Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)

Chapter 262.5: Melody

Melody awoke to a wet bounce on her head.“Nghhh… Rainy… Five more minutes…” The nine-year old reached out from the sheets, pulled her bouncy Azurill into her embrace and began nibbling at her mousey blue ears.

“Riii… Rill!” The tiny polka dot Pokemon cried, waving her tail around to fend off the noms.

“Hehehe…” Melody giggled, finally relenting after she had her fill of squishing her beloved partner. “It’s a Saturday today, Rainy… You’re not supposed to wake me up so early on a Saturdaaaaa~~” The girl yawned as her brain slowly wound up for the day. “Wait, it’s a Saturday…”

“It’s Saturday, Rainy!” Melody shot up from her sheets and stared down at her Azurill with an astonished gaze.

“Riii! Azu, azurill!” The baby Pokemon admonished, feeling a little wronged. It was Melody who told her to wake her up today!

“Aquarium Girl! Ni- Senior Nina is returning today!” She had just received the news a couple of days ago from her fellow apprentices at the Cerulean Gym. “Hehe… I’m an apprentice at the Cerulean Gym!” The thought never failed to brighten her day.

She still remembered the despair of being captured by Team Rocket, waking up to a dark and smelly cage and the ray of light that preceded her rescue. After that, Melody begged to go visit Nina at the aquarium when she heard news they were selling CDs with a chance of getting an autograph from her hero directly.

“Ask your school to let you take part in our Little League and show to us how much you love and care for your Pokemon, I’m sure your efforts won’t go unnoticed.”

That was the precious advice that Nina gave her when she asked how she could become like her. Melody took it to heart and acted upon it with a manic fervor, practically begging her teachers and doing all sorts of extra assignments in return just to get a chance of taking part in the Little League.

It all paid off and now, today, she would get to meet her idol again with her head held high. “Hehehe… I wonder how Senior Nina will praise me… Ehehe.”

“Riiilll…” Rainy the Azurill cried in exasperation.

“You’re right Rainy, I’m gonna be late!” And so the excited girl jumped right out of bed and rushed into the bathroom to clean up. She had to look her best for today!

***

“NIIIIINS!!!!!”

“Oof! Bev, your ribs… hurts…”

“You mean my boobs, bitch!”

Melody just shuffled her feet awkwardly as she watched her two seniors tussle with one another by the entrance. She had already been standing by in the reception to greet Nina the moment that she entered with her friend, but the girl’s hesitation meant that she was still too slow to act.

And now, a crowd of curious bystanders had gathered to watch the commotion, making it even more awkward.

“You don’t have to be shy, you know? I’m sure Nina would love to meet you.”

Melody looked up at the source of the voice, Mrs Mizuho, Nina’s manager and the staff in charge of the reception today. “B-But…” The girl stuttered before her attention was stolen away again, this time by a pair of twins who joined in on the reunion with maximum fervor.

““Big Sis Nina!!!””

Melody sighed. “It’s fine, I don’t want to interrupt their heartwarming moment. I’ll just wait to greet her…”

But her hope was soon dashed as she watched Lady Daisy show up, break apart her young apprentices and walk out of the Gym with Nina to go somewhere else. 

“Oh Rainy… Should I have just listened to Miss Mizuho and been braver?”

“Riiill”

The girl sighed. “It’s fine. Lady Daisy probably brought Nina out on an errand or something. I’m sure they’ll come back sooner or later.” They didn’t. Daisy eventually came back but Nina was absent the whole day.

To cope with her loss, Melody spent that evening rewatching Nina’s race in the Crystal Derby. She swooned when her idol emerged into the field with her adorable little Ponyta, wearing a dashing blue outfit and a striking yellow cape, booed at the audience when they laughed at her and cheered until her mom scolded her when the Ponyta, Rice Shower, evolved mid-race and turned into the most beautiful black Rapidash she had ever seen in her entire life.

“Moooom~ I want a Ponyta! A black one!” The girl pestered later on, earning her a flick on the forehead from the fed-up woman.

