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The New Normal - 5-8
🕑 Added 2023-09-11 06:25:50 +0000 UTCThe New Normal – 5-8 – Inspector Smith
The next day proved to be a busy one as I pulled myself awake early in the morning, hardly having any time to scarf down my breakfast, before I made my way to Pewter City to meet up with the League Inspectors.
I arrived early, and I was promptly greeted by the group of League Inspectors, all wearing their signature black and gold Pokémon Inspection Agency badge, that seemed to have been waiting for me.
“Good morning, it’s a pleasure-”
“Welcome, Elite John.” An official interrupted, “Apologies for the interruption, but we have a busy day ahead of us, so let us get started as soon as possible.” He said in a no-nonsense way, his voice teeming with impatience. I just nodded my head and followed him into the Pewter Gym.
When we arrived at the Pewter Gym, I realized just how disappointing it looked when compared to even the Cerulean Gym. While appearance wasn’t anything, the anime really underplayed just how plain looking it was. It looked like someone attached some rocks in front of a large barn.
It really didn’t give off any sense of professionalism or grandeur. Quite disappointing for what was supposed to be the first step of a Kanto’s trainer journey.
During my own journey, I was blinded, like so many others, by the thrill of a new adventure that I had ignored all of the MANY glaring flaws of the Pewter Gym. But now that those wondrous and exciting days were behind me, those flaws only seemed to stand out even more. The Gym desperately needed a makeover, at the very least.
And from what I knew of canon, it likely needed A LOT more than that.
I put aside my musings as we entered into the Gym and was greeted by a very familiar looking young teenager. If I were to guess, he looked around 13 years old.
“Welcome to the Pewter Gym.” The young Brock squeaked out, desperately trying to sound mature. I guess he wasn’t able to go on his journey if he was stuck helping the Gym. “The Gym Leader is waiting with you in his office. Allow me to es-escort you there.”
The League inspectors all gave him a stiff nod before following him to the Gym Leader’s office. Inside, we were greeted by the sight of a very harried and nervous looking Flint, who was surrounded by an ocean of hastily put together paperwork and folders.
Not the best first impression.
“Hello, hello, thank you for coming.” Flint said with a nervous smile as he shook everyone’s hands, “Please feel free to look through all of the paperwork. I hope everything is to your liking, haha.”
The League Inspectors ignored his nervous chuckle before they started dismantling and picking through all of the paperwork and photographing everything. A couple inspectors left the room to record some of the Gym Trainer and their battles. Flint watched them all with a nervous eye, shifting side to side like he wanted to escape the room. I took this opportunity to approach him.
“Gym Leader Flint, it’s good to meet you.” I said with a nod, which he returned somewhat shakily, “How do you think you’re handling things here?”
“Oh, uh, I think things are going pretty well.” He said with a nervous chuckle, “The start of this year’s circuit was a little rough, but I’ve got things handled.”
I sincerely doubted that, but I didn’t let any doubt show on my face, “Well, that’s nice to hear.” I replied, “Being a Gym Leader is a duty and a responsibility, so the League is always looking for people who are up to handling the task.”
Flint’s eyes seemed to dart around anxiously at my words, but I ignored it and continued, “Anyways, Champion Lance sent me out here to do more than just accompany the inspectors. With his new Championship, he wanted to ask around to see if there were any things you were discontent with regarding his reign, and what you hoped to see improved.”
“Uhh…nothing much really.” Flint scratched his head awkwardly, “I’ve been too busy running the Gym to notice or care about things like that, haha. I didn’t even remember Champion Lance was challenging Pryce until my kids yelled at me to watch the match.”
My eyes twitched at the sheer ignorance coming out of his mouth, but I managed to maintain my politeness, “I see. Well, I can understand that being a Gym Leader is a tough position. But, I’m sure the League will be willing to provide assistance if you ask for it.”
“No, no, no, I can handle it.” He said firmly, shaking his head. “Yes, things might be a bit hectic, but it always is at the start of each circuit. I can handle it. Don’t worry about it.”
I REALLY wasn’t sure if he could, and I knew he had run off from the Gym in canon. But was there anything I could do to stop it? Was there anything I could say to prevent him from running off and leaving the Gym to Brock?
After pondering things over a bit, the unfortunate answer was a resounding no. If Flint wanted to live up to being a deadbeat dad and run off on his children, I didn’t have any way to stop him.
It was aggravating, but I had to accept that there were some things I couldn’t fix. I had already made the offer to him to ask for assistance if he needed it, but his refusal meant that I couldn’t really push any further. He had every right to deny it.
