Chapter 67: Gambling Games Part 2

Ted's POV

There was something to be said about the beauty of the sun setting below an ocean's horizon. Sure a sunset's colors in the sky are breathtaking enough, but something about the ocean amplifies the setting in some way; and it is that which my gaze lingers upon as I kept myself propped against the railing, staring into the scenery that many take for granted. I closed my eyes, listening to the sound of the lapping water below against the ship as it cruised along; a warm, gentle breeze blowing softly past me. It was enough to meld into the elements themselves as I felt myself leave my body into a world that very few could transcend to.

My senses heightened in smell, taste, sound, and feel as I opened them up to the world around me, focusing on everything and nothing all at once. The combination of the sun's warmth and the lapping water relaxed my body entirely but not to the point I would fall overboard. The constant breeze created from the ship's speed allowed me to sway, almost like I was dancing in the wind, swiftly yet slowly in an odd mixture. I could smell the salt the water sprayed out as it made an attempt to push against the ship, but to no avail did it have the strength to. On top of all that I could feel the humming of the engine's motors from below, the numerous people walking throughout the ship, each with their own way of walking. It was, however, difficult to locate D.Z.'s exact location amongst them all, but it was nary a worry for things have a way of working themselves out… at least most of the time.

A small smile adorned my face at the thought of that, but only for a moment as I felt something shift. A sudden ripple caught my attention somewhere below in the water. How far it was I couldn't tell. It was enough though to slightly break the state I was in as I opened my eyes slightly, attempting to locate where the sudden ripple came from.

"E-excuse m-me," I heard a familiar voice saying suddenly from behind me, breaking me from my state fully. I craned my head around to see the Ralts from before fidgeting nervously as she gained herself the courage to speak. "You are the T-Teddiursa I sp-soike to b-before, a-aren't you?"

""I am," I answered her as I got up with a stretch. "Kara right?"

"Y-yes," Kara said with a bow. "S-sorry to d-disturb you if you w-were b-busy."

"It's nothing to fret about," I reassured her. "One's attention is always important regardless of the situation."

"Th-thanks you," Kara said, bowing once more. "Y-you're too kind."

"How may I assist you?" I asked.

"W-well," Kara began. "I d-did my b-best to k-keep my eyes out f-for y-your Drowzee friend b-but it w-was a b-bit hard to c-considering my j-job."

"That's understandable," I said. "He's not really one who wants to be seen if he can help it. At least we have until tomorrow to locate him. On a side note, and forgive me for asking, but is your speech impediment a disorder of sorts? You do seem to stutter quite often."

"Hmm?" Kara asked a bit surprised by the sudden question. "O-oh! N-no! Not at a-all! I'm just a bit… sh-shy and n-nervous around others. I-it's my f-first t-time being out on m-my own."

"I can see how that can impede on socializing," I gave note. "It can be quite scary and a bit hard to talk with others who have different types of personalities, but once you find the right group that which impedes you becomes a thing of the past and you come out better than you would have expected."

"You r-really th-think so?" Kara asked.

"Do me a favor," I said to her. "Close your eyes and trust in what I tell you to do."

I watched as Kara tensed up at the sudden request, unsure of whether or not to put her trust in what I wanted her to do, but obliged after a moment, slightly lowering her head as she shut her eyes.

"Now, take a slow, deep breath," I gently ordered, watching as she slowly took a deep breath before exhaling at my command. I gently placed a claw upon her head and had her repeat the steps a few more times, each breath allowing her to relax until her breaths normalized into regular breathing, her body completely at ease as I removed my claw from her head. "How do you feel?"

"Better," she said with a smile. "It's the most relaxed I've felt since I started this shindig." I stifled a chuckle at the mere word. Never have I ever heard anyone use such a word as that before. She raised up her head to look back at me. "How did you do that?"

"It's all just a state of mind," I told her. "Think of it as a barrier that keeps you guarded against allowing anyone to get close. The fact you approached me shows that you allowed the barrier to lower because you found comfort in my chillaxed presence."

Kara appeared thoughtful from that analogy alone as she replayed what I said over in her head and smiled once more. "Th-that might have been it. I do feel pretty relaxed around you and…" she paused for just slight second "...you did h-help clear my stuttering for the most part."

"Just keep that applied and you'll be talking in full clear sentences like you've been doing with me in no time," I told her.

"Th-thank you," Kara said, bowing once more.

"You're quite welcome," I said back to her as a curious thought plagued my mind. "Now that we have that settled, would you mind me asking your reason for taking up a job like this with an impediment like yours?"

