Pokémon Trading Card Game 2: Doduo Adventures (New Version IP)

[133TFR33k]

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 or soundcloud 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. Here is one as an example below!

(0.9)

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, but I am open to improving the details if any are especially bothersome.​

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.​

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

1. For concrit, please try to balance it with non-concrit in reviews. I'm all about improving the fic, but 85% or more of a review being concrit is more discouraging to me than it is helpful.​

2. For concrit 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.​

​

Rating: T

Spoiler: Content Warnings

Drinking. Nudity. Mild physical violence. Effects of gambling addiction. Mind-replacement without consent. Abduction. AI death.

Spoiler: Fic Updates

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.
• As of 8/1/25, the original prologue has been removed and is being replaced with a new arc. All of the chapter numbers will be updated accordingly. (Updates coming soon will post the chapters one at a time for the new arc and eventually the remaining chapters beyond.) Original prologue can be viewed here in the old/original version.

 

[133TFR33k]

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!

(2)

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.

Spoiler: Teaching Billy The Mechanics Of The Pokemon TCG

(2.5)

"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.

(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

Spoiler: Pictures & Details Of The Cards In FlashFire!

Spoiler: Voltorb Picture

Spoiler: English Translation

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.

Spoiler: Ponyta Picture

Spoiler: English Translation

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

Spoiler: Dark Rapidash Picture

Spoiler: Porygon Picture

Spoiler: Doduo Picture

Spoiler: Energy Removal Picture

Spoiler: Energy Search Picture

Spoiler: Pokemon Trader & Card Pictures Note

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.

Spoiler: Pokemon Trader Picture

Spoiler: Bill Effect

Draw 2 cards.

Spoiler: Bill's Teleporter Effect

Flip a coin. If heads, draw 4 cards.

Spoiler: Gambler Effect

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

Spoiler: Gust of Wind Effect

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

Spoiler: Switch Effect

Switch 1 of your benched Pokemon with your active Pokemon.

Spoiler: Nightly Garbage Run Effect

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!)

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 club members. If I can handle them, I will attempt to defeat the club masters as well!

Spoiler: Author's Note: Wild Pokemon

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.

Spoiler: Author's Note: Pokemon in the FlashFire! Deck

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.

Spoiler: Author's Note: Diary

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.

Spoiler: Author's Note: Story Format

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

 

[133TFR33k]

Special thanks to the beta readers listed below who put in reviews via PM prior to posting!

K_S
candycanearter07
canisaries

Chapter 1: Beginnings​

(4)

May 5th

The light of the day carried through the gaps in the blinds beckoning my mind to consciousness.

Today would be the day I would set out to turn things around.

I glanced at my clock and confirmed the time: 10:32am

I never was much of a morning person.

My best deck ideas had a tendency to come at night once all was quiet and the passage of time could escape my notice.

There, I could be fully immersed in honing my deck-building craft.

I had never used an all-common card deck before. Was it even possible to build a deck like that capable of holding its own?

Somberly, I considered that I may lose more duels than I would win. If that were the case, my plan to earn money dueling could be short-lived indeed.

After all, I would have to go without several powerful staple cards such as Professor Oak and Computer Search! Drawing additional cards would surely prove difficult.

One cannot know until they try though!

If it results in failure, hopefully my opponents would accept my use of a non-rare deck instead, which would at least have uncommon cards.

As I laid in bed, I considered the space of my new home. It certainly gave room to breathe, but had a certain... emptiness about it.

Perhaps someday these halls would contain a family I would make? I certainly wasn't opposed to the idea, but alas, I had never had a girlfriend in my youth and found the concept of romance to be somewhat alien and inscrutable.

I hadn't the faintest clue of how one would go about meeting a woman to love, but I remembered my grandfather used to tell me that the love worth pursuing is the love you don't go looking for.



It was a paradoxical kind of wisdom, but he had always had my best interests at heart, so I would continue on in life, open to the possibilities of the unknown.

But to the matter at hand, my funds were low, and they certainly would not replenish on their own!

---

(5)

After a leisurely breakfast, proper grooming, and dressing in my usual red suit, it was time to set out on my newest escapade!

With fire being a prominent type in my deck, I concluded it best to test it against the members of the Grass Club first since it would give me the advantage. Fortunately, it was within walking distance of my new home!

The brisk morning air and glowing rays of the sun welcomed my immersion into the outdoors as I set about my tiny trek to the Grass Club.

