Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)
Author: ZebraUnicorn
Chapter 216
The battle park was quite crowded despite the town’s smaller population — another reason why Nina disliked coming here usually. The crowd consisted of young aspiring trainers and myriad busybodies spectating to the side — mostly retired old folks with too much time on their hands.
Four arenas were drawn on the field, but each had to be split three ways just to accommodate everyone looking to battle. Not a big deal since most of the battles being conducted were fairly low leveled, but it didn’t make it any more comfortable.
Fortunately, just as Nina was beginning to feel regret at her idea, one of the spaces opened up that her opponent was attentive enough to jump onto right away.
“Wanna put some money on the line?” Nina suggested.
“Sure,” said the boy. “What do you have in mind?”
“Hmmm… say, five hundred?”
The boy winced. “That’s a bit much… How about we do a h-hundred?”
Nina smiled as she assessed her opponent; unkempt hair, face full of acne, and wearing faded and dirt stained travel gear. Judging by the looks of him, the boy was probably camping out at the Ranger Outpost to save on money.
“How about this then? If you win, I’ll give you five hundred. And if I win, I get one hundred. That sound good to you?”
The boy immediately lit up at the proposal and yelled; “Deal!”
Nina chuckled and expanded her Pokeball. There was no referee, so they would be battling on an honor system. Not the best idea for an ante match but oh well…
“Match starts once this rock hits the ground. Ready, go!” Nina tossed the rock and both trainer’s wound up their Pokeball arm, waiting for the rock to land before releasing.
“I choose you, Poppy!”
“Go, Zubat!”
“Po-po-po!” Nina’s Popplio emerged with a back flip and excited barks while Zubat let out a shrill cry and flapped erratically in the air.
“Alright, Poppy. Disarming Voice.”
“Supersonic!”
Poppy started singing while Zubat began emitting high frequency soundwaves, creating an absolutely raucous cacophony that made even their neighbouring trainers wince in displeasure.
Naturally, the confusion didn’t take hold. Supersonic had really poor accuracy to begin with and Poppy’s voice was potent enough to cancel out the sound waves.
On the other hand, the Fairy Type Energy imbued into Disarming Voice was getting through no problem, permeating every fiber of Zubat’s being and causing its muscles to repeatedly relax and contract to achieve a sensation akin to spasms and cramps.
Nina’s opponent frowned as his Zubat faltered. “Get in there and use Bite, Zubat!” He called.
“Bubble Cloud!”
Unfortunately before Zubat could even get close enough to Bite Poppy, it was hindered by a wall of exploding bubbles that slowed it down just enough to allow Poppy to make the next move.
“Water Pulse, Poppy! Just like Nitey taught you.”
“Pop-po. Popplio!”
One after another, rings of compressed Water smashed into the Zubat, bombarding it relentlessly until it fainted and fell onto the ground.
Water Pulse as a move taught a Pokemon how to compress and mould Type Energy, serving as a good basis for all sorts of other more advanced Water Type moves. The key then, for a rapid fire Water Pulse that Poppy just demonstrated, was in the deftness of the compression and release of the projectile.
By releasing the Water Pulse bit by bit and continually maintaining a steady pressure, Nina’s Popplio was able to shoot out a continuous barrage of Water Pulses in quick succession with minimal loss in potency.
“Why don’t we go for another round?” Nina said to her dejected opponent. “You should have other Pokemon right?”
The boy nodded, unwilling to give up on his payday. “Yeah, but don’t come crying when you lose because next is my starter. I choose you, Sandslash!”
“Ho…” Nina grinned, eyes locking into focus. “Time to get serious, Poppy.” The girl then followed up her words by whistling a melodic tune, signalling for her Popplio to prime a Hydro Pump.
“Defense Curl, Sandslash! And… Rollout!”
Nina held back her scoff and merely instructed Poppy to hold steady as the rolling ball of razor sharp scales and claws came barreling towards them.
“Steady… steady aaand… now!”
“Po!”
Right as Sandslash was about to make impact, Poppy shot a Hydro Pump at the ground, propelling him vertically into the air and out of harm's way as the Ground Type Pokemon crashed into the stream of high pressure Water Type Energy.
