The New Normal - A Pokémon Elite 4 SI by CartecFF

Chapter 20: 78-82

The New Normal – 4-18 – Interlude – Will

Will stared down at the official letter from the League with a bright smile on his face as he stood in the middle of his decorated living room in his expensive apartment. Finally, the League had begun to recognize his brilliance and properly rewarded him for the hard work that he had done.

To be fair, he had expected such an invitation a few months ago when Blaine stepped down in the Elite Four, but the League could be forgiven for choosing a Kantonian to replace Blaine. But now, with a Johtoninan spot that needed to be filled, it was only natural that they selected him.

After all, who else in Johto could be his match? Outside of the Elite Four, of course.

None. That was the easy answer. No one else had his drive and determination to dive headfirst into business and politics as soon as they won the Indigo Conference. None had his savvy to start making powerful connections with businessmen and other friends in high places. None had been able to transform themselves from a relative nobody into someone who the League recognized and WANTED to be in the Elite Four.

Admittedly, there was that weird buff guy from Johto as well, but Will didn't think he had the pizazz or star power that you REALLY needed to be in the Elite Four. He was strong, undoubtedly, but the public wanted a show. They wanted someone who could wow them with cool stunts and Pokémon, with a personality to back that up. Not someone who immediately absconded themselves up a mountain after their victory in the Indigo Conference, even if his strength might have been deserving to be in the Elite Four.

The previous winner of the Indigo Conference before him might be the stronger trainer, but that didn't matter when he had the personality and likeability of a fist to the face.

Speaking of the Elite Four, he idly wondered if any of the Elite Four were fans of his too; they must have at least known who he was before they invited him! He saw in the news who had chosen to vote for him, and he was eternally grateful for their recognition. He held a great respect for the institution, and he wished to prove himself worthy in their eyes.

Especially the Champion. In his eyes, Lance really had everything. Not only did he have strong and powerful Pokémon, but his choice of attire was also fantastic. It really matched the Dragon trainer vibe and gave him a distinct identity to the public. Honestly, if Lance hadn't effectively nailed that idea down, Will might have tried wearing a cape for himself to finish off his look.

Alas, at least he was adorned in purple. The colour of royalty.

Still, he made sure not to overly indulge in his fantasies. He recognized that although the League sought out his talents and ability, he would still need to prove to the world that he deserved to keep his position. After all, even if he was confident that he would become one of the more popular members of the Elite Four, that meant nothing if he couldn't hold his position in a battle of strength.

Which was why Will was not one to give all of the credit to himself. Indeed, his powerful Psychic type Pokémon deserved much of the credit for his success. After all, their elegant fighting styles focused on skilfully evading and overpowering their enemies were always a sight to behold, if Will could say so himself.

It would take a blind fool for one to not be able to appreciate the elegance and splendour of his Pokémon. Just ask his many fans who had all supported him during his run through the Indigo Conference; none managed to stand up to him and his Psychic types!

The reason was simple. Psychic types needed an intellectual trainer to command them, because Psychic type Pokémon relied on clever strategies rather than barbaric brute force. And Will knew that he HAD that cleverness, as seen by his undefeated string of victories ever since he entered the Indigo Conference.

He still remembered the time where his starter Xatu was able to flawlessly able to knock out an opposing Typhlosion with proud ease. And how his Hypno was able to do the same, winning flawlessly through a powerful Hypnosis that allowed him to freely earn his victory with Dream Eater. The crowd went wild when that happened.

It was no wonder that he got a reputation for never being hit in battle.

And Will himself was more than just a trainer, he was someone that was more than capable of handling business affairs and politics as well, and from what he had read was ultimately the reason why the League chose him in the first place. He might have been self-taught but mingling and forming connections with his many 'friends' in business and politics taught him a lot about how to handle the gentlemen that backed up their society; skills that would definitely be put to use when he was in the Elite Four.

Especially in the Elite Four, when almost all business and political deals were about give-and-take and trying to get what you wanted for as little as possible. That was the main goal of many politicians. Will understood this very well; it was what he had learnt from his many interactions with other businessmen.

And now, as he placed the official letter confirming his appointment in the midst of his collection of business cards, he was grinning from ear to ear.

It was time to show the world his brilliance!

The New Normal – 4-19 – Déjà vu

I was dressed to the nines the following evening, wearing a proper suit and tie as was expected for any grand ceremony like this. I had spent the entire day training with my Pokémon, so I made sure to take a thorough shower before I attended Will's swearing-in ceremony.

Admittedly, I was fairly nervous about the ceremony. Not because of Will, though, but because my mind was filled with thoughts about my conversation with Karen. How would she react? Did she think I was pushing things too fast again? Was I about to make the same mistake?

My thoughts were clearly visible on my face because my mom looked me over with a questioning frown.

"What's wrong John? I didn't think you would be nervous about this." She asked me. "Surely you aren't intimidated by that Will person. I bet you're much stronger than him!"

I smiled wryly at my mom's praise, "Thanks, mom. But no, I'm not worried about that." I replied, before deciding to come clean with what was bothering me.

"I've just been thinking about my relationship with Karen." I admitted, and my mom remained silent, listening intently, "We've been hanging out a lot, training and spending time together, but we've never actually clarified what we are. We danced around the topic a lot, but now I really want to know what we are to each other."

My mom just chuckled at that and gave me a soft smile, "Oh, John, that's a very normal to be worried about. In fact, I can bet you that there isn't a person in the world who hasn't agonized over such a thing."

She brushed my hair with her fingers, "There's no need to stress over such a thing, John. From what I've seen with how you interact with Karen, there's no way she would misunderstand your intentions at this point. But it's always good to openly communicate with each other."

I coughed to conceal a blush, "...Thanks, mom." Then I quickly checked the time, "Oh, I think it's almost time to pick up Karen, so I'm going to head out now."

My mom gave me a knowing grin and patted me twice on the shoulder before she set me free. I quickly made my way out of the house and released Klaus to Teleport me to Lavender Town, where I would pick up Karen.

Normally, I would fly straight to the ceremony, but I think Karen would neuter me if I suggested that. Thus, I slowly Teleported my way to Lavender Town, having to wait in-between jumps to allow Klaus to regain his energy.

After a while, I eventually found myself outside a non-descript house near the edges of Lavender Town. I took a breath and knocked on the door.

"About time you got here." I heard a very familiar voice come through the door as it opened, revealing Agatha in her usual violet dress. Behind her stood Karen, wrapped in a black dress that I had felt was at odds with her usual casual appearance, yet suited her magnificently all the same. It was as if it was almost painted to her frame, and I-

I forcefully held those thoughts back; my breath caught in my throat, stunned as I was by her appearance. But a cough from Agatha tore my gaze away from Karen.

"You can ogle my apprentice all you want later." She said with a mocking grin, "But don't get too distracted with her. Make sure you at least take Will's measure before you go fooling about."

Karen sighed and whacked Agatha over the head softly with her hand, causing Agatha to chuckle, "Oh please, you can torment poor old John later. I would have appreciated the compliments."

Agatha interrupted me before I could speak up and waved her hand dismissively, "Yes, yes, rely on your looks while you still have them. All youth dries up eventually." She said bitingly. Karen just rolled her eyes and grabbed onto my arm.

"Come, John, let's leave this old lady to her grumblings. We have a ceremony to arrive at." Then she pushed me along with her as we left the house.

"...you look great, by the way." I whispered to her as Klaus got ready to Teleport us. She responded just by leaning in closer on my arm.

The two of us were quickly Teleported to the Indigo Plateau, where the ceremony was being hosted. Shortly after our arrival, a large shadow appeared on the ground as Agatha seemingly spawned in next to us.

"Should we make an entrance?" Karen whispered with a teasing grin, her eyes gleaming with mischief. And I felt myself smile as I escorted her into the building, Agatha trailing slightly behind us.

As soon as we entered the hall, heads were turned our way as cameras flashed wildly as reporters frantically tried to take our picture.

My friendship and connection with Karen were an open secret at this point, but now walking in like this, arm in arm with Karen with Agatha following behind us; it was a statement. We were telling the world that Karen and I were allied, and that Agatha supported this relationship.

It showed the world that, within the Elite Four, Agatha and I were political allies. And through my connection with Lance, it meant that 3 out of 4 of the Elite Four were currently, at least on paper, in lockstep with each other. Not only was this a strong show of support for the current administration, but it also elevated my own status as the bridge to facilitate such cooperation.

Obviously, the three of us had discussed this before we arrived today. Agatha wanted to ensure that the world understood that her apprentice was developing her own political connections and making it very clear that she saw Karen as her legacy. As for me, in lieu of the inevitable turmoil within the Elite Four, I wanted to remind the world that I was a vital part of the Elite Four and that my position, at least politically, was unassailable.

