The New Normal - A Pokémon Elite 4 SI by CartecFF

Chapter 2: 4-7

The New Normal - INTERLUDE – Giovanni

Giovanni watched as John left the room with Petrel. He leaned back heavily against his chair as he pondered about the newest member of the Elite 4.

John was clearly very intelligent; after all, it took a very creative and inventive mind to discover two new evolutions at such a young age. Not only that, but John also was very passionate about influencing the geopolitics of Indigo. Would that be something to nurture further as another person to bounce ideas off of?

Nurturing John's intelligence and passion for politics further would make him another valuable tool for ensuring Kanto's prosperity. However, could John be trusted to always work for the benefits of Kanto, like Giovanni was? Giovanni noticed that John was an ambitious individual, and so would such ambition cause John to sell out Kanto for his own selfish desires?

Could he trust John to share his burden of ensuring a prosperous Kanto? Or would he be more effective as a figurehead for Giovanni's own ideals? No, John was much too opinionated and strong for him to effectively puppet. Giovanni noted that John clearly had his own goals that he was stubbornly fixated on, which would make him a poor puppet.

Giovanni supposed that he could employ some forceful persuasion to encourage John's cooperation. He knew blackmail was an extreme option and would certainly sour the relationship forever. But if it was for the greater good for Kanto, then it might be worth it.

With that in mind, Giovanni reached over and opened his laptop, browsing his files until he found the one the new one that he created for John.

Said file contained almost everything Giovanni could find out about John through the Pokénet and through his own private investigations. The file listed John's entire family, where he lived, their business interests, John's Pokémon, and a summary of his employed experts' observations about his Pokémon's battles.

Clearly, John greatly loved his family and took nearly opportunity to ensure that his family's would remain prosperous, which was something Giovanni could respect. Giovanni's psychologists all stated that John was heavily affected by the poverty he and his family endured during his childhood, which was the main event driving John's current ambitions and something Giovanni himself could relate to.

Giovanni drummed his fingers across the table as he thought about his options. He supposed that he currently had made a positive first impression on John, so there was no need to tarnish it by resorting to blackmail or threats so soon. He mentally filed it as a last resort option if John no longer chose to work for the good of Kanto.

As always, it fell to him to ensure the future of Kanto, as he knew it would be.

As Giovanni reminded himself of his destiny once again, a familiar pattern knocked on his door briefly before Petrel walked into the room. Petrel gave a subtle hand gesture to indicate that there were no problems and that the room was not being monitored, Giovanni nodded at that.

"Petrel." Giovanni started, "Did you listen to my conversation with John?"

"Yes Boss, heard every last word." Petrel stated. "Do you want the recording of your meeting?" He gestured to a small voice recorder that he had hidden in his jacket pocket that was connected to a tiny microphone hidden in Giovanni's office. The recorder itself was also disguised to look like a normal walkie-talkie.

"No need," Giovanni said with a nonchalant wave of his hand, "just store it under John's file. Make a new tab."

Petrel merely nodded at that before falling silent once more as he loyally waited for Giovanni to provide further instructions and a few moments passed in silence between the two before Giovanni spoke up once more.

"What did you think of John? Is he receptive to our goals?" Giovanni asked.

"I think he would prove useful to you, Boss." Petrel remarked, "His ideas about encouraging and relocating more private businesses into Kanto are very similar to our own ideas, Boss. He may have some unusual ideas about integrating Kanto and Johto together, but I believe his ideas come from an honest desire to better Kanto."

Giovanni nodded at that; it was what he thought too but it was always useful to have a second opinion. Giovanni noticed that Petrel had more to say so he gestured for him to continue.

"I don't think blackmailing or threatening him would be a good idea, Boss." Petrel had clearly predicted Giovanni's line of thinking, "If he reacts negatively to it, we could be in for a bad time." Petrel hesitated slightly as he said this.

"Speak freely, Petrel, I want to hear your true thoughts about what would happen if I chose to blackmail John." Giovanni encouraged.

"Yes Boss. I think we should avoid becoming antagonistic with John. In a direct fight, I definitely couldn't beat him. And I'm not very confident in your chances either, Boss." Petrel declared, "And John's family is the only thing holding his leash. If we go after them, we have more to lose than he does."

