Fanfiction Pokemon: The Jeweled Towers of Armor (some Isle of Armor spoilers ahoy!)

Episode 19: Strategy in the Cards


"Yume, I choose you!" Ash called, making a lavender twin tailed cat Pokémon materialize in the group's camp.

Mitsuna smiled when she saw the Pokémon Ash had summoned. "Oh, an Espeon! Did you catch it by the Lake of Outrage on the mainland?"

"Nope--this one was a gift on a previous trip." Ash explained. "She's very nice to have if you need something in the middle of nowhere."

Inspired, Brock asked Yume "Hey, Yume--can you please spawn a table so we can have dinner? The Combusken tikka marsala's just about done..."

With pleasure. Yume replied. The ruby on her forehead glowed, creating an elegant table with five settings as Brock tended the thick orange curry simmering over the campfire.

[Mmm...smells amazing!] Goukai smiled as Yume sent bowls of the steaming hot mixture to each place at the table, complete with a Kubfu sized bowl for Goukai.

"Nice, you put extra paneer in mine!" Misty smiled as the group settled in to enjoy the curry and the sides Brock had prepared.

"I picked up some good paneer in the last town we passed, so making some fresh curry was a no brainer." Brock smiled as he stashed what cold ingredients he didn't use in a storage cooler. "But if Mitsuna wants to try a Kantonian delicacy, let me know."

"I've always wanted to try some real Kanto style ramen." Mitsuna suggested. "None of this cheap plastic noodles in the store..."

"Well, real Kantonian and Johtonian ramen is nothing like those cheap packs at the store at all." Brock replied.

With Mitsuna and Brock occupied talking about food, Goukai noticed a tin depicting a Cinderace kicking a fireball peeking from Ash's bag. [Hm...what's in here?]

Ash noticed Goukai admiring the tin. "Those are trading cards--once we're done with dinner, I can teach you how to play the game that goes with them."

"They're called trading cards because you can trade with people to get the cards you want." Mitsuna explained. "Some people play the game that goes with them, and some just collect them for the pictures."

"Ash, Misty and I play the game competitively and just for fun." Brock went on.

He watched as Yume cleared the table and sent the dishes for Misty's team to wash. "You can win some nice prizes if you play competitively, including the rarest cards, special cards you can't get in a card shop, money, and other nice things."

"But in order to keep things fair, the judges of competitive play say that you can't use certain cards due to game breaking effects, or can only use so many of a card." Ash explained. "Those that compete are expected to know what cards are restricted and banned in competition. But in a friendly match like this, you can use whatever cards you like."

"Brock and I will play each other for an example game." Misty offered as Yume conjured a TCG play mat on the table.

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"Just like a martial arts battle or Pokémon battle, a TCG match requires strategy, tactics, and a little luck." Ash explained as he watched Misty and Brock shuffle their decks. "So while the rules may look complex, it's not too difficult to learn the game."

Yume conjured a coin before Misty and Brock. Pikachu face is heads...Kanto League crest is tails.

"In order to begin a match, you start by flipping a coin." Ash explained as Yume telepathically flipped the coin. "The one who calls the toss correctly has the option to go first, although they can let the other player go first, too."

"Heads!" Misty called.

"Tails." Brock called.

Once the coin had hit the ground, Yume warped the coin to the mat's dividing line to show the results to the group. Misty has won the toss--do you wish to go first?

"Sure!" Misty replied before retrieving a Primarina deck tin from her bag. "I'll use my Rainbow Tide deck for this match."

"I'm using my Eighteen Tales deck for this exhibition match." Brock replied as he retrieved a deck tin depicting both the normal Ninetales and the Alolan Ninetales together.

Yume noticed Goukai watching in awe at Misty and Brock setting up their play areas. Would you like a deck of your own to play with?

[Yeah!] Goukai smiled. [Do they have decks with all the Urshifu forms?]

Yume created a circle of twelve deck tins around Goukai, which formed a neat pile before him. Here you are--if you ever want to play against Ash, you have a deck for each Urshifu form.

"Let's use the Crystal Fist Urshifu deck as a visual aid." Ash located a deck tin depicting a Gigantimaxed Urshifu that appeared to be made of shiny green crystal. "The object of the game is to defeat your opponent in a simulated Pokémon battle. You can do this by knocking out all the opponent's Pokémon or if they have no more cards they can draw."

[Sounds easy enough...] Goukai mused.

"Cards come in four types--Pokémon cards..." Ash showed Goukai a copy of a Kubfu the Wandering Warrior card. "...energy cards..." He showed Goukai a Grass Energy card. "item cards..." He showed Goukai a Potion card. "...and Trainer cards." He showed Goukai a copy of a The Wise Prof. Oak card. "A legal deck is 60 cards--no more and no less."

"You can get in big trouble if you have more or less than that and the judges catch you." Brock warned as he set up his bench.

Ash led Goukai to Misty's side of the table, where she was ready to begin the friendly game. "Feel like explaining to Goukai what a set up play area looks like?"

"Sure..." Misty smiled. "Once who goes first has been determined, you shuffle your deck and draw seven cards--this is your starting hand. If you don't get a Pokémon you can play on the first try, you reshuffle your deck and try again until you do. However, every time you try again, your opponent gets one more card."

She showed Goukai a copy of a Bubbling Joy, Popplio card. "This is a Basic Pokémon card--every Pokémon in the game starts like this. If you end up with a lot of these in your starting hand, you pick one to lead with, and put the rest in the bench area."