“Saaand!” Sandslash cried out in pain as it was flattened into a wet puddle on the ground, forcefully cancelling the Rollout. But Nina wasn’t done yet.
“Time to test out your new finisher, Poppy. Ice Crash!”
“Popplio!”
Poppy did a fanciful flip in the air and began spinning like a top, his translucent ruff flayed out and took on a jagged and icy quality while a tornado of Icy Wind encompassed his body. And through sheer force of gravity, Poppy fell from his lofty heights and crashed into the Sandslash in an explosion of Ice and mist.
This was a combination move of Ice Spinner and Icy Wind. Nina was hoping to incorporate Aqua Jet as well to avoid the damage of falling from such a dangerous height. But unfortunately, Poppy wasn’t adept enough to mix Type Energy just yet.
As the mist settled and visibility was restored, what remained on the field was an exhausted looking Poppy and a fainted Sandshrew partially frozen in Ice.
Nina cheered. “You did it, Poppy! Great job!”
“Po-po-po! Popplio!”
The showy Popplio pushed himself to do another front flip despite his exhaustion and the moment that he landed, he began glowing an incandescent light.
“Yes, finally!”
The tiny sea lion's physique began to morph and grow, expanding ever so slightly in length as his blue skin took on a lighter hue. The translucent ruff that was originally around his neck receded like the waves and grew out around his waist instead, to form layers of pretty little skirt-like ruffles.
All the while, adorable little pom-poms protruded out of his stubby little ears, to form braids of sorts, contributing to a more feminine form despite his actual gender.
And when the Light of Evolution finally faded, what was left in the Popplio’s place was a lovely looking Brionne, colloquially known as the pop star Pokemon.
“Bri~bri~bri~bri~ Ooonne~♪”
Brione debuted in a melodic song as he did a little twirl in the air before sliding over to Nina’s side to celebrate.
“Hahaha! You did it Brinny! I knew you could!”
“Bri~ bri!”
“Gosh, you look so pretty now! Just like an idol!”
“Briii!”
Nina swooped her Brionne up into her arms and smothered him with boops and kisses, completely ignoring the flabbergasted look on the boy she was previously battling. “We should make you a flower crown later and do a little photoshoot with Azzy. Bev’s gonna freak out when she sees the pictures!”
“Err… Congrats.” The boy chimed as he walked across the slippery arena to approach Nina. In his hand was a tight wad of cash that he was glancing at in remorse.
“Thanks!” Nina beamed. “Oh, and don’t worry about the bet. I don’t really need the money, think of it as thanks for helping me Evolve Brinny.”
“A-Are you sure?” The boy sputtered, but the hopeful look in his eyes indicated that he really wanted Nina to answer yes.
The girl giggled, eliciting a blush from the boy. “Yes, I’m sure. Don’t worry about it. Why don’t you take that money and go treat your Pokemon to something nice for me.”
“T-Thanks! I mean, cool!” The boy then stole a few awkward glances at the Pokemon in Nina’s arms. “I-Is it okay for me to pet Brionne…? If you don’t mind that is! It’s okay to say no — no pressure or anything! It’s just that, I’ve never seen such a rare Pokemon in person before.”
“Bri~ bri!”
Nina laughed as she held Brinny out for the boy to play with. If this was one of her more introverted Pokemon like Espy and Azzy then the answer probably would have been a no. But Brinny was quite the friendly little seal and loved to meet new people, much like Nitey when he was little.
“Wow… he’s adorable.” The boy awed as he played with Brinny’s floppy flippers, eliciting a nuzzle from the Brionne’s squishy nose.
“Are you from Alola by the way? Dad did say that girls from Alola were pretty but wow… he wasn’t kidding.” The boy said in a sheepish manner, causing Nina to break out into laughter at the cheesy pick up.
Luckily, another trainer approached at this point to challenge Nina to a battle, saving her the awkwardness of having to let the boy down, gently or otherwise.
