthless and they get in the way of mine which makes them less than worthless!"

Feeling angry from his last comment, I narrowed my eyes at him. "What makes you more qualified than anyone else to do what you are doing?"

Cypress held his hands out. "I'm the only one willing to do it. I admit there are others with the intelligence or the ambition to do it, but not both. For that, I am the only one."

(109)

Axel chimed in as I continued to ask basic questions to Cypress to keep him talking. As Cypress blabbed on, I was listening intently to Axel as he filled me in on a final effort plan to break free of the time loop Cypress was keeping us in. Axelexplained it was risky and could likely only be attempted once! After Axel was finished speaking, it was time to get to work.

I waited for Cypress to stop talking again. "Well, if we are in a time loop, I'd like to speak to some of my friends and such with my phone here. Do you get reception down here Cypress?"

Cypress looked at me like I was stupid. "Mint, you really need to get in the habit of addressing me as master Cypress, and I don't see how talking to anyone other than me is relevant since they won't remember!"

I furrowed my brow. "It matters to me because I remember! I thought you were going to care about what I wanted?"

Cypress rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mint you are very cute, but there will be time for these things after you have pledged yourself to me."

I stamped my foot. "No, I want them now!"

Cypress rolled his eyes again before settling for an un-amused look. "I don't approve or permit this. I'm going to sit down now. You should have less than five minutes before you must duel me. I will not be ignored while you do such meaningless things."

I took out my phone and called Bill.

Cypress sighed. "I suppose this is my fault. I gave you a little too much credit just for asking nicely and using my proper title one time. I have neglected your training, my dear. I'll need to be a little more stern, but you will learn to treat me properly so that you can earn your rewards from me."

With that he sat down.

Bill picked up. "Yo! Mint! Nice of you to ring! You looking for an update on my secret mission here at the game center?"

"Actually, I was going to recommend that you take a look at the black box. Its the most interesting thing in there!"

Bill sounded intrigued. "Oh?? You should have mentioned that sooner! Lets see! Oh... oh wow! This is far more complex than I thought! I'll have to be careful not to disturb anything in there!"

I casually spoke. "Well hey, as long as you know how to put stuff back, it should be fine right?"

Bill sounded hesitant. "I don't know about that! You have to be careful with sensitive equipment after all."

"You know, the most interesting parts about it are inside. You should probably take the cover off to take a peek!"

Bill sounded like he was having fun. At least someone was. "Ooo nice idea Mint! You're like my special ops!"

"Hey, if you are there then were is Timmy?"

"Well... I brought him with me. Its ok though, if he unplugs things, I'll just hook them back up later on."

"Oh ok, that sounds good. I'll leave you to it then, have fun!"

"I sure will! Over and out!"

I knew the five minutes were probably getting close so I put my phone away and went to sit.

Cypress rolled his eyes. "Really, Mint, its rather insulting to have you ignore me like this for such pointless stupid banter. Oh well, I suppose it gets me one step closer to the game that brings my destiny to me. I can train you now or later, I guess it doesn't matter too much when that happens."

With that, our next duel and the final chance to save the world began!

(110)

This duel I was intent on playing differently. I needed to toy with my opponent, but not in a way that would be obvious.

As we played, I pretended to be distracted and to make subtle misplays. It wasn't hard to do given what my mental state had been not long ago. I needed to drag this out as long as I could to maximize the chances of the plan working. Even then, this was a long shot with no guarantee!

I took one of his prizes, he took one of mine, I took two of his, he took another of mine, I took another of his. This went on until we both had two prizes remaining. Putting it off as long as I could, I then took another prize.

Now it reached the point where he had to take a risk to potentially win. If I didn't have the cards in my hand to stop him, which I did, he would win! He then went ahead and took the risk but the result failed. Right after that, I saw for the first time on his face: worry! The turn then came back around to me, and I took him down!!!

133TFR33k · Mar 6, 2025

Chapter 14: Unseen

The moment the duel ended, Axel's voice boomed over the earpiece. "NOW MINT! Say the gentleman's name!!!"

This is it! The fate of everything comes down to this: If he picked something like 'BasicBro' the world would end! All due to his terrible naming skills!

If it wasn't so utterly serious, I would laugh so hard I would fall out of my chair! In a case like this though, my anxiety was at an all-time high. If Cypress regains control, he will never let it be taken from him again...

Wasting no time, I called out the ONE name I prayed he picked. "MARK!"

If this works... how romantic it would be! If he picked his name based on my idea? That's WAY more intimate than a tattoo or tree carving! He can't just take it back either! Everyone knows a name cannot change for people. Do I really even need a proposal if he picked it? OF COURSE I DO! I'm not about to allow my happy ending to be squandered! In fact, if he did name himself Mark, a proposal from him would be even BETTER than in a fantasy!

I smiled to myself as I daydreamed, temporarily forgetting about the situation. I could allow myself that at least... after all... I did everything I could do. The rest was... out of my control...

Cypress shouted. "WHAT? H-HOW COULD I LOSE THE DUEL WHAT-"

He then slumped over onto the duel mat!

A rush of emotion washed over me. I could feel a fountain of pure hope welling up from the core of my being! It was like a gentle breeze, a calm stream, a sunny day, the smell of flowers, winning a world-wide Pokemon Card Tournament, warm pancakes in the morning, and bundling up under the covers to sleep when its cold- all rolled into one!

I held both hands to my chest with more yearning I had ever had in my life! My tears started to flow!

After a moment, I heard a groan and then a voice:

(111)

"Erm... where am I?"

My emotions dictated that I repeat myself. "Mark!"

Mark looked up at me with that slightly confused and perfectly handsome face of his. "Mint? Erm... what exactly is going on here?"

I laughed as some tears streamed from my eyes. "We did it Mark! We won! The foe is gone!"

Mark scratched his head. "Oh! Erm... right! I hope I was helpful then!"

I burst out laughing. That is so like him! I wanted to run up and hug him, but my poor man has no idea what happened! I remained seated as I explained what happened as well as the conversation I had with Axel for our plan:

(flashback to just before the final duel)
Axel chimed in as I continued to ask basic questions to Cypress to keep him talking.

"OK Mint! I think we might have a way out of this! Its risky, and there is only going to be one shot at this! Listen up! The Progenitor is the only thing that allows for resetting the world. Currently it is night, which means the game center is closed, but from our chatting on the way here, you had mentioned your friend Bill should be inside the game center having a look at the slot machines."

"There is a chance his nephew, Timmy, is there with him too. I remember on the way here you were telling me of how much of a menace he is and that he goes around unplugging things. The thing is, Bill isn't going to let him out of his sight around there, but we know Bill loves technology. If you tell him to inspect the Progenitor in the other room there is no way he will be able to resist!"

"You can't say Progenitor though! Cypress will realize what you are up to and will just reset the world again! At that point, if you try to call Bill anymore he will just reset! If that happens, it might be a stalemate for all eternity or until someone gives in! You better go with the name it goes by at the game center as I doubt Seth would have bothered to learn what it was being called since he already thinks of it as the Progenitor!"

"Anyway, once Bill gets close to the Progenitor, he will likely have Timmy with him. Maybe see if you can get him to open the access panel on it and stick his head in there. He can't watch Timmy while he is doing that! The Progenitor is powered by a simple plug! A child could unplug it!"

"We don't know how long it will take for Timmy to get bored and unplug it though, so you need to drag the duel out as much as possible! Bill should be totally engrossed in studying the Progenitor, so I doubt he will look around to plug stuff back in during that. This means that the longer your duel takes, the more likely the plan is to work!"

"Remember that since the MindMaster was used on the gentleman not long ago, it is very likely the results can be reversed! I know you don't know what name he picked, but you are going to have to give it your best guess!"

