Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)

Author's Note:

This short 3 chapter mini-arc, aside from a brief mention in a chapter down the line, will be the last time that we'll see Cerulean City for a long, loooong time. Not until Nina comes back for her final Star badge at least. And not unless I can think of something else to add to Part Three in the interim.

***

“Nairy, use Hyper Beam.”

“Nair!!!” Nairy unleashed a beam of pure destructive energy into the pool, causing the pool water to sizzle and evaporate on contact.

Nina looked at the water using a pair of shades to get a sense of how deep Nairy’s Hyper Beam could go. The answer was almost to the bottom, when Nina told Nairy to stop. She didn’t want to trouble the maintenance staff too much, especially during the middle of Crunchtober.

“You did great, Nairy!” Nina wrapped her arms around her Dragon’s neck and commended him with boops and smooches. Nairy looked a little exhausted, but he returned the affection of his partner all the same.

Nina figured that since she had to come back to the Cerulean Gym for the month, she might as well make productive use of her time. So the first thing she did when they had a bit of breathing room was ask Josephine, Misty’s Milotic, to demonstrate Hyper Beam for Nairy. Which she then asked Espy to tap into and convey to the junior Dragon.

Nina made sure to get Josephine’s permission before intruding upon her mind of course, but Espy truly was a cheat when it came to learning new moves. She basically made it easier for any Pokemon to pick up the fundamentals of a move through a mental link. It wasn’t perfect of course, and paled in comparison to the direct use of a TM, but it made that initial learning phase — which was always the biggest hurdle — a lot easier. 

The girl had shared her discovery with the Gym as well, and Misty had a go at using Eric to reproduce the same effect. But while the Slowking was extremely proficient in barriers, he wasn’t a natural empath like Espy, making the results hit or miss. He seemed to have an easier time directly transferring his own moves and abilities though, something which they had already been doing with the Gym’s junior Psychics anyway.

“That was awesome, Big Sis Nina!” Natsumi jumped in to join in on the cuddle as well. “Nairy looked super cool!”

Behind her, there was Fuyumi, looking a little downtrodden as she slowly approached as well. Nina smiled at the more competitive twin and reached out to pat her on the head.

“Don’t stress yourself, Fuyu. Artoria can learn Hyper Beam as well when he eventually Evolves into Kingler.” 

Fuyumi’s Krabby could technically learn Hyper Beam right now. But given his underdeveloped physique, trying to learn such a strenuous move this early on was not advisable. It was the same reason why Nina and Nairy had opted against experimenting with Draco Meteor for the time being.

“Yeah!” Natsumi chimed. “Artoria will be super strong when he evolves, so don’t sweat it!”

Fuyumi made a dissatisfied face at her airheaded sister, as if to tell her that she wouldn’t get it, before leaning in to hug Nina for comfort.

The senior apprentice smiled warmly. Nina had noticed that the twins were starting to diverge and become more independent as time went on. 

“By the way, sis. Should we tell Big Sis Nina about what happened recently?” Natsumi said, in an attempt to distract her twin sister.

Fuyumi nodded and joined her sister by her side. The two twins beamed and looked towards Nina with sparkling eyes. “Guess what?” They said in sync. “We managed to earn a Pokedex from Professor Oak!”

“We didn’t rely on our Gym sponsorship,” said Fuyumi with a proud huff.

“We earned it on our own! Just like you did, Big Sis Nina!” Natsumi exclaimed.

Nina gave them a proud look and rewarded them each with headpats before pulling them into another hug. “That’s awesome! I’m so happy for you two,” she said, eliciting giggles from her two juniors. “Does that mean you’ll be eligible for a regional starter?” She asked.

“Yup!” answered the ecstatic Natsumi. “I’m gonna go get a Squirtle,” but then she wilted slightly and made a pout. “Fuyu wants a Charmander though, even though we’re supposed to be part of the Cerulean Gym.” 

Natsumi gave Nina pleading eyes as if she was expecting her senior to talk some sense into her stubborn sister. Something which irked Fuyumi a great deal.

“What I choose to be my Pokemon has nothing to do with you, Natsu! And don’t try to get Big Sis Nina on your side, you sneaky Ekans!” rebuked the marginally older twin.