***
Author's note:
There'll be a bonus chapter tomorrow. But I gotta do a quick rewrite for a small portion of it first. If I can't make time for it then it'll be out Wednesday.
So tired...
Four arenas were drawn on the field, but each had to be split three ways just to accommodate everyone looking to battle. Not a big deal since most of the battles being conducted were fairly low leveled, but it didn’t make it any more comfortable.
Fortunately, just as Nina was beginning to feel regret at her idea, one of the spaces opened up that her opponent was attentive enough to jump onto right away.
“Wanna put some money on the line?” Nina suggested.
“Sure,” said the boy. “What do you have in mind?”
“Hmmm… say, five hundred?”
The boy winced. “That’s a bit much… How about we do a h-hundred?”
Nina smiled as she assessed her opponent; unkempt hair, face full of acne, and wearing faded and dirt stained travel gear. Judging by the looks of him, the boy was probably camping out at the Ranger Outpost to save on money.
“How about this then? If you win, I’ll give you five hundred. And if I win, I get one hundred. That sound good to you?”
The boy immediately lit up at the proposal and yelled; “Deal!”
Nina chuckled and expanded her Pokeball. There was no referee, so they would be battling on an honor system. Not the best idea for an ante match but oh well…
“Match starts once this rock hits the ground. Ready, go!” Nina tossed the rock and both trainer’s wound up their Pokeball arm, waiting for the rock to land before releasing.
“I choose you, Poppy!”
“Go, Zubat!”
“Po-po-po!” Nina’s Popplio emerged with a back flip and excited barks while Zubat let out a shrill cry and flapped erratically in the air.
“Alright, Poppy. Disarming Voice.”
“Supersonic!”
Poppy started singing while Zubat began emitting high frequency soundwaves, creating an absolutely raucous cacophony that made even their neighbouring trainers wince in displeasure.
Naturally, the confusion didn’t take hold. Supersonic had really poor accuracy to begin with and Poppy’s voice was potent enough to cancel out the sound waves.
On the other hand, the Fairy Type Energy imbued into Disarming Voice was getting through no problem, permeating every fiber of Zubat’s being and causing its muscles to repeatedly relax and contract to achieve a sensation akin to spasms and cramps.
Nina’s opponent frowned as his Zubat faltered. “Get in there and use Bite, Zubat!” He called.
“Bubble Cloud!”
Unfortunately before Zubat could even get close enough to Bite Poppy, it was hindered by a wall of exploding bubbles that slowed it down just enough to allow Poppy to make the next move.
“Water Pulse, Poppy! Just like Nitey taught you.”
“Pop-po. Popplio!”
One after another, rings of compressed Water smashed into the Zubat, bombarding it relentlessly until it fainted and fell onto the ground.
Water Pulse as a move taught a Pokemon how to compress and mould Type Energy, serving as a good basis for all sorts of other more advanced Water Type moves. The key then, for a rapid fire Water Pulse that Poppy just demonstrated, was in the deftness of the compression and release of the projectile.
By releasing the Water Pulse bit by bit and continually maintaining a steady pressure, Nina’s Popplio was able to shoot out a continuous barrage of Water Pulses in quick succession with minimal loss in potency.
“Why don’t we go for another round?” Nina said to her dejected opponent. “You should have other Pokemon right?”
The boy nodded, unwilling to give up on his payday. “Yeah, but don’t come crying when you lose because next is my starter. I choose you, Sandslash!”
“Ho…” Nina grinned, eyes locking into focus. “Time to get serious, Poppy.” The girl then followed up her words by whistling a melodic tune, signalling for her Popplio to prime a Hydro Pump.
“Defense Curl, Sandslash! And… Rollout!”
Nina held back her scoff and merely instructed Poppy to hold steady as the rolling ball of razor sharp scales and claws came barreling towards them.
“Steady… steady aaand… now!”
“Po!”
Right as Sandslash was about to make impact, Poppy shot a Hydro Pump at the ground, propelling him vertically into the air and out of harm's way as the Ground Type Pokemon crashed into the stream of high pressure Water Type Energy.