After we made sure that the reporters had their fill of photographs, I escorted Karen to her seat in the ceremony, then Agatha and I made our way backstage to the private room reserved for the Elite Four.

As soon as we got there, I was greeted, just like last time, by President Charles Goodshow.

"John! It's good to see you again! We didn't really get a chance to speak during the Committee meeting, but I was very impressed by your ability to handle yourself there." He praised sycophantically, and he was about to continue before Agatha interrupted him.

"Save your flattery for Will, Charles." She remarked cuttingly, "I'm sure that John's long seen through your simpering attempts to flatter him."

"Haha, I was just offering my greetings, Elite Agatha, no harm done." He lied shamelessly, but quickly removed himself from our presence. Thank Arceus for that, my blood boiled at the reminder of his condescending attitude towards me the first time I was here.

Nevertheless, I shook away those unpleasant thoughts as I entered the room with Agatha, where a very familiar vision greeted me. The room was as ostentatious as ever, filled to the brim with unnecessary luxuries that I still felt was gaudy and excessive.

The only difference this time was that the atmosphere of the room was far less frigid than when Pryce occupied it. Very fittingly so.

Lance and Walker stood up as they saw the two of us enter, "John, Agatha, glad the both of you could be here." Lance greeted us warmly. "John, may I speak to you for a bit?"

I nodded and followed him into the corner of the room, "Just wanted to let you know that things are on schedule. The Committee will be hosted in a few days' time, and we'll be voting on your proposal to reduce the number of badges required for trainers to travel and capture Pokémon from Indigo from 4 to 2." He told me.

"Ah, thanks for letting me know." I replied, pleased to hear it. "Do you think it's likely to be passed?"

Lance smiled, "Oh, I'm sure it'll pass, at least the section from within Indigo. Still unsure if we're able to lower the restrictions to Hoenn. I brought it up in private conversation with many committee members. With Pryce's cronies either on the way out, or already switching sides, there's much less pushback against pro-unity policies. Besides, in their eyes, these proposals of yours are real vote winners, and they'd be foolish not to support them. I hope they will maintain this attitude for when I propose to set up an International Police force."

I nodded in understanding. Right now, with the public still focused and engaged with Pryce's mistakes, any kind of effort to correct them are going to be widely popular. Thus, I was pleased to see that the committee understood where the wind was blowing and how to vote accordingly. I hoped that I could make use of this public consensus to push through as many pro-unity policies as I could.

I then voice out a question that I had to Lance, "Have you heard anything about Sinnoh? Does it look like they're going to be opening their borders anytime soon?"

Lance shook his head, "Unfortunately not. It seems like Pryce really did rush out the announcement." He grumbled, "However, they did mention that they will be sending over more Pokémon and scientists soon enough so that they could learn more about our Pokémon and society and vice versa."

I nodded my head. Disappointing, but not unexpected. I was personally hoping for Sinnoh to be opened up as soon as possible so that I could get to explore it and its new Pokémon. More specifically, I was really hoping to see if I could find any ruins or Pokémon that survived from the Hisuian Era.

Before our conversation could continue any further, the door to the room opened up.

A mask-wearing man dressed in all purple entered the room. His entire outfit screamed ostentatious and gaudy, matching the overly luxurious décor of the room. It was like he was using his outfit as an exhibition of his wealth, flaunting it openly.

"Greetings everyone! Thank you so much for appointing me into the Elite Four! I assure you all that you will not regret your decision!" He announced pompously as he spread his arms out wide, taking off his mask with a quick flourish, as if expecting to be received with applause.

Instead, he was greeted by a very unamused silence from the four of us.

I watched as his eyes flickered between us, the realisation of the awkwardness slowly building in his eyes. The silence was almost painful. Fortunately for Will, he was saved by Walker as he coughed and finally broke the silence.

"It's nice to meet you, Will. Welcome to the Elite Four." Walker greeted him, standing up and shaking his hand.

That immediately brought back the flamboyant smile on Will's face, "Ah, it's a pleasure to meet such an esteemed member of the Elite Four! I am greatly pleased to join your fine institution! In fact, I hope you could give me the opportunity to show off my new acquisitions! I'm sure you will find them interesting!"

Walker's smile turned strange as he visibly hesitated on how to respond, but he was 'saved' by Agatha bursting out in laughter.

All heads turned to her as she continued laughing, eventually devolving into hacking coughs as she ran out of breath. After a moment, she got control of herself and wiped a tear from her eye.

"...Arceus, I thought we had just gotten rid of the guy with the stick up his ass, but it seems we just replaced him with a younger version!" She cackled amusingly, but her eyes were intensely focused on Will.

Will looked visibly taken aback by the insult, and he spluttered incomprehensibly with an offended expression on his face. Will clearly had a retort at the tip of his mouth but forced himself to stay quiet, possibly out of respect for Agatha. Fortunately, Walker took mercy on him.

"Will, let me give you some advice." Will turned his head to Walker, "You're in the big leagues now. You might have been important before, but that doesn't matter anymore. Not to us. You have may have hundreds or thousands of overly excited and swooning fans outside of the Elite Four, but so do we. You may have had plenty of powerful connections to important individuals, but so do we. You may be wealthy, but so are we. There's very little that would impress us, outside of raw strength, so your attempts to flaunt yourself only looks juvenile to us. You were a Big Magikarp in a small pond, but now you've entered the ocean where the Gyarados swims." Walker advised seriously.

I found myself nodding unconsciously to Walker's words, fully agreeing with him. Once you were in the Elite Four, the connections and influence you were able to forge far exceeded anything that you could possibly do before, and that just brought you onto a whole different level compared to ordinary trainers.

Even for a relative nobody like me, within just a few months and some good decisions, I was able to transform myself to becoming a political powerhouse in Indigo. As Walker said, someone of Will's status, while impressive on paper, was nothing compared to the rest of us.

Will stared silently at Walker as he slowly digested his words, and I looked around and saw that Lance and Agatha were both staring intently at Will. The three of us just continued to observe Will, waiting to see how he would react.

Would he be humbled by Walker's words? Or would he lash out with indignation as he refused to accept the new reality he was thrust into?

The seconds ticked by as Will visibly swallowed his anger and silently nodded his head, eliciting a smile and a nod from Walker. Before Walker could say anything else though, Lance spoke up for the first time since Will's arrival.

"Will, please sit." He said commandingly, gesturing to a seat in front of him. Will obediently obeyed and sat across from Lance, looking around anxiously as all eyes were focused on him. He may have been older than me, but currently everyone seemed to treat him like a young kid.

I could instantly tell that Lance was sizing Will up, taking a measure of him and his strength. Will met his stares for a moment before eventually looking away; Lance never broke his stare.

Nevertheless, Lance continued, "As you may have heard in the news, I have been trying to improve the transparency of the League's actions for the public, and I've also been trying to allow the Elite Four to get more involved with the decision-making process. Thus, at the next Committee meeting, I will be expecting your attendance and for you to give your opinion, if any, during those meetings. I do hope you are ready for this."

Will looked surprised for a moment, but firmly nodded his head with a smile. "Yes, Champion. Handling politics is something I am very much experienced in, and I will endeavour to prove myself to you." He said formally, but he couldn't stop a hint of satisfaction from leaking from his voice.

Lance just nodded, "Good. Now, I hope you have been training up your team properly. I would not let you disgrace your honourable position by being too weak to hold your title."

This time, Will's smile widened with a hint of arrogance, "I assure you, Champion Lance, that any who would challenge me on the field of battle would find themselves very much humbled by my Pokémon. You will find no greater trainer than I...except for the few in this room, of course." He added the last part quickly as soon as he realized the dirty looks that he was getting from the room from his boasting.

Lance was the only one to not react, however, and instead he simply shot him a nod before thanking him for coming. He gave Will a quick reminder to get ready to answer some questions for when he was sworn in, then left to fetch some food.

In the meanwhile, I felt like I had a good idea of Will's personality based on how he interacted with the members of the Elite Four. He definitely felt like someone who was used to being praised and relished being in the spotlight, likely due to his capabilities as a trainer. He's certainly not unintelligent, as proven through his business connections, but I felt that he liked showing off his abilities as much as he could.

In a way, he was similar to Lance. Lance was prideful, but he didn't feel the need to show off his strength because he was so secure in his power and exuded such confidence that such displays of strength and influence was unnecessary to him. In contrast, Will was 'new money', and likely wanted everyone to remember his importance and status. But he wasn't too big of an ass with it.

Still, that kind of flaunting rubbed me the wrong way, but I was going to mostly reserve my judgment until I got to know him better. For better or worse, I was stuck with Will as a colleague for at least a month, so I better learn to deal with him.

