Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)

Author's Note:

CHAPTER ONE HUNDO!!!!!!

Thank you all so much for sticking with me so far. To celebrate the milestone, I have a double length chapter and bonus chapter for you today. Enjoy!

***

Unsurprisingly, Collin was infinitely more familiar with Diglett’s Cave than Nina was. The man was even kind enough to point out a few side passages that were not included in her map.

According to him, he had been underground for the better part of a week at this point, saying that it was easier to get work done during the relatively drier weather of summer as compared to rainy autumn.

“Gotta warn you, this Golbat that I’m about to show you is a real prankster. Kept harassing me during the couple of days that I camped nearby. Had to wrap up early and move away 'cause I couldn’t take it anymore.”

The Pokemon that Collin described didn’t sound malicious, just a prankster like the man said. He told Nina stories about how he’d wake up with his shoes missing, only to find that it was hidden on top of some ledge on the wall. And when he was just about to fall to sleep, he’d be jolted wide awake again after hearing a loud screech from outside his tent.

The man would then spray Repel all over the camp to ward off the prankster, only to find that the Golbat had somehow managed to pour water all over his camp instead and soaked all of his stuff. After every prank, the Golbat would perch nearby, deliberately in sight, to cackle at the furious human and his indignant cursing.

It wasn’t exactly what Nina was looking for, but it was pretty in line with her desires. So she thanked the man and gladly followed along to where the Golbat was last spotted. Nina felt that she could work with the prankster. A Pokemon with a clear and distinct personality was much more preferable to a mindless drone that just did whatever she asked.

They ended up going back to Collin’s old campsite, The Golbat was nowhere to be seen since the species was mostly nocturnal. So the man asked if Nina was okay with camping here for the night.

“Yeah, I’m okay with that. Rather I’m sorry you have to put your work on hold for my sake,” she replied.

“Haha! It’s fine. I’m not in a rush. ‘Sides, I kind of do want to see you teach that jerk a lesson for me.” He said, with a somewhat vindictive look on his face.

Nina smiled and opted not to reply. She didn’t want to beat up any of her future companions if she could help it. But depending on how willful the Golbat was, she just might have to do that before she could even have a proper conversation with it.

Since it was still a long way to nighttime, Nina ended up volunteering herself to assist Collin in his work. Which mostly involved her helping to carry some of the man’s more cumbersome equipment in her own Silph Co Backpack, so that he could cut down on weight and move around a little faster. It really was a wonder how the guy managed to nurture such a pronounced belly with all the physical labor he was doing.

***

Nina stumbled as she swung the pickaxe in her hand, her center of gravity completely thrown off by the top heavy pickaxe.

“Wow there, careful missy…” Collin cautioned as he dropped what he was doing and rushed towards Nina’s side, only to be halted in his steps by the girl who said she was okay.

“No worries, I’m all good.” That was just a test swing, so Nina easily regained her balance after shifting her weight around a little bit. 

Collin sighed in relief. “You’re too skinny, so you gotta widen your stance a little.” The geologist advised. “And when you’re swinging the pickaxe, focus on your shoulders and your core, also your elbows are too close to your body, gotta spread them out a little bit.

Nina thanked her companion and mimed a stance without the pickaxe. It was only after a few more adjustments and receiving Collin’s approval that she went in for another attempt.

“Do you think we might be able to dig up some fossils here, Mr Collin?” Nin asked amidst the rhythmic clanging of metal against rock.

Collin hummed out a tune. The man was currently working his shovel and digging against some of the softer parts of the cavern wall they were facing. As part of the geologist’s prospecting work, he had to obtain samples of specific areas in Diglett cave at different depths.

It was a tricky endeavour, since Collin had to find a spot that could hold up to their excavation work without any risk of collapsing. Something that the seasoned professional could do almost at a glance at this point. But he still made doubly sure to be extra safe by using some specialized instrument to measure soil composition and density. The risk couldn’t entirely be eliminated though, so Espy and Dexter the Dugtrio were on standby to intervene.

