Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)

“Eeeeeeeeee!!!!” Natsumi let out a high pitched screech whilst tackling her sister with a hug and hopped up and down in unbridled excitement.

Meanwhile, Fuyumi looked a little put off by Natsumi’s piercing voice. Though that did little to dampen the bright smile on her face as she stared down in wonderment at the Pokedex in her hands.

Professor Oak smiled warmly at the ecstatic twins and congratulated them on their newest gain. “Now then, It’s time for you to each choose a regional starter.” He said while gesturing towards a transfer machine in the middle of his lab. On it were three plain looking Pokeballs for the twins to choose from.

“I believe not much else needs to be said about them, but before you are three Pokeballs. Each contains either a Charmander, Squirtle, or Bulbasaur. Feel free to step up and make your selection when you’re feeling ready.”

Fuyumi was first to choose, having already made up her mind on what she wanted. She picked up the Pokeball with a Fire element sticker on it and released the Pokemon contained within.

“Char!” The liberated Charmander cried out, as he looked around his surroundings with curious eyes.

Fuyumi knelt down and lowered herself to be eye level with the juvenile Fire lizard. “Hey there, Charmander. My name’s Fuyumi, and my current goal is to beat Big Sis Nina and become a Pokemon Master. Would you like to join me on my journey?”

“Char!” The jovial Charmander jumped up in excitement and threw himself into Fuyumi’s embrace, eliciting giggles from the girl as she nuzzled up against her new companion.

She then released Artoria and began introducing the Krabby to their newest family member. “I think I’m going to name you Siegfried. How does that sound?”

“Char~” Charmander replied with a wide smile, indicating his approval.

Meanwhile, Natsumi was completely paralyzed as her eyes flitted between the two remaining Pokeballs. Nina could tell that there was a fierce war waging inside the girl between her desires and sense of obligation.

Nina did not want to intervene too overtly since this was ultimately Natsumi’s own choice. So she decided to help out indirectly instead.

“What do you think, Bev?” Nina asked. “Ever thought about getting a non-Water Type in your team?”

“Of course!” Beverly exclaimed. Nina couldn’t tell if she picked up on the situation and was playing along or if she was just oblivious as usual. “We’re going to the Safari Zone next right? If I find myself a Dratini then you betcha I’m catching one for myself!”

Nina chuckled. “We’ll have to ask the Safari Rangers for permission first, ‘cause they’re very protective of the brood. But aside from copying me, ever thought about getting anything else that isn’t a Water Type? Or does your clan forbid it?”

“Nah, they’re pretty chill. Honestly, If I ever get a chance to go to Alola, I might try to catch one of them Ice Vulpixes. Just the thought of that fluffy white fur makes me go all kyaaaaa…” Beverly swooned at her fantasies, eliciting more laughter from Nina.

“I think I read somewhere that Alolan Vulpix can be found in Hoenn as well. So there’s no need to go that far just to get one.”

Beverly lit up and slapped Nina on the shoulder. “Then all the more reason why you should hurry up and go on your journey already, Nins! I can’t wait any longer!”

While Beverly and Nina were having their little back and forth, Natsumi appeared to have finally made up her mind as she hesitantly picked up the Pokeball containing Bulbasaur.

The girl looked towards her sister, who gave her a firm nod, and gingerly released the Grass Type Pokemon from his Ball. Regional starters that were given out to trainers typically contained male Pokemon to prevent any illegal breeding.

“Hi Bulbasaur,” greeted the timid Natsumi. “My name’s Natsumi and I’m looking to become a mermaid and a Grand Coordinator one day. If that sounds alright with you, would you be willing to join me on my journey? But like, you know, it’s okay if you don’t. I mean, I know most Pokemon prefer to battle and like, I totally get it…”

“Bulba!” Bulbasaur interrupted Natsumi’s breakdown by climbing up her lap and nuzzling against the girl affectionately. 

That was enough to stop the girl’s stuttering rant and dissolve the doubts she was feeling as she returned the gesture by wrapping her arms around Bulbasaur and sniffling quietly in the Pokemon’s embrace.

“You smell really nice, Bulbasaur. Like fresh cut grass in the morning…” Natsumi sighed as she took in her Bulbasaur’s fragrance. “I think I’m going to name you Mokoko. Is that okay?”

“Bulba! Bulbasaur!” The Grass Type replied, prompting Natsumi to tighten her embrace on the Pokemon.

***

Winter time in Fuchsia City was absolutely picturesque; a thin layer of snow dressed the ceramic roof tiles of the traditional wooden townhouses, cobblestone pavements lined with plum trees withered and frosted over in the chilling winter.

Yet despite all of that, Nina struggled to take in the beautiful cityscape. Because she was too busy trying not to slip on the frosty slopes of the ancient city.

One of the things that Beverly had enthusiastically proposed on their way here was to rent kimonos and do a full on photoshoot in the traditional sector of the city. Nina and the twins had agreed, thinking that it would just be at a studio or some sort of curated space.

But what ended up actually happening was their senior-most apprentice had them traipsing across various locations in the massive city to snap pics at all the famous landmarks. 

Which wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the fact that the girls could barely split their legs more than half a step in the tight fitting kimono before tripping over themselves. And this was further compounded by the geta, the traditional wooden sandals, that they were wearing as part of the full outfit. 