A fine day for a new adventure!

As I strolled along the sidewalk, I enjoyed the various landscapes of the other properties in the neighborhood.

The tree's were somewhat disappointing considering how small they were. The neighborhood had only recently completed construction, so it couldn't be helped.

I soon arrived at the walking trail which also happened to be a shortcut to the Grass Club!

The trail was through a thick forest with grand proper trees, unlike the ones form my neighborhood.

Sunlight would occasionally filter down on spots along the path, ever changing with the slightest of wind pressure.

I suppose I did not get outdoors nearly as much as one should. Perhaps that was why I found these walks so splendid?

Speaking of walks, it was equally as rare for me to trek anywhere on foot! Such things are a product of the array of transportation options ever at the ready...

The others in the neighborhood presumably all had busy lives, jobs, and families to care for, which lead to the use of the trail being particularly sparse. That suited me just fine though. A quiet and peaceful excursion never hurt anyone. Sometimes it was good to get away from the hustle and bustle of being a prominent public figure such as myself.

As for the trail itself, it was just dirt, but there was the occasional creek with wooden plank bridges which added to the character of it.

Sometimes one would even catch wild Doduo cutting through!

After taking the right path of the fork in the trail, I was soon met with a break in the trees with a view of the side of the Grass Club!

I circled around to the front and took out a handkerchief to dust off my shoes from the small amount of dirt from all but the soles. Being dapper never hurt anyone, and I wasn't going to have the ladies in the club put up with anything less than my best.

Attire then in order, I crossed the threshold to enter the Grass Club.

(6)

In the lobby, I could see they had recently replanted the flowers in the flower-beds in the corners. The floor was still bare dirt with a brick path leading straight to the main chamber and off to the left to the lounge.

Would it not be better if they planted some grass in this dirt? Perhaps they did not want to maintain an indoor lawn in both this space and the main chamber...

Ignoring the brick path to the lounge, I forged ahead to the main chamber of the club where the usual duelists would no-doubt await me.

All was exactly as it always was.

A brick path leading to a large fountain in the middle. A grass path around the perimeter of it lined with fenced-off bushes. The path circled around to the back of the fountain where the brick path continued to meet the back wall. Along the back wall were small pine tree's behind more fencing. The ceiling was a glass dome to allow in natural light.

I began to glance about the room.

I first noticed Brittany.


She was wearing her usual green collared shirt and green hat with a pokeball symbol on it. Her hair was its usual neck-length. She was easily the most tom-boyish of the three girl members of the club. She is age twelve as I remembered.

I'm not sure why, but I've always had a keen eye for ages and for remembering and keeping track of them. Even when meeting new people, I seldom get an age wrong! (Come to think of it... I can't recall the last time I DID get one wrong!) I've never understood why I was so good at it, but it's become a bit of a game for me at this point. A little internal amusement that only I am aware of.

Brittany appeared to be busy laying down some mulch in the fenced-off bushes near the entrance.

I remembered during the last time I set foot here, Brittany was the first to boldly challenge me. That was back when I was still using my fully powered deck: 'Mystic Fire' on the road to becoming the TCG island champion where I had defeated all the members here including their leader, Nikki.

Unfortunately, my great success that day was where my trouble began with getting opponents to duel me...

Next, I noticed Kristin.


She was wearing the standard green Grass Club collared shirt and had her black hair in a ponytail with a green scrunchie. She should be age fourteen according to my memory.

Kirstin was taking a hose around to the various bushes to water them.

Last, I noticed Heather.


Easily the most feminine of the girls in the club. The spitting image of her mother Nikki, when Nikki was her age; nine.

She was sitting on the edge of the fountain reading a gardening book. I was taken back to days long-past when I saw her.

It's a curious thing. She brought so many feelings to the surface; adoration, nostalgia, hope... and deep regret.

---

(7)

I may not have had a girlfriend growing up, but I was not without the ability to have a crush. Nikki had filled that role for me, once...



Back in those days, I was so driven to become the very best duelist there ever was. I remembered the times her and my best friend at the time, Isaac, played the Pokemon TCG together.



Those were the best days of my life. So full of possibility and wonder, yet without the full weight of responsibility.

Nikki was only a grass club member back then and Isaac, a lightning club member.

My thinking back then was so narrow-minded; to have the life you want and the girl you want, you have to become the best at the Pokemon TCG!