Giovanni agreed with his analysis. He knew that his talents laid more towards leadership and strategy than it did as a trainer. Giovanni thought that he was a great trainer, but he could admit that he wasn't the best. Additionally, he knew that a public fight between himself and John would destroy what remains of Kanto's already meagre political influence.

"Do you think he could be manipulated? Perhaps we could use him as a figurehead?" Giovanni suggested.

"Unlikely, Boss, I think he'd eventually notice that he was being manipulated and would not react well to it. It would only really work in the short term." Petrel replied, "I think it best to work with him rather than try to force him to work with us."

Giovanni accepted that; it was his preferred way to work with others rather than with forcing them to work for you. The latter often ended messily, he learned.

"How did he react to my gift?" Giovanni asked, "Did he think of it as a gift or a bribe?"

"The latter, Boss." Petrel responded, "He was clearly taken aback and was surprised by it, though it was obvious that he was very happy to receive it. As I escorted him out, he was thinking very deeply about something. I believe he was thinking about your gift, and how he would pay you back for it."

"Good, then my actions paid off." Giovanni declared, though he inwardly confessed that he would be fine if John saw it as a gift too. Giovanni really wasn't as mercenary as others were made to believe. He could tell instinctively that John would greatly care for Porygon, and Giovanni still sought for his Pokémon's happiness.

He would never voluntarily give a Pokémon away to someone that would abuse them, not again.

Returning back to the topic at hand, Giovanni resumed his questioning, "How do you think we should proceed with our relationship with John, going forward?"

Petrel considered this for a moment before replying, "I think John thinks of you as a friend, Boss. I believe he would be willing to help you if you asked him to, so long as he sees your request is reasonable." Petrel paused momentarily, "However, as with all new relationships, I recommend proceeding with caution and to continue observing him. We shouldn't make any big requests to John based on our perceived assumptions before we can get a better measure of him. Maybe he could surprise us."

Giovanni contemplated Petrel's words. He supposed that there was no harm in maintaining a positive relationship with John for the moment. John currently provided little reason to force Giovanni to make use of his more extreme options.

Giovanni gave a simple nod at Petrel to signify that he agreed, before moving on to the next topic.

"For the past few weeks, I have been considering reforming my mother's project. But John's statement that it would be a terrible and overly short-sighted idea has caused me to hesitate. I want your opinion, Petrel."

Giovanni was pleased to see that Petrel showed no sign of confusion or hesitation at the change in topic. He always appreciated intelligent subordinates, just so long as they weren't more intelligent than himself.

"I think that...with John's appointment to the Elite 4 and his newfound friendship with you, Boss, that it might be overly hasty to reform Team Rocket at this point." Petrel cautiously stated, stopping for an instant to observe Giovanni's expression before continuing "I believe that there are too many unforeseen consequences with being associated with Team Rocket, Boss, and it would be disastrous if the public found out. You would be deemed persona non grata."

Giovanni grimaced at that but kept his silence. So far, he had, at worst, made use of legally questionable acts in his quest to restore Kanto to its proper place, nothing that couldn't be denied with the right bribes or blackmail.

However, employing Team Rocket would be a shift towards violently ignoring the laws of the League and it would bring unwanted attention towards himself. If his connection to Team Rocket was disclosed to the public, it would undermine everything that he worked so tirelessly to build up.

"That was in-line with my own thoughts as well," Giovanni conceded, grimacing slightly at the thought of losing everything. He shuddered at the thought of Kanto's future without his guiding hand, "We shouldn't allow Kanto's reputation to be sullied with her association to brutes and thugs. She must be better than that." Though he may change his mind on that if the situation got took a turn for the worse.

Petrel gave a respectful nod to his statement before continuing to maintain his silence, waiting to see if Giovanni had any further questions to ask.

Giovanni took a few minutes to go over his meeting with John once more just in case he missed something. After thinking through it and finding nothing and seeing that nothing else needed to be discussed, Giovanni dismissed Petrel with a wave of his hand. Petrel gave him a deep bow and left without another word. Alone in his office again, Giovanni took a quick glance at his watch and groaned as he saw how late it was. Nevertheless, he still had a few calls to make before he could end the day.

He called his second-in-command, figuring that Archer wouldn't be asleep yet until he heard back from Giovanni regarding the meeting. He was proven correct as Archer answered after a few short rings.

