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The New Normal - 4-13
🕑 Added 2023-07-21 13:08:38 +0000 UTCThe New Normal – 4-13 – A Lunch Date?
I arrived home after the match and found my parents were already eating dinner. Seeing that they had cooked a little extra, I joined them since I was still feeling a bit hungry. They had been watching the match on the TV, and they were appropriately excited about the whole thing and asked me a bunch of questions.
“The way that the match was recorded made Lance seem really strong.” My dad said, “Was he as strong as he looked?”
“Yeah, he was.” I replied, “His starter especially was incredible to see. Definitely the strongest Pokémon I’ve ever been in the presence of during my career as a trainer. And his other Pokémon were definitely no slouches either.”
“Think you can match it with your Slaking, Tyrant?” My dad asked, and I had to take my time to think about it for a bit.
Tyrant had a slew of his own long-range options that I kept ‘secret’ just in case Lance tried to wear him down at a distance, though it wasn’t his preferred way to fight. After a moment, I’d say Tyrant would have decent odds at coming out on top, even after seeing that spectacular performance against Pryce.
“Hmm…I’d probably have a 50/50 chance of winning, I’d say.” I answered. “It would be very close though, much closer than I’d like to be honest.”
“It’s already very impressive that you’re able to match up the CHAMPION’s starter, John.” My mom commented, “You don’t need to push yourself further than that.”
I gave a non-committal hum but didn’t voice my disagreement. I knew that in the world of Pokémon, there were always going to be more challenges that I would have to face with the strength of my team, so I couldn’t just rest on my laurels. Still, I appreciated the vote of confidence regardless.
“Oh, and your sister is going to come visit for lunch tomorrow.” My mom added after she had another bite of rice, and my eyes widened in surprise. My mom saw the question in my eyes as she continued, “Yes, Whitney’s currently waiting in line for her turn at the Cerulean Gym, so she decided to come visit for lunch while she was waiting.”
“Great! I’d love to see her again.” I remarked and waited to swallow before continuing. “Did she say how she was doing? I haven’t checked up on her ever since she got the Boulder Badge.”
“Well, she did mention that she found a friend-” The sound of my phone ringing cut my mom off, and I gave her an apologetic look as I went to pick it up.
“Hello, John speaking.”
“John, it’s Giovanni. I hope I haven’t caught you at a bad time.” Giovanni’s voice filtered through the speakers.
“Ah, hello Giovanni.” I replied, causing my parents’ heads to turn towards me as they realized who I was speaking to, “I was just having dinner with my parents, so I’m not too busy at the moment. Is there anything you need?”
“Oh, well, I apologize for interrupting your dinner. But I’ve called you just to ask if you have heard anything about what Lance plans to implement now that he’s Champion.” He explained, “As I mentioned before, the period after a new Champion is appointed are often filled with political strife and turmoil, so getting ahead of the competition is crucial during such times.”
“Ah, yes, I remember. Well, Lance did mention to us that he would be honouring the statements that he made in his interview about transparency and openness, so he does intend to invite the Elite Four into listening in and discussing his proposals in the committee meetings, at least during the early periods of his reign.” I told Giovanni.
“I see. Well, that is a bit of good news.” He replied, and I could tell that he was deep in thought as he processed what I had just told him. “Do you have any clues about what he might be thinking of?”
“No, unfortunately not.” I said, “I haven’t spoken to Lance enough to know much about his greater plans, besides his International Police idea…Although he did mention that the committee were going to be discussing who would be Lance’s replacement in the Elite Four…and he mentioned something about how they wanted a Johtonian to replace him.”
“Oh…that’s interesting.” Giovanni commented, “Well, I cannot say that I am not disappointed by the committee’s stubbornness to appoint a Johtonian, but I can understand their reasoning…” He paused and I heard a few papers being shuffled, “…I’m sure I have notes on potential candidates somewhere. Why don’t you come over tomorrow, and we can go through the best suggestions for who to recommend joining the Elite Four. I’m sure you have your own plans as well that we could discuss together.”
“Sure, I could probably make my way over there tomorrow.” I said, but then I was interrupted by a deliberate cough from my mom.