“Hmm… I doubt it,” replied Collin. “We’re a little too deep underground, not that it’s impossible or anything. All the seismic activity in our region could very well have buried some fossils this far down, but the chances of them being intact enough to be of use is slim.”

Nina nodded. According to Collin, the availability of fossils largely depended on an area’s geological history and climate. Bones were sturdy but still subject to environmental erosion and decay after all. 

“Besides, fossil hunters don’t use pickaxes for their work — one hit from that thing and whatever bones you manage to find will be ruined,” added Collin.

“So where would one usually find fossils in Kanto then? And what do people use to excavate fossils?” The girl continued to ask.

“The most common spot would be Cinnabar Island. Lava is great for burying critters alive and preserving their remains, not to mention the fact that the island used to be submerged in the ocean in prehistoric times. As for the pros, they use soundwaves to loosen the soil. After that, it’s a shed load of brushing — real tedious work, lemme tell ya. Sometimes, Ground and Rock Type Pokemon can help, but it depends on how well trained they are too.”

The man then laughed. “That reminds me of the time I thought I found an Aerodactyl in Cinnabar actually. Turns out, it was just the tip of a Zubat wing. Hah! Spent an entire week on that wild Mew chase.”

Nina laughed along as she lowered her pickaxe for a break. Working the unwieldy tool was hard work, who woulda thunk? “Too bad, I imagine an Aerodactyl probably could have sold for a lot.”

“Eh, not as much as you would think, or at the very least, it kind of depends on its condition like what I told you before,” said Collin. “A fully intact Aerodactyl fossil is as rare as a shiny Entei. Most of the ones you see with those hotshot trainers are clones. So in that sense, there’s still value in a fragment I suppose, just that the boffins prefer a larger sample to fill in any potential genetic holes.”

Nina took in another breath and hefted her pickaxe up to continue her work. She had initially thought that shovelling was the easier task until Collin told her to try it for herself, prompting her to volunteer for pickaxe duty instead.

The two continued to chat, mostly just Nina asking questions and Collin going on a tangent about his various experiences. Nina, being a wannabe explorer, actually enjoyed the work a great deal — it was taxing but fulfilling. In particular, the girl learned a lot from the veteran geologist, accumulating a wealth of knowledge that would be very useful to her in the future.

***

“Thanks Nina, I usually don’t have enough space to fit too many Ready Meals into my pack. So I typically save them for when I’m feeling really down in the dumps. A hot meal’s a luxury in a place like this.”

“No worries, I’ve still got plenty more where those came from. Think of it as my thanks for being my guide for today.”

Collin chuckled. “I should be the one thanking you. You have no idea how lonely it can get in these places sometimes. I mean sure, I have Dexter. But Pokemon company and human company’s different, you know.”

“Yeah, I get it. My Uncle Ali, who’s an explorer, says the same thing.” Nina nodded. “So what made you choose this line of work then, if it’s as hard as you make it out to be?”

Collin let out a melancholic smile and took a sip from his mug of hot soup. “It’s a long story, but basically my parents passed away in a mining incident. I know I complain a lot, but at the end of the day I don’t think I can imagine a different life for myself. It would just feel weird, I guess…”

“Ever thought about retiring? Can’t keep doing this forever.” Nina reckoned Collin was in his mid forties and it’s clear from all the grunting and cursing she heard during the afternoon tailing him that the man was beginning to lose steam.

Collin laughed at the idea of retirement. “Honestly, kid. Don’t really know. Maybe get a teaching job somewhere? I mean this life is all I know and all this cave exploration stuff is the only thing I’m good at. I reckon there might be some people out there that’d be willing to put up with my yapping.”

Nina chuckled. “I think that’s a great idea. I for one would have greatly appreciated some of the things you taught me today if it was done in school. Saves me the hassle of doing my own research and stumbling around on my own.”