“Saaand!” Sandslash cried out in pain as it was flattened into a wet puddle on the ground, forcefully cancelling the Rollout. But Nina wasn’t done yet.
“Time to test out your new finisher, Poppy. Ice Crash!”
“Popplio!”
Poppy did a fanciful flip in the air and began spinning like a top, his translucent ruff flayed out and took on a jagged and icy quality while a tornado of Icy Wind encompassed his body. And through sheer force of gravity, Poppy fell from his lofty heights and crashed into the Sandslash in an explosion of Ice and mist.
This was a combination move of Ice Spinner and Icy Wind. Nina was hoping to incorporate Aqua Jet as well to avoid the damage of falling from such a dangerous height. But unfortunately, Poppy wasn’t adept enough to mix Type Energy just yet.
As the mist settled and visibility was restored, what remained on the field was an exhausted looking Poppy and a fainted Sandshrew partially frozen in Ice.
Nina cheered. “You did it, Poppy! Great job!”
“Po-po-po! Popplio!”
The showy Popplio pushed himself to do another front flip despite his exhaustion and the moment that he landed, he began glowing an incandescent light.
“Yes, finally!”
The tiny sea lion's physique began to morph and grow, expanding ever so slightly in length as his blue skin took on a lighter hue. The translucent ruff that was originally around his neck receded like the waves and grew out around his waist instead, to form layers of pretty little skirt-like ruffles.
All the while, adorable little pom-poms protruded out of his stubby little ears, to form braids of sorts, contributing to a more feminine form despite his actual gender.
And when the Light of Evolution finally faded, what was left in the Popplio’s place was a lovely looking Brionne, colloquially known as the pop star Pokemon.
“Bri~bri~bri~bri~ Ooonne~♪”
Brione debuted in a melodic song as he did a little twirl in the air before sliding over to Nina’s side to celebrate.
“Hahaha! You did it Brinny! I knew you could!”
“Bri~ bri!”
“Gosh, you look so pretty now! Just like an idol!”
“Briii!”
Nina swooped her Brionne up into her arms and smothered him with boops and kisses, completely ignoring the flabbergasted look on the boy she was previously battling. “We should make you a flower crown later and do a little photoshoot with Azzy. Bev’s gonna freak out when she sees the pictures!”
“Err… Congrats.” The boy chimed as he walked across the slippery arena to approach Nina. In his hand was a tight wad of cash that he was glancing at in remorse.
“Thanks!” Nina beamed. “Oh, and don’t worry about the bet. I don’t really need the money, think of it as thanks for helping me Evolve Brinny.”
“A-Are you sure?” The boy sputtered, but the hopeful look in his eyes indicated that he really wanted Nina to answer yes.
The girl giggled, eliciting a blush from the boy. “Yes, I’m sure. Don’t worry about it. Why don’t you take that money and go treat your Pokemon to something nice for me.”
“T-Thanks! I mean, cool!” The boy then stole a few awkward glances at the Pokemon in Nina’s arms. “I-Is it okay for me to pet Brionne…? If you don’t mind that is! It’s okay to say no — no pressure or anything! It’s just that, I’ve never seen such a rare Pokemon in person before.”
“Bri~ bri!”
Nina laughed as she held Brinny out for the boy to play with. If this was one of her more introverted Pokemon like Espy and Azzy then the answer probably would have been a no. But Brinny was quite the friendly little seal and loved to meet new people, much like Nitey when he was little.
“Wow… he’s adorable.” The boy awed as he played with Brinny’s floppy flippers, eliciting a nuzzle from the Brionne’s squishy nose.
“Are you from Alola by the way? Dad did say that girls from Alola were pretty but wow… he wasn’t kidding.” The boy said in a sheepish manner, causing Nina to break out into laughter at the cheesy pick up.
Luckily, another trainer approached at this point to challenge Nina to a battle, saving her the awkwardness of having to let the boy down, gently or otherwise.
***
Author's note:
There'll be a bonus chapter tomorrow. But I gotta do a quick rewrite for a small portion of it first. If I can't make time for it then it'll be out Wednesday.
So tired...