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The New Normal - 12-9
🕑 Added 2024-11-01 12:00:20 +0000 UTCThe New Normal – 12-9 – The Tour
Of course, just because Cynthia had ‘a bit of free time’ didn’t mean that she was actually free for the whole day – far from it. Despite her best efforts to adjust her scheduling, there were still plenty of interviews and meetings that she couldn’t really wriggle out of as Champion.
Still, I told her that I wanted to take her around Cerulean City and show her the Gym, including an early morning performance from the Waterflower sisters. That would take up a huge chunk of time, and she had a content piece with one of Indigo’s larger news agencies that she needed to attend, since the whole point of the trip was to generate goodwill from the people of Indigo. Therefore, she didn’t have time to sit through the whole contest.
However, she had brought up a possible solution for this.
“John, would you be comfortable if a camera crew shadowed us for parts of our date?” She asked me, “You know that I’m trying to be a friendly face for the people of Indigo. I was thinking if they could spend some time shadowing us on our date and I answered a few of their questions, it’ll go a long way into making me more relatable to the public, which would really help.”
“Sure, if that’s what you think we should do, then I don’t mind too much.” I replied, “Just tell them to not get in our way.”
“I’ll do my best.” She nodded, “…And thanks, John. I’m sorry that we have to let politics get in the way of our date too.”
I shrugged, “I’m not too bothered by it. I accepted that when I chose to date a Champion. Stuff like this…they’re inevitable. I’ve already accepted that.”
As two incredibly well-known public figures, getting away from public scrutiny was nearly impossible. The public was always going to be interested in us. So instead of making a fuss about it, I might as well just accept it and deal with it.
She smiled at my answer, “Thank you, John. I’m glad you’re so understanding.”
Then she hooked her arm in mine, “In that case, bring me somewhere so I can get changed into something more appropriate. If our date is about to be publicised, then I want to make sure I’m looking my best.”
I nodded, and we quickly went back to my home and got a change of clothes.
Cynthia had changed into a white one piece dress, with a light brown cardigan worn on top of it. On top of that, she wore a beige colour sunhat with matching sunglasses. It was almost the complete opposite of the black coat that she usually wore. I thought she looked beautiful, and I made sure to tell her that.
In the meanwhile, I had dressed up differently too. While I didn’t exactly have a signature outfit like many others did, I decided to wear a white T-shirt with a dark blue cardigan of my own and long grey pants. I also had my own hat as well.
With our outfits appropriately changed, the two of us walked with arms linked as we walked from my house to Cerulean City. The arrangements had already been made with the news crew, and it didn’t take long for them to show up at Cerulean city, waiting for our arrival.
At least they got the message that they were to keep their distance, as none of them approached us as we went towards our first stop – the Cerulean Gym.
Fortunately, the Gym was pretty empty today, and we made a beeline straight towards the aquarium, which had gone through some upgrades since I had last been here. There were a few more Pokémon around, and the displays for all the many different Water types were far more grand in their presentation.
“I didn’t realise they would have Sinnoh Water types here.” Cynthia muttered as she looked over the many Water types with an interested gleam in her eyes, “It’s been a while since I’ve done any fishing. I don’t think I’ve done any since I caught my Milotic as a Feebas.”
I nodded in agreement, though the one display that caught my eye was a large fishtank with a few Horsea swimming about. Next to it was a plaque that read:
‘Generously donated by Elite Four Drake.’
I smiled when I saw it, and Cynthia followed my eyes and let out a smile of her own, “How cute. Looks like something good came out of that Tournament after all. Actually, that reminds me, did you know Candice told me that she made a new friend? It’s Gym Leader Jasmine.”
“Jasmine? That’s nice.” I replied, then I added another bit because I knew our conversation was being recorded, “Always nice to see Gym Leaders making friends.”
She chuckled, “That’s not the best part.” She leaned forwards to whisper into my ear, “Candice told me that Jasmine had apparently been talking a lot with Volkner lately…” She stretched out that last word in a teasing tone.
I snickered before whispering in reply, “Yeah, I’m not surprised.”
It was then that the interviewer finally had the guts to approach us with a question, “Champion Cynthia, what are your thoughts on the Gym thus far? You seem to be enjoying it.”
“I am.” She nodded, “But let me answer that question after I finish watching the contest. I’ll give you a full answer then.”
They nodded and backed off, while we hung around the aquarium for a little bit longer. Eventually, after Cynthia had gotten her fill of what she wanted to look at, we headed to the counter to buy tickets for the first show. Though, cutely, Misty was apparently in charge of manning the desk today.