"Boss? Is there something you need?" Archer greeted with a tired voice.

"I will be sending you the recording of the meeting I had with John. Go over it carefully and call me if you spot any glaring problems that I should be informed about." Giovanni stated with a tone that demanded compliance, "I also want you to contact Proton and make sure that his grunts remain on a tight leash. I do not want to hear anything about the crimes committed by Team Rocket. No fighting, no stealing, nothing. Do you understand?"

"Yes Boss, understood." Archer affirmed, before continuing with a hint of uncertainty, "But Boss, I think that Proton and his subordinates are...displeased...with their lack of action. I think that-"

"I do not care if Proton and his grunts are displeased, Archer." Giovanni interrupted, "I am ordering you, and him, to sit still and not create more problems for me. There will come a time where his expertise might be required, but now is not the time. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Boss, but I still think it would be better if you were the one to tell him." Archer tried.

"No." Giovanni denied firmly, "There must not be any evidence that directly links myself to Proton, and by extension, Team Rocket. I must maintain a degree of separation from any of their actions." And Archer would prove to be a convenient fall-guy if Team Rocket proved to be uncontrollable.

"Yes Boss, understood. I'll inform them right away." Archer replied warily.

"Good." Giovanni ended the call. He could tell that Archer didn't believe he could persuade Proton to back down, but Giovanni was far too tired at the moment to care. Besides, Giovanni thought that Proton and Team Rocket remained too dependent on his financial backing to go against him. Reassuring himself, he then quickly dialled another number.

"Boss? Everything okay?" A female voice asked.

"Yes, Ariana, everything is fine." Giovanni responded, "I will be sending you the recording of the meeting with John. Go over it and tell me what you think."

"Of course, Boss, I'll get on that right away." Ariana remarked. They then proceeded to talk about how the various science projects were undergoing and if they needed to change anything.

"Oh, and before I forget," Giovanni cut in, "I gave John a Porygon as a gift. I will let you know if he makes any discoveries regarding it."

"Wonderful," Ariana cheered, "Arceus knows that my scientists aren't making any progress. Perhaps a new perspective would be useful."

"Oh, and the Masterball project with Silph Co. is progressing smoothly, Boss." Ariana continued, "We should be able to manufacture a prototype within the next few months."

"That's good," said Giovanni, "Have we found a way to make the Masterball able to capture other trainer's Pokémon?"

"Unfortunately not, Boss." Ariana replied regretfully, "Both my scientists and the scientists working for Silph Co. agree that finding such a method would take too much time or is outright impossible. I am sorry that we are unable to meet your expectations, Boss."

"No, that's fine," Giovanni conceded, "I have decided against making use of Team Rocket at this time anyways, so such a function would be wasted on the Masterball."

"Oh? I see. Thank you for your understanding, Boss." Ariana remarked with mild surprise, as if she wanted to say more but held her tongue, "That's all I have to report, is there anything else that you need?"

"No, that's all. Have a good night." Giovanni hung up.

Giovanni looked at the time and groaned again at how late it was. He could already anticipate the tiredness that is bound to plague him tomorrow.

Ah, well. He had already endured many sleepless nights on the road to achieving his destiny. It was just another price to pay to ensure Kanto's greatness.

The New Normal – 1-5 – Leaving for Hoenn

I groaned as I was awoken by the tell-tale noises of a Pokémon battle. I had slept poorly the night before, undoubtedly because I had gone to sleep still full of thoughts regarding the yesterday night's events. From Pryce, Lance, and Giovanni, I still had not managed to process everything that happened.

I forced myself out of bed and looked out the window, seeing Whitney train with her Miltank while my Pokémon were either watching on or undergoing their own training in the distance. After rubbing the sleepiness out of my eyes, I noticed a small extra addition to Whitney's normal training routine.

My new tiny Porygon, Pixel, was training alongside Miltank, seemingly attacking with weak Tackles as it tried to imitate Miltank. I could see my Blissey, Klee, cheering Pixel on, doing a little hop everytime Pixel attacked.

Seeing my new Porygon reminded me that I still hadn't even begun to pack for my trip to Hoenn later this evening. The resulting scramble around my room as I haphazardly packed my luggage in mild panic was more effective than any coffee at waking me up.

