Let's Talk About Cards for Humanity

Ash: Hey, we didn't get to talk at all last month!

Me: We didn't, did we? Well, it was a busy month and all with a certain two-day Pokémon happening.

Ash: I see that. Maybe I could have joined in.

Me: Well, when the world gets all better again, there might be a time when you can join in... I hope. No guarantees yet, either way.

Pikachu: Pika chu! ["Why not!"]

Me: Anyhow, right now we can talk about something else related to Pokémon that you became a part of by way of me sending you. The recording is available for everyone to see.

Ash: Yeah! That's an interesting one. I know that Pokémon battles usually take shape with actual Pokémon in some way, but some people try to make that happen with cards.

Me: Indeed. While it's not the Pokémon as they appear in the flesh and full of life, the cards are a bit of an abstraction of how Pokémon battles might go. I've played it, and it's fun when you understand the system.

Ash: I can see that. I also see that some of the cards look really different. I mean, they can be used to battle, but they seem too good for that.

Me: That's also very true. At that point, people can buy and sell those really good cards and make money off them. It may be hard to believe, but it can and does happen.

Pikachu: Pi pika chu. Pi pika pika! ["I'll believe that. They look so good!"]

Ash: That explains a lot about the skit that I did with one of your friends. In the skit, my friend played someone poor, and I played a Pokémon Trainer. I gave him a pack of those cards, and he found a few of those good-looking ones. He sold them so that he wasn't as poor anymore... but then it was surprising what he did at the end.

Me: You've got the gist of it. It's also not to be taken too seriously. The whole thing is tongue-in-cheek and exaggerated, but the bit about the really good cards being able to be sold for a pretty penny is quite true. A few friends of mine who deal with them can vouch for that.

Ash: I trust you. You also sent me when your friend talked to you about the idea.

Me: I did. It was kind of out of the blue, but any time I get to send you to do stuff, it's always fun. I and others got good entertainment out of it, and you get to see how my world and the Pokémon world work together.

Pikachu: Pi. Pika pika. ["Yes. They can."]

Ash: I guess it makes the cards and Pokémon familiar to people, doesn't it?

Me: It does. Even the cards themselves were made to be familiar to the local people, in their local language, in order to get the game and Pokémon battles really going. It's been two years in the making (and my one-year discussion was last year - see below), and given that the cards are still being sold and updated, people are still accepting of them.

Ash: It's great to see more and more people becoming familiar to Pokémon. It's pretty much what you're trying to do when you send me to do things.

Me: Exactly! If the cards are the formal way of doing things - which is very much necessary in any case - the way we do things is a bit (actually a lot) more informal, but I'd like to think that we accomplish the same goal. You could call it "cards for humanity" with Pokémon in tow.

Ash: Will you be playing the cards again soon?

Me: I hope I can. There's been a lot of things holding up my progress. But I can assure you that it is just as important, as are you and other Pokémon matters.

Ash: Yeah! I agree!

Pikachu: Pika! ["I do!"]

Me: And if possible, we ought to make them come together for the good of the people.

Ash: That should be "in the cards."

One year ago: Localized TCG: After One Year

Two years ago: Who's That...

Three years ago: Worldly Reverence

Four years ago: All in Good (Life)Time