Her eyes boggled when she realised who we were, and I could see her giving us a look of confusion when she saw the camera crew following after us. But she didn’t let that scare her.
“John? Are you here to see our show?” She asked.
“Sure am.” I nodded, “Tickets for two please. Actually, make that six for the camera crew as well.”
“…Um, you don’t have to pay.” Misty said slowly, “It’s fine. We have plenty of seats. The early morning sessions are usually quite empty.”
“Please, I insist.” I stated, “If only for the inconvenience for bringing in the camera crew. I hope you don’t mind if they come with us – they’re here to interview Cynthia too.”
“Oh, we don’t mind.” She replied, “My sisters are very used to being recorded. It’s fine. Just no flashing lights, please.”
And with that, the tickets were bought, and we were all escorted deeper into the Gym where the water show was going to take place. At the entrance was Petrel, calmly checking over everyone’s tickets before allowing them inside.
When it got to our turn, I watched as Petrel’s eyes widened in recognition as he stared at the two of us. But then a spark of understanding hit him and his expression returned to normal.
“Would you like to have the seats near the front or near the back?” He asked us, “The seats at the front have a better viewing experience, but there is a greater chance of getting wet.” I had a feeling that most last-minute ticket buyers would not have the option to choose.
“Back please.” Cynthia immediately replied, and Petrel quickly took in our tickets and replaced them with different ones before handing them back to us.
“Then I hope you come to enjoy the show.” He said, before ushering us inside. Good man.
The stands were surprisingly packed, and my eyes instantly went to the many banners advertising various products scattered around the walls. Our family Moomoo milk was on there as well, though luckily we no longer had my face used as advertisement.
“I haven’t actually seen a contest performance before.” Cynthia admitted as the two of us took our seats. The camera crew sat a little behind us.
“Really?” That was surprising, “I thought you would have.”
“No, I haven’t.” She shook her head, “Contests aren’t really a big part of Sinnoh’s culture. It’s grown in popularity recently, but it’s nothing compared to how popular it is in Hoenn. Contests are more widespread even in Indigo. I’m actually excited to see how this turns out.”
“…Actually, I remember reading about you being in a performance once.” She said in a teasing tone, “When are you going to repeat that?”
“Correction – I was never part of any performance. My Pokémon were.” I stated, “And besides, I’ve not the talent to do contests. I’ll leave it to the professionals. What about you? You ever think of doing contests?”
“Well…not really.” She said, “I’m not too sure contest performances are for me. I like winning, not dazzling a crowd. I don’t think I could put on an act like so many performers do, nor do I think I could pull off the outfits.”
I made a show of looking over her, “Trust me, you could pull it off.”
“Thank you, but I prefer to hear that from a less biased source.” She said neutrally, but her giggles betrayed her.
Our conversation naturally fell silent as the stage lights dimmed, with only the centre spotlight that was focused on the large swimming pool remaining on. Then the sisters came onto stage, and without a word, the performance started as music began being played through the speakers.
A trio of Dewgong leapt out in a triangular pattern in sync, before releasing three bubbles of water into the air. The bubbles converged, forming a much larger one that floated in the air above the pool that formed into a large heart shape. Then a Starmie suddenly teleported itself into the midst of the bubble, causing the bubble to suddenly glow like a rainbow before the bubble split apart into 10 smaller ones as they began circling around the Starmie in the centre.
Then, the bubbles slowly morphed themselves into various forms of different Water type Pokémon while they all glowed with a different light, like a circular rainbow.
Starmie began to spun, with the bubbles spinning alongside it, in sync with Starmie’s own 10 arms. Then the bubbles all suddenly collapsed back in the pool before a huge, but thin wall of water shot up. The wall of water was deliberately thin enough so that you could still see through it, and behind the curtain was a school of Magikarp swimming in a circular fashion, forming a ring with their bodies.
A Gyarados proceeded to charge through the ring of Magikarp, launching itself majestically into the air as its body literally sparkled in the light, letting out a booming yet dignified roar that brought all eyes onto it. The Gyarados dived back into the pool as the three Dewgong reappeared to replace it, shooting out three small streams of water to make a makeshift platform – on which a single Slowpoke was lying down on.
A glistening rainbow formed behind it, while the Magikarp began leaping around in the background in a way that perfectly framed the lone Slowpoke, making it look like a kingly entrance. Or, in this case, more like a king waiting to make a proclamation.
Then it opened its mouth.
“Slow.”
That was all it said.