The sounds of footsteps caused me to look up, and I saw that Will was approaching me before the door to the room suddenly opened as Charles Goodshow entered the room and announced that it was time for the swearing-in ceremony.

I gave a quick acknowledging nod to Will before we all slowly made our way to the stage, where we stood at our places. Unlike last time, this time I was the second member from the left of the Elite Four, standing on the right of Agatha. Again, though the positioning of the Elite Four wasn't a display of strength, it was commonly acknowledged as such.

And, idly, I wondered if I could beat Agatha in a straight up fight. Her battling style was far trickier than my usual opponents, but I pondered if my team's versatility could overcome her tricks.

I shook away those thoughts as Charles began his introduction.

"Thank you! Thank you! Today, I have the honour of introducing our latest Elite Four member! Please welcome, Elite Will!" The cameras began flashing as Will slowly made his way to the front, basking heavily in the attention. He looked every bit the showman that he was dressed up as, acting like he was born to be in the spotlight.

Then, he pompously began as he thanked everyone for his newfound position while remarking about how he hopes to serve the region for many years to come. Pretty generic stuff, but he had a natural charisma to him that made his words seem more intelligent and deeper than they actually were. Of course, like before, questions were immediately raised to him questioning him about this and that.

Mostly, the questions revolved around what Will's political aspirations were. To my surprise, he answered that he hoped to increase the number of businesses that can be established in Indigo and hoped to attract more foreign investment by reducing business taxes. Otherwise, he didn't seem to have an opinion one way outside of financial policy.

...That was interesting to know. Considering his background and connections with several prominent businessmen, his political leanings shouldn't have beens all that surprising. But, more importantly to me, they weren't incompatible with what I wanted. So long as he didn't interfere with my own plans for increased unity and economic parity within Indigo, I would leave him to his own agenda.

Regardless, that was for the future, and Will had finally gotten through all of the questions and was now being sworn in as he stood opposite of Lance.

Lance recited, "Do you solemnly swear on Arceus that you will serve the interest of Indigo as the newest member of the Elite Four?"

"I do." Will responded with a pleased grin.

"Then with my position as Champion, I grant you the honour of joining the Elite Four." The surrounding cameras went into a frenzy to capture the moment, and loud cheers erupted from the audience.

Then, the ceremony was finally over, and the afterparty began. I quickly found my way back to where Karen was seated.

"You're finally back." She said as I sat opposite her, "How was the newest Elite Four member? I saw him preening like a Ninetales out there."

"Well, he's pretty much exactly as you saw." I replied as I sat down, "Pretty full of himself, and loves the spotlight. But not so much so that he's blinded by it." Unlike Pryce, I didn't need to say.

"You know anything about his team?" Karen asked, likely the topic she was most concerned about since Will was planned to be her designated target for when she challenged the Elite Four.

I shook my head, "No, nothing. Though he seemed eager to show off his team when he made his entrance." I chuckled at the memory of his boasting, "He seemed strong and competent enough from the research that I've done, but nothing overwhelmingly so for a member of the Elite Four. Above Walker, obviously, but below myself and Agatha."

"Hmm." Karen muttered, eyes shining with determination. Along with the black dress that she was wearing, I couldn't help but find her supremely attractive. Before I found myself lost in those eyes of her, I pulled myself together and finally voiced the question that I had been waiting to ask for the entire day.

"Say, Karen, what are we?" I suddenly asked, causing her to look at me questioningly. I clarified myself, "We've been hanging around each other for quite some time now. I want to say that we're each other closest friend, and while I know that you previously said that you wanted to stay as friends, do you still think so now?"

She stared at me silently for a few moments, before her lips turned upwards into a small smile, "I was wondering if you would ever ask, John." She replied kindly, "What made you ask me such a thing right now?"

I scratched my head in embarrassment, "Your master was teasing me as usual, but she's been especially obvious about it the past few times I've spoken to her. I know she was just teasing me like she usually does, but she's been hinting at it so much that even I'm caught up in her tempo." I admitted, "I know she's betting a lot of her political ambitions on us sharing our influence with each other, and I know that the public think we're close. I just...wanted to get a feel of how you thought about us."

Karen rolled her eyes and cut me off, "Bah. That old crone always wants to meddle with other people's lives. I'm pretty sure it's just what old people do. Don't take her words seriously."

I nodded, "Well, yeah, but I also wanted to clarify what we are. I don't want to accidentally overstep any boundaries of yours like I did before." I admitted.

She shot me a soft smile, and she took one of my hands in hers. "I'm glad you can still worry about these sorts of things. It would be a sad thing to let your newfound status go to your head. You've already seen what happens when that occurs." She reminded me with a sharp look.

But then her expression quickly returned to one of gentle fondness, "As to answer your question. We're friends." I had to clamp down on the bitterness that rose up to her words, but clearly, I did a bad job as she immediately let out a hollow chuckle, "I'm sorry if that isn't the response that you wanted, John. It's nothing to do with you, but I refuse to enter into a relationship with you until I'm sure that I've secured a future for myself."

She said that firmly, as if she was making a statement that she would never be dissuaded from. I gave her a questioning look.

"May I ask why? You're already an excellent trainer." I asked gently, causing her to return a brittle smile.

"You know how I'm an orphan right?" She replied after a slight pause, and I nodded. "Before Agatha took me in, I've seen plenty of times how parents have abandoned their children to an orphanage because they are unwilling or unable to take care of them. And when I spoke to those children, they all had similar stories."

"In so many of those cases, the parents got into a relationship before they were able to take care of themselves and before they were able to ensure a safe and secure future for their future child." She continued, her eyes lost in thought, "Often, these were parents that got together in the throes of passion during their journey. Getting together too quickly before reality sets in and they realize just how big of a mistake they have just made."

"...And in all those cases, they almost always abandon their child to an orphanage as they are unwilling to accept responsibility for their mistakes. And I refuse to follow in their footsteps." She stated as if she was uttering a vow, "I promised myself that, until I was sure that my future was secured, I would not enter into a relationship till then. I could not condemn any future children to what I went through."

She turned back to me, staring me down with eyes filled with sorrow, "...That's why, John, I cannot be what you want me to be. I know that deep in my heart, that I'm delaying things for no good reason other than pure paranoia, but I..."

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I cut her off as I put my other hand on top of hers, "It's okay, you don't have to explain yourself any further. I understand where you're coming from." I told her softly.

I leaned forwards, "As I'm sure you know, before I went on my journey, my family was dirt poor. We had almost nothing to our name, and I even started out on my journey late because we couldn't afford a Pokéball or the lost labour. Whitney and I never went to school, so everything we learnt was self-taught. During my journey, I was so single-mindedly focused on pulling my family out of the pit of poverty that I isolated myself in my drive for success. I made little friends, choosing instead to push myself further and further for my family."

"And, during those moments of hardship, I made a vow to myself that I would never allow my family to fall back into those times of poverty. This singular vow has driven all of my actions since then and has been the source of my determination for my success. So, while our experiences were different, I can understand your troubled history." I explained, opening my heart to her.

"I guess we both have had troubled pasts." She said sullenly, and the two of us fell silent. Instead, I was content with locking my eyes with hers, silently conveying my sincerity and feelings towards her. I politely ignored how Karen's eyes had turned momentarily wet for a brief moment, nor how she wasn't acting like her usually confident self.

The silence extended for some time before my mouth broke into a small grin, "You know, if you want me to wait for you, I'll do it. It's not like I have anyone better to go for at the moment." I said jokingly, trying to bring up the mood.

It seemed to have worked, as she let out a small chuckle, "Thank you, John." She replied, her voice slightly tinged with humour, "And, call me selfish, but I certainly don't hope you find anyone else. The old crone might keel over if you did." We both broke into quiet laughter at that.

Then, I simply shot her a small smile, staring into her eyes all the while, with neither of us needing to say anything more.

The two of us avoided any more serious talk for the rest of the night, but it was clear that the two of us conveyed everything that we wanted to. No one approached the two of us for the entire night, leaving us into our own little world as we continued to make small talk until the party was over. The actual purpose of the ceremony long forgotten.

As we left, the two of us shared a 'friendly' kiss as we parted ways. The first one ever since that mistaken kiss all that time ago. It was brief yet filled with many unspoken emotions. We both understood that, come tomorrow, our relationship was going to return to one of friends.

But at least now, the two of us knew that 'staying friends' was just a temporary state of affairs. I knew that, in both of our eyes, we longed for the day that we could comfortably be together as more than just that.