I wanted to ask Nikki out back in those days, but how could I? Surely only the very best would do for such a lady, and, talented as I was, I had only attained the lowly rank of fire club member.

It was many years away from my graduation at the academy... let alone becoming the TCG Island champion!

As the years went on, I engrossed myself in my card journey.

Nikki and Isaac were talented in their own rights. They eventually became the club leaders of their respective clubs after all! I think the games we played together helped them grow.

But regardless of their prowess and aptitude, they were no match for the speed of my improvement...

(8)

Before I knew it, we were playing the Pokemon TCG with each other less and less.

I also noticed Nikki began to feel more distant. Had she hoped I would ask her out and been left disappointed?

Flash forward years later from those days and I learned a sobering truth: Nikki and Isaac... had been dating each other.

At that point, I knew our childhood days together had come to an end...

Nikki had moved on with her life and had chosen Isaac.

In my pursuit of her... I had left her behind.

With my only friends lost to the ravages of time and change, I plowed ahead full force, throwing myself into my studies and learning everything I could about the Pokemon TCG.

Years after that, I had learned yet another fact: Nikki and Isaac were getting married.

We hadn't spoken in years at that point, so the fact that I had received no invitation to their wedding was not unexpected, but it hurt in a way I hadn't felt since the day I learned they were dating.

I've often daydreamed what things could have been like had I just a bit more wisdom and courage back in those days...

In all my years, I had felt nothing for the other women of the island like I did for Nikki. They simply couldn't compare...

After the last vestiges of hope for a chance with Nikki had died, there was only the solitary road ahead leading to my recent title of champion.

And I'd be a Doduo's backside feather if I was going to let any duelist stop me.

Perhaps after becoming champion, women would approach me and the rest would fall into place?

Alas, if only it were that simple. If anything, my power at the game only served to alienate me further from the bulk of society. I was even approached by some women, but I could tell that what they wanted was the champion rather than the man inside.

My grandfather's words yet again rang true: That it is not the destination in life that is important... but the journey.



With my all-common deck, I was determined to dedicate myself back to that journey once again.

---

It didn't take long for the girls to notice me.

Heather was the first to notice me after looking up from her book.

She walked up to me.



"Um... Mr Gentleman, as we mentioned last time, we can't duel you anymore. None of us can win against you anymore..."

It was like looking at the embodied disappointment I imagined Nikki had for me all those years ago...

(9)

I'm here for a reason though! Dueling is how I make money, and this is the best place to test my new all-common deck.

Smiling was something I learned to do when upset, hurt, or scared. Confidence was its own sort of power.

I gave my best confident smile. "Heather! Today things are far different! I am not looking to become champion a second time! I already have the title! Today I am here to give your club the first crack at winning against my new all-common card deck; 'FlashFire!'

Upon hearing this, Heather immediately perked up.



She gazed at me with a hopeful expression. "All commons? You mean you have no rares or uncommons in your deck?"

Ah, what I wouldn't give to be in the past with Nikki looking at me that way again even once...

I nodded. "Correct! This will make me far weaker than I was the last time we dueled! Today I am looking to duel all three of you with my new common deck."

(10)

Heather asked me to hold on, while she walked over to Kristin and Brittany on the other side of the fountain with them having paused in their duties. They huddled together whispering.

Nikki was tending bushes at the far end of the room as she watched me discretely peering through the fence. As I took a quick glance, our eyes locked for but a moment.



Ah, Nikki always was a shy one. Perhaps that was part of what I had found so appealing about her. Even now she had a way of captivating me. But it was of no use... She was already light-years away now... bound to another man...

I examined the state of the room, the immaculately trimmed grass and bushes. The cleanliness of the fountain. She knew how to care well for the club and its members. No-doubt she made a great mother for Heather... and a great wife for Isaac...

Suddenly Brittany approached and held out her deck. "You're on Mister!"



Brittany used a deck with Beedril, Victreebel, and a variety of other grass types. My Dark Rapidash easily ruined her chances of victory. She wasn't able to fully evolve any of her mons, due to how fast I burned through them.

Not too shabby for an opening duel! At least my new deck seemed able to trounce things weak against it!



Brittany was upset after the duel.

"So I lost to a deck of all commons?! Are you here just to make fun of me?!"

I reassured her that I was certainly not here to hurt any feelings and that this test of my deck likely means it would do well against the other members of the club too.

That seemed to help her feel a little better at least. She then went to get my next opponent: Kristin!



