Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)
Chapter 168

“I can’t believe so much happened while I was asleep,” said the pale-faced Kerry.

“Wow, you must have been really conked out if you didn’t even hear the alarm.” Nina said in return. “How are you feeling now? Can you eat?”

Nina had ordered all the most expensive items on the ship’s menu along with a buffet of sweets for Nitey. There was no need to worry about not being able to finish the food since both Nitey and Sir Clodington were voracious eaters.

Kerry let out a weak smile and thanked Nina for her concern. “I’ll nibble around and have some tea. I’ll be fine once we reach land.”

Nina reached out to squeeze her friend’s hand, looking guilty all the while. “Sorry, I didn’t know about your seasickness. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have suggested we go to Cinnabar by boat.”

Kerry chuckled and returned the squeeze. “It’s fine. I didn’t know that I got seasick either.” Apparently, this was the first time that the young Joy had ever been out at sea. “And I was curious about the S.S. Anne as well.” The girl continued as she looked around at their opulent surroundings. The wait staff had arranged a private room for Nina and her companions.

“This place is really fancy huh? I’m almost nervous to eat here.”

Nina laughed. “It’s fine. Everything is free of charge and no one would dare to sass us with Nitey around.”

“Nite~” The Dragonite echoed his partner’s sentiment and attempted to reach out to give Kerry a gentle pat, only to be held back by a Psychic aura from Espy who admonished the big orange oaf for nearly staining Kerry with the icing sugar on his hand.

Kerry laughed and proceeded to clean the clumsy Dragon with a napkin.

“So Nina, will you be challenging the Cinnabar Gym?”

Nina hummed as she took out her Boulder Badge from the metal case she got for it. “Dunno, Blaine only takes challengers with at least five badges. He might make an exception for me, but there’s no guarantee. Besides, no way am I good enough to challenge the Star team of a former Champion just yet.”

Nina did want to meet Blaine though. In fact, if her Pokemon Mansion plans fell through then Blaine was her backup. Problem was, the man had become quite an eccentric recluse in his twilight years. His Gym still stands, but most of the time it was his subordinates that were handing out badges. While the man himself only showed his face if someone interesting showed up. A lot of the time, one couldn’t even challenge him to a Star battle even if they wanted to.

“Oh well, we’ll see how it goes…”

***

Nina zipped up her windbreaker and dialed up the built-in temperature control of the yellow jacket the moment they disembarked from the S.S. Anne. To her side, Kerry did the same — Nina had gifted her a green version of the same one she had, courtesy of PKQLO, the clothing company that sponsored her. 

The Aquarium Girl brand had exploded in popularity thanks to the League’s propaganda. They couldn’t afford to tell the general public the entire truth surrounding the incident in Celadon City. So the accomplishments of the young trainers involved were made to sound much more impressive than it actually was, with a special emphasis on Lilian, Lance’s nominal successor.

The two girls shivered, feeling the chill of the ocean winds deep within their bones. There was no snow in Cinnabar Island, and even during the dead of winter, Nina could still see grey plumes of smoke rising from the island’s volcano in the distance.

Walking around the beach paradise in January was an uncanny experience. The wide sandy beaches were entirely empty save for a few daring surfers crashing against the waves. And the streets, usually lined with a myriad of stalls and shops selling food and paraphernalia to throngs of tourists, were vacant and shuddered.

In fact, aside from a very lively bar by the docks and the handful of eateries still open, neither Nina nor Kerry could spot any of the locals walking about. The entire island just felt eerie and deserted. 

Nina flipped open her Pokedex to check on her map. “We should head to the inn and settle our luggage first. Maybe head into the hot springs for a little dip.” 

The otherworlder had actually tried to see if she could book Blaine’s Big Riddle Inn, like what she saw in the anime. But she couldn’t find any listings online. So either Blaine was an extreme luddite or the inn didn’t exist in this world.

Kerry nodded fervently at her friend’s words, eager for a hot bath as well.

***

The inn that Nina booked wasn’t the most expensive, nor was it the cheapest, but the most historic one she could find. It was located in close proximity to the volcano and had been burned down and rebuilt multiple times over the years. Each time, they would take extra care to rebuild it to being as close to the original as possible, barring some modern additions like plumbing, electricity and so on.

The building itself was a simple, two-storey, Edo style construct. Its most distinctive feature being the lumber used in its construction; dark and rich walnut wood with an equally dark varnish that served to accentuate the wood’s natural grains and imbue it with a caramel hue. Combine that with the weathered scores of time and the result was a quaint little inn that simply oozed character and age.

“Welcome to the Hinoyama Onsen Ryokan. My name is Orihime, proprietress of this establishment, and I will be at your service during the duration of your stay.”

The one who came out to greet the two girls was a middle-aged woman in an elegant kimono, with a Meowth by her side.

“Oh my gosh, is that an Alolan Meowth?!” Nina exclaimed as she excitedly bent down to examine the smug looking, grey-furred feline Pokemon before her.

“Meowww~” The Alolan Meowth gave its paws a little lick before extending it to Nina for a handshake, which the girl gladly reciprocated, marvelling at the fleshy paw beans she was squishing.