The New Normal – 4-20 – INTERLUDE – POKENET REACTIONS

[OLIVINE PORT REPAIRS UNDERWAY! CHARITY DONATIONS FUNNELLING IN AS INDIGO RECOVERS FROM THE TYRANNY OF TEAM ROCKET!] by The Indigo Post

[Pictures of construction workers and their Pokémon repairing the Olivine ports]

The wonderful people of Indigo have proven to the world once again that they refuse to bow down to terrorism as many have flocked to Olivine on a volunteer basis to help with the repairs from the attack by Team Rocket.

Not only that but coupled with the money coming in from the charity event hosted by the illustrious Gym Leader Giovanni, the mayor of Olivine claims that the port should be fully repaired and back to full operations within the next month!

Of course, the charity money was not solely going towards the repairs of the port. Indeed, any unfortunate victims of the attack have also been dutifully compensated for their suffering, and those who heroically stood up to defend the port during the attack were also rewarded by Gym Leader Giovanni.

We interviewed a few brave individuals who had fought back against Team Rocket during the attack:

"I'm really thankful for the charity shown by Gym Leader Giovanni. I mean, my injuries weren't that severe, so I would have been fine anyways, but just the act of showing that you care does mean a lot. I didn't do much during the fight, but I'm proud to have my efforts recognized by the pillars of Indigo. It means a lot to someone like me."

"My Ampharos and I really didn't do that much...but Elite John did come to thank me in person after the fight, which made me really happy. And embarrassed...but I'm really happy about the compensation. I didn't do it to be compensated...but I guess the money does show that some people within Indigo do care about the people...which is nice."

Overall, it seems that many are appreciative of the Gym Leader's charitable effort. When we approached Gym Leader Giovanni and questioned him about what he thought about the response, he had this to say.

"I was just doing my duty as a Gym Leader to offer help and reward people when it is required of me. I am thankful to those who have praised my efforts, and I hope that they are able to hold on to their brave spirit and work hard for the good of Kanto...and Johto."

In honour of his efforts, the mayor of Olivine City is suggesting that they would rename one of the docks after Giovanni, to widespread approval. We here at The Indigo Post are proud of our leaders' efforts to take care of the public and hope to see more stories like this in the future!

Comments

KantoRepresent

Definitely a nice bit of news to read in the morning, and glad to see that the charity event hosted by Giovanni is actually accomplishing something for once. Kanto taking the charge to repair a Johto port is definitely a good thing to highlight our unity. Hope to see the same from Johto!

ILoveGoldenRod

@KantoRepresent Agreed! Come on Johtonians, step it up! Also, very pleased to see our heroes get appropriately rewarded! Nice to see that some in the Indigo League still care!

AlluteNinja

Glad to see that something's being done. A shame that this had to come from charities and donations rather than our taxes. Wish the League did more!

TangelaThoughts

Very fortunate that the ports of Olivine are going to be repaired so quickly, and that Giovanni is honouring his promises. They're definitely one of the more important areas of Johto, and the damage would be far more significant if repairs weren't done as swiftly as possible. Happy to see that the problem is getting addressed quickly!

Also, hope this is a good sign that the new League administration is willing to get things done.

NotTooMuchWater

I am remarkably surprised, and jealous, about how efficient your leaders have reacted to the attack at Olivine. Honestly, even with a competent Champion like Wallace in charge, Hoenn's bureaucracy is no better than yours. Such a project might take an additional month, and there certainly wouldn't be as much compensation to the injured and heroes.

SlugmaBalls

Speaking of which, anyone heard anything about Team Rocket on the news recently? Feels like they've just disappeared when they came to Hoenn. There was the big arrest, and then a whole lot of nothing. Maybe they're all gone?

RockGetGrunt

Maybe they're all just lying low for the moment and recuperating their strength? Maybe they're just hiding because there was too much heat on them and they're waiting for it to die down? Maybe they're unfamiliar with Hoenn and need time to acclimatize themselves?

Maybe.

NotTooMuchWater

@RockGetGrunt Huh. Good point. It definitely makes sense for them to be lying low for the moment. I hope the Hoenn League won't be caught unprepared if they ever resurface. We don't need a Hoenn version of the Olivine attacks.

RockGetGrunt

I'm sure any future Rocket attacks won't be like Olivine.

=================

?[A NEW EVOLUTION OF PORYGON HAS BEEN DISCOVERED! PLEASE WELCOME THE NEW PORYGON2 INTO THE WORLD!] by The Hoenn Times

[Picture of Gym Leader Giovanni and Steven Stone shaking hands with scientists holding up a Porygon2]

The scientific world celebrates once again as a new Pokémon evolution has been discovered! This comes right off the back of Elite John's PIT technique, which really goes to show how the world is currently undergoing a scientific boom in recent times!

As for the details of this new 'Porygon2', it evolves from a Porygon after a Porygon is given a very specific evolution item, named an 'Up-Grade'. An 'Up-Grade' is an entirely artificial item, created by scientists, and is effectively just a box of specifically crafted data that causes the evolution.

Steven Stone, standing in as representative of Devon Corp, had this to say about their successful cooperation.

"While my father is sadly unable to be here to celebrate this momentous occasion, he has repeatedly praised the joint-research team stationed in Petalburg City. My father has always had an interest in science, and he is extremely pleased by the efforts shown here. He hopes for more successes in the future and is highly encouraging of future cooperation."

Unfortunately for our more battle-oriented readers, there have not been many tests done regarding the combat strength of this new evolution. However, there is a silver lining! The scientists at the joint-research facility have mentioned that Elite John, as thanks for helping with the experiment, has received and evolved a Porygon2 of his own and is training it up!

Hopefully, we will get to see more of Porygon2's battle abilities in the future!

Comments

ResearchMagnet

See? This is the result of when actual scientists PROPERLY cooperate with each other to work on a project together. Hope to see a way of increasing the manufacturing of these Porygon's. Would love to see more in the future.

ANormalFan

LET'S GOO!! Another opportunity for John to show off his battling prowess with a whole new Pokémon! Can't wait to see it in action in a big battle!

TangelaThoughts

@ResearchMagnet You seem the science-y type, what kind of thing do you think can be created now that we have a Pokémon made out of data?

ResearchMagnet

@TangelaThoughts Please, any good scientist should be able to come up with many potential theories about Porygon's potential uses. To focus mainly on Porygon's battling ability is pure barbarity.

As a Pokémon made of data, its use obviously lies its potential in improving our computer systems and cybersecurity. Imagine the new heights we could use if our computers were supported by Porygon?

FutureAce

Yeah yeah, tons of scientific and research potential blah blah blah. I just want to see a cool new Pokémon kick some ass!! Anyone think it's got another evolution in it?

FightClub

Can't believe we're spending so much money on researching evolutions for dumb Normal types like this one. These 'scientists' have too much brain, and not enough sense.

================

?[NEW DISCOVERIES VIA THE PIT TECHNIQUE! D-RATTATA DISCOVERED! THEORIES ABOUND!] by The Indigo Post

[Compilation of pictures of the new D-Rattata]

Following up from the recently discovered Porygon2 evolution, the scientific community continues to astound us once again as a successful application of the PIT technique has resulted in a newly discovered alternate form of Rattata!

Now dubbed the D-Rattata, following from Elite John's naming scheme for his D-Zigzagoon, this new Dark/Normal Rattata was recently hatched by the good scientists at the Cinnabar Lab. The former Elite Four member, and now Gym Leader of Cinnabar, Blaine gave his congratulations to his team for the discovery and promises that more successes will follow.

According to the scientists that were interviewed, the discovery of D-Rattata gives credence to the idea that Pokémon that are able to learn multiple moves of a certain type may have an alternate form related to that type. In the case of Elite John's D-Zigzagoon and the new D-Rattata, both Zigzagoon and Rattata are known to have extensive Dark type attacks within their possible move pool. Thus, it is perhaps this factor that may hint at a Pokémon having an alternate type!

Of course, many have speculated that with the discovery of a D-Rattata, that a D-Raticate should also follow. And indeed, the scientists have confirmed that they will be looking to evolve their newest addition as soon as possible to determine whether an evolved form exists. Readers should keep an eye on the news to find out if such a theory bears fruit!

If you would like to find out more about the process of creating a D-Rattata, you may find the extensive notes here. A fair warning that none of this should be attempted without being in a League-approved facility!

Comments

FutureAce

Wow, yet another new Pokémon discovery?! That's the second one in a short while! And with the very likely discovery of D-Raticate in the future, then that's a total of 3! These big brain scientists are on a roll these days!

ResearchMagnet

@FutureAce Unsurprising. Ever since Elite John's lucky break, the scientific community have naturally turned their attention to PROPERLY explore the new avenues of potential from John's lucky discovery. Especially with all the research grants being approved, expect to see more like this in the future.

FearTheRat

Yeah, we're really undergoing a big science-y boom nowadays. Very happy to see it! Though I doubt that even a Dark/Normal Raticate will see any popular use in high-level battles; Raticates just aren't that strong to begin with!

