Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)
Chapter 170

They got lost a few times. Since the wild Pokemon conveyed their instructions via vague imagery, and most of the fiery caverns looked much the same to Nina and her companions.

But eventually, they reached it — a natural geothermal spring hidden deep within the volcano.

“Wow…” Nina awed at the powerful geysers bursting violently into the air and clashing against the cavern ceiling, the myriad pools of bubbling hot magma and steamy hot springs dotting the space.

Looking around, past the hazy fog, Nina could see an entire colony of Magmars and Magbies lounging around the space. Some of the Magmars were relaxing in the lava pool, and some just got out of the bath of molten earth to cool down in one of the hot springs. 

Sounds of excited cries and happy laughter could be heard permeating the cavern, of several Magbies jumping atop an active geyser and getting launched into the air, each of them competing to see who could land closest to a bullseye in one of the pools.

“Amazing…” Kerry sighed. “I’ve never seen anything like this before…”

Nina nodded in agreement. “To think that there were still such incredible sights in existence. This world truly is wonderful.” Even after all the documentaries that the girl had seen since she transmigrated into this world, the fact that she could still be surprised showed just how big the Pokemon world actually was.

“Mag. Magmortar.”

However, just as the two girls and their Pokemon were about to venture further in, to greet one of the wild Magmars, they were intercepted by an imposing figure, looking grizzled and scarred all over, and exuding an aura that would cow all but the most resilient of minds.

Luckily, they had Espy who, after embarrassing herself in front of that fake Mega Charizard, had been hard at work in bolstering her willpower. At present, she wouldn’t even be fazed by an Alpha, let alone a washed up Pokemon at merely the elite tier.

The Espeon completely dissipated the Magmortar’s aura and even displaced it with her own domain as both she and Nitey let loose to engage the senior Pokemon in an invisible battle of wills.

The ground cracked and rumbled, geysers swelled and exploded in tandem as all the Pokemon nearby stopped what they were doing to gawk at the clashing auras.

Kerry anxiously grabbed hold of Nina’s arm, only for the girl to give her a reassuring pat and stepped forward to meet with the Magmortar.

“You’re Master Blaine’s Magmortar right?” The girl asked with a smile. “I recognise that scar across your right eye. Big fan, by the way.”

Magmortar huffed in affirmation, flames spewing out of his prominent, fleshy red lips, but offered no more reply. 

Nina continued to smile and engage. “We’re actually here looking for Master Blaine. You wouldn’t happen to know where he is right now, would you?”

Magmortar huffed once again in lieu of a reply. He then unceremoniously turned his back and lumbered off into the distance.

Nina looked towards Espy to ask if they should follow. But the Psychic just shook her head in denial and gestured towards the other Magmars instead, who were looking at the group in curiosity. The girl sighed helplessly and went back to Kerry.

“Welp, looks like we’ll be hanging out here for a little bit. Let’s ask around and see if there’s any adventurous Magby that wants to join your team.”

“What happened?” asked the confused Kerry. From her point of view, her friend was almost about to come to blows with a former Champion’s Ace but somehow got out on top.

Nina chuckled. “Who knows… I guess he was just assessing our worth? Either way, Espy is saying that we should wait, so let’s do that.”

And with that, Nina went around to greet some of the Magmars relaxing in the hot springs. In truth she wanted to jump in herself as well, but it was likely that the boiling hot liquid was not safe for humans.

That didn’t stop Nitey though, who, after giving himself a quick rinse with Water Type Energy, submerged himself into the boiling pool of water with a satisfied groan and proceeded to engage in conversation with one of the Magmars, like they were long lost buddies who just so happened to bump into each other in the spa.

Nina had no idea what was being said, but the Magmar was bellowing with laughter in short order, relaxing the residual tension by a fair bit.

Meanwhile, Espy rolled her eyes in exasperation and tentatively dipped her paw in the pool, only to jump back in fright and hiss at the offending water.

