The New Normal – 4-18 – Interlude – Will
Will stared down at the official letter from the League with a bright smile on his face as he stood in the middle of his decorated living room in his expensive apartnt. Finally, the League had begun to recognize his brilliance and properly rewarded him for the hard work that he had done.
To be fair, he had expected such an invitation a few months ago when Blaine stepped down in the Elite Four, but the League could be forgiven for choosing a Kantonian to replace Blaine. But now, with a Johtoninan spot that needed to be filled, it was only natural that they selected him.
After all, who else in Johto could be his match? Outside of the Elite Four, of course.
None. That was the easy answer. No one else had his drive and determination to dive headfirst into business and politics as soon as they won the Indigo Conference. None had his savvy to start making powerful connections with businessn and other friends in high places. None had been able to transform themselves from a relative nobody into soone who the League recognized and WANTED to be in the Elite Four.
Admittedly, there was that weird buff guy from Johto as well, but Will didn't think he had the pizazz or star power that you REALLY needed to be in the Elite Four. He was strong, undoubtedly, but the public wanted a show. They wanted soone who could wow them with cool stunts and Pokémon, with a personality to back that up. Not soone who imdiately absconded themselves up a mountain after their victory in the Indigo Conference, even if his strength might have been deserving to be in the Elite Four.
The previous winner of the Indigo Conference before him might be the stronger trainer, but that didn't matter when he had the personality and likeability of a fist to the face.
Speaking of the Elite Four, he idly wondered if any of the Elite Four were fans of his too; they must have at least known who he was before they invited him! He saw in the news who had chosen to vote for him, and he was eternally grateful for their recognition. He held a great respect for the institution, and he wished to prove himself worthy in their eyes.
Especially the Champion. In his eyes, Lance really had everything. Not only did he have strong and powerful Pokémon, but his choice of attire was also fantastic. It really matched the Dragon trainer vibe and gave him a distinct identity to the public. Honestly, if Lance hadn't effectively nailed that idea down, Will might have tried wearing a cape for himself to finish off his look.
Alas, at least he was adorned in purple. The colour of royalty.
Still, he made sure not to overly indulge in his fantasies. He recognized that although the League sought out his talents and ability, he would still need to prove to the world that he deserved to keep his position. After all, even if he was confident that he would beco one of the more popular mbers of the Elite Four, that ant nothing if he couldn't hold his position in a battle of strength.
Which was why Will was not one to give all of the credit to himself. Indeed, his powerful Psychic type Pokémon deserved much of the credit for his success. After all, their elegant fighting styles focused on skilfully evading and overpowering their enemies were always a sight to behold, if Will could say so himself.
It would take a blind fool for one to not be able to appreciate the elegance and splendour of his Pokémon. Just ask his many fans who had all supported him during his run through the Indigo Conference; none managed to stand up to him and his Psychic types!
The reason was simple. Psychic types needed an intellectual trainer to command them, because Psychic type Pokémon relied on clever strategies rather than barbaric brute force. And Will knew that he HAD that cleverness, as seen by his undefeated string of victories ever since he entered the Indigo Conference.
He still rembered the ti where his starter Xatu was able to flawlessly able to knock out an opposing Typhlosion with proud ease. And how his Hypno was able to do the sa, winning flawlessly through a powerful Hypnosis that allowed him to freely earn his victory with Dream Eater. The crowd went wild when that happened.
It was no wonder that he got a reputation for never being hit in battle.
And Will himself was more than just a trainer, he was soone that was more than capable of handling business affairs and politics as well, and from what he had read was ultimately the reason why the League chose him in the first place. He might have been self-taught but mingling and forming connections with his many 'friends' in business and politics taught him a lot about how to handle the gentlen that backed up their society; skills that would definitely be put to use when he was in the Elite Four.
Especially in the Elite Four, when almost all business and political deals were about give-and-take and trying to get what you wanted for as little as possible. That was the main goal of many politicians. Will understood this very well; it was what he had learnt from his many interactions with other businessn.
And now, as he placed the official letter confirming his appointnt in the midst of his collection of business cards, he was grinning from ear to ear.
It was ti to show the world his brilliance!
The New Normal – 4-19 – Déjà vu
I was dressed to the nines the following evening, wearing a proper suit and tie as was expected for any grand ceremony like this. I had spent the entire day training with my Pokémon, so I made sure to take a thorough shower before I attended Will's swearing-in ceremony.
Admittedly, I was fairly nervous about the ceremony. Not because of Will, though, but because my mind was filled with thoughts about my conversation with Karen. How would she react? Did she think I was pushing things too fast again? Was I about to make the sa mistake?
My thoughts were clearly visible on my face because my mom looked over with a questioning frown.
"What's wrong John? I didn't think you would be nervous about this." She asked . "Surely you aren't intimidated by that Will person. I bet you're much stronger than him!"
I smiled wryly at my mom's praise, "Thanks, mom. But no, I'm not worried about that." I replied, before deciding to co clean with what was bothering .
"I've just been thinking about my relationship with Karen." I admitted, and my mom remained silent, listening intently, "We've been hanging out a lot, training and spending ti together, but we've never actually clarified what we are. We danced around the topic a lot, but now I really want to know what we are to each other."
My mom just chuckled at that and gave a soft smile, "Oh, John, that's a very normal to be worried about. In fact, I can bet you that there isn't a person in the world who hasn't agonized over such a thing."
She brushed my hair with her fingers, "There's no need to stress over such a thing, John. From what I've seen with how you interact with Karen, there's no way she would misunderstand your intentions at this point. But it's always good to openly communicate with each other."