DarkManager

Hope we get to see more Dark type alternate forms in the future! We're really lacking in high-level Dark type Pokémon at the moment, so any extra options are always going to be appreciated!

==========

?[THIS YEAR'S INDIGO CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALIST, AND NEW GYM LEADER OF MAHOGANY, LORELEI CHALLENGES WALKER FOR THE POSITION OF ELITE FOUR!] by BattleCast

Lorelei, most famously known as being the niece of ex-Champion Pryce and her position as the Gym Leader of Mahogany, has just declared her challenge to Walker for his position in the Elite Four!

While there are many within the political circles who are very busy discussing the implications of this challenge and the rationale behind such a decision, especially with her blanket refusal for any and all interviews, we here at BattleCast are more concerned about the upcoming battle itself! We'll leave the politics to the boring people.

Lorelei, famous for her semi-finalist run in this year's Indigo Conference, is an Ice specialist like her uncle. Looking at her last few battles in the Conference, her team consisted of a Cloyster, Jynx, Dewgong, Slowbro, Glalie and her starter and ace, Lapras. A powerful Ice team that harkens back to her uncle's own team.

In the meanwhile, looking and compiling from all of Walker's battles, we know his team to consist of a Pidgeot, Crobat, Noctowl, Pelipper, Tropius, Gligar, Fearow, and his ace and starter, Skarmory. That's plenty of Pokémon for Walker to pick and choose from, and we're excited to see what Walker will come up with to defend his title.

As many are likely going to be aware by now, Lorelei does have a significant type advantage against Walker with her Ice types against his Flying types. However, we here at BattleCast believe that Walker's experience as a long-time Elite Four member should be able to easily overcome this handicap...(Click here to continue reading)

Comments

IceColdSimp

LET'S GOOO LORELEI WE LOVE YOU!!!!! YOU'LL CRUSH THAT FLYING NOOB WALKER AND GET INTO THE ELITE FOUR AND FINALLY GET THE POSITION YOU DESERVE!!! YOU DESERVE TO BE CHAMPION MY QUEENNNN!!!! #Lorelei4Elite4

FlyingHigh

...wow, that is a very ambitious move by Lorelei. I'm hesitant to call it exploiting a loophole, but Lorelei used her (very likely) nepotistic appointment as Gym Leader of Mahogany to directly challenge the Elite Four despite not winning out in the Indigo Conference.

...That's a hard pill to swallow for many that didn't manage to win the conference and weren't given this opportunity. I'm not sure I like this.

FearTheRat

@FlyingHigh Yeah, I completely agree. I'm pretty pissed at this move to be honest. Many trainers struggle to win the Indigo Conference just for the one opportunity to challenge the Elite Four, and Lorelei just abuses her silver-spoon position to challenge Walker?

Pathetic. I don't even care about the type matchup or if she's likely going to win. I hope she loses.

IceColdSimp

[This user has been banned from this thread. Please do not insult others on this forum just because their viewpoints differ from yours.]

SlugmaBalls

Yeah...I can see why some people are mad. Even if this took place in Hoenn people would be mad too. But I really just care about the battle! Who do you think's gonna win? My vote is on Walker. I know he has a poor reputation for battling within the Elite Four, but he's still been an experienced trainer for far longer than Lorelei. I'm voting for him.

FutureAce

Definitely supporting Lorelei on this. Walker's a weakling! And now with Pryce gone, we should finally be able to get rid of him for someone more suitable. I think Lorelei's gonna be the one to replace Walker at last.

TangelaThoughts

I very much agree with the sentiments stated in this thread. But I'm more curious about how the other Gym Leaders are going to be looking at this. You have a new Gym Leader, who may have been undeservingly awarded the position, looking to immediately strike for the Elite Four.

I wonder if they're insulted by this.

============

?[AD: NEW SMITH FAMILY POSTERS RELEASED! GIOVANNI AND HIS TEAM NOW AVAILABLE TO BE REDEEMED!]

Following our highly popular posters displaying Elite John and his team, we at the Smith family are now cooperating with Gym Leader Giovanni to produce posters for him and his team!

Get them now while stocks last!

==============

?[NEW ELITE FOUR MEMBER APPOINTED BY COMMITTEE TO REPLACE LANCE! PLEASE WELCOME ELITE WILL INTO THE RANKS OF THE ELITE FOUR!] By The Indigo Post

[Pictures of Will]

The Committee just announced after their most recent meeting that they have voted to appoint Will, who was the winner of the previous year's Indigo Conference, as the newest Elite Four member of Indigo.

Not only that, but under Champion Lance's initiative to increase the transparency of the Indigo League's actions, he has graciously published the transcript of the speeches made by himself, and the other Elite Four members, and who they chose to support.

Reading through the inputs and opinions of the pillars of Indigo is very interesting, and we here at the Indigo Post highly recommend any politically inclined reader to read through the transcript, if you haven't already. You may find the entire transcript here.

Looking at the transcript, we can see that the other individual that was considered to be selected was this year's Indigo Conference finalist and runner up, Shin! Unfortunately, the Steel-type specialist was not selected by the Committee, though his appointment was supported by Elite Walker, but we hope to see more of him in the future! Good luck Shin, and this writer wishes you all the best!

Moving on from the political side of things, Will, as expected of an Indigo Conference winner, is an experienced Pokémon trainer with a diverse and powerful team of strong Psychic types. Although we were unable to find an up-to-date version of his team, the team that Will used during his final match in the Indigo Conference consisted of a Exeggutor, Slowbro, Jynx, Hypno, Mr. Mime, and his starter and ace, Xatu.

[Graphic of Will's team and previous analysis done on his team]

You can find more information about his team here.

Will's swearing-in ceremony will be hosted shortly, so we at the Indigo Post hope to see you there to celebrate the appointment of our newest Elite Four member! We have high hopes for him, especially with the success of Elite John, and hope that Will is going to be another success story!

Comments

KantoRepresent

Can't say I'm pleased to see another Johto Elite Four member be appointed, but at least this was within my expectations since they're obviously looking for another Johtonian to replace take up Lance's old spot.

Well, since both Elite John and Elite Agatha have vouched for him, I guess I'll see if he lives up to expectations.

ILoveGoldenRod

...yeah, while I'm happy to see a Johtonian like Will be appointed, I was kinda hoping to see Shin get appointed instead. I really liked his performance in the Indigo Conference and was rooting for him to win.

ANormalFan

With Elite John's support of Will, I'm really looking forward to seeing more of him! He can't be that bad of a guy since John endorsed him, after all!!

TangelaThoughts

@ANormalFan I'm pretty sure the Elite Four and the Champion's endorsement of a certain candidate has very little to do with if they actually like them or not. There's probably a lot of political discussions that we aren't privy to that contribute to the decision.

While I'm not saying that Will is a bad choice, I'm just saying that these endorsements aren't actually a statement about their character.

FearTheRat

@TangelaThoughts Yep, though I will say that I believe Will to be at least strong enough to be in the Elite Four. I personally don't see Champion Lance ever giving his support for someone who doesn't deserve it. It's an open secret that he disdains Walker being in the Elite Four for the latter's weakness.

FutureAce

I wonder if Will is gonna get challenged after his one-month grace period is over? His Psychic team doesn't look THAT strong...

FearTheRat

@FutureAce I disagree. I think we've just been spoiled with the strength of some of the recent Elite Four members. The current roster (excluding Walker) of Lance, John, and Agatha are much stronger than the average. I think Will is definitely strong enough to meet the average standard of an Elite Four.

FightClub

Will is an absolute coward for using the type that is strong against the strongest type. Him and Walker both are undeserving to be in the Elite Four for relying on such a crutch. BOOOOO!!!

FlyingHigh

@FightClub Then what about Agatha?

FightClub

Her too, of course. To use a type that is immune to the strongest type is more of a crutch than her walking cane. In the meanwhile, John lucked out and made it into the Elite Four with such a weak type. No idea why he's still there!

EDIT: In fact, I'm disappointed at our current Elite Four and their chosen typings! Can't wait for an ACTUAL Fighting type specialist to show them how things are done.

FlyingHigh

...man, you really need to touch some grass.

FightClub

Why would I need to touch grass? My fists can punch straight through those weaklings.

===========

?Topic: [ELITE JOHN'S ENTRANCE WITH AGATHA'S APPRENTICE AS HER DATE?! RELATIONSHIP APPROVED BY AGATHA?!?] by Baby Doll Eyes

[Collection of photos of John and Karen's entrance, hand-in-hand]

It's finally come full circle girls! All our theories have turned out to be true as the Elite Four member was clearly bringing the beautiful Karen as his date for the swearing-in ceremony. All those times training their Pokémon together and spending time with each other must have allowed their relationship to blossom and bloom!