They kept on chatting, mostly it was Collin regaling Nina about all the different places he’d been to over the course of his work. In particular, Nina was most intrigued by his experience with the Ruins of Alph. “I’ve only been there twice before, but that place gives off weird vibes every time,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“So I’ve been to my fair share of ruins. And usually with these sorts of places, you can kind of tell what their original purpose was, y’know? Like a religious monument, a kitchen, a bathroom and all that — lots of those by the way, bathrooms. For whatever reason, the ancients really know how to build a loo that can last through the ages.”

Nina smiled and nodded, urging Collin to continue.

“But the Ruins of Alph… Nobody has any clue what it's for. I mean, it’s clearly manmade. You can tell from how each slab of stone is meticulously carved and stacked. Even the sigils on the walls, all spaced evenly and consistently shaped. But you know what the weirdest part was?”

Nina shook her head.

“There’s no Pokemon in there, none except for the Unown that is. Usually with these sorts of abandoned places, you’ll at least find a few squatters; Rattatas, Zubats… Y’know, the usual. But there’s nothing in there, no other signs of Pokemon life. Like they’re avoiding the place or sumthin’ ain’t that creepy?”

“What about the Unown then?” asked Nina. “What’s their deal?”

Collin shrugged. “No clue, they don’t eat, they don’t sleep and they don’t talk. They just… exist.” The man then told a story about how some crazy scientist tried to figure out the origins of the Unown by capturing half of the population in the Ruin of Alph. It caused quite the hubbub, but he did it anyway, just for the pursuit of knowledge.

“So he caught half the Unowns in the place. And you know what happened? The next day, he went in and did another census. The numbers just went back to normal like nothing ever happened. But all the Unowns he caught were still in their Balls. Not like they escaped or anything.

“So he released them back into the ruins, to see what happens. And guess what? The next day, those extra Unowns just disappeared. Poof! Gone just like that, no idea where. Not even the cameras caught anything cause electronics get all weird in that place. Makes them unreliable.”

According to Collin, that particular scientist was driven mad in the end. His mind was so consumed by the Unown mystery that it just broke him.

Nina tilted her head in consideration. “Has no one tried to decipher the writings on the wall? If they are indeed sigils or alphabets, then there has to be a logical system behind them right?” She asked.

Collin shook his head. “I’m no expert, but from what I heard, those writings on the wall change sporadically. No one’s been able to pin down anything sensible. So the running theory is that the Unown are the sigils on the wall come to life.”

Nina nodded. That hypothesis was pretty close to the truth. She once again renewed her vow to visit the Ruin of Alph in person sometime in the future.

After a bit more chatter they decided to call it a day and go to bed. So far, Golbat had yet to appear, but Collin assured her that it was only a matter of time. “That bastard likes to surprise you when you least expect it. Just make sure to keep any precious belongings in your tent.” He said, to which Nina nodded and wished the man a good night.

***

Nina was woken from her deep slumber by a loud commotion from outside her tent. Nairy was too big to sleep with her inside and Espy volunteered to keep her big Dragon baby company, so she was sleeping all by herself.

The girl rubbed at her tired eyes and checked the time before listlessly getting out of her tent to see what was going on. Only to see an enraged Nairy crying out at the ceiling and shooting sporadic shots of Dragon Pulse everywhere. His target appears to be the cackling Golbat that was zigzagging around the air while dodging the projectiles and occasionally sticking his tongue out to taunt the Dragon.

Nina frowned at the sight. “Espy, what’s going on?” She asked, to which the Psychic responded by beaming a bunch of images into her mind.

Apparently, Nairy had been sound asleep when little pebbles began dropping on his head. At first he thought it was just the rocky ceiling above them, so he simply relocated to a different spot. Only for the exact same thing to happen again when he fell asleep the second time. 

