Into the Unown Ch 192 + 192.5 (Coffee tier) + Announcement

Author's note:

Today's chapter is bundled together with a 0.5 bonus chapter. AND there's also an announcement at the end, so please don't click off right away.

***

Chapter 192

Nina and Kerry rang the shrine’s bell, clapping their hands together and bowing in deep prayer as was custom. 

However, Kurt just stepped around the donation box in irreverence and unceremoniously slid open the wooden door leading into the shrine. Beyond which was a simple altar housing a plush cushion with a singular Pokeball on top — one gleaming gold and silver.

“The GS Ball!” Nina exclaimed in her mind.

And indeed, cutting through the golden top and silver bottom like a deep scar were the letters G at the top and S at the bottom, both linked to the central button to form one continuous stroke.

“Here.” Kurt tossed the GS Ball over to Nina, causing her to fumble at it in a panic before securing it in her grip.

“The heck! How could he throw such a legendary item so casually like that?!”

But once she calmed her nerves and could properly examine the metallic sphere in her hand, Nina couldn’t help but gasp in awe. In particular, at the coarse texture of the gleaming shell, which had a sort of feather-like pattern etched all across its metallic body.

“So it’s true then, the GS Ball was crafted using the feathers of Ho-oh and Lugia…” Nina murmured, before jolting up in fright at her slip of tongue. “Crap, didn’t mean to say that out loud!”

However, Kurt just chuckled at the girl’s remark. “Heh! Seems like ya know more than I thought. That damned Elm, always such a Loudred. Don’t recognize that name you used though, is that something that brat dreamt up?” His face then twisted into a condescending smirk as he clicked his tongue. “Beautiful ain’t it? Probably the prettiest and most expensive failure ever made.”

“Failure?” Nina asked in confusion.

“Heh. D’ya know what that Ball was originally made for?”

Nina frowned in contemplation, trying to sort through her meta knowledge and consider their relevance. So far, things were a lot different in this world after all.

“Let’s see here… In the anime, the GS Ball was a discarded plotline. The original idea was for it to contain a Celebi once opened. And in the games, it was an item used to summon Celebi in her shrine.”

“To catch a Legendary…?” Nina muttered, voice full of uncertainty.

“Yup!” Kurt affirmed. “Our foolish ancestors tried to create a vessel that could contain a Legendary Pokemon — more specifically, to contain Time, in a misguided attempt to attain immortality.”

“Celebi…”

“Ha! Not that it went anywhere. Because in the end, what they got was a glorified paperweight.” Kurt sighed. “What a waste of materials… Try to open it and see.”

Nina did as she was told, pressing down on the central button that all Pokeballs had, but to no effect as the GS Ball remained inert, still cold and gleaming against her palm. “Did they forget to program it or something?”

Kurt scoffed. “Ha! Good one! But nay, that ain’t it. This Ball was brought to me by a lackey from Elm and Oak many years ago. They scanned it, did all their tests and some other science-y nonsense. The Ball should work, yet it don’t open. So what gives? That’s when they thought of ol’ Kurt.”

The man laughed. “And to think those bastards used to make fun of my art. Said it was mystic voodoo nonsense. Hah! Serves them right! Not that I managed to crack it either. But it does have an aura to it — makes it a nice bit of decoration for this here fake shrine.” 

Apparently, the shrine was originally erected as tourist bait, not that it worked since they didn’t bother to advertise it. Not to mention how difficult it was to actually access the village.

Nina nodded, unsure of what to say in response. Her mind still reeling at the casual discovery of such an important item. “This can’t be right. There has to be more to the GS Ball.” The girl recalled the disappointment from her childhood. For the GS Ball to be hyped up so much in the anime, only for it to be tossed aside and never mentioned again.

“Anyways, you asked about Celebi. That little rascal is attracted to that thing’s aura. No idea why. Bring it over to the shrine and she’s sure to show. I only found out by accident when I got lost in that rascal’s domain and had to take shelter in the shrine.”