“John, did you forget that your sister is coming over for lunch tomorrow?” She reminded me, “And I’m sure that she would be very upset if you aren’t here.”
Oh, shit. “Right. Yes, I forgot about that.” I apologized, then went back to speaking to Giovanni, “So, yeah, sorry Giovanni. But I can’t make it there for tomorrow lunch, maybe we could meet at night?”
My mom answered before Giovanni did, “Or perhaps we can invite Gym Leader Giovanni over for lunch tomorrow?” My face must have warped into one of complete surprise as my mom chuckled, “Why do you look so surprised, dear? We’ve heard of your accomplishments with him on the news, and you both seem to have political connections together at least. Why don’t you invite him over? I’m sure Jack and I would love to meet him. Whitney too!”
I was made speechless by my mom’s suggestion, and the silence from Giovanni probably suggested the same, though he recovered faster than I did. “…I would not decline such an invitation. Your mom does speak the truth, after all. If you would have me, then I would not mind coming down for lunch to meet with your family.”
“That’s great!” My dad cut in, evidently overhearing what Giovanni had said, “Your mother’s right, son. I’ve seen the both of you on TV together a lot in support of each other, so I’d love to get to know the man who has decided to help out my son. A meal would be a great way of doing that.”
I couldn’t believe Giovanni was going along with this, and that my parents were so eager to meet him, but I forced the surprise off my face and answered, “Yes, that’s fine. I suppose we can meet at my place for lunch. It’s going to be simpler fare than you might be used to though, just warning you.” I added at the end.
Giovanni chuckled, “It’s fine. Believe it or not, I’m very much used to having simpler meals as well, despite my relative wealth. I’ll survive.”
“Well, if you’re sure…then I’ll see you tomorrow then.” I said awkwardly, still feeling a bit confused about how this came about.
“Yes, see you then.” Then he hung up.
I stared awkwardly at my phone as the call ended, still not fully able to process INVITING GIOVANNI OVER FOR LUNCH. I knew rationally that he was turning over a new leaf, but it was still very weird to think about.
“John, you okay there, son?” My dad asked, snapping me out of my confusion.
“Yes, just slightly weirded out about how all this came about.” I replied truthfully.
“Hah! I understand. Sometimes it’s weird when your professional and private lives intertwine. But it does happen. And sometimes you’ll find yourself more able to deal with your partner professionally when you actually know each other on a personal level.” He said sagely, and I nodded in agreement after thinking about it. Though if he knew what I knew about Giovanni, I bet he wouldn’t have been so eager.
“Well, let’s not think about it anymore and finish up on your dinner. You’ve barely touched your bowl of rice.” My mom lectured, so I put away my phone and decided to finish up my dinner, discarding my thoughts for later.
At least this time I was inviting Giovanni over cordially to my house. Knowing of his mafia-esque background, him coming to my house could have a very different meaning.
========
It was the next day, and my dad and I found ourselves standing outside the house waiting for our guests to arrive. Suddenly, a pink blur started running past the fence straight toward us.
“You’re here, you’re here!” My sister ran up to me and gave me a tight hug the moment she saw me at the front of the house.
“Hey, what about me?” My dad mock-complained, and my sister quickly released me and gave my dad a tight hug of his own.
The two of us were standing outside of our house waiting for our two guests, and one had just arrived. Whitney and my dad shared a few words for a moment before she went to take off her shoes and make her way inside.
However, seeing that we made no move to go in, she turned around and asked us.
“You’re not coming in?” She said, and we both shook our heads.
“No, there’s another guest coming. We’re going to wait for him to arrive. Should be soon.” My dad responded while checking his watch.
“Oh? Is it Karen?” Whitney asked excitedly, but I shook my head.
“No, it’s not. It’s actually Gym Leader Giovanni.” I told her, and her face morphed into one of utter confusion. I could relate.
“Did you know Gym Leader Giovanni, bro?” She asked me.
“He’s a friend.” I replied simply, not wanting to go into the details of my complex relationship with Giovanni. It was technically the truth, though our friendship was currently walking on a thin tightrope, but at least for now it was going well.