I coughed to conceal a blush, "...Thanks, mom." Then I quickly checked the ti, "Oh, I think it's almost ti to pick up Karen, so I'm going to head out now."
My mom gave a knowing grin and patted twice on the shoulder before she set free. I quickly made my way out of the house and released Klaus to Teleport to Lavender Town, where I would pick up Karen.
Normally, I would fly straight to the ceremony, but I think Karen would neuter if I suggested that. Thus, I slowly Teleported my way to Lavender Town, having to wait in-between jumps to allow Klaus to regain his energy.
After a while, I eventually found myself outside a non-descript house near the edges of Lavender Town. I took a breath and knocked on the door.
"About ti you got here." I heard a very familiar voice co through the door as it opened, revealing Agatha in her usual violet dress. Behind her stood Karen, wrapped in a black dress that I had felt was at odds with her usual casual appearance, yet suited her magnificently all the sa. It was as if it was almost painted to her fra, and I-
I forcefully held those thoughts back; my breath caught in my throat, stunned as I was by her appearance. But a cough from Agatha tore my gaze away from Karen.
"You can ogle my apprentice all you want later." She said with a mocking grin, "But don't get too distracted with her. Make sure you at least take Will's asure before you go fooling about."
Karen sighed and whacked Agatha over the head softly with her hand, causing Agatha to chuckle, "Oh please, you can tornt poor old John later. I would have appreciated the complints."
Agatha interrupted before I could speak up and waved her hand dismissively, "Yes, yes, rely on your looks while you still have them. All youth dries up eventually." She said bitingly. Karen just rolled her eyes and grabbed onto my arm.
"Co, John, let's leave this old lady to her grumblings. We have a ceremony to arrive at." Then she pushed along with her as we left the house.
"...you look great, by the way." I whispered to her as Klaus got ready to Teleport us. She responded just by leaning in closer on my arm.
The two of us were quickly Teleported to the Indigo Plateau, where the ceremony was being hosted. Shortly after our arrival, a large shadow appeared on the ground as Agatha seemingly spawned in next to us.
"Should we make an entrance?" Karen whispered with a teasing grin, her eyes gleaming with mischief. And I felt myself smile as I escorted her into the building, Agatha trailing slightly behind us.
As soon as we entered the hall, heads were turned our way as caras flashed wildly as reporters frantically tried to take our picture.
My friendship and connection with Karen were an open secret at this point, but now walking in like this, arm in arm with Karen with Agatha following behind us; it was a statent. We were telling the world that Karen and I were allied, and that Agatha supported this relationship.
It showed the world that, within the Elite Four, Agatha and I were political allies. And through my connection with Lance, it ant that 3 out of 4 of the Elite Four were currently, at least on paper, in lockstep with each other. Not only was this a strong show of support for the current administration, but it also elevated my own status as the bridge to facilitate such cooperation.
Obviously, the three of us had discussed this before we arrived today. Agatha wanted to ensure that the world understood that her apprentice was developing her own political connections and making it very clear that she saw Karen as her legacy. As for , in lieu of the inevitable turmoil within the Elite Four, I wanted to remind the world that I was a vital part of the Elite Four and that my position, at least politically, was unassailable.
After we made sure that the reporters had their fill of photographs, I escorted Karen to her seat in the ceremony, then Agatha and I made our way backstage to the private room reserved for the Elite Four.
As soon as we got there, I was greeted, just like last ti, by President Charles Goodshow.
"John! It's good to see you again! We didn't really get a chance to speak during the Committee eting, but I was very impressed by your ability to handle yourself there." He praised sycophantically, and he was about to continue before Agatha interrupted him.
"Save your flattery for Will, Charles." She remarked cuttingly, "I'm sure that John's long seen through your simpering attempts to flatter him."
"Haha, I was just offering my greetings, Elite Agatha, no harm done." He lied shalessly, but quickly removed himself from our presence. Thank Arceus for that, my blood boiled at the reminder of his condescending attitude towards the first ti I was here.
Nevertheless, I shook away those unpleasant thoughts as I entered the room with Agatha, where a very familiar vision greeted . The room was as ostentatious as ever, filled to the brim with unnecessary luxuries that I still felt was gaudy and excessive.
The only difference this ti was that the atmosphere of the room was far less frigid than when Pryce occupied it. Very fittingly so.
Lance and Walker stood up as they saw the two of us enter, "John, Agatha, glad the both of you could be here." Lance greeted us warmly. "John, may I speak to you for a bit?"
I nodded and followed him into the corner of the room, "Just wanted to let you know that things are on schedule. The Committee will be hosted in a few days' ti, and we'll be voting on your proposal to reduce the number of badges required for trainers to travel and capture Pokémon from Indigo from 4 to 2." He told .
"Ah, thanks for letting know." I replied, pleased to hear it. "Do you think it's likely to be passed?"
Lance smiled, "Oh, I'm sure it'll pass, at least the section from within Indigo. Still unsure if we're able to lower the restrictions to Hoenn. I brought it up in private conversation with many committee mbers. With Pryce's cronies either on the way out, or already switching sides, there's much less pushback against pro-unity policies. Besides, in their eyes, these proposals of yours are real vote winners, and they'd be foolish not to support them. I hope they will maintain this attitude for when I propose to set up an International Police force."
I nodded in understanding. Right now, with the public still focused and engaged with Pryce's mistakes, any kind of effort to correct them are going to be widely popular. Thus, I was pleased to see that the committee understood where the wind was blowing and how to vote accordingly. I hoped that I could make use of this public consensus to push through as many pro-unity policies as I could.
