The New Normal - A Pokémon Elite 4 SI by CartecFF

Chapter 39: 153-156

The New Normal – 8-6 – A Display of Power

I didn't need to wait long, because Cynthia quickly made up her mind as she fished up her last Pokéball. I leaned forwards instinctively, waiting to see which of her Pokémon she had chosen.

"Lucario. Defeat them."

And her Lucario was her answer, which came sprinting out of its Pokéball in a blur as it immediately charged into the fight. Before Smough could even brace himself, Lucario suddenly exploded forwards in a burst of Extreme Speed and delivered a critical volley of strikes towards Smough with a barrage of Mach Punches.

Smough let out a groan of pain and instinctively reacted with a swift jab, but Lucario instantly parried it with an arm and smashed another fist into Smough.

"Hammer Arm, Smough! Fight back!"

"Close Combat, Lucario! Keep going!"

Smough let out a roar as he raised his arm threateningly into the air, looking to slam Lucario with a devastating Hammer Punch. Smough's arm came down with surprising speed, but Lucario was faster.

Instead of moving to dodge, Lucario fully committed to its attack, following up with a brutal assault of punches; each punch from Lucario landed with an audible thump and left visible indents into Smough's body that sent Smough reeling back in pain. Short grooves were formed in the ground as Smough skidded back from the force of the assault.

"Protect, Smough!"

"Low Kick, Lucario! Trip it up!"

Trying to buy time, I had Smough try to set up a Protect shield to halt Lucario's offensive momentum and give Smough a chance to reorient himself. But before the Protect shield formed, Lucario had already rushed forwards and lashed out with a strong kick, striking decisively at one of Smough's legs and causing the heavy Pokémon to let out a surprised groan as he tripped over himself.

"Brick Break! Combo it!"

"EARTHQUAKE, SMOUGH!"

Thinking Smough was vulnerable, Lucario's arms started glowing a powerful white as it prepared to chop down with what would have been a painful Brick Break. However, Smough was not as helpless as Lucario expected, and retaliated by slamming into the ground with his full body weight and letting out a powerful Earthquake that caused the already destroyed arena to break apart entirely.

The ground exploded from beneath them; what remained of the arena was little more than small islands of rocks barely joined together.

Lucario let out a cry of pain as it fell to its knees, failing to dodge away in time from the sudden eruption of explosive tremors.

"Body Press, Smough!"

"Extreme Speed and Force Palm!"

"SNORLAXX!!" Leaping off the ground, Smough let out a ferocious roar as he tried to squash the smaller Lucario beneath the full weight of his body. However, recovering quickly, Lucario dashed out of the way with another Extreme Speed, and Smough suddenly found himself being smashed with an upright palm to the face that struck with such force that it created an audible BANG.

The force of the attack was so great that, despite his weight, it still sent Smough flying through the air. And unwilling to leave things at that, Lucario rocketed forwards in a blue and black blur as it dashed after him, driving into him with a hard High Jump Kick that sent Smough spinning through the air straight into the psychic barriers.

The crowd went wild as Smough smashed limply into the barriers, cheering out their support for Lucario's brutal performance.

After all, my Smough had a reputation of victories against very well-established and powerful trainers. So to put up this good of a fight against him was far beyond many of their expectations for Cynthia. But Lucario was doing more than 'putting up a good fight'. It was overwhelming Smough with its ridiculous speed.

I knew I needed to deal with Lucario's insane speed advantage over Smough, or else he would not last much longer. There was still a limit to how much punishment Smough could take.

Nor could I reuse the method that I used against Karen's Weavile. Trying to set up with Belly Drum right now would be idiotic, as with Lucario's power, Smough would find himself quickly finished off before he could even make use of his boosts. Furthermore, relying on his self-healing moves would only be delaying the inevitable; Lucario didn't seem like it could be worn down like that.

I only really had one recourse.

"YAWN!"

"Aura Sphere, keep your distance."

We both ordered our Pokémon at the same time. Cynthia must have thought that I would have tried to catch Lucario off-guard with a surprise attack and played it safe with a barrage of Aura Spheres instead. Despite it being the weaker of the two choices, the attack was no less devastating as a barrage of orbs exploded before Smough even landed on the ground.

However, for a fraction of a second, Smough managed to land his Yawn on Lucario, and the Fighting type suddenly stumbled over as drowsiness began to set in.

Cynthia frowned, but so did I. Lucario falling asleep would be utterly detrimental. It would be completely helpless to whatever attack Smough could fire off; and it was very likely it would not be able to endure through it. Its offense might have been very impressive, but I suspected the same could not be said for its defenses.

On the other hand, Smough was in a terrible state. He had barely managed to pull himself up from the ground, his arms shaking as he did, and it was clear that the previous onslaught of attacks had really done a number on him. It was never a good sign when your Pokémon was heaving for breath and standing uncertainly.

He looked like he was already on his last legs. How hard did that Lucario hit?

It had been a very long time since I saw Smough completely outclassed like this. There couldn't have been a worse matchup for him. Worse, I couldn't tell if Cynthia's frown was a bluff or not; did she have some way of dispelling the Yawn that I wasn't aware of?

However, I did not have the luxury to think of what my next best move would be, as Cynthia went back on the offensive.

"Extreme Speed into Close Combat, Lucario. Finish it off."

"Counter, Smough! Punish it!"

Lucario disappeared once more as it rushed forth with Extreme Speed, doing its best to suppress the forced drowsiness. In the meanwhile, Smough began glowing orange as he prepared to Counter any attack Lucario made, ready to retaliate with the full amount of energy absorbed. I could only remain confident that Smough could withstand the attack.

My confidence was instantly put to the test as Lucario reappeared directly in front of Smough, striking with a flurry of explosive punches that caused Smough to groan out in pain. But just like I hoped, Smough endured, and with burning rage filling his eyes, he transformed all of that absorbed energy into his arms as he smashed down with a cataclysmic Hammer Arm that would shatter all in its wake.

However, with reaction speeds that bordered on precognition, Lucario perfectly manoeuvred out of the way of the attack, causing it to go wide and merely strike the air next to Lucario.

It was a perfectly executed Detect.

And as Smough's rage turned to horror as the realisation of his missed attack, Lucario leapt into the air and delivered a head-snapping High Jump Kick to the back of Smough's head.

The attack landed with an audible CRACK, causing Smough's entire body to twist briefly through the air as he was sent crashing painfully into the ground. Not letting anything up to chance, Lucario crushed whatever defiance remained in Smough by driving a merciless Cross Chop straight into Smough's neck, cracking the ground around it and knocking out my Snorlax.

It was only after my Snorlax fainted, and the adrenaline had begun to run out, that the earlier effects of the Yawn began to settle in. Lucario wobbled in place as its eyes drooped, and I could tell that it was using whatever willpower it could to ensure that it did not fall asleep.

I could have immediately returned Smough to his Premier Ball and send out my final Pokémon while Lucario was still trying to fight off the effects of the Yawn, but that was far too unsportsmanlike – especially for a battle that was meant to endear the Sinnoh public to the idea of international cooperation.

So instead, just like the rest of the crowd were doing, I waited patiently to see if Lucario had the mental strength necessary to ward off the sleep.

At some point, Lucario began glowing a bright blue as it channelled its internal aura in a last-ditch burst of willpower in an attempt to steady itself.

Yet even then, it still wasn't enough. After all, I hadn't trained up Smough's Yawn for nothing.

Despite all its efforts, Lucario eventually succumbed to the effects of the Yawn and collapsed to the ground, fast asleep.

It was only then did the referee speak up, "...AND THAT PUTS THE MATCH AT 2-2, WITH JOHN'S SNORLAX GOING DOWN TO A POWERFUL COUNTERATTACK FROM CYNTHIA'S LUCARIO! AND WHO WAS EXPECTING THAT LEVEL OF POWER FROM OUR CHALLENGER?! TO BE ABLE TO BRING DOWN THE POKéMON THAT WON AGAINST DRAKE'S GYARADOS! INCREDIBLE!"

I finally decided to withdraw Smough to his ball, giving an acknowledging nod to Cynthia in recognition of her skills to be able to train her Lucario to this extent. I took a moment to think about who I wanted to use next.

If I wanted to ensure my victory, then Vordt or Tyrant were the most obvious options. But using one of those to defeat a sleeping Lucario would not be in the spirit of things. I knew the crowd wanted an exciting fight full of back-and-forths, so a one-sided victory would not be very interesting to them.

The most important thing about this match was to get the public on our side, to give them a memorable fight between a representative of Indigo and a trainer of Sinnoh. To use Vordt and knock out a sleeping Lucario with a single Earthquake would NOT be conducive to this.

Furthermore, I reminded myself that this was an opportunity to learn. To test out and evaluate the strength of my weaker Pokémon. Winning was not everything here.

Therefore, with that thought in mind, I selected my next Pokémon.

"Klaus, show off your new training!"

I released Klaus onto the field, his magnificent horns gleaming brightly in the sun. He stood tall, looking down regally at the sleeping Lucario, his eyes shining with Psychic power. Ever since my last battle with Bruno, I had done much to train up Klaus, and I wanted to use this battle to show it off.

"Calm Mind, set yourself up."

