Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)

“Madame Opal! Wassup, how’s it going?”

“Ah little Miss Beverly, good of you to visit my humble shop once in a while.”

The girl sheepishly grinned and muttered a casual apology. The shop that Beverly and Nina had stepped into was the same crystals and jewelry shop that Nina went to years ago to get her Mew Gem fitted into a necklace. @@novelbin@@

And today, on their day off, she was here for much the same reason since all the salt water exposure and recent ‘heat treatment’ had really begun to threaten the integrity of the stainless steel chain and its clasp, which had begun to rust.

“I didn’t even know stainless steel could rust. But I guess enough saltwater and high enough heat will stress any metal.”

“Ah… and you brought a friend today as well. I believe I’ve met you before… The girl with the intriguing gemstone, correct?” Madame Opal asked.

“Yup, I’m actually here today to take you up on that offer for a custom necklace. The one I got is starting to rust.”

“Indeed,” Opal said as she gingerly grabbed hold of the necklace that Nina handed to her, before catching sight of the Espeon by Nina’s side. “Oh my, and who is this beauty? I don’t believe I’ve seen a Pokemon as Gifted as this in a very long time. At least one that wasn’t from one of the noble Psychic lines”

The noble Psychic lines referred to Pokemon who were of the Psychic Typing from birth all the way to final Evolution. So think Abra, Ralts, Drowzee etcetera.

“You’re a Psychic?” Nina asked, bewildered, as Espy jumped up onto the counter and sat down in a prim and regal pose. The girl sighed. “Espy… it’s really rude to step on the counter like that.”

But Madame Opal simply dismissed her concern and proceeded to gently caress Espy’s fur. “No need to worry, little miss. I do not mind. Rather, your Espeon is truly remarkable. I don’t think I’ve seen one quite like her.”

Nina chuckled at Espy who huffed in pride at the lady’s words. “Yeah, she’s been hearing that quite a lot lately. And actually…” Nina took another look at the shop's esoteric interior, thinking that it made sense a woman with such taste was into mysticism. “Do you know if there’s any good shops in the city that sell catalysts? Espy’s outgrown her old spoon and I don’t want to make a whole trip to Saffron City just to get another one.”

Madame Opal let out a mirthful smile at Nina’s request. “Oh my, as it just so happens, my shop is a bit of a hidden secret among the local cabal. Usually, only those who have received a referral may have access to my precious wares. But as fate saw it fit to bring the three of us together, it would bereave me to deny you my services. Please, wait for a moment.”

The portly shopkeeper then made her way to the back before coming back with a massive wooden case, which she snapped open to unveil a varied selection of silverware resting atop a purple velvet lined interior.

Beverly hummed. “Hmm… I didn’t know you sell dinky old spoons as well, Madame Opal,” said the girl, earning her a glare of indignation from Espy and the shopkeeper.

Nina sighed and explained the importance of silver catalysts for Psychics to the ignorant girl. “You’re looking to catch a Slowpoke at some point right?” Nina asked towards the end, to which Beverly simply nodded in embarrassment. “Then It’s important that you know about this stuff. I’ll lend you some books that Sabrina recommended to me.”

“Oh my, to think that you’re acquainted with the esteemed Lady Sabrina as well. It would seem that fate has indeed been kind to me today.”

“Kind enough to warrant a discount?” asked the cheeky Nina, only to receive an amused smile in return from Opal.

“Es!” Meanwhile, Espy seemed to have found her new catalyst which she pointed to using one of her two tails.

“That’s a really pretty design, quite big though…” Nina mused. And indeed, the spoon was the size of a typical ladle. On the handle, she could see intricate carvings of a fairy and what looked suspiciously like Mew with a super long tail looping around the handle. It didn’t exactly look practical for tableware, but it wasn’t exactly crafted for dining purposes anyway.

“You know, for a spoon that big, you can probably bend it and wear it around your neck like a collar or something…” Nina jokes, but to her horror, Espy cried out in agreement and proceeded to levitate the spoon to do just that.

The expensive looking spoon unraveled and warped under the guidance of Espy’s Psychic aura, before wrapping itself around the Espeon’s neck to form a form fitting metallic collar. The whole process happened so quickly that Nina was powerless to stop her capricious Pokemon.

Nina felt the blood drain from her face as she stiffly turned towards Madame Opal with a flabbergasted look. “I… I am so sorry. Truly, I didn’t mean for Espy to take me seriously like that!”

However, the woman simply cackled and dismissed her concern. “Not to worry. It is the catalyst that chooses its wielder, not the other way around. That particular child was actually one of my older stocks. To date, it has yet to find one worthy of wielding it.” The woman looked towards the Espeon in her brand new collar with a melancholic smile.

“I am actually glad that it found a home where it belongs. That said, as you well know, a catalyst is forever tethered to the first to wield it. So I’m afraid this sale is already a done deal,” said the woman with a ravenous smile.

Nina nodded helplessly in agreement. She couldn’t exactly deny her beloved Espy who was now rapturously playing with her new toy by morphing it between its default spoon form and into other shapes.

The girl sighed. “How much is it?”

“Given the craftsmanship and the storied history of that particular relic. And accounting for our fateful encounter today… I would be willing to part with it for this much,” the profiteering woman held out ten fingers in the air, causing Nina to nearly have a heart attack.

“Ten thousand?!!” She exclaimed, alongside Beverly who finally caught on to the ridiculous pricing.

