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The New Normal - 11-15
🕑 Added 2024-09-13 11:00:09 +0000 UTCThe New Normal – 11-15 – The Eruption
I arrived to a scene of barely controlled chaos.
The erupting lava had already reached the edge of the city, and had already swallowed up dozens of building into its fiery maw, spreading fire and destruction in its wake. There would be no salvaging those – I just hoped that everyone was able to get out in time.
In the meanwhile, ships and boats were being sent out and retrieved with the utmost haste, as they evacuated as many Pokémon and people as they could to the nearby Fuschia City or Pallet Town. The people were literally thrown onto the boats just to get them off the island quicker, and all you could really hear is the blaring of ship’s horns and the shouting of people as they desperately tried to make their way off the island.
We weren’t just using boats to get everyone out, as many Flying and Water types were landing around the port and picking up groups of people at once just to help out with the numbers.
Housing problems could be dealt with later; the most important priority right now was getting everyone off this island as quickly as possible.
I pried my eyes away from that chaotic sight and immediately flew to where I saw Lance barking out orders at a myriad of people.
“Lance, where do you need me?” I said to him as soon as I landed.
“Everywhere.” He didn’t have the patience to elaborate, “Do as you see fit. Help wherever you think you can.”
“Understood.” I knew he didn’t have the capacity to micromanage at the moment. So thinking quickly, I split up my team.
“Klee, Luna, Euphie, stay near the ships and make sure everyone’s healed up. Assist the Nurse Joys. Port, you assist the evacuation as necessary.” The three healers and my dedicated transport Pokémon on my team nodded.
“The rest of us are on search and rescue.” I declared, “Stay with me, and let me know if you sense anyone. We’re going to join up with the others and help. Maybe we could even help push back the lava if possible.”
My team nodded around me and quickly set off to their assigned duties. The Waterflower sisters, who had arrived with me, were quick to join in alongside me.
Their plethora of Water types quickly joined in with all the others as they did the best to slow down the flood of lava. In the air as well, I saw that a small army of Dragons were also there to assist, either throwing up Rock Walls, firing off Hydro Pumps or Ice Beams, or even trying to put out some of the burning buildings with Gusts to stop the spread of flames.
Since my Pokémon weren’t the most proficient with Water type moves, they prioritised throwing up wall after wall of reinforced stone, or even digging large trenches to slow down some of the lava. Vordt was especially good at this, and he managed to do the work of several Rock types by himself.
At this point, most of the outer rim of the city had been completely wrecked. Ironically, most of it hadn’t even been destroyed by the oncoming lava, but instead most of the destruction was caused because everyone had been busy trying to throw everything at the overflowing lava in a desperate attempt to buy some time for the full evacuation.
I saw empty buildings that were ripped apart and thrown into a haphazard pile, while long and deep trenches were dug into the ground as huge chunks of the pavement was torn up and repurposed into further rock walls.
I had only been here for a few minutes, but I could feel the sweat pouring down my face, staining my shirt with my heavy perspiration. The other trainers around me were doing little better, and we had to even rotate a few out just to make sure they didn’t collapse from heatstroke. Still, I was inspired by the efforts of my fellow trainers, as many of them had been fighting the eruption for far longer than I’ve been here and yet were still persevering through the heat.
Fortunately, there were still a few healer Pokémon on rotation – and an abundance of Potions to rely on – so the trainers could keep their Pokémon healthy and to push on with their duties. That made the task a little more bearable.
Yet as the minutes ticked on, the tide of lava only continued to advance, forcing us to retreat further and further back. Luckily, our rescue efforts had borne fruit, and we had already swept the surrounding areas and pulled out any survivors that we had found before they could be swallowed up by the lava. Ornstein was especially useful for this.
I didn’t know how long it was, but then a powerful wave of Psychic alerted me to Will’s arrival. He landed next to me as his Pokémon added some much needed firepower to our efforts to stall the approaching wave. His Hypno clapped its hands together with a Helping Hand, and instantly Daisy’s Golduck unleashed an enormous torrent of water that washed over the oncoming tide of lava, turning it all into obsidian.
That bought us a bit of breathing room.
“…How’s everything?” I panted out hurriedly, taking the opportunity to chug a swig of water.
“We’re getting the last of the evacuees out.” He replied to my relief, “We brought in more ships from Vermillion and they should be enough to pick up the remainder of the civilians and their Pokémon.”
“So…does that mean we don’t have…to hold back the lava for any longer?” One of the trainers who could overhear us asked breathlessly.