And instantly, all of the ‘special effects’ that was going on behind it collapsed into nothing, causing Slowpoke to fall out of the air and land directly into one of the sisters’ arms, who had a pretend look of exasperation.
The absurd display caused all of us to burst out laughing. That was a ridiculous, almost comical, way to end a performance like this.
With the performance finished, the Waterflower took to the stage and expressed their thanks for us coming to watch the show and explained how they wanted to try to add some more comedic moments into their performances for better entertainment value.
“A dazzling performance is one thing.” They concluded, “But if we are able to make you laugh as well, then that just adds to how memorable the performance is.”
“…I think I really need to watch more contests in the future. That was really fun.” Cynthia said as she clapped.
“I thought so too.” I said, “I’m really surprised that they got their Gyarados to cooperate in their performance. It means that their bond must have grown.”
“I’m impressed that the sisters are able to keep up their duties as Gym Leaders while also coming up with interesting performances like this.” She said, “Must be stressful maintaining the balance between the two.”
I agreed, “They’re quite incredible. Cerulean couldn’t ask for a more suitable Gym Leader.”
After that, we politely left the Gym, not wanting to bother the Waterflower sisters. As we left, the interview approached us once more as she repeated her previous question about Cynthia’s thoughts on the Gym and the city.
“The performance by the Waterflower sisters have really opened my eyes to the potential of contests.” She answered, “While the culture of contests isn’t really developed in Sinnoh right now, I would love to see if that could be encouraged in Sinnoh. I think our people would really come to enjoy it.”
“And John, what do you think about your own city?” They asked me.
“I’m very proud of it of course.” I replied, “The Cerulean council, the Cerulean Gym, and myself have all been working very hard to help develop Cerulean city to what it is today. The city today is the result of our joint effort and hard work. I’m very glad that my girlfriend seems to enjoy what we’ve done with the place.”
“Then – a question to the both of you – what are your thoughts about being in such a public relationship?” They asked us, “Are you uncomfortable with the many eyes on your relationship?”
That was quite shameless of them to ask – considering they were part of the problem, but I kept the polite smile on my face as I responded.
“Not at all.” I said, “This just comes with the territory with dating a Champion. I was well aware of the responsibility.”
“And likewise,” Cynthia interrupted, “I hope that people can see that we were being sincere when we announced that we weren’t dating for political reasons. We’re just two people that managed to find love in each other, being a Champion or an Elite Four doesn’t change that.”
“Plus, we hope that this helps to show that just because we come from different regions doesn’t mean we cannot be together.” I added, “Our relationship endures even if we are separated by distance.”
The interviewer nodded at that and backed off, not having any further questions for the moment.
Originally, my plan after taking her to the Cerulean Gym was to take her to visit the newly renovated Cerulean Cave, though with a camera crew behind us that wasn’t happening. So instead, we had a quick stop for an early lunch while we entertained a few more questions from the interviewer.
Fortunately, with lunch wrapped up, we politely asked for the interview to stop there as we wanted to enjoy the rest of our date in private, and they accepted – having gotten enough footage to last several days. I expected to see several puff pieces regarding our date popping up on the Pokénet soon.
With their departure, we could finally relax a bit as we quickly headed to Ecruteak City.
“Ecruteak must be quite the city if that’s where you’re choosing to bring me. I heard that Lorelei brought Lucian to the same place.” Cynthia said to me as the two of us flew on Zephyr, who was our transport Pokémon for the day instead of Port as he was less recognisable.
Cynthia had her arms wrapped around my waist as the two of us we flew through the air, and I was tempted to fly even slower just to enjoy the sensation of her pressed against my back.
“Well if you’re looking to see Indigo’s culture, then there’s really no better place than Ecruteak.” I replied, “But before we head there, I’d just like to stop over somewhere.”
I could feel her giving me a curious look, but I remained silent to her unspoken question as we continued to fly towards the southern parts of Kanto. After several minutes of flying, we had arrived at what I wanted to show her.
The still ruined remains of Cinnabar Island remained below us.
“…I thought you might bring me here.” Cynthia said quietly, “It’s…almost horrifying, seeing the damage that was done. It’s one thing seeing it on the news…but seeing it in person…I can only thank Arceus that you guys managed to evacuate the island as efficiently as you did. I pray that nothing of this scale ever occurs in Sinnoh.”
“…Yeah…we got lucky.” I nodded slowly, “I never want anything like this to happen again. There were way too many close calls that day.”
I turned around to face her, “I hope that day never comes for you in Sinnoh…but if it does, I know you’d do everything you can to make sure that it doesn’t turn into a disaster.”
