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The New Normal - 2-1
🕑 Added 2023-03-14 18:00:36 +0000 UTCThe New Normal – 2-1 – Arriving at Hoenn
As I woke myself from my nap and realized that we had arrived at Hoenn, I looked around and saw Karen had also chosen to take a nap. I forced myself not to ogle her as I woke her up and, ignoring her mumbles of protest, told her that I would come back up with my luggage and we would head down together. I didn’t wait for a response as I left the room.
I returned shortly after a few minutes and already saw Karen had woken up AND tidied up her appearance. It took me by surprise how someone so seemingly lazy and disorganized could also make herself look so put together. Of course, I didn’t voice these thoughts aloud, I wasn’t stupid.
As we left the ship and stepped onto Ever Grande City, the place where the Hoenn League was based, I was unsurprisingly not greeted by anyone. In fact, I wasn’t even sure if the Indigo League had even properly informed Hoenn of my arrival.
I could see that Karen was confused and annoyed at the lack of ceremony, but I patted her on the shoulder to reassure her and said more calmly than I felt, “Hey, it’s ok. I expected this.”
“How are you okay with this?” Karen hissed, “How could they not say anything about the arrival of their own Elite 4?!”
“Karen, it’s okay. I’ll be fine.” I tried to tell her, “How about this, why don’t you walk around Ever Grande City for a bit and enjoy the sights. I’ll just pop into the Hoenn League for a bit and see what’s going on. I’ll let you know when I’m done.” I said with a fake smile.
Karen was evidently still unhappy about me being snubbed, but she left it with a sniff and walked away. I watched until I was sure she couldn’t see me before my smile dropped and was replaced with a frown.
Although I promised myself that I wouldn’t be affected by it, I still felt my anger rising deep within my heart. I had to force myself to calm down before I ended up saying or doing something that would have caused a diplomatic incident, causing me to get kicked off the Elite 4.
I wouldn’t give Pryce or his sycophants the pleasure of seeing me kicked out. No, I’ll pay them back soon enough.
Apparently, I didn’t reign in my emotions tight enough as I could feel Tyrant’s Pokéball shaking in response to my vows of vengeance. Tyrant was always my most loyal supporter, and I cheered up at his unwavering support.
Patting his Pokéball, I made my way into the Hoenn League feeling much calmer. I was going to see if I could talk to some Hoenn League official and figure out what I could do here. But as I walked through its grand entrance hall, I noticed the sheer amount of people walking about and I was almost overwhelmed with the thought of trying to ask for assistance.
“OI! It’s John, right?!” I was startled by someone shouting my name, and I turned towards the direction of the voice as I saw an old, grizzled, man in a sailor outfit sitting down on one of the sofa chairs. I immediately recognized him.
“Yes, and it’s Drake of the Elite 4, right?” I asked as I approached him. He nodded back and we both shook hands.
“Aye, it’s great to meet you lad. Heard about your progress and your victory in the Indigo League. Great stuff at your age. You’ve done well.” Drake complimented, and I tried not to blush too hard at that. It was nice to actually be recognised for my hard work, though.
“Thank you, Drake. I’ve also heard much of your own achievements. I wish I could have sailed the world as you did, it would’ve been so cool to explore and see all those new Pokémon.” I praised back honestly and respectfully.
Aside from his personal strength as a Dragon specialist, Drake was well-known for his numerous voyages around the world to many unexplored regions. From my own meta-knowledge, I believed he had managed to explore both Sinnoh and Unova, as well as all the currently discovered regions.
“Aye, it was.” Drake responded, “But I wasn’t allowed to catch any of them or bring them back. Stupid politicians didn’t want me to cause a fuss. Said that it might be ‘illegal kidnapping of Pokémon’. Bah!” Drake loudly snorted with a shake of his head.
“Anyways, I heard about why you’re here.” Drake continued, “I know that you’ve been sent here to be moved out of the way so you can’t disturb the politicians while they’re busy kissing their own arses. I can tell you that they told us that you were coming here on holiday, nothing more.”
I fumed at that and was about to correct him out of frustration before Drake raised a palm.
“Yes, I figured it was a whole crock of shit.” Drake sighed, “I believed that they hoped that we would ignore you and that you would make a fool of yourself when no one was there to greet you. I didn’t want that to happen, so I looked up your ship’s schedule and waited for you here for when you arrived. Sorry that the others aren’t here, Champion Wallace is busy with his contests as usual, and the other Elite 4 members didn’t realize that you weren’t coming here on holiday.” Drake said with surprising sincerity that took me aback.
“Oh, um, thank you, Elite Drake.” I bumbled out, “What made you stay here and wait for me?”
