The last six months have been a blur of nihilistic gaming debauchery. Or at least as debaucherous as it could get in a Pokémon world. I mostly played tournaments of hold ‘em poker – Orre Hold ‘Em is identical to Texas Hold ‘Em. I even bought a deck; it’s mostly identical to playing cards at home, but the suits are fire, water, grass, and normal. Apparently there’s a variation where the elemental triangle is applied before rank when it comes to hand value.
My trained new mind was a lot better at this than I was at Poker Night 2 back home. It helped to combat the sensation that I could do anything I wanted at this point and it wouldn’t matter because time would stop and I would suffer no repercussions. It kept me from betting recklessly on terrible hands or just assaulting people if I lost. Even if it didn’t matter, the confidence that came with winning and the honest smiles of my team kept me together.
I gained a bit of a reputation. I chipped away slowly at my opponents, gradual gains over time. Never drank, never smoked; my mind was kept sharp with carbonated Oran juice. I played only with the money I could spare; I never bet my rent, and I certainly never bet a Pokémon like some resorted to. Apparently Realgam had a permit for that.
On my last night in this world (I would drop at the same time I arrived, the following mid-morning), I had a substantial stack – nearly 87,000 Pokédollars. One of my opponents was the “wild claims” type, and was a little hard to read, but I eventually managed to whittle away at his stack until he had nothing left.
That’s when he got desperate and bet a Master Ball. He claimed it had a Legendary Pokémon inside. Everyone was so wowed by this claim that the pit boss himself had to come and ascertain the truth of it. To avoid causing a massive scene, the ball was opened in the back, but he came back with it and the number it was worth on the table: 80,000 Pokédollars – over 90% of my stack. Everyone else folded immediately; no one could match the bet but me.
The Ball was the last thing he had, so once I called, it came down to luck. We flipped over our cards. I had an ace of fire and an 8 of normal, and he had an ace and king of grass.
We all looked in teeth-clattering trepidation as the dealer laid out the community cards. The flop: the queen of grass, the ace of water, and the jack of fire. It didn’t look good for me, and when the turn came up the last ace of normal, I could feel disappointment. We both had three of a kind, but he had the better kicker. I was going to lose a ton of money and my last chance to catch a Pokémon in this lifetime.
It doesn’t matter, the back of my mind nagged. I tried to swallow my disappointment.
However, then the dealer dealt the river, and the world felt like it turned upside down.
An 8 of water.
“Lawrence has three of a kind,” the dealer announced. “Robert has a full house.”
Holy fucking shit, I won.
It took me a moment to realize Lawrence was screaming and security was doing his best to keep from stealing the Master Ball or tearing me limb from limb. I wisely decided to cash out immediately.
The Master Ball had a Latias in it. She seemed very cautious of me, but with introductions from Terra, Bolt, and Cody, she warmed up to me. I decided to nickname her Anita.
I made sure all my doors were locked and slept with my billy club, just to be safe. Thankfully, I learned that Lawrence had been arrested.
The following morning, I checked out and rode aimlessly into the middle of the desert. Anita flew just above my side. She enjoyed the breeze.
Once we were out in the middle of nowhere, I stopped, recalled Anita, closed my eyes, and waited.
I faintly heard the sound of approaching fluttery leather wings.
I looked up at the approaching cloud. Ten years, and they still have nothing better to do.
Out came Terra, Bolt, Cody, and Anita. All of them experienced battlers, including Anita as noted by one or two ribbons she was wearing. I pulled out my billy club.
It seems we will be leaving this world swinging.
Jumpchain: A Man Chooses 