Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)

There were going to be two ceremonies for Misty and Ali’s wedding; one, a private ceremony  where only their closest friends and family were invited, and the other, a public one with an expanded guest list that was also going to be livestreamed. 

Nina could not claim to know the rhyme or reason behind such an excessive arrangement, nor did she care to know. Like Violet said; “Whatever the bride wants, she gets.”

The private ceremony was first to be held in a quaint little Church of Origin in the outskirts of the city. The building itself was a fairly standard white chapel with a vine covered exterior and scenic gardens surrounding it. The only difference being the crucifix from Nina’s past life was replaced by the golden cross wheel symbolizing Arceus.

Neither Misty nor Ali were particularly religious. And it wasn’t like Arceus’s creation myth was widely accepted by the whole world either, what’s with the abundance of Mythical and Legendary Pokemons on record. There were bound to be contradictions here and there. 

In fact, Nina vaguely recalled hearing from Lilian that the Blackthorns worshiped an esoteric religion centered around Dragons.

No, the reason for the venue was simply because all girls dream of a church wedding apparently. Both in the Pokemon world and Nina’s old world, and Misty was no exception.

Nina did a final check of her outfit and the ring case in her hand before doing a little hop to psych herself up. Since she was doing this anyway, she might as well do it properly.

After seeing that the bride’s sisters had entered the church as maids of honor, Nina followed in their wake, trying to tune out all the amused gazes and light squeals that were directed towards her. “Damned Teddiursa dress. Stupid Misty and her stupid puns.”

The girl maintained a smile as she took in her surroundings, she could see her Uncle Ali on the altar with her father right next to him as the best man. On the other side, the three Cerulean Sisters had already reached the altar and were lined up behind where the bride was going to stand. She remembered the three women got into a heated argument about which order they were supposed to stand in during the rehearsal not too long ago.

Nina steadily walked along the red carpet and turned to stand next to her father. Patrick Jones smiled down at his daughter in her cute little outfit and sneakily gave her a gentle pat on the back in assurance. He was actually itching to pull out his camera and snap pictures of the adorable ring bearer, but that could wait until the end of the ceremony.

Looking out towards the chapel interior, Nina could see that the distribution of guests were a little lopsided. On Misty’s side, she saw members of the Mizuhana clan that the sisters liked enough to invite to the wedding. 

While the clan of Water Type specialists weren’t exactly the most rigid or united of the great Kantonian families, they still possessed the numbers necessary to hold onto that position. And among the clan members, seated right at the front, Nina could see Misty’s father and the previous generation Cerulean Gym Leader whom she was introduced to previously.

On the other hand, Ali’s side of the family was much smaller, so the majority of the guests seated there were friends from both sides of the family. Nina could see the Bratwursts and the Rockfords among them. And right at the very front, she saw Percival and Anabeth Jones, Nina’s paternal grandparents smiling at her.

The girl returned the sentiment with an amicable smile. In truth, she had never met the two older Jones couple in person until now. Their only interaction thus far had been through the occasional video call and souvenirs sent back from whatever exotic location they were traveling through at the time. Nina was surprised that Ali even managed to convince them to come at all, since they didn’t even make it for Patrick and Leanette’s wedding.

The celebratory music from the church’s organ continued playing as the flower girls in the form of Natsumi and Fuyumi in Bellossom outfits entered the scene. The girls threw flower petals to line the bride's path as Misty entered the scene, prompting a choir of Pokemon to begin singing to grace her presence.

Misty looked stunning in her form fitting wedding dress. In lieu of a more conservative design, she opted for a thin lacy fabric that fully accentuated her figure with a billowy skirt that opened up at the front to reveal her long shapely legs with every step that she took.

On her head, the bride wore a tiara with a half veil that concealed the upper half of her face, exposing only her seductive ruby red lips to titillate one’s imaginations.

As Misty progressed through the aisle, Nina could also see Beverly at the back, in a much more conventional bridesmaid outfit holding on to the long tail of Misty’s dress. And with the entrance of the older girl, the doors leading to the chapel were closed shut with a loud clap, signaling the official start to the ceremony as the bride eventually took her place on the altar.

The ceremonial music slowly wound down as the priest cleared his throat and began reciting a few passages from his holy scripture. Nina couldn’t remember much of the content but it was largely the same sort of vague religious dribble that she was used to in her past life. The sort of words that could be interpreted a dozen different ways, leading to fissures and wars.

“We are gathered here today, under the light of Arceus to celebrate the blessed union of Alias Jones and Misty Mizuhana,” said the priest, after the conclusion of his recital. “Those who are opposed, please speak now or forever hold your peace.” Aside from an awkward cough, the audience remained silent. So no dramatic duel and elopement to be seen today.

Nina was a little disappointed to be honest, she was fully expecting some drama today given the long list of suitors that Misty had churned through in her lifetime. In fact, she was disappointed to find the absence of her old travel companions as well. Brock wasn’t here because the guy was busy at his own Gym, though he did send his regards and a generous gift of valuable gemstones and his special homemade Pokechow. Ash, though, remained missing. Even Professor Oak had no idea where he was, only that he was last seen in Johto.

“Very well,” the priest continued. “May I once again affirm that you have come here to enter into marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?”

“I have,” responded the couple in sync, their eyes locked into a perpetually loving gaze despite the hindrance of Misty’s veil.

“Then do you, Alias Jones, swear to remain faithful to Misty Mizuhana, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, and to love and honor her for all your days to come?”

“I do.”

“And do you, Misty Mizuhana, swear to remain faithful to Alias Jones, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, and to love and honor him for all your days to come?”