“So Celebi is female…” Nina mused. It made sense. “Is it okay for me to take this? I mean, I know you said it doesn’t work. But this is basically an early prototype of a Master Ball isn’t it?” 

Unlike the games, Legendary Pokemon couldn’t be contained within normal Pokeballs — didn’t matter what kind. Their ancient minds were simply too vast, too incomprehensible for a mundane Psychic signature to take hold. 

The one exception was the Master Ball — a singular existence that broke all written laws on Pokemon rights, with all the usual limitations and safety features of a commercial Pokeball completely removed.

But that wasn’t all of course. The Master Ball was also capable of restraining a Legendary’s mind, forcing them into submission, a feat so incredible and so heinous that the inventor completely destroyed all traces of their research to ensure that it did not fall into the wrong hands. 

“Even the Legendary Red, Blue and Jade Orbs could only compel their respective Legendaries, not fully control them.”

In the end, only a single Master Ball was ever made, kept under guard by the Pokemon League to ensure that it never sees the light of day. The only reason why it was never destroyed was because of the usual paranoia that one would associate with conniving bureaucrats; for the off chance that a Legendary Pokemon ever went berserk one day and needed to be suppressed. Like if Giratina ever escaped the Distortion realm or something.

Kurt scowled at the mention of Master Ball. “Don’t ya dare talk about that abomination in front of me. That thing’s an affront to everything that we stand for. And I ain’t giving it to ya, just lending it, and only because my gut tells me yer a good kid. Make sure to return it when yer done. And don’t ya dare lose it!”

Nina responded with a solemn nod and thanked the old man for his generosity.

***

Author's note:

Just to note, Legendary Pokemon can be caught using regular Pokeballs. But they have to be willing.

So if Nina ever meets a Legendary that wants to journey with her, she can still catch it. I just figured this makes more sense in the context of the anime.

Also, I've just always found it to be a little absurd that an all powerful Legendary can be so easily subdued.

***

“So? What sort of Pokeball you after?” Maizie asked.

Nina and the young Pokeball smith were now sitting in her workshop. Kurt’s house had suddenly been turned into an impromptu clinic once word had spread that a Nurse Joy was in town, much to the old man’s chagrin. The retired Pokeball smith had almost popped a blood vessel when they got back and saw a line of old folks queuing at his front door.

Nina reached into her backpack and rummaged around, to retrieve the Beast Ball that she recently acquired. “This might be a long shot, but any chance you could replicate some of this guy’s functions?”

Mazie practically threw herself over the table as she eyed the Beast Ball with a hungry gaze. “That’s quite the illegal little item you got there… Where’d ya get it from?” The girl cooed like a Meowth in heat as she gently took hold of the rare item and carefully examined it from every angle.

Nina laughed. “It’s a long story… But I don’t exactly plan to parade it around. And I also only have one. So do you think you can replicate it?”

The Pokeball smith hummed. “Unlikely, but I’ll need some time to research it to know for sure. Mind giving me a couple of days with it? I’m sure gramps would be interested as well. Fair warning though, there’s a non-zero chance we might break it.”

Nina frowned in hesitation, but was ultimately convinced when Maizie told her that she would make her a fresh batch of Apricorn Balls for free and that she would give Nina a lifetime discount and priority on any future orders.

“I’ll be out and about a lot, so do you do, like, mail order or something?”

Maizie scoffed. “I live in the boonies but don’t mean I’m a bumpkin. ‘Course I do! Can’t have my clients come visiting everytime like gramp’s. ‘Sides, having a bunch of busybodies buzzing in and out is a real hassle. I’d rather just focus on my craft and let Kuwamushi handle the emails.”

“Wait, your Heracross can do emails?!”

In the end, Nina ordered the full suite of Apricorn Balls that Maizie had on offer; Heavy Ball, Lure Ball, Friend Ball, Love Ball, Level Ball, Fast Ball, Moon Ball, as well as a whole slew of other prototype originals that Maizie was working on. Since Nina was a miser and the first round was free. “Gotta make up for that Gold Nugget!”