I then voice out a question that I had to Lance, "Have you heard anything about Sinnoh? Does it look like they're going to be opening their borders anyti soon?"
Lance shook his head, "Unfortunately not. It seems like Pryce really did rush out the announcent." He grumbled, "However, they did ntion that they will be sending over more Pokémon and scientists soon enough so that they could learn more about our Pokémon and society and vice versa."
I nodded my head. Disappointing, but not unexpected. I was personally hoping for Sinnoh to be opened up as soon as possible so that I could get to explore it and its new Pokémon. More specifically, I was really hoping to see if I could find any ruins or Pokémon that survived from the Hisuian Era.
Before our conversation could continue any further, the door to the room opened up.
A mask-wearing man dressed in all purple entered the room. His entire outfit scread ostentatious and gaudy, matching the overly luxurious décor of the room. It was like he was using his outfit as an exhibition of his wealth, flaunting it openly.
"Greetings everyone! Thank you so much for appointing into the Elite Four! I assure you all that you will not regret your decision!" He announced pompously as he spread his arms out wide, taking off his mask with a quick flourish, as if expecting to be received with applause.
Instead, he was greeted by a very unamused silence from the four of us.
I watched as his eyes flickered between us, the realisation of the awkwardness slowly building in his eyes. The silence was almost painful. Fortunately for Will, he was saved by Walker as he coughed and finally broke the silence.
"It's nice to et you, Will. Welco to the Elite Four." Walker greeted him, standing up and shaking his hand.
That imdiately brought back the flamboyant smile on Will's face, "Ah, it's a pleasure to et such an esteed mber of the Elite Four! I am greatly pleased to join your fine institution! In fact, I hope you could give the opportunity to show off my new acquisitions! I'm sure you will find them interesting!"
Walker's smile turned strange as he visibly hesitated on how to respond, but he was 'saved' by Agatha bursting out in laughter.
All heads turned to her as she continued laughing, eventually devolving into hacking coughs as she ran out of breath. After a mont, she got control of herself and wiped a tear from her eye.
"...Arceus, I thought we had just gotten rid of the guy with the stick up his ass, but it seems we just replaced him with a younger version!" She cackled amusingly, but her eyes were intensely focused on Will.
Will looked visibly taken aback by the insult, and he spluttered incomprehensibly with an offended expression on his face. Will clearly had a retort at the tip of his mouth but forced himself to stay quiet, possibly out of respect for Agatha. Fortunately, Walker took rcy on him.
"Will, let give you so advice." Will turned his head to Walker, "You're in the big leagues now. You might have been important before, but that doesn't matter anymore. Not to us. You have may have hundreds or thousands of overly excited and swooning fans outside of the Elite Four, but so do we. You may have had plenty of powerful connections to important individuals, but so do we. You may be wealthy, but so are we. There's very little that would impress us, outside of raw strength, so your attempts to flaunt yourself only looks juvenile to us. You were a Big Magikarp in a small pond, but now you've entered the ocean where the Gyarados swims." Walker advised seriously.
I found myself nodding unconsciously to Walker's words, fully agreeing with him. Once you were in the Elite Four, the connections and influence you were able to forge far exceeded anything that you could possibly do before, and that just brought you onto a whole different level compared to ordinary trainers.
Even for a relative nobody like , within just a few months and so good decisions, I was able to transform myself to becoming a political powerhouse in Indigo. As Walker said, soone of Will's status, while impressive on paper, was nothing compared to the rest of us.
Will stared silently at Walker as he slowly digested his words, and I looked around and saw that Lance and Agatha were both staring intently at Will. The three of us just continued to observe Will, waiting to see how he would react.
Would he be humbled by Walker's words? Or would he lash out with indignation as he refused to accept the new reality he was thrust into?
The seconds ticked by as Will visibly swallowed his anger and silently nodded his head, eliciting a smile and a nod from Walker. Before Walker could say anything else though, Lance spoke up for the first ti since Will's arrival.
"Will, please sit." He said commandingly, gesturing to a seat in front of him. Will obediently obeyed and sat across from Lance, looking around anxiously as all eyes were focused on him. He may have been older than , but currently everyone seed to treat him like a young kid.
I could instantly tell that Lance was sizing Will up, taking a asure of him and his strength. Will t his stares for a mont before eventually looking away; Lance never broke his stare.
Nevertheless, Lance continued, "As you may have heard in the news, I have been trying to improve the transparency of the League's actions for the public, and I've also been trying to allow the Elite Four to get more involved with the decision-making process. Thus, at the next Committee eting, I will be expecting your attendance and for you to give your opinion, if any, during those etings. I do hope you are ready for this."
Will looked surprised for a mont, but firmly nodded his head with a smile. "Yes, Champion. Handling politics is sothing I am very much experienced in, and I will endeavour to prove myself to you." He said formally, but he couldn't stop a hint of satisfaction from leaking from his voice.
Lance just nodded, "Good. Now, I hope you have been training up your team properly. I would not let you disgrace your honourable position by being too weak to hold your title."
This ti, Will's smile widened with a hint of arrogance, "I assure you, Champion Lance, that any who would challenge on the field of battle would find themselves very much humbled by my Pokémon. You will find no greater trainer than I...except for the few in this room, of course." He added the last part quickly as soon as he realized the dirty looks that he was getting from the room from his boasting.