“I’m not an Ekans! You’re the one being a Psyduck, Fuyu!”

The two then launched into a childish back and forth while Nina just watched in exasperation on the side.

“Alright, that’s enough!” Nina declared with a clap, putting an end to the sisterly quarrel. “First off Natsu, Fuyu is right. She has a right to choose her own Pokemon.”

“But—”

Nina shut the girl down before she had a chance to argue. “And secondly, the Gym doesn’t mind if you’re not specializing in Water Types. I had a talk with Daisy ages ago and she told me as much before I joined. And plenty of our sisters here in the Gym have at least a couple of non-Water Types in their personal teams. But that doesn't mean they’re not proficient enough to command the Gym’s Pokemon.”

The only reason why the Cerulean Sisters were so committed to Water Types was because of their family name and also to uphold the Gym’s image. 

“Besides, I’m supposed to be THE Aquarium Girl or whatever but I don’t have a single Water Pokemon in my team.” Nina laughed at her own expense and gently caressed the pouting Natsumi. But just to balance the scales a little bit, she also addressed Fuyumi.

“And Fuyu, it’s not good to call your sister names like that. I know we’re lacking in good role models here in the Gym, but that’s no excuse. Apologize to your sister. You too, Natsu.”

“Sorry…” said the two sullen twins in unison.

“See Natsu, you heard Big Sis. Don’t worry about the Gym and go get that Bulbasaur you wanted.” Natsumi glared at Fuyumi who just casually blurted out her secret like that.

“Bulbasaurs are good. Honestly they’re my favorite among the regional starters. I just don’t have the confidence to rear them properly. But a warm and caring girl like you should do just fine,” said Nina, with an encouraging smile. It was quite appropriate as well since Natsumi was named after summer.

The bud on a Bulbasaur’s back was quite fragile. It needed to be cared for properly before it could bloom into a healthy flower at the Ivysaur stage. The health of the flower largely determined how strong the species was at any given stage, requiring constant grooming and upkeep. 

And honestly, Nina just wasn’t a good enough botanist to subject herself or a potential Bulbasaur to her inevitable blunders.

“Are you two planning on going in person to claim your Pokedex, or are you gonna have the Professor mail it to the Gym?”

“We wanna go in person!” said Natsumi, to which her sister nodded in agreement. “We have enough savings that we can afford a Sky Taxi to Viridian City.” Fuyumi added.

Nina tilted her head and hummed in consideration. “That’s nice. I’ve been meaning to pay a visit to the Professor again at some point. Maybe we can go together.”

The twins cheered enthusiastically at Nina’s proposal, eagerly looking forward to a trip with their ‘Big Sis’.

“Actually, you guys have never been to the Safari Zone before, right? I promised Nairy to go visit his family at some point. So since Fuchsia City is just across the pond from Pallet Town, let’s invite Bev along as well and make it a full on adventure,” Nina continued, eliciting excited cheers from her two juniors.

***

An awkward silence prevailed at the Jones family dinner table, interrupted only by the rhythmic tinking of cutlery on porcelain and the background noise of a show currently being watched by the Pokemon in the living room. 

Nina’s Pokemon had already been fed at the Gym while Pikachu opted for more pleasant company among her peers as she partook in her Pokechow.

“Nina dear, it’s so good to have you back,” said Anabeth Jones, in an attempt to dispel the silence.

Nina’s paternal grandparents had decided to temporarily stay in Cerulean City after their eldest’s wedding for a bit of “family time”, as they said. 

The elderly couple had an apartment they were renting on a short term basis, but they often frequented Nina’s house for some company with her mother. Company which Leanette found burdensome. But at least it helped to alleviate the housewife’s loneliness and gave her something else to focus on, even if it was mostly incessant complaints about her in-laws.

The girl returned her grandmother’s smile. “Thank you grandmother. How are you and grandfather finding life in Cerulean so far? Anything interesting happen lately.”

“It’s very… quaint.” Annabeth replied, in an amicable tone. “I can’t quite remember the last time Percy and I last settled down like this. Maybe it’s about time, really. My hips aren’t what they used to be.”

“Oh nonsense! You’re as spry as the first day I laid eyes on you, Anna,” chimed her husband.