But Will shook his head, “No. Standing orders from the Champion are to keep up the efforts. We need to ascertain that we haven’t missed anyone in the rubble, and every second we stall for is another opportunity to rescue a trapped survivor. Lance will give the order when it’s time to fully fall back.”
That got a round of nods from everyone, and Will’s comforting words seem to have rejuvenated our Pokémon as we knew that there WAS an ending point. We just needed to hold on for a bit longer – the end was in sight.
With another set of fresh Elite-level Pokémon joining the fray, it gave the defenders a slight second wind. And as the minutes continue to tick by, more and more reinforcements came – until the whole island became swarming with the Pokémon of Gym Leaders and the Elite Four.
In the distance, Giovanni and Brock were working together as a trio with Blaine as they held back an entire section of lava. I also spotted Pryce and Samson doing the same, using their Helping Hand boosted Ice attacks to forcefully convert huge chunks of lava into obsidian. Surge’s barking voice was also audible as he shouted out commands and helped organise the search and rescue teams as best he could.
Everyone was here to help, all united with a singular goal to get out as many people as possible.
With no further emergencies that required my attention, I focused back all my attention on directing my Pokémon as best as I could – though admittedly everything was on autopilot by this point. We were still being pushed back, even with all the additional assistance, but it was at a controlled and comfortable pace.
It didn’t take long until a shadow covered our forms, and an announcement was blared out from a loudspeaker.
“FALL BACK! THE EVACUATION IS COMPLETE! FALL BACK!” Lance ordered us from on top of one of his Dragonites, since Emperor was helping out with the lava, “CINNABAR ISLAND IS BEING ABANDONED UNTIL THE LAVA SUBSIDES! GET OUT! FALL BACK! IF YOU AREN’T IN THE ELITE FOUR OR A GYM LEADER, FALL BACK FIRST! EVERYONE ELSE REMAIN AND HOLD!”
Hearing the order, the swarm of trainers that had been assisting us made a quick retreat, returning all of their Pokémon before they retreated on their Flying types. As soon as the supporting trainers left, the lava surged forth, rapidly swallowing several buildings in its wake.
A combined effort of all of the Gym Leaders and Elite Four managed to stall the lava for a few seconds with an enormous wave of water, ice, and rock, buying us precious seconds to begin pulling back to the evacuation point. Then, as we knew we were going to abandon the rest of the island anyways, we conserved the rest of our energy as we made a dash for the evacuation point.
Once there, healers quickly rushed towards us as they patched up both us and our Pokémon, making sure we didn’t have heatstroke. My Pokémon that were stationed there also ran up to me, with Klee instantly checking me over just to make sure the Nurse Joy didn’t’ miss anything. As she did her work, I watched solemnly as the tide of magma consumed and gobbled even more buildings, turning the once populous and active Cinnabar Island into a desolate and fiery wasteland.
Yet there was nothing we could do about it.
“OKAY! TIME TO GET OUT!” Lance’s order broke through my thoughts. I quickly returned all of my Pokémon, climbed onto Port, and we flew away from the doomed island.
I met up with Lance in the air, who was staring down at the carnage with a grave expression, “I hope you don’t have plans for the next few days, John. We’ll be busy.”
“What do you need me to do?” I asked dutifully.
“We have two major problems that we will need to deal with.” He said, “One, we might have gotten everyone – or almost everyone – out of Cinnabar, but we still need to find a way to house and relocate them for the future. For now, we’ve already begun allocating emergency tents for their use, but that’s not a long term solution. The same applies for the wild Pokémon.”
“Second, we need to decide what to do with Cinnabar Island now that it’s covered in lava. Now that evacuation is finished, we can start thinking about the restoration process, but that will be extremely slow going. Then once that’s done, we’d need to worry about the redevelopment plans and rebuilding costs, and if those can be done in time to replace the Gym in time for the next circuit. Of course, we’d also need to figure out WHY the eruption happened, and if there was any nefarious intent behind it.”
I nodded as he continued, “The latter is obviously less of a priority for now, so I want you to head over to Pallet Town and assist with making sure that everyone has food, clothes, and housing for the next few nights. We’ll be allocating them to whatever residences we can find for them, but the Pokémon Centres cannot house this many people all at once at such short notice.”
“Understood.” I confirmed.
“I’ve heard reports that Champion Oak is already out there and assisting the people, so just follow his lead.” Lance informed me, “Maintain order at any cost, and try to cool tempers as much as you can. Crime will inevitably spike as a result of this, so make sure you crack down on it as efficiently as possible.”