Lance was the only one to not react, however, and instead he simply shot him a nod before thanking him for coming. He gave Will a quick reminder to get ready to answer so questions for when he was sworn in, then left to fetch so food.
In the anwhile, I felt like I had a good idea of Will's personality based on how he interacted with the mbers of the Elite Four. He definitely felt like soone who was used to being praised and relished being in the spotlight, likely due to his capabilities as a trainer. He's certainly not unintelligent, as proven through his business connections, but I felt that he liked showing off his abilities as much as he could.
In a way, he was similar to Lance. Lance was prideful, but he didn't feel the need to show off his strength because he was so secure in his power and exuded such confidence that such displays of strength and influence was unnecessary to him. In contrast, Will was 'new money', and likely wanted everyone to rember his importance and status. But he wasn't too big of an ass with it.
Still, that kind of flaunting rubbed the wrong way, but I was going to mostly reserve my judgnt until I got to know him better. For better or worse, I was stuck with Will as a colleague for at least a month, so I better learn to deal with him.
The sounds of footsteps caused to look up, and I saw that Will was approaching before the door to the room suddenly opened as Charles Goodshow entered the room and announced that it was ti for the swearing-in ceremony.
I gave a quick acknowledging nod to Will before we all slowly made our way to the stage, where we stood at our places. Unlike last ti, this ti I was the second mber from the left of the Elite Four, standing on the right of Agatha. Again, though the positioning of the Elite Four wasn't a display of strength, it was commonly acknowledged as such.
And, idly, I wondered if I could beat Agatha in a straight up fight. Her battling style was far trickier than my usual opponents, but I pondered if my team's versatility could overco her tricks.
I shook away those thoughts as Charles began his introduction.
"Thank you! Thank you! Today, I have the honour of introducing our latest Elite Four mber! Please welco, Elite Will!" The caras began flashing as Will slowly made his way to the front, basking heavily in the attention. He looked every bit the showman that he was dressed up as, acting like he was born to be in the spotlight.
Then, he pompously began as he thanked everyone for his newfound position while remarking about how he hopes to serve the region for many years to co. Pretty generic stuff, but he had a natural charisma to him that made his words seem more intelligent and deeper than they actually were. Of course, like before, questions were imdiately raised to him questioning him about this and that.
Mostly, the questions revolved around what Will's political aspirations were. To my surprise, he answered that he hoped to increase the number of businesses that can be established in Indigo and hoped to attract more foreign investnt by reducing business taxes. Otherwise, he didn't seem to have an opinion one way outside of financial policy.
...That was interesting to know. Considering his background and connections with several prominent businessn, his political leanings shouldn't have beens all that surprising. But, more importantly to , they weren't incompatible with what I wanted. So long as he didn't interfere with my own plans for increased unity and economic parity within Indigo, I would leave him to his own agenda.
Regardless, that was for the future, and Will had finally gotten through all of the questions and was now being sworn in as he stood opposite of Lance.
Lance recited, "Do you solemnly swear on Arceus that you will serve the interest of Indigo as the newest mber of the Elite Four?"
"I do." Will responded with a pleased grin.
"Then with my position as Champion, I grant you the honour of joining the Elite Four." The surrounding caras went into a frenzy to capture the mont, and loud cheers erupted from the audience.
Then, the ceremony was finally over, and the afterparty began. I quickly found my way back to where Karen was seated.
"You're finally back." She said as I sat opposite her, "How was the newest Elite Four mber? I saw him preening like a Ninetales out there."
"Well, he's pretty much exactly as you saw." I replied as I sat down, "Pretty full of himself, and loves the spotlight. But not so much so that he's blinded by it." Unlike Pryce, I didn't need to say.
"You know anything about his team?" Karen asked, likely the topic she was most concerned about since Will was planned to be her designated target for when she challenged the Elite Four.
I shook my head, "No, nothing. Though he seed eager to show off his team when he made his entrance." I chuckled at the mory of his boasting, "He seed strong and competent enough from the research that I've done, but nothing overwhelmingly so for a mber of the Elite Four. Above Walker, obviously, but below myself and Agatha."
"Hmm." Karen muttered, eyes shining with determination. Along with the black dress that she was wearing, I couldn't help but find her suprely attractive. Before I found myself lost in those eyes of her, I pulled myself together and finally voiced the question that I had been waiting to ask for the entire day.
"Say, Karen, what are we?" I suddenly asked, causing her to look at questioningly. I clarified myself, "We've been hanging around each other for quite so ti now. I want to say that we're each other closest friend, and while I know that you previously said that you wanted to stay as friends, do you still think so now?"
She stared at silently for a few monts, before her lips turned upwards into a small smile, "I was wondering if you would ever ask, John." She replied kindly, "What made you ask such a thing right now?"
I scratched my head in embarrassnt, "Your master was teasing as usual, but she's been especially obvious about it the past few tis I've spoken to her. I know she was just teasing like she usually does, but she's been hinting at it so much that even I'm caught up in her tempo." I admitted, "I know she's betting a lot of her political ambitions on us sharing our influence with each other, and I know that the public think we're close. I just...wanted to get a feel of how you thought about us."
Karen rolled her eyes and cut off, "Bah. That old crone always wants to ddle with other people's lives. I'm pretty sure it's just what old people do. Don't take her words seriously."
I nodded, "Well, yeah, but I also wanted to clarify what we are. I don't want to accidentally overstep any boundaries of yours like I did before." I admitted.
She shot a soft smile, and she took one of my hands in hers. "I'm glad you can still worry about these sorts of things. It would be a sad thing to let your newfound status go to your head. You've already seen what happens when that occurs." She reminded with a sharp look.