"If the machine isn't unplugged when you are about to win the duel, Cypress will just reset again. Remember that Bill's memory doesn't get reset. If things reset after you call Bill, its going to look highly suspicious to Cypress if you call Bill again only to have the same conversation! Cypress will know something is up if you do that. For that reason, this plan can only be attempted once!"

"You need to get Bill to inspect the progenitor without tipping off Cypress. You need to stall the duel long enough for Timmy to unplug it. I know its risky, but we don't have any other choice! After that, you need to win the duel. Winning should be the easy part. Once you win and Cypress can't reset, assuming Timmy came through for us, you need to call out Mr. Gentleman's name and it needs to be the correct name! If it's not, you can try other names but once the progenitor is plugged back in, that will be the end because Cypress will certainly reset again."

"I think this is our only shot out of this! If it fails, I'm pretty sure we are all screwed! If that happens Mint, we already discussed it and we won't hate you if you pledge yourself to him. You won't be able to stop him at that point, and we would rather you be as close to happy as possible because you're my friend! Good luck!"

Mark smiled awkwardly. "Erm... I botched up a bit here!"

I smiled. "Well that's ok Mark because I fixed it! Besides, I can't think of a way you realistically would have prevented it!" I gazed into his handsome eyes.

I then remembered the anti-gravity shield. "Hey Mark, could you pull that lever behind you?" I pointed to the lever.

Mark looked back, apparently pleased there was something he could do for me! "Of course my lady! Erm... Where is it... Ah there we go!" He pulled the lever but I couldn't tell if the shield was gone.

Such smooth technology that makes no sound if its on or off! I walked up carefully feeling with my hands as I went. "Ok good! No more anti-gravity!"

Mark then held up a finger as he remembered something. "Oh! I almost forgot, the Lugia card! Lets see...," he started rummaging through his pockets, "ah! here it is!" he pulled it out of his pocket to show it to me as he handed it to me, "So... um what do we-"

(112)

Just then, Doduo leaped onto the duel table, snatched the Lugia card right out of my hand, and leaped in the direction of the altar of Lugia!

Mark held his hand out towards Doduo. "Woah there! Give that back Doduo!"

Doduo payed no attention to Mark as it rushed with its great speed right to the altar!

A blinding light surrounded Doduo and I heard a voice: "You have done well and have earned the right to call me to be what you desire. Speak your choice!"

Doduo then opened its beak and SPOKE! "Shadow Lugia."

Doduo then picked up a nearby deck with one beak and 4 Shadow Lugia cards in the other!

Axel stammered. "OH NO! What is that bird doing! HOW is it speaking!! What is happening???"

Doduo used its beaks to combined the cards to form a deck by placing the 4 cards on top of the other stack of presumably fifty-six cards. "To think I would be pushed this far! You WORTHLESS INSECTS!"

Mark sternly pointed at the bird. "Now Doduo! That was NOT good! I don't know how you can speak, but you need to give me that deck right n-"

Doduo squawked. "SILENCE WORM!!!"

Mark stopped abruptly. I couldn't blame him! This is some crazy stuff!

Doduo shook itself releasing some feathers into the air. "Did you REALLY think I had no more tricks up my sleeve!? Using a recent scientific breakthrough, I swapped consciousness with this bird! The Doduo you know was erased as your precious Mark came back! I, MASTER CYPRESS am now who stands before you!"

I started feeling unable to breathe again. Will this nightmare never end?! What if he can keep swapping bodies?! After everything we threw at him he is STILL GOING!

Cypress started performing some stretches. "So, do you realize what I now have? I'll tell you: I now have my ULTIMATE deck and am now... the most powerful duelist in the world! You will be stopping me no more from this point!"

I poked Mark. "Hey do you still have SealedStar?"

Mark glanced at me before returning his gaze to Do-Cypress. "Sure do! Good thing we constructed it when Doduo was busy rolling around in a nearby field! I'm pretty tired though, I think maybe you better take this one."

I took SealedStar from Mark and handed him his earbud from Axel back to him. Mark put it back on. I then directed my eyes to Cypress. A shame looks can't win duels or he would have lost the second he fell into my gaze!

I stomped up to the altar with clenched fists and gritted teeth.

There was another duel table set up near by. Cypress was already seated on the far end.

(113)

I raised a fist towards him. "Cypress! This ends now!" I forcefully took my seat.

Cypress started laughing. "HAH! Do your worst. Its time you LEARN YOUR PLACE!"

With that the ultimate duel to shake the nexus began!

Each Shadow Lugia Cypress played was like a tidal wave but Mr Mime could help to contain it and possibly KO them! The duel was a flurry of trainers energy removal, and coin-flips from the secret weapon: Togepi!

Cypress spoke. MID-DUEL! “What IS this ABOMINATION?! IT STEALS MY GLORY FOR A SINGLE DOUBLE COLORLESS ENERGY!”

Togepi's metronome could copy ANY attack even the attack of Shadow Lugia for one-thousand damage! Sometimes the coin flips worked, sometimes they didn't! We were each KOing more and more of the others Pokemon but even with Shadow Lugia being only four, Cypress would simply return them with Revive. Even at half health they were STILL a monstrous one-hundred-fifty HP!

Even with everything we built, things were neck and neck until the final prize was left for both of us. I threw my final Togepi out and flipped the coin that would decide the fate of our world!

I looked down mortified! TAILS?!

(114)

Cypress snarled with both heads. "INSOLENT WRETCH! How DARE you get that close to winning against me! You cheating SPECIALIZER!!"

Becoming more afraid each passing moment, I started panicking. What can I do? O-Ok... I'll fight him then! I balled my fists getting ready to charge when a loud crash had me balling up in fear.

Cypress had slammed his talon down which broke some of the stone floor! "Oh PLEASE Mint! Yes! By ALL MEANS! COME FIGHT ME NOW!!!"

I was crying as I ran back to Mark.

Mark gave me a hug. "Mint... don't worry my dear!"

He ran his hand through my hair to comfort me. It was so great to have him back!

I took his hand and placed SealedStar in it.

He gave me a kiss on my forehead as he let go. He then turned to Cypress and pointed his hand with the deck boldly at him! "Cypress! You and I haven't previously met, but you have already made the woman I love CRY!" Mark was scowling at him!

Such an intense look and all on my behalf! I felt like a little girl wanting to jump up and cheer for him!

Cypress wasn't even looking at him. Instead he seemed to be... swapping out cards from his deck?!

Cypress smiled cruelly at Mark. "Oh I'm sorry! Maybe she deserved it for opposing me!"

Mark was now balling his fists. "You took away my friend Doduo, KNAVE!"

Cypress's expression changed for just a fraction of a second to somethings that might have been non-hostile. He then laughed. "Yes I did! So what are you going to DO about it?!"

Mark was now snarling. "I'll challenge you to a card game of ridiculous unbalanced proportions to determine the fate of the entire world!"

Cypress had an expression of a strange mixture of contentment and amusement. "Oh please do! That way... I can show you my MODIFICATIONS!"

Fear gripped every bit of me at that. SealedStar was a specialized deck meant to take down a specific deck! If he made modifications, we no longer knew what to expect! He would now be using countermeasures against US!

(115)

Mark held his deck up to his face as he closed his eyes. "Do you really think such measures will prevail over me? I have dueled my way through both islands with minimal losses using a deck of COMMONS! My tactics outmatch ALL I have played against, EVEN THE GHOSTMASTERS! Did you have a hard time vs Mint? Wait until you see what I can do when I'm not HOLDING BACK!" He opened his eyes intensely as he swiped his arm down as if holding a sword.

I couldn't help but bring my arms to my chest as I shifted back and forth on my legs! Oh, Mark is so cool!! I can't WAIT to be married to him! I felt my eyes getting watery at his performance.

