Chapter 34: Chapter 34

“So, how have you been, Nina?” Began Roxy, as was customary for the teacher at this point.

“I’m fine. Thanks for asking, Ms Roxy. Just spent the weekend over at my grandma’s place in Pewter City.”

Roxy smiled. “Ah… Pewter City, a place steeped in history. It used to be a military complex you know? Its proximity to Viridian, and its relative safety away from the frontlines along with the mountains shielding it meant that it was an ideal location to station troops and supplies. Not once in its storied history has Johto managed to breach its perimeter, and not for a lack of trying either.”

Nina nodded, thinking it was cute how the history teacher started geeking out about the subject. “Yeah, my grandma told me. She used to be a drill sergeant back in her day. It was interesting how… abstract the city was. Really makes you wonder how they even managed to get plumbing into every household.”

Nina’s teacher laughed at her musings. “Of course, I should expect nothing less of you, Nina. You really do make the most interesting observations don’t you?” Said Roxy. “The answer is that they couldn’t. Even now, there are still certain areas of Pewter City that rely on public toilets and bathhouses for their bodily needs. Do you know why the City was built the way it was?”

“Families of troops stationed there began establishing themselves in the vicinity to stay in touch with their loved ones.” Nina answered. “What began as wooden huts and makeshift tents slowly became brick and mortar buildings. For whatever reason, no one thought about regulating the development of the satellite town, and it just became the way that it was.”

“I also didn’t know that there were bathhouses in the city, otherwise I would've asked to visit,” she murmured.

Roxy chuckled “Well they’re not hot springs if that’s what you were expecting. Mount Moon is absent of any thermal activity. The only place in Kanto where we can find genuine hot springs is in Cinnabar, really. Unlike our Johton counterparts where hot springs are fairly common. The flip side of that blessing is that they often suffer from more severe earthquakes of course.”

Nina nodded in understanding.

“Anyways,” continued Roxy. “How is your family otherwise? I heard your mother is back. Is she well?”

“Yeap,” Nina smiled. “Mom is doing a lot better. I was actually sent to grandma’s place because dad wanted to have some alone time with mom. They think I don’t know but I’m not that gullible.”

Nina had no idea what Patrick did with Leanette while she was away. But whatever it was, it seemed to have worked because her mother did show some improvements.

The woman was still somewhat aloof, but unlike before where she was very wary around Nina and abstained from making contact with her daughter unless initiated, Leanette actually bent down to caress Nina’s cheeks of her own accord when Nina came back. She felt more like the woman that Nina used to know as opposed to some mindless doll.

“I see… That’s good to hear,” said Roxy, with a faint smile. “Now then, I asked you to come by because I can finally talk a bit about the opportunity I promised you last time. Good job on taking care of yourself by the way. I didn’t fail to notice that you’ve been resting more frequently than you initially said you would.

Nina lit up and leaned forward in her chair. “Finally!”

“I can’t tell you what for, but I want you to write me an essay about Pokemon.”

The girl tilted her head in confusion. “Is there a specific theme or topic outside of Pokemon?”

Roxy sighed and shook her head. “No, unfortunately not. It’s an open topic where you can write about anything you want, so long as it's about Pokemon. I understand that this might be a difficult task, so just make sure to stay true to yourself and try not to overextend too much by delving into things that might be a bit too advanced.”

Nina frowned, trying to decipher the underlying intent behind this assignment. But the only thing that came to her mind was that this was a test of character. “May I know if this is purely limited to the elementary school circle?”

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“No, this is an all ages thing. But don’t be too pressured, there’s a reason why the essay topic is so broad. In fact, not knowing the context might even be beneficial to you.”

Nina hummed. “So is it right for me to think that they’re looking for a piece of work that showcases me as a person as opposed to my knowledge then?” She probed.

Roxy smiled but did not give a verbal response, indicating that Nina had hit the bullseye.

“Understood. I’ll start working on it. Handwritten or printed? And may I know when the deadline is?”

“Printed might be best, and anytime before summer break commences should be fine. Though the sooner the better of course, to avoid any last minute mishaps.”

They were now just about to enter May, which meant that Nina had around two months to work on the essay. That was plenty enough time. Though the question remains of what she should even write about.

***

After returning from her trip, Nina messaged Beverly about a recommended jeweler. The older girl had initially wanted to bring her in person this coming weekend, but Nina wanted to limit people’s exposure to her Mew Gem and declined her with the excuse of urgency.

As expected, the shop that Beverly recommended to her was in the Stretch, since that was the girl’s usual haunt.