But then her expression quickly returned to one of gentle fondness, "As to answer your question. We're friends." I had to clamp down on the bitterness that rose up to her words, but clearly, I did a bad job as she imdiately let out a hollow chuckle, "I'm sorry if that isn't the response that you wanted, John. It's nothing to do with you, but I refuse to enter into a relationship with you until I'm sure that I've secured a future for myself."
She said that firmly, as if she was making a statent that she would never be dissuaded from. I gave her a questioning look.
"May I ask why? You're already an excellent trainer." I asked gently, causing her to return a brittle smile.
"You know how I'm an orphan right?" She replied after a slight pause, and I nodded. "Before Agatha took in, I've seen plenty of tis how parents have abandoned their children to an orphanage because they are unwilling or unable to take care of them. And when I spoke to those children, they all had similar stories."
"In so many of those cases, the parents got into a relationship before they were able to take care of themselves and before they were able to ensure a safe and secure future for their future child." She continued, her eyes lost in thought, "Often, these were parents that got together in the throes of passion during their journey. Getting together too quickly before reality sets in and they realize just how big of a mistake they have just made."
"...And in all those cases, they almost always abandon their child to an orphanage as they are unwilling to accept responsibility for their mistakes. And I refuse to follow in their footsteps." She stated as if she was uttering a vow, "I promised myself that, until I was sure that my future was secured, I would not enter into a relationship till then. I could not condemn any future children to what I went through."
She turned back to , staring down with eyes filled with sorrow, "...That's why, John, I cannot be what you want to be. I know that deep in my heart, that I'm delaying things for no good reason other than pure paranoia, but I..."
I cut her off as I put my other hand on top of hers, "It's okay, you don't have to explain yourself any further. I understand where you're coming from." I told her softly.
I leaned forwards, "As I'm sure you know, before I went on my journey, my family was dirt poor. We had almost nothing to our na, and I even started out on my journey late because we couldn't afford a Pokéball or the lost labour. Whitney and I never went to school, so everything we learnt was self-taught. During my journey, I was so single-mindedly focused on pulling my family out of the pit of poverty that I isolated myself in my drive for success. I made little friends, choosing instead to push myself further and further for my family."
"And, during those monts of hardship, I made a vow to myself that I would never allow my family to fall back into those tis of poverty. This singular vow has driven all of my actions since then and has been the source of my determination for my success. So, while our experiences were different, I can understand your troubled history." I explained, opening my heart to her.
"I guess we both have had troubled pasts." She said sullenly, and the two of us fell silent. Instead, I was content with locking my eyes with hers, silently conveying my sincerity and feelings towards her. I politely ignored how Karen's eyes had turned montarily wet for a brief mont, nor how she wasn't acting like her usually confident self.
The silence extended for so ti before my mouth broke into a small grin, "You know, if you want to wait for you, I'll do it. It's not like I have anyone better to go for at the mont." I said jokingly, trying to bring up the mood.
It seed to have worked, as she let out a small chuckle, "Thank you, John." She replied, her voice slightly tinged with humour, "And, call selfish, but I certainly don't hope you find anyone else. The old crone might keel over if you did." We both broke into quiet laughter at that.
Then, I simply shot her a small smile, staring into her eyes all the while, with neither of us needing to say anything more.
The two of us avoided any more serious talk for the rest of the night, but it was clear that the two of us conveyed everything that we wanted to. No one approached the two of us for the entire night, leaving us into our own little world as we continued to make small talk until the party was over. The actual purpose of the ceremony long forgotten.
As we left, the two of us shared a 'friendly' kiss as we parted ways. The first one ever since that mistaken kiss all that ti ago. It was brief yet filled with many unspoken emotions. We both understood that, co tomorrow, our relationship was going to return to one of friends.
But at least now, the two of us knew that 'staying friends' was just a temporary state of affairs. I knew that, in both of our eyes, we longed for the day that we could comfortably be together as more than just that.
The New Normal – 4-20 – INTERLUDE – POKENET REACTIONS
[OLIVINE PORT REPAIRS UNDERWAY! CHARITY DONATIONS FUNNELLING IN AS INDIGO RECOVERS FROM THE TYRANNY OF TEAM ROCKET!] by The Indigo Post
[Pictures of construction workers and their Pokémon repairing the Olivine ports]
The wonderful people of Indigo have proven to the world once again that they refuse to bow down to terrorism as many have flocked to Olivine on a volunteer basis to help with the repairs from the attack by Team Rocket.
Not only that but coupled with the money coming in from the charity event hosted by the illustrious Gym Leader Giovanni, the mayor of Olivine claims that the port should be fully repaired and back to full operations within the next month!
Of course, the charity money was not solely going towards the repairs of the port. Indeed, any unfortunate victims of the attack have also been dutifully compensated for their suffering, and those who heroically stood up to defend the port during the attack were also rewarded by Gym Leader Giovanni.
We interviewed a few brave individuals who had fought back against Team Rocket during the attack:
"I'm really thankful for the charity shown by Gym Leader Giovanni. I an, my injuries weren't that severe, so I would have been fine anyways, but just the act of showing that you care does an a lot. I didn't do much during the fight, but I'm proud to have my efforts recognized by the pillars of Indigo. It ans a lot to soone like ."
"My Ampharos and I really didn't do that much...but Elite John did co to thank in person after the fight, which made really happy. And embarrassed...but I'm really happy about the compensation. I didn't do it to be compensated...but I guess the money does show that so people within Indigo do care about the people...which is nice."
