MIDDLEBORO — “Alana, do you want to battle again?,” Collin Menard asked his playing partner after losing a game of Pokémon. 

Collin Menard and Alana Noe were two of the players engaged in the iconic trading card game on Sunday, Aug. 18 at Bulldog Sports Cards in Middleboro. 

Bulldog Sports Cards is a cards and collectibles store that recently launched a Pokémon league, where fans of the phenomenon can play with each other and compete. 

Pokémon started off as a trading card game in which players use Pokémon or “pocket monsters”, which are fictional characters with different abilities, to battle each other and knock out the opponent. It has since evolved to include video games and even a mobile version called Pokémon Go. 

“It’s just a fun learning experience,” said Menard’s brother Roger, who co-founded the league. 

“There are a lot of good things [the game] promotes like mathematics and strategy. It's something that people can come together and enjoy,” he added.

Co-founder Bobby Macgibbon said he and Roger Menard started the league with the goal of creating a sense of community around the game.

“This particular hobby is meant for everybody. We saw it as a way to bring people of all walks of life closer together,”— it’s for kids, adults, people with disabilities, he said.

Eight-year-old Cora Pike, who’s been deemed a Pokémon champion based on her winning record, said she loves playing in the Bulldog Sports league because it’s given her a chance to make friends and play with kids her own age. 

Members of the other Pokémon league she plays in are all adults, she said, albeit admitting that doesn’t keep her from winning. “I still kick their butts,” she added with a smirk. 

Noe, whose favorite Pokémon is a dragon-like character called Charizard, said the game helps her relax and “makes her think.” 

She particularly enjoys participating in the Bulldog Sports league because she “gets to meet people and play with friends,” she said. 

Collin Menard said it’s a toss-up between Charizard and Mimikyu, a Pokémon with the ability to disguise itself, when it comes to his favorite character. 

He likes playing in the league because “it’s more social and you get to meet friends,” he said. 

For Macgibbon and Roger Menard, the hope is to “help [the league] grow” and “help people make new friendships.” 

Macgibbon emphasized the inclusive atmosphere the league promotes and encouraged those who are interested to give it a try. 

“We will teach you. We all love it and we all teach one another how to make it better,” he noted.