The traditional footwear was every bit as impractical as one might think, designed to accentuate an elegant form as opposed to actual walking. Even with the ‘two-toothed’ design that they opted for, there was barely any grip on the wooden base to contend with Fuchsia’s icy cobblestone roads.

The madame who dressed them had tried to advise the girls against it and urged them to wear straw sandals instead. But Beverly was insistent, saying that it was not that much harder than skating. Boy, was she wrong... 

Nina seriously regretted not at least bringing a pair of straw sandals with her just so that she could have actual functioning footwear for when they needed to walk.

“Alright, that’s it!” exclaimed the irritable Nina. “I’m calling it here!” She declared as she gingerly shuffled over to a teahouse with outdoor seating.

“Aww… Come on, Nins! We’ve still got just a couple more places to hit and then we’re done.” Beverly whined. But Nina was having none of it.

“Those last two places are at least 20 minutes apart from each other!” Nina rebuked. “Not to mention we have to make our way back to the kimono store as well. Which would take another hour based on the Slugma’s pace that we’ve been walking at. We’re done, Bev. You’ve had your fun and gathered plenty of material for Pokegram. I’m taking a break and making my way back.”

Beverly looked towards the twins with pleading eyes, trying to gather support for her misguided cause. But the pair of gloomy sisters just walked past her and saddled up against their now-undisputed favourite Big Sis for warmth.

“You’ve fallen more than all of us combined, Bev.” Nina added. “Just sit down and rest your feet for a bit. I don’t know about you, but I’m freezing and could really use a hot cup of strong tea at this point. Excuse me!!!” She called out to try and get the attention of the proprietress to put in an order.

Beverly grumbled about how if she could do it then they could too. But ultimately still conceded and sat down next to her friends. Nina even noticed the older girl rubbing at her sore ankles, revealing that all her bravado was just senseless posturing in the end.

“Oh my, such lovely young ladies. Are all of you visiting perhaps?” said the proprietress who came over to take the group’s orders.

“Yup!” answered the affable Nina. “We’re going to stay in the city for a night before heading out to the Safari Zone. Do you know if there’s any good food places nearby?”

“There’s lots of good food to be had in Fuchsia City my dear. So long as you don’t mind traditional Kantonian cuisine that is.” The elegant older lady hummed in consideration. “Although… There have been quite a few fancy dessert places popping up recently with their chocolates and pastries and whatnot. But if you ask me, nothing beats good old anko.”

Nina nodded. “I tend to agree, but it’s a shame that most places make their red bean paste too sweet for my liking. I prefer to taste more of the natural earthiness of the azuki.”

The proprietress lit up at the little girl’s words. “Oh my, a young lady of refined tastes. Just so happens I have a batch of anko that I reserve for my own personal use. I deliberately tempered it with a bit of miso and koji to give it a more savoury flavor. Would you like to try some perhaps?”

“Yes please!” responded the adventurous Nina. “Can I get that with the Dango Matcha Tea Set? I’m not sure about my friends though…” Nina turned towards her companions to ask for their preference.

Natsumi happily joined in on Nina’s order since she had an equally sophisticated palate. Beverly liked her sweets extra sweet so she went with the normal anko and even asked for honey in her matcha. Fuyumi was undecided so she ended up asking for a mix of both varieties in her set.

“Very well,” affirmed the lady. “It might take a bit longer than usual since I’ll have to make some of the special dango from scratch. In the meantime, feel free to sit closer to the heater. You all look like you’re freezing in this weather.”

The four girls thanked the kind lady in unison and did as they were told by shuffling closer to the electric heater.

“Alright, Bev. Take your selfie. I know you want to.”

Beverly snorted. “Hmph! Shows what you know. Gotta wait for the food before the selfie, Nins.” The older girl tutted at the amateurish Nina, earning her a helpless chuckle from the younger girl.

“Are we going to be staying in a ryokan tonight, Big Sis Nina?” asked a lethargic Fuyumi.

“Yup, it’ll be one with an outdoor bath. It’s not a proper hot spring, but I wanted to have a nice soak out in the snow. I think it’ll be quite the experience, don’t you think?”

Nina recalled trying several times in her past life to obtain that snowy onsen experience. But Miles could never get the timing right. There was accumulated snow of course, such places weren’t hard to find in Hokkaido. But the intent was to bathe outdoors in the midst of a gentle snowfall.

As it just so happened, the Weather Institute forecasted snow in Fuchsia City tonight. And Pokemon World weather forecasts were anything if not accurate.

“Oh my gosh, imagine if I could post a short of that scene, maybe with my back facing the camera as I stare off into the snowy sky. My followers are gonna eat that up! I’ll be drowning in likes!”

Fuyumi smirked. “I dunno… instead of a Stunfisk’s flat back, I think most people would prefer to catch a glimpse of Big Sis Nina’s curves instead.”

Nina was agasped at her junior’s remark. “Fuyu! No! I will not be exposing myself on the Pokenet like that. As a matter of fact, children should not be exposing themselves on social media, period! Who was the one who taught you this stuff anyway?! Tell me and I’ll go kick their asses next time!” She was, of course, unbothered to chastise Fuyumi for her Stunfisk comment. The girl was merely stating facts after all.

“Hey! I am not a Stunfisk!” exclaimed the indignant Beverly, but everyone just ignored her outrage.