Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)

Chapter 271

Lavender Town was immediately recognisable by the vast fields of lilac-coloured flowers in its vicinity, from which it was also allegedly named.Quaint little brick and mortar townhouses with purple rooftops reminiscent of Violet City and a towering black structure in the middle. It was quite a peaceful little town, actually. Nina was almost expecting haunting mist and gloomy fog based on its reputation.

The girl directed Nitey to land in the outskirts, near the edge of the lavender fields — it was just good manners in general to avoid startling the local residents with a big scary Dragonite. That said, she ended up exciting a small group of tourists gathered around a little makeshift stall selling various lavender derived goods instead.

“The flowers sure are pretty huh, Azzy?”

“Gen! Gengar!”

“Hehehe.” The girl giggled and released all her Pokemon in a flash of light. “Alright, you guys. Feel free to frolic around a little. But keep an eye on Ra-Ra and make sure that she doesn’t ingest any of the flowers, okay? We don’t know if it’s toxic to her or not.”

The Pokemon all cried out in glee as Nina went to the little lavender stall with Espy in tow.

“Greetings, milady. Are you a travelling trainer?” The young woman manning the stall lowered her head with a stiff bow while the rest of her customers gawked at all of Nina’s rare Pokemon.

Nina smiled. The rarity of her Pokemon did often lead to such overreactions. But frankly, after what she experienced in Cinnabar, she didn’t mind it as much anymore. “Please Arceus, I’ll never complain about being mistaken for a Legacy ever again. Please just make the whole Maiden of the Sea thing go away!”

Those were the thoughts that roiled in her head but outwardly, she said; “Yes, just a trainer on her journey year. You know how it is… May I ask what you’re selling?”

“Of course!” The woman's mercantile brain immediately lit up at the rich girl’s interest. “We have a wide variety of bespoke lavender products on offer. Our most popular items are these lavender scented diffusers along with our special blend of lavender tea, soaps,  perfumes and so on.” The woman gestured towards each of the products in question. “We also have some homemade lavender cookies as well, if you would like to try some samples?”

Nina nodded and reached for the sample cookies, feeding a piece to Espy while trying one herself. She wasn’t impressed, they were just simple sugar snap cookies infused with lavender oil. So she checked out the aroma diffusers next; cute little glass vials with reed sticks sticking out of them to exhume the perfume.

“These are quite nice, but lavender shouldn’t have such a strong scent, no?”

The woman responded with a wry smile. “As expected of milady’s impeccable taste. It is true that the scent of lavender can be a little underwhelming, so we bolster it with a mix of other perfumes. The core of the scent itself remains that of lavender though — we try very hard to ensure a perfect balance.”

“Sure, I’ll take a half a dozen of the incense along with a box of the tea and some of the bathbombs. They’ll make for some nice souvenirs I think.”

“Of course, milady. Right away!” 

Nina smiled and as the woman was working on packing everything up with her adorable little Oddish assistant, she asked if they were long-time denizens in this town.

The woman beamed. “Yes. My family has been living here for generations. We actually have a bigger store in the town itself but we take turns manning this stall just to take advantage of the traffic.”

“If that’s the case then have you ever heard of a place called Lavender Mansion before?”

The woman frowned ever so slightly. “A local legend, milady. As a child, we used to challenge each other to find the mansion as a test of courage — the area is supposed to be haunted, you see… Not that such rumours mean much in this town, what’s with the Pokemon Tower and all. Every household has their own little horror stories to tell and the Lavender Mansion is but one of many.”

“I see…” Nina nodded and thanked the woman as she grabbed hold of her proffered package.

“But you may try asking the director of the House of Memories. The man also functions as chief of the town so he might have greater insight on the matter.”

“That’s good to know. I’ll make sure to stop by. Thank you, Miss!”

***

The House of Memories was the local funeral home, a fact that Nina was already aware of from her research — a simple little two storey structure set with swirling marble and capped with a domed top.

As Nina, Espy, Ra-Ra and Azzy came up on the designated address, they witnessed a funeral procession being held. Out of curiosity, Nina stuck around to observe, but not before turning her jacket inside out so that the midnight blue lining was facing outwards — wearing bright colours to a funeral was tactless no matter which world she was in.

The deceased appeared to be a Growlithe based on the portrait she saw, the tiny casket being escorted by a small family of five.