Kara took another slow breath and exhaled before answering, a hand to her chest. "I… wanted to strike out on my own, get some… confidence like my… father has."

"Single parent then," I surmised.

"Y-yes," Kara said hesitantly. "I… hardly remember her and my father never talks about her. I… wanted to be independent so he wouldn't have to worry about me so much; to show him I can take care of myself."

"I can't imagine that didn't go as well as you expected," I mused, receiving a head shake from Kara.

"N-not at all," was her reply. "H-he did argue about keeping me safe and the dangers that were out there."

"How were you able to get him to agree?"

"I… promised him I would take a j-job where I would be surrounded by others and he suggested I work on this cruise ship here."

"And the rest is self explanatory," I concluded. "It's understandable that a father would be protective of his daughter from such dangers of the world."

"I know he's just looking out for me," Kara said. "I understand full well what could possibly happen but I can't stay sheltered forever. I want to be s-strong enough to make him proud!"

"I have a feeling he would be," I said. "Especially if you continue to grow to be your own mon."

"I do have you to thank," she said. "I can't tell what it is about you but… you've really helped me open up just a little."

"You have to start somewhere," I said. "Even if it's just a tiny bit, it can only blossom further if you so choose to fight for what you want."

"I'll keep that in mind," Kara said with a determined nod before recoiling embarrassingly from the sudden grumble of her stomach, laughing nervously.

"Seems like your stomach's fighting for something else," I said with a light chuckle. "Why not get some grub?"

"Y-yeah," she said as she turned about and began making her way towards the food area. I took a glance back out towards the ocean, scanning for the sudden ripple I felt moments earlier, yet saw nothing out of the ordinary. But then, it's not what I couldn't see but what I could feel; and something was telling me there was a disturbance I couldn't shake.

"Um… sir?" I heard Kara call out. "A-are you c-coming?"

"Yes," I answered her, holding my gaze for just a second longer before going to join her. I couldn't explain exactly what the feeling was as we walked off but I could definitely tell something was off and that something was fixing to happen.

As Zack-bro would probably say, "How exciting!"

Zack's POV

"I'll be honest with you," I said as I stared at the tabletop with much confusion. "All this mumbo jumbo looks really complicated to even understand. This may even be something I won't even care to want to know."

"It's all good," the bipedal mushroom said. "Not every game can be one's favorite. Unlike Billbeak's game, this one has strict rules when playing."

"Can you explain it to me in terms I'd be able to understand?" I asked him.

"I'll do the best I can to," he said as he held up a small square object with dots upon it. "So to start, this game requires dice like the one I'm holding. This has six sides, each side with one dot more than the next up until it hits six. The object is to toss the dice at a certain height below the eyes of those playing and hit the opposite end of the wall the players are sitting at. Exceptions can be made if they don't so long as they are rolled passed the middle of the table."

I nodded as I processed this with ease.

"I won't bother you with how complicated things get but if the dice land in certain areas that they're not supposed to, like the area with the chips and berries, the roll is considered invalid," the mushroom Pokemon explained. "If the dice land in another player's spot the roll is still considered 'in play,' this the game continues. If players wish to switch hands, paws, claws, etc. they are to set the dice down and pick them up with the switched hand and such. The dice must be tossed among everything else. Short rolls are no exception. This is all to prevent an influence of possible outcome from the players."

"Most experienced players can figure out how the system works once they study it long enough," the brown furred Pokemon interjected. "It's hard to tell those who are since they can appear like every other person and Pokemon: straight face, following the rules of the game and all that."

"Even more so dangerous when there's a group working together," the Golduck added. "They have special codes they use through body language that lets the other know when to go for it and when to lay low. Even security have a hard time catching them in the act."

"Then how are they able to determine if they're using those special codes?" I asked.

"It takes a keen eye," Bastion answered. "If security suspects a player's playing foul they rewind the footage and replay several times to confirm whether or not they are. It's a rare chance that they manage to catch the foul players. Otherwise that's money lost from the casino itself."

"That sounds pretty difficult," I noted.

"You have no idea," the mushroom Pokemon said dreadingly, stretching his face down with a fair bit of stress. "It's even hard for me to catch when they're cheating the system. The one game they focus on more than anything are the poker games."

"Poker?" I questioned curiously. "Is that something he's in charge of?" I pointed towards the brown furred Pokemon, considering the other two had games of their own they were in charge of.

"Hardly," was his reply. "I work as a janitor so I try to keep the place as clean as I can. It's not that hard of a job but even so there are messes that occur quite often. If there's anything about poker you want to know, then that guy there's your mon."

