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The New Normal - 4-15
🕑 Added 2023-07-28 12:55:24 +0000 UTCThe New Normal – 4-15 – Political Kindergarten
I awoke early the next morning as I quickly made my way to the Indigo Plateau on Port to attend the rushed committee meeting; I didn’t even have time to test out my new Porygon2, which I apologized to Pixel profusely for. While Lorelei’s announcement was not as momentous as Lance’s declaration to challenge Pryce and replace him as Champion, it was still all over the news, and many were still caught flat-footed as her announcement seemingly came out of nowhere.
From the way the newscasters were speaking yesterday on the TV, it felt like the majority sentiment was that everyone thought that Lorelei was just Pryce’s figurehead for the Mahogany Gym and didn’t expect such ambition from her. I guessed they all expected her to fade into obscurity after Pryce’s defeat.
I was no different, in all fairness. I knew that Lorelei was in the Elite Four in canon, but I thought that I might have upset that after winning the Indigo Conference instead of her. Either way, I didn’t have any problems with her challenging for Walker’s position in the Elite Four, but I WAS concerned about how she would lean politically.
I don’t think anyone wanted a second Pryce.
I still remembered Giovanni’s reaction when I informed him of the news last night; the man almost blew a gasket until I reminded him that Lorelei was unlikely to share Pryce’s political ideas considering she almost got screwed over by her uncle. That managed to calm Giovanni down to his more reasonable self, but he warned me in no uncertain terms that Kanto could not afford to deal with a second Pryce and advised me to observe Lorelei carefully. I agreed, though I was more optimistic about Lorelei than Giovanni was.
And this is why I found myself arriving at the Indigo Plateau, where a patiently waiting Lance was there to greet us.
“John, it’s good to see you again. You’re first to arrive.” He began, and we shook hands in greeting.
“Happy to be here.” I replied, before I shifted to something more serious. “Hey, what are your thoughts on Lorelei’s challenge? Especially after just defeating her uncle?” Perhaps that question might have been too blunt, but I saw Lance as someone who respected straight questions and answers.
“Hmph. Good of you to not dance around your point.” He remarked, proving me right. “And admittedly, I never gave a thought to Lorelei before this. I only really used her as a means to attack Pryce. That being said, I would have petitioned to remove her as the Mahogany Gym Leader if the reports landed unfavourably against her leadership sometime in the near future.”
“As for her challenge towards Walker in 2 weeks’ time…I respect it.” He declared, “I have not tried to hide my dislike of Walker, and I can respect the ambition to push yourself even further. If Lorelei wins, then she will have earned her position in the Elite Four in my eyes.”
I nodded, but before I could ask who he felt like was going to win, the two of us were covered by a large shadow as Walker arrived and descended next to us on his Fearow.
“Hope I’m not late.” He greeted the two of us.
“You’re not.” I replied, “…How are you feeling?”
Walker scratched his head, “Honestly, a bit surprised that I am receiving a challenge already. It’s a bit too soon, and I would have liked more time to prepare. Two weeks isn’t a lot of time.”
“Think you can win?” I asked, observing him carefully.
“Well, I’m not about to just roll over and give up if that’s what you mean.” He said with conviction, getting a respectful nod from Lance at his words. “I recognize that Lorelei has a type advantage against me, but I’m the more experienced trainer. That should mean something.”
I couldn’t tell if his words were one of confidence, or just self-reassurance to assuage his own doubts, but I nodded all the same and said nothing. The three of us just stood there in silence as we waited for Agatha to arrive.
Finally, I saw a large shadow extend out from one of the pillars as Agatha arrived via Teleportation.
“What are you three standing around for? Let’s go.” Agatha mocked the three of us and slowly made her way into the building, not even bothering to turn around. The three of us hardly reacted and followed her inside the building and to where the Committee meeting was being held.
We arrived at a huge circular room with an enormous meeting table in the center. As soon as Lance entered the room, everyone stood up for their new Champion.