Though I was holding back, I wasn't going to sandbag to the extent that I would ignore the advantage of a sleeping opponent. Thus, I had Klaus start buffing up his own Special Attack and Special Defense while Lucario continued to snooze unaware on the ground.

"WAKE UP LUCARIO! OR ELSE YOU'RE IN BIG TROUBLE!"

"Agility, Klaus."

Unfortunately, despite Cynthia's shouting, Lucario remained fast asleep – though the slight twitch from his arms told me that it was only a matter of time before he woke up. All the while, Klaus continued to channel his internal energies as he now began buffing up his speed; a necessary action considering just how fast Lucario was. Klaus may have been naturally faster than Smough, yet Lucario's Extreme Speed was on a whole different level.

Eventually, with the first round of buffs settled in, I didn't feel like taking the risk that Lucario would wake up on its own accord. So I decided to start the battle on my own terms.

"Earth Power, Klaus! Give it a nice wake-up call!"

The ground erupted with power, and the arena was already so utterly destroyed at this point that it couldn't be any further damaged. Yet Lucario was suddenly jolted awake with the tremors exploding from underneath its sleeping form, pain coursing through its body as it was rudely and painfully awakened by the supereffective attack.

It let out a surprised yelp, but its focus instantly returned as it retaliated by firing off a quick barrage of Aura Spheres towards Klaus.

"Light Screen and Psychic, Klaus!"

"Extreme Speed and Drain Punch, Lucario! Move quickly!"

"Teleport and Psychic!"

With impressive discipline, Lucario shrugged off the pain and rushed forwards with another Extreme Speed, one of its fists raised threateningly as it readied to deliver a powerful Drain Punch into Klaus. However, making use of his Agility boosts and all his previous training, Klaus suddenly disappeared into a shimmer of light and reappeared a slight distance away, and behind, Lucario.

This was what all that training had been for. The ability to Teleport in battle, as Will demonstrated in his spar against me, was an excellent thing to have. All of a sudden, Klaus' mobility was upgraded by a significant degree as he was now able to appear and attack from practically any angle on the battlefield. He was still not able to Teleport long distances at the moment, but I thought that, with such a surprising move, Klaus would be able to surprise and land a successful hit on Lucario.

To my OWN surprise, it did not work out that way.

As Klaus' flashed into existence behind Lucario, it reacted as if it had eyes on the back of its head. Moving by pure instinct and experience, Lucario dove to the side into a forward roll, creating just enough distance to narrowly dodge out of the way of the incoming Psychic blast, an explosion detonating on the ground where Lucario was in previously.

Disgruntled or offended by Lucario's dodging skills, Klaus immediately tried to follow up with another wave of Psychic, one powerful enough that it tore up the ground as it travelled, which this time caught Lucario with a glancing blow as it couldn't quite move out of the way in time.

This was the moment. I had to shut down that speed.

"Thunder Wave, Klaus!"

"Vacuum Wave, Lucario!"

However, Lucario moved first, firing off a twisting wave of Fighting Energy that caused Klaus to stumble back, hitting him with just enough force to interrupt his Thunder Wave.

"Stone Edge, Lucario! Use the broken arena!"

"Teleport and Psychic!"

The repeated use of Extreme Speed was visibly taking a toll on Lucario as its stamina was rapidly burned, but its eyes still flashed before huge chunks of the arena began being ripped out from the ground and thrown like javelins towards Klaus, leaving giant gaping holes in the ground in their wake.

Klaus immediately Teleported out of there just before the stones crashed and destroyed his previous position, repositioning slightly away and prepared to fire off a retaliatory burst of Psychic.

"EARTHQUAKE, LUCARIO!"

However, as if Cynthia had anticipated this, Lucario once again caught Klaus by surprise by unleashing a wide earthquake that caused the ground to shake and rumble once again. However, even as exhaustion began to take hold within Lucario, the Earthquake still managed to rip apart the arena.

Klaus' Psychic was interrupted as he fell to his knees, stumbling from the Earthquake.

"Bullet Punch and Meteor Mash, Lucario!"

Trying to push the advantage as much as possible, Cynthia ordered Lucario forward once again. It rushed forwards, forcing itself to close the distance with Klaus as it readied a ferocious flurry of Steel punches that would have pummelled and devastated a vulnerable Klaus.

Yet Lucario was too tired. It no longer had the overwhelming speed it once did, though it was still very fast. But Klaus was not on my Elite team for nothing, and that slight drop in speed was all that Klaus needed.

"Thunder Wave, Klaus! Paralyze it!"

Before Lucario managed to get in close and deliver its pummelling, Klaus released a paralytic wave of electricity that forced itself into Lucario.

The paralysis immediately set in, and Lucario's muscles began to lock up. Yet Lucario preserved. Before its muscles could fail it, it drove itself forwards with those final few steps and smashed a savage Meteor Mash that collided deeply with Klaus' face. A follow-up Cross Chop to the throat cut off Klaus' grunt of pain and another Force Palm sent him skidding back.

Lucario tried to take another step forwards, but a quick Psychic from Klaus blasted him back and halted his assault.

I wanted to fire off another Earth Power to capitalize on the Psychic, but the blows that he had repeatedly taken to the head had caused Klaus to become disoriented and dizzy; his head falling limp as he struggled to regain his concentration. Though Lucario was no better as it collapsed onto its knees; its heavy wounds and the paralysis causing its muscles to refuse to obey and move.

I frowned as I observed the state of the battle. On the one hand, Lucario was exhausted, paralysed, and practically on its last legs from its injuries. However, Klaus was little better, and though he had far less injuries, he was dazed and disoriented because Lucario simply hit REALLY hard - the fact that he dominated Smough was enough of an indicator of its strength. Klaus' health advantage wasn't as much of one as it was on paper.

In that moment, I ended up coincidentally locking eyes with Cynthia, and we both knew that the battle was about to be over.

"EXTREME SPEED, LUCARIO! FINISH IT OFF!"

"PSYCHIC, KLAUS! FULL POWER!"

Using whatever remains of the energy that it had left, Lucario burst forwards for the final time – fully committing itself to its last Extreme Speed. Its face was twisted with both exhaustion and conviction, with its teeth grit HARD as it willed itself to move forwards – his entire form began glowing a bright blue as it did so.

There was nothing but the pure, blazing determination of a Pokémon that had seen the perfect opportunity to win, and who was willing to do anything to follow through for the victory. Paralysis or not, Lucario was. Charging. FORWARDS.

Thus, in less than a second, Lucario reappeared like a blur in front of Klaus with a Cross Chop that came straight for Klaus' neck. Right at the same time, Klaus' eyes flashed blue as he unleashed a huge wave of dangerous Psychic energy that caught Lucario head on.

There was no way for either Pokémon to dodge, even if Klaus had already been simultaneously channelling a Teleport – it was already too late. It all came down to who's attack landed first.

The Cross Chop came slicing down like a guillotine straight onto Klaus' neck. It was an attack of perfectly targeted precision. A deadly critical hit. And without a cry or even a grunt of pain, Klaus wordlessly collapse onto the ground.

It was the perfect execution. A coup de grace.

At the same time, Lucario was helplessly launched backwards as it took the full brunt of Klaus' vicious eruption of all of his accumulated Psychic energy. Not having any way to Protect itself against it, Lucario crashed helplessly onto the ground, its body twitching from the lingering effects of the paralysis.

But twitching was all it could do, for Lucario had been knocked out as well.

That was it. The battle was over.

A moment of silence descended on the battlefield as everyone stood there, stunned at the outcome of the match. Until it was interrupted by the voice of the referee, "...I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! JOHN'S WYRDEER ACTUALLY GOES DOWN TO CYNTHIA'S LUCARIO, BUT IT BROUGHT THE LUCARIO DOWN WITH IT! YET CHALLENGER CYNTHIA HAS DONE IT! PULLING OFF A COMEBACK TO SECURE HER MATCH INTO A TIE! THE SCORE'S 3-3!"

The crowd went crazy at the outcome, cheering and roaring in approval at the exciting match that they just watched. I smiled – this was exactly the kind of reaction I hoped to receive. Even if today's match ended in a draw, I had set out what I accomplished to do. The hype generated from this battle would do wonders for the public's perception of Indigo.

"...I SERIOUSLY CAN'T BELIEVE IT! BUT WHAT A PERFORMANCE FROM CHALLENGER CYNTHIA!" The referee declared, and the crowd exploded further into rapturous cheering and applause.

And I couldn't agree more with the referee's words. Even if I was holding back, the match wouldn't nearly be as exciting if it wasn't for Cynthia's magnificent performance. She was every bit as incredible as I hoped she would be.

Would my reputation take a hit for achieving a draw against a so-called 'unknown' trainer? Sure, but only to those who didn't know better. I wasn't Will or Lorelei. I was more than confident that my strength was solidly entrenched in the minds of the public.

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No, this was Cynthia's time to shine. This was her first step into the spotlight.

Especially considering how the fight started, with me completely dominating Cynthia's Spiritomb with Luna. Only to have her Lucario achieve an effective 2v1 against my own Pokémon. That was an incredible comeback.