“I hope the day never comes too.” She agreed, though she gave off a small smile at my words, “…While I have full trust in my Elite Four and the organisations that help keep Sinnoh safe – seeing the consequences of a nightmare like this has caused me to really doubt whether I’ve done everything I can to prevent something like this from happening.”
“I’m sure you have.” I tried to reassure her, but she just shook her head.
“No, once I head back to Sinnoh I’ll really give it a good think over.” She told me, “I have a duty as Champion to do so.”
Then I felt her arms wrap around my shoulders, pulling me closer to her, “Still, thank you for bringing me here. I actually did want to visit Cinnabar Island, to see the disaster for myself, so I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”
After that solemn yet determined moment of reflection, we headed towards our original destination. After a short flight, the magnificent, almost religious, structure of the Burned Tower could be seen in the distance, and I heard Cynthia give off a small hum of admiration, though she stayed silent.
We landed near enough to the Burned Tower, and Cynthia quickly hopped off of Zephyr as she rushed up to the base of the Tower, staring at the building with stars in her eyes.
“It’s almost surreal to me that a ‘destroyed’ piece of architecture could form the basis of cultural worship.” She said softly, “And to be deliberately preserved in this way too…we don’t have anything similar in Sinnoh. Or at least, nothing as famous as this.”
“Spear Pillar was pretty exceptional.” I pointed out, “In my opinion that was the greatest place I’d ever been to.”
“Well, that’s true. I think any place that’s historically connected with a Legendary is bound to be a magnificent place to visit.” She nodded, “And…perhaps it’s the novelty, but I’m still in awe at this place. I wish we could go inside.”
Unfortunately, the Burned Tower only allowed a certain number of guests to head inside at a time, and you had to make a reservation to do so. As we came here last minute, there was no way we could have gotten a spot.
“You know if we asked they would certainly let us in, right?” I explained amusedly, “They’ll probably let us into Bell Tower too.” I pointed to the tall tower in the distance.
She chuckled, “Let’s save the abuse of power for when we actually need it. And you really need to stop tempting me with these kinds of things. I’m already starting to offload more tasks onto Lucian and Aaron, and it’s your fault!”
“Me? What did I do?” I replied shamelessly, “All I did was remind you that sharing is caring, especially when it comes to paperwork.”
She shook her head, “One day I’ll actually make good on the threat and ask Lance to do the same with you.”
“Please don’t.” I begged.
With Cynthia having sufficiently inspected the Burned Tower, as well as Bell Tower from a distance, we took a quick walk around the whole city. As we walked around, Cynthia seemed to marvel at how every building of Ecruteak practically oozed with culture and history.
“Despite the pride in our traditions and history, I don’t think we have a single city in Sinnoh that could match the atmosphere of Ecruteak. Not even Eterna.” She told me, “This really feels like a city frozen in time, but in a good way.”
A thought popped to my mind, “You know, have you ever had any thoughts about how you’d develop Celestic Town?” I asked her, “I mean, you’re Champion of Sinnoh AND are basically the unofficial and de-facto leader of Celestic Town. Do you have plans for how you’d develop the place, if that’s something you’d like to focus on?”
“Huh, that’s a good question.” She replied before she took a moment to think things over, “…Honestly, I think Celestic Town should continue down the route that seems natural for it – meaning that we should focus on our history as a mining and archaeological town.”
“Actually, and this was something I was thinking over lunch, I really like the way you’ve renovated the entrance to Cerulean Cave to attract tourists.” She said, “While I’m not sure how effective that would be in Sinnoh, as cave explorations aren’t as much of a novelty there compared to Indigo, I think it could be something worth investing in.”
“Not only that, but I think I’d like to expand Celestic Town to be similar to Ecruteak.” She gestured to the surroundings, “Currently, we don’t have much of a ‘theme’ in Celestic – houses are just built to fit the requirements. But if I had the resources to plan out the future of Celestic Town, then I would like to have something resembling Ecruteak – in our own unique way.”
“Not sure how that’d look like,” She admitted, “But I’d want it to emphasise our own history. Maybe pay homage to our Hisuian roots. We could even have houses designed in a modernised version of Hisuian designs. I think that would be very interesting.”
“I like that idea.” I agreed, “I think it’d be very cool to have a city that’s aesthetically similar to Hisui. I would love to visit there.”
As we continued wandering around, we ended up stopping over at the small pond in one of the corners of the city. There were a few children playing around as their parents taught them how to fish, and I looked to Cynthia with a questioning look in my eye.