“Right, thank you all for coming.” Lance began, sweeping his gaze over the many committee members in the room. “As I stated before, I’ve invited the current Elite Four members to sit on and join in on today’s discussions, but they will not get a vote. Does anyone have a problem with this?”
Unsurprisingly, no one spoke up, likely unwilling to gainsay the new Champion. Lance nodded before continuing,
“In light of the challenge against Walker, the appointment of a new member of the Elite Four has become even more urgent. I hope that we can finalize a member by the end of today’s meeting.” He got nods all around, “Then, from my understanding of the documents that I received before this meeting, I believe that your two main candidates are between Will, winner of the second last Indigo Conference, and Shin, last year’s runner-up, both from Johto. Is that correct?”
Lance received murmurs of ‘yes’ and other affirmations.
“Good. Then I’ll open the floor to the discussion. Let’s start from those who want to support Will.” Then Lance sat down as another member stood up, almost as if it was all rehearsed. A scribe stood waiting in the corner, ready to write down these speeches to be publicized in the news later.
“Thank you, Champion. We believe Will to be the most suitable candidate to join the next Elite Four because of his already proven leadership abilities and his connections to many prominent members of the Indigo League. He has shown his financial and political capabilities through his time working with many prominent businessmen in the area, and he is also a winner of the Indigo Conference. Something that Shin has not managed to achieve. In fact, that is a common theme for Shin in general. He has failed to achieve anything, possibly due to his inexperience, but Will is a proven and capable person that would make a great fit for the Elite Four.”
The member received mild applause for his words, but Lance just stared blankly and nodded. “Thank you for your words, now, could we hear why we should appoint Shin into the Elite Four?”
Another member stood up, “Although Shin lacks the experience of Will, have we not already proven that inexperience is not something that must be a limiting factor in their success in the Elite Four?” The person gave me a pointed look at that, and while I didn’t like being dragged into this, I couldn’t disagree with the sentiment and nodded back.
He continued, “What we need right now in the Elite Four is stability. Here, Shin’s lack of experience is actually a strength. He has no political leanings and no influential sponsor. He’s a blank slate, which is perfect right now to avoid causing more turmoil after we have just gotten a new Champion. Besides, despite the fact that Shin failed to win the Indigo Conference, anyone who has watched his matches knows that it is not his strength that is lacking as a Steel type specialist, but simply because his opponent is too strong.”
They once again turned to me, “John’s victory against Drake is now so well-known that the public would find it more than understandable for Shin to have lost against John. Thus, Shin is most certainly not weak, and would definitely deserve to be on the Elite Four based on his strength alone.”
I forced down a grin at the back-handed compliment. In fact, I felt suspicious about just how complimentary that speech was towards me, as if they were looking to flatter me. That raised my hackles, and I suddenly grew wary of their intentions.
“Thank you for your words. I assume that those statements were made as representations of both positions?” That got a round of nods from everyone, “Good. Now, I’ll like to open the floor for open discussion. You are free to mingle amongst yourselves.” He declared formally, causing everyone to disperse and start talking to each other.
I understood that this was when many backroom discussions would be held, and agreements and promises would be made between people. Obviously, this part of the meeting won’t be shown to the public. A quick glance towards Lance saw him frowning, but I guessed that even he knew that such deals were the backbone of the Indigo League and could never be removed.
“Elite John, it’s a pleasure to speak with you.” My focus snapped to the person speaking in front of me, and I was faced with a group of committee members who had all made a beeline straight towards me. I recognized them as a mix of members who supported Will or Shin, and they were clearly here looking to seek out my support for their chosen Elite Four member.
I plastered on my signature false smile. Time to be a merchant.
“Hello, how may I help you?” I asked politely, pretending to not know what they were here for.
“We were just wondering which of our speeches resonated with you more, Elite John.” A member simpered, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I was certain that the speeches were just a formality just so that they had something to show to the public.