“Wait, wait!” yelled the flustered Maizie. “I ain’t got that much time to make all of that! Not unless you wanna wait til next year. Three!” The girl exclaimed, with her fingers out. “I can make you three in the time that you have with us, since you’re leaving soon anyway. Then I’ll make you another three that I’ll transfer to you at a later date. And if we manage to figure out the Beast Ball then I’ll send you a prototype for free as well. How’s that sound?”

Nina wilted, but ultimately nodded in acknowledgement. “I suppose I can only be so unreasonable. Man, I’m really starting to become more and more like Violet huh?” It was a disturbing notion that sent shivers down her spine.

In the end, the girl settled for a Fast Ball for more skittish and restless Pokemon, a Maizie original Swamp Ball that would be perfect for Sir Clodington, and a Heavy Ball for the thiccc bois/gals out there. Those seemed to be the more immediately useful ones, though she did plan on getting more.

Some of Maizie’s other original creations seemed quite tempting as well, like a Sun Ball specifically tailored to Grass Types with adjustable internal conditions to ensure their comfort and health. Though that one was plagued with durability issues according to the young craftswoman.

Maizie nodded and noted down Nina’s orders, even asking if she wanted to customize the look of the Balls. “I should have them ready for you before you leave the village. And hopefully, I should be able to return the Beast Ball to you as well.”

Nina thanked the older girl, but instead of leaving her to work, she continued to ask some additional questions. “Maizie… The Unown that you etch into your creations…”

“No idea.” Maizie answered before Nina could finish. “I treat them almost like… art? The way that gramps does. Like, you don’t need to understand how to make paint to make use of them in a painting right? Just gotta know how the colors interact with one another and what sort of effects they bring.”

Nina nodded. It made sense, kind of. “I guess I had been treating the Unown almost like a programming language.” The fact that Mr Pokemon used the word “program” to describe Maizie’s work didn’t help either.

“So yeah, I know how the Unown interact with one another. How to chain them together and arrange them to create certain effects with my Pokeballs, but I have no idea beyond that.” 

The girl also said that the etching of each Apricorn Ball would vary depending on their grain as well since the grains acted as circuitry of sorts. “So like, the interior of two Friend Balls are different from one another and stuff. Though the color of the Apricorn, that is, the type of fruit, does make a difference. No idea why though.”

Nina scribbled in her notebook and thanked the girl for her insight. She had been examining the fragment of a broken Apricorn shell as Maizie was talking. And sure enough, the Unown letters were arranged in a discernable pattern, but not in a way that was obviously legible to her otherworldly brain. 

Although, if she squinted hard enough, Nina could maybe make out some abbreviated words here and there. “It’s hard to tell with how stylized and distorted they are. I’ll have to borrow a fragment and study them in depth later.”

“Thanks, Maizie. I should probably go check on Kerry, see if she needs any help. I’ll leave you to your work now.”

Chapter 192.5

“Don’t run off too far now, Lynxie!” Kerry called after the Shinx who was chasing after the duo of Paras that were guiding their way. 

Nina chuckled and told Espy to keep an eye on the little ones as she gently caressed the Popplio in her embrace. 

The two girls, along with the sprightly Mr Pokemon were out in the forest trying to forage for bamboo shoots. According to the old man, the season of melting snow was when the delicacy was at its sweetest.

“A shame there’s no mushrooms around in this season.” Nina remarked with a tinge of remorse.

Mr Pokemon chuckled. “There are actually, if we’re lucky enough to find them. Some mushrooms are available all year round, but they’ll start to proliferate more as the weather starts to warm. Most of them would still be buried beneath snow at the moment or simply too young to bother.” In particular, enoki mushrooms and wood ear were possible. Maybe some lion’s mane left over from winter if they were uber lucky.

“Lynxie, no!” As Nina and Mr Pokemon were chatting, they heard a distressed cry from Kerry up ahead.