“Hah! As if you needed to ask!” Drake laughed, “Who wouldn’t want to meet the youngest Elite 4 ever seen?!” Drake said that so loudly that I was sure that everyone in the entrance hall heard it. Sure enough, I suddenly felt many pairs of eyes staring right at me.
“Not only that, but I’ve seen your team, they’re damn strong!” Drake continued, ignoring the stares and my embarrassment, “I’d be honoured to battle them one day!”
Fortunately, my embarrassment was drowned out by the sea of people that finally realized who I was and swarmed me like Beedrills. They overwhelmed me with requests for autographs or interviews and I struggled to maintain my composure. They kept trying to push microphones into my face or pens into my hands so that I could sign something.
“ALRIGHT THAT’S ENOUGH!” Drake shouted out as he shot up, suddenly looming over everyone with his over 6 feet stature, “GIVE THE NEW ELITE 4 SOME SPACE YOU FUCKS! HAVE YOU NO SHAME?!” To compound his point, Drake sent out his Flygon who roared loudly at the ceiling, terrifying the crowd, and causing most to disperse.
One braver individual decided to remain though as she yelled at Drake, “Who are you to tell us to leave?! We have the right to demand an autograph!”
Drake gave her a furious look, “Well I have the right to tell you to FUCK OFF!” Flygon swooped in front of the complaining lady and reinforced Drake’s statement by screeching in her face, causing what remains of her bravery to leave her as she promptly made her way out.
“Ahhh, peace and quiet.” Drake sighed contentedly while returning Flygon, as if he didn’t just threaten multiple people with a fully evolved Pokémon just moments ago. He looked back towards me and patted me on the shoulder, “You okay there, lad? Sorry about the people. Price of fame, I’m afraid.”
“No, no, I’m okay.” I said awkwardly, still a bit shocked at what just happened, “Um, thanks for helping.”
“No worries lad, I was annoyed with them anyways.” Drake smiled, before snapping his fingers, “Right, just remembered that I wanted to get you a Flying License for Hoenn. Let me ask someone to get one for you.” He walked over to the receptionist, who somehow didn’t flee or looked shocked at all from Drake’s Flygon like everyone else was and asked them to approve a Flying License for me. Perhaps they were already used to Drake’s outbursts?
I regained my wits in time and remembered that I was travelling with Karen, and I shamelessly asked if I could get another one for Karen too. Drake nodded and changed his request.
“Here you go, lad.” Drake returned shortly with two approved Flying Licenses, “Now you can freely explore Hoenn. Maybe you can catch some new Normal types to add to your team, eh?” Drake slapped me encouragingly on the back that nearly knocked me over.
I regained my balance before I smiled gratefully back at Drake, “Thank you very much for this Elite Drake.” I used his formal title, “I thought my ‘mission’ to Hoenn would have gone far worse than this. Thank you for your aid.” I bowed to Drake, who shrugged awkwardly.
“No need for that lad, when I knew you were being screwed over, I couldn’t not try to help.” Drake scratched his head in slight embarrassment, “I would have hated it if a talented trainer like you got kicked off of the Elite 4 because of politics.” He spat the last word out if it was a curse.
Drake coughed and decided to change the topic, “Anyways, why don’t you use your new Flying License to check out some of Hoenn’s gyms? We have a new Normal Type gym at Petalburg, run by Norman, I think. Maybe you can check it out for yourself.”
I nodded at that, it seemed like a great idea and would give me something to do with my time. Plus, I could argue that visiting gyms was in line with my ‘diplomatic mission’, so the Indigo League couldn’t blame me for ignoring orders.
I said as much to Drake, who simply laughed and nodded at my thinking. We exchanged contact numbers, though I had to help Drake as he couldn’t really figure out how to use his ‘new-fangled communication thingy’, before we parted ways.
Before I left though, Drake told me that the Hoenn League might have something to discuss with me later, so be on the lookout for that. I accepted his warning, and I thanked him once again before leaving the building and texting Karen that I was done and to meet up at the docks where we arrived.
Remarkably, I still had not received a phone call from the Indigo League inquiring about my arrival and status.
I quickly met up with Karen at the docks, who was leaning over the fence like she was in Olivine, where she turned and greeted me with an expectant look on her face.
“Well, how’d it go?” Karen demanded, “I heard some shouting, was everything okay?”
Her concern towards me caused me to smile, and I assured her with a shake of my head.
“Everything’s fine.” I comforted, “In fact, everything is better than fine.”
“What happened?” Karen asked with a puzzled frown.
I joined her in leaning over the fence as I explained to her my meeting with Drake and what had happened. I told her about how surprisingly friendly Drake was to me and how he helped with the sudden onslaught of people. As I was speaking, I remembered that Drake had gotten us both Flying Licenses and passed the one that had her name listed to her.