I kept up my fake smile, “Well, they were both very good, so it’s very hard to say.” This told them that I had no preferences either way, “But I do hope that whoever joins the Elite Four will be amenable to my political goals as well.” Meaning that I would support whoever would also support my future policies.
The members evidently caught on to my doublespeak, and they smiled, “Well, it’s always good for an Elite Four members to have clear political goals, and I’m sure that we’ll be willing to help, whatever they may be.”
“That’s good to hear.” I replied, “Because I’m really looking to enact my previous proposal of reducing the 4-badge limit…I was thinking perhaps we could lower it to 2 for Indigo, and have the rest be determined on a case-by-case basis. Do you think that is something of interest to you all?” I laid down my terms. I would sell my support in exchange for their support for said reduction.
Of course, I couldn’t support both members simultaneously, so if both groups decided to accept my proposal, then I would still have to pick one in the end. However, it looked like that wasn’t going to be a problem.
“Well, I’m sure that Will would be very amenable to such policies, if he were to be selected.” One of the members who supported Will replied quickly, giving an implicit promise of support towards my policy, and I could see other Will supporters nodding their heads in agreement. In the meanwhile, the supporters of Shin looked more uncomfortable with my proposal and were hesitating.
It makes sense, since most of Will’s supporters were rich businessmen who would likely support such a change in policy even without giving anything in exchange, as making travelling easier would only benefit their businesses. On the other hand, Shin’s supporters were more nationalists and traditionalists, some of whom were holdovers from Pryce’s time as Champion and were more hesitant with breaking the status quo.
Well, that makes my choice easier then. “Thank you for your support. I’m sure that Will would make a great Elite Four member once he’s selected.” I replied, and I got big smiles from Will’s supporters and frowns from the others.
After that, I shook the hands of the Will supporters as a symbol of our ‘transaction’, and then I left them be as I made my way to Agatha, who was mostly standing alone as she drove away everyone who came to talk to her. Time to extract her end of the bargain.
“Agatha, I would like to support Will to be the next member of the Elite Four.” I told her without preamble. Agatha stared at me with a considering look for a couple of seconds before she nodded.
“That’s a good choice, since Will as a Psychic specialist would be the better target for Karen to defeat over a Steel specialist like Shin. Smart decisions, John, even if you weren’t thinking that.” She remarked, before breaking out into a crafty smile, “And yes, you can calm down now; I’ll support you in front of Lance. Let it not be said that I am unable to hold up my side of the agreement.”
I thanked her anyways, and I decided to make use of the remaining time to speak to Lance, since he had just finished his conversation with a few other committee members. I got to him before anyone else could approach me.
“Lance, can we talk?” I asked as I approached, and he nodded and excused himself to the corner of the room. Many eyes followed the two of us, but we both ignored them.
“You’ve spoken to a few of the members here, am I to assume that you’re here to persuade me of something?” Lance said with a wry grin, and I grinned back shamelessly.
“I detest doing this as much as you do, but that is the nature of politics.” I replied, getting a nod of agreement from Lance. Then my expression turned serious. “I won’t hide it, since I’m sure you would figure it out by yourself, but I have decided to support Will and hope that you will too. If you vote for Will, then his selection is secured.”
“And what did they give you in exchange for your support?” Lance asked directly, giving me a scrutinising look.
“Nothing offensive, they just promised that they would vote with me in exchange for reducing the 4-badge trainer travel policy to 2 badges, at least within Indigo. I know that it was something that you supported before, but I just wanted to make sure it passed.” I remarked openly, meeting his eyes.
“That is…surprisingly un-mercenary of you, John.” Lance said truthfully, “I thought you would have aimed higher. Asked for more.”
I shrugged, “Perhaps, but I do have a reputation to live up to. Did you hear that they’re calling me the Hero at Olivine now? It’s an embarrassing nickname.” I saw Lance’s lips twitch upwards slightly as he nodded. “Yeah, well, I felt that I should probably live up to that nickname now that I have it. I do truly want to improve Indigo, and if such deals are what’s needed to obtain such improvements, then I’ll do it to secure their political support. But I will do all I can to prevent government corruption from getting as bad as it did during Pryce’s era; that would be a betrayal of everything I stand for.” I said firmly to Lance.