With a mental sigh, I finished up my conversation with Flint and went to look around the Gym as I waited for the League Inspectors to finish up what they were doing. But everywhere I looked reminded me more and more of Flint’s failure.
The interior of the Gym looked no better than the exterior, and everything had a second-hand and run-down look. Even the stands, which was currently occupied by a spectator watching the Gym Trainers battle a few challengers, creaked loudly, and felt like they were moments away from snapping in half.
Overall, if this was the Gym that Brock was going to inherit from his deadbeat dad, then unless he was a true genius, I couldn’t see him being able to refurbish the Gym into something splendorous, not with the Gym’s likely poor finances.
Despite all of this, I vowed to myself that I wasn’t about to leave Brock to the Houndoom when it was time for him to take over the Gym. I might not be able to prevent Flint from running off, but I could aid Brock, in some form or another, to help him out during these tough times.
A quick tap on my shoulder brought me back from my thoughts, “Elite John? We are ready to leave.” A League Inspector told me. I just nodded and made my way out of the Gym, giving a quick goodbye to Flint as we left.
The Inspectors all seemed to have Kadabra’s ready, and so with a quick Teleport later we found ourselves at our next destination at the Cerulean Gym.
I had to held in a pleased grin at just how much better the Gym looked compared to the one in Pewter. Appearance wise, the Gym looked immaculate and majestic. And I, surprisingly, trusted Petrel and Archer to do a good job with the paperwork to not raise any alarms with the inspectors.
As soon as we entered, Petrel immediately appeared in front of us and politely welcomed and escorted us to the Waterflower sisters’ office. There, the Waterflower sisters greeted us with calm smiles as they gestured towards the stacks of folders and files that were displayed in a tidy and organized fashion.
While the League Inspectors began going through the paperwork, I was taken aside by Daisy for a conversation.
“John, thanks again for helping us with the Gym.” She said to me, looking relieved. “I couldn’t have imagined what would happen if the Gym wasn’t reorganized in time for this inspection. We might have even lost the Gym!”
I comforted her with a smile, “Well, no need to worry about that anymore. From what I’ve seen, the Gym looks miles better than what it was when I first came. You’ve made plenty of improvements.”
She chuckled, “Yes, I would hope so. Petrel and Archer have been running the three of us ragged trying to teach us how to run the Gym properly and train our Pokémon.” She fake-grumbled, “Even our little Misty was forced to join in!”
I laughed, “No pain, no gain.”
“Yeah, I guess. I mean, we all complain a lot, but we’re all very thankful we had someone to guide us and train us.” She admitted, staring thankfully at where Petrel was speaking to a League inspector. “It would have been a lot worse otherwise.”
Inwardly, I was very pleased to hear that. It was nice to confirm that my efforts in improving the Cerulean Gym were bearing fruit. Who knows, maybe the Cerulean Gym could transform into one of the greater and more respected Gyms of Kanto?
“Oh, speaking of which, we just heard about the new Contest Hall being built here in Cerulean. We know you had something to do with it, so we just wanted to thank you for it. We’re very excited to have a bigger stage to perform on.” She said with a smile.
“That’s not a problem.” I waved her off, “I’m just glad you’re so excited for it. Have you made plans?”
“We sure did.” She nodded, “My sisters and I have started thinking up a new routine now that we have more free time with Petrel helping us out. It’s so nice to actually be able to focus on the show for once without having to worry too much about our other duties. It really lifted a weight off our shoulders.”
From then on, our conversation devolved into mostly small. I did do my duty and ask about what she felt of Lance, and she truthfully told me that the four of them didn’t really have much of an opinion. Like Flint, they were too busy with the Gyms and their shows to care about what was happening outside of the Gym.
Although Daisy said that she found Lance charming enough, and far more pleasant on the eyes than Pryce. It sounded more like a teenage crush than anything else, but it was still good for Lance to have made a positive reputation on them.
Soon enough, the inspectors requested that we moved on, and I continued on my busy day as we hit every single Gym possible.
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“Well, son, I’m not the biggest fan of having another Johto Champion, but at least he’s doing a better job than Pryce so far!” Surge answered boisterously as he rubbed his chin, “Still, I’ll be keeping an eye on him. I don’t trust those Johtonians!”
“You should be careful too, John.” He said to me seriously, “Those Johtonians might stab you in the back if you aren’t careful!”
“Thanks, Gym Lea- Lieutenant Surge. I’ll be sure to keep an eye out.” I replied placatingly, remembering to call him by his ‘proper’ title. “Anyways, I hope the Gym inspection goes well.”