Cypress went still for a moment. "Huh... I suppose you are pretty skilled all things considered..."

Mark began to boldly stride towards the altar.

Cypress then had a crazed smile on both heads. "FINE! This next duel should be very...very...INTERESTING!"

I may have lost against Cypress, but Mark now gave us one more shot at stopping him! I'm so glad he is a better duelist than myself! I hope my duel gave him the time he needed to clear his head after Cypress had left his mind!

Mark took his seat at the duel table. I was feeling so anxious at this point. There was too much riding on the outcome of this duel! I couldn't bare to watch! Instead I sat at the now-empty duel table around the middle of the bridge and spoke with Axel.

Axel spoke low. "Oh man... I have NO idea what is going to happen here! Things have gone so FAR off the rails! I can't BELIEVE Cypress learned how to overcome the limitation of the MindMaster Prototype after so long! I think its great that you went first though. The mind is NOT fit for dueling so soon after the effects of the MindMaster leave a person. I believe you gave him enough time to be back in shape now. Ironically, I think your decision to explain what happened rather than rush it and hug him might be what saves us!"

It felt good to hear I helped.

"Honestly speaking, Mark really IS the most skilled duelist I have EVER seen in all my thousand years! If anyone can win in this situation, its him! At this point, all we can do is believe in him! I don't blame you for sitting down here, there isn't anything you can do up there right now. Do you want me to give you any updates on how the duel goes?"

I couldn't see very well. I was such a mess with tears. I don't think I have ever had such an emotional day before. I felt like I needed a sabbatical!

I calmed myself down some and replied. "I only want to hear if it looks like its going very well... I'm sorry I don't think my nerves can take it right now!"

Axel replied back softly. "Hey, no worries! Its not like updates on it will change the outcome anyway... I'm really proud of how you handled yourself through all of this, Mint."

I choked out a laugh. It certainly didn't feel like anything to be proud of! Still... I was having a hard time imagining how I would have handled it any better...

Axel spoke gently. "I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'm grateful to have met you, Mint. You are the nicest lady I have met in a really really long time."

I felt warm hearing that. "Aww... Axel... I'll have to give you another hug the next time I see you!"

Axel and I spoke of more things as we waited. Eventually he interrupted for an update:

(116)

"Ok... Mint. This is very serious. Mark and Cypress each have only one prize left! The modifications Cypress made were far more potent than I would have guessed. Its been a struggle for Mark every step of the way even with him playing his best! There is a coin-flip coming up... This is going to end the game. If it's tails, we are all screwed."

I waited with baited breath. Anxiety, worry, fear, uncertainty. It all balled up inside me in the worst mixture possible.

Axel was silent.

Dare I ask? Somehow, not knowing felt even worse than the confirmation of loss.

"Axel... tell me what happened."

Axel's voice was cracking as I heard sniffing. "I'm sorry Mint! I'm so sorry!"

No!! It can't be what it looks like! Please!!

Axel composed himself. "It's over."

"T a i l s."

I looked up. I could tell Mark's head was hanging down even though he was facing away from me at the duel table near the altar.

Cypress had a crazed look in both heads and was breathing heavily. He them boomed with laughter. "THAT'S WHAT YOU GET! WORM!!"

Cypress stood up from the duel table rather calm given the situation. He walked around a bit absentmindedly and slumped down next to the altar. He looked up breathing as he rested.

(117)

All was silent. Axel, Mark, Cypress, and myself.

No one spoke a word.

The silence continued.

Who would be the first to speak?

Why was no one saying anything?

I suppose there was nothing Axel could bring himself to say now.

I can't imagine Mark would have anything to say now either.

As for me... anything I could say would possibly prompt Cypress to begin acting.

Did I really want him to start doing more now?

No... its better to delay.

If everything is going to end, why rush it?

Cypress stood up. He looked around the cave, at the altar, the duel table and at each of us. "What a rush. To think that all my thousand years of planning almost ended even with the multitude of contingencies planned! Any ONE of them should have been enough! Truly, this is the most satisfying way to begin my rule. It really feels like I earned it, you know?"

Everyone in the room remained silent.

What were we even supposed to say at this point?

Cypress sighed. "Oh come on now, are you all really just going to sit moping all day?"

Tears were rolling down my cheeks.

"What... do you... want us to say!" I sniffed.

Cypress looked at me with a sad expression. "Ah... Mint... its ok! You'll see!"

I glared back at him. "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT TO ME!? JUST GO DESTROY OR CHANGE THE WORLD FOR ALL I CARE! I HATE YOU!"

Cypress looked at me calmly. He just... stared at me. No hostility, no insanity, no joy, no excitement. He then looked up, around the ceiling of the cave. He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Finally he opened his eyes as he looked back towards me. "Eh... nah. I'm good!"

At this my head tilted. Wait what?? What is happening now??

Cypress took another deep breath. "So... um...," he shifted about awkwardly, "remember that time the MindMaster failed? It didn't. Eh... it worked... on me."

At this point I had been through so many twists and turns I didn't really know what to think. I was exhausted and confused, so I just waited for him to speak more.

Cypress tapped the points of his beaks together. "So... yeah... I might have lied about swapping bodies... You guys already ended the guy that was using Mark as a vessel."

What?? What is he talking about??

Cypress(?) brought a talon up and scratched one of his heads as he smiled awkwardly. "Yeah... so... my name was Cypress, I might have been a bit of a self-serving megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur and a profound lack of ethics and morals..."

I looked right at him. "You mean a villain?"

He looked away uncomfortable. "Erm... yeah... I was a villain."

What is going on??

I squinted at him. "Then... what are you now?"

Cypress(?) looked around the room. "That's a question I have been asking myself for decades now. Do you realize who I am though? It's me... Doduo."

My jaw dropped. "WHAT?!"

(118)

Doduo put his heads together bashfully. "Specifically, I have a nickname my previous owner gave me... Tango."

I started to feel... hope? It was like the despair was barely holding the hope back and slowly losing ground against it!

Tango stared out into the blackness of the cave. "One day, I just woke up in the body of a Doduo. One of the members of the Lugia cult must have messed something up I guess..."

Tango rolled his eyes, "I suppose one of the Doduo test subjects must have been wandering around un-caged... At first I didn't know what to think. Being in the body of a Pokemon was alien and frightening! Urges and instinct merging with human intellect! Of course that's to say nothing of having TWO heads!"

What could I do here but listen? This will either lead to a good resolution or it won't. Right now, I was hesitant to get my hopes up.

Tango was looking up now. "The first year was a struggle of having to adjust to this new body, especially with a duplicate copy of my mind uploaded into both heads, but I soon began to realize the body of a Doduo makes me immortal! I even tested it against various things... Each time something failed to kill me, it was a reminder of how I will never need to rely on a machine again! Since I had two heads, I could also afford to lose one, if it came to it, in order to test my immortality!

Please let this be good...

"Also, I knew the MindMaster would still be used by the religion of Lugia so my alter-ego would continue his plans without me having to lift a finger! I knew an alter-ego would not tolerate my existence though, so I concealed my identity and learned how to act to appear to be an ordinary Doduo!"

Tango nodded. "So what to do? I spent a great deal of time observing our world and learning the kinds of things you don't learn in a book or a lab. Its amazing how many places you can go as a Doduo unimpeded! The kinds of conversations you can be privy to with no one the wiser!"

I laid my head down on the table as I listened. At least I can rest here for a while.

Tango held up a digit of one of his talons. "Having so much time on my hands, I decided to search for the holder of the diary! I didn't end up finding it, but during my search, I tended to interact with various people. Eventually, I found my perspective shifting as I spent so much time getting to know the people of our world. The more I learned, the more my feelings changed. Eventually, I found myself actually rooting for people and hoping their endeavors would be successful!"

