Chapter 64: Chapter 64

Nina peeked underneath a rusty old truck by the docks, hoping to catch a glimpse of anything pink or sparkly. “Wait, is the truck here in Pallet Town or somewhere else. I can’t remember. Maybe it was Vermillion City?”

“Is there something interesting about that old rustbucket, young Nina?” Came a curious elderly voice from behind her.

“Oh, not at all, Professor. I err… Just like rusty old machines. You know? Like those old trams by the station.”

Professor Oak gave an amused smile to the little girl crouching in front of him and held out a hand to help her up. “Unfortunately, you’ll find that this old rustbucket is nowhere near as interesting as those old gals. It used to belong to my father, see. It hasn’t been in use since… I don’t know, since my father closed down his pub I would presume.”

“You dad used to own a pub?” Asked the curious girl.

Professor Oak laughed and pointed to an old building in the distance. “Indeed, right next to the docks, catering to fishermen and sailors, back when the latter still stopped here to drop off military supplies,” he said, with a nostalgic look on his face.

“My father was a simple man, you see, whose greatest pleasure in life was fishing. In fact, I probably would never have achieved the exalted status of Champion, or even become a Pokemon Professor if not for the Dratini he accidentally caught on his fishing rod.”

“So you can fish for Dratini!” Nina was ecstatic to find out that a favorite pastime from her previous life was still valid. “Dratini was your starter too?” She asked.

The old man chuckled. “Indeed, much like yourself. Dragonite has since gone on a journey of his own. Though we do visit each other from time to time. Last I checked, he started a nest somewhere on an island. Happily indulging in his twilight years, not that Dragons age the same way that humans do.”

“You have your own grandson too, right? I always read rumors about Gary on the Pokenet. Though it’s hard to tell if any of them are true or not.”

The Gary Oak in this world has devoted himself to a life of a wandering trainer, going around taking down bad guys and documenting rare Pokemon. It was very similar to the life that Nina wanted for herself, sans the taking down bad guys part. Oddly though, Nina had failed to find any mention of Ash in her research. She wondered why…

“Ah… Gary, yes,” the older Oak responded with a strained smile. “If only that child would care to come home every once in a while,” he sighed. “I wouldn’t really be the best person to validate Gary’s exploits, but it is true that he is a remarkable Pokemon Trainer and a fairly competent researcher in his own right. He did work under Professor Rowan for a time after all.”

Nina nodded, choosing not to pry any further into the delicate subject. “Then what about Red? Is it true that he’s erm… No longer with us?”

Professor Oak laughed at Nina’s insinuation. “Haha. Not at all, child. That boy had a taste of the celebrity lifestyle during his brief tenure as Champion and decided he wanted none of it. Ran off before he even passed the mantle onto his successor properly. Thanks to him, I no longer hold the title of Indigo Champion with the shortest reign.”

The Professor made a move to walk towards the fish market and Nina faithfully followed suit.

“Wow… must be cool, huh? To have so many capable trainers under you. Your ranch must be packed full of rare and interesting Pokemon from all over the world,” said the girl.

Professor Oak nodded with a great deal of pride. “Indeed, the greatest treasures of my laboratory are its Pokemon. Thanks to all the hard work from the likes of my grandson and Red, I don’t even need to leave my home to seek out new and wonderful specimens.”

“But how do you deal with the Pokemon that require more delicate handling?” Asked Nina. “Unlike Bill’s place, I don’t see any special biomes or facilities around the ranch. It’s mostly just grassy plains and forest areas.”

Oak chuckled. “Well you see, one of the perks of being famous is the connections that come with it. I have a cordial working relationship with all the Regional Professors out there. If there is a Pokemon that is unsuited to the environment of Pallet Town then I simply arrange for them to be housed elsewhere. The other Professors are very agreeable to this arrangement since they get a chance to study the Pokemon in question as well.”

Nina nodded in understanding as they entered the bustling fish market, filled with fishermen unloading and sorting through their catch for the day, and forklifts carrying crates of fish to be loaded onto trucks and container sized Fly Baskets for delivery all over the region.

“Ah, Professor!” Called one of the fishermen. “Here to buy some fish? We’ve got quite the haul today,” he said, gesturing towards a spread of colorful sea fish and even some Pokemon resting on ice. Nina felt a surge of nausea from seeing dead Pokemon and had to avert her gaze.