Lance gave me a slow nod and a look of approval. “I respect that. I’m glad to see that someone in this cesspit that is the League is still striving to do the right thing. Now that I’m the Champion, and am responsible for the continued well-being of Indigo, I appreciate having people who are willing to be more than just a political toady.”
I stayed silent and he continued to observe me for a bit longer before he nodded again, “Very well. I too have no preferences between Will and Shin, and they both definitely meet the strength requirement to be in the Elite Four. Likewise, I have not forgotten our agreement for my political support of your policies, but even without that I can agree with your reasonings to support Will, and since I can’t abstain, I will vote in support of Will.”
“Not only that, but you may also count on my support for the change towards the 4-badge policy as well.” He added, “I promised before to support you on this proposal, and especially now, with our relations with Hoenn as damaged as they are, opening our borders further for Hoenn will be a good thing. Shows that we’re trying to extend a hand of cooperation and repair the damage.”
I gave a small bow to Lance and thanked him for his decision, silently pleased by the fact that he was honouring our previous agreement, but Lance waved it off and just told me to maintain that moral dignity of mine. I thanked him once again and left, finding the supporters of Will and giving them a nod, letting them know that I fulfilled my end of the bargain. They returned the acknowledgement.
Finally, after several more minutes of discussions, which Lance had spent mostly being mobbed by many different people seeking his vote, including Walker, Lance banged a gavel, and everyone fell quiet.
“Right, I hope that everyone has had their meaningful discussions.” He said loudly, “Before we move on to the voting, I will pass the floor to our Elite Four members in case they wanted to say a few words.” I saw a scribe getting themselves ready to record what we had to say.
I took the initiative and spoke up first, “Thank you all. After listening to points made by both sides, I would like to offer my support towards appointing Will as a member of the Elite Four. While I have the utmost respect for Shin’s strength, as he was my final opponent during the Indigo Conference, I think that, after the recent exposure of Pryce’s corruption, we should return to a more traditional selection. To that end, Will would be the more suitable candidate because he has actually won the Indigo Conference, and thus would actually fulfil the requirements of being a legitimate challenger for the Elite Four.”
I paused to allow everyone to digest my words before I continued, “In addition, Will already has some leadership experience, something that would be very quickly put to use during his time in the Elite Four. While I will not disparage Shin for lacking that, since I lacked such experiences as well, I believe that Will is overall the safer option in such times of political turmoil. Hence, he has my support.” I finished.
Agatha spoke up before anyone could applaud, “I agree with John. We got lucky that John had the brains and intelligence to learn on the spot and be the great Elite Four member that he is today, but we cannot guarantee the same for Shin. Will has the experience, and the qualifications, so he should be chosen.”
That was an oddly flattering speech from Agatha, so much so that I questioned it. I sent a look towards her, but she gave me a wry grin but refused to elaborate before Walker began his speech.
“I am of the opposite opinion. Shin is exactly what is needed in such times. As my other two colleagues have acknowledged, Shin has the strength to belong here. But not only that, it is commonly known that it is adversity that breeds strong men. Such political turmoil would be a great opportunity to mould another great Elite Four member for the years to come. I believe that Shin has the willpower and ability to learn on the spot and transform himself into a great Elite Four and trainer.”
All three of us got a round of applause before Lance silenced them. “Thank you all for your speeches. Now, I would like to begin the voting stage.”
Everyone sat up straight as President Charles Goodshow spoke up. “Please raise your hands if you are in support of Will.” Lance himself raised his own hands, to the quiet mutterings of many. A few non-committee League officials walked around to tally the vote. But I was fairly certain with Lance voting in favour, Will was going to win.
“Now, please raise your hand if you support Shin.” Less hands rose up this time, and I heard many quiet grumblings.