“Thanks.” She said with a bit of surprise as she listened to my recounting, “I guess things went well then.”
“Yes, it did.” I smiled as we both took in the seaside view from Ever Grande City. We enjoyed ourselves for a few minutes before Karen broke the silence.
“So, what are you planning on doing now?” She asked while still admiring the view.
“Well, Drake did tell me to visit the Hoenn Gyms. I might take him up on that and visit the Normal Gym at Petalburg. It just seems appropriate.” I thought aloud. Also, I couldn’t help but want to show off the strength of my Pokémon in Hoenn. Of course, not to the point of being a braggart, but just enough to demonstrate why I deserved to be in the Elite 4.
I didn’t want people forgetting that I earned the position DESPITE my youth, after all.
Karen hummed thoughtfully at that before she said, “Hmm, that’s a good idea actually. I came to Hoenn to catch new Dark types and heading to Petalburg might be good for that. I might also consider battling the Hoenn Gyms as well while I’m here. Wait a minute.” Karen grabbed her phone out from her pocket and started browsing the Pokénet. I shamelessly looked over her shoulder to see what she was searching for.
“Oh! It’s perfect! Look, John!” She dragged my head down and gestured towards her screen, “You can catch Corphish in Petalburg and they evolve into the Dark/Water Crawdaunt! That’s what I wanted!” Karen exclaimed excitedly before realizing that she had my head resting on her shoulder.
She blushed slightly as I moved my head off of her with a grin. She tried to respond with a grin of her own, but she realized it was awkward and stiff, so she turned away and coughed lightly before putting her phone away.
“A-Anyways, you could go challenge Norman while you’re there and I can try to catch my Corphish. It’s late in the season too so there’ll probably be fewer trainers there too.” She stated somewhat embarrassingly.
Not wanting to tease her any longer, I simply nodded at that and summoned Port on the edge of the docks and began saddling myself up. Meanwhile, Karen released her Honchkrow and did the same.
As I waited for her to saddle up, I inspected Karen’s Honchkrow. I noticed that it was far more muscular than its wild counterparts, and its eyes shined with intelligence and experience. Without a doubt, this was an Elite level Pokémon.
Karen noticed my inspection as she gave me a questioning look. I merely gave her a thumbs up as I gestured to Honchkrow, which Karen laughed at.
Port was significantly faster at flying long distances due to him being a specialized transport Pokémon, so I allowed Karen to fly first so that I could match her speed. We were both amazed at the sight of Hoenn from above, which was only slightly marred by the ever-present volcanic fumes spouting out of Mt. Chimney. The minutes flew by as we admired the view of Hoenn from our mounts.
We descended as we saw the vast forest of green that was Petalburg Forest. We circled around for a bit before landing on the outskirts of Petalburg City, near the beach. Conveniently enough, there was a Karp and Chips stand right next to where we landed, and we quickly bought a set and drink each and scarfed it down before we headed into Petalburg City.
We headed to the Petalburg City Gym and luckily it wasn’t too busy at the moment, probably due to it being late in the season. We walked inside the dojo-like Gym which seemed brand new, I guess that Norman had just finished getting it redecorated after taking up the new position as the new Gym Leader.
I probably should’ve researched more into the history of Norman and his Gym before coming here, but it was too late now.
We approached the brown-haired receptionist and asked if Norman was available.
“I’m sorry,” she said politely, “I’m afraid that Gym Leader Norman’s currently battling a few trainers that had reserved a Gym Challenge against him. Maybe I could spare him a message?”
“That’s okay, we’re in no rush.” I said lightly, “But could you let him know that John Smith from the Kanto Elite 4 is here to see him?” Her eyes shot up in surprise as I said that, “It’s nothing serious, I just wanted to talk to a fellow Normal Type specialist.” I reassured her.
“Oh my.” The receptionist said in shock, taking a moment to recover, “Of course, yes, I’m sure my husb- I mean the Gym Leader would be happy to see you! I’ll let him know right away. Could I have your contact details?”
I gave her my phone number and she quickly scribbled it down before rushing into the battle stadium. Karen and I shared an exasperated shrug before we walked out of the Gym.
“So, what now?” Karen asked, looking around the streets of Petalburg as if she was finding something to do.
“You said you wanted to catch a Corphish here, right?” I confirmed as she nodded, “Then let’s get started on it now, surely it couldn’t be that hard.” As soon as I said that I winced, I should know better than to tempt fate.
Fortunately, Karen seemed unaware of my challenge to fate, and we walked together back to the beaches, where we assumed would have Corphish. I asked her if she wanted to buy a Good Rod so that she could fish out a Corphish, but she shook her head.