“HAH! Any good soldier knows the importance of logistics! I wouldn’t slack on something like this.” He boasted proudly, “Let those eggheads bury themselves in paperwork. And my Gym Trainers know better than go against the command of their superior officer! They’ll find nothing to complain about!”
“Anyways, kiddo, you’ve done a good job showing up Johto already.” Surge continued, “You’re practically Kanto’s golden boy, so keep up the good work!”
Surge was very enthusiastic, and was a bit too much at times, but I didn’t sense a single malicious bone in him. He might be vocal in his distrust of Johtonians, but he didn’t feel like a rabble rouser to me.
===========
“Oh…I hope the inspectors don’t find anything to complain about…I’m worried that I’ve upset them somehow.” Erika said to me worriedly as we walked around the beautiful gardens of the Gym. Honestly her Gym easily had the best aesthetic so far, and felt more like a place of peace and comfort rather than a stadium.
“I’m sure that you have nothing to worry about. Even minor infractions could be easily forgiven.” I reassured her, “Besides, I don’t think I’ve seen a more beautiful Gym than this one in Celadon. It’s a testament to your hard work that you’ve managed to maintain the Gym to such a high standard despite your relatively young age.”
“Well, if you want to get into ages, then should I comment on how much you’ve done despite being the ‘youngest of the Elite Four’?” Erika chuckled with a serene smile. “You’ve done far more than I have with a single Gym, and I’m very happy to see the brighter faces of the residents of Celadon as things start to improve here in Kanto.”
“Could you tell me more about it?” I asked, “It’s sometimes hard to see the effects of the policies that I’m having without being able to see it in action.”
“Well, I can tell you that Celadon City, as one of the larger commercial cities in Kanto, has been seeing an uprising of foreign business.” She answered as she gently brushed her hand across a few flowers, “I’m not sure whether that’s a direct result of the new policies, or just from a general increase in confidence amongst businesses, but things are looking good for Celadon. I hope things keep improving as they are.”
She began going into more detail about the improvements occurring around her city. I was impressed with her knowledge; even as one of the younger Gym Leaders, her competence could easily be seen. She might look like a dainty flower, but she possessed great intelligence.
Still, I nodded to myself, pleased to hear that things WERE actually looking better for Kanto.
“In your opinion, do you think Champion Lance will allow Kanto to continue prospering?” I inquired.
“Hmm…well, I think he’s doing a better job than Pryce. At least he doesn’t seem to be acting against us.” Erika replied thoughtfully as she began watering a few flowers with a watering can, “From the impression that I get from Lance…I think he’s a good guy. Proud, but good. And I hope he stays that way in the future too.”
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“…your sister was here recently.” Koga said to me as we stared idly at the League Inspectors taking pictures of the paperwork.
“Oh? I hope she did well.” I replied. Whitney hadn’t given me an update yet on what she was doing, but I guessed that if she was already past Koga then she was doing well.
“She won, even after I raised the challenge for her.” He told me, and I raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his words, prompting him to continue, “I knew she was a trainer far above the 5th Gym Badge level before I battled her, and I wanted to test her limits. See what she could accomplish.”
“And how did she do?” I asked curiously, accidentally interrupting him.
“She did well, and so did her Psychic friend.” He said, ignoring my interruption, “They both won despite me using higher-level Pokémon. Your sister is one to watch. I suspect that she will grow into a very capable trainer.”
I felt a surge of pride go through me on behalf of Whitney, and I smiled despite myself. “Thank you for keeping me in the loop, Gym Leader Koga. I’m very glad to hear that she’s doing so well on her journey.”
“It’s a brother’s prerogative to worry.” He nodded, “Besides, I am sympathetic to your feelings. My daughter Janine seems to have befriended your sister and has joined her on her journey.”
“Oh! Uh, wow. That’s…quite the surprise.” I replied bafflingly, not really able to comprehend that Whitney was somehow able to befriend and travel with two future Gym Leaders. “…I hope that they can get along together.”
“So do I.” Koga concurred, a hint of fatherly pride leaking into his voice that he tried to hide. “Even though I was the one to encourage her to set of for her journey, I worry as a father that she may get into danger.” He shook his head, “Regardless, I will not coddle her. And I hope that she gets along with her sister and her friend.”
“I have every faith that your daughter will get along with Whitney; I’ve never known my sister to be anything less than friendly.” I said reassuringly, “Anyways, speaking of getting along, how are you finding our new Champion?”