The days went by and Nina still never came. Or rather she did, but only in the mornings to practice for the upcoming monthly show. It was supposed to be a showcase of all the Gym’s young apprentices with Nina’s Nurse Joy friend in the center, but Melody had school in the morning so her practice time was in the evenings under Natsumi’s supervision. 

“Stupid, dumb school! I can’t wait to come of age already. Then I can just work full time at the Gym like Senior Beverly. After I come back from my journey, of course. I wanna race in a derby too, just like Senior Nina! I wonder if I can earn as many Star badges as her…”

“—elody! Melody!” The girl jolted when she felt the weight of a book on her head. “Melody! Get your head out of the clouds! You’re in class right now!” chided Mrs Kuwabara, her teacher.

The girl pouted while her classmates snickered. “Stupid school…”

“Honestly, what in the world are you doing?” The older woman peeked over Melody’s shoulder to look at the doodles in her notebook, prompting her to frantically throw herself over the pages to cover up her shame — a very disfigured drawing of Nina on Rice Shower.

Mrs Kuwabara sighed. “You know, Melody. Miss Jones is well-known for being a very diligent student among the academic circle. It was how she managed to attract the attention of Kanto’s two most distinguished Pokemon Professors — especially Professor Bill who is well known for being very strict in his sponsorships.”

The woman droned on. “Where most kids would have settled at being apprenticed in the Cerulean Gym, Miss Jones never once rested on her laurels and continuously sought greater heights — truly she is the pride of our city. So if you’re looking to follow in her footsteps, Melody, I urge that you emulate her work ethics and not be blinded by her more superficial and glamorous undertakings.”

Melody pouted at the woman’s words. She knew that her idol was super smart, to the point where even Lady Violet would discuss business with her. But Melody wasn’t special like Nina, she only had her cuteness and love of Pokemon to rely on.

The girl looked down at her belt where her starter Azurill was peacefully napping away in a Pokeball while she was getting lectured. “Must be nice to be a Pokemon…” If ever she got to start her life all over again, she’d wish to be one of Nina’s Pokemon.

***

“Good afternoon, Melody.”

“‘Afternoon, Senior Hime…” Melody drawled listlessly as she entered the dressing room. Hime was her fellow apprentice, a beautiful, auburn-haired girl from Alola who was the same age as the twins — a distant niece of the Mizuhanas if she remembered correctly.

The older girl was in Kanto because she had completed her Island Trials the year before — their version of the Gym Circuit — and wanted to go out and expand her horizons.

“Did you hear? Lady Jones is battling with Fuyumi right now.”

Melody immediately perked up at the girl’s words and lunged towards the startled girl. “Really? Senior Nina is in the Gym?!”

“Y-yes, they should be in Arena 6 at the moment. I believe she mentioned wanting to assess the progress of her Pokemon’s training with a battle.”

Melody immediately dashed out the door, not even bothering to put on her rubber boots, before doubling back around to yell out a “Thanks, Senior Hime!” and running off again.

After a few near misses and stern calls from the staff in the hallway, Melody made it to the arena just in time to see Fuyumi call out to her Kingler.

“We won’t lose, Artoria! Not today!”

“King!” With a huff of foam, the Kingler slammed his massive battle claw against the arena as his entire carapace took on a metallic sheen.

“I made it just in time!” The breathless girl breathed in a sigh of relief on her approach. She had seen the more aggressive of the twins battle before; Fuyumi would always start off by buffing her Kingler. So that meant the match had only just begun. And speaking of the twins…

“Mel-Mel! Over here!” Natsumi called out to her junior apprentice. Honestly if it weren’t for the fact that the Tendous were well-known as the Cerulean twins, most people wouldn’t be faulted for being confused.