Professor Oak gave the girl a warm smile and a soothing pat on the head after noticing her reaction. “Do you eat fish, Nina?” He asked.

Nina gave a stiff nod. “Regular fish, yes. But not Pokemon.”

The Professor gave an understanding nod and chuckled lightly. “Indeed, I am much the same way… Why don’t we buy some ‘regular’ fish for dinner tonight. Are any of your Pokemon big eaters?”

Nina hummed. “Espy’s quite the dainty eater, she cares more about the quality of the food than quantity. Tini’s a glutton though. Sometimes he overeats when I’m not looking and gets a tummy ache afterwards.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Professor Oak laughed at Nina’s description of her Dratini and remarked that “A healthy appetite is the mark of a growing Dragon.” He then turned to address the fisherman again. “Do you mind filling a box with some of your best fish, no Pokemon of course. And if I could trouble you to deliver it to my home, that would be much appreciated as well.”

“'Course, Professor. Anything for you. I’ll have Machamp carry it over once the goods are ready,” said the jovial fisherman.

“Thank you, Larry,” said the Professor in return. “By any chance, have you and your colleagues completed the task I entrusted to you last time?”

The fisherman hummed. “Ah, those little gizmos? We’ve put out most of them, but there’s still a few areas that we haven’t done yet. There’ll be boats heading that direction over the next few days, so it shouldn’t be too long now.”

The Professor thanked Larry the fisherman, exchanged a few more pleasantries and excused himself to go elsewhere.

“Are you researching Water Pokemon, Professor?” Nina asked, after they walked away from the fisherman and out of the fish market.

“Technically yes, we’re trying to get a census of Alpha Pokemon in the ocean. Unlike on land where human intervention limits the emergence of Alphas, they’re much more unbridled out in the sea where they may develop unfettered.”

Nina frowned at the implications. “Is there a chance that Alpha Pokemon may disrupt any of the established shipping lanes?”

Oak widened his eyes at Nina’s astute question and laughed in amusement. “I’ve forgotten what a remarkable mind you have, dear Nina. Yes, that is indeed a possibility though we’re being very cautious about presenting our findings until we can know for certain. The bureaucrats in the Pokemon League can get very antsy when it comes to anything that might disrupt the regional economy. We wouldn’t want them jumping the gun and causing an even bigger mess.”

“Indeed, nothing gets a politician more riled up than a threat to their wallets,” thought Nina.

“But mainly we just want to get a more accurate sense on the exact rate of Pokemon Alpha-fication. As well as to fine tune the probes that we’re deploying to detect Alphas. At the moment, they have a 60% detection rate at best.”

“That’s practically a coin toss!” Nina exclaimed.

Professor Oak chuckled. “Indeed, hence why we’re relying on a larger sample size to make up for any variance.”

“Why not just use some of the known Alphas in the wild? Wouldn’t that be more efficient than trying to chase after false positives?” Asked the girl.

“Ah, a good question. Each Alpha Pokemon species possesses their own unique signature, much like Mega Evolution for that matter. In fact, it is these unique signatures that are causing much of the variance in our detection to begin with,” explained the Professor.

“Much like how we need to uncover a Mega Stone’s unique signature before we can fabricate it, we also need a larger sample of Alpha Pokemon signature in order to fine tune our processes and hopefully get a better understanding of the phenomenon.”

By this point they had returned to Oak’s Laboratory, and Nina released Tini and Espy inside the house where they’d be protected from the heat. Ali was currently away in Viridian City to visit some old friends, so as far as Nina could tell, they were the only two humans around.

“Tiin!”

“E…”

The Pokemon cried as Tini started doing some stretches on the side, while Espy climbed atop her throne on Nina’s lap. The girl was really tempted to place the warm little fur ball somewhere else, but decided against it out of sheer love for her Eevee.

Professor Oak handed a cool towel to Nina and poured her an ice cold glass of lemonade. “Thanks, Professor,” she said.

“You’re welcome,” said the older man in return while also sitting down on a chair himself and pouring another glass of the refreshing beverage.

“Vee~”

“Oh, do you want some lemonade too, Espy?” Nina took advantage of her Eevee’s request to place her atop the dining table and head into the kitchen to grab two bowls for her Pokemon.

Upon her return, Nina continued chatting with Professor Oak while she poured refreshments into the bowls. “So Professor, what would you say is the most interesting Pokemon in your collection?”

