Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)

“Welcome, Lady Blackthorn. It is an honor to be graced by your presence once again.” 

“Venerable Wiseman, I see you are well.” Lilian returned the greeting with a curt nod. 

The affable looking old man with a cane and a bowler hat laughed. “As well as my old knees will allow. Please forgive me for not tending to you personally today. But I assure you that my staff are all well equipped to meet your needs.”

Lilian responded with similar platitudes as the two continued to chat. 

The fourth floor of the Celadon Department Store also sold Pokemon related stuff, but on a much higher level. In fact, the entire floor was VIP only, and only allowed entry to about 50 members of the general public on a first come first serve basis. Which was another reason why a line could often be seen outside the store early in the morning — every trainer without an in were vying to get into Wiseman’s Gift to purchase Evolution Stones and other rare Held Items.

Fortunately for Nina and the gang, they were in the company of a Blackthorn. So not only did the staff welcome them with open arms, they even rolled out the red carpet and showered them with the VVVIP treatment, with old Wiseman himself coming to greet them.

Nina and Mash were unfazed by the grand welcome, but the rest of their entourage all stiffened up and could barely sit still on the luxuriously soft cushion of their seats. Matsuri though, was being as uncouth as ever as she loudly slurped on the Shuckle juice presented to her.

After relaying their intentions, the group was taken on a guided tour of all the goods they had on offer. And as promised, Nina asked the staff to set aside one of their best Thunder Stones for Fuyumi. She also noticed that they had a singular Dawn Stone on offer which Nina, Lilian and Mash all took an acute interest in.

Nina winced at the price tag as she counted five zeroes at the end. The girl could probably afford it in installments thanks to the cut of all the commercial sponsorship money that she managed to wrangle from Violet, but it would all but bankrupt her savings.

“I don’t think there’s a Dragon that Evolves using a Dawn Stone, right?” Nina asked Lilian.

The girl shook her head in response. “No, but my team doesn’t have to be exclusive to Dragons. It would be practical to obtain a Psychic at some point. I’m assuming you’re interested in a Gallade as well?” Lilian asked Mash.

Mash nodded. “Yes, but I will have to find myself a Ralts first. And even then, I’m ambivalent on the choice of Gardevoir or Gallade.”

Nina nodded with a twinkle in her eyes. “Both are good. Gardevoirs are beautiful and equal parts powerful. And a Gallade will add a bit of muscle in your team.” 

Having had the privilege to interact with both Evolutions in person at this point, even Nina was unsure of which she would pick if given the choice. Though that eye-watering price tag on the Dawn Stone does tip the scales a bit. “There goes my hopes for a Froslass…”

“Do you have any items that might be good for a Clodsire?” Nina asked the staff and further elaborated on her intentions, prompting them to hum in consideration and lead her over to a section where they had various Held Items on display.

Nina knew that Sir Clodington had enough strength of mind to cope with a bit of heat, but she still felt the need to ensure his comfort if possible.

“Hmm… To regulate the temperature of the Wooper line is tricky,” said the man in a bespoke suit. “For items with a cooling effect, we have Never-Melt Ice obviously.” The man gestured to an opaque ice crystal contained within a special case. “But such an item might be too potent for your needs.”

Nina nodded in agreement. “The Wooper line buries themselves in mud during the day to escape from the sun, but it’s not like they can cope with freezing temperatures either. It’s more a matter of comfort.”

The man replied in affirmation. “Indeed, which also eliminates the use of Icy Rock — a lesser version of Never-Melt Ice for all intents and purposes. But we do also have Damp Rock in stock, it’s a peculiar exo-aquatic substance that emits Water Type Energy into its surroundings. The item is expendable, with an efficacy of about one year, but it should be cooling enough for your purposes.”

Nina grabbed hold of the almost gelatinous feeling crystal that was presented to her. There was a sort of bounce and wobble to the item, kind of like a slime, despite being an entirely solid object.

The girl gaped in wonderment at the fantasy material. “This rock does feel nice and cool alright, but not chilling like the previous two. Will this affect the strength of my Clodsire’s moves in an adverse way?”

“I do apologize,” said the store attendant with a troubled look. “I’m afraid that I would not know the answer to that question. It isn’t often that a trainer purchases an item for anything other than practical purposes.”

Nina nodded in understanding and considered her options. The Damp Rock would cost her a whopping 8,000 Pokedollars and she would also have to have a strap made for Sir Clodington to hold it in place. The effect of the item was quite potent, good for sustaining any demanding Water Type Moves in more arid environments devoid of the requisite element. However, it was also expendable, just like the Icy Rock.

“Even if it’s not good for Sir Clodington, I can always pass it to Nairy or whatever Water Pokemon I catch in the future.” 

In the end, Nina pulled the trigger on the item and moved on, her bank account feeling much lighter than it was when she first walked into the store.