Aside from the fact that Fuyumi had tried to differentiate herself by dying her hair and adopting a very edgy and rebellious haircut, Natsumi was also possessed of a wholly different disposition; long, straight black hair and a warm genial smile, the friendlier twin was the very definition of elegance. Although the more sedate girl was also less battle-proficient, devoting most of her time studying choreo with Daisy and Beverly while spearheading the city’s budding Contest scene instead.

“Good afternoon, Senior Natsumi.” The girl greeted as she was pulled into a hug.

“Gosh, didn’t I tell you to stop being so stiff. Just Natsu is fine.” Or so she said, but Melody knew for a fact that the twins were often asked to loosen up with their “Big Sis”-ing as well.

“You made it just in time, the match just started. But make sure to stay close to Mokoko, okay? Things might get a little rough with how worked up Fuyu is right now…” Natsumi cautioned the younger girl as she pulled her closer to her Venusaur, eliciting a nod from Melody as she focused her attention on her idol.

“Alright, Clody! No Poison today. Artoria’s one of the hardest hitting physical attackers in the Gym, so let’s see how your new defenses fare against him.”

“CLOOOD!” The Clodsire that Nina was commanding puffed up with a cry and slammed his bulbous tail against the floor.

“I told you not to hold back!” Fuyumi scowled. “Get in there, Artoria!”

“KIIING!!!” With a stream of Aqua Jet, the brutish crab Pokemon charged towards his opponent with a determined battlecry, his giant claw primed and ready to smash down on the Clodsire.

But Nina just whistled and Sir Clodington waited until the very last moment when the impact was almost imminent that he whipped his tail around to smack it against the side of Artoria’s claw. The clash was so loud that Melody had to cover her ears as Mokoko the Venusaur shifted to shield the two girls from the fallout.

“Don’t let up, Artoria!”

Both Pokemon were knocked back from that clash but Artoria pivoted precariously on one leg and whipped his battle claw around to strike at Sir Clodington with yet another Crab Hammer — one of his signature moves.

“Tank it, Clody!”

But the Clodsire was unfazed as he simply inflated his bulk once more and met the heavy appendage head on.

BOOM! Another clash and this time, it was Artoria that got bounced back, having sacrificed a lot of momentum for a faster follow up.

“Time to try out your new combo, Clody!”

“CLOOOOD!!!” The Clodsire bellowed and his Aura flared. Melody could see the brown of Ground, the white of Normal and the green of Grass. Then, with uncanny speed, the cumbersome bulk of the Clodsire slid across the floor and charged towards his opponent.

“Avalon!” Fuyumi called, prompting her Kingler to smash his battle claw down once more and conjure a golden Protect shield to meet the charge.

BOOOOM!!! The air exploded yet again. This time, accompanied by a bright flash of light. Melody had to hold her Azurill tight to stop her from being blown away. “Incredible, is this what a high level battle is supposed to be like?” And she knew for a fact that Nina and Fuyumi were holding back as well.

When the scene cleared, Melody could see both Pokemon staring down at each other, the Clodsire’s forehead pressed tight against Artoria’s claw.

“Kiiiing…”

“Cloood…”

As if acknowledging each other’s worth, the two stalwart Pokemon jumped back and stayed equidistant to one another.

Nina chuckled. “Not bad, Fuyu. I can see that both you and Artoria’ve been working hard while I was away.” The girl’s casual smile then faded with an intense gaze. “But I know this isn’t all you’ve got to show. So why don’t we stop messing around and get on with the climax of the show.”

Fuyumi scowled. “You’re the one who’s messing around, Big Sis! I’ve been taking this seriously since the start. But well… If that’s what you want… Artoria!”

“KING!” The Kingler raised his claw high up into the air, rays of destructive light leaking from its seams. Melody gasped and leaned in closer to look. She recognized the move, it was Fuyumi and Artoria’s ultimate move. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the arena, Nina just smirked. “Awesome! I knew you wouldn’t disappoint, Fuyu! Clody, time for your new finisher! Let’s see how your Hyper Beam compare to Artoria’s”

“CLOOOD!!!” The Clodsire puffed himself up once again. But this time, his forehead was gleaming an iridescent glow.