"Even though you won against Brittany, its STILL a deck of just commons! I'm sure you just got lucky! Pretty soon, I'll be able to say I beat the champion!"

---

From my memory, Kristin used Ivysaur, Venomoth, Tangela, Scyther, and a slew of normal types in her deck. The duel with her went much the same as it had with Brittany! Dark Rapidash burned through her mons one at a time until the final prize against her was claimed!

It seemed anything weak to my new deck stood no chance against it! Quite promising indeed!



"What IS this?! How can I lose to a deck of ALL COMMONS!"

As she walked away, my final opponent here approached: Heather!



"Um, I know you might have beat the other two, but I still think I have a good chance to win!"

---

It was like a carbon copy of my other duels, except the mon I burned through were different. Her deck employed Vileplume, Parasect, and Weepinbell.

(11)



"Oh... ok... I had hoped I might win since you were so heavily restricted, but your fire types were too tough to beat with my grass types. Did I at least help you test your deck?"

It was like hurting Nikki from the past. It felt awful even though I had done nothing objectively wrong...

I replied back softly. "Of course. All three of you have been helpful! If all goes well, I'll also test my deck against your mother."

---

My time in the club was short indeed. All-commons or not, type advantage is type advantage. They were crushed by my Dark Rapidash, but not nearly as badly as when I had used my old unrestricted deck. They at least had a theoretical chance against me using 'FlashFire!', but not when I used to play with Mystic Fire.

Before I left the club, I caught sight of Nikki with a determined look upon her face. Now was not the time for our duel though...

I wouldn't be satisfied until I had first proven my deck's worth vs the members of all the other clubs.

My next destination would be the water club.

 

[133TFR33k]

Special thanks to the beta readers listed below who put in reviews via PM prior to posting!

K_S
candycanearter07
canisaries

Chapter 2: Wet & Wild
​

(12)

​

To arrive at my next destination, I found it easier to use the light rail public transit as the water club was in close proximity to one of its stops.

The water club bordered the great forest of our island on the southeastern corner of our island. Surrounding the Water Club on all but one side was one of only two curious bodies of water in our world: a lake! The other lake in our world was on Neo Island, as I recalled form my time at the academy.

The side not occupied by water was a natural bridge containing a long concrete path complete with rails on the sides. Every so often a pier would jut out.

The light rail had a stop next to the bridge, rather than the Water Club itself, but it was only about a ten minute walk to the destination. There was far more water stretching outward from the sides the bridge was not on.

The sky was partly cloudy today, but there was still plenty of opportunities for the sun to beam down.

The water of the lake glistened in the light. A hearty breeze was blowing today. Had I been wearing a hat, (not that I would be caught dead in one) it might have blown away!

As usual, there was the occasional fisherman angling for some fresh-water fish. Quite the rarity. Fishing was greatly limited on the lake to preserve the species of fish in it. If one was skilled, they could make quite a living that way, I heard. Hopefully I would not have to find out by experience...

I soon found myself entering the water club.

(13)

The lobby was just as I remembered, with teal polished porcelain square tiles and fish tanks with coral lining the walls. The fish inside leisurely swam about in them. They certainly did know how to set up an atmosphere in there.

As with all club layouts, the lounge would be to the left with the main room of the club directly ahead.

I proceeded further in.

I still marveled at how they had a full indoor beach and wave pool in here. The glass dome roof let all kinds of natural sunlight in as well. They even had palm trees and beach chairs!

It was the girls of this club that had wanted to 'date the champion'.

Each of them had amazing figures and their swimsuits left rather little to the imagination... I'm sure that just for that reason alone, most men would be ecstatic at the prospect of dating them. They all flirted quite well too...

But underneath, I could sense it. They only wanted prestige. No-doubt if I ever lost the title of champion, these 'amazing girls' would drop me like a bad card from their decks...

Was it bad that I often found myself confused at which girl was who? I suppose it isn't totally bad seeing as two of the club members are twin sisters...

A grim thought entered my mind. I may have the mental fortitude to hold off their flirtatious advances now, but what if that fortitude were to erode over the years? Would I let one of these prestige-diggers attach themselves to me? But that was a concern for another time... I still had much of my life yet ahead of me after all!

I cast my gaze to the various members:

Amanda,


She is the twin sister of the other girl member of the club, Sara and I believe is age 20 if I am remembering correctly.

She was wearing her white swim cap with her goggles resting on her forehead with her usual green one-peice bathing suit.