“Oh, that’s cool. I didn’t know you knew any other Gym Leaders besides Norman, John.” Whitney said, and I gave her an odd look.
“Since when did you call Gym Leader Norman, ‘Norman’?” I said curiously.
Whitney simply shrugged, “He said to do so. And it was much easier than calling him Gym Leader all the time, so I did it.”
Huh, I guess Whitney and Norman were on better terms than I expected. Well, I knew Norman to be a good guy, so that couldn’t be a bad thing. I gave Whitney a small smile and a pat on the head before I told her to help out mom set up lunch. She eagerly complied and bolted to the kitchens.
“She misses you; you know. Probably more than us.” My dad said as Whitney went to the kitchens. I scratched my head embarrassedly.
“I’m sure she misses you too.” I replied awkwardly.
“Of course, but it’s you that she looks up to.” He remarked, and before I could say anything else a distinct flash of a Teleport appeared in front of us. Giovanni’s figure emerged from the light alongside his Claydol. I noticed that he was rather underdressed compared to his usual attire of fancy suits and ties, wearing only a pressed shirt and pants with no tie, probably because he realized that this sort of thing probably required less formality. Giovanni quickly withdrew his Claydol and made his way to us.
“I apologize if I’m late, but it’s good to meet you.” He says smoothly as he extends a hand for my dad to shake, his other hand was occupied holding a briefcase.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Gym Leader Giovanni.” My dad said respectfully with a slight nod as they shook hands before gesturing to me, “And I’m sure you know my son, John.”
“Of course, we’ve spoken plenty of times.” Giovanni said, “Good to see you again, John. We have plenty to talk about.”
“Yes, but let’s have lunch first.” I said, and he nodded easily enough as he followed us inside. As he entered our house, he displayed no sign of his usual arrogance and proceeded to respectfully take off his shoes and comment politely about how organized our house was.
It was mostly meaningless platitudes, but it was nice to for him to be accommodating to my parents.
My mom and sister were just finishing up the final touches of our lunch preparations just as we arrived in the dining room. The two noticed our entrance and shared their greetings with Giovanni, who responded in kind.
Then the five of us sat down for lunch. It was a simple fare, like I had told Giovanni to expect, consisting mainly of rice, some steamed Karp, some veggies, and some cheesy baked potatoes. I did glance over at Giovanni to see if he was unhappy with what he was served, but I saw no trace of dissatisfaction in his eyes. Perhaps he wasn’t lying after all?
After we had all divvied up the food and began eating, my mom kicked off the conversation.
“I hope you enjoy the food.” My mom began, “I know you said you were happy with a simple fare, but from our experience most rich people have more luxurious tastes.”
Giovanni gave my mom a polite smile, “It’s no matter, Mrs. Smith. And please, call me Giovanni. While I would not deny that my wealth has allowed me access to finer cuisine, I would never balk at the chance of eating a delicious home-cooked meal.” He flattered.
“In fact, my assistants aren’t great cooks, so I normally have to eat takeaway or have to make something myself. And I can guarantee you that your cooking is better than whatever I could whip up.” He elaborated, and the mental image of the Team Rocket Executives failing to make a good dish made me want to laugh, but I held it in.
My mom smiled kindly at the compliment before continuing, “Do you have any family, Giovanni? Maybe a wife and kids?”
A flash of surprise flickered through Giovanni’s face for a moment before it swiftly disappeared as Giovanni composed himself, “I do have a son, but the mother and I are currently…estranged.”
“Oh…I’m sorry to hear that.” My mom said apologetically, “Well, um, I wish you all the best at hopefully repairing your relationship with your family.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Smith. Those are…very kind words.” Giovanni hesitated a bit there, and his eyes adopted a faraway look for a moment. I wonder what that was about.
My mom coughed and switched topics, “So, how did a long and established Gym Leader like you start talking to my son?” My mom inquired kindly, “Not that we aren’t appreciative of course, but it’s not something you see every day. Oh, and please call me Angela.”