“I have no opinions. I like him more than Pryce, but I felt that Pryce was a blind fool.” Koga grunted, “So long as the security of Indigo is not neglected, then I have no other concerns.”
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“Oh? You’re the brother of our daughter’s best friend, aren’t you?” Samson, the Gym Leader of Saffron and Sabrina’s father asked with a jolly smile. “We were ecstatic when we heard that our daughter finally made a friend. Please, make sure to pass on our thanks to your sister. We’re very thankful that someone her age is finally able to look past her Psychic abilities.”
“Yes indeed. We were over the moon when we found out that our daughter had made a friend.” Katrina, the personal secretary, and Sabrina’s mom added, “We were so concerned that her Psychic gift would isolate her. I’m so glad that’s not the case.”
“Well, she’s been a great friend to Whitney, so there’s really no need for thanks I’m sure.” I replied slightly embarrassedly, “Though I definitely will pass them on.”
“Please do.” Samson said as he patted me on the shoulder, “We’d love to meet her one day in person. Though I think that day might come sooner rather than later as Sabrina told us that she would be coming to Saffron soon.”
“Then I’ll entrust you to look after my sister when she’s in Saffron. But don’t make things too easy on her for her Gym Challenge!” I joked, before switching to a more serious topic.
“Anyways, any thoughts about how this inspection is going to turn out?” I inquired, looking around as the League inspectors somehow still had the energy to continue working even after going through 5 Gyms at this point.
“There shouldn’t be any issues.” Samson replied, sharing a confirming look with his wife, “We’ve been very careful to make sure things are up to scratch so that Sabrina will have no problems inheriting the position. Arceus knows that she’d do a better job at it then I am.”
Something shined in his eyes then, a hint of latent Psychic power that showed itself for a moment then. The pitcher of water on the table levitated in the air and filled up a glass before she moved the glass into his hands and took a sip of water.
“I’m sure you’re doing a fine job as it is.” I praised, tearing my eyes away from that display. “But I’m glad to hear your confidence. Oh, and while I’m here, can I ask if you two have any thoughts about Champion Lance and his new leadership?”
“I like him.” Katrina answered instantly, “We had problems before with Kanto’s failing economy, as Saffron would be similarly hurt by the growing unemployment. That Karate lunatic Kiyo over at the Fighting Gym used to be crowing to the skies every day about our incompetent leadership, even though NONE of this was our fault.” She spat angrily, and I felt a wave of psychic energy wash over me, causing the nearby bookshelves to shake. Realizing she was losing control, she took a quick breath to calm herself down.
“But with Pryce out of the way, things have been looking better. I’m not sure if Lance is responsible for our recent good fortune, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for now. I do hope thing continue in a similar manner in the future.” Her husband gave similar nods of acknowledgement.
Unfortunately, our conversation was cut short as the League inspectors requested that we move on. I could have forced them to stay for longer while I finish up my conversation, but I felt bad for these poor and tired individuals, so I ended our conversation there and moved on to our next destination.
========
“You’re a scientist, John!” Blaine loudly praised as he clapped me on the back, ignoring the weird looks he was getting from the inspectors, “I don’t know why you’re mucking about with those Arbok in politics. You should do what I did and retire to be a scientist.”
“I’m still a teenager, Blaine.” I replied wryly, “I think it’s a bit early for retirement.”
“Nonsense! I spent a few years in that pit and I lost all my hair!” He exclaimed, before bending down and showing off his shiny head. “LOOK! MY HAIR! I USED TO HAVE HAIR! AND NOW ITS ALL GONE! You could say that the stress burnt it all off!”
I choked out a laugh at that terrible pun, causing him to grin at his ‘successful’ joke. Then he turned serious.
“Listen, John, joking aside, I wasn’t kidding when I said you should become a scientist.” He looked me in the eye, “You clearly have the potential for it with all your discoveries. And I will tell you that it’s likely more fulfilling that being in the Elite Four. Arceus, I’m balancing two responsibilities as a Gym Leader and a scientist, and yet I still enjoy it more than I did when I was in the Elite Four.”
“Take it from me, kid. Unless you’re a ratchety old lady like Agatha is, being in the League will corrupt you eventually.” He warned, “Just look at Pryce. He used to be…better than what he is now. Used to be someone you could look up to. But now he’s this frozen husk that’s better off dead. Thank Arceus you helped Lance knock him off.” There was a lot bitterness in his voice when he said that. Was there a past connection between him and Pryce? It wouldn’t surprise me if they were previously friends or something.