Can't wait to see more of this relationship in the future! What do you guys all think!?!

Comments

BeautyIsFree

I've been a fan of these two from the very beginning; they're so cutee!! <3 <3 I'm so HAPPY that they're still together AHHHH!!

Gardevoir34

@BeautyIsFree And the best part of it is, you can clearly see Agatha in the photo following after them!! It means she approves!! On the one hand, I was hoping for some spicy drama. Like could you imagine if Agatha didn't approve of John and there would be this drama between the two!! OMA that would've been so cool!!!

But I like this too. Sometimes you just want to see people get together with no fuss!! I wish they were meeee!!

BeautyIsFree

@Gardevoir34 IKRRRR!! OMA I wonder if Karen would have to fight off any other suitors for John. Or maybe she's into Harems?!!?? Can't wait to see more!!

============

?[HOOLIGANS AND THUGS DISRUPT THE RESTING PLACE OF MANY AT MT.PYRE! HOENN POLICE DISPATCHED TO SECURE THE AREA!] By The Hoenn Times

Unfortunately, there have been multiple reports of suspicious thugs and hooligans that have been loitering around the area of Mt. Pyre. While most are respectful and no overt damage has been done, there have been complaints by some visitors about the 'rudeness' shown by some individuals towards what is likely the resting place to many a Pokémon.

This has forced the Hoenn Police to be dispatched to ensure that the dead are not disturbed by these individuals. This writer would like to take the time to remind everyone to please be respectful of Mt. Pyre and the Pokémon that are resting there. It is a place of deep sentimentality and emotion to many, so please give them the proper respect that they deserve.

This writer hopes that, with the Lilycove Police on patrol, we will see less incidents.

Comments

NotTooMuchWater

It's offensive and frankly, disgusting, how people are so willing to disturb and disrespect the dead like that. I'm glad that the Hoenn Police are putting a stop to it, though. These miscreants should be ashamed of their actions!

Didn't their parents raise them properly?

SlugmaBalls

@NotTooMuchWater Yeah, wtf are these people doing? Do they have nothing better to do than to disturb the dead! They really need to make something out of their lives.

RockGetGrunt

OI!

EDIT: Oops, didn't mean to send that out by itself. I meant 'Oi! These ruffians sure are rude, right!?' Haha.

UnderTheSea

Yeah, those thugs disrupting the dead should learn to behave and to actually follow what their elders tell them to do!

FloorIsLava

@UnderTheSea Yeah, the youth of today really act like disobedient pirates who have never properly learned their manners.

UnderTheSea

@FloorIsLava Hm, well it seems like the teens of today are really reckless and just love to play with magma, don't they?

FearTheRat

What on earth are you two on about?

The New Normal – 4-20 – Interlude – Proton

This 'meeting between the bosses' was quickly devolving into a shit show. He didn't even know how two people could hate each other that much, but looking at the barely restrained look of fury on Archie's face, he knew better than to voice that at the moment.

Proton was currently just standing around like an idiot as him and all the other admins from Team Aqua and Team Magma were standing around, waiting for their bosses to stop wanting to punch each other in the face.

Though if it ever came time to throw hands, he was very confident that he could beat up his counterparts. Arceus, he was in pretty good shape physically, to say nothing about his partner who was basically just a wall of muscle. Compared to the both of them, the admins of Team Magna consisted of a girl with an, admittedly unnerving, blank stare, and some fat lard with a dumb smile.

"You know these delays are all your fault, right Maxie?" His boss sneered, bringing Proton back from his daydreaming, "If you and your eggheads could just finish your research instead of dillydallying, then we could actually move forward."

"You can't just rush research, that's just not how it works!" The other boss, Maxie, replied with a scoff, "Not that I'm surprised by your lack of knowledge. It's expected that a dumb brute like yourself wouldn't know anything about the intellectual prospects of what we're doing."

"You're right, I don't." Archie shot back, "But, what I can tell you is that my grunts ARE properly trained and ARE ready for standard operations. But we're waiting for you slow nerds to actually do your jobs!"

Maxie clearly wanted to say something back, but Archie forestalled it with a raised palm, "No, I don't want to hear your excuses. Let's face it, we're here today because we're running out of funds. You know as well as I do that our backer isn't willing to supply more funding until we can actually produce results."

Maxie gritted his teeth, but then eventually let out a weary sigh. "Hmph, unfortunately, you are correct, Archie." He bit out with extreme reluctance, "But I can understand that we've probably been lying low for too long. But doesn't our sponsor realize that if we act recklessly, we're just going to invite retribution?"

Proton unconsciously nodded to Maxie's words. He knew more than anyone how powerful the League was if they truly wanted to crush a threat. They were bumbling idiots most of the time, filled to the brim with easily corruptible and converted moles, but if you made yourself too much of a public threat, they would mercilessly crush you with an unending wave of trainers.

Proton had been spending much of his time in Hoenn training up himself and his team, and while he could proudly say that he had made great improvements, he remained hesitant to test the strength of the League, not without more time and training.

Luckily, his boss seemed to understand that too, and nodded to Maxie, "Yes, of course I know that. But the fact of the matter is that we NEED something to show for it. You said your research isn't ready yet, but surely you must have some idea of what we need to do?"

Maxie rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment, quietly whispering something to the fat admin, and then responded, "We do. After some extensive discussion with our backers, we realize that there IS a way to properly enforce control on even the most powerful Legendaries."

"Then what are you waiting for? We should go for it right now!" Archie interrupted and slammed the desk impatiently, but Maxie simply sneered at that.

"It's not so simple, fool." He received and ignored the glare from Archie, "The issue is that we're not entirely sure how such a system would be made. However, our current hypothesis suggest that we might find some clues regarding this if we can just study the Red Orbs and Blue Orbs."

"Why those?" Archie questioned confusedly, "Wait, what even are they? I thought they were just some ceremonial relics."

Maxie smirked with a look of superiority, "According to our hypothesis, those Orbs have a mystical element to them where they should be able to provide some controlling influence towards a specific Pokémon." He explained, "This was supported by the preliminary scans that our scientists managed to do on the orb while we were at Mt. Pyre, but further research is absolutely needed to see if we can repurpose that aspect of the orb for control of Legendaries."

"Why didn't your grunts just take the orb, if it's so important?" Archie asked with a grin, "Or perhaps, were your grunts too weak to act?"

Proton sighed as the conversation quickly devolved into more stupid bickering. Despite the fact the two of them were legitimately ambitious and were far more competent criminals than Proton had ever seen, they just simply couldn't handle being in a room with the other for more than a few seconds before devolving into more pointless arguments.

After a moment, the two of them seemed to finally have gotten the current round of bickering out of their systems and returned to their serious conversation.

"Right, well, I understand what you're trying to say." Archie spoke, "I'm assuming you want us to target the orb? Retrieve it for you?"

"No, though you might need to do that in the future." Maxie denied, "The Orbs have huge cultural significance, and are heavily monitored if not heavily guarded. Scanning it from a long distance was just about all we could manage without alerting them. Any overt action against them will bring the entire League down on our heads. We need to be absolutely sure that stealing them is necessary before we do anything."

Archie grimaced, but didn't gainsay Maxie and allowed him to continue, "Instead, Tabitha has very kindly informed us that Devon Corp has previously done some research regarding the Orb, before quitting due to a lack of funding and results. These notes are under lock-and-key, and despite being a scientist at Devon himself, Tabitha won't be able to access these notes without outside help. The notes would help confirm our hypothesis about the Orbs and would hopefully be less of a risk."

Proton could agree with that assessment; their spies in the Hoenn League did inform them that the League weren't very interested in hunting down Team Rocket and other criminals after their 'big success' where they had made the headlines with some arrests. According to their moles, while the Elite Four and Champion were still wary, the Committee very much wasn't. Thus, a covert strike at Devon Corp might not attract much of the League's attention. Or in fact, the Committee might even be so kind as to help them cover it up to 'preserve their own interests'.

It was almost amusing sometimes.

"I see, so that's where we come in, right?" Archie clarified, getting a nod from Maxie, "Okay, I can understand that. So, what do you need us to steal?"

"We need the files, and nothing else." Maxie stated, "I'll begrudgingly leave the planning to you, since you're more suited to this kind of thug work. Just give us some time to properly locate the files and to make sure that they're what we're looking for. BUT! Try not to bring down the League on us when you do so, we're not ready to handle that level of attention. At least not yet."

"Che, don't you worry your nerd brain, I'll come up with a plan." Archie responded with a sly grin, before he turned and locked eyes with Proton.

"Proton, you and your team still have your old Team Rocket uniforms, right?" Proton nodded, "Good. Then you'll be in charge. We'll work out the plans later, but it looks like we're about to see if your grunts have been taking to your training effectively."