Nairy looked up to see if there was anything above, but saw nothing but darkness. So he paid it no mind and tried to go back to sleep again. Only for the same phenomenon to reoccur. And after another relocation and another interrupted sleep, the Dragonair finally snapped and let out an enraged Dragon Breath into the air, revealing the existence of the mischievous Golbat messing with him.

“What in Distortion is going on out here!” exclaimed Collin, who had finally woken up and crawled out of his tent.

Nina sighed and reassured the older man before calling out to Nairy. “Nairy, stop. Please? C’mere and lemme have a good look at you?” She gestured.

The Dragonair did as he was told and stopped his tantrum, then he looked at his partner and rushed towards the girl with tear filled eyes, crying and whining all the while.

Nina let out a wry smile, pulling the pouty Dragon into her embrace while gently caressing her partner. “There, there… You’re alright. It’s just a small boo boo.” Nina kissed her partner's forehead where the rocks impacted and nuzzled against him. “Come on now, you’re a big strong Dragon. No need to be upset over a few rocks.”

Nairy was just being overly dramatic and Nina knew it. Her Dragonair could take a full on Rock Tomb to the face, as if he’d be hurt by rocks the size of a pebble. But he wanted to be spoiled and babied, so Nina willingly obliged.

Though for whatever reason, Nina’s show of affection with Nairy seemed to have upset the Golbat somehow as it let out an annoyed screech and swooped in to interrupt them. But just as it was about to strike, the Golbat was intercepted by a purple Psychic aura that held it in place.

Nina let go of Nairy and looked over to the panicking Golbat who was frozen in mid air, and decided that some punishment was warranted for all the mean-spirited pranks it had pulled so far.

“Espy, spin Golbat around for a little bit. But make sure not to hurt them.”

Having perfectly read Nina’s intent, Espy grinned and spun her target around like a top in mid air, only stopping when the Golbat’s eyes were all swirly from dizziness before letting go of her Psychic hold.

Golbat wobbled around in the air for a bit as the bat Pokemon tried to regain its bearings, only to slowly drift down to the ground and fall on its back.

Nina walked over to the side of the incapacitated Golbat and sat down cross legged on the floor before picking the Pokemon up into her arms and gently caressing its backs to soothe the dizziness.

About a minute later, Golbat got its bearings back and finally recognized the strange girl that was holding onto it. The Golbat panicked and tried to flap their wings to get away, but Nina simply held it down and tried to reassure the bat Pokemon with a gentle tone.

“Hey, hey… You’re alright, I’m not gonna hurt you. Settle down, see I’ve got Berries. You like Berries right?” At the mention of Berries, Golbat calmed down a little as Nina reached into her Berry Pouch to procure some treats for the wary Pokemon.

The moment that the Berries were presented in front of him, the Golbat unceremoniously chowed down, splashing Berry juices all over Nina. But the girl simply beared with it and gently caressed Golbat’s back to slow him down.

“No need to rush, there’s plenty more where that came from.”

“Kukuku…” The Golbat cackled as it looked up towards Nina with intelligent eyes, as if trying to take her in for the very first time.

“Say, are you a boy or a girl? I can’t really tell.”

But instead of picking a hand, Golbat just snorted and let out another “Kukuku…” A sign of rudeness that greatly irked Espy as she glared at the bat Pokemon with glowing eyes.

That act of intimidation seemed to have cowed Golbat as he shuddered in fear and bent his wing to touch Nina’s left hand, indicating to her that he was male.

Nina chuckled and pulled the Golbat into an embrace, gently caressing his wide back all the while. “It’s okay, don’t worry. Espy won’t hurt you. But it’s not good to be rude to others, okay?”

Surprisingly, the Golbat willingly snuggled up to her, his sharp eyes scrunching up in happiness at the physical affection he was receiving.

Nina swooned. “Aww… he was just lonely. That’s why he pulled all those pranks, he just wanted someone to pay attention to him.”

At that realization, Nina gently caressed the Golbat on the head, much to the Pokemon’s delight. “You know, Golbat. The reason why I came down here in the first place was so that I could find someone new to join my family.”