Giovanni was brought back from his thoughts and nodded towards me, “Well, we met formally for the first time during his swearing in ceremony for the Elite Four. He was the youngest person ever to make it into the Elite Four, so that intrigued me, and I invited him to speak with me so that I could get to know him better. Then, after we got to know each other better, we found that we had similar goals politically, so we vowed to work together to achieve them. Our cooperation and friendship have only grown since, and I can reassure you that this is definitely an equalpartnership.” He emphasized the word ‘equal’ to reassure my parents that I wasn’t being used.
“And what would those goals be?” My father asked as we continued to eat, “We have been following what’s been going on from the news, and obviously we hear a bit from John, but what are your overarching goals, in your mind?”
Giovanni turned to me, and I gave him a subtle nod to tell him that I was comfortable disclosing my political objectives. He gave a small nod back before explaining, “John and I have been working hard together to reverse the damage caused by Pryce’s poor leadership and to hopefully improve the welfare of Kanto so that we can reach parity with Johto. A lot of the work that you’ve seen on the news are steps towards achieving that goal.”
Both my parents nodded at this, “It’s a worthy goal.” My dad remarked, “I’m glad you brought my son along with your plans. We were afraid that, with his young age, he might have been suckered into some nefarious criminal plots!” My dad chuckled.
Giovanni and I chuckled too, but it had a forced quality to it that I hoped went unnoticed. Oh, how right you are, dad!
“So, what are two of you working on now then, if you can tell us.” My mom asked, “You both seemed pretty serious on that call.”
I spoke up this time, “Well, with a new Champion, Giovanni and I expect a lot of changes will be occurring over the next few weeks. We want to be able to anticipate and be prepared for such changes and react advantageously.”
I got a look from my mom asking for an elaboration, so I continued, “I think Giovanni and I are going to be discussing who we think is going to be the new Elite Four member to replace Lance, or rather, who we would PREFER to replace Lance. Lance has said that he’s open to suggestions from the Elite Four, so we want to make the most out of this opportunity.”
My dad’s eyes went wide for a moment, “That’s very important stuff. Are Gym Leaders normally so connected?” He asked Giovanni.
“No, but as you said, I’ve been in my position for a long while, and I have plenty of connections that I can make use of. But I’m still only a Gym Leader, so most of what I contribute to my partnership with John is that I give him access to the information that he normally couldn’t find himself, and we form up a plan together so that he can use his influence in the Elite Four to further our shared goals.”
“Don’t worry dad, Giovanni’s been extremely helpful for me.” I cut in, backing up Giovanni’s words. “Without his help, I wouldn’t be able to properly manoeuvre through the Indigo political scene like I did.” I made sure to praise Giovanni to stroke his ego, even if he seemed to be happy enough with answering my parent’s questions.
“Thanks for helping my brother, Gym Leader Giovanni.” My sister suddenly interrupted all of us, and all pairs of eyes turned to her. She looked shocked at the sudden attention, but she soldiered on with what she was going to say, “…John says that having friends are important because they help you when you need it…and you should also return that friendship…so thanks for helping John, and I hope he’s helped you too!”
Giovanni was momentarily speechless and had completely lost his composure, but he shook himself out of his shock and responded with a kind smile, “Thank you, Whitney. Your words are very kind, and yes, I’m very glad to have a friend like John. We have helped each other a lot, and we hope to continue that into the future.”
I heard him mutter something about “out of the mouths of babes” quietly, and I inwardly agreed with him. Whitney seemed surprised about something else, though.
“How did you know my name, Giovanni?” My sister asked, surprised.
Giovanni simply chuckled, “Your brother mentions you from the time to time. He’s very fond of you, you know? Family is very important to him.” That caused my sister to blush a bright red, and this time we all chuckled.
Still, Whitney’s bit of wisdom would not go unrewarded, and my parents and I quickly rubbed her on the head affectionately for her comment. Lunch mostly continued the same way, keeping with the same friendly atmosphere that had been established until we were finally done.
Giovanni praised my mom once more for her cooking skills, and even offered to help tidy up afterwards, although that was utterly shot down by everyone, including me. After that, my parents dragged Whitney outside so that Giovanni and I could continue with our more serious discussions in the living room. I spoke up as he started to unpack his briefcase.
“Thanks for indulging my parents’ questions.” I said to him, but he easily waved me off.