“For a lousy SPOON!” The older girl exclaimed. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

Madame Opal closed her eyes and gave a gentle nod of her head. “Indeed. Like I said, this isn’t just a regular catalyst. It is considered a relic with a rich and storied history. I’ll include the details in a scroll that shall come with the purchase. But I won’t fault you for being unable to afford it. Just know that you’ll have to pay a significant penalty in order for me to hire an expert to unregister Lady Espy from the spoon.”

Nina sighed. “I don’t suppose you’ll accept a trade?”

“Wait, Nins! You can’t be serious? This is a scam. It’s daylight robbery!”

The younger girl shook her head to deny Beverly’s allegations. “No, it’s actually not. I’m not an expert but I do know that high quality catalysts can go up to five and sometimes even six figures in pricing. If it is a relic as the Madame claims then ten grand is actually a steal.”

The older woman nodded along. “Indeed, I was entrusted with the spoon by my mentor. However, she procured the spoon in an auction for an amount that would be equivalent to a five figure sum in today’s money. Like I said, I already accounted for fate’s machinations in my pricing. Now, Miss Nina… What would you like to trade with?”

“Sounds like a bunch of Tauros poo to me.” Beverly grumbled, but Nina ignored her and rummaged through her backpack to produce a gleaming Golden Nugget in a little box she got for it.

Beverly balked once more, but this time at her friend. “How in Arceus's name did you get that, Nins?!”

“I told you, I beat that Blackthorn girl and this was the reward,” she replied simply before holding the item in front of Madame Opal’s eyes for her inspection. “In terms of market value, it might not reach up to the 10 thousand Pokedollars you asked for, but gold appreciates over time and I doubt you’ll easily find one of such purity very often.”

Madame Opal adjusted her glasses and nodded in appreciation. “I would consider this more than a fair trade indeed… I do value material substance over arbitrary pieces of paper or numbers on a screen. Very well, throw in another thousand in cash and consider it sold, I’ll even include a steep discount for the necklace you requested.”

Nina smiled and handed the Golden Nugget over to conclude the trade. Seeing how willing her human was to indulge her whims, Espy nuzzled up against the girl and gave her affectionate licks, which Nina returned with a warm smile and gentle smooches. Her Pokemon’s happiness was well worth the money in her mind.

“For the necklace, would it be possible for the work to be done without the presence of the gemstone? I’m reluctant to part with it for too long,” said Nina, to which the woman simply responded with a troubled nod.

“It is possible, yes. I can make a quick mold of it to work with in the interim and you can come have it fitted once the design is done. I’ll need a couple of hours with it today and maybe about half a day when the time comes for the actual work. Would that be acceptable?”

It wasn’t ideal but Nina agreed to it regardless. She knew that Mew’s Gem would always return to her so long as it has yet to fulfill its purpose, but leaving its side for a prolonged period of time still made her feel anxious. “Is this Stockholm Syndrome?” She wondered.

Despite Beverly’s protest, Nina opted to wait in the shop for the gem to be returned to her.

“What’s so special about that rock anyway? I noticed you always wear it. Did your boyfriend give it to you or something?” The older girl teased.

Nina sighed and pulled her silly friend into a hug. “It’s not like that, but it is super important. It’s hard to explain but I just feel anxious without it.”

Beverly hummed skeptically but chose not to pry any further. “I still can’t believe you spent ten thousand Pokedollars on a freaking spoon,” she said.

Nina gave a wry smile and shrugged. “Whatever makes my darlings happy. I’m sure you would have done the same for Luna, Ryu, Vapey and the others as well.”

Speaking of Vapey the Vaporeon, Beverly had released him at some point to keep her company and Nina could see the bedroom eyes that he was throwing Espy’s way. Not that she could blame him, her princess was captivatingly beautiful and powerful. Any Pokemon would be lucky to get together with her.

Unfortunately for Vapey, the regal Espeon wasn’t some roadside skank he could just hit up for a casual quickie. He’ll need to buy her an expensive Munchlax star dinner first before she’d even consider letting him near her.

Espy, having read Nina’s mind, huffed in indignation, as if to say she wasn’t that cheap.

Nina giggled and nuzzled at her Espeon. “You’re right, Espy. He’ll need to do more than just dinner to earn your attention. Maybe some flowers and expensive jewelry. I wouldn’t mind some gifts myself.” The pair of girl and mon laughed out at the oblivious Vapey’s expense, while Beverly just watched in confusion.

“Is Espy talking to you in her head?” She asked.

“Kind of?” Nina replied. “It’s hard to describe it, but Pokemon don’t exactly ‘talk’.” Usually when a human talked to a Pokemon, they interpreted the words through their underlying intent as opposed to deciphering the words themselves. 

That’s why Pokemon were so good at detecting lies, since they could sense the mismatch between what a human said and what they actually meant. It was also how wild Pokemon, who had never interacted with humans before, were able to understand human words. As well as how Pokemon of differing species talked to one another.

“When Espy wants to ‘say’ something to me, she beams a bunch of images, emotions and intent into my mind. I don’t hear actual words, but I can get a sense of what she's trying to convey. In fact, a lot of the time, it’s much more efficient and accurate since it happens at the blink of an eye and there’s no room for misunderstandings.” Nina explained.

Beverly nodded in confusion, still not fully grasping the concept. But the older girl decided to just put it out of mind until she got her own Psychic. They then transitioned to other topics until Madame Opal came back. All the while, no other customers stepped into the store during that time, which really put into perspective just how obscure this little shop was.