Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)

Author's Note:

Didn't have the time for a thorough edit last night so forgive any glaring mistakes you may find. I'll go in and do a more detailed proofread later.

PS. 2025 sucks.

***

“Can anyone tell me, if two Pokemon from different species were to interbreed, which species would the resulting offspring be?”

“The female one!” said an eager student who raised her hands to answer. Nina recognized the girl as being from a family of breeders, so naturally, she was quite an expert on the subject.

“Indeed,” their Pokemon Biology teacher responded with a sagely nod. “In the case of Pokemon, the mother has an outsized influence on the genetic makeup of her offspring. Thus, interspecies breeding will almost always result in the propagation of the female species. Hence why certain male dominated species like Eevees and the regional starters are so rare.”

Nina stifled a yawn and scribbled in her notes before raising her hand to ask a question. “May I ask why that is? Even among species of regular animals that we know of, it is often a mixed bag with some bias towards the male’s genetics. Why do things work differently for Pokemon?”

The teacher nodded with a smile. “A good question, Miss Jones. The answer lies in the means of which Pokemon reproduce.”

“Through eggs?” Nina chimed.

“Indeed. As we mentioned before when we touched upon the topic of Pokemon reproduction, there is an internal gestation period that a Pokemon egg is subjected to before it is laid and birthed. It is during this period that the female parent shapes the genetic structure of the fetus. Thus resulting in the formation of a Pokemon from the mother’s species.”

It basically boiled down to Type Energy superseding any and all genetic coding. Given that the father’s influence is removed during the internal gestation period, the mother’s Type Energy had unfettered reign in the construction of her offspring's genetic makeup.

Nina nodded as she continued to write while the teacher continued on with her elaboration. “The only real exception is when the breeding process involves a Ditto. The most unique trait possessed by members of the amorphous Pokemon species is the malleability of their genes — Dittos possess a DNA structure that is in a constant state of stable volatility. No one knows the exact workings of Ditto biology, nor the principles behind their Imposter ability that allows them to transform into any Pokemon they see. By all means, it is a fascinating species of Pokemon that defies all laws of nature and Type Energy Theorem as we know it.”

“The Ditto Paradox…” Nina muttered, earning her an approving look from her teacher.

“As expected of a sponsored individual from our region’s most eminent academics. Indeed, some believe that the unravelling of a Ditto’s perplexing mysteries will lead us to unraveling the mysteries of the Pokemon world as a whole. But that is a topic that’s far too esoteric and beyond our scope. Those interested may consider pursuing the subject at the university level.”

“What about Egg Moves then?” Nina asked. “How is a Pokemon born already knowing how to use one of their parent’s advanced moves without any training? And from the male side of the parentage no less.”

“Another good question from Miss Jones,” said the Pokemon Biology teacher. “There are many speculations regarding this subject matter, none of which are fully verifiable as of yet. The most prominent theory is that it is a form of self-preservation from the residual Type Energy of the male Pokemon, where it encodes itself in the form of genetic memory as a means to counteract the overwhelming influence of the female. Ultimately manifesting as an Egg Move in the offspring.

“But as you all well know, Egg Moves aren’t a big factor in a Pokemon’s subsequent development. A lot of paternal movesets may be learned later on in life through varying degrees of difficulty. Though it is undeniable that possessing an advanced move in the juvenile phase gives a Pokemon certain advantages early on.” The teacher added.

Nina thanked the woman for her detailed answer and settled down to focus on note taking.

***

“You’ve been yawning a lot lately Nina. Are you having trouble sleeping?” Kerry asked, on the way to their next class, after noticing how listless her friend had been the past week or so.

Nina stared at the other girl with baggy eyes. “It’s September now, Kerr…” She whined, really not looking forward to her trip back home next month. It probably wouldn’t be as bad as she was expecting, since she’d be working as a bonafide Gym Trainer this Crunchtober, instead of just menial labour. But she still couldn’t help worrying about the sort of money-making schemes that Violet might cook up next.

Kerry laughed and gave Nina a gentle pat on the back. “Cheer up, it can’t be that bad. And the school is letting you count your work for extra credit right? Just take the opportunity to spend some time with your family.”

Nina groaned. “Urgh. You don’t get it Kerry, my grandparents have decided to stay in Cerulean after the wedding. So there’s been a lot of drama going on in the house.” 

These days, whenever Nina called back home, she would be subject to Leanette’s incessant complaints about her in-laws. On one hand, it was good because the presence of her paternal grandparents ensured that the housewife was not plagued by loneliness, which was beneficial for her mental health. On the other hand, the petty drama was getting a little tiresome at this point. Especially since Patrick had also taken to calling her to complain about his wife’s complaining.

Kerry chuckled in amusement. “That sounds like a good problem to have. I wish my house was that lively.”

Nina squeezed the young Joy’s hand in assurance. “Are you going to be helping out at the PokeCenters next month?” She asked. 

Crunchtober was also a hectic season for the Pokemon Centers, especially for a bustling metropolis like Vermilion City. They simultaneously had more resources to deal with the rush, while also having to deal with more challenges at the same time, since a lot of journeying trainers liked to leave their home city for last.

Kerry nodded. “Yeah, I’ll even have to skip some days in school if they really need me,” she said. “But chances are, I’ll just be doing grunt work like you always complained about.” It would be highly inappropriate to allow a fledgeling apprentice to play a big part in the healing of an injured patient. The liability side of things would be a nightmare for any lawyer to deal with.

***

The next class scheduled for the two girls was Pokemon Husbandry. And perfect timing as well, because what better way to stave off the gloom of impending doom than with some quality Pokemon time.

