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The New Normal - 7-16
🕑 Added 2024-01-15 07:20:01 +0000 UTCThe New Normal – 7-16 – Road to Sinnoh
As expected, Karen’s victory over Sidney made the headlines over the next few days. They played it up really hard, trying to dramatize it as a huge underdog victory that was going to completely upset the Indigo and Hoenn political scene.
Though anyone with a brain knew that it probably wasn’t going to be as dramatic as that.
Many other reporters tried to badger her for interviews, and the Pewter Gym got really crowded for some time after many reporters tried to push their way in and demand answers.
Karen took this all in stride, and she made sure to stay humble in all of her interactions with the press. As she told me, the last thing she wanted to happen was for her to accidentally make claims that she couldn’t back up, only to be crushed by an opponent that was too strong for her.
She was actually a little annoyed at all the big claims that the newspapers were making on her behalf. They were all playing her victory up with eye-catching headlines, which had the inadvertent consequence of making her seem arrogant whereas she was doing her best to remain humble.
She had repeatedly said that her victory over Sidney was as much luck as it was skill, and it was not something she could easily repeat. She still had a long way to go.
Still, all this attention did mean that Karen was definitely in the public eye now, especially with her announcement of her participation in the upcoming Indigo Conference. I had already seen articles with ‘experts’ discussing her strengths and weaknesses and possible counters to her team.
Though from what I’ve read so far from these ‘expert analysis’, there was nothing that any experienced trainer wouldn’t immediately know about. On that front, Karen didn’t have to worry about her tactics being exposed. At least not like that.
But she still was training hard. She knew that the more powerful contenders were now going to keep a very close eye on her, and she would likely have to refine her skills and strategies to be able to overcome whatever they had planned for her. I wished her luck on this, but unfortunately was unable to help her due to my own preparations.
Because I was going to Sinnoh.
Over the last few days, I had been mostly packing my bags and studying up on what I knew of the region. Lance had high expectations for both Will and I as representatives from Indigo, so we needed to make sure we were on our best behaviour. Fortunately, my meta knowledge helped me with studying up on Sinnoh’s geography and cities, which should hopefully prevent me from acting like a complete country bumpkin when I got there.
But besides all of that preparation, I had to spend some time helping out with the family business as I promised. I fulfilled my promise to Brock by speaking to my parents about the possibility of a sponsorship, and they were more than happy to help out. Even with the move into our new offices, a sponsorship shouldn’t break the bank for us, and after Brock got back to us with a rough figure for what they required, we were happy to provide it to them.
In return, they stuck to the terms I offered them. They would promote our Moomoo milk heavily around the Gym, hopefully attracting the young and impressionable minds of new trainers to buying our product. The hope was, once these new trainers were happy and familiar with our brand, they wouldn’t buy anything else out of a sense of loyalty or familiarity.
With the deal settled, I fulfilled my other promise to my parents by making sure to check out the new office building that they bought. It was smack dab in the center of Cerulean, right in the commercial district and only a few minutes of the Gym. A prime location.
The tour of the inside of the office went well too. Obviously, things were still kind of sparse inside because many things were still being moved in or purchased, but it was starting to look like a real office building. Clean, sleek, and a little monotone, but very professional. I felt that the office space was certainly fitting for a company that has been growing in both fame and size as ours has, and someplace where I could see myself working in if my stint as an Elite Four didn’t work out for whatever reason.
It pleased me greatly to see another tangible milestone in the growth of our family business. My parents had come a long way from their poorly beginnings, and I wished to continue their path of success when it was my turn at the helm.
And I knew that the office in Cerulean was only going to be the first of many. If I had my way, there would be an official office branch at every region as our family business grew even larger.
To honour my parents, I expected nothing less than greatness.
==============
“All packed and ready to go?” Lance spoke to us as Will and I stood just outside of the pier at Vermillion City. We had a few assistants who already carried our luggage inside, leaving the two of us to say our farewells. The entire Indigo Elite Four was in attendance, ready to give us a grand sendoff as we were about to leave to Sinnoh.