The result of my scramble was one questionably packed luggage that would never pass my mother's standards, but she wasn't home at the moment and what she doesn't know won't hurt her.

"JOHN! WAKE UP ALREADY! GET DOWN HERE AND HELP ME TRAIN!" Whitney shouted from the fields, catching me by surprise and almost causing me to trip.

Hearing her shouts led me to hurry down the stairs into the fields as soon as possible, knowing that any more delays would cause Whitney to go with the Legendary option of telling mom and dad that I overslept.

Elite 4 I may be, but at home, your parents' always rules supreme.

I managed to rush to the field with a light sprint, just in time to see Whitney 'coincidentally' turning around to face me just as I arrived with her hands on her hips. She mustered up the most serious expression I believed possible before laying into me.

"John! I can't have you be sleeping in when you're about to go to Hoenn! I need you to help me train for as long as possible!" Whitney complained while pointing a finger at my stomach.

"And one more thing!" Whitney continued, before crouching down and picking up Pixel, "How could you come home yesterday and not tell me that you got a new Pokémon?! I was so surprised when I saw it today! I mean I thought it was a wild Pokémon so I tried to catch it but I couldn't catch it and was so sad until Klee told me that it was your new Pokémon and I hate you for not telling me." She rambled without pause.

In this situation, there's only one thing I could say. Sometimes, appeasement is the only option.

"I'm sorry." I bowed my head.

"Good." Whitney nodded, which she probably thought was her being magnanimous, "Now, what's he? She? Its? nickname?" Whitney questioned while stroking Pixel.

"Its name is Pixel, and yes, it has no gender." I explained, "It's a new Pokémon that Giovanni and his team of scientists discovered and created out of data."

"Wow! That's so cool!" Whitney gushed like the 11-year-old she was, "Giovanni must be so smart!"

I had mixed feelings about that statement. I didn't want to badmouth Giovanni, especially because I wasn't sure if Whitney had loose lips or not, but I definitely didn't want Whitney idolizing Giovanni or spending any amount of time around him. I might be friendly with him now, but I definitely didn't trust him.

"Yes, he is a great Gym Leader." I said diplomatically, before trying to change the topic, "But anyways, speaking of new Pokémon, Whitney, I had a question to ask you."

Whitney stared at me expectantly as she waited for my question.

"I know you're starting your journey in a few months. Do you want me to catch you some new Pokémon in Hoenn while I'm there? Or would you rather catch them all yourself?" I questioned seriously.

On the one hand, I wanted to help Whitney make the strongest team she could. On the other, I didn't want to take away the experience of going on a journey and catching her own Pokémon. It was a tough balance.

"Hmmmm..." Whitney mumbled to herself, closing her eyes, and tilting her head in thought, "I think I want to mostly catch my own Pokémon, bro, but I won't be able to catch anything from Hoenn until I get at least four badges, right?" Whitney asked.

"Yes, that's right." I confirmed. The current rule set by the League was that you needed at least four badges from your birth region to catch Pokémon or challenge Gyms from other regions. This rule caused me a few problems when I first started out too, as a Slakoth was not a native Kanto Pokémon. I had to explain many times that it had stumbled across my farm and that I hadn't caught it in Hoenn.

"Then can you catch me a cool Pokémon from Hoenn bro?!" She asked, hopping with excitement, "I want a Normal type Pokémon from Hoenn!"

"Of course." I promised, knowing of her unspoken desire to also become a Normal type specialist, "I'll catch you a 'cool' Normal type for Hoenn and have it sent to you before your journey. That way, you can train it with Miltank and allow them to get used to each other."

"YAYY! Thanks John!" She cheered and gave me a hug, which I returned. My hug became more serious as I realized that I was already leaving my family again for Hoenn after just having arrived back for a few days. Not that this was unexpected; I knew being a member of the Elite 4 would require me to travel a lot, but it still sucked regardless.

Breaking up the hug, I kneeled down and patted Pixel on the head before picking it up. I walked over to where my other Pokémon were training, and I noticed that my Snorlax, Smough, was on break from his gravity training. Perfect.

I called out to Smough to get his attention as he sat upright. I gestured to Pixel that I was still cradling in my arms.

"Smough, I need your help to train Pixel here." Smough tilted his head in response, "You see, I want Pixel training its Tackle move, and you'd be the perfect target for it to train with."