Overall, it seems that many are appreciative of the Gym Leader's charitable effort. When we approached Gym Leader Giovanni and questioned him about what he thought about the response, he had this to say.
"I was just doing my duty as a Gym Leader to offer help and reward people when it is required of . I am thankful to those who have praised my efforts, and I hope that they are able to hold on to their brave spirit and work hard for the good of Kanto...and Johto."
In honour of his efforts, the mayor of Olivine City is suggesting that they would rena one of the docks after Giovanni, to widespread approval. We here at The Indigo Post are proud of our leaders' efforts to take care of the public and hope to see more stories like this in the future!
Comnts
KantoRepresent
Definitely a nice bit of news to read in the morning, and glad to see that the charity event hosted by Giovanni is actually accomplishing sothing for once. Kanto taking the charge to repair a Johto port is definitely a good thing to highlight our unity. Hope to see the sa from Johto!
ILoveGoldenRod
@KantoRepresent Agreed! Co on Johtonians, step it up! Also, very pleased to see our heroes get appropriately rewarded! Nice to see that so in the Indigo League still care!
AlluteNinja
Glad to see that sothing's being done. A sha that this had to co from charities and donations rather than our taxes. Wish the League did more!
TangelaThoughts
Very fortunate that the ports of Olivine are going to be repaired so quickly, and that Giovanni is honouring his promises. They're definitely one of the more important areas of Johto, and the damage would be far more significant if repairs weren't done as swiftly as possible. Happy to see that the problem is getting addressed quickly!
Also, hope this is a good sign that the new League administration is willing to get things done.
NotTooMuchWater
I am remarkably surprised, and jealous, about how efficient your leaders have reacted to the attack at Olivine. Honestly, even with a competent Champion like Wallace in charge, Hoenn's bureaucracy is no better than yours. Such a project might take an additional month, and there certainly wouldn't be as much compensation to the injured and heroes.
SlugmaBalls
Speaking of which, anyone heard anything about Team Rocket on the news recently? Feels like they've just disappeared when they ca to Hoenn. There was the big arrest, and then a whole lot of nothing. Maybe they're all gone?
RockGetGrunt
Maybe they're all just lying low for the mont and recuperating their strength? Maybe they're just hiding because there was too much heat on them and they're waiting for it to die down? Maybe they're unfamiliar with Hoenn and need ti to acclimatize themselves?
Maybe.
NotTooMuchWater
@RockGetGrunt Huh. Good point. It definitely makes sense for them to be lying low for the mont. I hope the Hoenn League won't be caught unprepared if they ever resurface. We don't need a Hoenn version of the Olivine attacks.
RockGetGrunt
I'm sure any future Rocket attacks won't be like Olivine.
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?[A NEW EVOLUTION OF PORYGON HAS BEEN DISCOVERED! PLEASE WELCO THE NEW PORYGON2 INTO THE WORLD!] by The Hoenn Tis
[Picture of Gym Leader Giovanni and Steven Stone shaking hands with scientists holding up a Porygon2]
The scientific world celebrates once again as a new Pokémon evolution has been discovered! This cos right off the back of Elite John's PIT technique, which really goes to show how the world is currently undergoing a scientific boom in recent tis!
As for the details of this new 'Porygon2', it evolves from a Porygon after a Porygon is given a very specific evolution item, nad an 'Up-Grade'. An 'Up-Grade' is an entirely artificial item, created by scientists, and is effectively just a box of specifically crafted data that causes the evolution.
Steven Stone, standing in as representative of Devon Corp, had this to say about their successful cooperation.
"While my father is sadly unable to be here to celebrate this montous occasion, he has repeatedly praised the joint-research team stationed in Petalburg City. My father has always had an interest in science, and he is extrely pleased by the efforts shown here. He hopes for more successes in the future and is highly encouraging of future cooperation."
Unfortunately for our more battle-oriented readers, there have not been many tests done regarding the combat strength of this new evolution. However, there is a silver lining! The scientists at the joint-research facility have ntioned that Elite John, as thanks for helping with the experint, has received and evolved a Porygon2 of his own and is training it up!
Hopefully, we will get to see more of Porygon2's battle abilities in the future!
Comnts
ResearchMagnet
See? This is the result of when actual scientists PROPERLY cooperate with each other to work on a project together. Hope to see a way of increasing the manufacturing of these Porygon's. Would love to see more in the future.
ANormalFan
LET'S GOO!! Another opportunity for John to show off his battling prowess with a whole new Pokémon! Can't wait to see it in action in a big battle!
TangelaThoughts
@ResearchMagnet You seem the science-y type, what kind of thing do you think can be created now that we have a Pokémon made out of data?
ResearchMagnet
@TangelaThoughts Please, any good scientist should be able to co up with many potential theories about Porygon's potential uses. To focus mainly on Porygon's battling ability is pure barbarity.
As a Pokémon made of data, its use obviously lies its potential in improving our computer systems and cybersecurity. Imagine the new heights we could use if our computers were supported by Porygon?
FutureAce
Yeah yeah, tons of scientific and research potential blah blah blah. I just want to see a cool new Pokémon kick so ass!! Anyone think it's got another evolution in it?
FightClub
Can't believe we're spending so much money on researching evolutions for dumb Normal types like this one. These 'scientists' have too much brain, and not enough sense.