Speaking of Cynthia, she had been giving polite smiles and waves to the crowd, though her eyes revealed her true elation. I moved to withdraw Klaus, making sure to pet his Premier Ball comfortingly in reassurance as she basked in the attention for a moment.

"...An excellent fight. Truly." She said as she approached, "I know that if I had chosen anything weaker than my Lucario, it would have been my crushing defeat. If I was honest, I wanted to see how Lucario would have matched up to the likes of your Ursaluna or Slaking, but I knew Lucario likely would have lost."

"I'm sure your Lucario would have put up a good fight either way." I praised, "But yes, it was a very good fight. I certainly learnt more than I expected to; it's not often when I can afford to not fight with my all to secure victory."

"Though if you could satisfy my curiosity for a moment, how much were you holding back?" I asked.

She tapped her finger on her chin, "With Lucario? Not at all. I consider him the second strongest Pokémon on my team." She admitted.

"I wanted to show off his new training with the Teleports, so I thought that this was an excellent opportunity for it." I replied, "But...well, maybe I overestimated its effectiveness."

"I wouldn't say that. I'm just very experienced at fighting against Pokémon that make use of Teleport." She said matter-of-factly, not a hint of boasting in her voice. "And if I may be so bold, there were better ways to use Teleport. I could tell your Wyrdeer was still new to using Teleport in battle, but why don't you try to have him practice Teleporting directly onto one of those psychic platforms I know you like to use. That way you can have Klaus appear in more unexpected locations during battle."

"And since your platforms can form anywhere in the air, that means you can easily stay out of range by Teleporting to a platform that is really high up. Then you'll have the natural advantages that Flying types do."

I nodded. That was some good advice, though it was surprising that she managed to think of that on the spot.

"...I will take that into consideration." I responded, "Though I have my own suggestion for you. It's something I picked up from my training against Bruno. Watch my battle against him, and you can see that his Fighting types are able to break through Psychic moves with some very precise channelling of Dark type energies. Maybe you can do the same."

"...I DO remember seeing that." She nodded slowly, "...Yes, that's something I'll look into."

"Perhaps we could discuss more about this battle soon?" I suggested, "I personally have plenty to ask."

"Same here." She replied, "I find that I learn the most after a good battle like this. And I did note that I definitely need to spend more time practicing against Fairy types. My Spiritomb's performance was far more underwhelming than I hoped for."

"But first we have to deal with the crowd." I responded sarcastically, "How much do you want to bet that there will be headlines reporting about how I drew against you?"

"It's your first draw, is it not? At least, since you became Elite Four?" Cynthia asked, and I nodded in return. "Hm...I hope I haven't caused you any trouble then."

I shook my head, "It was bound to happen one day. If anything, I felt that you were a worthy opponent to have drawn against. I greatly anticipate what you would do next, if your team is this strong."

She laughed, "I'll try to not let your compliment go to my head." Then the two of us turned to face the crowd and prepared for the upcoming slog of interviews.

As the horde of reporters made their way towards us, I took a moment to reflect on how I felt after this battle.

I acknowledged that this had been a great learning opportunity for me. As Cynthia had pointed out, just because I had learnt a new move doesn't mean that the move could be successfully utilized. It was a timely reminder to not become too tunnel-visioned into relying too heavily on surprise and new attacks.

It was better to have learnt this lesson now, when they were still no consequences. The next time might not be so forgiving.

The New Normal – 8-6 – Interlude – Karen & Lorelei

(Karen POV)

Having just finished up with her usual meeting with Agatha in Lavender Town, Karen flew over to Pewter City with the pleasant breeze blowing past her face. She had regularly visited Brock and his siblings; it served as a nice break from the remedial training sessions that she had been doing over the past few weeks.

And yet, her mood remained pensive.

Since her victory against Sidney, her reputation had unsurprisingly skyrocketed. Many were now labelling her as the "Best Dark type specialist in the world". In her opinion, such a title was far too overblown and overly arrogant. She was NOT the best Dark type specialist in the world. She still considered Sidney to be her better on that front.

However, Agatha was not about to let this opportunity slip away.

The old crone jumped on her success, making it known to the world that Karen was HER apprentice and HER successor. That crafty elderly woman was quick to also use the opportunity to promote Lavender Town as THE place to learn how to fight like a proper Ghost/Dark type specialist.

Agatha was doing everything she can to shove the benefits and appeal of Lavender Town into the minds of the public and had forcefully roped Karen into helping out. Despite her grumbling, she didn't mind too much; she just saw this as a way of paying back Agatha for her teachings and helping the old lady finally work to achieving her long-time dream. Still, she couldn't deny that all this running around tired her out.

But despite all this, it wasn't the reason why she felt so concerned.

On her mind were two things - Lorelei's upcoming battle against Surge and John's recent draw against the unknown Cynthia. She didn't care too much about the former, but the latter was FAR more relevant to her.

She didn't care too much that the news had been reporting about John's draw against Cynthia, or how they were claiming that a draw for John was considered a loss for him. Although Karen admitted that she was also surprised at the outcome of the match when she had watched it live. She didn't think Cynthia was THAT strong of a trainer.

She definitely reconsidered her opinion of Cynthia now. As were most people.

To be fair to John, not everyone was lambasting him over his draw, and there were equally as many that were speaking up in support of John's actions for being a good sport as there were those that labelled him as weak. Besides, it was clear to any observant trainer that John was holding back.

That being said, Karen was more focused on not overlooking Cynthia's strengths and her incredibly diverse array of powerful Pokémon. When she was watching the match, Karen had wondered how Cynthia managed to train up all those different types of Pokémon without them clashing against each other. Even Agatha was impressed.

"You're lucky that that girl isn't going to be one of your contenders during this circuit's Indigo Conference." She had said, "I'm sure you'll put up a decent fight, but she would stomp you so hard into the ground they'd have trouble pulling you out of the rubble. Just look at what she managed with John."

"But John WAS holding back." She insisted.

"Sure, and I believe that too, but we haven't seen everything from Cynthia either, have we?" Agatha reminded her sharply, "I've seen plenty of 'great' trainers over the years. Many don't live up to the hype. But Cynthia...she'll be one to watch."

As her Honchkrow let out a cry to remind her of their imminent arrival, Karen shook her head and put those thoughts aside for now. She had spoken to John since the draw, and he didn't seem that overly bothered by it.

From what John had said over their call, he wasn't overly bothered by the fight because he found Cynthia to be a worthy opponent to fight and draw against. In fact, he spent most of the call describing the fight in detail and heaping praises on what Cynthia had accomplished as a trainer, as well as what they had done together around Sinnoh.

Karen supposed she should have been feeling relieved at that John was unbothered by the comments. But without being to fully explain why, she felt uncomfortable and wary at John's slew of compliments about Cynthia. The more John talked about Cynthia, the more that feeling grew. She didn't know what it was. Was it jealousy she was feeling?

Was this what feeling on the backfoot was like?

A voice in her mind whispered treacherously, "What if you lose him to her? Hasn't he been far less talkative to you recently?"

He was free to do whatever he liked, she argued back. But the voice just snorted, "That is the lie that you tell yourself. To make yourself feel better if he ever gets with someone else."

We'd still be friends, she tried, but she could feel the weakness in her own argument. The voice just cackled, "As if you would be content with a mere friendship. No, you always wanted more, but you were too scared and turned him down. Like a scared kid who knew nothing but the orphanage that she was raised in."

She gritted her teeth at her own inner thoughts, but then forcefully pushed them to the side as she got close to the Pewter Gym. Everything was fine, she told herself, and there was no need to let the kids see her unhappy, else they'd pester her with questions that she'd rather not answer. Besides, she was here to check up on them and make sure they were happy.

"Unlike yourself." The voice whispered once again.

She even brought a few gifts. And the new regent, a political toady and compromise candidate from the League, knew better than to stop her visits.

She could think about her problems with John another time. For now, she had kids to spoil.

========

?(Lorelei POV)

Lorelei took a deep breath as she stood outside a plain-looking house around the centre of Mahogany. She had been doing everything she could to put off this meeting as much as possible but had finally run out of excuses. In the end, she found herself here, finally answering her uncle's summons.

To be completely honest, she didn't think she needed the help. This wasn't borne of out of arrogance, but rather because she really was confident at her chances at defeating Surge. She had only gotten stronger since the days where she struggled against Walker, and from her research, Surge was around the same level as him. Therefore, Lorelei would stay cautious, but she was optimistic about the upcoming battle.

But a very familiar voice broke her out of her thoughts, "Are you just going to stand outside all day, oh niece of mine? Or are you going to stop idling about and actually come inside?" Her uncle berated her in his usual aggravating tone, and Lorelei bristled.

"You know I could just walk away right now, uncle. You haven't exactly been deserving of my attention." She shot back, anger rising in her mind.

"Unless you want others hearing about your strategy against Surge, you better come inside." Her uncle merely continued, either ignoring or unaware of her anger. "I don't have all day; I still have to return to my Gym duties later. So if you could?"

Pride warred with reason. And pride won, "That tone of voice isn't granting you any favours. I guess you didn't really mellow out since your forced retirement. Or are you not enjoying your time as a Gym Leader?"