Golbat looked up at Nina with a curious gaze, before letting out another one of his creepy laughs. “Kukuku…”

Nina wasn’t sure how to interpret that response, so she asked Espy for help. The Espeon helped to relay everything that Nina said in the form of ideas and concepts directly into the Golbat’s mind.

“Just so happens, you’re exactly the sort of Pokemon I’m looking for.” Nina continued, prompting Espy to continue interpreting. “We’ll have to set a few ground rules about your pranks so you don’t end up getting us into trouble. But I can promise you that you won’t feel lonely ever again in our little family. What do you say?”

“Kukuku…” Golbat closed his eyes before looking around the cavern, as if deliberating his options. 

Nina did not rush him. This was his home after all. Who knows if he has a family or a cauldron to take care of or something. But eventually, the Golbat did return his gaze to Nina and gave her a curt nod in response, eliciting a bright smile from the girl.

Nina pulled her new Golbat in for a tight hug and smothered him with kisses. Probably a bad idea since wild Pokemon might carry all sorts of weird bacteria and viruses on their body. But she was too ecstatic to care.

Even Espy and Nairy cheered in celebration, despite the latter still being somewhat annoyed at the Golbat.

Nina asked Espy to grab a specific Pokeball from her tent; one with a green top decorated with red teardrops at the front. This was a Friend Ball, a special Pokeball variant that Nina purchased specifically for this capture that costed her a whopping 3,000 Pokedollars. 

It was times like these that Nina was glad that she fought tooth and nail to negotiate better terms with Violet instead of just letting herself be jerked around from one money making scheme to another.

In the games, it automatically sets any captured Pokemon’s friendship value to a specific number. The effects in real life were similar in that it does boost Pokemon friendliness, but Nina had no idea what the mechanics behind it were, since the people who invented it have an exclusive patent.

However, she did contact Bill and asked about it, and the Professor assured her that there were no mind control shenanigans going on. Rather, it was a modern iteration of a custom Apricorn Ball from Kurt, the renowned Pokeball Smith. Apparently there was a whole load of drama going on about plagiarism and a lawsuit, but Nina did not care about any of that. “If it works, it works.”

“Now we need to decide on a name for you, do you have any preferences?” Nina asked, only to receive a confused look from the Golbat.

“Hmm… Let’s see here, I was gonna name my Golbat Bruce if it was a male. But given his personality, wouldn’t Heath be more appropriate? Nah, Bruce is funnier, so let’s stick with that.”

“Alright Golbat, from now on you’re going to be named Brucey! Are you okay with that?”

“Kukuku…” Brucey replied with a laugh, which Nina took to be a yes. So she jumped in front of him and pulled him into another hug, this time joined by Nairy who coiled around them while Espy just shook her head in exasperation to the side.

After Nina explained to Golbat what a Pokeball was, she held out the Friend Ball in her palm and waited for the Golbat to engage, which he did by pressing the button with the edge of his wing.

A shake and a blink later, and the capture was complete. Nina jumped into the air and ran to embrace Nairy and Espy in celebration before releasing Golbat again. “Welcome to the family, Brucey!” The girl exclaimed, with her two other Pokemon crying out enthusiastically as well.

“That was… easy,” chimed Collin, who Nina had forgotten was still with them. “Is it always like that with you?”@@novelbin@@

Nina tilted her head in confusion. “I don’t really know what you mean? I suppose, yeah? Cause I only catch Pokemon who are willing to go with me. Brucey is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a forced capture.”

Collin smiled wryly and lightly shook his head. “Nevermind, I didn’t mean anything by it so no worries. Congratulations on your latest capture, by the way.”

“Thanks!”

***

Author's note:

FYI, Martha, Ali's Corviknight was a Batman reference as well. Because you know, Dark Knight, Batman V Superman, Martha? Get it? XD

Alright, I'll see myself out now.