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?[NEW DISCOVERIES VIA THE PIT TECHNIQUE! D-RATTATA DISCOVERED! THEORIES ABOUND!] by The Indigo Post
[Compilation of pictures of the new D-Rattata]
Following up from the recently discovered Porygon2 evolution, the scientific community continues to astound us once again as a successful application of the PIT technique has resulted in a newly discovered alternate form of Rattata!
Now dubbed the D-Rattata, following from Elite John's naming sche for his D-Zigzagoon, this new Dark/Normal Rattata was recently hatched by the good scientists at the Cinnabar Lab. The forr Elite Four mber, and now Gym Leader of Cinnabar, Blaine gave his congratulations to his team for the discovery and promises that more successes will follow.
According to the scientists that were interviewed, the discovery of D-Rattata gives credence to the idea that Pokémon that are able to learn multiple moves of a certain type may have an alternate form related to that type. In the case of Elite John's D-Zigzagoon and the new D-Rattata, both Zigzagoon and Rattata are known to have extensive Dark type attacks within their possible move pool. Thus, it is perhaps this factor that may hint at a Pokémon having an alternate type!
Of course, many have speculated that with the discovery of a D-Rattata, that a D-Raticate should also follow. And indeed, the scientists have confird that they will be looking to evolve their newest addition as soon as possible to determine whether an evolved form exists. Readers should keep an eye on the news to find out if such a theory bears fruit!
If you would like to find out more about the process of creating a D-Rattata, you may find the extensive notes here. A fair warning that none of this should be attempted without being in a League-approved facility!
Comnts
FutureAce
Wow, yet another new Pokémon discovery?! That's the second one in a short while! And with the very likely discovery of D-Raticate in the future, then that's a total of 3! These big brain scientists are on a roll these days!
ResearchMagnet
@FutureAce Unsurprising. Ever since Elite John's lucky break, the scientific community have naturally turned their attention to PROPERLY explore the new avenues of potential from John's lucky discovery. Especially with all the research grants being approved, expect to see more like this in the future.
FearTheRat
Yeah, we're really undergoing a big science-y boom nowadays. Very happy to see it! Though I doubt that even a Dark/Normal Raticate will see any popular use in high-level battles; Raticates just aren't that strong to begin with!
DarkManager
Hope we get to see more Dark type alternate forms in the future! We're really lacking in high-level Dark type Pokémon at the mont, so any extra options are always going to be appreciated!
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?[THIS YEAR'S INDIGO CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALIST, AND NEW GYM LEADER OF MAHOGANY, LORELEI CHALLENGES WALKER FOR THE POSITION OF ELITE FOUR!] by BattleCast
Lorelei, most famously known as being the niece of ex-Champion Pryce and her position as the Gym Leader of Mahogany, has just declared her challenge to Walker for his position in the Elite Four!
While there are many within the political circles who are very busy discussing the implications of this challenge and the rationale behind such a decision, especially with her blanket refusal for any and all interviews, we here at BattleCast are more concerned about the upcoming battle itself! We'll leave the politics to the boring people.
Lorelei, famous for her semi-finalist run in this year's Indigo Conference, is an Ice specialist like her uncle. Looking at her last few battles in the Conference, her team consisted of a Cloyster, Jynx, Dewgong, Slowbro, Glalie and her starter and ace, Lapras. A powerful Ice team that harkens back to her uncle's own team.
In the anwhile, looking and compiling from all of Walker's battles, we know his team to consist of a Pidgeot, Crobat, Noctowl, Pelipper, Tropius, Gligar, Fearow, and his ace and starter, Skarmory. That's plenty of Pokémon for Walker to pick and choose from, and we're excited to see what Walker will co up with to defend his title.
As many are likely going to be aware by now, Lorelei does have a significant type advantage against Walker with her Ice types against his Flying types. However, we here at BattleCast believe that Walker's experience as a long-ti Elite Four mber should be able to easily overco this handicap...(Click here to continue reading)
Comnts
IceColdSimp
LET'S GOOO LORELEI WE LOVE YOU!!!!! YOU'LL CRUSH THAT FLYING NOOB WALKER AND GET INTO THE ELITE FOUR AND FINALLY GET THE POSITION YOU DESERVE!!! YOU DESERVE TO BE CHAMPION MY QUEENNNN!!!! #Lorelei4Elite4
FlyingHigh
...wow, that is a very ambitious move by Lorelei. I'm hesitant to call it exploiting a loophole, but Lorelei used her (very likely) nepotistic appointnt as Gym Leader of Mahogany to directly challenge the Elite Four despite not winning out in the Indigo Conference.
...That's a hard pill to swallow for many that didn't manage to win the conference and weren't given this opportunity. I'm not sure I like this.
FearTheRat
@FlyingHigh Yeah, I completely agree. I'm pretty pissed at this move to be honest. Many trainers struggle to win the Indigo Conference just for the one opportunity to challenge the Elite Four, and Lorelei just abuses her silver-spoon position to challenge Walker?
Pathetic. I don't even care about the type matchup or if she's likely going to win. I hope she loses.
IceColdSimp
[This user has been banned from this thread. Please do not insult others on this forum just because their viewpoints differ from yours.]
SlugmaBalls
Yeah...I can see why so people are mad. Even if this took place in Hoenn people would be mad too. But I really just care about the battle! Who do you think's gonna win? My vote is on Walker. I know he has a poor reputation for battling within the Elite Four, but he's still been an experienced trainer for far longer than Lorelei. I'm voting for him.
FutureAce
Definitely supporting Lorelei on this. Walker's a weakling! And now with Pryce gone, we should finally be able to get rid of him for soone more suitable. I think Lorelei's gonna be the one to replace Walker at last.