"Please, as if they would offer me any other position other than as Gym Leader of Mahogany, especially after you went and joined the Elite Four." Pryce scoffed, "No one else could fit the role, other than me. Just as I intended."

"And was destroying my reputation part of your 'plan', Pryce!?" She near-shouted, her anger flaring again, "Do you know how hard I struggled to make my way into the Elite Four just so that I could even BEGIN clearing my name of your stench?"

"It worked, didn't it?" Her uncle shrugged, brushing off her anger once again, "But never mind. I'm not here to discuss the past, I'm here to discuss the future."

"And what is there to talk about, dearest uncle?" Lorelei said sarcastically, "It's not like you were ever concerned with it in the past."

"Surge is not your true opponent." Her uncle continued, choosing to ignore her words once again, "You would be a fool to become conceited because of your incoming victory over him."

"Yeah, I knew that already–" She tried to say, only to be interrupted by her uncle once again.

"What you should be preparing for is whoever comes AFTER Surge." He said sharply, "Surge is merely a hot-headed fool with too little brain and too much brawn. He compensates for his lack of ability with his eagerness. But others will not lack this weakness and will simply be using Surge to scout out your recent potential."

"Are you warning me?" She asked, a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

"You may have distanced yourself from me politically, but you are still my niece." Pryce simply said, "Regardless of how you might feel about me, I AM invested in your success. And so, do not let yourself grow content. The true challenge has yet to truly appear. Both politically and otherwise."

"You mean like how you grew complacent?" She immediately shot back, and she knew it was successful as a scowl formed on her uncle's face. Taking that as the victory it was, Lorelei merely turned around, "Thanks for the invite, uncle. Maybe next time you can actually say things while still being polite about it."

Without saying goodbye, she simply walked away and moved away from her uncle's place. But as she left, her uncle's words continued swirling around in her mind.

Was he right?

The New Normal – 8-7 – A Galactic Introduction

As soon as the match was over, I had hardly any more time to talk to Cynthia as she became THE target for all of the interviews. By nightfall, her name was spread across all of the worlds as everyone tried to get a clearer picture of WHO this new rising star was.

Questions came pouring in for her, trying to get to know more about who she was and how she managed to get so strong. There were plenty of overly dramatic news articles the next day about her, but I knew that it wouldn't last.

Our match wasn't done under any formal circumstances, and the hype would die down as soon as everyone cottoned on that we were both holding back. But even if the attention and spotlight would die down, Cynthia was doing her best to make full use of it. She had ambitions that she wanted to realize.

On the other hand, while people were quick to heap their praises onto Cynthia, I was subjected to several pointed questions about how I managed to draw against her.

It just all seemed overdramatic. It hadn't been that long since my battle against Bruno, and yet now some news sources were painting it as if I was on my way out of the Elite Four. Fortunately, the public were not all mindless drones, and I had seen on the Pokénet that I still received my fair share of supporters.

More importantly, those who were ACTUALLY important knew that this wasn't some indication of weakness from me. The messages that I received from Lance, Will, Karen, and my other friends were more curious about Cynthia and how strong she was rather than blasting me over my draw.

Besides, I no longer solely relied on my reputation of strength to remain in the Elite Four. My stance on internationalism, for example, was now developing momentum on its own and wasn't something that I solely had to take care of. Plus, the strong connections and friendships that I had cemented wouldn't be affected by this draw.

Still, I recognised that the perception of my strength would take a hit – but it was nothing I couldn't recover from in time. Plus, while I was still in Sinnoh, I could avoid most of the more pointed questions for the time being.

Nevertheless, during times where the public's attention was focused on me or someone close to me, I would do my best to lie low and let the attention die down for a few days before making any public appearances. Unfortunately for me, Cynthia had other plans.

"You want to take me on a tour of Sinnoh?" I asked her, "Why now?" When there were so many reporters after us, was left unsaid but understood.

"No point changing our plans because of some pestering. I refuse to let my plans be dictated by these nosy nobodies that try to muscle in on our business." She replied adamantly, "And besides, it's already been a few days since our fight, I don't see why you're still worried about the attention. Plus, you've been here for some time now, but you still haven't really explored beyond the measly borders of this humble town. Have you not wanted to see more of Sinnoh?" She gave me a pointed look that stated she would accept no refusal.

"Well of course." I responded, before offering a sigh. "Okay...let's just head out."

"Brilliant." Cynthia smiled, "I'm glad you said that, because I wasn't the only one hoping to drag you along."

"Wait, who else is there?" I questioned curiously.

"You probably didn't see because of all those reporters swarming around the two of us, but Flint came up to speak with me yesterday. Him and Aaron both." She answered. "Great conversationalists, the two of them."

"Anyways, Flint told me that he wanted an opportunity to speak to you for longer." She continued, "So I told him about my plans, and he agreed to join in. Figured we could make a day out of exploring some of the more prominent places of Sinnoh."

"Aaron couldn't make it?" I asked, a little disappointed. I was hoping to meet him.

"Unfortunately not. I think he's meeting your counterpart, Will, today. At least, that's what he told me." Cynthia said, "He did say to pass on his regards to you. He was very apologetic for not being able to greet you personally."

"That's fine, I appreciate his words regardless." I waved her off, "So, where are you bringing me?"

"If you're ready, we're meeting Flint at Jubilife." She told me, hurrying me along as she prepared to ride her Togekiss. Seeing that I wasn't going to be able to worm my way out of this, I followed after her on Port.

Our flight over there was pleasantly silent, with the two of us just naturally enjoying the relaxing and slightly chilly winds of Sinnoh breezing past our faces.

As Jubilife City got closer, Cynthia directed us to land near the southern entrance to the city, just a small ways off from what I recognized was the Trainers School. As we landed, I saw a small crowd of children and parents loitering around outside, with a familiar person with his distinct red haired afro in the middle.

"...Of course, the Fire type is one of the more powerful types." I heard him say as we approached, "But don't forget you need a balance of other types as well. Being a type specialist is all well and good, but you need to learn to adapt to your type's weaknesses. Can you tell me what that means?" He leaned down to ask one of the kids.

"It means you have to be able to win against Water types!" One of the kids answered enthusiastically, waving his arms excitedly in the air.

Flint let out a hearty chuckle, "That's right, kiddo! But don't forget about those Rocks and Ground types! Those are also powerful types against us Fire types."

"Is that why you lose to Bertha?" Another kid, this time wearing glasses, asked. Their parent instantly moved to admonish them for their rude question, but Flint waved them off.

"Hahaha! That's a good question. And yes, Bertha and her Ground types are really strong against me. But don't worry, I'm confident that I'll win next time!" His grin seemed to shine in the midday sun.

"But you don't even have that many Fire types!" Another kid shouted out, only to be berated by their parent. Flint seemed to turn a little embarrassed at that question.

"Yeah...about that...Let's just say that I didn't have that many opportunities to catch Fire types when I first started and leave it at that." He replied a little hesitantly as he scratched his head.

Cynthia and I stood around patiently as Flint continued to play around with the kids, but he must have eventually noticed our presence as, after humouring a few more questions, he waved his goodbyes and promised that he would drop in once again soon.

"Thanks for waiting, sorry about the hold up." He greeted us as the kids left, though some of them were giving us surprised looks of recognition as they saw us, "I thought you'd take a little longer to arrive. Volkner was supposed to be doing this; but he's being actually called away to do something for once."

"No harm done." I replied, "And I hope you enjoyed watching our match yesterday."

"I certainly did!" He laughed, "Like I said to Cynthia yesterday, Aaron and I were both REALLY wowed by the whole fight. Your fight was spectacular, even if you were holding back. And no offense intended Cynthia, but I didn't think you could hold up as well as you did."

"No harm done." Cynthia replied with a smile as her eyes roamed around the Trainer School, "You come here often, Flint?"

"Yep. Volkner and I both." Flint nodded, "Coming to the Trainer School often helps us give back to our communities and for what they've done for us."

There was a history there, but I wisely didn't push.

"That's very nice." I praised instead, "And I can understand the joy. I also found it greatly enjoyable to teach my sister about how to get stronger. Seeing her grow has been very rewarding."

"Yes, that's part of my motivation too." Flint agreed with another nod, "Anyways, enough about that. How are you finding the wondrous Jubilife City, home of the very Jubilife TV station! Where all your propaganda, I mean news, is broadcasted from!"

"It's very modern." I said, looking around, "Even Celadon doesn't compare."

"...I really need to explore Indigo properly one day to understand all your references." Flint said with a frown, "Still, I'm glad you enjoy it. We have much to see, and for all of its modernity, Jubilife isn't even in the top 5 most interesting places in Sinnoh."

"I agree. Let's stick to the itinerary." Cynthia added, checking her watch, "If we head out now, we'd still be on time."

"We have an itinerary?!" I blurted out.

"Of course." Cynthia replied, "I mean, why wouldn't we? We have people who want to meet you, so of course we needed to arrange a schedule."

"...And I wasn't informed about this, why?" I asked again, shooting them a look.

"Come on, you have to be a little spontaneous sometimes." Flint smiled, patting me on the back, "Anyways, enough chatter. Let's bring him over to the next place."