The moment she caught sight of me, her expression changed as she leaped from her reclined beach chair and ran over to greet me.

(14)



Why must these women be such eye-candy?! I found myself rather transfixed as she approached.

"Mr. Gentleman! Hi!" Amanda hopped as she greeted me to throw me further off balance.

She immediately grabbed my left arm with both of hers. "Did you come back here just to see little ~ ol ~ me?"

I was never great at handling these kinds of situations. What DOES someone do about this anyway?!

My eyes were closed as I smiled and rubbed the back of my head with my other hand. "Ah, Amanda I had contruct-"

Amanda made a shocked face. "Mr gentleman! I'm not Amanda, I'm S-A-R-A! Remember? I can't believe you forgot my name!"



Not good!

"Ah! Sara! Please don't be upset! You know I have a hard time telling you and Amanda apart!"

She sobbed. "I suppose you WANT me to be Amanda don't you?!"

What on earth is happening...

"Wait, no, that's not it!"

Just then the REAL Amanda approached.

Great, now BOTH my arms would be disabled!

Sure enough, Amanda was now clinging to my other arm!



"Oh my Mr. Gentleman, you always have such discerning taste when it comes to women. Look at these firm arms and hands of yours! The way you hold your cards is also so stable and manly..."

I didn't remember them being this pushy... What did they do, rehearse this?!



Am-SARA was pouting. "Aaaaamaaaandaaa! That's not fair! I was here first! I get dibs!"

Just then, the last of the terrible trio arrived!

The club leader, Amy!

She was wearing her usual purple one-peice bathing suit and I believe she is twenty-four years old.



"Enough you two! Go on and get off his arms! Have you no shame!?"

Amanda and Sara reluctantly let go as Amy took my left hand in both of hers.

"Mr Gentleman, I'm so sorry for the way my club members have harassed you, is there any way I can make it up to you?"

She looked up at me with big doe eyes.

Ok I would say that confirms that they rehearsed thi-

Now Amy grabbed my right arm as she spoke. "Oh I know! Why don't you come over to one of our recliner chairs in the back, I can give you a personal message..."



There was no way I could take much more of this. I had to act FAST while I still COULD!

I held my deck up in the air. "Duels! I am here for duels! I am testing an all-common deck that has FIRE types in it! I bet it would be SOOO weak against your water decks!"

All three simultaneously turned to look at me.





All three then called out a name at the same time: Joshua~!

(15)

Joshua was the only guy in the club. He was younger than them, barely eighteen with a small stature, waxed for extra mobility in the water, and clean-shaven. I imagine he thought the idea of this place was quite nice for a young guy like himself. The poor fool...



"Yes ladies!?" He froze on the diving board having been caught before he could make his escape.

Amanda grinned at him from across the room. "~Joshua, we have a new opponent for you!~"

His only escape having been thwarted, he dismounted the diving board. He was clearly wondering just what the three were about to get him into THIS time...

Sara called out next.

"~Joshua dear, you are always such a good little assistant!~"

He cringed as he spoke. "Wh-what can I help with this time? I just gave you a full-body massage ten minutes ago and I got all seven of the drinks you wanted!"



Amy spoke next.

"Joshua, what are we going to do with you? You need to be polite at all times, we ARE ladies you know! The better you treat us, the more we like you. You DO want us to like you... right?" She gave him a mischievous smile.

Amy pointed towards me as the others turned towards me.

"We would like you to duel Mr. Gentleman here."

Joshua looked mortified having seemingly remembered the LAST time they threw him under the bus to duel me first, so they could scope out my deck.

"The champion?! You can't be seriou-"

Amy crossed her arms and gave him a rather ominous look.


"I-I mean of COURSE I would like to duel him for you!"


Amy smiled again.


"That's our Joshua! You are so cute and dependable!~"

When the others weren't looking I could see Joshua's eye twitching. I gave him a small nod to acknowledge his predicament.

---

Joshua was unable to claim a single prize against me. My deck MAY have fire in it, but I neglected to mention the other half was lightning! My Voltorb ripped his mon to shreds in mere turns. I think maybe he had a Golduck and a Poliwag or something. They got KOed so fast that I hardly noticed them.



"I-I did my best!" Joshua looked up afraid to meet Amy's gaze.


"Yes you did, my little Joshiepoo! You did very well! You can go swim now!" Amy waved her hand dismissively.