The despair was now leaking out of my heart as hope replaced more and more of it.

Tango closed his eyes. "After a while. I had a thought. It was a thought that had me questioning my fundamental motivations. The thought soon became a realization: I no longer agreed with my alter-ego!"

I was now sitting up eager to hear more. Where is this going?

Tango hung his heads. "Despite my realization, there wasn't much I could do as a Doduo to actually stop my alter-ego. The Lugia cult had a Doduo containment facility, all kinds of tools to keep them in captivity, capture nets and multiple members of the cult trained to deal with them. It was too much for me to stop. Even if I could have stopped him though... he was a part of me in a way. I considered him a close family member despite the error of his ways... so... I decided I would wait and observe."

I could breathe easily now and I was actually starting to feel... good! I supposed it would be hard to stand up against all that on his own!

Tango looked up again. "Years went by, decades even! I even became a dear friend to my previous owner who named me before they eventually passed away..."

Tango looked down in silence for a moment with his eyes closed. This was a good sign! If he feels sad for someone being gone, it seemed much different than how Cypress was acting!

Tango opened his eyes and resumed a normal posture. "One day, while roaming aimlessly around TCG Island, I caught sight of the most recent champion: Mark. I watched as he completed a match by beating his opponent with all common cards! It had to be probably the funniest thing I had ever seen! I also noticed, that he wrote... in a diary and that he appeared to have no name! The diary my alter ego had been looking for was right there!"

Tango nodded. "That was really all it took for me to make up my mind. From then on, I wanted to follow Mark around and watch him win duels with his all-common deck! With him parading around with the diary, I reasoned it was only a matter of time before the Lugia cult took notice. Once that happened, I figured things would start to get interesting, and boy did they ever!"

Mark finally sat up. "So... you are saying that its been YOU traveling around with me the entire time?!"

(119)

Tango smiled awkwardly. "Uh... yeah!"

Mark crossed his arms. "You let me be kidnapped!"

Tango tapped the ends of his beaks together again. "Eh... yeah... but what was I supposed to do?! Doduo's are never aggressive towards humans! Seth had a capture net and I might not have been able to stop him! If I had done that right in front of him I have no IDEA what he would have done! That guy scares me!" Tango hid his faces in the feathers on his body.

I started chuckling. The feared Cypress: organizer of the Lugia cult, the bringer of upheavals... scared to death of his own subordinate! Even if he isn't really Cypress at this point...

Mark pointed a finger at Tango. "What about that time I tried to ride you with the stick and the worm!"

Tango chuckled. "Hey, being a Doduo all the time can be boring. I have to find ways to amuse myself at times. Foiling your plot to control me with the worm was just too amusing to resist!"

Mark held his hands out in exasperation. "You were eating worms though! Really?"

Tango shifted his eyes to the side. "Yes... worms are the most disgusting things. This body LOVES eating nasty things like that! They taste awful but it makes eating them so... addicting..."

Mark held his arms in his hands. "That has to be the worst case of acquired taste I have ever heard of!"

Tango nodded wide-eyed. "Yes... it sure is! It wasn't acquired though! I tried eating human food. It still tasted great, but this body HATED that! I don't really think I had much choice in the matter..."

Mark pointed a finger again. "What about before the stick and worm when you refused to let me properly ride you when I first arrived at GR Island!? You are clearly smart enough to take me where I wanted to go! Why did you refuse?!"

Tango shifted about nervously. "Ah... well I had my cover to maintain you know? If I just let you ride me like that with you having no clue how to handle riding a Doduo, it would have drawn too much attention to myself!"

Mark held his hands at his head. "But you DID let me ride you later!"

Tango looked off to the right. "Well... after a while, I started feeling more invested in you and you were getting super tired of walking. It was funny watching you walk around everywhere at first, but it stopped being funny at that point and I decided I was ok taking a risk to help you. Speaking of which, you remember that chocolate pretzel you got to eat at the Grass Fortress? I maaay have swiped it for you..." Tango smiled as he looked away.

Mark laughed. "So THAT'S what was going on! You cared but needed to avoid detection!"

Tango did a little Doduo dance. "That's right!"

Mark paused for a moment and waved his arms around everywhere. "Well what was all THIS about then?!"

Tango smiled as he looked up at the ceiling. "Ah... well. Its like this: Since Cypress is like a past me, I kind of wanted to see how things would play out. Actually, that's why I assembled and then modified his final deck for him here. It was his final wish and it was completely absurd how you arranged for Timmy of all people to unravel his plans!"

At this, I smiled immensely.

Tango began pacing. "By being with you two I was considered to be your 'Pokemon'. That meant that if Mint won, i would be considered a winner-by-association with a claim to the Lugia phantom card! It wasn't fair to Cypress really. So I said, you know what? He didn't know about SealedStar, so what if I build Abyss for him and then duel you? I could have thrown away SealedStar into the chasm if I wanted. Without it, you would have lost for sure. That's... not who I am anymore though. I just wanted to give my past self a fair shake. To prove to the universe he was doomed to fail regardless. Odd that I ended up winning. That does put me in a bit of a unique situation though doesn't it?"

I looked at Tango with no amusement. "You mean like holding a gun to the head of the world?"

Tango smiled awkwardly. "Eh... yes I suppose it kind of does translate like that doesn't it? Here's the thing though: I may be immortal as a Doduo, but I'm not a god by any means. The bit I was spouting at first was just to get you riled up so you would duel me. Actually, I rather liked being Mark's Doduo. Isn't that so weird? My alter ego wanted you as a pet but I was the pet for multiple people over my life as this Doduo! Maybe its because I knew that I wasn't going to die of old age. I didn't have to be in such a rush! It gave me time to realize that being nice and forming meaningful connections are worth something! While its true those people would die, they live on in my immortal heart. In a way, I carry the hopes and dreams of all who I knew and cared for."

Mark asked the next question. "So to confirm, you have no desire to wield the power of Cypress to carry on in his ways?"

Tango looked up as if considering what flavor of ice cream to order. "As I mentioned before... nope! I'm good! Besides, this is the best way to prove to myself that I really have changed!"

Tango looked down and smiled. "What's the point of scientific advancement if we forget what it means to be human? Funny coming from a Doduo right?! You could say that I never got punished for the things I did as Master Cypress, but the death penalty for the original me was pretty harsh, no? Also, the most recent Cypress you defeated is, in essence, dead now too! Kind of makes me sad to think about... I'll help you though now. The MindMaster prototype is located in the statue of Lugia in the room past the stairs where you came from. If you dismantle it, all of Cypress will be gone..."

Tango's eyes looked down and to the side in shame. "Unless you count me as part of Cypress..."

So... there is no way this is a deception. There would be no point! He could do whatever he wanted with all that power but is choosing to do nothing with it instead! If this didn't show a change of heart, what would?

I furrowed my brow. "You SCARED me and made me CRY you big JERK!!"

Tango hung his heads. "Ah... I definitely got carried away there... I'm sorry Mint. I'll understand if you don't want to forgive me..."

I frowned. "I don't want to hate you though... I'll forgive you if you NEVER do that again!"

(120)

Tango raised his heads a little and then bowed profusely. "I'm sorry Mint! I won't do it again! Please don't hate me!"

I sighed with my arms crossed and eyes closed. "Fine. I forgive you... dumb bird..."

Mark put his hands on his hips. "Well, if Mint forgives you, then I shall as well!"

Tango looked up, tears forming in his eyes. "Aww... you guys," he sniffed, "you know... I was thinking of just leaving this world through the nexus... As a Doduo, it should be possible, but... I kind of like you guys... could I stay with you?"

It wasn't my place to answer him there. He had been staying with Mark, so it was his call. I would be fine with whatever he decided.