In the Pokemon World, the people strongly believed in returning their bodies to nature after death. So cremation was popular wherein the ashes and bones of humans and Pokemon alike would be buried beneath a tree or scattered across the land, leaving behind only a plaque and a portrait for memorial.

For Fire Pokemon like this Growlithe who would be difficult to burn, they would more than likely wrap the body in vine and bury it beneath a tree instead. The casket they were parading around town was purely just for show, for those who might want to pay their respects. 

After all, it was often said that funerals were for the living, not the dead — a ceremony for those who remain to lay down their regrets and move on to a brighter tomorrow.

So Nina joined in on the procession into the funeral home with her Pokemon in tow. Most of the mourners looked like they were locals who personally knew the family and their Growlithe or just here to show support.

However, Ra-Ra, in her boundless curiosity, was restless — the hatchling having no idea what was going on and why everyone looked so sad. Fortunately, a quick pat from Espy and a short little lecture in her mind was enough to calm the hyperactive sauropod. Unfortunately, the baby dinosaur then started pestering her big sister about life and death and questions like why Azzy was still alive even though she died.

Nina held back her mirth at the mental exchange as she stepped forth to pay her respects; bowing to the family and lighting an incense for the deceased. Peering into the casket, she could see that the Growlithe was old; wrinkled features and scraggly white fur. No doubt the doggo had lived a long and blessed life — a silver lining amidst the suffocating grief.

The girl bowed to the family once more, offering simple words of condolences before leaving the House of Memories to wait outside. She wanted to speak with the funeral director. But the man was likely busy with the ongoing proceedings.

***

“Mr Fuji and the Lavender Mansion eh?” 

The director of the funeral home was a genial looking old man in a somber grey suit, looking quite spry despite his age as he went around folding up the chairs they used for the funeral.

“Yes. My name is Melina Jones, a sponsored trainer of Professor Samuel Oak, Mr Fuji’s former student. I was tasked with inquiring into his whereabouts should I have the chance.” That was a lie but it did not matter, it was important to have a veneer of legitimacy when prying into other’s affairs. “I was told by those who used to know him in Cinnabar Island that he had moved to Lavender Town at some point?”

The man nodded. “And the Lavender Mansion?”

“Something that Professor Oak once told me. He mentioned that I might be able to find some Ghost Pokemon willing to join my team in that place.” Nina feigned a disturbed frown. “But given all the rumours I’ve heard of it so far, I’d like to learn more before taking any undue risks.”

“I see… The Lavender Mansion is indeed a cursed place. The denizens who used to live there, they just vanished one day. But that was during my father’s time. I myself am not privy to the details.” The director chuckled in nostalgia. 

“The old man used to tell stories about the souls of the ancient clan of Ghost Pokemon Trainers still haunting its grounds, denying those who come in search of the mansion’s treasures. Hence why any who try to seek its whereabouts always find themselves waylaid in the forest.” He shivered, as if recalling the stories. 

“That whole area, it is an eerie place… If you insist on seeking it out, I recommend bringing a powerful Ghost Pokemon with you.”

Nina giggled as her shadow stirred. “Don’t worry, I have the most reliable bodyguard in the world.”

“Gen! Gengar!”

The director chuckled. “That’s good to know. As for Mr Fuji… How about you help me clean up the flowers and I’ll bring you some place else for answers.”

“Sure thing! My Pokemon can help out as well so feel free to order them around.”

***

“The Pokemon Tower…”

After leaving the House of Memories, their path happened to intersect with the central square where the historic building lay. So, naturally, Nina asked to make a brief stop to take some photos.

The black stones which made up the towering structure were ancient and weathered, casting a shadowy monolith under the afternoon sun. It was also, possibly, the oldest functioning building that Nina had seen to date in her second life. “Do people still use it as a cemetery?” The girl wondered.

“No,” replied the director of the funeral house. “And as a matter of fact, the tower was never built as a cemetery or even a columbarium, as it later became. What its original purpose was though, we could only speculate. The Pokemon Tower is arguably the oldest surviving building in all of Indigo. And in fact, the structure that you see now isn’t even its original form as the tower had crumbled and been rebuilt countless times over the years — mostly out of adherence to tradition than anything.”

Nina awed at the sheer magnitude of the history before her, ruined only by the presence of unsightly scaffoldings and construction workers flitting in and out. “Did the town not keep records of its original appearance?”

“No, unfortunately. This was a time before photography, and what little drawings we had from our ancestors had been lost in a fire ages ago — a common occurrence back when the wilds were untamed and this settlement was but a humble little village.”