Nina laughed. It seemed like her princess was tempted to take a little dip as well. So she released Sir Clodington and asked him to create a little divot on the ground, away from the source of the boiling spring water.

“Espy, can you funnel some water into Clody’s divot with your mind? I’ll have Nitey cool it down with some of his regular water.” Her first instinct was actually to dip Gastly in the water to cool it down like an ice cube. But unfortunately, the Ghost Type didn’t actually work that way. 

Gastly felt cold to the touch, but wasn’t actually cold. It’s more to do with the fact that the ball of phantom gas was directly interacting with Nina’s soul through touch.

Once everything was done, Nina took off her boots and socks, rolled up her pants and dipped it in the water with a contented sigh.

“C’mon Kerry, the temperature is just nice. It’ll be good to soak our feet a little bit and loosen up from all that time we spent walking.”

Kerry nodded sheepishly and followed Nina’s lead. Even the bath hating Brucey tried to mimic his trainer as he cautiously dipped his claws in. Meanwhile, Espy submerged her whole body with a lengthy purr and Sir Clodington begged to be returned, unable to endure the elevated temperatures any longer.

Nina groaned, thoroughly feeling the warmth of the spring water soaking into her weary feet. “Hey Nitey, remember to help Kerry ask about any Magby willing to journey with us.” She called as she fished Gastly out of her shadow and lowered her into the water as well.

The girl wasn’t actually sure if her ball of gas could even feel the effects of the hot spring. But Gastly seemed happy to just float around like a beach ball and be included, so that was good enough.

They stayed there for some time, just sweating it out. And Nina even managed to lure a trio of Magby over to their little pond with the promise of Berries. Until Espy prodded at Nina’s feet and gestured towards the distance.

The girl nodded in response and offloaded the Berries in her hand to Kerry, before giving the Magby in front of her a little smooch. “Hey Kerr, Espy and I are gonna wander off for a little bit. I’ll leave Nitey here to protect you, so just wait for my return okay?”

Kerry frowned but gave an apprehensive nod in return. She was more worried about Nina’s safety than her own, but if Espy was coming with then it would be fine. “Be careful, alright?” The young Joy cautioned with a gentle hug.

“I will.” Nina responded with a smile and got up to dry her feet and put her shoes back on before walking away with Espy by her side and Gastly in her shadow. She also made sure to tell Nitey and Brucey to stick close to Kerry, just in case.

***

Nina could feel her lungs burning, eyes searing from the blinding light, prompting her to dig out her sunglasses and put them on. Espy was feeling the heat as well, but her eyes were fine, as one would expect from a species who could stare at the sun for hours on end.

In front of Nina was the heart of the volcano, a bubbling pool of lava that would occasionally burst out and splash onto the precarious cliff face she was on with a threatening sizzle. Frankly, if not for Espy shielding her, Nina would not even dare to approach the place.

Nina continued to tread carefully along the rocky surface, being extra careful not to accidentally step into a puddle of molten ground and ruin her boots, and her feet, by accident. Her goal was a hunchbacked figure in the distance, standing atop a protrusion and overlooking the precarious caldera of molten lava like it was just a mundane pond in someone’s backyard.

“Gym Leader Blaine?” Nina called out to the man wearing a Hawaiian shirt without a single speck of hair on his head, likely all burnt off by the volcano’s heat. “My name is Nina, Melina Jones — a Gym Trainer from the Cerulean Gym. I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time?” The girl said, with a respectful curtsy.

“So you’re Mew’s chosen…” The man said in return, his voice sounding feeble and weary, yet sonorous all the same, containing within it a subtle charisma, one that demanded the full attention of his listeners.

Nina jolted and reached into her shirt to expose the Mew Gem she was wearing. “That’s why I’m here. Do you know what this gem is? What I’m supposed to do with it?”

