Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)

Chapter 281

“Tch.” Nina clicked her tongue as a shaky fist crashed feebly against Espy’s barrier.Today had been a very emotional and stressful day, and the girl was simply not in the mood to entertain such childish tantrums, covered in piss and vomit as she was.

“Mewtwo—” She began, only to be interrupted once more by an aggrieved howl — a pulse of raw Psychic energy filled with unbridled anger.

“Look, you can either settle down and let me fix you or continue lashing out like a toddler. But you’re gonna have to decide soon because I’m really in need of a nap right now.”

“DO NOT PATRONIZE ME, HUMAN!” A voice, youthful and masculine, permeated her mind, tempered only by Espy’s protection, who let out a pulse of disdain at the Mewtwo’s crassness. “Fuji is dead! Spiritomb is vanquished! My life is forfeit!”

Another click of her tongue and Nina sighed. “And do you honestly think that Mr Fuji would abandon you in your pit of misery?! Has his love and remorse not shone through in all the time you spent together?! Just settle down and listen to me already!”

“ARGHHHH!!!” Another baleful cry as Mewtwo slammed both his shambling fist against the barrier, before collapsing onto the basement floor in ragged exhaustion, his volatile form writhing and melting and reforming all at the same time.

“Good, now stay seated.” Nina sat down herself as she dug her Mew Gem, pre-removed from her pendant, out from her pocket. The sight of which once again stoked Mewtwo’s fervour as he threw himself flat against the translucent barrier.

The girl sighed and took the opportunity to really consider Mewtwo’s real life appearance — a prospect that would have normally excited the isekai protagonist but she was simply too tired to care at the moment.

Girthy and lithe purple tail attached to an otherwise white and humanoid form with the reverse jointed legs of a powerful feline and a set of alien, tri-fingered arms. Mewtwo’s angular face was filled with greed, and yet his gaze still remained sharp and calculating even at the sight of the pink gemstone in Nina’s grasp.

It didn’t really come across very well in the game’s art, but there was a distinctly synthetic feel to the Psychic Legendary. The way that his skin seemed a little patchy at the seams, further punctuated by contrasting segments of white and grey. Mewtwo’s features, those uncanny proportions, it all screamed strange and alien in her head, even when considered in the context of this fantastical world of Pokemon.

“This— is a fragment of Mew’s essence.” Nina waved the gem back and forth. “And a testament of love from a parent to their wayward child.”

Mewtwo frowned, looking to protest but ultimately thought better of it.

Nina scoffed. “Yeah, I get you. Really, I do… But you don’t have a choice. This stone is the only thing that will make you whole. The only thing that will stabilize your genetics and stop you from melting into a Ditto. By assimilating Mew’s DNA straight from the source, you will become a true Pokemon — a complete Pokemon.

“So hand it over! What are you waiting for?!” The Legendary demanded, a wave of desperation seeping through the seams of his domineering facade.

“Because…” The girl drawled, waiting for Mewtwo to settle. “While Mew is perfectly content and, in fact, obligated to cure you of your defects without cause. I have had the misfortune of being chosen as their gopher to that effect.”

Mewtwo scowled, having inferred Nina’s intent. “What do you want?”

The girl smiled, glad that the subject of her extortion was being so understanding while raising a singular finger. “First of all, Giovanni.”

Mewtwo grinned — a vicious and vindictive grin — as his face twisted and eyes turned bloodshot from rage.

“Heh. Good to see we’re on the same page. Giovanni and Team Rocket are planning to break a hole in reality and wreak havoc across the multiverse. We cannot allow that to happen—”

“You cannot allow that to happen. I simply wish to see the life pulled from Giovanni’s veins in the most agonising way possible.” The feral Legendary growled. “Once I get my hands on that filth, there will be nothing capable of prying my fingers away from his broken neck!”

Nina chuckled. “And I’ll be happy to leave the… logistics of his demise to your colourful imaginings. But for now, do I have your promise?”

“I solemnly swear by the blood of that accursed Mew flowing within my being.” Mewtwo’s Aura, imperious and authoritarian, flared. And through her own Psychic abilities, Espy could sense that a Psychic binding had taken root in the Legendary’s mind.

“Good.” Nina nodded. “And for my final request—”

“Do not presume to test me, human!” Mewtwo barked and Nina scoffed.