Mark thought for a minute. "I won't banish you if you want to stay. We... have been through quite a lot at this point together haven’t we?"

I nodded. "Yeah.. um... I kind of feel the same way, but I think we need to ask the Ghostmasters what they think too... right? Axel, are you there?"

Silence.

I pulled out my earpiece and verified it was on. "HEY AXEL!"

More silence.

I spread my arms open wide. "Where is he?!"

(121)

Mark held up a finger. "Erm... I think he may have turned off the device from his end... we were about to lose everything with the world being destroyed. Erm... he probably didn't want to watch that unfold..."

Everyone looked around at each other.

I brought my hands to my chest. "OH NO!! Poor Axel! We need to go visit him so he knows everything is ok!"

Mark nodded. "Right! So lets get moving!"

Tango held a talon up. "Um! Hey guys, I think I can fit the both of you on my back to speed this up. Would you be ok holding on to Mark, Mint?"

I smiled bashfully. "You really think I need an excuse to press myself against my man?"

All three of us laughed at that.

We soon focused again though. None of us wanted Axel to sit longer than needed, since he must have thought the world was coming to an end!

Mark climbed on Doduo followed by me. It was a little tight. I didn't mind one bit though! Mark seemed to be enjoying himself as well and I think I can guess why...

I looked down at my chest as it took great effort to hold myself back from laughing.

We quickly made our way out of the temple and were on our way back to the sealed fort of the ghostmasters.

When we arrived, Tango mentioned it would probably be best if they didn't see him yet, so he waited outside for us to enter.

I noticed Mark looking over his pants. "Wait... where are the feathers? There are ALWAYS feathers!"

Tango laughed. "Eh... I can control my molting. I figured you might not want to be covered in them right now..."

Mark burst out laughing. "You crazy bird! Leaving your feathers about everywhere ON PURPOSE! NOW I know why Ellen never got covered in them!"

I noticed Tango looking particularly shy after he said the name 'Ellen'. Hmmmmm! No time to waste now though!

I followed Mark's lead as we made our way to the back room.

Anna appeared. "We heard the news... I'm so sorry to you both." She bowed stiffly.

Mark held up a hand. "Woah there! Things are NOT what they appear! Where is Axel?"

Anna tilted her head. "Axel? Um... last I heard he was going to initiate the program wipe..."

Mark's eyes went wide. "WHAT PROGRAM WIPE?"

Anna took a step back and winced. "Um... us ghostmasters have a fail-safe we can access. It was determined that we might not want to live forever and we might not need to. The program wipe gives us an out so we aren't trapped here for all eternity..."

Mark picked up a chair and hurled it at the wall. "NO! GET HIM OUT HERE! HURRY!!"

Anna quickly put her hands together and slightly bowed. "I-I'll try! Hold on!!" She disappeared.

Mark had his hands in his pockets as he paced impatiently across the room. His face was twisted in frustration.

Minutes went by.

It felt like an eternity.

Suddenly Anna appeared again.

Mark whipped his head around expectantly.

Anna gave an odd sad sort of looking smile. "I managed to stop him in time! The process is now reversing!"

(122)

At this Mark slumped to a nearby chair and laid his head down on the duel table. I walked up and sat beside him as I started rubbing his back. I had never seen him get so worked up before. I didn't know he had it in him!

After a few more minutes, a familiar shape appeared. Axel!

He looked sadder than I had ever seen him before. Like he had been crying and could start crying again at any moment.

Mark quickly sat up. "Axel! It's OK! We WON!"

Axel blinked with a vacant stare.

Mark held out his hands towards him. "I mean it! We WON! He never body-hopped to Doduo! Doduo was putting on an act, he was a previous Cypress who had a change of heart and is willing to give up his power!"

Axel looked confused. "I think I'm going to need a bit more explanation..."

We then walked him through everything that happened.

Axel started smiling as he cried. "Its over! Its OOOOVVVVEEEERRRR!!! I have waited conscious for over a millennium for this! I thought all was lost! I couldn't bare to watch the end when I thought we had lost! Please! Both of you hug me! I'm happy to still be here!"

We gathered around and hugged him.

After some time had passed, we let him know Tango had come with us and went out to fetch him.

Tango walked slowly down the hall with his heads drooping the whole way.

He sat on the stage trying to make himself appear as small as possible.

The ghostmasters all appeared in unison.

Masquerade stepped forward with their usual deep, distorted, and indistinguishable voice. "Tango of GR Island, we will now begin the tribunal for your crimes. Step forward."

Tango looked upset. "What Tribunal? I'm not even the same person anymore!"

Masquerade stood still. Their reaction indecipherable. "We ghostmasters have not forgotten your many crimes. You will now answer for them."

Tango looked angry and pulled out his modified version of TheAbyss from his mass of feathers. How on earth did he keep that in there?!

Tango snarled at the ghostmasters with both heads. "Oh is THAT how this is going to be? Come duel me then! ALL OF YOU!"

All of the ghostmasters were defeated. They didn't even stand a chance.

Masquerade shifted their posture, holding their arms out to their sides with their palms up and fingers curled. I noticed small bright orange glints of light, one in the center of each eye-hole in their mask. Their robe began to sway as if some draft of air was lightly blowing around them. Masquerade waited.

Tango narrowed his eyes at them. "THERE! Now if I want I can destroy the world and NO ONE WILL BE STOPPING ME!"

Tango then motioned with one of his beaks to Mark. "Get over here and duel me, Mark."

Mark tilted his head. "But why? You already beat me?"

Tango rolled his eyes. "Just do it!"

Mark raised his eyebrows and went ahead and sat down. Both players drew their cards.

Tango looked right at Mark. "Ok. I forfeit!"

Tango then whipped his heads around at the ghostmasters. "THERE! NOW SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!!"

The ghostmasters all looked towards each other and then towards Tango and Mark.

This gints from behind Masquerade's mask faded and the slight draft of air appeard to vanish. Masquerade again resumed a neutral posture.

Masquerade sighed. "Ugh... fine... whatever. Do what you want..." They then disappeared.

The other ghostmasters all disappeared too except Axel.

Axel put his hand on the back of his head with an awkward smile. "Yeah... sorry about that. The other ghostmasters have had a lot of pent up feelings and weren't too happy about a version of Cypress walking around. I think this sorts that out now though!"

Tango breathed as he leaned back and looked up. "Wow... I have options to live normally now!" He smiled. "In that case, I think the first thing I'll do is help dismantle the cult of Lugia! They aren't such a bad lot though, maybe I'll just convert it to a Doduo fan club!"

I gave Tango an mischievous look. Tango noticed and started squinting as he started slowly backing away.

I smiled. "Hey Taaango."

Tango shifted his eyes to me for a moment. "What."

I placed a finger on my lips. "Maybe you would like to go see Ellen now?"

Tango immediately lost all composure and actually tripped over himself! I couldn't help bursting out laughing!

Tango looked panicked. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN!"

Mark tilted his head. "Wait a minute... any time you were around Ellen she was the only one you were paying attention to!"

Tango looked up with both faces in anguish. "Why would you even know to ask about it Mint?!"

I smiled. "Lets just call it a women's intuition."

Tango buried his faces in his feathers and spoke with a muffled voice. "I can't hide ANYTHING from you Mint! I'm sure Mark would NEVER figure it out though!"

Mark looked confused. I burst out laughing.

Mark furrowed his brow. "What are you both talking about?"

I laughed even harder. Even Tango joined in.

I closed my eyes and held a finger up. "It appears our bird... has a crush!"

Mark looked bewildered. "What? Who?"

Marks eye narrowed. "Tango! You are going to have to get through ME if you want to be with Mint! I shall not allow it!"

I burst out laughing as Mark looked dumbfounded.

I then rolled my eyes. "Mark, its not ME he has a crush on. Its Ellen!"