With a steady shuffle of his sandals, Blained turned around and made his way over to where Nina was standing, to gaze upon the girl through the circular lens of the sunglasses he was wearing.

He then shifted his sight to look at the Mew Gem dangling from Nina’s hand and said; “The answer which you seek, lies in the town of lilac and grief.”

Nina sighed. “Lavender Town… So I have to seek out Mr Fuji then. Question is, am I ready yet?” She asked, recalling Hikari’s warning.

The man rubbed at his left forearm, as if experiencing a phantom pain. And in lieu of a response, Blaine just turned his back and returned to the edge, beckoning for Nina to follow.

The girl looked towards her companion Espeon in apprehension and received a determined nod from Espy, vowing that she would catch her if she fell.

“Otherwise you would never hear the end of it from Nitey right?” Nina chuckled, eliciting an eye roll from her partner. That last part was left unsaid, but Nina felt it all the same. And she herself certainly did not want to spend months being treated for burns under intensive care again.

That said, Nina couldn’t help but feel her spasms flare up as she approached the burning caldera. The girl might have overcome the fear in her mind, but her body still remembered the agony of being burned alive. Her only solace was the soothing touch of Espy’s Psychic aura.

Nina reached down to give her princess a kiss before steeling herself and strutting over to Blaine’s side.

The old man pointed at the center of the caldera where there was a particularly bright spot, like someone had stolen the sun and hidden it within the depths of the volcano. “You will be ready, once you are strong enough to take fire from the sun.” He responded.

However, before Nina could even express her confusion, the lava bulged and the sun rose, unveiling what appeared to be the bud of a flower — its petals bright orange and tinged a deep red, adorned with black spots and dripping with liquid fire.

Nina and Espy awed at the sight. However, it didn’t end there, because the flower bloomed with a fiery flourish, scattering burning motes of pollen all over the space which rained down on the Psychic barrier that was encompassing Espy and the two humans.

What emerged from the sea of molten flames was a Pokemon with an angular, jet black abdomen, lined with glistening light blue scales and fur of greyish white, smoldering like the ashes of a volcano. Adorning its head were a pair of devilish horns and gleaming blue compound eyes, like jewels set against the void. And those ‘petals’ that Nina observed, they unfurled to become six majestic insectoid wings, billowing in the heat like dancing flames.

“A Volcarona…” Nina muttered. “Is this what you meant by the sun? But then what fire am I supposed to take?”

Blaine gave the girl a little smirk and produced a shiny red Gym badge with a flick of his hand, before tossing it into the caldera, where it was caught in the fuzzy white fur of the Volcarona.

Nina groaned. “You gotta be kidding me…” She didn’t have Nitey with her right now and her instincts were telling her that the Dragonite was still a little short of beating the sun Pokemon. Because that Volcarano looked ancient, way beyond the average size of its species and clearly an Alpha.

The girl wouldn’t be surprised if she was told that the Alpha Volcarona had been guarding this volcano since time immemorial.

Blaine laughed in amusement. “Do not be discouraged. The fire contains within it the brilliance of a star. And should you succeed, you may gain more than you seek.”

Nina groaned at the man’s cryptic words. “Brilliance of a star” clearly meant that the Volcano Badge on Volcarona was a Star badge. She had no idea what Blaine meant by gaining more than she seeked though. And Nina did not want to give the riddle-obsessed weirdo the satisfaction of asking, not that he would give her a clear answer anyway.

The girl sighed. “So that’s it then? I can go to Lavender Town once my Pokemon become strong enough to steal the badge away from that Alpha Volcarona?”

Blaine nodded silently and continued to brood over the glowing lava. While Volcarona once again curled up and submerged itself in slumber, patiently awaiting the day of Nina’s return to challenge it.

***

Author's note:

Just a head's up that the next chapter release will come with a bonus 0.5 chapter as well. So you guys are getting two chapters on Monday.

Also, reminder that my Patreon exists and that you can read up to Chapter 187 at the highest tier.