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IKEBUKURO (池袋) ✦ DECEMBER
It started snowing sometime while you were underground. You come up the east exit into it: thin flakes going sideways under the streetlights, not sticking yet, just turning the whole street soft at the edges.
The shop keeps the VS boxes behind the counter, which means you have to ask. You ask.
You open it outside because you can't wait, standing in the doorway of a shuttered bakery with your back to the wind. Karen's Umbreon. The rings go gold when you turn it, and the holo behind the black moves like something deep and slow.
Over the rooftops there's a moon out, thin and cold, the same shape as the ones on his fur. You look at it, then at the card, then at it again. Sleeve first. Then the walk to the station with your hand flat over your pocket the entire way, snow melting in your hair.
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Pokémon Card VS (ポケモンカードVS)
Karen's Umbreon
カリンのブラッキー
091/141 ✦ 1st Edition Holo ✦ 2001 ✦ Japanese
☾ 1st Edition, the harder print to find clean ☽
☾ Japan only. The VS series was never printed in English ☽
☾ Illustrated by Hajime Kusajima ☽
☾ Swirl holo: the sought-after swirl, top left of the holo foil ☽
Karen's Umbreon comes from the 2001 Japanese VS series, where cards were built around specific Gym Leaders and Elite Four members. Karen's Dark-type lineup is the one collectors chase, and Umbreon is the card that carries the set.
Ungraded ✦ Lightly Played (Excellent)
✦ Already inspected by eBay's Authenticity Guarantee authenticator: verified authentic, condition noted as consistent with Excellent ✦
The notes from that inspection are listed below, so you know exactly what you're getting:
☾ Corners: some wear, with a few touched or lightly bent corners ☽
☾ Edges: lightly rough, some chipping, a few light indentations or pinches ☽
The photos show the actual card you'll receive, front and back, with close-ups of the corners and edges.
Ships double-sleeved. Bonus: the rigid-backed case pictured comes with it.
Moontide Mångata
Found in the deep. ✦ Guarded with care. ✦ Yours by moonlight.
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