“Sure.” I replied, with Will nodding alongside me. “Packed some formal wear as well just in case. I doubt I’d need it…but you never know.”
“Same here. Can never be too prepared.” Will added. He was already all dressed up, obviously wanting to give a good impression to our hosts in Sinnoh. In the meanwhile, I was still in rather casual wear – I could get changed on the ride over and I didn’t want to be dressed up for such a long time.
Fancy clothes weren’t comfortable to be in. In fact, from my experience, there was often an inverse correlation between fanciness and comfort.
“You’re lucky you aren’t going to be challenged while you’re over there.” Lorelei spoke up with her arms crossed over her chest, a hint of envy in her tone.
Will shrugged, “I wouldn’t mind being challenged, but it just wouldn’t be practical. I can only thank Lance for his wisdom in allowing this.”
Lance waved off the compliment, “Exceptions have to made sometimes. I couldn’t just recall Will just because of a challenge towards him. That would be incredibly inconvenient. Same goes for you John, though I don’t think anyone’s likely to challenge you after Bruno.”
I smiled at his words, though my eyes turned to Lorelei, “You think you’ll be challenged soon?” I asked, mostly rhetorically. I was pretty sure of the answer already.
“Most likely.” Lorelei confirmed, exactly as I had expected. “I don’t think my earlier victory was proof enough…and I don’t believe my reputation or strength has been firmly entrenched yet. Many would likely seek to prove themselves against me.” She said with a hint of worry in her voice.
“Bah! You shouldn’t worry about that.” Agatha cut in with a scoff, “You should be welcoming all these challengers with open arms. Then crush them all beneath your feet and scare them away from ever challenging you again. That’s how I did it and look how well that went.”
Surprisingly, Lance nodded in agreement, “It is a valid tactic. Admittedly, I have grown used to our current roster of the Elite Four and find you all most agreeable to work with. Yes, even you, Agatha.” She chuckled at that, “While I cannot and will not intervene in any challenges on your behalf, I do wish you luck in your future challenges to come.” He said as he stared Lorelei in the eye, getting a firm nod from her.
“And that goes for all of you too.” He turned to address the rest of us, “Whether you are going to Sinnoh, or staying here in Indigo, I do truly expect and wish the best for all of you. I cannot be Champion without a stable Elite Four to support me, so I hope that continues for the years to come.”
We all nodded, somewhat surprised at his sentimentality. But inwardly, I felt that most of us were at least slightly moved by his words. Except Agatha, of course. Still, it was always nice to know that we were appreciated.
Lance cleared his throat, “Regardless! For those of you not in Indigo, if you have any proposals for any meetings that you would like to bring up to me, please let me know through the phone. I will endeavour to keep your opinions and advice in mind despite the distance.”
Lorelei and I shared a quick look at that. I knew she wanted to push for anti-corruption proposal soon, but with my trip to Sinnoh, that might delay matters a little bit. We silently communicated that this was something that we would be discussing on the phone soon enough.
Then the blaring of a ship’s horn caught our attention. Lance spoke up first, “Gentlemen, I do believe you have a ship to catch. Please call me as soon as you arrive, and again, I wish you the best of luck while you’re over there. I trust you will do Indigo proud.” We both nodded at that, and then we all shared our farewells before we made our way onto the ship.
Before I split off from Will so that we could settle into our respective cabins, I asked if he wanted to join me for lunch on the deck. He looked surprised at my request, but quickly nodded and promised he’d be down in a few minutes.
With that out of the way, I settled into my rather luxurious cabin as I fired off a few texts to friends and family, informing them of my imminent departure. Karen and Whitney got back to me wishing me good luck, and reminded me to enjoy myself. I kept their reminder to heart.