TangelaThoughts
I very much agree with the sentints stated in this thread. But I'm more curious about how the other Gym Leaders are going to be looking at this. You have a new Gym Leader, who may have been undeservingly awarded the position, looking to imdiately strike for the Elite Four.
I wonder if they're insulted by this.
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?[AD: NEW SMITH FAMILY POSTERS RELEASED! GIOVANNI AND HIS TEAM NOW AVAILABLE TO BE REDEED!]
Following our highly popular posters displaying Elite John and his team, we at the Smith family are now cooperating with Gym Leader Giovanni to produce posters for him and his team!
Get them now while stocks last!
==============
?[NEW ELITE FOUR MBER APPOINTED BY COMMITTEE TO REPLACE LANCE! PLEASE WELCO ELITE WILL INTO THE RANKS OF THE ELITE FOUR!] By The Indigo Post
[Pictures of Will]
The Committee just announced after their most recent eting that they have voted to appoint Will, who was the winner of the previous year's Indigo Conference, as the newest Elite Four mber of Indigo.
Not only that, but under Champion Lance's initiative to increase the transparency of the Indigo League's actions, he has graciously published the transcript of the speeches made by himself, and the other Elite Four mbers, and who they chose to support.
Reading through the inputs and opinions of the pillars of Indigo is very interesting, and we here at the Indigo Post highly recomnd any politically inclined reader to read through the transcript, if you haven't already. You may find the entire transcript here.
Looking at the transcript, we can see that the other individual that was considered to be selected was this year's Indigo Conference finalist and runner up, Shin! Unfortunately, the Steel-type specialist was not selected by the Committee, though his appointnt was supported by Elite Walker, but we hope to see more of him in the future! Good luck Shin, and this writer wishes you all the best!
Moving on from the political side of things, Will, as expected of an Indigo Conference winner, is an experienced Pokémon trainer with a diverse and powerful team of strong Psychic types. Although we were unable to find an up-to-date version of his team, the team that Will used during his final match in the Indigo Conference consisted of a Exeggutor, Slowbro, Jynx, Hypno, Mr. Mi, and his starter and ace, Xatu.
[Graphic of Will's team and previous analysis done on his team]
You can find more information about his team here.
Will's swearing-in ceremony will be hosted shortly, so we at the Indigo Post hope to see you there to celebrate the appointnt of our newest Elite Four mber! We have high hopes for him, especially with the success of Elite John, and hope that Will is going to be another success story!
Comnts
KantoRepresent
Can't say I'm pleased to see another Johto Elite Four mber be appointed, but at least this was within my expectations since they're obviously looking for another Johtonian to replace take up Lance's old spot.
Well, since both Elite John and Elite Agatha have vouched for him, I guess I'll see if he lives up to expectations.
ILoveGoldenRod
...yeah, while I'm happy to see a Johtonian like Will be appointed, I was kinda hoping to see Shin get appointed instead. I really liked his performance in the Indigo Conference and was rooting for him to win.
ANormalFan
With Elite John's support of Will, I'm really looking forward to seeing more of him! He can't be that bad of a guy since John endorsed him, after all!!
TangelaThoughts
@ANormalFan I'm pretty sure the Elite Four and the Champion's endorsent of a certain candidate has very little to do with if they actually like them or not. There's probably a lot of political discussions that we aren't privy to that contribute to the decision.
While I'm not saying that Will is a bad choice, I'm just saying that these endorsents aren't actually a statent about their character.
FearTheRat
@TangelaThoughts Yep, though I will say that I believe Will to be at least strong enough to be in the Elite Four. I personally don't see Champion Lance ever giving his support for soone who doesn't deserve it. It's an open secret that he disdains Walker being in the Elite Four for the latter's weakness.
FutureAce
I wonder if Will is gonna get challenged after his one-month grace period is over? His Psychic team doesn't look THAT strong...
FearTheRat
@FutureAce I disagree. I think we've just been spoiled with the strength of so of the recent Elite Four mbers. The current roster (excluding Walker) of Lance, John, and Agatha are much stronger than the average. I think Will is definitely strong enough to et the average standard of an Elite Four.
FightClub
Will is an absolute coward for using the type that is strong against the strongest type. Him and Walker both are undeserving to be in the Elite Four for relying on such a crutch. BOOOOO!!!
FlyingHigh
@FightClub Then what about Agatha?
FightClub
Her too, of course. To use a type that is immune to the strongest type is more of a crutch than her walking cane. In the anwhile, John lucked out and made it into the Elite Four with such a weak type. No idea why he's still there!
EDIT: In fact, I'm disappointed at our current Elite Four and their chosen typings! Can't wait for an ACTUAL Fighting type specialist to show them how things are done.
FlyingHigh
...man, you really need to touch so grass.
FightClub
Why would I need to touch grass? My fists can punch straight through those weaklings.
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?Topic: [ELITE JOHN'S ENTRANCE WITH AGATHA'S APPRENTICE AS HER DATE?! RELATIONSHIP APPROVED BY AGATHA?!?] by Baby Doll Eyes
[Collection of photos of John and Karen's entrance, hand-in-hand]
It's finally co full circle girls! All our theories have turned out to be true as the Elite Four mber was clearly bringing the beautiful Karen as his date for the swearing-in ceremony. All those tis training their Pokémon together and spending ti with each other must have allowed their relationship to blossom and bloom!
Can't wait to see more of this relationship in the future! What do you guys all think!?!
Comnts
BeautyIsFree
I've been a fan of these two from the very beginning; they're so cutee!!
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