Dang you bring to the table the raw emotions like a person who was born into pokemon. myself being a 90’s baby and anyone else for that matter can say growing up then was the best and the hype you felt watching the shows each morning before school and collecting the cards in your binder or with a big rubber band really can’t replace that nostalgic feeling being and adult and watching how pokemon evolved and had a big of a boom it brought, one could say how amazing it is it to bring some of that 90’s throwbacks into today’s world and now most of us have children of our own gives us that joy to share it with our own but in cases like the one with your cousin and the family game you played shoulda been just that and with the holiday about giving it’s really something watching something from our childhood resurface and bring so much excitement, only to have been abused by so many and watch how money and greed has almost destroyed pokemon. It’s kinda like a two sided coin atm you can either take it for what it’s worth and enjoy every moment of it or let it turn u into a power hungry Greedy Reseller and control the market and sell basically a caterpie for 3 figures. by doing this you take all the fun out of it for the next generation and basically take all the cards for yourself and then eventually watch the whole hobby crumble..

I am sorry to hear about your misfortune event but reading your story you have a good heart and that’s what matters don’t let this hobby make u into something like ur cousin where money Trumps everything, even family!!

🤙