“Our interests are aligned on the first matter and, with the assistance of Celebi, I can help track down Giovanni’s whereabouts as well. So that can hardly be considered restitution…” The girl hissed and doubled down with a glare. “Now stop interrupting me before I think of something else to ask of you.”

Mewtwo sneered and Nina couldn’t help but notice how uncannily human his demeanour was. “I guess the theory that there might be some human DNA mixed into Mewtwo’s creation might have some merit after all…” Nina would have to dig into Fuji’s journals to know for sure but she was almost afraid to do so.

“Somewhere down the line, and I can’t exactly be sure when, I might have need of your aid. Either for some extra firepower or to act as a bodyguard for a time. In other words, a standing favor if you will…”

That eerily human frown deepened. “So long as you do not seek to bind me to your will.”

Nina chortled. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I don’t have a Master Ball and I have no desire to acquire one.” Not with what Nina knew of its inner workings. “You can think of it as just a simple safeguard — an emergency call button for when I find myself neck deep in trouble.” 

The girl continued with a snort. “Heck, I might not ever need the favor!” Though more than likely, Nina was going to use it when it came time for her to explore Paldea’s crater or against Deoxys and the meteor if she accidentally screwed up the causality there somehow.

Mewtwo narrowed his eyes in consideration, but ultimately acceded with a cautious nod. “Very well. One favor at your time of choosing. So long as it does not impede upon my freedom and autonomy.”

Another flash of Psychic Aura followed by a mental nod from Espy.

Nina beamed and signaled for her Espeon to drop the barrier. “Awesome! Pleasure doing business with you, Mr Mewtwo! Sign here to receive your package!”

With a wave of exasperation, Mewtwo rolled his eyes and gingerly plucked the pink gemstone from Nina’s palms. And the moment that he did, the Legendary Pokemon gasped as the Mew Gem melted into his flesh and left him spasming on the floor.

“Err… Is this supposed to happen?”

“Es.”

Apparently so, because while the very strands of Mewtwo’s existence was unraveling to an almost visceral degree, they were also subsequently reforming to become much more substantial than ever before. Until finally, the artificial Pokemon broke out in a gleam of iridescent light — the familiar glow of a Mega Evolution.

Petite, almost juvenile, body with a disproportionately large head. That girthy purple tail no longer attached to Mewtwo’s hips but at the back of his skull, the purple pigments fading near the base. Those visible seams and broken segments of sickly grey skin now blended together into one homogeneous, natural being. 

That was what Nina saw when the light faded and Mewtwo emerged, reborn under his progenitor’s grace.

“Huh? Mega Mewtwo Y. Neat.” And that was the last thing the girl said before she fainted from exhaustion.

***

“Urgh…” Nina awoke feeling like a squeezed lemon. 

Sustaining a pseudo double Mega Evolution while battling in Limbo had taken its toll on her. Thanks to Azzy, the girl had managed to avoid sustaining any debilitating damage but her soul did still come out of that ordeal a little frayed around the edges.

“It was a miracle that I lasted as long as I did and still had enough in the tank to deal with Mewtwo afterwards.”

“Gen! Gengar-gen!”

“Hehehe… Morning, Azzy… Or not. I actually don’t know what time it is right now.”

Her eyes flitted around to find herself dressed in a loose yukata and tucked into a warm and fluffy futon.

“Matter of fact, where are we?”

“Gengar, gen!”

With a reluctant groan, Nina forced herself up to assess her surroundings. “These walls… And the patterns on the bedding… Are we back in the Big Riddle Inn?”

“Gen!” The peppy Gengar nodded fervently as she pulled Nina into a hug, feeling immense relief in knowing that she was okay.

“Hehe. Love you too, Azzy. Was Mewtwo the one who brought me here?”

“Gen.” The Gengar shook her head and pointed towards the paper door.

“Right, I suppose we should go greet our hosts.”

Said hosts ended up being Blaine, naturally, and the ever-radiant figure of Hikari. “Nina! You’re awake!” The latter exclaimed as she got up to smother her in an embrace.

“Oof… Hikari… Still a little sore…”

“Oops. I’m so sorry, dear. Here, maybe this will help.”

The woman breathed out, and a soothing Aura washed over Nina’s body as aching sores further faded into mild throbs, reduced to mere inconveniences.