The tally counters got together and compared their results for a few moments before announcing, “Then the committee has chosen. Will is your next member of the Elite Four.”
There was just polite applause at the announcement. Unlike with press conferences or public speeches, these people were more than used to these kinds of things and had gotten accustomed it.
“Thank you all for being here. We will be reaching out to Will and let him know of his successful appointment. We will be hosting the swearing-in ceremony in a few days-time.” He looked to the Elite Four members, “Please be there to welcome him.” We all nodded.
“Then that wraps up today’s Committee meeting. Thank you all for coming. You will be informed when the next one will be hosted.” He announced and received many mutterings of thanks in return before everyone started to filter out of the room.
Before the Elite Four members could leave though, Lance held us back to discuss something with us. We waited patiently for everyone else to leave first before Lance spoke up.
“Thank you for your participation today. I think that went well, don’t you?” He received nods from Walker and I, and a blank stare from Agatha as if to tell him to hurry up.
“I felt like we could make this the norm to invite the Elite Four to listen in on these meetings. It would certainly differentiate my time as Champion compared to Pryce, and I think the public would enjoy seeing the transcript of your speeches. It’s a win-win.”
“Hah! Didn’t think a Blackthorn would be so willing to share power like this.” Agatha mocked, but it wasn’t as cutting as it could be. “Well, I can’t deny that getting out of Pryce’s shadow is a bad thing, so I’m all for being part of these meetings, boring as they usually are.”
Walker and I nodded in agreement, though I doubt we would have put it as harshly. Lance gave us a small smile at our agreement.
“Good. Then in that case, we’ll keep this as our usual policy moving forwards unless something terrible happens, which I doubt it will. I’ll let the others know.” He said before checking the time. “Right, I won’t keep you any longer. I’ll see you all at the swearing-in ceremony.” Then he left the room.
“Finally.” I heard Agatha mutter before she then poked me with her walking cane, “Come with me, John, I have something to tell you.”
I gave her a curious look but followed after her anyways, waving goodbye to Walker. Agatha and I made our way outside one of the side entrances of the building before she turned to me.
“If Will can stay in the Elite Four until Karen can win the Indigo Conference, then that would be a great opportunity. He has as terrible type matchup against Karen.”
Ah, I quickly realized what Agatha wanted. She wanted to have Will to keep Karen’s seat warm before she eventually took him down from his spot. It was cunning, and rather underhanded, and exactly what I had expected from Agatha. I wasn’t entirely comfortable with these kinds of schemes, but ultimately accepted it since we weren’t actually doing anything illegal.
“So, would you like me to train Karen so that she could overcome Will?” I asked to confirm.
“Naturally, but don’t tunnel vision on just him.” She replied, “She still has to win the Indigo Conference after all, and I’ll be damned if Shin and all those other competitors don’t participate in next year’s Indigo Conference against Karen. She has to beat them all.” Then Agatha’s gaze turned sharp.
“And you can’t afford to get kicked out of the Elite Four as well. I’m sure you don’t need this old lady to remind you, but as I’m sure you figured out by now, I need both you and Karen to stay in the Elite Four.” She admitted, and that got me curious.
“Didn’t think you valued me so highly.” I joked but turned serious as I saw Agatha’s lack of humour. “…And why do you want me to stay in the Elite Four? I thought all you cared about was Karen.”
“That’s true, but you’re important to my plans as well. After all, I’m sure you will be sharing your influence with Karen in the future.” She said with a wry grin, before she teleported out of the Plateau, leaving me standing there alone and flabbergasted.
For fuck’s sake.
A.N. Very heavy political chapter which really fought me as I wrote it, but I wanted to show how the Committee functioned and how the backroom dealings were done. Hope that came out well; I only have a layman’s knowledge in politics and really tried to make this at least feel reasonable. Future chapters regarding the committee will unlikely be as detailed.
This chapter has been BETAed by Allute! Big thanks!
Comments
Shisui34
Really good chapter that does more world building and consolidation of the concepts that you have introduced in past.