Joshua bolted pretending to be excited and happy to swim. The giggling of the girls was a dead give away that they saw right through everything he tried. The poor fool...

(16)

Amy redirected her gaze to me with a mischievous smile on her face again. "Well! That sure was interesting. I've never seen someone win with an all-common deck before! Are you planning to take on the club leaders with it?"

I spoke as I picked up my cards. "Well, its largely untested, I am dueling the club members first to see if its plausible."

Amy nodded and sauntered towards her reclined beach chair in the back. Making calculated use of her curves as she walked, she called out to the others as she waved a hand dismissively.

"You girls duel him and tell me how it goes. I'm going to go catch some rays."

I wasn't about to fall prey to more tactics, so I demanded the two flip a coin to determine which one dueled me first.

It was Amanda! (The actual Amanda this time! It certainly didn't help matters that the two liked to swap hair dye with each other every now and then either!)

---

This duel went much as it had against Joashua, but I think maybe she had a Staryu and a Shelder or something. Again, they didn't last long enough to really make much of a memorable impact.


"Oh Mr. Gentleman, you meanie! I can't believe you would crush a young girls heart so mercilessly! Now SARA is going to win and keep you ALL to herself!"

What on earth were these women talking about?! I was not a prize to win! Though... it was nice they saw me as a prize I suppose... UGH what was I thinking! The sooner I got out of there the better!



Sara sat promptly down with a smile. "I know what you are doing Mr. Gentleman. You must have dueled hard to win so far because you wanted to lose to me, right? You must have decided to date me!"

The weapons these women wield are sharper than a Doduo's talons!

I coughed loudly. "I don't recall saying anything of that nature! I am simply here to duel!"



Sara gave me a knowing glance. "Well, we ALL know how good you are at the Pokemon TCG, so if you lose, a girl can only assume one thing..."

---

Yet another laughably simple duel. She only had a Squirtle out and I ended it with Voltorb on turn two.


"Oh I'm SO sad, Mr. Gentleman! You don't know how long my heart has YEARNED for you! I guess you must be after AMY then! Of course you would with her being the club leader! AAAAAMMMYYY!! You better treat him right once he dates you!"

I put both my hands on my head. "No one has agreed to date ANYONE!"

All three girls started to giggle.

I started to wonder how Joshua had survived here for so long. Then again, he was only a water club member. Probably not influential enough to catch the interest of these girls...

(17)

Just then, I started hearing... music? It sounded like it might be from a boom box or something.

The music was slowly growing louder. The rest of the ones in the club room started to hear it too. Suddenly a black carpet unrolled from somewhere in the lobby and reached all the way out to where I was standing!

I then saw... the super musical star Imakuni?!

What was someone like HIM doing here?

Wait... how old was he? He defied categorization! There was no way I could get a read on him!

The music was coming from a speaker embedded in his black fuzzy suit! He looked like he might be an animal character at an amusement park except his suit opened up to reveal only his face and hands!



A random Doduo also trotted along behind him. It appeared to be attempting to mimic Imakuni's dance moves throwing its feathers about everywhere as it danced!

---

After Imakuni had finished singing and dancing he challenged me to a duel!

His Snorlax was a fearsome foe but I had my Porygon and Voltorb team up to take him down! I would zap all I could away with Voltorb by itself and for bigger targets, I would first convert weakness to lightning with Porygon!

Once my duel with him was complete, he began to dance his way out picking up the throw rug as he went.

(18)

I turned to my left and noticed that his Doduo was just standing there.

It wasn't going to follow him? Rather odd. As I went to leave, I noticed the sounds of an extra pair of feet as I walked.

I paused. The feet stopped.

I started walking again. The feet resumed.

I then turned around and found the Doduo was following me! No matter. These birds are known to follow people on occasion after all. Perhaps it didn't even know Imakuni.

Little did I know, that Doduo was going to follow me the entire way home!

As I approached the door to my house, Doduo simply stood outside.

It wasn't going to attempt to follow me into my house?

Having had enough for one day, I didn't think too hard about it and left it outside. I was sure it would just go find someone else to follow.

Back in my house, I decided to bathe. Though I usually prefer to shower, today I decided to relax in my jetted tub. I hadn't tried it out yet, and found it to be quite nice.

The day had been taxing in several ways despite the duels themselves being simple, so I decided to take the next day off. Though I needed money in the long run, things in the short term could be flexible.

Spoiler: Author's Note: Imakuni?!

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.