Proton only responded with an evil grin.

The New Normal – 5-1 – The Calm before the Storm

A few days later, with the ceremony come and gone, Karen and I resettled into our normal relationship. While on the surface not much seems to have changed, but I felt that since we opened up to each other on how we wanted our relationship to progress, there was a lot of cleared air between us.

It was hard to describe...but I just felt more at ease when I spent time with her. With our boundaries properly defined, there was no need to tip toe around things.

And even though she had told me that I was free to pursue others, I truthfully didn't have anyone else in mind, at least not for the time being. I told her so, and she just shot me a teasing smile that implied many things, but she just said that I was free to look elsewhere, though she would prefer to get a heads up on it. I was just glad she wasn't enforcing double standards.

Of course, my mom was very pleased with how we handled it when I spoke to her about what we talked about. I left out some of the details of Karen's trauma, but my mom was still very pleased with how we went about it.

"As I told you, it's good that the two of you have communicated what you wanted to do." She said to me the day after the ceremony, "With boundaries properly set, you'll hesitate less and enjoy spending time with each other even more. Trust me."

And her words proved true enough as Karen and I went back to train together a few days after the ceremony, our steps light. We had wanted to train up before, but we both had different commitments occupying our time. Karen was with Agatha, and I was helping out my parents with a few business matters.

Luckily, we had finally made time today to train up together, which was where we found ourselves now, heading towards the fields. Though, she had an odd look as she looked around our usual training fields.

"Hey John, did your family hire some more people to help out around the farm?" She asked, gesturing towards our latest farmhands.

"Yes, we figured that we needed some help with working with the Miltank since we're also expanding to Johto. I think my uncle's helping out my parents with that." I replied, "Why? Is it a problem?"

"Not really." She shook her head, though her eyes kept swivelling around, "Though they are looking at me quite intently."

I shrugged, "Why are you surprised? You're the one that's been doing interviews for the past few days. Trying to 'get people to know you'" I said in air quotes. "You're basically a minor celebrity now. Of course people will begin to recognize you."

Being seen as my date in such a public event skyrocketed the public's interest in Karen, and she was a common topic that was being thrown around by reporters and newscasters ever since the ceremony. Many people were interested to see who Agatha's apprentice was and her potential as a trainer.

This all fell within Agatha's expectations, though, and she was quick to instruct Karen to participate in interviews so that the public would get to know her better. Unsurprisingly, many people started digging up her past match history, most notably her most recent run through the Hoenn Gyms, and people were beginning to recognize her as one of the upcoming premier Dark type specialists in Indigo.

Not only that, but people NOW remembered that she was also co-author to the PIT Technique. Sure, she was previously overshadowed by my own fame, and she had publicly stated that the project was more my own than hers, but people still acknowledged her contributions to science.

Being recognized for her scientific contributions did wonders for her budding reputation, as it meant that she was more than just a brute that knew nothing else but battling. Pokémon researchers and scientists were very respected in this world and were good signs of leadership.

Overall, Agatha was very pleased with how Karen's reputation has developed. If she was able to stay within the public eye, that would give her a solid foundation for which to use when she eventually made it into the Elite Four.

"Are they going to take any photos of us?" She asked me worriedly, shaking me out of my thoughts.

"No." I firmly stated, "They're contractually forbidden from taking or uploading any photos of us while they are under our employ. They also have NDAs and have undergone background checks. Can't have them whipping up scandal for an Elite Four member otherwise."

"That's good." She sighed out in relief, before her expression turned excited, "Anyways, let's not worry about that now. Come, didn't you say you had some ideas for how we would train up custom moves?" She excitedly pulled me forwards as she jogged to the training yards.

I chuckled and allowed myself to be pulled along, only speaking up when we arrived at the training fields. "So, for custom moves, you realize that it's very common for them to take a long time for your Pokémon to master, right?"

She nodded, and I continued, "Thus, its best for you to choose a custom move that can be shared among as many of your Pokémon as possible. For me, I have something I've named as 'Seismic Eruption', which is effectively just combining Stone Edge and Earthquake together. Vordt has already gotten pretty proficient at the move, so now I'm using him to instruct Smough and Tyrant to learn the move as well."

"Ah, so that way you can save the time and effort on creating specific custom moves for every one of your Pokémon." She replied, understanding.

"Yep." I confirmed, "And on that note, I do have one possible example for a custom move that you can start working on, if you want to hear it." She nodded, "Well, I've come up with a combination of both Dark Pulse and Snarl. If you can infuse the Special Attack lowering effect of Snarl into your Dark Pulse, then it'll make it far easier for you to win longer battles of attrition between other Special Attackers. You'll turn your most common attacking move into a potent debuffer as well." I explained.

She digested my words for a few moments before breaking out into an excited smile, "That's a great idea. And both Snarl and Dark Pulse are both common moves that all my Pokémon can learn and are proficient in. That's an amazing idea, John! I'm going to get started on that right away."

And then, with our goals properly set, the two of us got to work. Karen quickly released all of her Pokémon and explained to them what she wanted them to do. The idea of combining moves was received well by her team, and they quickly turned it into a friendly competition to see who could master it first.

On my end, I split up my Pokémon. The trio of Smough, Vordt, and Tyrant would be training up on Seismic Eruption, since the latter had at least learnt how to use Facade. Then, I grouped Pixel, Luna, and Klee together so that the former could be tutored on how to use and develop its recovery moves and Gravity. I also grouped Klaus, Euphie, and Ornstein together, due to their currently similar fighting styles, and made the former tutor them on how to add more power into their Normal Physical attacking moves.

Unfortunately, that left Zephyr on his own. But was fine, as Karen generously offered to allow me to make use of her Spiritomb as a target dummy to let Zephyr continue practicing his Foresight on.

That was how we proceeded to spend most of the day. Occasionally, I would step in and give some tips on how I thought I could improve her training process. For example, I told her that she should try to develop the move using her Pokémon that were most proficient with Dark type attacks first, such as her Houndoom and Honchkrow.

That way, after they actually managed to combine the moves together, it would be far easier then to just teach her remaining Pokémon how to do the same.

"You know, training my Pokémon like this to start using custom moves really makes me appreciate the fact that Pryce's Pokémon were so well-trained that they were able to have a variety of custom moves." She admitted to me as we trained, "It makes me think back to how he still managed to lose despite all that training."

"It's because he lost sight of what truly made his Pokémon strong." I informed her, "Pryce initially tried to use his Ice types to fight straight-up against Lance's Draconic brutes. No number of custom moves or training would allow him to win that kind of fight."

"And that's why you must not lose sight of what makes you and your Pokémon strong in the first place." I reminded her, "My Tyrant may be currently trying to learn the new Seismic Eruption, but I'm always going to be reminding myself that his strengths lie in his close quarters fighting ability, not his geokinesis. You should remember the same for your own Pokémon."

"Yeah, tricks and subterfuge are always going to be the backbone of my team. I'm just developing more moves to give myself more options if I need them, or if my tricks aren't working out." She affirmed.

"Exactly." I remarked. And I truly hope that she would remember this too. Even if her Pupitar evolved into a Tyranitar, or if she mastered all sorts of custom and combined moves, I highly doubted that her Houndoom or any other of her Pokémon would be able to beat Tyrant in a straight-up fight without any tricks. It was good for her to remember where her strengths lay, and how best to capitalize on them.

And thus, the hours flew by as the two of us continued training together.

A few hours later, with our Pokémon either thoroughly exhausted or bored of training, I was about to order a break and invite Karen for dinner with my family before my phone started to ring.

Interestingly, I saw that the Waterflower sisters were calling me.

"Hello? This is John." I picked up.

"Elite John? This is Daisy, speaking on behalf of the Cerulean Gym." She replied.

"Oh? How may I help the Cerulean Gym?" I asked, slightly surprised at the call.

"Well, uh...we wanted to invite you and the Mayor to visit the Gym tomorrow...as a favour. Our new secretary...that is, the one you recommended...we uh, really like him, and he had some good ideas. So, we wanted to have this PR event where we showed you around and take some photos for the public."

Huh. That was very interesting. "I see...can I ask why you wanted the mayor and I to participate?"

"Yeah, so like, we recently made some improvements to the Gym, and wanted to inject some confidence in the public towards the Gym. At least, that's what Petrel told us, but we agreed! And we would like to bring up some things with you in person."

"I see." I said after I went over her words, "Sure, I'll come over. When should I arrive?"

Daisy then told me that we should arrive during the one-hour lunch break at the Gym, if possible. I said that it was fine; the Committee meeting wasn't until the day after tomorrow anyways. Daisy then thanked me for my time and hung up.

Well, tomorrow would prove to be interesting.

