Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)

Chapter 259.5

“Uncle Ali~”The man flinched. He recognized those eyes — those damned Growlithe eyes. It meant that his niece had something she wanted from him. And no doubt, he would cave. He knew he would. That was how much he loved the little rascal.

“I’m about to work out, Nina. Can this wait?”

The girl nodded with a beaming smile. “Sure! Want me to help?”

Ali chuckled. “Oh? And how would you do that?”

The girl tilted her head in consideration. “Hmmm… You can bench me if you’d like?”

The man responded with a hearty laugh and gestured for his niece to follow. “You’re gonna have to clench those core muscles real tight though, don’t go all limp on me half way.”

Nina gave her rock hard abs a good smack. “Heh! Your arms’ll turn to spaghetti before I do, fatso.” The girl teased with a poke at her uncle’s rapidly developing paunch. All that desk work had not been kind to his physique.

“Why you little… Tch.” Ali laid down on the bench and let out a forceful huff. “Come on up here and do your worst!”

Nina giggled and climbed atop Ali’s chest with Brinny in her embrace, laid herself diagonally and allowed him to press against her back and legs before raising her into the air.

“One… Two…”

“So you’ve finally decided to get yourself back in shape huh?” Nina remarked. Seeing the once proud explorer devolve into just another middle-aged man had been painful to watch.

“Six… Seven… Yeah, urgh… Figured… with the new baby coming up and all, I gotta be more spry, y’know? Eleven… Twelve…”

The man continued pumping his niece up and down. “Just that, erk… Misty doesn’t seem all that happy about it.”

“Makes sense.” Nina nodded with her eyes shut.

“Why though?”

“‘Cause she’s worried that you’ll cheat on her.”

“Huh?!” Ali exclaimed in shock, nearly dropping his ‘weight’ in the process.

“Bri!”

“Dammit, Uncle Ali! Get a hold of yourself!” Nina flailed and regained her balance.

“Language! Urgh.” Ali breathed in and steadied his posture. “How does that even make sense?! We’re about to have a baby together!”

Nina snorted. “It’s precisely because Misty’s having a baby. It’s been months since you guys did the Ditto right? It’s normal for her to feel insecure.”

“I just…I—” Ali groaned. “Does she not trust me?” He asked, with a great deal of pain in his voice.

Nina sighed. “No, she just doesn’t trust other women. Men who are already taken come across as being especially attractive. You’re married to Misty Mizuhana, one of the most powerful and gorgeous women in Indigo. Something must be super appealing about you right? Either you’re the ultimate gentleman or a savant in bed. Whatever the case, that mystique adds to your allure and will attract all sorts of conniving Vulpixes.”

“Thirty… Thirty-one… It doesn’t matter… I would never cheat on my wife!” Ali proclaimed.

“Men cheat when they’re feeling secure, when they feel like they can get away with it. Women cheat when they’re feeling insecure, when they feel the need to regain control.” Nina explained. “You might not cheat on her now. But who knows in the future? Either way, just think of Misty’s protectiveness as an expression of love towards you.”

“Urgh… Four…ty— One!” Ali’s arms fell limp and dropped his niece onto his chest, a little rougher than he intended. “Arceus, I’m out of shape… And none of what you said makes any gosh darned sense.”

Nina giggled and hopped off her ride. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll know when you’re in trouble.”

“That… isn’t assuring at all.” Ali huffed and forced himself up from the bench. “Anyways, you said you wanted something from me?”

“Yup!”

***

Misty caressed her pregnant belly and let out a matronly smile as she admired the scene of her husband tinkering with his— their niece, her mind interposing the figure of Nina with that of her future child. 

She had deliberately asked not to be told the gender, not that it mattered much. More so because it amused her to tease her eager husband who had made all sorts of arguments about needing to paint the room in advance — another reason in favor of deferring the reveal. Her over-tuned pregnant lady senses were fickle even during the best of days and having the house smelling of chemicals was a detriment to her already brittle temper.

A temper that was not helped by her sister's vehement insistence that she limit her involvement with the Gym during this period. “I’m pregnant, not disabled!”

Taking in a deep breath, the woman calmed herself with the breathing exercises her therapist prescribed to her — it wouldn’t do for the child to inherit her family’s temperament. Ideally, the kid would receive whatever genes Ali’s family stuck together to conceive a kid like Nina. For all that the precocious twerp was a trouble magnet, her level head and sharp mind was one to be celebrated.

“Also, a healthy dose of my family’s good looks, of course.” Not that it was ever any concern — both her and Ali made for a very picturesque couple. Nina was already proof of that. The girl was sinfully adorable during her childhood, less so now that she was a rebellious teenager.

Schooling her expression, Misty put on her most motherly smile and approached the duo with a tray of refreshments in hand. “Alright, you two, clear some space. I brought snacks over.”

““Awwww…”” The girl and her uncle moaned in tandem, much to Misty’s chagrin.