“Is there a jewel in that Clodsire’s forehead or something?” Melody could not recall Clodsires ever having such a trait. 

Whatever it was, even the inexperienced Melody could tell that the glowing forehead was amassing an unfathomable amount of Type Energy, to the point where even the air surrounding Sir Clodington began to distort as the brown blob just continued to get bigger and bigger, until he was nearly two times his original size.

“This is bad… Mokoko, Vine Whip!” At Natsumi’s panicked call, Melody could feel tendrils of vine wrapped around her waist as she was pulled tight against the Venusaur.

“W-What’s going on, Senior Natsumi?” Melody’s query was lost amidst the older apprentice yelling at her twin.

“Dang it, Fuyu! You’re gonna get in trouble for breaking the arena again!” Natsumi’s voice never reached her sister, because in the very next moment, she and Nina yelled out.

“EXUUU… CALIBAAAAAAAAA!!!”

“KING…KINGLAAAAAAA!!!”

“We’re not gonna lose, Clody! CALADBOOOOLG!!!”

“CLOOOOOOD!!!”

“What do all those words even meaaaan?!!!” The arena quaked and the world exploded. Even with Mokoko’s vines wrapped around her, Melody was still blown off her feet and flailed in the air, doing her darndest to keep a firm grip on the dainty Azurill in her arms.

“Hahahaha! AHAHAHA!” There was a cackle, but who from? Melody did not know. Her ears were ringing too loudly to tell. And when everything settled, she slowly coaxed her eyes open to a scene of devastation.

The central platform in the pool arena the two Pokemon were battling on was completely wrecked to the point where water would have flooded in from the side were it not for most of the pool’s volume having been evaporated into mist and rain.

On the platform, Nina’s Clodsire and Fuyumi’s Kingler could be seen huffing in exertion, still standing but looking more deflated than before — literally, in the case of Sir Clodington who had shrunk down into a loose blob. Artoria, on the other hand, was limp on one side, his battle claw slack and dragging on the floor.

Across from the arena, the two trainers had a manic look on their faces as debris continued to rain down all around them, shielded by Nina’s Espeon who’s face looked like Melody’s mom’s whenever she did something naughty.

“Wow! That was quite something huh, Fuyu?” Nina exclaimed cheerfully.

“Urgh…” Meanwhile, the younger apprentice groaned and struggled to get back on her feet. “Lady Violet’s gonna kill me… again!”

Nina laughed. “Cheer up! We’ll just run away together.” But just as she said that, an ominous chill ran down her back.

“Fuyu… Nina…!”

The girls jolted and looked over in tandem, to see the twitching face of Violet Mizuhana standing by the entrance.

“Shoot! Espy, Teleport!” But the Espeon was heedless of her trainer’s command as she laid down with a lazy yawn. “Damn it!” Nina cursed, but before she could escape, she found her ears captured by the vice-like grip of Violet’s fingers. 

And just like that, Melody’s idol, along with Fuyumi, was dragged kicking and screaming to Violet’s office where the two would be subjected to an intense lecture about their lack of restraint. After all, this arena was only meant for screening and wasn’t rated for the level of damage the two inflicted upon it.

Melody sighed with intense melancholy. She failed to greet Nina again today…

***

Author's note:

Project Hail Mary was good.

Not as good as the book, especially that final decision. For me, that was the most pivotal part of the story when the MC truly became a hero. But they simply glossed over it with a couple of lines.

I also lament the fact that they sacrificed a lot of the science in favor of drama. I mean I know it's hard to make such dry topics be compelling. But they managed to do it with The Martian didn't they?

That said, overall, I do recommend going to watch it in cinemas. Though I would suggest reading the book first before watching the movie.

Usually I would recommend the opposite. Like with The Martian, I would say watch the movie first before reading the book for maximum enjoyment.

But with Project Hail Mary, watching the movie first would only spoil the ingenious twist and turns of the source material.

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