I gave him a nod before I began my flight over to Pallet Town. As I did, I took one final look at the remains of Cinnabar Island, and I frowned as all I saw was fire and magma.
The lab, the city, the Gym…everything was gone.
=============
Despite my solemn flight to Pallet Town, I was quickly snapped out of my thoughts as my eyes nearly shot out of their sockets when I took stock of just how many people were currently at this small town.
What was once a quiet and idyllic town was now crammed full of people, and even this high in the air I could hear the cacophony of panicked shouting, worried cries, and rising anger. The discontent was palpable.
Lance was right. Pallet Town was a powder keg waiting to explode.
It was not unsurprising. These people had just been through what was most likely the shock of their lives. They had just lost their homes, their livelihoods, and most likely all of their belongings. And in the panic of the evacuation, they might also have been separated from their family members and/or Pokémon; unable to know if they were okay or not.
It was easy to understand why everyone was such a ball of barely contained discontent.
Fortunately for everyone involved, Oak was here to save the day. I knew that he didn’t like to, but right now – in a time of crisis – he was fully willing to make full use of the public’s confidence and trust in him to calm them down.
He made a speech with a megaphone.
“I understand that many of you are shocked, tired, and angry about what you have just been through. It is greatly unfortunate that you were forced to suffer through the events that you have, and you have my deepest and utmost sympathy for whatever loss you may have suffered. I know that feeling of loss all too well.”
“However, as easy it is to give in to your baser instincts and unleash your pent-up emotions on those near you – consider this. They are people who have gone through the same thing you just have; who have suffered just as you did. To take out your anger on them would only make things worse for everyone involved.”
“But I understand the need to vent. That is why I am always willing to lend an open ear to those who need help. I will ensure that all that could be recovered will be recovered, and that every effort will be made to ensure that you will be reunited with your friends, family, and your Pokémon once more. On my honour as the first Champion of Indigo, I do promise this to each and every one of you.”
“Food, shelter, and amenities will be provided shortly. You need not fight over them. We have enough to spare. Better accommodation and housing will be allocated as soon as they become available. Rest assured that myself, and the Indigo League, are doing all that we can to ensure that none of you will suffer over the next few days.”
“This is not the end, merely a new beginning. You can think of it like as starting over, free of your past regrets. Cinnabar Island will be rebuilt, better than ever before – and I promise you that you will one day return to your old lives and find them much improved compared to what you remember.”
“Right now, your priority is to eat some food and get some rest. As I said, I will be around to listen to any problems that you might have, and I will do my utmost to resolve them as best as I can. I might only be one man, so it might take me some time to get to you – but I’ll do my best.”
I thought that it was the confidence, the surety that he had – to say that everything was going to be fine – that finally calmed down the rising discontent within the refugees. To know that the man who brought peace upon a region was there and willing to personally guarantee your continued safety was probably the most reassuring thing they could hear.
I was in awe not only of Oak’s confidence, but the fact that, as soon as he put down the megaphone, he REALLY was going out there and personally listening to all of their problems.
Every single one of them.
I knew that I didn’t have the personal charisma to be able to do something like that, so instead I prioritised taking over the administrative and policing duties around Pallet Town. We were less worried about outsider criminals, but more concerned about the refugees themselves committing crimes out of desperation, fear, or anger.
Because, despite Oak’s reassurances, there were always one or two people that were more desperate than sensible. And the fact that they were all living in tents and eating MREs while the actual, existing residents of Pallet Town were able to live comparatively comfortable lives in the safety of their homes – it was easy for jealousy to sprout. It was my job to stomp all of that into the ground.
Tyrant’s growling face was an effective deterrent. And his fists were even better ones.
Unknowingly, with the roles divided in the way that it was, Oak and I ended up taking over the role of good cop and bad cop, with him as the former and myself as the latter. It was stressful, and Tyrant had to forcibly calm down more people than I would have wanted, yet it worked well, and we were able to maintain a semblance of order in what could have been an extremely unfortunate explosion of anger.
It also helped that many of them had at least brought their phones with them, and were at least able to call their loved ones to make sure they were okay.
Night eventually fell upon the small town, and Oak and I took the opportunity to sit together as we were both on our dinner breaks.
“Sorry that we didn’t get to talk much earlier, John.” Oak said to me. The two of us were both resting on a foldable chair as we chewed down our dinner. We were eating the same as all of the refugees – for fairness’ sake.