The fifth floor of the Department Store was effectively a Pokemon pharmacy, selling all sorts of medicines, healing items and supplements specific to Pokemon. Everyone basically just stuck with Kerry here and picked up whatever the young Joy recommended, though Nina was fairly reserved in her selection.

At the risk of making herself sound like one of those alternative medicine people, she preferred Berries over commercial supplements for her Pokemon. She still picked some up though, since they had a stable shelf life and it was never a given that she would have enough Berries on hand all the time.

No one was interested in the amusement park, so they skipped the roof and just went down to the basement to sample some of the food on offer.

“You’re going to stuff yourself. We still have plans for food after this? Don’t you want to know what sort of fancy restaurant Lady Blackthorn booked for us?” Thomas chided Matsuri with a sigh. But the girl just looked up at her senior with cheeks bulging like a Pachirisu and offered a corndog to him.

***

“That was fun!” Kerry exclaimed as the group of students walked down the streets of Celadon City to their next destination. They could have taken a car, but given the traffic conditions, it seemed more prudent to walk.

Nina laughed at her friend’s enthusiasm. “It is supposed to be your celebration after all, so it’s good that you enjoyed yourself.”

“Yup!” Kerry cheered as she pulled Lilian into another hug. “Thanks for today Lil! You’re the best.”

Lilian suppressed a flush and casually reciprocated the hug, looking more at ease than she was previously. “Not to worry. It is but a small matter.” She muttered.

As they walked down the neon-lined streets, plastered with ads for salacious women, colorful bars and enticing eateries, Nina made sure to look around and soak in the chaos that was Celadon City. 

It reminded Nina of a cross between Osaka and Shinjuku, more specifically the nightlife district. Especially when it came to the smell; the acrid smoke of tobacco, cheap perfume and stale alcohol. Then there was the sound; a chaotic blend of muted music and raucous chatter. 

Despite the sun still gracing the skies above, there were already a deluge of myriad characters lining the streets in colourful outfits and costumes, trying to pull in customers for their various establishments. Some even had the audacity to approach the blatantly youthful Thomas and Mash, who were already surrounded by a gaggle of girls. 

Mash flushed red at the touchy hostess who grabbed hold of his arm, clearly looking uncomfortable.

“Begone thot!” In an unexpectedly manly moment, Thomas came to the rescue, curtly chasing the salacious woman away from them. Truly a chad, as expected of the student council president of the prestigious Vermilion Flame.

The gang laughed at Thomas's phrasing and assuaged Mash with comforting words as they continued walking. Only to turn a corner and be dazzled by the golden bright lights of a gaudy ten-storey building, plastered with all sorts of signs and billboards advertising the promise of riches and wealth. 

A massive caricature of a Meowth’s head adorned the front entrance, with its mouth gaping open to welcome guests into its maw, the golden coin atop its head so shiny and gleaming as to entice ambitious fools into its bowels.

“Wow…” Nina awed, it was actually her idea to check out the Yamaguchi Game Corner, formerly the Rocket Game Center which has since transitioned owners — the largest of its kind in Celadon City.  “That’s probably the tackiest building I’ve ever seen in my entire existence.” The girl murmured, eliciting nods from her friends.

The group was here to sightsee and had no intentions of partaking in any vice. Matsuri though, was completely enraptured by the sight, looking like she was just dying to rush into the ostentatious entrance to have some fun, only to be held back by a firm grip from Thomas on her shoulder.

Nina and her friends approached the entrance in intrigue, hoping to snap a picture before moving on. However, as they came near, Nina squinted her eyes at the sight of two familiar looking faces, looking all awkward by the entrance. 

“Charlie! Is that you?” The girl called, causing the boy to jolt up in fright and stiffly turn towards her, confirming that it was indeed Nina’s childhood friend. To his side was Cole, Charlie’s travel buddy, looking a little impatient at his companion with a scowl on his face.

Nina shot Cole a suspicious glance. “So… What are the two of you doing here? Been a while since I last heard from you C, didn’t realize you had made your way to Celadon.”

“N-Nina! Hi! Erm, i-it’s not what you think! I can explain!” The boy sputtered as he instinctively backed away from his approaching childhood friend, looking like a kid who got caught with his hands in the cookie jar.

Nina frowned. “And what, pray tell, am I thinking of? Or is someone having a guilty conscience perhaps?”

Cole sighed, feeling a migraine coming from the imminent drama. “He’s right, it’s not what you think.” The other boy echoed. “Your friend is just being a dumbass as usual.”

Nina frowned as she halted in her step, looking back and forth between the two boys as she awaited an explanation.

Charlie yelped from a hard slap on the back from Cole, forcing him to stand up straight. “So like, you remember Nobita right, Nina?” He began…

***

Author's note:

For those of you who have forgotten, Nobita is one of the three boys who accompanied Nina during her first trip to the Safari Zone. The timid boy who caught a Nidoran 

If you were paying attention to the context clues, then you'd have noticed that there was something sus about his background.