"Snor, lax?" Smough doubted, gesturing to the sheer size and strength difference between himself and Pixel.

"No, no, no Smough I didn't mean it like that," I shook my head, "I don't actually need you to do anything honestly. I just need you to meditate like you're practicing using your Slack Off while Pixel here tries to disrupt it with its Tackle."

Smough nodded at that before slumping back onto the ground and closed its eyes as it began its meditation. I looked down at Pixel, who was now squirming in my arms.

"You got that?" Pixel nodded before jumping free from me and Tackled against Smough with much enthusiasm. Sadly for Pixel, that enthusiasm didn't translate into strength as it merely rebounded off Smough's big belly and was knocked into the dirt.

Seeing that happen was such a funny sight that I had to hold back my own laughter. I didn't want to laugh at Pixel's attempts and ruin his enthusiasm. With any new Pokémon, encouraging good training attitudes at an early stage is crucial for their development.

"Good job Pixel! That was a great first attempt!" I praised.

Pixel gave me an odd look with its eyes that was tinged with some sadness. Clearly, it was upset at the pitiful damage that it dealt with its Tackle. Or at least I thought so, it was sometimes difficult to understand what a new Pokémon was saying because you haven't 'bonded' sufficiently with it yet.

I kneeled down as much as possible so that I was eye-level with Pixel, "No need to feel sad, Pixel," I said gently, "Smough is a really strong Pokémon that I spent years training. I wouldn't expect you to do much to him right now. But it would be REALLY impressive if you managed to hurt him. So keep trying! Never give up!"

Luckily, my motivation seemed to have hit the mark as I saw a fire ignite in Pixel's eyes as it Tackled against Smough's belly once again, with similar results. But Pixel filled me with pride as it merely got up and did it again, and again, and again.

Before long, we had an entire audience consisting of my entire team and Whitney's as we all watched and cheered as Pixel slam repeatedly into Smough, getting up and trying again after every failure to the sounds of praise and encouragement. After several attempts, Klee approached Pixel and checked it over for any injuries, before commanding it to rest for a while. Pixel protested this and tried to wriggle free, so I had to step in.

"Hey, Pixel, it's okay. A good training routine must have rests to allow yourself to recover and recharge." I lectured, before I switched to a lighter tone, "I know you want to get strong immediately, but if you don't take rests and train yourself too hard, you'll hurt yourself in the long run."

"Pory? Porygon?" Pixel seemed confused as my latest words contrasted with what I said previously.

"Yes, you can do both together." I clarified, "You can and should train as hard as possible, but you should also take rests to make sure you don't hurt yourself. There's no point in training so hard if you'll hurt yourself too badly to make use of training. Do you understand that Pixel?"

Pixel nodded a bit sullenly at that but allowed itself to be mothered by Klee.

"Don't worry Pixel!" Whitney encouraged, "All Pokémon are like this in the beginning. You'll be strong in no time, just like my Miltank!" Miltank mooed in support of Whitney's declaration as she began to flex her arms.

With Pixel now resting, the crowd scattered as the Pokémon returned to their training, except for Klee, who stayed to monitor Pixel. Whitney and I stepped back a bit and just watched our Pokémon train. They didn't need our instructions for this very general training.

"Hey, John, I was just thinking...if Pixel is a new Pokémon, does it mean it's not in the Pokédex?" Whitney suddenly asked.

"Yes, it isn't. Porygon are too new and there are too few of them, so their data have yet to be entered into the Pokédex." I confirmed, "Why do you ask?"

"Then, how do you know what basic moves it can learn?" Whitney questioned with a confused expression.

Ah, I understood what she was asking. Basically, every Pokémon had a list of basic moves that it could learn, even as a 'baby'. Advanced moves, like Thunderbolt, would have to be trained, taught via TM, or discovered through the Pokémon's trainer's efforts. The list of basic moves serves as a starting point for what moves you could train with to begin to develop those advanced moves.

However, if a Pokémon wasn't entered into the Pokédex like Porygon was, then a trainer would have to use trial and error to figure out what its' basic moves were so that they may develop them further into the corresponding advanced moves. For example, trying to teach a Porygon to use Water Gun wouldn't work, but Thunder Shock would. And later, you could teach it Thunderbolt by first mastering Thunder Shock. Then again, you could always tell your Pokémon to attack and then try to figure out what attack it was using to figure out what its basic moves were.