“Alright kiddos, we’ve got a treat for you all today.” said the elderly teacher in charge of the class before gesturing towards a leathery man to his side. “This here is Mr MacDonald, an old friend of mine who runs his own Pokemon farm.”

“Hello everyone,” said Mr MacDonald, eliciting an incongruous wave of hellos in return from the students assembled in front of a barn.

“So, I heard you received special permission to import a certain species of Pokemon into our Region. What did you bring to show everyone today, Harry?”

The farmer laughed at his friend’s inquiry. “Well, I believe it’s faster to show everyone, don’t you think?” And with that, the barn door opened and out came an entire herd of Skiddos.

Both Nina and Kerry were jumping at each other in giddy excitement as they rushed to pet one of the adorable little goats, marveling at the contrasting textures between the dark shaggy fur and the luscious leaves on its back. It was honestly kind of uncanny the way that the plants were growing out of the Skiddo’s skin and how it interweaves with the fur to form a complex network of vines and hair.

All the while, Mr Macdonald the farmer was explaining to the class about how the docile goat Pokemon were most commonly found atop the mountains of the western Regions and that they were said to be the first Pokemon to ever be domesticated by humans. “The ancient Paldeans used to ride them atop mountain trails, and until recently were widely used as mounts until the likes of Ponytas and Cyclizars became more ubiquitous.”

He also added that these days, people mostly farmed them for meat. A fact that Nina willfully ignored as she focused on helping Kerry do an examination of their Skiddo’s health by doing stuff like lifting the Skiddo’s legs to examine the hooves and parting its fur to peek at the skin underneath.

“Hmm… I’m seeing some irritation on Skiddo’s skin, it could be that they’re not used to the hotter climate. The excess humidity is also causing some wilting in the leaves.” Kerry remarked.

Nina nodded, but before they could raise any of their concern, one of their classmates asked if they could ride the Skiddos, an idea which sent the whole class into a frenzy. Even Nina was excited at the prospect.

The class’s teacher chuckled. “Of course you can. But before that, we need to learn about the Pokemon and how to care for them. I saw Miss Joy and Miss Jones doing quite a thorough examination earlier, do you mind sharing with us your findings?”

Nina looked towards Kerry, who stood up to relay everything that she observed earlier.

Mr MacDonald clapped at the young Joy’s astute observation. “That’s right, the Skiddo’s natural habitat are arid mountaintops where the temperature is much cooler than Kanto’s. However, no need to fret. Part of the agreement I struck involves maintaining a certain standard of welfare for the herd, and we have a specialist on site who works tirelessly to ensure that the Skiddos and the few Gogoats that we own are kept to those standards.” 

Caring for the Skiddos’ involved the use of Never-Melt Ice to regulate the temperature of their living environment. The cold air leeched moisture from the humid Kanto environment and kept the Pokemon nice and cool, just the way they liked it. 

The farmer bragged about how expensive the super-massive chunk of Never-Melt Ice they used was. But if one were to consider the fact that the miracle substance lasted almost in perpetuity if preserved correctly, it really was not that unreasonable. The alternative was a constantly air-conditioned environment which might end up costing more in the long run.

He also remarked that the ‘wilting’ of the leaves was largely due to the rainy autumn season and that things will improve once winter comes along. “This is a new species to our region, so it is inevitable that we will have to deal with some hiccups. But over at MacDonald’s Farm, we are committed to integrating the species and adding much needed diversity to our customer’s dining experience.”

Nina was only half listening by this point as she pampered the Skiddo in front of her with Berries, earning her cute little bleats in return. The farmer guy was probably doing this as part of some promotional campaign, but everything he said just served to further reinforce Nina’s abstinence. “I mean how could anyone bring themselves to eat such a cute little thing?” She had half a mind to steal the Skiddo away right this instant.

After realizing that he was starting to lose his students, the husbandry teacher put a stop to his friend’s yapping and proceeded to demonstrate how to groom a Grass Type with mammalian components like Skiddo, which involved periodic shearing of excess vegetation as well as the trimming of fur to maintain a balance between the two.

The bodies of Grass Types Pokemon were mini ecosystems in their own right and needed to be treated as such. The Rancher even explained that in the wild, Skiddos would graze the leaves off each other’s backs as a form of communal grooming — one of the reasons why the species lived in herds.

“In summer, Skiddo’s fur will shed on its own. Failing which, they’ll rub against rocks to do the job. Some Skiddos have even been observed using their teeth to pull at their mate’s fur.” Mr MacDonald explained. 

These were all very interesting bits of trivia, prompting Nina to start a recording on her Pokedex. But it also reaffirmed her decision to stay away from Grass Types for the time being. They were too sensitive and simply required too much upkeep for her liking. 

“Sorry Team Green, for I have betrayed you.” Nina vowed to find a low-maintenance Grass Type that would be good for a wandering lifestyle.

They did get to ride the Skiddo in the end, which Nina actually struggled with when compared to all the other kids. Despite the T-shaped horns of the Skiddo being shaped to perfectly function as a handle, Nina had a great deal of trouble steering the mount Pokemon, resulting in her crashing against bundles of hay more often than not.

Nina groaned as she once again dug her way out of the latest batch of hay that she found herself in, just in time to see a laughing Kerry pass her by.  “Skiiiddd~” Her Skiddo bleated as it gave her a sticky lick with its unnaturally long tongue, attaching pieces of hay and debris to her face.

The girl laughed and pulled the Skiddo in for a hug. She was pretty sure that the unruly goat Pokemon was just messing with her, but oh well…