“And I’m assuming there’s a reconstruction going on even now?”

The man answered, somewhat skittishly; “Well, at some point, after the columbarium reached maximum capacity, a decision was made to simply relocate all the niches outside the tower and repurpose it.” By that point, real estate in the tower had become a status symbol and people had started engaging in some fairly unscrupulous means to secure space. 

“So it was determined that the best course of action was to simply deny the space to anyone at all. Drastic, yes. But I saw no other recourse at the time and so approved of the measures.”

Nina nodded, she could fully sympathize with the reasoning — fighting over such an austere sanctum was utterly depraved. “And then you guys turned the tower into a radio station right? If I’m not mistaken.”

“Yes, though to be more precise, the lower levels were converted to a museum while the upper levels housed an observatory and a radio station. However…” The director let out a deep and weary sigh. “The public reception did not meet the town committee’s expectations as visitor counts plummeted. And so now, some of the younger committee members have pushed for a further modernisation of the Pokemon Tower in an effort to bring it back to its more ‘occult roots’ as they claimed.”

“Modernisations?” echoed the skeptical Nina.

“A… ‘horror themed augmented reality experience’…” The man wilted in despair while Nina groaned in disgust at the tasteless gentrification of such a historical landmark. 

Still, she continued to ask about the tower’s history and the director was happy enough to indulge her, wistfully regaling Nina with all there was to know about his life growing up in, and eventually governing, Lavender Town. Until Ra-Ra, bored out of her mind, began whining and squirming on the ground in a childish tantrum.

Nina chuckled. “Sorry, baby girl. We’ll move on now. Here, you can snack on some of these Berry slices for now.”

“Ra! Ura!” The baby dinosaur instantly perked up at the sight of the colorful treats and ceased in her outburst, eliciting warm smiles from the humans as they continued on their journey.

The place Nina was eventually taken to ended up being an orphanage of sorts — a shelter for orphaned children and lost Pokemon.

“Lavender Volunteer Pokemon House. In memory of the charitable Mr Fuji and his benevolent cause…” Nina frowned at the sign she read. “Are you telling me that Mr Fuji has already passed away?”

The funeral director gave her a pat on the shoulder as he showed her into the door, where an unruly crowd of Pokemon could be seen playing around with a small number of young children.

“In truth, we do not know, child…” The man finally answered.

“What do you mean?”

“Mr Fuji founded this shelter as soon as he relocated into our town.” The director sighed. “He was a good friend and a great man — worked tirelessly to take care of those he deemed lost and abandoned.”

Nina was then introduced to some of the friendly caretakers and their Pokemon who helped manage the place while she gestured for Espy and Aurora to go mingle with the orphans.

“Even now, his estate still funds the continued operation of this place.” The man continued as they entered into a private office.

Nina nodded. “So, what happened then?”

“He simply disappeared one day,” said the director. “No idea why. Didn’t leave behind a single note to explain his absence. Just… Poof! Gone, like the wind.” The man gestured for Nina to sit as he poured her a cup of water. 

“Some say he got spirited away by some phantom in a red dress — not entirely unheard of in this town of ours. Others say they saw him wander off into the woods in search of a lost Pokemon. Nobody knows for sure… And to date, we have yet to recover any personal belongings nor a body to help elucidate his fate.”

The room fell silent and Nina tilted her head up in contemplation. “The Lavender Mansion… I guess I’ll have to make a trip there after all.” She already knew the coordinates from Professor Oak, and her Mew Gem had been burning up all day. She simply wanted to gather more information before taking the plunge.

“Seems I can’t escape fate any longer…”

***

Author's note:

I forgotten who it was and whether or not it was in RR or SH, but thank you to the one who recommended "Solo Farming in the Tower" to me. I just recently finished reading the Manhwa.

It was a nice little distractions and a casual read. I especially like the artstyle and how adorably the animals and monsters are depicted. (Theo is best boy and deserves all the fish in the world!)

Writing wise, it's decent. The premise is a very promising one that ended up being underutilised. Though I do like the politics and disasters surrounding the tower and the way the MC contributes to their solution, even if it is a somewhat generic setting.

I would  recommend the original novel, however, unless you can read Hangul. Korean novels just don't translate well to English. But the Manhwa  excellent and I highly recommend it if you're looking for something more light hearted and casual. The official translation can be found on Webtoon under the name Top Dungeon Farmer if I'm not mistaken.