I had barely settled in when the ship began to move, signalling our departure from the familiar ports of Vermillion. It would be a long trip to Sinnoh, and I was sure that we would be very busy once we got there, so I intended to savour the moment of relaxation while I still had the time.
I considered releasing a few of my smaller Pokémon, but ultimately decided against it as I simply made my way to the cafeteria to meet up with Will. As soon as I got there, I had already found him inside, patiently waiting for me.
He perked up as soon as he saw me, “Ah John, hope you’ve settled in well.”
“I have.” I answered with a nod, “Probably going to take a nap after this meal.”
“An excellent idea.” He replied, “I was just considering the same thing. Come, let’s get some food.”
We got up and grabbed some food that was already prepared. It was fancier than expected; clearly whoever had arranged this trip had not decided to cheapen out. That caught me a little off-guard. There were many high-class options available, ranging from an assortment of raw fish and even some high-quality cuts of meat.
One full plate later, I sat down next to Will as we both began to eat silently. But as our plates slowly emptied, Will broke the silence.
“When we were getting food, I noticed that you were surprised at the options available. Was it not to your fancy?” He asked me curiously.
I shook my head, “Nothing like that – I was just expecting some simpler I suppose.”
“Simpler? Why would you expect that?” He looked at me weirdly, “This is a diplomatic trip. Obviously, they wouldn’t serve anything less than their best. We need to show off a good image.”
“Sure, I get that. I guess I still wasn’t used to the fancy food.” I admitted.
That only caused him to continue looking at me strangely, “Why would that be? You’re in the Elite Four! And I’ve looked into your family business, you have money to throw around! I’d thought you be more used to quality like this.”
I shrugged. “I guess I never really adapted to my new wealth. As long as I have enough to survive, I don’t really to see the need to flaunt it.”
“But you worked so hard for it!” Will exclaimed in surprise, “Do you not owe it to yourself to reward yourself for your own efforts?”
“Maybe…but I’m happy enough where I’m at right now.” I replied truthfully, “But is that why you seem to have a finertaste in things? It’s not hard to see that your outfit seems immaculately tailored.”
“Thanks for noticing.” His chest inflated proudly, “But yes, to answer your question, why wouldn’t I? I’ve worked very hard to get where I am today, like you did. So naturally I wished for others to see my achievements and praise me for it. It shows that I’ve succeeded in life.”
I paused for a moment, taking a little aback by his honesty. Will was as boastful as usual, but nothing he said was wrong.
“…You know, I realized I don’t know much about your past.” I admitted after a moment, “At least, you seem to know more about me than I do about you. If you don’t mind, want to tell me about it?”
I was genuinely curious about Will. I had initially disliked his tendency to show off, but I’ve gotten used to him. And I felt like I should really take the opportunity to actually get to know him better.
He looked surprised at my question, but quickly formed an excited grin as he began to answer me, “I’m glad you asked! Truthfully, when I first got selected into the Elite Four, I spent some time looking carefully into every member so that I could know more about you all. And, after doing my research, I felt that it was YOU that I related the most to.”
Now it was my turn to be surprised, but I gestured for him to keep going. “Both Lance and Walker were both raised to be in positions of power. There is nothing wrong with that, but they had an advantage over the average person. Agatha…she worked hard too, but I didn’t want to gain power like she did.” He explained.
“And then there was you. Someone who came from nothing and made it into the Elite Four at such a young age.” He stared at me intently, “It was inspiring, but it was also familiar. While the conditions of my childhood were nowhere near as…painful as yours were, if you don’t mind me saying, I too came from a working-class background. And it was through my own hard work that I made my way here to where I am.”
“And now that you’re rich and famous, you figure you’d enjoy yourself?” I concluded for him.
“Exactly.” He nodded. “Oh, I know I am flamboyant, but I don’t see a reason to hide myself. After all, this is what I enjoy doing. Yes, I recognized in the earlier days of my time in the Elite Four that I may have taken it too far and bought into my own hype a little too much, but after spending much time among my equals, I believe I have learnt to keep my ego in check. I hope I have been easier to deal with since then.”