“What’s wrong, Kerr?” Nina asked as she rushed up to her friend.

Kerry groaned and continued to admonish her naughty Shinx. “Lynxie, I told you. Don’t just put everything you find in your mouth! We don’t know if the mushrooms are poisonous or not.”

“Shinx…” cried the dejected lion cub, a little drool still visible on his mouth.

Nina chuckled and bent down to caress the Shinx and divert Kerry’s wrath. “Silly Lynxie, you’re going to get a tummy ache if you don’t listen to Kerry…” She then turned towards the two Paras who were gathered around the base of a tree. “Did you guys find something?” She asked while rewarding the two mushroom Pokemon for their effort with Berries.

“Pass…” One of the Paras hissed in affirmation and pointed towards the trunk of the tree where some brownish orange spots could be seen.

“Great work.” Nina smiled and gently caressed the pair of Pokemon on their brows as she got up to take a closer look. The mushrooms that were identified seemed to Nina like wild enoki, looking distinctly different from the white elongated ones that she was familiar with from the domestic variants.

“Pretty sure there’s another type of poisonous mushroom that looks pretty similar to wild enoki… Galerina, I think it’s called?” Nina did not fully trust the textbook knowledge she gained from school. So to make doubly sure, she took out her Pokedex and scanned the fungus for further identification.

Yes, the Pokedex could be used to identify plant matter and minerals as well to a certain extent. But it only used image recognition due to the lack of any advanced sensors that could analyze the composition of the subject in more depth.

“Make sure to feed one of the mushrooms to Paras before harvesting. They’ll tell us if it’s poisonous or not.” Mr Pokemon chimed, eliciting a nod from Nina. She hadn’t known that the Pokemon could be used that way.

“Fascinating… I guess that’s one way of doing things.” The girl wondered if other Grass Types could serve a similar function as well.

In the end, the mushrooms were confirmed to just be regular wild enoki, so they harvested some of the larger ones and placed them in the basket strapped to Nina’s back and moved on.

“Seems like the Paras finally found us some bamboo shoots.”

At some point during their leisurely trek, the Paras stopped and began digging at the unthawed ground, seeming to struggle a little despite their sharp claws. So Nina released Sir Clodington to help soften the ground a little.

The girl watched as the three Pokemon worked together, gradually uncovering the pointed tip of the sprout, eventually getting at the faintly layered, bulbous form of the young bamboo shoot colored in a rich layer of dirt.

“Oh my, it seems like we found a good one. When it comes to bamboo shoots, the younger the better.” Mr Pokemon said as he knelt on the ground and brushed off some of the dirt to get a better look. “Paras, be a dear and harvest it for us, will you?” He asked, prompting one of the Paras to further loosen the surrounding dirt, before cutting the bamboo shoot free with one clean slice of its claw.

“Some people will pry the entire bamboo shoot from the ground, but I prefer to leave the base in hopes that it might grow back in the future.” The old man explained as he placed their loot into Nina’s basket. 

By the end of the morning, the motley crew of foragers managed to completely fill Nina’s basket with an abundant harvest of bamboo shoots and a myriad assortment of mushrooms. They even managed to find some newly grown parsley and wild celery on warmer patches of ground, as well as some wild garlic and wasabi on the bank of a nearby spring.

It was more than what the three humans could reasonably consume. But Nina and Kerry wanted to make sure that their Pokemon could get a taste of the local delicacies as well.

“So how are we going to cook all this, sir?” Nina asked, on their way back to the village.

Mr Pokemon chuckled. “I reckon we can just throw ‘em all in a hotpot. Wadya say? I still have some of the excellent tofu that Oak sent me, and one of the ladies in the village make some delightful pickles. I’ll go and ask if she still has any to spare. Maybe even grab some miso as well.”

The girls nodded in anticipation of dinner that night.