The Professor hummed in consideration, seeming conflicted about his choice. “Hmmm… All of the Pokemon in my ranch are special, but if I had to pick then… Have you heard of a Pokemon called Mimikyu before?”

Nina nodded in enthusiasm. “Yeap, it’s a Ghost and Fairy Type that hides under a homemade Pikachu costume to hide its frightful appearance in order to make friends!” Mimikyu was one of the most lovable and wholesome Pokemon ever.

“Sure, the eldritch abomination hidden beneath its disguise is capable of killing a person at a glance, but who cares when they’re so gosh darned cute.”

Oak chuckled in amusement. “Indeed. They’re very good natured despite their horrific abilities. Many consider them the greatest mystery in all of Pokemon, myself included.”

“If you don’t mind me asking. What exactly is underneath a Mimikyu’s disguise? It’s hard to imagine a Pokemon that’s so grotesque that they’re capable of killing anything that lays eyes on them.”

“The honest answer to that question is that nobody knows,” said the Professor. “Those who foolishly peek at a Mimikyu either go insane or lose their life as a result. We know that it’s not some sort of Psychic effect since even watching footage of a Mimikyu’s true appearance will induce the same outcome. In fact, most horror stories you hear about cursed footage are the result of ill conceived pranks by buffoons utilizing Mimikyu’s unique characteristic.”

Nina shivered at the thought of videos out there that were capable of literally killing someone. It’s no wonder the possession of Mimikyu was so frowned upon. “But surely someone must have come across a Mimikyu egg before, right? Or had one in captivity that gave birth? I doubt a Mimikyu comes out of its eggshell fully in costume already.”

“Ah… as a matter of fact, all of that is true. No one has ever encountered a Mimikyu egg, either in captivity or in the wild. In fact, one of the most bewildering things about the Pokemon is that they’re always alone even when out in the wild. No two Mimikyu have ever been seen engaging with each other in their natural habitat, and a Mimikyu has never been observed in the mating process, regardless of the context. As far as anyone can tell, their reproductive cycle is a black box, much like their physique.”

The Professor explained that there have been attempts to use more indirect means of observing the Pokemon’s biology through the use of various scans. But the results always showed an eerie blackhole. It was as if Mimikyu’s existence itself was an impossible anomaly given sentience.

“We know that Mimikyus have minds of their own, otherwise Psychic Type moves would be wholly ineffective on them,” Continued the Pokemon professor. “We also know that they have all the same senses that other Pokemon do, else they would be incapable of pain. We know that they do eat, but are never seen expelling any waste. So some speculate that the act of eating to them was just another attempt at socializing to gain acceptance from their peers. But then, where does the food go? Truly a fascinating Pokemon…”

Nina nodded, having begun recording their conversation at some point. “What are your theories then, Professor Oak? As one of the rare few people in the world who has actually gotten to study Mimikyu in person. Surely you must have your own thoughts on their origins.”

Professor Oak gave a sagely nod. “Indeed. I’m of the belief that the key to unraveling their mysteries lie in their secondary Typing.”

“Fairy?” Asked Nina.

“Yes. After all, Mimikyu is the only Ghost and Fairy Type Pokemon that we know of. If deceased Pokemon have a chance of being reborn as Ghost Types through a, as of yet, unknown process. Then what happens when Fairy Type Pokemon — a Type typically associated with nature, life, spirits and the paranormal — what happens when they undergo the same process?

“What if the anomalous Pokemon was just that, an anomaly? An impossible existence that our piddly mortal minds are simply incapable of comprehending. Hence why the mere attempt of trying to gaze upon their mysteries result in broken minds and heart attacks.”

“So much like Fire and Ice, Ghost and Fairy are two Types of Energy that were never meant to coexist in the form of a single Pokemon. Hence why they’re an impossibility.” Despite the summer heat, Nina could feel a cold chill running down her spine at the Professor's words. Truly there are still many unknowns left to discover in this mysterious world.

They continued along this line of conversation until a bell rang out in the house to notify Professor Oak of someone at the door. “Ah, that must be the fish. Please excuse me.” He said, to which Nina said not to worry.

“So that’s how Mr Mime gets Professor Oak’s attention. Sneaky bugger was using Psychic to ring that bell. As expected of a natural born performer,” thought Nina, as she took a sip of her now lukewarm lemonade.