"You may sometimes hear Pokémon in the bench area referred to as 'on standby' or 'in reserve'." Brock explained, gesturing to his finished bench area with three Pokémon. "It still means that these Pokémon are not ready to be actively played just yet. They can still be affected by attacks from the Pokémon that are actively in play..."

To Be Continued...

 

Act 47: The Show of Fire, Ice, and Lightning (part 2)


The orchestra started an ominous melody. "The next morning, Rowan intentionally let the Mareep stray into one of the forbidden meadows." Shimmer narrated as Ruby arrived on the set, and carefully nudged a Mareep doll out on the stage.

A roar startled some in the audience as a majestic red dragon puppet "flew" on the stage. "Who allowed you to let your Mareep graze in this meadow?" it roared.

"I allowed myself to do it, you overgrown Charizard!" Ruby shot back, brandishing her prop blade at the puppet.

In the wings, Brenna watched with Erza as Ruby nimbly jumped around the set to evade the puppets claws and "fire". "Erza...I'm nervous for my fight scene..."

"What are you nervous about?" Erza asked. "You did well when we practiced your fight..."

"Ruby makes it look easy..." Brenna worried as she watched Ruby poke the dragon puppet, then nimbly jump away from more "fire". "I'm afraid I'll blank out on what we practiced..."

"Remember that all we're doing is creating the illusion of fighting to the death." Erza reminded Brenna. "Just pretend the audience is not even there, and go through the progression we practiced."

"Okay..." Brenna swallowed hard as she watched Ruby deliver the final blow to the puppet.

"Now the first meadow was theirs; but not long after this, Meriel felt like visiting the second meadow." Shimmer gave Brenna cue from her nook at stage right.

Here goes... Brenna took a deep breath to dispel the lingering Beautiflies in her stomach, and made her way onstage with some Mareep dolls. After carefully nudging one towards center stage, a roar made her nearly jump out of her shell as a majestic blue dragon puppet landed before her. Who allowed you to let your Mareep graze in this meadow?" it roared.

Brenna did her best to hide her nervousness as she drew her sapphire blade. "I allowed myself to do it, you oversized Gyarados!"

She mentally walked herself through Erza's progression as the puppet lunged at her. Okay...jump away as the puppet lunges at you, lure it up the hill at stage left...

She braced herself, then performed three quick stabs at the puppet. One, two three, go down the hill and corner it....one, two, three...head to stage right and lure it up the hill...

In the wings, Lita watched Brenna battle at stage right. Keep it up, Brenna...you're doing great!

One, two, three....jump up the hill... Brenna reminded herself as she hopped onto the next level of the prop hill. One, two, three, jump up the hill...One, two, three, jump up the hill...

A confident smirk formed on her face as the blue dragon puppet met her at the hill's next to last level. Lunge and hit the head, and we're done!

The audience roared over the orchestra's victorious theme. I did it...I remembered Erza's progression without blanking out!

She hurried offstage as the lights went down. "How'd I do?" she asked Erza as Lita got in position to battle a gold dragon puppet onstage.

"Very well." Erza replied. "My only suggestion is to try and make the fight flow like water, not jerky and robotic. But this will come with time, practice, and the more fights you do."

"Make the fights flow...got it!" Brenna smiled before hurrying to get a drink of water...

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Later, Ruby, Brenna, and Lita returned to the house to find a Grovyle in farmer's work clothes waiting for them. "Welcome home, you three. We all thank you for getting rid of the mountain dragons, so they won't bother us any more."

"Aw, it was nothing!" Lita smiled.

"Rowan...Meriel...Christa...although I am well pleased with you all for what you did, I must ask you to stop singing." the Grovyle went on.

"Why?" Ruby asked, confused.

"What's wrong with singing?" Lita agreed.

"Because I said so." the Grovyle replied, to some laughter from the parents in the audience.

"We're not kids anymore!" Brenna shot back. "All we want is an answer to our question--no more and no less."

"Did the king just make a no singing law?" Lita asked.

"If we sound terrible, you can just tell us that!" Ruby agreed. "So why are we not supposed to sing?"

"Okay...I'll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone what I am about to tell you three." the Grovyle sighed.

"Arceus' honor!" Brenna smiled, making the three fingered scout sign for emphasis.

The orchestra started a sad melody as the Grovyle went on. "You three know very well that great sorrow reigns throughout the land..."

"Yeah--His Majesty has been forced to give each of his three daughters to three dragons..." Lita replied.

"The dragons will come to take them very soon." the Grovyle continued. "The king has promised a third of the kingdom to anyone who can save them. Should the hero be male, he will also receive the hand of the princess he saved as well. This is why you three are not to sing in town, although you may still do so out in the fields."

Ruby sighed. "The poor princesses...about to meet a horrible fate through no fault of their own..."

"Maybe we might be able to save them!" Brenna suggested as the music turned hopeful. "We have the magical swords our father left us, after all."

"Besides, we can leave the farm behind with a clear conscience, since now the townsfolk in this area do not have to worry about the mountain dragons any more." Lita agreed.

Ruby smiled. "Yeah--farmers today--dragon slayers tomorrow!"

"If we have slain the dragons that once lurked in these mountains, we can take these dragons too!" Brenna vowed as the lights went down...

To Be Continued...