“That’s fine, we were both busy, and you were doing far more than me.” I waved him off. I turned back to look at the refugees, most of whom should hopefully be sleeping by now. “I hope that nothing big occurs overnight. I’m knackered.”
“My old bones aren’t what they used to be.” He chuckled, “I think I heard my legs creaking every time I bent down to listen to one of their problems.”
“You have my utmost respect for doing that.” I said to him sincerely, “I don’t think I would have the patience – or the empathy – to do what you did for as long as you did; to truly listen to their problems and respond with the sincerity that you did. Especially when I saw that the occasional word of hostility thrown against you. Not to demean my peers in the Elite Four, but I’m sure none of us could do what you did.”
He truly was one of the greatest amongst us. Not for his strength, but for his humanity. Seeing him like this, I was sure that with his charisma and personality, he could win over all but the most vilest of villains to his side. It was awe-inspiring to see the amount of effort and energy that he put in to helping others.
No wonder he was able to bring peace to a region.
“They were just venting; I didn’t take any of their words personally.” He reassured me with a patient smile, not realising my thoughts, “Besides, I was just doing what needed to be done. In times like these, when the world has decided to test us, it comes down to the leaders to shoulder the burden. To shoulder the woes and the troubles of the populace. For that is our duty, and our responsibility.”
He looked at me, “It is not a skill that is easily learnt. Indeed, as you said, it takes a very special kind of person to be able to sincerely carry the burdens of an entire region. But, in times like these, that is what people expect of their leaders, and so that is what you must do if you want to truly become a great leader. Many will be unable to achieve this, and most will not be able to do so without putting in some serious effort, but it is my utmost hope that you could one day become one of those people, John.”
There was no doubt about it. This was how he became Champion.
“…I’ll take that to heart.” I replied genuinely after a moment, “I hope to be able to be as steadfast and as humble as you, Professor Oak.”
“If it’s any consolation, you’ve lived through a time of relative peace.” He said as he placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, “There was no need for you to act as I did, because there was never a big enough crisis that demanded it. But, as much as I hope it would never happen, a crisis like this is always sneaking up around the corner, so you must be ready to act as the pillar that the region can rely upon when necessary.”
“I know full well that our society values strength above almost everything else, but sometimes they value kindness equally as much. A great leader knows when to lower themselves to the public’s level and speak to them from the heart.”
I nodded, and he continued, “…Tomorrow, I want you to do what I did today. Go around and listen to their problems. Help them all; each and every individual. Speak with them and empathize with them. I will take on your role as the ‘bad cop’ to police the area and also deal with the administrative activities. It will be good practice for you.”
Yes it would be. I had seen the brightening faces that would always appear whenever Oak would speak to someone. That was the power that a respected and trusted leader would have on the populace. And I wanted to have that.
Not for power or for the praise, but because I knew that a single act of kindness for these people could make a whole world of difference for these people.
“I will.” I nodded again firmly, “Thank you for the advice.”
He waved me off, “It’s the duty of the elderly to pass on their wisdom to the youth. And I do enjoy the occasional lecture every once in a while. You might act more mature than your age, but you’re still young. You still have plenty to grow. You’re already doing a great job as an Elite Four, but you could always do better.”
“There’s always someone better than you.” I quoted myself.
“Exactly.” He agreed, “So get some rest now. You have a busy day ahead of you.”
I went to bed that night in a reflective mood. I didn’t even acknowledge the crappy tent that I was assigned to sleep in. I did at least make sure to inform my friends and family that I was okay, and I answered a few questions to a curious Cynthia about what had happened.
However, more importantly than that, I thought about what Oak had told me. He was undoubtedly right, so I fell asleep while thinking about how I could better myself as a leader.
Oak was an excellent role model, and a truly great man.
A.N. More focus on the consequences of the Cinnabar eruption. As expected, there will be a lot of problems coming from this, even if people managed to evacuate on time. These refugees have lost pretty much everything, and they won’t be happy.
But I didn’t want the chapter to be all doom-and-gloom, so I wanted to focus a little more about why Oak was so respected. It wasn’t all due to his strength as a trainer, but rather his strength of character. I wanted to highlight a bit of that in this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed that.
Comments
Vtec
*cough* Um, something like that. You'll see.
Brad Haddex
Hey, if you don't mind a suggestion, perhaps an omake where john meets kid ash ketchum? Or is that already going to be in the main story?