“…I will take that in mind. Thank you for the advice.” I said after a moment, before deciding to switch topics, “Anyways, speaking of Lance, what do you think of him?”
“Oh, the young Dragon looks to the sheep for opinions? I thought they didn’t care for our bleating.” He chuckled sardonically, “Anyways, I don’t like him, but I’ll pick him over Pryce any day.” He started to rub his chin thoughtfully, “Maybe he has started to mellow over the years. He was a cocky brat when he first entered the Elite Four, but if he’s willing to actually ask around for opinions? Maybe he’s changed for the better.”
“I hope he has.” I replied, “He’s our Champion now, after all.”
“Hmph. Champion or not, he has a long way to go before he actually earns my respect.” He spat, but it lacked any real heat. “Anyways, enough of this, let’s see if any of the inspectors accidentally hurt themselves in my Gym. I’m not having them give my Gym a failing grade when I wasted all this time on it because one of those bootlickers hurt themselves like the fools they are.”
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“Good to see you again.” Giovanni said to me, in his office “Is there anything urgentyou have to tell me?”
“Not really, I’m just supposed to be here on Lance’s behalf to ask around about how you Gym Leaders think of him.” I informed him, looking around at the new decorations, “Anything you have to say to our Champion?”
“Ah, well, tell him to keep up the good work then. Of course, try to get him more focused on Kanto.” He smirked, “Arceus knows that Johto doesn’t need any more of an advantage.”
“Will do.” I nodded, before lowering my voice to a whisper, “Have you heard anything regarding the problem at Hoenn? I’m getting concerned that the Hoenn League still haven’t found anything.”
“Nothing that I felt like had to be urgently brought to your attention.” Giovanni whispered back, “But I have heard some rumours about funds being shuffled around in the black market. That usually means something’s happening.”
My fists clenched at his words, “Do you think I should find my way over there and deal with this problem?”
Giovanni looked at me like I was an idiot, “And how would you do that? Even I don’t know where they are. It’ll be trying to look for a needle in a haystack.” He shook his head, “Look, I know you’re anxious about crushing Team Rocket, I am too, but you’re better off spending your efforts here to improving Kanto rather than being all worried about something you and I can unfortunately do nothing about.”
“Crime will always exist, John. It’s not something you can get rid of.” He stated. “I’m as angry as you are about Proton’s betrayal, despite it being a blessing in disguise, but I know that I can’t just go looking for them without knowing more. We’ve been over this before. You have to stay patient.”
Despite my desire to rush over to Hoenn immediately, Giovanni’s words helped my rational side to win and I let out a deep breath to calm myself. He was right, I had already decided before that rushing over to Hoenn wouldn’t do me any good. Sometimes, the problem with being on the side of the law was that you were almost always forced to be reactive and not proactive.
It was frustrating, but there was not much I could do until we found out more. “Fine, fine. I’ll do my best to be patient.” I said to him, before switching topics, “Anyways, should we look over at what the inspectors are doing to just in case they’ve found anything they’re not supposed to find?”
Giovanni chuckled, “There will be nothing for them to find.”
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With all 8 Gyms finally done, we were finally released from our duties. The exhausted League Inspectors all gave me a tired nod before they were Teleported away to finish up whatever they needed to do. Fortunately for me, I wasn’t on the clock, so I went straight home.
I had done enough mingling for the day, and my social battery desperately needed recharging. I had sent a quick text on my way home to Lance to say that I encountered no problems, and that I would inform him properly about my observations tomorrow.
It was around dinnertime when I got home, and I expected to find my parents chatting idly around the dinner table while watching TV.
Instead, the two of them sat with stiff silence as they mechanically ate their dinners, with a single official-looking letter sitting in the corner of the table.
“John, you’re back.” My mom greeted with a worried smile, “I think you have a letter.”
With a careful nod, I went over to open it. And inside, was an official letter of challenge in two weeks’ time for my position in the Elite Four.
From challenger Bruno.
A.N. AND BRUNO APPEARS ONCE AGAIN AND MAKES HIS CHALLENGE! Next chapter will go into more reasons about Bruno and why he chose to challenge John specifically, so don’t worry about that!
This chapter has been BETAed by Allute! Big thanks!
Comments
Odis
Great chapter. As hyped as I am for Bruno I really want him to get stomped ngl.
SailorOfHouseThunderBird
Whoo! Called it! I am so looking forward to this upcoming slugfest with Bruno. I love Bruno, but our boy John is about to school him worse than Strickland just did Izzy.
