Remember everyone! Gambling's bad!

Blanche

One time, we went to the casino to have some fun. A small disclaimer, gambling should be done responsibly. The three of us have agreed to a pact that we will not only do so, but also prevent the others from going overboard. So there we were one night, all dressed for the occasion. Candela and I finally took out those nice high heels that we bought some time long ago. I decided to wear something smart-casual so I took out a nice and simple blue maxi dress from my closet and wore a pendant with a jade stone around my neck. Candela took out her "little black dress" and wore a crystal necklace. As for Spark, he wore a regular black suit with a grey inner long-sleeve, and a red necktie.

Magalam's Armaldo Casino was branded with rare gems and gold with the slogan "Hidden Treasurers, Valuable Memories!" because the casino owner was originally a miner and after digging at a site for weeks, he finally struck gold. Aside from rare fossils, the founder made a fortune after he discovered a large jewel which was sitting next to a fossilised Armaldo. We went to the casino and got our chips; I won't say how much we changed, but I'd like to say that we're not part of the upper class.

The bright lights and electric jazz music made everyone relax and pumped up for a fun night. Spark immediately went to the slot machines because it was the only thing in the casino he actual won something on. I recall that he once screamed and yelled when he got a triple seven in the machine. He approached us saying that he won four hundred, but when we asked him how much he spent, he said that he used five hundred.

"But I won!" He told us with his big goofy smile, "and that's what counts!"

As for me, I'm usually found at the blackjack table. There's something about the game that interested me. Perhaps it was about the luck factor that was uniquely innate in the rules of the game. After all, how could anyone possibly win in a game that's based on probability? I mean, one just had to place big bets when you know that the odds are in your favour and avoid doing so if they're not. I would also like to add that I usually profit from my blackjack adventures.

I remember hearing people behind me whispering that I was cheating, but then I would turn to smile at them saying that I wasn't. How could I possibly cheat? Luck and Fate weren't in my control; I just acted based on probability.

"Hit me," I remember saying to the dealer. The dealer gave me a card and I got my first blackjack.

It wasn't going to be my last blackjack.

As time passed, I decided that I was done for the night. I took my winnings and left the table, and several people (along with the dealer) breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't see Candela or Spark, but after exchanging my chips, I got a call on my cell.

It was Candela, and she was asking for help. If I told you that I wasn't expecting this, I would be lying. Candela has... a very competitive nature. She can't resist the urge to make a comeback after a loss. I don't doubt that she's a great trainer, but is she a good gambler? Well... I'll just say that she has a bad poker face.

I found her at the poker table, and I saw her gesture me to her side. She appeared to be frustrated, and when I saw the table, it appeared that she went all-in on the first turn, and everyone else folded. I glanced over the size of the pot, and Candela had about a fraction of her starting chips left. She begged me to teach her how to be good at gambling, and I told her that I'd do my best as long as she remembers the pact.

She nodded, and I agreed. I went away to change some of my earnings, and then I returned to give them to Candela. I sat next to her (the dealer allowed it), and I instructed her on what to do. Candela knows the rules of the game, and despite all the tips and tricks I gave her, she can't keep her excitement or disappointment to herself.

When she had a pair of kings, she tried to keep a straight face, but she couldn't stop herself from smiling. Everyone on the table saw her face and folded afterwards. I just sighed and asked if she could show me her poker face if she had two aces. She looked at me and stared directly into my eyes, and it was the saddest poker face I have ever seen.

Her face was an open book! You can tell straight away from the glint in her eyes that she had a great hand. When i told her that her facial expression was an extremely dead giveaway, she pouted and asked me if there was anything I could do to help her.

This wasn't exactly a problem that could be solved instantly because the nature of it was unusual. However, I did manage to come up with an ingenious idea. I told her than no matter what happens, she should recall all of Professor Willow's Poke-puns. The instant I told her to do so, her face changed. It didn't show joy or sadness, but it was a face of disgust. Her eyes squinted, her mouth closed, and her nostrils flared. She looked so mad that instead of staring, she shot daggers from her eyes. Her new poker face instilled fear into her opponents. Eventually, she started winning. Deal after deal after deal, she was knocking out the competition. Her winnings were doubling and people were leaving the table.

I was proud of her, and so I patted her shoulder and told her congratulations and that it's time to leave. Candela turned to face me, and I saw- I SAW, a look on her face. It was THAT look, which you can tell that she's long gone. She wanted to move up to the other tables for bigger winnings, and I tried to get a hold of her and tell her to stop. I remember telling her to remember the pact: we should gamble responsibly, and that we should stop each other from going overboard. She told me that if I let her keep going, she'd buy me new stuffed toys. I told her to keep it quiet and that I didn't care, but then she changed her offer. She said that if she won enough, she'd pay for a return trip back to Alola.