“Why waste money on a Good Rod when I can just ask your Mantine to catch me one?” She said shamelessly. I had to admire the audacity of that statement but admitted that it was a good point. It was literally the reason I decided to catch a Mantine, after all, for my surfing and underwater diving needs.
So, I released Port onto the beach and instructed it to go and find a Corphish for Karen. This was probablyillegal, but I was a member of the Elite 4 and what’s the point of power if you can’t abuse it for your own convenience?
“This is nice,” Karen suddenly stated, “sitting on the beach like this, on your own adventure in a foreign land, it’s very relaxing.”
I nodded in agreement, Hoenn really was a beautiful place if you enjoyed the sea. Too much water my ass.
“Shame that I couldn’t get changed into more beach-appropriate clothes.” Karen said with false nonchalance, “I think I would look good in them, don’t you think so, John?” I choked as I heard that, and she leaned over at me with a fake look of seriousness on her face.
I summoned whatever dense anime protagonist power that I had within me to not blush, and I managed to eek out a “Yes, you’re right.”
Judging by the smirk Karen gave me, I think I failed to stop my blush. Still, her putting that image of her in beachwear in my head was a good trade. I blamed puberty for this.
My puberty-addled thoughts were interrupted by a cry of “Mantine! Mantine!” as Port leaped up from the sea and briefly soared through the air before he landed carefully on the beach, making sure not to splash us with any sand or water.
I noticed an additional orange figure that had amusingly hitched a ride on Port’s back. Without prompting, Port gestured to the Corphish and explained how and what happened. Apparently, Port was trying to find a Corphish that would voluntarily go with him, and this Corphish only consented if it was allowed to ride on Port’s back and experience flying through the air.
Looking back at Karen, I noticed that she had pounced on the Corphish like a Persian on a Rattata. She gazed at it with an intense look in its eyes, but to Corphish’s credit, it, no, he wasn’t scared off. Instead, they both seemed to have entered a stare off with each other.
Karen broke first as she also broke out with a smile and patted Corphish’s head, which Corphish snapped its claws happily at.
Karen didn’t catch it right away, but rather chose to play around with it as she released her Sneasel, and they both play fought with each other, with Sneasel obviously holding himself back significantly as to not overwhelm Corphish. Seeing this, I thought that Karen was trying to ‘advertise’ the benefits of joining her team by showing off her Pokémon, which I felt was a smart idea.
I watched the two Pokémon play around for a bit, before Port decided that he wanted to join in. Surprisingly, Port offered himself as a moving platform for the other two to spar on, and before long Karen and I shared a laugh as we watched the other two cautiously sparring while Port flew around slowly in the air. The two were sparring much more carefully as they tried to not fall off.
Sadly, my entertainment was cut short by the sound of my phone ringing, but my annoyance faded when I saw that it was Norman that was calling.
I informed Karen about Norman’s call before picking up, “Hello, John speaking.”
“Hello, Elite John. I am Gym Leader Norman of the Petalburg Gym. You said you wanted to speak to me?” He introduced politely, with a much younger voice than I was expecting.
“Yes, well actually I just wanted to meet you and discuss things as a fellow Normal type specialist. I’ve been sent to Hoenn by my Champion and Drake of your Elite 4 suggested that I come here.” I answered.
“That would be great!” He responded excitedly, “Hmhm, I mean, yes I would like to meet you too.” I held back a giggle at his attempt to put on a serious tone, “Please come to the Gym. I’ll be glad to meet you there.”
“Sure, thank you. I’m coming over with my friend now.” I snapped my fingers at Karen and gestured that I was leaving for the Gym. Karen nodded at that before she waved at our Pokémon to return.
I watched as Port landed and deposited his two passengers back onto the beach and Karen kneeled down next to the Corphish before raising a Pokéball in her hand.
“Corphish. Do you want to join my team?” Karen asked, and I could detect a hint of nervousness in her voice that she was trying to hide.
“Corphish! Corphish, Corphish.” Corphish nodded affirmatively, before reaching over with his claws and capturing himself with the Pokéball.
Karen and her Sneasel both cheered at that and gave each other small high-fives. She then released Corphish briefly to pet it on the head and give him a high-five on his claws too before withdrawing him again.
Humming happily, she turned and withdrew her Sneasel as well before skipping towards the Gym. She didn’t even bother to wait for me!
I gave out a sigh of fond exasperation before I returned Port and chased after Karen to the Gym.
I was excited to meet Norman, and I was especially excited at the prospect of battling him.
A.N The start of the Hoenn Arc! I hope you guys enjoyed the meeting with Drake and John’s introduction with Hoenn. The next chapter will be the start of the first of many battles in Hoenn!