“It’s no bother. I understand that I can be prideful, but I’m not so far gone that I can’t be polite to the nice people that invited me to their home.” He replied pleasantly. “Besides, I wasn’t lying when I said that was a good meal. Home-cooked meals are a rarity for me, and I very much enjoyed your mom’s cooking. Brings me back.” He said that last part wistfully, and there was a hint of something in his eye, but I didn’t have any time to interpret that as he placed a slim folder onto the desk.
“Right, here are the most likely candidates that I’ve found that will probably be chosen to join the Elite Four to replace Lance.” He started as he started taking out a few documents from his folder and passing them to me, but he seemed oddly distracted for some reason.
I ignored his slight distraction as I gazed quickly over the documents as he passed them to me, finding it slightly surprising that I actually recognized the people there were displayed.
“I’m sure you may recognize a few people here.” Giovanni said, “But these are the more ‘prominent’ trainers that are likely to be selected. At least, that’s what I heard. Take your time and go through them.” And then he turned away to ponder something.
That was a bit unusual, but I chose to ignore it as I inspected the first document containing the eye-catching, mask-wearing, young man and read his name and details.
Will. A Psychic type trainer that had won last year’s tournament before me, but instead of challenging into the Elite Four directly, chose to use his newfound fame to make buddies with some of Johto’s more influential figures. He was likely a rich man, with plenty of resources to make use of, but Giovanni had him only marked down as ‘marginally influential, with a few worthy connections and resources.’
Ouch. I guess when compared to Giovanni, those didn’t really mean anything.
The next picture showed someone that was the peak of human athleticism and looked like he was someone who could wrestle against a Machamp and win.
Bruno. Another winner of the Indigo League tournament two years before me, but apparently, he was unsatisfied with his narrow win and withdrew to train up even more. This was the last year before he lost his chance to fight again due to the limitation period, so it was likely he would make a challenge. A singularly minded individual who sought to pursue strength and improvement above all else, which Giovanni also described as ‘politically unambitious and single-minded’. Giovanni doubted he would even accept to be part of the Elite Four unless he earned it himself, which was good to know.
The next person was a familiar face, and someone not actually in canon. Shin, my final opponent from the Indigo Conference and a Steel-type specialist. Since anyone could technically be selected into the Elite Four, and his performance in this year’s Indigo Conference was certainly outstanding, despite losing to me, Giovanni considered him a possible choice. He was a young man like me, with little influence beyond his strength as a trainer, which made him a perfect political puppet.
And when I got to the last person, I raised a singular eyebrow at Giovanni when I saw Professor Oak’s smiling face staring back at me.
“Is this a joke? He’s not even from Johto!” I asked him, and Giovanni stared at me blankly before he realized I was speaking to him.
“No. Though Champion Oak’s chances of accepting such an invitation is minimal, one will always be sent regardless. But the chance is always there that he will accept, and I will guarantee you that he will be welcomed with open arms. They won’t care where he’s from.”
Huh. I was impressed with Oak’s influence when he was able to speak with Lance after he won, and from the deference he received from practically everyone. This only solidified his incredible influence even further.
That was interesting to think about, but now was not a suitable time. I put Champion Oak’s picture to the side, as even Giovanni said that he was an extremely unlikely choice.
Thus, the most likely three candidates that Giovanni could find were Will, Bruno, and Shin. Though Bruno would likely be a future challenger and not someone who would accept an invitation.
That left Will and Shin as Giovanni’s most likely candidates, and one of them had to be selected. It was a pick between a moderately influential rich person, with some corporate backing and political experience, or a complete newbie like I was who was only known for his strength as a trainer and was likely easily manipulated. The former would likely appeal to those within the committee with a financial background, while the latter to those who wanted a more pliable member to mould into becoming their creature.
Hard choices.
A.N. And now we’re starting to see some more of the canon Elite Four members! Also, a reminder that, just because some members may be selected to join the Elite Four, doesn’t mean they’ll stay there! Even if they’re canon!
Also hope you like that John has extended his trust towards Giovanni now that they’ve worked together more. Giovanni is less crime boss, and more model Gym Leader at this point.
Thanks to Allute for BETAing this chapter! Big thanks!