“You have.” I replied instantly, “Though I admit to disliking you at first – your boastfulness simply rubbed me the wrong way, you’ve either toned it down since then, or I’ve gotten more used to it.” I said, bluntly honest.
Instead of being offended, he merely chuckled, “Yes! I remember that. I still remember challenging you as soon as I could – so eager I was back then to try to show off my own strength. And I fell into a bit of a slump when you so easily defeated me, but I have had time to reflect and grow since then.”
“…I think I was too dependent on the approval of others…not realizing that I should be proud of my achievements on their own merits.” He nodded to himself, “I mean, making it into the Elite Four is already a large accomplishment in it of itself.”
“That’s true. And I don’t think I properly congratulated you for your entry.” I said, offering him a genuine smile, “So congratulations, Will. You’ve done well for yourself.”
His eyes opened wide for a moment, before his grin grew even wider, “Thank you for your words, John, and I could say the same to you.” He raised his drink, “Let us hope that our success continues into the future. Cheers!”
We clanked glasses together and drank deeply, a shared moment of congratulations between us. Then, we moved on to more casual topics as we shifted away from our previous conversation.
“Any ideas on what you’re going to do while you’re in Sinnoh?” I asked him as we finished off our half-forgotten meals. “In your free time, I mean.”
He nodded enthusiastically, “Certainly. I had a plan to visit all of the important cities. I’d love to see the sights of a new region. Maybe I’d look into to see if there were any Psychic types I could catch, assuming they let us.”
“I don’t see why not.” I replied, “As long as you don’t go overboard, I’d doubt they care. And from what’s been said in the meetings, I’m fairly certain that the Sinnoh government are in no position to do much of anything right now anyways.”
“I suppose.” He agreed, “But it’s on us to make a good impression. It would be a terrible shame if they were to shut their borders to us so soon after opening them.”
I nodded, but paused for a moment as I finished up with my food. As soon as I finished, I spoke up again, “Any particular Psychic Pokémon you were looking out for?”
“I saw a…Bronzong, I think it was, in their Pokédex. That looks very interesting.” He answered, rubbing his chin, “It would give my team some defensive utility that they currently lack. And having a Steel Type is always nice. What about you? Any Normal types you’ve set your sights on?”
“A few, though I don’t expect to be catching them all.” I admitted, “I was looking out for Togekiss and Lopunny in particular.” There was another Pokémon I was thinking of too, but I wasn’t certain that I could find it.
“Togekiss?” He asked confusedly, “That’s not a Normal type. Well, not anymore at least. Thanks to you.”
“True.” I nodded, “But I don’t mind fitting another Fairy type into my team. I have enough experience with training them that I’m sure I could handle it.” And another Pokémon that was greatly resistant to Fighting would be more than welcome. It gave me more options to use against my team’s only weakness.
“Fair enough, I see where you’re coming from. Though that reminds me, I never actually thanked you for your discovery of the Fairy type. It’s opened plenty of new possibilities with my Pokémon.” He told me with an excited glint in his eyes, “There have been plenty of new Fairy moves I’ve been trying out. It’s really opened a whole new world of possibilities for me.”
“Thinking of challenging Lance with that?” I joked.
But Will clearly missed the joke, as his head swung violently from side to side, “No way. Absolutely not. I’m not some fool to think that that just having Fairy moves would suddenly give me an advantage over Lance. He would crush me in an instant. I have a VERY healthy respect for his strength, and I have no intention of challenging it.”
I laughed, “I pity the fool to challenge him based on THAT assumption. But there will be someone like that, mark my words.”
He joined in on my humour as he laughed, “Yes, I could see that happening! Though anyone daring to challenge Lance would have to get through us first – and I have no intention of being a stepping stone for someone to use.”
My mind flashed to my shared plan with Agatha about Karen, and I shot him a complex smile, “Let’s say you did lose – what would you do instead?”