I shifted my attention towards the final Pokemon who's been completely silent the entire time and definitely haven't forgotten his existence until now. To be honest, I didn't exactly know how to describe him. He was short, purple, had sharp claws, and… what was up with his eyes? They were a shiny blue color in some kind of weird shape I couldn't describe. I could almost see my reflection in them as they gleaned from the lights above. In the middle of his chest was a long, skinny red rock that also seemed to glean. He honestly looked like a small transformed human of sorts almost.

"Oh!" he said in surprise, his voice soft and calm. "I suppose that's my cue." He got up, grabbing a nearby stack of… I really didn't know what they were but they seemed to be many as he gently let them fall from the claw he was holding them into the claw that caught them before bowing before me. "A pleasure to meet your acquaintance. My name is Shift and I shall be the one to explain the rules of the game you know as Poker."

I blinked.

"Uh… sure," I said rather slowly, taken aback by his greeting. "It's a pleasure too, I guess."

"Don't pay it any mind," the mushroom Pokemon said. "Shift is known for his politeness to others. It's how he is."

"Well every Pokemon is unique," I stated.

"I hear that," the brown furred Pokemon agreed. "Anyway Shift, the floor is yours."

"I appreciate it," Shift said with a grateful nod before turning his attention back towards me, holding up whatever he was holding on his claw. "To start, these are known as cards used to play in Poker. Just like every game, these have numbers ranging from one to twelve, but with a slight difference in some of the numbers. Two through ten are just regular numbers until you get to eleven." He paused as he drew a card out and had it up for me to see. The card itself has a very weird design as I studied it, taking note that it was the face of a human looking one way while on the bottom the same human was looking the other way.

"You said it's not an eleven, right?" I asked him as I noticed the upper left corner of the card with a J on it. The same was on the bottom right corner only upside down. "What's it called then and why?"

"This card is known as a Jack," Shift explained. "The reason it's not an eleven is because it's a rank card that gives players a certain amount of points in a game like Poker. There's history on how humans came with the idea but that is something I won't bore you on."

"I wouldn't really wouldn't understand it either way," I told him. "That stuff's boring."

"Understandable," Shift said with a nod as drew two cards from the stack and held them up for me to see. Just like the Jack, these two cards were the same where the humans were looking in opposite directions. The only differences were the Q and K at the corners. Not only that, but I noticed one was black and one was red; and both of them had strange symbols on them. "These cards are the same as the Jack, only they're known as Queen and King, both ranking higher than the Jack.

"In Poker, having those three cards, plus one of the tens and the ace card, wins you the game. They're known as the highest ranking cards in the game, but if all other players have lesser ranking cards and you have the second highest hand it gives you the win. That consists of a sequence of cards in order so long as you have the same suit of cards."

"Same suit?" I questioned, prompting Shift to draw another card from the stack and line the four up in a row.

"I'm sure by now you're aware of the colors used for these games," Shift said. "The same goes for the cards. However," he pointed to one of the symbols on the card. "The cards have different symbols on them as you can see. Before, I said that the cards number from one through twelve, but because of the symbols, you'll find that there are four of the same numbers, like the Jacks for example. Two of them have black symbols: the Spade and the Club while the other two have red symbols: Hearts and Diamonds."

"What's the purpose of the symbols?" I asked curiously. "And why multiply the numbers by four for each. And what's this Ace card?"

"For your first question, no one really knows what the symbols represent," Shift explained. "There are many who speculate that they represent the seasons while others speculate they represent the elements of water, earth, fire, and air. It all comes down to what you believe them to represent in the end.

"For your second question, there's no confirmed answer I can give you," Shift continued. "Studying how the game was created, I can tell you that it possibly originated from a form of fortune telling. That's the best theory I can give you. Having four of the same for each card does help even if you wind up with a low ranking hand.

"Let's say you have three Kings and two different cards. Those three Kings all have the same equal value resulting in you having Three of a Kind as you see here."

I took a look at the cards he had on the table to see three of the King cards he talked about and a card that had a large red heart on it; an A in the corners like the others.

I blinked.

Huh.

Weren't two of those cards different before? Or did he draw two new cards while I wasn't paying attention? That could have been it but then… I would have noticed him moving his claw. I'm definitely sure that he hadn't drawn any more of those cards from the stack so then when did he draw out two more Kings?

"So long as you have three of the same, regardless of the symbols, there is a slight chance you could come out the winner should the other players have bad hands and such," Shift finished. "I hope that made sense to you in some way."

"It's a lot to take in," I admitted. "That'll be something I'll have to think about."