And so we were off once again, flying around in the skies of Sinnoh as we headed off to our next destination. As we flew, I couldn't help but think of why Flint was so insistent on accompanying us. I suspected that he had an agenda in mind, though I was confident that it wasn't one that was hostile against me.

I truly didn't think that Flint had a malicious bone in his body. He was just a little overeager.

Nevertheless, I put that out of my mind for now as I tried to guess where we were flying to. I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief as soon as we flew in the opposite direction of Snowpoint City. Beautiful place or not, I was not dressed up warm enough to head over there.

But as we continued flying east, I felt like I had an idea of where we were going.

"Are we heading to Veilstone City?!" I shouted out so that my voice could be heard over the winds in sky.

"How did you guess!" Flint laughed, "But yes, we are! Will pointed out that there was someone that you really should meet, and I agreed!"

Oh shit. I think I knew who he was talking about. There was only one individual of any significance in Veilstone, besides the Gym Leader. "Are you talking about Galactic Company?!" I asked, looking to confirm my suspicions.

"You're really quite the mind-reader!" Flint's grin only grew, "But you're right again!"

"I think it'll be a wonderful opportunity!" Cynthia added, "I've seen your work with Devon Corp and Silph Co! I think Sinnoh would really benefit from this too!"

"Those were only luck!" I replied humbly, though I was trying to conceal what my repulsion and distaste about 'working' with Galactic Company. Working with Giovanni was one thing, but this was an entirely different matter.

Still, my personal distaste aside, the logical part of my brain reminded myself that this was a great opportunity to get the measure of what might likely be one of the largest threats to the continued prosperity of the world. I couldn't afford to pass this up.

So, with a fake smile plastered to my face, I made sure to conceal my dislike in the furthest recess of my mind as we began to land in Veilstone, just near the large and recognisable building of the Galactic Company. The headquarters towered over the rest of the city, making it clear that THIS was the crown jewel of Veilstone, surpassing even the Gym in status.

Already, there was an employee that was waiting patiently for our arrival, as if they expected us. Their cyan bowl cut was impossible to miss.

"I never understood why they all have those haircuts." Cynthia whispered to me as we approached, just quiet enough so that the person couldn't hear us. I smirked and nodded in agreement.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with unusual hairstyles." Flint protested defensively. "...Though I agree that it's weird that all of their employees are like this." He quickly quieted down as we got close to the employee.

"Greetings, esteemed ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the main offices of the Galactic Company." They greeted with a formal bow, "Please, if you could come inside. One of our administrators is looking forward to speaking with you."

"Thank you." Flint said for all of us. Then we followed the employee into the building.

The first thing I noticed as we walked was how high-tech and futuristic everything was. Even more so than Devon Corp. The whole building felt like it contained technologies that was a decade more advanced than anything else I'd seen before. Horrible intentions to destroy the world aside, their building was amazing to look at.

"Impressed? I was too when I first came here." Flint asked knowingly, "It's amazing what they've done with the place. We are very fortunate to have them here in Sinnoh."

"And their energy production serves as one of Sinnoh's most important pillars." Cynthia added, turning to Flint, "I believe the new windmills and solar panels being constructed in Sunyshore are supplied by them as well?"

"They are." Flint nodded, "And we have Cyrus' magnanimity and genius to thank for that. Having access to easy energy like this has been a huge boon for Sinnoh."

My smile faltered slightly at the praise that they were heaping onto Galactic Company. It was damning to realize just how good of a PR job that Team Galactic had managed to achieve. It was the same as what Giovanni had created with his own reputation and Silph Co.

I reminded myself how fortunate I was that I managed to 'convert' Giovanni towards doing more heroic actions before he could enact his canon plans.

That would have been a very uphill battle. At least we shut down Team Magma and Aqua's plans in Hoenn before they could set themselves up in the same way.

I missed the times where all I had to deal with was Team Rocket, who quickly and recklessly made themselves public enemy number one. That was far simpler to deal with, since we had the full backing and endorsement of the public. It was far more frustrating trying to fight back against a more insidious threat in Team Galactic.

But I shoved those thoughts aside for the time being as the elevator in the lobby opened up and a familiar-looking lady with unique and short red hair walked out. She was holding a clipboard and had donned a lab coat.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry for the wait. I'm Mars, one of the administrators and directors here at the company." She greeted us with a small apologetic bow as she extended a hand for all of us to shake, "And Elite Flint, Elite John, it's a huge honour to have two members of the Elite Four visiting us today. And Cynthia, the new rising star, it's a similar honour to make your acquaintance." She flattered, and we shook hands. It took every bit of self-discipline to keep the smile plastered on my face.

Despite looking like the average scientist, I knew better. It was hard to NOT show off my hostility towards a Commander of Team Galactic. More than that, my eyes shot to a beeping glowing yellow circle that was attached to her belt. I recognized it as another one of the teleporter pads that were scattered all over Team Galactic's buildings in the games. Did they create personalized ones for the admins as an escape mechanism?

"Thanks for having us Mars, and it's good to see you again." Flint replied with a friendly smile, "How is Cyrus by the way?"

"He's busy as usual. You know how it is with big companies." Mars responded with a smile of her own, "Oh, and congratulations on your battle, Cynthia and John. It was fantastic to watch. It only made us more excited when we heard you were coming to pay our humble company a visit."

"Also Cyrus sends his apologies for not being able to meet you all today. He's unfortunately been occupied with many other matters for the moment, and he just couldn't spare the time to meet you three." She said with an apologetic frown.

If I didn't know better, I would have thought that Mars was nothing more than your average, run-of-the-mill director of the company. Her act was so good that I had trouble reconciling the terrorist I knew she was to the 'friendly' person in front of me.

But only for a moment. Their insanity was impossible to forget.

"Something special in the works?" Flint joked.

"Something like that." Mars replied cryptically, "But anyways, would you care for a tour of our facilities? We can walk and talk."

"Before that, can I ask what that is?" I pointed to the teleporter pad on her belt, "It looks fancy."

"Oh, this?" She motioned to the pad, "This is just some new prototype we're testing. It's a one-person teleporter, meant to be used to get out of hairy situations. But we're still making improvements to it; the current version only is able to teleport you back if you're still in Veilstone. I can't say more than that, but we're looking to continue on improving it."

We all nodded, my companions suitably impressed by that piece of technology. After that, I had no more questions, so we got started on the tour.

And what a tour it was. The high-tech vibe of the reception area clearly wasn't just for show; the entire building was the same. The only difference was instead of teleporters, like in the games, they simply used very fancy and futuristic looking escalator instead to navigate between floors. But while my companions were awed by the sight of their interior, I tried to keep my rationality to see if I could spot anything incriminating.

Despite my best efforts, I could not. That wasn't the most surprising considering that Mars wasn't about to guide us into areas that she didn't want us being in, but I was still hoping for SOMETHING I could use. The lack of evidence was deeply frustrating. There was not a hair out of place.

"Is there something the matter?" Mars suddenly asked me as we neared the end of the tour, and I flinched as I realized that I may not have been concealing my inner frustrations as well as I had.

"Oh, it's nothing...sorry, I was just deep in thought." I pretended to scratch my head embarrassedly, but then a thought suddenly came to mind.

"Actually, and I do apologize for my curiosity, but where do you do your R&D? I've heard from my two companions that you've done great work with developing the future of energy generation here in Sinnoh. I was really interested in getting to see the researching developments taking place in Devon Corp, and I'd honestly love to be able to see the brilliant minds behind this." I flattered.

"I'm sure Cyrus would be very happy to hear those words; he's always taken great pride in this company's researching abilities." Mars smiled, though that quickly faded as she continued, "Unfortunately, a lot of our R&D areas are off-limits, even to guests of high status like you. We do hope you don't take offense to this, but you must understand that there are company secrets we would like to protect." We all nodded along. Unfortunate, but that was to be expected. My request was always a long-shot anyways.

"Speaking of development, there was something I'd wanted to bring up now that we're all here." Flint suddenly spoke up, turning to me. "And this was actually part of the reason I brought you along here today, John." I shot him a curious look with a raised eyebrow.

His face turned serious, losing his signature easy smile. "I don't know how much you know about the current political situation here in Sinnoh, but the idea of international cooperation is still a very new idea in our minds. And with Sinnoh being the newcomer on the international stage, many are worried that opening our borders might just leave us exposed to be exploited and left to the lurch." Cynthia nodded along in agreement.

"So far, we've been happy to have you and Will around to wave the flag and be a friendly face for the public, but that isn't anything concrete. It would be far better if we actually had formal agreements to solidify our cooperation." He continued, "Whether that be through business agreements or otherwise, it would do a lot to improving public opinion about this whole business. That's why we opened up to our borders to businesses as of today; the announcement should have been made in the news this morning."

"Therefore, I had hoped that by introducing you to Galactic Company, and knowing your penchant for internationalism, Lucian and I thought you would be the most amenable to helping us foster new business agreements with notable companies from Indigo." He said to me, "Of course, we'll be discussing this with Will as well."

"So what do the two of you think? Any chance you can hash something out together?" He asked both of us.

Mars and I shared a look, and I was proud of myself for not instantly shouting out "NO!". The last thing I wanted to do was to work alongside Team Galactic to do anything.