“What would YOU do?” He shot back instantly, though he seemed to think deeply at my question, “You know, at first, my answer would be to become a businessman. But…recently I’ve considered something I would likely find far more enjoyable. And that is to become a Contest performer. It’s a career path that’s been taking off recently, and I could really see it being a viable option.”
I could see it. If there was anyone who could become a contest performer, it would be Will. He was practically born for it. “You would make a great one, I’m sure.” I said to him.
“Thank you, and I think so too. But that’s just for the future. I have no plans on being kicked out. I EARNED my position here, even if I was chosen, and I intend to stand my ground and prove my strength to ANY who dare challenge me.”
His eyes flashed, and I felt his determination washing over me. His usual boastful nature was gone, replaced by only the iron resolve of any ambitious trainer. At this very moment, the man sitting in front of me was not Will the showoff. But rather it was Will, Psychic specialist of the Elite Four. And a man who would fight to the very end to keep his place.
My respect for him grew.
“I wish you the best of luck then.” Was all I said to him, and we moved to return our plates before we eventually retired into our rooms after a quick farewell.
As I laid down on the bed, hoping to get a quick nap, I thought about my plans with Agatha that we had made for Will. Initially, Agatha thought that Will would be the perfect target for Karen to target, considering his type disadvantage. And I didn’t know about him and/or disliked him enough to go along with it.
But after spending more time with him, and especially after this conversation, I was starting to hesitate on our plans for him. Both emotionally and rationally.
Emotionally, because I was no longer too comfortable for setting him up like this. He was no longer an unknown person, but someone that I had actively spent time with and gotten to know better. He was in the same position as I was, fighting for his chance to be in the Elite Four, and I was uncomfortable for sabotaging it.
Not that way.
And rationally, because with Will training up in Fairy moves, all of a sudden that type advantage is no longer as skewed in Karen’s favour as it once was. If Will really got a handle on his Pokémon’s use of Fairy type moves, then Karen was in for a much harder fight than she likely had expected.
Conflicted, I tossed and turned in the bed as I agonized over what to do. Eventually, I concluded that I would distance myself from Agatha’s plans to target Will. It just no longer seemed like the right thing to do. I would still train with Karen and everything, but only insofar as it related to general training. I wouldn’t specifically act to snuff out Will’s weaknesses and report it to them – for example.
I still valued Karen as both a close friend and training partner. So even if I wasn’t going to deliberately act against Will, that aspect of our friendship wouldn’t change.
Agatha would probably be displeased by that, but I was confident that our relationship was more than just business partners at this point. She’d get over it. And besides, I still intended to work with her on whatever other matters she wanted to put her mind to anyways. I just needed to find some way to tell her.
Finally, I put the thought out of my mind as I tried to get some shut eye. I needed all the rest I could get for Sinnoh; it was going to be an adventure!
A.N. This was a heavy conversation chapter, but I felt like it was finally time for John and Will to actually speak to each other for once. I’ve tried to hint at Will’s growth in the background, but now I felt it was time to make it explicit. I hope you’ve enjoyed it!
AND THIS also marks the penultimate chapter of the Progress Arc. The next chapter will be the finale before we get to Sinnoh!
This chapter has been BETAed by Allute! Cheers!
Comments
Galen Tanner
I am finding it hard to dislike this will lol
Galen Tanner
Damn I admit I am biased from hard enough will and a few other fics so even tho I would have loved to bash will in this fic you did way to Good of a job of naturally and smoothly transitioning will from an arrogant upstart into a flamboyant but good person
SailorOfHouseThunderBird
And probably a complete diplomatic disaster. Going over to Sinnoh as an envoy and 'stealing' away a Pokémon of that stature? That'd actually risk them closing up the borders again.
HyruleChampion
Honestly, him coming back with, Regigigas would be hilarious.
Mike Trevino
Oh no! Character development, my one weakness!