Of course, I knew Porygon's basic moves because I had meta-knowledge, but Whitney doesn't know that.

"Well, consider it a lucky guess." I said with a cheeky smile, which Whitney scowled at and started poking my sides.

I decided to placate her, "Okay, to give a serious answer. It was an educated guess based on the fact that most Pokémon either start with Tackle, Pound, or Scratch as one of their basic moves. So, you could always start with those if you don't know what a Pokémon's basic moves are."

Whitney nodded at this and took out her pink notepad before jotting it down, causing me to smile as I saw it. My pride as a role-model was growing!

I let Pixel continue practicing its Tackle against Smough for a little while longer before I could see it becoming almost too fatigued to continue. I ordered it to stop.

"Pixel, I want you to see how far you've come since this morning." I told it, while waving at Klee to come over. I pointed to Klee, "Before resting, I want you to use Tackle against Klee."

Pixel gave me a worried look that I chuckled at, "Don't worry Pixel, Klee is more than able to take it. You won't hurt her." I reassured.

Klee chirped in agreement as she stood straight and gestured at Pixel to come at her. Seeing this, Pixel threw off the last of its' hesitation as it Tackled into Klee with as much determination and force as it could muster.

The damage was still miniscule, but Klee visibly recoiled slightly at Pixel's attack. Pixel cheered at its success, before quickly turning towards Klee in concern that it may have hurt her. Klee giggled at that, patting Pixel on the head to reassure it that she was unharmed. Pixel's eyes visibly brightened at the praise it was receiving and it buzzed happily.

I was also happy to see that Pixel was already growing to care about my Pokémon and vice versa. Maintaining a good team dynamic was a necessity for any competent trainer, which was why many were so hesitant to catch new Pokémon in case they ruined said dynamic.

Also, unless you had a really large stable, you couldn't really catch that many Pokémon because Pokémon needed to occasionally spend some time outside of a Pokéball. We didn't have a suitable stable as our family farm wasn't that suitable, despite the spaciousness, because foreign Pokémon may interfere with the Miltank and Tauros and disrupt the farm's productivity.

Thus, despite literally being a member of the Elite 4, I wasn't actually able to catch that many Pokémon for the time being until I could afford to rent out or buy a stable to store more Pokémon. This wasn't that big of a problem for the time being, as I didn't really foresee myself expanding my team that much, but it was something to consider for the future.

Unfortunately, my musings were ruined by the sound of a stomach groaning. I instinctively turned to Smough, but then realized that the sounds were coming from my own stomach as my body reminded me that I hadn't had any food ever since I had woken up.

Fortunately, I checked the time and saw that it was lunch time anyways and that my parents should have been back in time to eat with us.

I called out to Whitney to tell her that it was lunch time, and we walked back together to the house to see my mom, alone, setting up the table.

"Where's daddy?" Whitney asked, as we both moved to help my mother set up the table.

"Your father is still stuck at a meeting with the distributors that has overrun." My mother replied, "He'll be back later but told me to send you his well-wishes, John, since he can't see you off to Hoenn."

I nodded sadly at that but understood that it was the price to pay for the increase in popularity that our family business was blessed with. Besides, I preferred my parents being busy dealing with these kinds of problems rather than dealing with the struggles of poverty.

Shaking away my negative thoughts, I returned to having a calm but happy lunch with my family that was slightly marred by the fact that it was my going to be my last meal with them for a while, again.

Once we finished, my mom ordered me to my room and to 'make sure I packed everything' as she handled the washing up with Whitney. I double checked my luggage and made sure that I had everything I thought I needed for my trip and convinced myself that anything I forgot could be purchased in Hoenn.

I headed back downstairs and said my goodbyes to my mom and Whitney, all of us trying not to tear up at my departure, before heading back into the fields and rounding up all my Pokémon and setting off on Port to Olivine City, where I had arranged to meet Karen at, for our ship to Hoenn.

Unfortunately, the frequency of volcanic ash being spewed by Mt. Chimney made travelling by plane to Hoenn unsafe. Thus, you were forced to go by ship, which was much slower and tedious.