Mark caught a fist in his other hand. "Ah! Erm... that would explain things rather well!"

Tango groaned with his faces still buried. "Gee... thanks Mint..."

I poked Tango. "Soo... are you going to go see her?"

Tango went still. Faces still buried. "And just what do you expect me to do with that?"

I paused as I considered the implications.

I heard Tango's muffled voice again. "I've given this a lot of thought you know. I've been a Doduo for decades now. If there is one part of this that has been real torture for me... its romance."

Now I started to feel bad...

Tango kept speaking muffleze. "There is NO way that would work with me and Ellen. I do have a crush on her... but what am I supposed to do like this?!"

I heard sniffing from him.

I looked down. Now I've done it... Why couldn't I just leave it alone?

"And before you try to say 'what about another Doduo', don't. I can't relate to them in that way... None of them are interested in a physical relationship to begin with and they just don't have the same capacity for thought like a human does. I'm either incompatible physically with humans, or incompatible mentally with other Doduo... It makes me very sad all the time! The best I can do is be like a fun pet or have an owner..."

Ah... poor guy. I regretted bringing it up...

"I can't even use the MindMaster to try to help... I'm not ok taking someone's body from them again... I've done way too much of that as it is... so I've resolved myself to never being able to experience romance again... That should make the ghostmasters happy at least..."

I put my hand on Tango's body. "I'm sorry Tango... I didn't think about all that. Maybe I can help you with an idea for something nice though?"

I whispered my plan to Tango. He pulled his heads out of his feathers with the areas around his eyes wet.

Tango gave a bittersweet smile. "You know... that might be kind of nice! ...Thanks Mint."

Mark looked confused. "What would be nice? What's going on??"

Rolled my eyes and my head towards Mark and gave him a look. "Sorry Mark, that one is my secret for now! You wouldn't want me to betray Tango's trust would you?"

Mark crossed his arms. "I hardly see how that would be the case."

I gave Mark a doe-eyed stare as a batted my eye lashes at him. I could see his composure crumble like a sandcastle on the beach trying to stop a wave. It was a serious challenge not to giggle.

Mark signed as he brought a hand to his face. "Oh, whatever..."

Too easy. It was almost unfair... almost.

I small giggle escaped from me now that my objective was complete. I stood up with my hands at my hips.

"So, now we get a super smart Doduo to have around! That's kind of cool actually! So... I think after everything we went through and what Claire said, it's about time for that ring, Mark." I smiled slyly at him.

Mark quickly held up a finger. "Oh! Erm! Yes! I shall get to that posthaste!"

I began to laugh as the three of us made our way out of the Sealed Fortress.

133TFR33k · Mar 6, 2025

Epilogue

(123)

With Cypress defeated and things resolved with the Ghostmasters, I Mark and I rode Tango back to my place to crash for the night.

Tango preferred to sleep outside since he loves how uncomfortable it is.

So, Mark and I had the place entirely to ourselves, but Mark tried to take the couch!

I wished he were man enough to ask to join me in my bed...

Claire really wasn't kidding when she said I would need to take the initiative!

I didn't let Mark sleep on the couch. Instead, I pretended to give him the bed since he was the 'guest'.

He tried to protest, because of course he would.

Once he got settled in, I came back to the room and joined him in my bed.

Even in that situation, he STILL didn't make any moves on me! I could tell he wanted to... He can't fool me!

I supposed there will always be next time...

I cuddled with him and fell asleep.

It would have to do for now.

In the morning, I decided to be a little more bold. I would wake him... with a kiss.

But first, I had noticed a gold pocket watch he had set on my nightstand.

Being curious, I opened it. On the inside was not a watch, but etching on the underside of the lid and a photo at the bottom:

May grace and dignity be with you always, my grandson.
-Jack

The photo showed an old man, presumably Jack, with his hand on a boy's shoulder.

I recognized the boy! It was Mark! Still wearing red even back then I see! He was even cute as a boy.

He must have been close to his grandfather. I would need to ask him about that sometime.

For the moment though, a kiss...

Maybe he would think about that for a while and the NEXT time we spend the night IN BED together, he will actually DO SOMETHING about it!

At the very least, I could tell such a passionate and tantalizing kiss got him quite riled up. I supposed it was easy with it being so early in the morning...

Serves him right!

I left him to flounder as I went out for my daily morning run.

Tango joined me too!

On our jog, I started going over details with Tango about the 'idea' of mine for him. It was only fair since I made him feel bad regarding his crush on Ellen.

The idea would take quite a bit of planning, connections, and practice. I was going to help with the planning and connections, but the practice would be out of my control. Not that I expected Tango would need much practice given his little performance in the temple of Lugia...

When we got back to my apartment, Mark was no longer in just his white shirt and boxers and was fully dressed in his usual red suit.

He asked me what was for breakfast.

What did I look like? A chef?

I pointed him to the pantry so he could pick out some cereal to eat.

Tango went to go dig up some nasty worms to eat. Lovely imagery to go with my morning bowl of cereal...

(124)

Once we had breakfast out of the way, it was time to hit the road again. Our destination? GR Castle. Given all that transpired, King Villicci should be filled in on things and I relished the chance to show off this killer new deck of mine!

I already knew how I would reveal the deck too! A two out of three match... with Allison!

I'll let her choke on defeat two games in a row!

I couldn't wait to see the stupid look on her face after I humiliated her. I think I'll try to beat her so badly that she won't even pick up a single prize in EITHER game against me! She has had this coming for a very long time...

I remembered how she stole my old boyfriend, Rod, from me...

He sure was handsome. Too bad the last thing we had together was me decking him square in the face after Allison got him to cheat on me with her...

There were also the times her and her following of sycophants would rub it in my face how her grades were slightly better than mine and how the guys preferred her looks to mine!

Of course to top it all off, SHE was the one who won the title of homecoming Queen and was selected to be in her position in GR castle after graduation from GR Academy! Just thinking about it made me want to PUNCH SOMETHING SO HARD!!!

But now I had Tuff as Nails.

It was about time she paid the piper!

Afterwards, maybe King Villicci will offer me Allison's position? If he does, I'll offer her my old job so she can have my leftovers. I want to see her thank me for taking pity on her.

Only then will I move on to play King Villicci in a two out of three match. I'll let him win one for posterity. That way Allison will look even worse and it should help keep me on his good side! Revenge will be sweet!

As for transportation to the castle, lets just say Tango would happy to oblige any and all requests from me for quite a while at this point! Saving time while pressed against Mark is worth every bit of awkward posture while riding...

After arriving at the castle, the first thing I did was let the King know I had already improved at the game again.

He was curious as expected, so I challenged Allison to a match to demonstrate...

She accepted with her usual smug arrogant face that I wanted to punch so badly... She wouldn't be wearing that stupid face for long though...

Everything went according to plan!

I completely destroyed her TWO games in a row! No prizes for her! Where was her arrogance NOW?!

After all those years languishing in her shadow, to say it felt cathartic would be an understatement...

I wiped the floor with her so badly that King Villicci was speechless!

(125)

When he finally spoke up, he mentioned how that was the most incredible match he had ever witnessed and that he had no idea it was possible to beat Allison so soundly in a match!

Allison asked King Villicci if this match would change his mind about anything.

I was ready -no- EXPECTING to take her place of honor, but he explained that he wanted his strongest duelist as the master of the dungeon to spur on repeated challenges at the game center since it would make tons of money that way. He also admitted that if he realized how much money the Card Dungeon was going to make before it opened, he would have posted Allison there originally.

Well, it wasn't QUITE what I had in mind, but hearing him say I was the strongest was its own form of revenge against Allison.

After that, King Villicci asked how I improved so much so fast.