Luckily, Mars spoke up first, "...As it currently stands, I don't believe our company has the intention or ability to set up any branch offices in other regions. We're currently very occupied by our own projects and commitments here in Sinnoh...but we would be happy to work with any newcomer that wants to set themselves up in Sinnoh."

"That's perfectly understandable." Flint smiled easily, "And what about you, John? You heard Mars. Think you can have talk anyone into setting a few offices here in Sinnoh? I bet it'd do great for our economy to have foreign investment coming in."

"I know it's not my place to add to this, but grandmother has always said how big of an opportunity it was for branch offices to be established here." Cynthia said, "That foreign investment will always be put to good use."

In hindsight, this request from Flint shouldn't have been all that surprising, so I paused to think things through. I didn't have any problems with Flint's request, but that was not what I focused on.

My mind was on Team Galactic, and how best to cripple them. I suspected that the true reason that Galactic Company was unable or unwilling to expand was because all of their money was being funnelled into their less-than-legal projects.

However, after some time to think it through, an idea slowly formed in my mind. I had an opportunity in front of me.

"...I'll definitely look into it." Was what I replied, "I'll speak to a few of my contacts and see if they're up to doing something like this, but I can promise no guarantees. I'm just the spokesperson after all."

"Wouldn't you want your family's business to get involved as well?" Cynthia asked.

I nodded, "Yes, but we're definitely not ready to expand to Sinnoh at this stage. At least not anytime soon."

"Don't stress about it! You being supportive of the idea is all I hoped for." Flint patted me on the back, "We'll also be speaking to Will about this and see if he can make his own introductions. I really do hope something good comes out of this."

I smiled, realizing the pressure that Flint must be under to make this whole internationalism idea a success. And no wonder, considering that the political turmoil that Sinnoh was currently embroiled in was about this very issue. I hoped that I could make things easier for him.

"We'll look forward to the extra opportunities for trade and investment. We'll be looking forward to hearing more." Mars said pleasantly, and we all returned to 'friendly' conversation as we finished off the tour.

I kept up my pleasant smiles until we left the offices, and I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief when we finally exited the building. Keeping up appearances like this was tiring.

"You okay, John?" Cynthia asked me, looking concerned, "You were a little stiff there. You're usually more cheerful and eager when meeting new people. Something wrong?"

I blinked, not realizing that Cynthia had even spotted my unease, "No, nothing's wrong." I lied, and she let the topic drop, though I wasn't sure if she fully believed me.

Luckily, I was saved by my phone suddenly ringing. I reached for it and saw that Joseph was calling. Quickly excusing myself from Cynthia and Flint, I moved away as I answered it.

"Joseph?" I answered.

"John! Sorry for the sudden call, but remember that thing that I mentioned about the fossil machine and how it was nearly complete?" He exclaimed excitedly through the phone.

"Of course...wait, you mean to tell me you have it working?" I asked with widened eyes, surprise evident in my voice.

"Sure am! We just did a bunch of tests. And now we have 2 newly revived fossil Pokémon casually hanging about the labs!" He said eagerly, "Everyone here is over the moon about this! While this isn't as significant as your Fairy discovery, we're very excited to see this spread around."

"I imagine so." I smiled, genuinely happy for him, "But what kind of Pokémon did you revive?"

"We're calling them Lileep and Anorith, revived from a Root Fossil and Claw Fossil respectively." He told me jovially, "Lileep is a Grass/Rock type, and Anorith a Bug/Rock type."

"That's cool!" I said, trying to show off my enthusiasm even though I knew about this beforehand, "Do you have any plans of reviving others?"

"Not at the moment." He said, "We're still making sure that the revival process has gone through smoothly and that there are no health problems or any other complications. Better safe than sorry. But once the tests are done and we're sure everything's safe, we'll probably be reviving more Root and Claw fossils to make sure things are consistent."

"Perfectly understandable." I nodded, "I assume Steven is the lucky man getting to train up these fossils?"

"How did you guess?" He chuckled, "But you're right. We had them sent over to Steven as soon as we checked that it was okay to do so. I think he's more excited than I am about these fossils. He's always been more interested in geology than I was."

"I bet there are very few trainers that WOULDN'T be this excited about getting a new Pokémon on his team, especially something new and interesting like these are." I joked, "But actually, you called at a great time Joseph, because I do have something to ask you."

"Oh?" His tone had switched from jovial to business-like and serious, "Go ahead."

"I was just speaking to Elite Flint, and he was quite eager in trying to persuade me to have businesses set themselves up here in Sinnoh." I explained, "Knowing of my connections, he asked if I could help ask around and see if there's interest."

"Ah, I understand. I saw it in the news that the borders were open to businesses today." He responded, "Unfortunately, I don't think Devon Corp is very interested in setting up another branch office in Sinnoh at the moment, not when we set up one up in Kanto not too long ago. This was actually something we had recently discussed in a board meeting, and the other directors and I agree that such expansion would be too soon. Maybe we can come back to this issue in a few months' time, but not at the moment."

"That's perfectly fine, thank you for letting me know anyways." I replied, not at all disappointed. "And congratulations once again on the success of the fossil revival project."

"I have to thank our bright scientists on that one." He laughed, "Oh, and John, I haven't forgotten my previous promise to award you with a Normal type fossil Pokémon if we do find one."

"You really don't have to, but thank you." I said to him, despite knowing that a Normal type fossil Pokémon likely didn't exist.

We spoke for a bit longer after that before eventually hanging up. I didn't mind that Devon Corp wasn't able to invest, because my real target was someone else. If I was right, then I was about to gain a tool that could really mess with Galactic's plans.

I called up Giovanni.

"Giovanni? Are you free?" I asked him as he picked up the phone.

"John? What's going on?" He replied, and I began by giving him a rundown of Flint's proposal and asked if Silph Co was interested in setting up a branch office in Sinnoh.

"Hmm...I think this is something we would be interested in." Giovanni commented thoughtfully, "I'll have to check though."

I looked around to make sure there was no one around, "I think this would also be an excellent opportunity for you to find out where Proton went and hid." I suddenly said to him.

Giovanni fell silent for a moment, likely stunned at he was by my sudden change in topic.

"...What, exactly, do you mean by that?" Giovanni questioned after he regained his wits.

"We both know that Team Rocket has gone and ran off to Sinnoh, and the fact that they haven't been found is indicative that they must have had facilities here already. The fact that they seem to be very well-funded only emphasises this point." I explained, "If you could set up something here under Silph Co's banner and keep an ear on the shadier ongoings, maybe we could get a lead."

Giovanni let out a chuckle, "...And the true reason why you reached out to me has revealed itself. You want our Silph Co branch office to be set up to serve as a cover for a forward base." He sounded oddly proud there, "This is unusually sly of you, John, to be proposing something like this. You've caught me a little by surprise, but I don't disagree with your plan."

"However, answer me this. What made you propose this?" He asked me, pushing for an answer.

"Call it a gut feeling, but I greatly mislike this situation." I said, firmly and seriously. "You know as well as I do that these terrorists are a threat to the whole world. But they're also too well hidden for the legitimate authorities to find them. So we're going to need to be more flexible about our methods. They've gone to ground now, but we need to dig them up."

A base of operations set up by someone Giovanni trusted would go a long way in establishing a foothold for us to fight Team Galactic. Not only would it help identify softer targets that we could attack that would damage their operations while not bringing down the entirety of Sinnoh on my head, but also it would slowly unravel Galactic's operations and provide evidence that we COULD to order a large-scale assault.

It would take some time. But it was a big step towards what I wanted.

Giovanni's chuckle broke me from my thoughts, "I can already guess your thoughts. Fine, you can have your base. I'll speak to a few people to have it be set up as soon as possible. I'll keep you informed of anything I hear."

"That's all I ask." I replied back, inwardly sighing in relief, "Thank you for this, Giovanni."

"No need to thank me. We all do what we must to secure the future of Kanto." He responded.

As I put away my phone, I felt as if some weight had been lifted from my shoulders. The establishment of a 'listening' base was a good start. Now, if Team Galactic ever slipped up, the base in Sinnoh provided us a chance to hear about it and act on it.

Their time of safety and security hiding away in the shadows will soon be over.

As I walked back towards Cynthia and Flint, my eyes narrowed in slits as I glared at the Galactic Headquarters, their signature logo flying high in the sky. One day, I would bring these terrorists down. As soon as I had enough evidence to convince others, I would make sure to reveal them as the madmen that they were.

And their logo would be buried deep in the ground, serving as nothing more than the foundation for us to build up our collective prosperity.

The New Normal – 8-8 – A Legendary Moment

Just because I had made important calls to Joseph and Giovanni didn't mean Flint and Cynthia's tour of Sinnoh was over, nor did I want it to be. Cynthia and Flint clearly had more in store for me, as they told me we would soon be heading to the freezing fields of Snowpoint City.

As soon I heard, I couldn't help but protest slightly, "You realize I'm nowhere near dressed enough to head there. Especially while flying."

"You could get a coat or something in the Veilstone Department Store." Flint suggested, which I nodded to. I probably did need a few new clothes, and DEFINITELY something warmer.

"Oh yeah, I need to pick up something from there too." Cynthia added, "Thanks for the reminder. We can have lunch there too."