***

The fragrant smell of sugar, alcohol and soy sauce permeated the air, emanating from a little cast iron pot suspended above crackling coals and smoldering ash, surrounded by skewered river fish roasting away with a satisfying pop. Their thin translucent skin, generously coated in salt, blistered with a satisfying pop as fat and juices drip down the bamboo skewers onto the sunken hearth of sand and ash below.

The fish was courtesy of the fidgety Nitey, whose belly Nina was now comfortably sat against. The Dragonite was trying his best not to make any sudden movement for fear of breaking the fragile wooden interior of Mr Pokemon’s home.

Nina breathed in the irresistible scent of the spread before her with a ravenous gulp as she leaned forwards to flip the fish around to cook the other side.

“Patience, girl…” Mr Pokemon laughed. “If you keep flipping them like that then the skin won’t get crispy. How about you go get the rice and the other pot from the kitchen? They should be ready by now.”

Since the little nabe pot they were using couldn’t cook enough food for all their Pokemon, Nina had broken out her larger industrial size stainless steel pot to cook the same dish they were having separately in the kitchen instead.

Nina nodded in embarrassment and got up to do as she was told with Espy in tow. And true to Mr Pokemon’s words, when Nina got back from the kitchen, the hotpot was just about ready.

With the protection of some kitchen cloth and a reserved gesture, the old man reached over and gently removed the lid from the pot, revealing neat segments of bamboo shoot, mushrooms, tofu and fish cakes simmering away in a translucent brown broth. 

A stock made from dried mushrooms, medicinal herbs, soy sauce and mirin. That was what formed the base of the hotpot they were having that night.

Kerry offered to help distribute the first portion of hotpot for the humans while Nina went to work divvying up the share for their Pokemon, leaving about half of the concoction in the pot which she directly passed over to the big-eating Nitey with the ladle as a spoon.

“Thanks for the food!” Nina and Kerry clapped their hands together in prayer, followed by the eager cries of the Pokemon surrounding them.

The girls gingerly lifted their clay bowls and cautiously blew into its searing content before daintily sipping at the savoury sweet broth steeped in all the earthy goodness of the local bounty.

“Haaa…” Nina let out a misty sigh, feeling content at the satisfying flow of heat passing through her gullet, instantly warming up her frosty body.

Next, she picked up a sliver of bamboo shoot with her chopsticks and bit down on it, revelling at the crunchy snap of the vegetable’s texture and savouring the bursts of sweetness that followed every single bite.

The girl swooned. “So sweeeet! Fresh bamboo shoots are absolutely divine!” Nina remembered mostly eating the jarred and preserved ones back in her past life, so eating it fresh like this was a novel experience for her.

Mr Pokemon laughed. “Haha. Bamboo shoots around this time are the best. All those months spent dormant in snow meant the flavors had plenty of time to concentrate and are at their absolute peak in terms of sweetness. Autumn ones on the other hand, have an earthier, more savoury taste that I love as well. Though those tend to be a little harder to chew through for my geriatric teeth.”

Nina nodded while thanking the old man for sharing his wisdom with them. “It would be nice to come back here during autumn…” The girl mused as they continued to bask in the fiery glow of the hearth and gratefully savor the hearty meal at the end of a long day.

***

Announcement:

The first ten chapters of my new original story are finally done and will be released tomorrow!

The title of the story is...

GESTALT: The Story About a Bite-Sized Mecha Princess With An Annoying Voice Claiming To Be The Author Of This World Stuck In Her Head

I will be releasing the story in two separate posts comprising of five chapter chunks.

The reason is because each chapter of the new story is longer than your standard Into the Unown chapter length. So this will make it easier for you guys to read.

The story will be available for free to everyone.

I only ask that you provide some feedback after you're done reading. Please, pretty please with a cherry on top? Even just a simple "good" or "sux" or "TFTC" will do. I just need to know that it's a story worth engaging with.

The story will go up on RR and SH at some point, but I'm hoping to accumulate at least 50-60 chapters first.

That's all I have to say. So see you tomorrow, hopefully.