At that point, we made our report, filling him in on everything that we had learned and what had happened. (Certain details were left out such as Bill's identity.)

Between Mark, myself, and a talking Doduo, he accepted things at face value!

After that, he asked for a match with me and as planned, I let him win a game, but I made it look good to get him to believe he managed to win one.

Later that week, he held a special press conference to inform all of GR Island about the recent events involving Mark and I!

He also announced something truly special: plans to hold a vast Pokemon Card tournament for all the duelists of both GR Island AND TCG Island!

The venue was still to be determined it seemed.

(126)

In the past few months since then, the 'idea' with Tango is all but a done deal now! It will take place during the tournament weeks.

Speaking of the tournament, the venue has been determined to be The Legendary Rainbow Palace! I thought that place was a myth, BUT IT'S REAL!

Apparently, one morning after people woke up, they saw it floating in the sky near the Ghostmaster's Fortress!

The King sent a GR blimp to investigate and a fountain on the great balcony formed shimmering gold letters in the water to explain that use of the Palace for the tournament is permitted! What's more is that the Palace is giving itself up as a prize for the winner of the tournament... TO OWN!

There isn't a single person on EITHER islands who wouldn't join in the tournament for even the slightest chance of winning something like that!

It was no exaggeration to state that all duelists from both islands registered to participate.

The palace has so much advanced technology incorporated into its design, that historians refer to it as paradise palace! Apparently it has existed for centuries but no one knows just how far back it was created! Much of the technology it uses we can't even begin to understand how to replicate! It's one of a kind and priceless!

A tournament for both islands with perfect attendance has never transpired in the history of our world. I know, because I asked Axel about it on one of my many visits to help keep him company!

The excitement for the tournament could be felt in the air like a strong summer heat.

All eyes in the world would be on this tournament.

In other news, thanks to my prodding, Mark FINALLY got me my engagement ring!

Our wedding was also set to take place the day after the end of the tournament! We had a venue selected, but we had a cancellation clause to let us back out of it, in case one of us won the tournament.

Could you IMAGINE a more perfect place for a wedding than The Legendary Rainbow Palace?!Between Mark and I, we would have that tournament in the BAG!

Perhaps I should have been practicing for the tournament, but I already had the strongest deck in the world and reasoned the only one I might lose against would be Mark, which wouldn't matter.

I was so unbelievably excited for the tournament, our wedding, and our unimaginably soon-to-be-ours prestigious palace!

Not to mention, the prize money! Just look at it all!

Regarding the details of the tournament, the pamphlet had all we needed to know in it:

(127)

Old-World Summit & Championship Tournament

Summit General Information

Host & Judge: GR King & Former Champion: Villicci

Primary Sponsor: Bill Inc.

Secondary Sponsor: Eyetech Inc.

Film Crew: GR Studio

Admission:
Any duelists from TCG Island or GR Island.

Admission includes every amenity and service for free to all duelists.

Note: All employers for both islands are required by their island’s respective laws to allow any duelist to take paid vacation for the entirety of the tournament regardless of individual attendance to the tournament. This vacation time will be extended to all duelists in addition to their regular vacation benefits.

Venue:
The Legendary Rainbow Palace – to be located just north of the Sealed Fortress hovering above the ocean at a fixed height of thirty-thousand feet.

Location: The Rainbow Palace open-air grand balcony.

Transportation:
Will be provided free of charge to and from The Rainbow Palace via GR Blimps at the GR regional airports on TCG Island and GR Island.

Dress code:
Nothing more revealing than a bikini or speedo. Normal personal attire is encouraged.

Note: The Rainbow Palace maintains a comfortable temperature for each duelist with no adjustment required regardless of what the duelist is wearing or internal body temperature.

Weather Conditions:
Irrelevant due to the localized weather-nullification effect of The Rainbow Palace. No sunscreen is needed as the lingering local clouds around The Rainbow Palace move to prevent direct sunlight at all times of the day. If sunlight is preferred, this feature can be placed on hold or extend sunlight only to select area’s.

Food:
Pizza of ninety-five different varieties will be prepared on-site by Great Rocket Pizzeria including breakfast and dessert varieties. All varieties will be have vegan and gluten-free options provided as well.

Snacks:
Assorted gourmet pretzels will be provided and baked on-site by Great Rocket Pretzel Company.

Drink:
Bill’s Organic lemonade prepared on-site by Great Rocket Pizzeria. Fifty flavor varieties will be available. Lemonade available in alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties. Sugar-free and diet options will be available for all varieties. No age limit on alcohol will be enforced, but moderation of alcoholic beverages is encouraged.

BillBucks Coffee will also be provided by Great Rocket Pizzeria.

Note: A portion of the open-air roof will be sectioned off to function as an open air cafe for consumption of refreshments and meals. All food, snacks and drinks will be available twenty-four hours a day.

Live Music: To be performed by Darcy & The Doduo’s during intermissions.

Lodging:
Acolyte chambers of The Rainbow Palace to be managed by The Ritz Doduo.

Accessibility:
All facilities are handicap compliant.

Ghostmaster accessible: Hologram extension devices from Eyetech Inc. will be provided to the Ghostmasters for the entirety of the event to allow for Ghostmaster materialization at The Rainbow Palace.

In case of emergency:
GR medical staff will be available for any needs free of charge, 24 hours a day.

Amenities:

Rooftop artificial beach and infinity wave pool.
- Shower stations available and towels will be provided.
- All pools are heated to a constant eighty-five degrees Fahrenheit. Underwater lights automatically provide illumination past 6pm.

Beach volleyball court

Lazy River circling the perimeter of the open-air grand balcony.

Pool-bar

Open-air communal hot springs heated to one-hundred degrees Fahrenheit.

Arcade (Without any gambling machines but including Scyther VR)

Table-tennis courts

Spa services provided by Pokestone Spa

Tanning beds

Full gym with Smothie Kingler smoothie bar

Live action plays by TCG Media - Production & Theater
- All plays will be during evenings and never during ongoing tournament rounds.

All lodging rooms provide:

A mini-fridge
24-hour room service
Wide-screen TV’s with all channels available
An additional mini-fridge fully stocked with a complementary assortment of snacks and drinks
Complimentary slippers and bath-robes
Vanity station
Ten by fifteen feet seventeen-jet adjustable shower
Ten by ten jetted tub
Light-gravity beds
Free wifi
A private balcony
Microwave oven
Complimentary bathing suits for adults and children.

Tournament Prizes, Rules, & Restrictions:

Prizes:

1st Place: Inheritance and ownership of The Legendary Rainbow Palace

2nd Place: $20,000,000

3rd Place: $2,000,000 & Unlimited lifetime benefit of free dining at Great Rocket Pizzeria

4th Place: $500,000 & Lifetime benefit of free gourmet pretzels from Great Rocket Pretzel Company

Notes:
All prize tiers equal to or less than the ranking are awarded. Example: 1st place gains the prizes for 1st place, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

In addition to the grand prize, first place will also be crowned Old-World Champion or retain the title if already achieved.

Old-World Champion is normally attained by one who simultaneously occupies the title of GR Island Champion and TCG Island Champion.

Card Ban-list:

Shadow Lugia

Modified Card List:

Challenge! - Card effect during tournament play is: “Draw 2 Cards”.

Deck Restrictions:
All duelists can use any deck with no restrictions imposed by opponents. All duelists are restricted to one deck for all matches. Sideboards are prohibited.

Special Rules:
All duelist-specific special rules will be followed. (Example, Allison’s Psychic Might deck has the “Low Resistance” rule which causes resistance to only be -10 instead of -30)

Tournament Style:
Two out of three, match-style single-elimination with a bonus match for third place and two additional rounds of matches to determine forth place.

Notes:
Brackets will be separated by gender with the final match being the winners of their respective brackets.