“I do,” said Misty, with the most radiant smile that anyone had ever seen her wear.

The priest nodded towards Nina to approach. “Then may the couple please exchange their vows, and with it, the rings which shall forever bind your lights under the grace of Arceus.”

Ali was first to grab hold of the ring that was presented to the altar and began reciting the vows he memorized by heart. “Misty, you are a lighthouse amidst dark, stormy seas, a beacon of light for my wayward soul. With you, I not only find love and happiness, but also a home where I can finally settle and find peace.” Ali gently grabbed hold of Misty’s hand.

“Misty Mizuhana, I love you. Will you grant me the honor of becoming your husband?”

Misty nodded amidst sniffles as she tried to clear her throat and compose herself. And with that tacit agreement, Ali placed his ring onto Misty’s finger, eliciting excited cheers and applause from the guests.

Misty’s vows were similar to her proposal ones, saying in a teary voice that Ali was a ray of sunshine in her life and that he made her want to be a better person. She vowed to love him for all eternity and cut down on her drinking, which elicited laughter from the audience. 

Then, same as Ali, she grabbed hold of his hand and placed her ring onto her lover’s finger, triggering another wave of applause and cheers.@@novelbin@@

The priests smiled warmly at the happy couple, and lit a few candles on the altar while declaring, “By the holy light bestowed upon me by Arceus, I declare Alias Jones and Misty Mizuhana to be husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

Ali eagerly unveiled Misty, taking a moment to appreciate his new wife’s beauty before pulling her in for a passionate kiss. The entire chapel erupted into cheers and congratulatory blessings at the sight. Tears of happiness flowed liberally among the attendees, either reminiscing about their own marriage or wishing that they too would find their other half at some point.

***

The actual wedding reception would not be until the second, more public ceremony, so that all the guests got the chance to mingle with one another. A party was more fun with a larger crowd after all.

So instead of the reception, the newlyweds had an intimate family dinner with some of their closest relatives and Pokemon. On Ali’s side, it was his parents and his brother’s family of course. While Misty had her sisters and her father; Levy Mizuhana, who looked to be an affable old man with Guy Fieri hair and a deep tan as proof of all the time he spent in the seas of Alola.

“So, Misty… When can I expect grandkids?” Levy teased, earning him shoulder slaps from his youngest daughter. 

“Not now, Pa! Behave yourself or I’m gonna cut your allowance!” Misty threatened, only to receive a carefree laugh in return.

“Careful there, Ali. This is what’s gonna happen to you in the future if you don’t keep your own secret stash.” Levy guffawed, eliciting chuckles from his new son-in-law.

“It’s okay, Misty’s too stingy to give me an allowance anyway. No gain, no loss,” he jested, also earning him shoulder slaps and pinches from the woman.

Nina laughed along at the wholesome interaction until her grandparents tried to engage with her. “So Nina, I heard you like trains,” said Percival.

“Yes, grandfather, I hear your recent travels have taken you to Galar?” Nina was a little stiff, but it couldn’t be helped. Her paternal grandparents were practically strangers to her. And based on the stories she heard from Patrick and Ali, about absentee parents and crippling neglect, she didn’t exactly have the best impression of them either.

“Hehe, that’s right. Your grandmother and I have a souvenir for you.”

“Tadah!” Anabeth Jones exclaimed as she reached over and handed a box to Nina. “Go on, open it!” She urged.

Nina let out a wry smile and did as she was told, opening the box to find… “Huh? A conductor's hat, this is kind of cool actually.” It was a typical blue conductor's hat with a black lip, adorned with a golden pin of a sword in a stone.

Usually the elder Joneses would send back a whole bunch of inane stuff. The sort of manufactured garbage that one would typically find in tourist trap gift shops. Pretty much, the only thing that Nina enjoyed from their care packages were some of the exotic snacks that they would inevitably include in it.

So it was quite surprising that Nina found the gift to be genuinely pleasing. “Thank you, grandmother, grandfather. I’ll make sure to cherish this. Is this the logo for the Grand Excalibur?”

“Yeap, the only currently active steam locomotive in the world,” said Percival. “Just like you and your uncle, your grandmother and I have always had a fascination with trains. In fact, did you know that the Grand Excalibur was where I first proposed to her?”

Anabeth nodded with a dreamy gaze. “We were so young back then… I was quite hesitant, you know? I wasn’t ready to settle down just yet, but your grandfather can be quite persuasive when he wants to be. So I ended up agreeing to it.”

“Ever since then, we try to make a trip to Galar every year for our anniversary. It doesn’t always work out, but the important thing is that we try.” Percival sent a loving gaze to his wife, which she returned in kind.

Percival and Anabeth Jones were what happens when two restless Pokemon Trainers marry one another. They were always traveling even when they had their firstborn, only settling down briefly in Kanto where Patrick was born to give their two kids a slightly more stable upbringing. 

But even then, they quickly shipped the second boy off to a boarding school the moment he came of age so that they could continue their nomadic lifestyle. Ali and Patrick practically raised themselves under such callous behavior, resulting in an unbreakable bond between the brothers.

Nina smiled at the old couple. The two of them weren’t the best parents due to their never ending wanderlust, but there were no doubts that they loved each other a great deal. No point, hanging on to past resentments. After all, both her father and uncle are happy now weren’t they? And that’s all that mattered.

***

Author's Note:

Super absent minded today. I nearly forgot to post, then I realized I left my phone outside when I went to get coffee. Such a dumbass.

Anyways, next chapter will be on Monday, and it'll be Nina's debut as a mermaid, so look forward to it.