Annabeth giggled. “Oh please, Percy. When was the last time you woke up without complaining about your joints?”

“I realized I never asked,” said Nina. “What do you guys do for a living? Given how often you’re on the road and all.” What she really wanted to ask was whether or not her grandparents even have the funds for retirement, or were they planning to mooch off their two sons?

“Oh, have we never told you before?” Percival responded. “Your grandmother and I are couriers. Sometimes there are some packages that are too sensitive to be transmitted through the transfer system, so clients will hire people like us to transport them in person.”

Nina frowned. “So you mean like smugglers?” After all her recent experiences, Nina couldn’t help but jump at a somewhat nihilistic view of this world and its people now.

“Oh goodness no!” Annabeth laughed. “We have cultivated a very clean and trustworthy image over the years, it’s the reason why our clients even hire us to begin with. Though I won’t deny that some of our peers in the industry aren’t as particular about the ethics of their dealings.”

Nina hummed. “Hmm… So what sort of package would require a dedicated escort then? Feels kind of inefficient to me.” These days, whatever items that couldn’t be transmitted through the transfer system were delivered through bulk shipping or the postal system. So naturally, Nina was a little skeptical.

“Well for one, Pokemon Eggs in specialized incubators.” Percival answered. “You might not be aware, but some people are a little bit paranoid about transferring Eggs through the transfer system, especially those of rare Pokemon. And incubators in particular are much too complex to be deposited into digital storage.”

“Ahh… that makes sense,” agreed Nina. “Have you ever had a Pokemon hatch on you mid-transit?”

“Oh we came very close that one time with the Larvesta Egg didn’t we, Percy.”

“Indeed, the client was a little too late in procuring the Egg for his granddaughter’s Coming of Age. We had to really rush to get there in time. Had quite a few scares along the way.”

Annabeth continued. “But it was all worth it in the end, because we made it just in time for the hatching, and were even present to witness the moment.” The elderly woman cooed in nostalgia. “You should have seen it, Nina. The hatching of a Larvesta’s egg is unlike anything you’ll ever see…”

Nina’s grandmother described a wondrous scene of the Egg bursting into flames, its shell slowly unraveling into sparkling embers that scattered into the air to form an ethereal sight, akin to that of fireflies at night. And at the climax of it all, the motes of light converged on the newly hatched Larvesta to empower it with a brilliant glow, much like a miniature sun, gradually dimming as the newly hatched larva absorbed the smoldering Fire.

“Ah… Good memories, I remember your grandmother was so taken by the sight that she vowed to catch a Larvesta of her own,” said the melancholic Percival.

Anna flushed and slapped her husband on his shoulder. “Oh please, don’t even remind me. We ended up spending months on that wild Mew chase. Volcaranoes have a legendary reputation for a reason, dear. But given how fortunate you’ve been in your encounters, perhaps you might find one of your own one day. When that time comes, do let this old woman have a good look at it, will you?”

Nina nodded. She wouldn’t entirely rule out the possibility since she still vaguely recalled some meta knowledge on it. But that would depend on her situation at the time and the willingness of the Pokemon as well.

Nina’s grandparents continued to regale their only granddaughter with all sorts of exciting stories for the rest of dinner, warming up the awkward atmosphere by quite a fair bit. In particular, Nina especially liked the one where they had to team up with other couriers to escort a valuable relic from a museum over to a research facility.

Midway through that particular commission, the much younger Percival and Annabeth Jones at the time were assaulted by a team of phantom thieves who wanted to steal the relic from them. The whole thing sounded like an action movie from the way that the two veteran trainers were talking about it. No doubt the proceedings were embellished somewhat by rose-tinted glasses.

“And you wouldn’t believe how everything ended!” Percival exclaimed boisterously. “The police conducted an investigation on one of the thieves we apprehended. And as it turned out, it was the museum that hired them!” Apparently they wanted to retain the relic while also using the incident to make an insurance claim to make a quick buck.

Nina laughed and nodded along, thinking that things really did play out like a generic action movie. “I mean, why bother hiring competent couriers if the intent was to steal the item to begin with?” Cartoon villain logic never ceases to amaze her.