So that's what we ended up doing. Over lunch, Cynthia curiously asked me what that phone call was about – since I seemed like I was in a rush to make one. I deflected easily and said it was something business-related, and she quickly allowed the topic to drop after I gave them a summary of who would be investing into Sinnoh.

In the meanwhile, Flint just thanked me for getting in touch with them so soon, and was thankful that at least Silph Co seemed interested in investing.

With our bellies full, and a new coat cozily wrapped around my shoulders, we set off for Snowpoint City. And what an experience that was. As we got closer, I could physically feel my face freezing up as the cold winds endlessly assaulted us. It was a painful, but unique experience.

I had never been to the top of Mount Silver before, so this was something totally new. But that joy soon turned to suffering. This REALLY was cold.

And to make matters worse, the other two trainers were barely even affected by the freezing temperatures; FLINT WASN'T EVEN WEARING A JACKET! I had no idea how he wasn't freezing to death. That was probably the most mind-boggling thing I had seen all day.

With the other two unaware of my inner complaints, the three of us made good time and arrived shortly in Snowpoint City. I had naively assumed that as soon as we landed and were out of the crossfire of the freezing aerial winds, then the temperature would be a lot more reasonable.

Nope.

Even we landed the temperatures were still as teeth clatteringly cold as when we were in the air. I had no idea how people lived here.

Call me spoilt, but I'd take the hot and temperate climates of Hoenn any other day. But thinking of Hoenn made me frown even further; the beaches of Dewford were SO much better than this.

"Oh, chin up. You'll get used to this soon enough." Cynthia laughed at me, probably reading my annoyance from my face, "Don't you find the cold relaxing and refreshing? It's way better than the heat at least."

"You have no idea what you're talking about." I replied, grumbling. Or at least that's what I think I said. It was hard to speak when your teeth clattered as much as mine did.

"Come on John, it's not even that bad! Just a light chill." Flint grinned, walking forwards as if to display the fact that he was only wearing his usual yellow t-shirt.

"You're mad." Was all I said, and I turned away from that lunacy, ignoring the chuckles I was getting from my companions. Inwardly, I vowed to have them suffer through the summer heats of Hoenn one day. See how they'd like it.

Despite my grumbling, I followed after the two of them as they headed over to Snowpoint Temple. But as we were walking, a surprised cry drew our attention.

"...Cynthia?! What are you doing here, and with Flint too?" A female voice shouted out from behind us.

"Candice? What a coincidence!" Cynthia replied as she turned around, her eyes brightening as she recognized the newcomer. "I had considered telling you, but I thought you were busy with the Gym."

"At this time of year? No way. Not this late into the circuit." Candice approached, shaking her head. "Oh, and Flint, good to see you again. And...hey, aren't you that Elite Four guy that drew against Cynthia?"

"Candice! You can't say that! That's rude!" Cynthia quickly admonished, shaking her friend. I just laughed and waved it off.

"It's true. That is me." I greeted, extending a hand to shake, "And you must be Gym Leader Candice. It's a pleasure." And now I noticed that Candice was ALSO not wearing a jacket, instead having it wrapped around her waist enough. Arceus, was everyone here just immune to the cold or something? At least Cynthia had a coat on.

"Hahaha, sorry. I kind of just say stuff before thinking it through." She rubbed her head embarrassedly, "But it is nice to meet you. Though, I am curious about what you three are doing here. Here to see the Snowpoint Temple?"

"Sure am." Flint nodded, "Cynthia had this idea to bring John around to have a quick tour of Sinnoh. I thought I tag along just to show the flag and what not, but also to hang around John and bring him to the Temple since he wouldn't have access otherwise. But he's been good company." I shot him a small smile.

"Oh! Cool!" Candice exclaimed, "Well, I'd love to join you at the Temple, but I do actually have a meeting to head to with my Gym Trainers. Really bad timing for this..."

"Don't worry Candice, maybe we can meet another time." Cynthia comforted, "You have my number anyways. Just give me a call."

"You say that, but you're always in those caves of yours and never pick up!" Candice mock-grumbled, causing Cynthia to flush slightly in embarrassment. Candice grinned and grabbed Cynthia into a hug, "I'm just kidding. Yeah, I'll call you soon. Have fun with the rest of your tour! And John, hope you enjoy Sinnoh!"

She shot us a cheery wave before heading off.

"A cheerful person." I commented to Cynthia. "Reminds me slightly of my sister, actually."

"She's a great friend." Cynthia nodded, "I really should have lunch with her sometime. I've been neglecting her recently."

"Maybe you can get Volkner to join in on it." Flint suggested half-jokingly, "He needs someone other than me to pull him from that stupid lighthouse of his."

The three of us continued our banter as we resumed our walk towards the Temple. Since we were on the topic, I asked the two of them what they thought of the Sinnoh Gyms, if they didn't mind answering.

"They're all very respectable." Flint answered, "Even Roark, for all the hassle he had to deal with since he's Byron's son, has managed to do a great job of both managing both the mining facilities and the Gym."

"Yes, though I believe the Veilstone Gym Leader is retiring soon." Cynthia pointed out, "But I believe he has a successor in mind."

"Ah, young Maylene. Yes, I've heard of her. She seems competent, if young." Flint agreed. "Are you asking this because of the state of the Indigo Gyms? I heard a little from Will."

"Somewhat, but it was mostly just my curiosity." I replied, "Candice is actually the first Gym Leader of Sinnoh that I've met thus far. I just wanted to get to know them a bit better. But yes, the Gyms of Indigo have been...difficult as of late. But I'm confident that things are getting better."

"...I heard about the guy who shares my name running out on his kids and the Gym. That...displeases me greatly to hear." Flint said, losing his signature easy-going smile as his eyes darkened. "I do hope you find him and properly punish him for his actions. Doing something like that...I find it to be one of the worst things you could do as a human being."

"I can't say anything against that." I agreed, "...It was quite the scandal in Indigo. I'm glad you don't have anything like this in Sinnoh."

"...For now." Flint responded a little glumly, "But with the political turmoil going on...I can only hope that our Gym Leaders can help maintain the stability as they've done so far."

I didn't know what to say to that, so the three of us continued our walk in contemplative silence. Eventually, we arrived at Snowpoint Temple where we were greeted briefly be security, but we were shortly let through. Flint and Cynthia being here apparently was enough to just allow me through.

The silence continued as we moved further down the steps, heading deeper into the Temple itself. As we moved, I idly noted that the icy floor, while slippery, wasn't nearly as bad as the games suggested they were. But it didn't take long until we reached our destination and walked down the final set of stairs.

And what greeted us was the magnificent and awe-inspiring form of a Legendary standing perfectly upright in the center of the room. Its towering form was so tall that it nearly touched the ceiling itself.

This was Regigigas, in all of its slumbering glory.

Even though I had seen it in the games, seeing it in real life was beyond anything I had ever seen before. I previously mentioned that the presence emitted by Lance's Emperor was likely close to a Legendary, but I was wrong. Even with it being inactive, there was no mistaking the godlike presence that Regigigas exuded. And it hadn't even been awakened.

THIS was the Legendary Titan. The Legendary that, according to the legends, moved the very continent themselves with its pure strength alone. Standing next to it now, it was impossible to not be humbled by its sheer strength and ability.

Even if I combined both Tyrant and Emperor together, their strength would still not be anywhere close to this Legendary. I had to stop myself from unconsciously prostrating myself before it out of awe.

"...It's a grand thing, seeing a Legendary like this." Flint spoke up softly, "We were lucky in Sinnoh to be blessed with such a historical memorial. I understand that Indigo and Hoenn lack such sights."

"They do." I nodded, my eyes refusing to leave Regigigas' inactive form, "I used to not think much of it, but now that I see one in person...it fills me with jealousy that we do not have sights like these of our own."

"Regigigas was one of the main reasons that sparked my curiosity into the Legends and history of Sinnoh." Cynthia admitted, "I came here with my grandmother when I was younger, and as soon as I laid my eyes upon Regigigas, all I could think of was 'how?' How did Regigigas get here? Why is it here, inactive? And is there a way of reactivating it?"

"Of course, I still haven't managed to answer any of those questions." She continued, "Some people even theorize that the Regigigas that we have is only a mere aspect of the original. A fragment of the real thing. But it's still one of my long-standing goals for me to at least start to piece together the answer to one of those questions."

I nodded, seeing the appeal. I mean, after seeing something like this, who wouldn't be inspired to find out more? The Legendaries have always been shrouded in mystery and myth, and it would take only the most complacent of people to not at least wonder what they were capable of and how they had shaped the known world.

And fragment or not. The power that could be felt from Regigigas was overwhelming.

Unconsciously, I took a step forwards, moving ever closer to Regigigas' figure. I didn't know what compelled me to do so, but I reached up and idly stroked a hand around its torso, careful as to not disturb its slumbering form.

But the moment my hand touched Regigigas, I felt a small pressure descend on my head. It wasn't enough to hurt, but enough that I recognized that I was being affected by something. My eyes darted around, trying to figure out what was happening, but I couldn't see anything. Only the two faces of my companions casually staring at Regigigas.