Orihime chuckled. “Indeed, Tamako is our inn’s guardian — a gift from one of our regulars. You will often see her loitering around the baths, so please do not be alarmed. She can be a little mischievous but is well behaved most of the time.”

Nina nodded alongside Kerry who had also approached to engage with the rare Meowth variant. “Can I feed her Berries?” Nina asked, eager to pamper the haughty little feline.

“Of course,” responded the madam. “Perhaps you can play with Tamako while we check in? Feel free to leave your shoes by the entrance and put on the slippers we have prepared for you by the side.” The woman said, as she patiently waited for her two guests to follow her into the reception room — a quaint little tatami room with a table and cushions adorning the center.

Nina and Kerry settled down on the floor, eager to feed some Berries to the kitty cat, while Orihime left the room and came back shortly with a tray of piping hot tea to warm their souls.

Nina sighed as she took a sip from the beautifully lacquered tea cup their hostess placed before her. “Ah… that hits the spot alright.”

“Now then, these are the keys to your room,” said Orihime as she gently placed two pouches before the girls. “The pouches are there to protect the keys from moisture, so please take care.”

She then went on to explain the rules of the inn. “Your package includes breakfast and dinner — breakfast will be seven in the morning and dinner at seven in the evening. Do let us know if you wish for our staff to wake you up for breakfast.”

Nina and Kerry both nodded in understanding and abstained from the wake up call. Neither of them were so tardy as to need it.

“Here in Hinoyama Onsen, we pride ourselves in the eight varieties of baths that we have on offer, each uniquely different from the next with different mineral compositions. Even an acidic sulfur bath famed for its healing and antibacterial properties. Unfortunately, that also means that some baths may only be accessible in the designated bathing areas.

“Fortunately, we do switch the male and female baths around after each cleaning — which will last for an hour and occur twice throughout the day, at the same time that we serve your meals. Please take care and pay attention to the color of the noren, the curtains, before entering the baths, to prevent any accidents.” That last part was said with a wink and a smirk, prompting laughter from the girls as well.

“We also sell local souvenirs here should you be so inclined, or if you’re just feeling a little peckish and are craving snacks.” And with that, Orihime then got up to escort Nina and Kerry over to their room — a quaint little space on the second floor, lined with fragrant tatami and overlooking the volcano.

“Let’s unpack and quickly get into the baths,” said the eager Kerry, eliciting a passionate nod from Nina.

***

“Have you heard of a place called the Pokemon Mansion by any chance?” Nina asked Madame Orihime. She had just gotten out of the baths with Espy and was wandering around, admiring the historical building when she encountered the graceful beauty. She figured that the proprietress of such a storied inn should have quite a long memory.

Next to Nina was an old charcoal drawing of Cinnabar Island in its early days, laminated and hung up on the wall in a glass frame. The charcoal etchings were smudged here and there, the paper creased, singed from fire and yellowed from age. Yet the image of the sleepy little fishing village on display remained as vivid as the day it was drawn. 

Orihime followed Nina’s gaze, staring at the drawing as she hummed in consideration. “I’ve heard of Pokemon Mansions before but those were in other regions I believe. Or perhaps a mansion inhabited solely by Pokemon? You’ll have to be a bit more specific, dear.”

Nina nodded. “It should be a building that was burnt down ages ago. I’m not sure if Pokemon Mansion is even its proper name. But it used to be inhabited by a man named Professor Fuji, an associate of Gym Leader Blaine I believe.”

Orihime gaped in realization at Nina’s words. “Ahh… Yes, old man Fuji. I remember now. I don’t believe that mansion was ever named but it was teeming with Pokemon, yes. As you would expect from an esteemed Pokemon Professor. I believe Master Blaine used to be a research assistant there during his youth, before he became Champion. How nostalgic…”

The madame of the inn spoke about how her mother used to go there to help clean the mansion and deliver meals to the Professor, and that she would bring her along. Little Orihime at the time would play around with the Pokemon while her mother worked, occasionally trying to help, only to make more of a mess from her meddling.

The woman laughed, bringing to life the wrinkles on her beautiful face. “Those were good times. I can tell you where the mansion used to be, but I’m afraid there’s nothing there for you to find — it has long since been demolished and turned into an orchard I believe.”

Nina sighed in disappointment, no wonder she received no warning from Hikari or her Mew Gem. “Do you know who owns the Orchard by chance?” She was secretly hoping that the answer was Blaine or some sort of major character. But Orihime just said that it was a random foreigner from a different region.

“May I ask why you’re seeking the mansion?”

Nina tilted her head in consideration on what to say. “Professor Oak is one of my sponsors and he mentioned before that Mr Fuji used to be his mentor, so I was hoping to pay my respects.”

“Ahh… I see. It’s unfortunate that I am unable to be of assistance.” Orihime pressed a finger against her lips in recollection. “Come to think of it, I don’t even know where old man Fuji is at present. I hope he’s alive and well…”

“Me too…” Nina muttered. “Me too…”