3rd place in the tournament will be determined by a match between both duelists who lost in the semi finals.

4th place will be determined by matches between both duelists who lost the quarter finals in each bracket followed by one additional match between the winners of the first two matches.

Placement accommodation is available for any non-binary duelists.

*Important* Any intentional cheating during the tournament will be punishable by death-by-fall from The Rainbow Palace grand balcony. Cheating intent will be determined by a group of psychics from both TCG Island and GR Island. Total agreement must be met from both groups for the death penalty to apply. Any unintentional cheating will be corrected in a manner determined by the judge, but will be forgiven without limit.

Tournament Roster:
82 Players – 42A 40B

A: Guys

Old-World Champion: Mark – Mystic Fire
TCG Former Champion: Ronald – Ronald's Ultra
TCG Science Leader: Rick – Dark Science
TCG Science Member: David – Natural Science
TCG Science Member: Joseph – Poisonous Swamp
TCG Fire Leader: Ken – Go Arcanine!
TCG Fire Member: Adam – Electric Current Shock
TCG Fire Member: Jonathan – Immortal Flame
TCG Water Member: Joshua – Energy Removal
TCG Lightning Leader: Isaac – Electric Selfdestruct
TCG Lightning Member: Brandon – 10,000 Volts
TCG Psychic Member: Daniel – Puppet Master
TCG Rock Leader: Gene – Even 3 Years on a Rock
TCG Rock Member: Matthew – Rolling Stone
TCG Rock Member: Andrew – Awesome Fossils
TCG Rock Member: Ryan – Great Quake
TCG Fighting Leader: Mitch – Raging Billow of Fists
TCG Fighting Member: Chris – Skilled Warrior
TCG Fighting Member: Michael – New Machoke
TCG Lightning Member: Nicholas – Triple Zapdos
TCG Psychic Member: Robert – Ghost
GR Native: Peter – Bench Peril
Ghostmaster: Axel – Everyone’s Friends
Ghostmaster: Magician – Invincible Pokemon
Ghostmaster: Warren – Sealed Trainer
Ghostmaster: Pierrot – Kindled Flame
Ghostmaster: Frank – Big Thunder
GR Grass Leader: Parker – Mad Petals
GR Grass Member: James – Forest Fiend
GR Lightning Member: Chip – This is the Power of Electricity
GR Water Member: Cody – Paralyzed! Paralyzed!
GR Water Member: Alex – Bench Summoner
GR Fighting Leader: Brutus – Roudy
GR Fighting Member: Tony – Rock Blast!
GR Psychic Member: Kevin – Super Effective
GR Psychic Member: Clyde – Bad Dream
GR Colorless Member: Alan – Sudden Growth
GR Big Boss: Clay – Bad Guys
Dungeon Master: Pawn – Test Your Luck
Dungeon Master: Bishop – Texture Tuner 7
TCG Native: Imakuni? – Weird
GR Native: Red Imakuni? – Strange

B: Girls (with some guys to balance it out)

TCG Grass Leader: Nikki – MAX Energy
TCG Grass Member: Brittany – Poison Curse
TCG Grass Member: Heather – Steady Increase
TCG Grass Member: Kristin – Glittering Scales
TCG Water Leader: Amy – Rain Dance Confusion
TCG Water Member: Sara – Splashing About
TCG Water Member: Amanda – Beach
TCG Lightning Member: Jennifer – I Love Pikachu
TCG Psychic Member: Stephanie – Psychokinesis
TCG Fighting Member: Jessica – Love to Battle
Neo Native: Trish – Dark Triad
Ghostmaster: Masquerade – Power of Darkness
Ghostmaster: Anna – Confusion Damage
Ghostmaster: Mary – Torrential Downpour
GR Grass Member: Melissa – Insect Collector
GR Grass Member: Liz – Sticky Poison Gas
GR Lightning Leader: Catherine – Electric Snowstorm
GR Lightning Member: Cassie – Chain Lightning by Pikachu
GR Fire Leader: Kara – Turbo Firegiver
GR Fire Member: Jess – Complete Combustion
GR Fire Member: Ellen – Eevee Showdown
GR Water Former Leader: Brooke – Water Stream
GR Fighting Member: Grace – Full Strength
GR Psychic Leader: Claire – Mysterious Disappearance
GR Psychic Member: Victoria – Direct Hit
GR Psychic Member: Heidi – Pokemon Power
GR Big Boss: Allison – Psychic Might
Dungeon Grandmaster: Mint – Tuff As Nails
GR Fire Former Leader: Bernard – Gaze Upon the Power Of Fire!
GR Water Leader: Jacob – Whirlpool Shower
GR Colorless Leader: Tango – Dragon Daze
TCG Native: Ishihara – Ultra-Rare Cards
TCG Psychic Leader: Murray – Psychic Elite
GR Colorless Member: Avery – Eye of the Storm
Dungeon Master: Knight – Protohistoric
Dungeon Master: Rook – Colorless Energy
GR King & Former Champion: Villicci – Stop Breath!
TCG Fire Member: John – Flame Festival
TCG Science Member: Erik – Gathering Nidoran
Ghostmaster: Toby – Poison Storm

What I couldn't have anticipated, was that not only was I going to lose in this tournament, I wouldn't even be making it past the FIRST ROUND!

(128)

To be continued in:

Trading Card Game 2: Kara Adventures!

I'll see you there! I hope you all didn't forget about me! Victoria and I have a plan!

Yeah, this is going to be great, Kara!

I'm not sure what Ghostmaster Toby is doing here though!

Sup.

matt0044 · Mar 7, 2025

The introduction is an interesting primer for what's to come. Though I personally feel that showing these changes and alterations play out would convince readers.

I also ponder if it'll be like Yu Gi Oh's Duel Monsters with holograms.

133TFR33k · Mar 7, 2025

matt0044 said:
The introduction is an interesting primer for what's to come. Though I personally feel that showing these changes and alterations play out would convince readers.

I also ponder if it'll be like Yu Gi Oh's Duel Monsters with holograms.

The way the duels are written is due to its let's play kind of format. Perhaps the introduction would benefit from some kind of explanation regarding the level of details in the duels to keep expectations on those low. For how the duels play out in the eyes of the characters, I imagine it is with cards but holograms could be an interesting twist. Still, the main focus of the story is the outcome of the duels rather than the specifics in the duels most of time time. Many of the duels on TCG island were easier, so I kept the details primarily to those I felt were relevant. I could rework them to provide more feedback during the duels themselves, but so many duels end fairly quickly and since the characters in-game don't have dialogue during the duels I would have to come up with things for each character to say and most characters are only seen once or twice, so it might end up getting in the way of the rest of the story. You are correct though, that's probably the aspect of the story that is the weakest. Perhaps with some important duels I should expand upon them more with some in-duel dialogue. Thanks for the feedback! If I decide to implement changes based on it, I'll let you know.

The style of Chapter 1 is also much less in depth than what occurs in most of the story. Due to the big difference, I decided to make it diary entries without going into too much detail. It might not function the best as a way to hold a readers attention at the start of the story but hopefully the explanation in the introduction provides enough of an excuse.

133TFR33k · Mar 7, 2025

matt0044 said:
The introduction is an interesting primer for what's to come. Though I personally feel that showing these changes and alterations play out would convince readers.

I also ponder if it'll be like Yu Gi Oh's Duel Monsters with holograms.

Ok I decided to add a bit more to the introduction to help set better expectations for the level of details involved in the duels. It's possible I'll go all in and totally revamp the duels at some point, but I figure this makes for a decent compromise without much effort on my part.

Valuable feedback. Thank you!

Pokémon Trading Card Game 2: Doduo Adventures (Complete)

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Junior Trainer

Creator of the Doduo Alliance

Creator of the Doduo Alliance