And suddenly, the pressure intensified, and I found my head turning against my will as I stared up at Regigigas' figure. Before I knew it, I had taken a knee, kneeling on the icy floor just beneath it, shadowed by its towering form. As I did so, my mind seemed to clear itself, shutting out all other sensations except for a very faint tendril of connection. I didn't know where that tendril linked to, but that was all I could focus on.

My eyes shut, and I diverted all of my concentration into identifying this sudden foreign connection.

And just as suddenly as it appeared, the pressure rapidly disappeared, and my eyes shot open as I found myself able to move once again. My head swivelled around, trying to figure out what just happened, but just like before, there were no answers to be found.

I stared up at Regigigas, but it was as inactive and motionless as usual. It was as if I had just imagined everything that just happened.

"Are you alright?" Cynthia asked concerningly, "You suddenly took a knee. Did something happen?"

"...Just in awe, that's all." I replied unconvincingly, still reeling from what just happened, "...Something must have come over me, but I think it's gone now." Even as I said that I wasn't convinced myself.

Cynthia continued giving me a concerned look, but Flint seemed a little more oblivious, "Well I hope you enjoyed this visit. Sadly, Elite Four or not, you won't be able to come back here without an escort. Sorry 'bout that."

"That's fine. I think once is enough for me." I said, though my brain was still trying to figure out what that was. A part of me wished to experience it again, and yet I knew instinctively that it wasn't the right time.

"...Maybe one day we can invite some other members of Indigo here. I think it's worth seeing." Was all I said instead.

"Absolutely." Flint agreed, "Though, we still have one more place in mind. Care to still follow us?" I gave him a thumbs up and the three of us began ascending up the stairs, leaving Snowpoint Temple behind.

As we walked, a part of myself was desperately demanding for answers about what just happened. What was that pressure? Where did it come from and how did it manage to affect me? I figured it had something to do with Regigigas, but what? What did it want from me?

'Enough.' I demanded from myself, shaking myself out of my thoughts. Willing myself not to think of it. All I was doing was driving myself in circles thinking about this; it was leading me nowhere. I would just have to accept things as they came.

Things with Legendaries could never be simple.

The three of us headed out of Snowpoint Temple, where we took flight once again. And this time, considering both the direction and our recent trip to Snowpoint Temple, I felt like I knew where we were going next. Over the next several minutes, my suspicions were quickly proven right as we gradually flew towards the famous summit of Mt. Coronet.

Spear Pillar.

We descended silently, none of us speaking a word as Spear Pillar came closer.

What greeted me first was the sight of ruined and dilapidated pillars, cracked and crumbling. And yet, despite the obvious deterioration, the entire summit seemed to remain almost entirely untouched. There was not an inch of grass or moss that grew on the pillars, as would have been expected for something untouched by humanity for so long. The pillars still gleamed brightly in the late day sun, as immaculate as they must have been since their initial construction.

It was as if the entire summit had been frozen in time and space, serving as an eternal memorial. But to what?

Despite the howling winds blasting endlessly against the three of us, it was hardly noticeable amidst the weight that this area held. If I thought that the slumbering form of Regigigas had an otherworldly presence, than Spear Pillar was on a completely different level.

Everywhere I looked, I could feel something much greater than me staring down at me, observing my very actions. The gaze was as inescapable as it was omnipresent, and I felt myself swallowing harshly as I slowly and carefully walked around the summit. However, unlike with Regigigas, I did not feel any kind of pressure forming in my head, nor did I feel the need to suddenly kneel and prostrate myself.

No, this was just the feeling that you were surrounded by the very presence of a Legendary being.

I knew my history. I knew why Spear Pillar gave off such a presence. But to experience it personally...it was utterly humbling – almost eerie. In the corner of my eye, I saw that my other two companions were similarly silent. Except that they both had their eyes closed, as if praying to something.

I closed my eyes as well. I did not know what they were praying to, but my mind went to the Legendaries that made their appearance here. I tried to imagine what standing in front of them would be like, and I felt my legs wobbling at the mere thought at facing them.

Despite this, the inner trainer with me roared to the surface. The pride of a trainer that had made it into the Elite Four and trained his Pokémon to defeat the very best refused to bow down at this so-called 'insurmountable' threat.

Even if the entirety of Spear Pillar served as a humbling reminder of how far beyond us the Legendaries were, I refused to lay down and accept my fate. Even if their strength was truly tyrannical. Even if I had to fight them one day – whether due to Cyrus' insanity or not – then I would do everything I could to stand up to them. I would fight, no matter the odds.

My eyes slowly reopened, and I blinked as I found myself staring at a patient smile from Cynthia.

"I'm glad you enjoyed being here." She said quietly, with Flint nodding behind her, "Come on, this is no place for casual conversation." She patted me on the shoulder before saddling back on top of her Togekiss. I did the same with Port. And then we were off, back on our flying mounts once again.

In total, we were hardly at Spear Pillar for even 10 minutes. Yet Cynthia was right. Spear Pillar had this presence that made it feel so extraordinary and strange that it didn't feel right to idle around there. It was likely the closest thing this world had to a holy site. Our continued presence would only further disturb whatever Legendary rested in that place. It was best to leave as soon as possible.

And so, the three of us headed silently back to Celestic Town, each of us filled with our own solemn thoughts. We didn't make any conversation until we landed, where Flint broke the silence.

"Quite the experience, am I right?" He said with his signature jolly smile returning to his face, "Lucian spends a lot of time there. He says it helps him clear his thoughts, which I understand. I head there a few times too, just to pay my respects."

"...It is quite something." I nodded, "It was a completely different feeling to Snowpoint Temple...I felt like something was watching over me."

"The Legends themselves." Cynthia cut in solemnly, "We recently realized that the entirety of Spear Pillar was once a ruin from the past, which collaborated well with the findings of recent historians. It's incredible that something so long ago has been preserved for this long."

"I noticed that too, the entire place seemed to be frozen in time." I agreed, "Maybe we could find something like this in the caves and other underground ruins as well?" I suggested.

"I would certainly hope so." Cynthia said, "...Sinnoh has always been full of history and mysteries for us to discover. We are blessed to have this."

"Eh, history isn't really my thing, though I would never look down upon those who try to dig deep to find the truth." Flint admitted, "Anyways, it's getting late into the evening, and I've certainly overstayed my welcome at this point. And John, thanks again for humouring my request."

"And thank you for showing me around." I shot back.

"No worries, I just considered it as a paid vacation." He chuckled, "Right, gotta head back now. I hope you enjoyed your brief tour of Sinnoh. See you both soon!" He released a Kadabra that I recognized was similar to the ones we used as designated teleporters, before disappearing into a shower of light as he Teleported away.

As soon as Flint disappeared, I asked Cynthia a question that I've had in my head for some time now, "Hey, Cynthia, not that I don't appreciate it, but why did you and Flint take me on a tour around Sinnoh? If you wanted just to discuss the possible cooperation of Galactic Company, you could have just started off with that."

"True, but then you wouldn't have the emotions to accompany it." She replied, "The tour around Sinnoh was meant to help you build a connection with our region. And to hopefully show off the beauty of our region so that you could see for yourselves what we all want to protect."

A small frown formed on her face as she continued, "Sinnoh is a beautiful region, filled with an abundance of history and culture, just like you saw today." She explained, "But such beauty needs to be protected. Sinnoh is in quite the unstable period right now, and we want to make sure the beauty of our region will continue to prosper into the far future. We wanted you to see that Sinnoh as more than just another opportunity for Indigo to grow, but a region with its own strengths and uniqueness. We're more than just numbers."

"Sinnoh is a really beautiful region." I allowed.

She smiled, "I'm glad you think so – it's why we took you on the tour. Unlike Hoenn, Sinnoh has only been recently integrated into the wider international community and we only just opened our borders. So we don't have all that time that Hoenn had to property ingratiate ourselves and show off what makes us unique. However, a positive impression from both you and Will would go a long way into improving that."

"Still, I do apologize for the slight deception." She said sincerely, falling into a slight bow, "But when Flint asked this of me...I couldn't refuse."

"I understand." I said, not holding their actions against them. Had I thought of such a plan, I would have done the same in their place, "But consider me convinced. Sinnoh is a beautiful place, and I will do my best to not let harm fall onto it." Left unsaid was that I had already been planning on protecting Sinnoh against Team Galactic either way. This tour just further reinforced my vow.

We continued chatting for a little while longer, in which I repeated to Cynthia that I didn't hold any of this against her or Flint. In all honesty, I hardly saw this as a deception at all. In my eyes, this was an Elite Four and a good friend going out of their way to take me on a tour around Sinnoh. I appreciated the effort more than anything.

Especially since they took me to see places like Snowpoint Temple and Spear Pillar. That they definitely didn't NEED to do.

And so I made sure that Cynthia knew she had nothing to apologize for before I retired into my room, the exhaustion hitting me as I realized what a long day that I had. From the meeting with Mars at Galactic headquarters to travelling and visiting the two Legendary spots, it was a very busy day.

And despite everything that was rolling through my mind, I practically passed out on my pillow. Falling into a deep sleep. As I did, my last waking thought was firmly on Regigigas' slumbering form once again, staring at me from within my own thoughts.