“Welcome,” greeted the portly shopkeeper, once Nina stepped through the somewhat esoteric storefront filled with all sorts of crystals and gemstones. It kind of reminded the girl of those quirky little mystic shops of her past life.

“How may I help you today, little miss.”

“Hi there,” Nina took out her pink gemstone. “I have this memento here and was wondering if it was possible to have a necklace made out of it?”

The woman adjusted her glasses and leaned in closer to have a look at the gem. “Oh my, I can sense a potent energy emanating from this beauty. In all my years, I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite like it.”

“It was a gift from a friend,” explained Nina. “Would you happen to know of anything similar? I wasn’t told much details about it.”

The lady shook her head. “Every individual stone contains their own unique aura. What I can tell you is that there was no ill intent behind the gift. But if it is a custom accessory you wish for then I can certainly oblige. Give me a week and I will turn this into a masterpiece.”

“Actually I was hoping to get something sooner, are there any ready made solutions available?” Nina was reluctant to part with the gem for fear that something might happen to it.

“Of course, it won’t be as good, but I can modify some of our inventory to house the jewel. Give me a moment and I’ll be right back.”

Nina thanked the lady and sat down to wait.

During their little picnic yesterday, Nina had shown Mew’s gem to Futaba after Melina had excused herself to go to the bathroom. She was hoping to elicit some sort of reaction from the sagely woman and gain some insight into Mew’s gift. And indeed, the woman did react, by giving her a knowing smile without saying much more.

The priestess’s crypticness frustrated Nina to no end. But just when she was about to roll her eyes and give up on the endeavor, the old woman spoke. “When you find my granddaughter during the course of your journey, bring her to me and I shall grant you the knowledge which you seek.”

Sensing some hope, Nina inquired further. “Okay, can you tell me a bit more about your granddaughter?”

“I have not seen her since she was but a small babe, so it is likely that she now looks different from what I remember,” lamented the old woman. “What I can tell you is that the name I gave her at birth was Yotsuha. Though most likely she would have discarded that name and taken her father’s by this point.”

Nina sighed. Yotsuha was a fairly common name and without much else to work on, this request was like finding a needle in a haystack. “Although, she did say ‘when’ I find her and not ‘if’. Like she knows for a fact that I would encounter her at some point.”

“I suppose, if her mother does not completely despise our family, she would have kept her Clefairy,” continued Futaba. “And would have eventually passed on an egg to her daughter.” She also mentioned that Yotsuha should be 19 years old at this point which helps to narrow things down a lot more.

The Clefable line was not rare, but they weren’t exactly common either. So Nina just had to keep an eye out for anyone in their late teens with a Pokemon of the Clefable line and subtly prod them about their birth name. “Difficult, but not impossible,” thought the girl. So Nina naturally agreed to the request, there was no penalty for failing anyway.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” said the shopkeeper, rousing Nina from her recollection. The woman laid out a selection of necklaces in front of her, none of which were housing any jewels. “Please select one that you like and we’ll see if I can’t fit in your gemstone.”

The woman proceeded to elaborate a bit more on the characteristics of each necklace to the girl, with Nina ultimately choosing a sturdy stainless steel one with a hard frame that would help secure Mew’s gem in place without any risk of it falling off. It wasn’t the most girly option, but Nina cared more about practicality anyway.

“Alright,” the woman took out some string and calipers to take measurements of the Mew Gem. “Please lend me your jewel for a moment. This shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes so feel free to wait here, though I wouldn’t mind if you came back later as well.”

Nina chose to wait, and ended up spending 500 Pokedollars on just the plain necklace, making her wince slightly. But she still willingly took out her Pokegear and made payment. Patrick had set up a bank account for his daughter once she began making her own money, which was nice.

“You’re still a growing child, so if the necklace is no longer a good fit, feel free to come back and I’ll adjust it for free,” offered the lady. “Or if you ever decide to customize something more befitting of that gem’s beauty then feel free to come back as well, I’d be happy to do it at a discount.”

It was a very generous offer, so Nina thanked the woman and stepped out of the shop with Tini and her new necklace in tow. The gem felt warm against her chest providing her with an additional sense of comfort.

“Next up, let’s get a laptop.” Nina had been meaning to get her own personal computer for a while now. Her Pokegear’s small screen was starting to feel really restrictive and she didn’t want to always go to the library while she was working on her essay.

The girl glanced at her bank account and calculated how much she would have left by the end of the day. The conclusion made her heart ache. “Can’t be helped, Nina. What’s the point of having money if you’re not going to spend it on stuff you need.” Nina sighed and marched towards an electronics store.