“Huh? That’s nifty. Thanks, Hikari. Were you the one who brought me here?”

The mystic smiled as she guided Nina onto a cushion on the tatami floor. “Yes, that’s right. I intervened after you fainted, since Mewtwo seemed at a loss on what to do.” Hikari giggled. “You should have seen him, so adorable… Anyways, I figured you and your team needed a place to rest and regroup, so I asked him to Teleport us here — a simple enough matter for a Psychic of Mewtwo’s caliber really.”

Nina nodded and thanked Blaine for the tea he placed in front of her. “And my Pokemon? Where are they?”

“Hmm… Rinny’s gone diving with Sir Clodington.” Hikari replied. “I believe Rinny wanted to go looking for treasure while Clody was just bored.”

Nina giggled.

“Nitey’s gone to visit Volcarona in the volcano and also to check on the Larvesta Egg. Pretty sure he also mentioned wanting to go hang out with the Magmars in their colony as well. Brucey’s flown off to menace the local Pokemon in the forest with Gretel and Terry, and Espy’s with Mewtwo.” Hikari chortled. “Espy had somehow managed to convince Mewtwo to obfuscate them with his mind tricks so that they could go about masquerading as humans around town.”

Nina nearly spat out her tea at the woman's final statement. “Dammit. Urgh… Espy’s probably just taking advantage of Mewtwo to go shopping unsupervised!”

Hikari giggled. “So it seems… But not to worry, little Espy’s responsible enough to stay out of trouble. And it would do Mewtwo a lot of good to gain some exposure to society as a whole. Even before his health deteriorated, that child had always been reclusive and distrusting.” In fact, the mischievous woman had even encouraged their outing by providing each of them a sum of money to spend.

Nina huffed. “Are those concerns coming from you or from Mew?”

Hikari smiled, that same infuriatingly enigmatic smile. “Honestly Nina, it’s hard to tell sometimes. That experience I had of briefly turning into Mew… It changed me in ways that I cannot fully understand.”

The usually peppy woman sounded uncharacteristically dour. So, not knowing how else to respond, Nina shrugged and turned her attention to Blaine instead. “Master Blaine, my apologies for imposing on your hospitality once again.”

“Haha… At ease, little one. If anything, I should be the one thanking you. Not only did you lay my friend and mentor to rest, but you even brought back a piece of his legacy.” There was a solemnity to his voice, quite unlike the playful riddler she was used to.

“I’m guessing Espy already gave you the journals?”

“That’s right, and conveyed his final wishes to me as well. I’ll have a look through them before sharing my findings with you and Elm. Though I suspect, most of their pages will need to be removed and thrown into the caldera.”

Nina nodded. “I’ll leave that up to your judgement.”

“You’ve done well, Nina…” Hikari praised with a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Madame Agatha, Mr Fuji, Master Blaine, Mewtwo and myself are forever grateful for your efforts. The Ancestor was truly astute in their judgement of your character.”

Nina frowned. “But it’s not over yet, right?”

Hikari wilted. “No. I’m afraid not. Giovanni still remains at large. But for now, you are deserving of some rest. Leave that conniving Sneasel alone until you are well and truly recovered.”

And with that, Nina reluctantly loosened her shoulders as Blaine got up to go prepare some food for her in the kitchen. All that strenuous struggle and unbridled vomiting had left her utterly drained and famished.

***

Announcement:

Firstly, there'll be a 0.5 chapter released tomorrow from Mewtwo's POV.

Secondly, I might release Ch 283 to 290 in one go.

The reason for this is because I'm not happy with how that final arc turned out even after repeated rewrites. Part of it is because I made a last minute change to the ending and part of it is because I seem to be cursed when it comes to writing everything Team Rocket related.

So, instead of torturing you guys with half-baked chapters, I'll simply release everything in bulk in the same way that these chapters were written to hopefully take the edge off.

That said, once those chapters are released, I'll make up for the bulk release by taking a two month break, give or take. That's not to say that there won't be any releases in the interim, of course.

I have another mini 11 chapter Pokefic that I wrote exclusively for Flareon that I'll be releasing in lieu of the usual side stories. (Mainly because I didn't have the time to write any)

The title of the mini Pokefic is Junia's Tales of Misfits and Mimikyu and features a young girl native to Unova (non-isekai) as well as a cameo from future adult Nina.