The woman flashed them a stern glare and placed the tray on top of a chair as the two grease Mankeys reluctantly cleared away whatever machinery they were working on — Ali’s old cassette player-cum-radio from the looks of things. Her husband’s penchant for antiques had been adorable back when they were still dating. Less so after they moved in together and all that junk started cluttering the house, prompting Misty to force the man to either keep his collection out of sight or throw them all away before she did.

As the pair worked, bickering about how best to organise everything without undoing their progress, Misty scooped up her protege’s Brionne who was looking a little listless in his little kiddie pool. “Type Energy withdrawal…” Which, knowing where Nina had been spending most of her time lately, was to be expected.

“This is why we try not to abuse that place too much.” It was good on occasion and they do have a ‘spa day’ rotation set up with their Gym’s regular battle roster, but the sort of ‘canned’ training that Nina and her team were currently undertaking was detrimental if left unchecked. Hence, the break she was taking today and the strict schedule they had limited her to as a condition. 

“Nina, your Brionne isn’t looking too good. So unless you want him to turn into a hollow husk who can barely function outside of a power spot, keep him away from the lake for the next few days.”

For better or for worse, the Slowpokes the clan was using to guard the place did not suffer from the same issue. Whether that be their Psychic Typing bolstering their mental fortitude or simply because the species was too absent-minded to care.

“Bri! Bri!” The little seal protested, but was soon silenced by a little squish of his nose.

To her credit, Nina just nodded in acknowledgement. “Yeah, I know. I plan to have Brinny and Aurora spend some time in the Gym over the next couple of days. It’ll do him some good to socialize with other Pokemon and Bev’s been bugging me to let her play with him anyway.” That and the girl probably wanted to use the rare Alolan starter as clickbait for her streams.

“Good!” Misty beamed and she grabbed hold of her tray of goodies once more to be set down on the workstation. “I made cupcakes!” She declared, ignoring the involuntary wince from Nina when she saw the burnt bits that Misty had tried to hide underneath some very drippy frosting. “That’s weird… Was frosting supposed to melt?” The woman shrugged. “Eh, it is called ‘frost’-ing after all. Hehe…”

“Hmmm? Did you say something hun?”

“Nothing, dear~” Misty cooed as she leaned in to lick a bit of the sugary cream staining the corner of Ali’s mouth. Unlike the picky brat, the love of Misty’s life did not mind her cooking.

“Ewww… Get a room!” Nina groaned.

Misty smirked. “Don’t be a prude, Nins. Also, this is a room.” She argued, while gesturing at her husband’s little improvised workshop.

The girl just glared in response to her aunt’s semantics and squished down on — “Is that an Unown?” — the strange looking Pokemon in her embrace with an offended huff.

“Now, now, you two…” Ali chuckled, ever the peacemaker. “You should be glad, Nina. Misty doesn’t cook very often.” The woman had only started trying after they found out she was pregnant.

Misty and her sisters lost their mother at a relatively young age, so home cooking was a bit of a luxury for them. Part of the reason why Misty often ate with the Joneses after her marriage to Ali. And she wanted to make sure that her future child got all the benefits of her motherly love.

The precocious brat huffed in protest but still took a bite of her cupcake with a skeptical look.

Misty watched on in bated breath, feeling a little amused as Nina’s face scrunched up a little as she tried to ignore the acrid undertones mixed in with the sugary sweetness. 

“Burnt bits aside, the cake is too dense.” Nina eventually said. “I think you overworked the batter. And this icing sugar… You’re supposed to pipe it after the cake has been cooled, not fresh out of the oven. But… overall, the taste isn’t bad I guess…”

“Heh!” Misty ginned in triumph and pulled the girl in for a little smoosh. “And since when did you become such a master chef, huh?” It was clear to her that Nina had made an effort to judge her cooking fairly, and she loved her for it. Unlike Bev, that drama queen, who just spat out her creation the last time she offered.

The girl growled and forcefully extricated from her aunt’s grasp. “I’ve always been a good cook! Who do you think did most of the cooking when mom was in the hospital?!” Also, because of her picky no-Pokemon diet, she was pretty much forced to if she wanted anything that wasn’t just salad and Berries.

Misty smiled and pulled the girl in for a warm hug — one that Ali joined in on with his sticky, frosting-clad fingers, much to Nina’s chagrin. 

“You’re gonna be a great cousin, Nins…” Misty mused, prompting the girl to loosen her shoulders and return the hug.

***

Author's note:

Just realised that Pokopia is Switch 2 exclusive. Sadge...

I don't really want to buy a Switch 2 just to play it, you know?

I played Z-A on a Switch lite that I didn't even know I owned. Literally just found it while I was rummaging around. Before that, my main Switch had been broken for a couple of years now and not once had I missed it enough to either replace it or send it for repairs.  is how little I use the Switch.

So honestly, outside of Pokemon, there's really no reason for me to justify the purchase. Not to mention how little time I have for gaming as is.