===========

The next afternoon, I ensured that I was properly dressed up to suit the expected formality of the invitation before I made my way to the Cerulean Gym.

As I arrived, I was greeted this time by a tired looking, yet still professional, young Gym Trainer that quickly escorted me to Waterflower sister's office. As I entered, I found that I was the last to arrive and that Mayor Henry was already making small talk with the Waterflower sisters and Petrel.

"Hello all. I apologize if I'm late." I greeted as I made my way in.

"Ah, John, it's good to see you again." Mayor Henry replied, shaking my hand. "And you're not late. We were just making some small talk about what to expect from today's invitation."

"Oh?" I asked curiously, "I would like to know too, if someone could explain things to me."

"Certainly." Petrel stepped forwards, speaking on behalf of the sisters, "As you know, I've been recently appointed by the Cerulean Gym as their personal secretary and administrator. And over the past few days, I've been trying to reorganize and fix some of the major problems of the Gym. We wanted to get a grip on these problem before the League gets alerted and sends their own investigation team down here."

He smoothly lifted a finger, "First. I had to improve the discipline and standards of the Gym Trainers. That isn't something I can achieve in such a short time, but luckily, I managed to hire a new Head Gym Trainer that should hopefully fix most of the problems over time."

He raised another finger, "Second, and this is linked to the first issue, the Gym needs time to train up a greater reserve of Water type Pokémon to handle challenges outside of the usual 2-badge challenge. We're handling that internally, but we do have a proposition for the both of you."

We both gave him curious looks, prompting him to continue, "As soon as I was hired on, I realized that the sisters' water shows that they performed were a huge untapped market for advertising and sponsorships. Thus, we would like to offer the opportunity to the two of you, or in your case Mayor Henry, your supporters, to make use of the sister's shows as advertisement opportunities for your companies."

Wow. I had to hide back my surprise at Petrel's proposal. And yet, it made so much sense. The sisters' show was surprisingly popular in Indigo, and they performed the show frequently enough that any astute businessman would see the marketing opportunity for what it was. As expected of Giovanni's personal assistant.

I was brought back from my thoughts as Petrel continued speaking, "Of course, you don't need to decide that now. As for today in particular, we wanted the two of you to be seen 'inspecting' the premises and shaking hands with people where necessary. In essence, we want to prove to the public that the Gym is making improvements, and that we are actively addressing their concerns."

Mayor Henry cut in, "And this also boosts our own reputation as well, doesn't it?" He stated rhetorically, "Because we'll be seen as 'doing something' and actively helping out with the continued prosperity of the Gym."

"Exactly." Petrel nodded, which the sisters' joined in, "Right now, things aren't as bad as they could be. But we need to act quickly to restore the public's confidence before the rumour-mongering spirals out of control. That was why I invited you both on such short notice."

"I see." I muttered, "Well, I don't have any problems with this. So, I'm happy to go along with your idea right now."

Mayor Henry stated the same, eliciting a small nod from Petrel, and wide smiles from the sisters. The group then proceeded forwards to the main battling hall of the Gym, which was currently being cleaned during the lunch break.

As we entered, a very familiar looking teal haired man made his way forwards to greet us. "Ah, Petrel, you're here. And these must be Mayor Henry and Elite John. I'm Archer, the newly appointed Head Gym Trainer here. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He said formally with a short bow.

My fists clenched instinctively as I took in his appearance, and I had to fight down my surprise. I was about to question him about what he was doing here before he began his introduction into his duties and how he's trying to improve the standards of the trainers.

He explained to us that the initial problem the Gym faced was that it was seen as a low-level Gym of relatively little importance. Thus, being a Gym Trainer here wasn't an attractive option, especially when the Waterflower sisters didn't have stellar reputations themselves as trainers. This led to most of the Gym Trainers being hired were people of similar ages to the sisters, and teenagers were never going to be the most disciplined of workers.

Archer described that his solution was two-pronged. First, to fire any Gym Trainer that failed to pass a certain standard after a week of observations. That lit a fire in most of them to behave properly to the standards expected of a Gym. Second, was to divert and limit all non 2-badge challenges to a separate time slot on the weekends.

He explained that this served two purposes, one, to discourage trainers from challenging the Gym outside of the usual order, which often placed a lot of stress on the Gym Trainers to adapt to the different level of challenge. Secondly, it was so that Archer and Petrel, both of whom were very experienced trainers, could temporarily handle all those challenges in the meantime to alleviate some of the burden on the Gym Trainers as they still got used to their duties.

Furthermore, this would also give the girls the time and space to work on their shows and continue training up their personal teams. I knew that, according to the official League standards, they had to match up well against 7-badge challengers. I wondered how strong the sisters were.

"It's not a perfect solution, I admit." Archer stated, "But Petrel and I, along with the sisters, believe that this is the best solution available to us at the moment. At the very least, it'll show that we're trying to make a difference."

The mayor and I both nodded at that; we both agreed that the plan made sense. Still, I had a few worries of my own, and I quickly took the time while we were being shown around the Gym to quietly speak to Archer.

"...I think I recognize you from somewhere. I'm pretty sure Giovanni's brought you up before." I whispered to him.

Archer only chuckled at my words, "Well yes, I'm sure he has. You see, I found myself...unemployed recently, and Giovanni was kind enough to offer me this job when it came up."

"...and no one from your previous job will give you any grief for your sudden change in job?" I asked. Is anyone going to recognize you as the former leader of Team Rocket?

He shook his head, "No, of course not. I was more careful than that and always wore a disguise. You can ask Petrel; he helped me design it. Don't worry, Giovanni also made sure of that none of it can be traced back." He replied, assuaging most of my concerns. Still, it was really weird to see another one of Team Rocket's executives just working a legitimate job. Especially as a Gym Trainer.

"Are you going to be here permanently?" I asked out of curiosity.

Archer shook his head. "Unlikely. I'm not sure what Giovanni's plans are for me after this, but I know he won't keep me here forever." He explained, "I'll stay for long enough to help out with the Gym so that it doesn't fail; can't have Giovanni's reputation being attached to a failure, after all. But after that, only Giovanni knows."

Huh. That was interesting, and good to know. Though I might still bring it up with Giovanni in casual conversation. Just in case.

With my main concerns resolved, I allowed myself to be dragged along with the group to take some photos. They mainly consisted of me shaking hands with a few people or be seen pretending to inspect some aspect of the Gym or another. Basically, the usual fluff piece for the news.

As we neared the end of our 'tour', we bumped into someone very interesting. The Waterflower sisters were quick to take over from Archer and introduce the little girl to our group.

"And this pretty little girl here is our youngest sister!" Daisy gushed, messing up Misty's hair to the latter's annoyance, "Petrel and Archer both suggested that she should be involved in the running of the Gym. And Misty was very excited to do so! So, she's now a junior Gym Trainer here at the Gym!"

"It makes for good PR." Was all Petrel said when we turned to him.

"Oh, ignore the serious guy." Lily playfully fake-grumbled, "At first, we didn't want to involve our sister in the Gym because we all thought she was too young. But Petrel was quick to point out that we should have just asked to see if she wanted to. And now it seems like she's really enjoying herself! Isn't that right Misty?"

The young Misty broke out into a wide and excited smile, "Yep! And I get to play with all these cool Water types! I can't believe that I wasn't doing this earlier! This is so fun!! I can't wait to go on my own journey!"

We all chuckled at her childish enthusiasm. As for me personally, I felt that this was a surprising, yet not unwelcome development; getting Misty involved early would probably be a good thing for her own development. Afterwards, Petrel asked if the sisters wanted to take a photo playing around together, Misty included, so that they could show off how 'personable' and 'likeable' they were.

With that done, Archer and Misty returned to their duties and the rest of us all reconvened in the sisters' office where they all thanked us for our time. We went over all of the photos today to make sure that we were happy with them being published, which we were. Then Petrel reminded us that if we were interested into having our advertisements be played during the sisters' water shows, we were free to get back to them to secure some contractual agreements.

I spoke up and told them that I would speaking to our parents about it soon, but that I was interested to see if we could make it work. Similarly, the mayor pointed out that many of his supporters would be eager for said opportunity, and he could really boost his own reputation if he could facilitate such an agreement.

With that done, we ended the meeting there, and the sisters thanked us for coming and for our time before we made our way out. I parted ways with mayor Henry then, making my way back home.

Overall, I was very impressed with the changes that the Cerulean Gym was implementing. While I couldn't say for sure that they would work, I was at least hopeful that with Petrel guiding the Waterflower sisters, that they wouldn't allow the Cerulean Gym to fall to the state of disrepair that it was in canon.

And, with a strong and secure Gym, it was looking increasingly likely that my vision of Cerulean would be able to be put in place.