I'm usually not the type of person to be easily be bribed, but two weeks in a tropical island filled with wondrous scientific discoveries and mysteries waiting to be unfold? I'd be spending all my time looking for more evidence and proofs for my article! Not to mention that it would be a vacation. I knew that I was going to regret this, but I agreed to let her continue. However, once she's reached the amount to get three tickets to the Alola region, we'd leave.

She moved up to a different table, and it was the sort of table where richer and more experienced players would sit in. I got nervous because the blinds were a lot bigger now and these new players were very intimidating, but Candela would not desist.

A few turns finished and her winnings increased, but it hasn't reached the amount we agreed upon. Candela kept up her poker face and she even whispered some Poke-puns to herself just to stay focused. "Oh no Kabuto. Go get her, Peliper. Did you finish, Qwilfish?" She kept going on and on, and her face stayed focused.

It came to a point where there were three of them left who didn't fold yet. The river was a three of diamonds, seven of hearts, and a jack of diamonds. Candela raised and doubled the bets, which caused one of them to fold. I was standing right next to Candela and my heart was racing as I saw the cards on the table. The next card was a four of spades, both Candela and her final opponent reacted to this by betting even more money. The last and final card was a four of diamonds. Candela decided that it was all or nothing, and she went all in.

She was confident with her hand, and she pushed all of her chips to the center while still maintaining her pokerface. Her opponent looked at his cards and called Candela's bet with a smile. Candela revealed her hand and it was a king of diamonds and a six of diamonds: she had a flush. My heart relaxed because a straight hand was very good and considering the fact that she went all in, it was very reassuring.

Her opponent revealed his hand: a four of clubs and a jack of spades. The crowd cheered for the rich man because he had a full house, which trumps over a flush, and as the man grabbed the entire pot, I saw my plane ticket leave my very eyes.

I managed to recover with a straight face and I placed my hand on Candela's shoulder to comfort her. I knew how much she had lost, and it was a considerable amount, but this was all part of the game. Sometimes, luck isn't just on your side. I called out to Candela to tell her that we should go, but I got no response. I tried to move her shoulder, but she didn't budge. I moved in closer, and I could hear her murmur a bunch of mumbles. I motioned in front of her to see what was going on, and I was met with a face of complete distraught.

"Gotta get it back. Gotta win 'em back." Those were some of the mumbles Candela whispered in her lifeless state as if it was the only thing that her body could do. I had to get Candela out of the table, so I grabbed her shoulder and placed it around me, and we both left to find Spark.

"Blanche! I NEED to win them back!" Candela murmured straight to my face. I told her to keep it down before she starts making an even bigger scene than we were already in. It was at this point where I figured that she may have a gambling issue because all this zombie could think about was to gamble back her money.

Fortunately enough, an even louder event occurred. A loud chime and jingle boomed throughout the casino and the lights flashed in several different colours. The Armaldo Casino was celebrating someone winning at the slot machines. Out of my curiosity, I dragged Candela over to see who it was since we could search for Spark after we find out who won, but to my surprise, I saw Spark shouting and cheering as his slot machine was spilling out his winnings.

I could hear him scream and shout in joy and the smile he had on his face was too precious; I took out my phone and took a picture of it. Meanwhile, Candela suddenly came back to life and grabbed Spark by his shoulder and shaking him saying, "Must. Win. Them. Back! Give me some. GIVE. ME. SOME!" Spark was too happy to care so he said to take as much as she wanted, and Candela began to use her arms to grab a collection of chips to herself.

I sighed, but I don't want to ruin the moment. Before my eyes were an overjoyed Spark, a greedy Candela, and a whole lot of winnings. I resisted the urge to calm them both down since they were acting like children, but they were my friends; they were my winnings. I took a selfie (one of the few I've ever taken), and I placed this photo on my desk table to remind me of this wondrous moment.

I managed to control Candela before she could gamble any further and joined Spark to the front desk to cash in his chips. I later found out that Spark broke even, which left me speechless because he had a LOT of chips. Turns out he spent more than we agreed upon, but unlike Candela, he broke even. Apparently, he just kept exchanging and exchanging and continued playing. He shrugged and replied that he couldn't help himself probably because he didn't have anyone to help him resist.

We left the casino afterwards and Spark helped me with Zombie Candela as we dragged her far away from the nearest poker table. I gave him a sermon as to why we each should have some self-control because if we didn't, we'd end up like our crazed friend. He agreed, but I'm pretty sure that he'd fall short and commit the same mistake again if he had the chance. I just sighed, and wondered why even bother making a pact if we were just going to break it. It was at this point where we agreed that we don't go out gambling as often anymore. Perhaps once a year. Or twice. Depends on my mood.