"Fair enough," Shift said. "Now, your final question." He held up the heart card. "This is what's known as an Ace. The Ace is an interesting card because it can count as two numbers: a one or an eleven. It really just depends on the situation. Say you're one point short of winning and the next card you draw is an Ace. That can be counted as one point or eleven if you're that much short. That is why it's known as an Ace."

"That's a really cool card!" I said with interest. "It's like the hero of the stack or something!"

Shift laughed a little. "That's one way of looking at it," he said. "There's a lot that goes into each game. It's quite a lot to retain but once you understand it you'll be able to play with ease. You might even become an experienced player if you know how to play your cards right, so to speak."

"Yeah, it is a lot to retain," I told him as I placed a paw to my head. "I think my head's hurting a bit from all that."

"Sorry for all the information download," the Golduck said.

"It's fine," I said. "I was curious to know how this all works after all."

"It's good information to know should you ever find yourself playing such a game down the road," the brown furred Pokemon said before stretching. "Aside from that, I think I'm off to take a nap before my next shift."

"Good idea," the mushroom Pokemon agreed. "This has been a quite a fun little break but it's time we ought to get back to our responsibilities. It was quite a pleasure meeting you."

"Same here!" I said. "I'm Zack by the way."

"Well Zack, on behalf of us, we all hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise," the Golduck said. "And best of luck on your journey wherever it may take you."

"Thanks! Adventuring is what I live for!" I said with a grin as, from the corner of my eye, I caught Shift stretching out a claw towards the table. Turning my attention towards him, I watched as he made to pick up the cards he had laid out on the table. As he began picking them up, I noticed that two of the Kings were gone, replaced instead by the Queen and Jack from earlier.

I blinked once again.

I'm confidently certain he didn't take anymore out from the stack in the short time my attention was off him. But then, how did he quickly swap the two cards for two Kings and back again? Especially without my notice? I must have let my gaze linger for a moment too long for I was snapped out of thought by Shift asking, "Are you alright, Zack?"

"Er… y-yeah," I stammered, feeling slightly awkward I would get caught for staring at something I didn't have an answer to. "I just thought I saw something for a moment. Guess it was just my eyes playing tricks on me."

"That could be due to the cigarette smoke lingering around," Bastion said. "The dim lights don't help much either."

"Probably," I said with a shake of my head. "Anyways, thanks again for the explanations! It was kind of fun seeing how each works."

"Anytime," the Golduck said. "You take care now!"

"You guys too!" I said as I followed Bastion back through the casino.

"Well here we are," Bastion said a few minutes later as we exited the casino. "End of the road."

"I feel kind of icky," I said. "That funky smell's stuck to me plus my head keeps ringing with all that noise."

"Yeah that'll last a while," Bastion said. "It'll fade eventually. Same for the smell. Might need your trainer to give you a bath."

"That doesn't sound too bad," I said. Now that I thought about it, when was the last time I even had a proper bath? "I really must thank you for taking the time to give me the grand tour. It was quite a lot to take in."

"It was my pleasure," Bastion said. "Don't overthink too much on it. Don't want your brain to have a burnout."

"I'll just simplify how games work the way I know best," I countered.

"Fair enough," Bastion said. "Anywho, take care of yourself; and enjoy the rest of the cruise."

"Thanks!" I said. "You take care too, Bastion!" With that said, I turned and began walking off to continue exploring the ship though to be quite honest, with all the info I learned in the casino, it did leave me feeling drained. Not to mention the noise still lingered in my ears. It was probably a good idea to find my trainer and figure out where we'd be sleeping for the duration of the cruise.

Walking up to the second level, I replayed how each of the games worked, simplifying them with ease in my mind to take the focus off my ringing ears. The spinning ball game was pretty easy to figure out. Pick red or black, a certain number, or a number group for the chance to win. The dice game was a little more complex and definitely not something I would care to play. The card game was something I couldn't wrap my head around with the numbers and the symbols and all that. Maybe if I was taught while playing the game I'd be able to figure it out somehow.

Speaking of cards, my mind wandered back onto Shift and the cards he had on the table. It baffled me how there were four different cards one minute and then three of the same kind of the four the next. Throughout the entire time I sat there not once could I recall him swapping cards out yet he somehow switched them out right in front me. How though? How could he switch cards without switching them? He had to have had some kind of secret ability that enabled him to pull a trick like that. But what?

My thoughts were interrupted as the hallway I was in lurched to one side suddenly without any warning, causing my paws to leave the floor. Before I had any time to realize what was occurring, everything went black.