She chuckled, “No, John. I know I said that I haven’t fished in a while, but I think this is quite below my level.”
I shrugged intentionally, “Maybe you needed the practice? I’m sure the assistants there will help you remember the fundamentals.”
My teasing got me a light punch in the shoulder, “And when’s the last time you fished, hm? Seems like you might need the practice too.”
It was then that we both felt someone approaching us from behind, “Excuse me, I hope I’m not interrupting something between the two of you.”
A little surprised at the sudden voice, we turned around and saw a young woman bowing politely towards us.
“Uh…can I help you?” I asked. I was alert, but I didn’t sense any hostility from her.
“Apologies for not introducing myself.” The lady said, keeping her head bowed, “My name is Kuni. I am one of the Kimono Girls that work here in Ecruteak. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Champion Cynthia and Elite John.”
My eyes widened at who she was, “It’s our pleasure too.” I said, “But what does a Kimono Girl want with us?”
“And I hope you haven’t been deliberately following us.” Cynthia added with narrowed eyes, “Because I certainly would have appreciated maintaining our privacy.”
“Nothing of the sort; we would never deliberately intrude upon your privacy.” Kuni was quick to apologise, “We apologise if we may have disturbed you at an inopportune time.”
“No, no, it’s fine.” I waved her off, “What would you like to speak to us about? And why aren’t you wearing your usual attire?”
“Today was not a performance day, so I was off work.” She explained, “However, while walking home, I overheard your earlier conversation about your plans to renovate Celestic Town with the appearance and style of Hisui.”
“We were talking about that, yes.” Cynthia said, “What about it?”
“You see, Champion, us Kimono Girls have been looking to expand to outside of Indigo with our performances.” She explained, “Traditionally, we have focused on performances revolving around the Legends of Indigo. However, we have always made plans to try to expand our performances to focus on other region’s Legends as well.”
“We have done performances for Hoenn Legends occasionally, and now we would like to know more about the Legends of Sinnoh, or any stories that stemmed from the Hisuian period. Therefore, on behalf of the Kimono Girls, I would like to know if there was any way of learning more about this.”
“Ah, I see.” Cynthia nodded, sounding far more friendly now that they were talking about academia, “I would be happy to help. I’ll pass a word on to my grandmother back in Celestic Town after this, so feel free to contact her and she’ll set you up with whatever you need. We’re always happy to spread our knowledge around.”
“Thank you, Champion.” She bowed politely, “That is all I wanted to ask. I apologise again for the disturbance and will leave you to your date.”
The two of us watched her step away, “I didn’t even realise she was following us.” I muttered.
“Too distracted by me?” Cynthia smirked.
“Okay, now you’re just fishing for compliments.” I chuckled, “That’s not the kind of fishing I was talking about.”
She lightly slapped my shoulder, “Puns are beneath you.”
Then she frowned as she looked to the skies, “It’s already almost evening.” She sighed, “And I have a dinner that I must prepare for.”
I put on a smile, “It’s okay. I’m sure we’ll have more time to spend together later. Plus, we’ll see each other soon enough when Karen battles Agatha.”
“True.” She nodded, “I hope she wins; she has the momentum on her side right now. It would be a shame if she lost it.”
“Mhm, I obviously think the same way.” I agreed, “You know…I haven’t spent much time with Karen recently, since she’s so busy with her preparations. But I think it’d be nice to work alongside her.”
“Are you sure that’s something you want to say in front of your girlfriend?” Cynthia questioned, raising an eyebrow. But she couldn’t maintain that expression for long as she let out a small laugh, “Yeah, I can’t hold the jealous act for very long. I know what you mean. Just don’t forget about me.”
I deliberately held her hands in mine as I stared deep into her eyes, sensing the affection within.
“Don’t worry, you’ll always be on my mind.”
A.N. With all the battles taken place and about to take place, I wanted this chapter to be a small break from them. Plus, I’m always happy to explore more of Cynthia and John’s relationship.
However, I wanted to do something a little unique at the start by including the camera crew, serving as a firm reminder that the inherently political and public nature of their relationship means that attracting media attention was inevitable. But both Cynthia and John are willing and accepting of this, so they might as well lean into it.
I also wanted to highlight a few of the minor characters that we haven’t been focusing on recently, to show how they’ve been progressing. I hope you enjoyed it.
Comments
Vtec
Thanks for letting me know. I'll try to catch that more in future chapters!
DiscoT
I've noticed you tend to overuse the word "Plus", it can be a bit grating.
Pious Poppy
Love the cute little moments 💙