I sent a quick text to Karen as I flew on Port, reminding her of our meetup. It was only a few minutes later that I received a garbled reply from Karen.

'hmMM?' she texted unintelligently.

'Did u forget?' I replied 'we have meetup at Olivine for Hoenn.'

'Oh fk shit ok I wake up now' she texted back. I chuckled at her text, her disorganisation seemingly so at odds with her more refined and sculpted appearance at the ceremony.

'Meet you there.' I texted dryly.

Not long later, I landed in the busy Olivine City. Fortunately, the lack of ceremony at my arrival and my unassuming clothes meant that no one recognised me as the newest Elite 4 member. Otherwise, I fear that I may have been swarmed with those seeking a picture and/or autograph.

I made my way to the Olivine Café and sat myself down with a cup of coffee as I waited for Karen to arrive. My luck held as none of the many sailors in the Café seemed to recognise me, so I remained undisturbed.

A few minutes passed before my phone vibrated as I received a text.

'where r u? im at lighthouse now.' Karen's text read.

'Coming now' I replied as I got up and left the Café and walked towards the lighthouse.

As I approached the lighthouse, I could see Karen's distinct figure leaning over the rails with a small luggage placed next to her, her yellow top and light blue hair separated her from the many sailors loitering about. Despite her windswept hair, her appearance had no sign of her rushed awakening.

Karen turned to me with her arms crossed as I neared her with a fake scowl on her face.

"You're late." She had the audacity to say to me.

"When did you go to bed?" I shot back.

"I'm not good with mornings." She confessed, averting her eyes away from me.

"I texted you at noon." I said dryly with a raised eyebrow.

"Afternoon is morning for me." She replied confidently, as if what she said wasn't completely outrageous. Before I could respond with sarcasm, she grabbed my arm and dragged me towards the pier where our ship awaited.

"Come on, we're going to be late." She declared, despite us actually being over half an hour early.

Nevertheless, I decided not to point that out and walked with her towards the pier. I thought that getting onboard early could only be a good thing anyways, less risk of being swarmed by fans that acted like starving Carvanha.

We showed our tickets to the bored guard waiting near our ship, which he barely glanced at before letting us in. As we went abroad the crowded ship with our luggage, Karen started to complain.

"Why is this ship so crowded?" Karen growled, "Couldn't the League have privately chartered a ship just for you?"

"Well, yes they could have." I admitted, "But I think they did this because they want to embarrass me and make me cause an incident. I think they were hoping I would cause a scene or prove myself incompetent, and that way, they can use that as a reason to kick me out of the Elite 4." I explained with a nonchalant shrug, though inwardly I was still as mad as Karen was.

"What?! But they've only just appointed you!" Karen nearly shouted, "Why do they want you to kick you out already?"

"Again, you're right." I replied, "But you need to realize that some of the upper administration of the League, and especially Pryce, favour the current status quo. My appointment and speech probably upset them, and thus they want me out."

"That sounds dumb. Don't they realize that embarrassing you in Hoenn might be damaging for Indigo's future?" Karen asked with a dumbfounded expression.

I shrugged again. "Politicians." I said simply. Though inwardly I didn't think many of them cared about Indigo at all. They were probably more concerned with their own positions.

"Hey, no need to swear." Karen snarked, before we both chuckled.

"Waittt a minute," Karen suddenly said with narrowed eyes, "I just realized you're also a politician now. Gonna start jockeying for favours and influence? Is that why you wanted to go with me? To find dirt on Agatha?"

I gave her a bewildered look at that before her serious expression broke and she started to laugh even harder, and I found myself quickly joining in.

We had to split up shortly after that though, because of course her room was in the first-class area whereas mine was in economy with everyone else. At least I didn't have to share my room, small mercies.

I looked around the small room that I would be staying in for the next couple of hours and sighed as I realized it was too small to release any of my Pokémon in besides Pixel. Then I saw a sign that said that Pokémon weren't allowed to be released inside of rooms and I sighed even harder.

So, before the ship set off and I lost connection to the Pokénet, I sent a few messages to my family and one to Karen asking her for her room number and giving her mine so that we could meet up.

Putting down my phone, I fell back onto the hard bed as I stared at the ceiling, my mind roiling with thoughts at my upcoming journey.

'At least Karen is coming with me', I thought with a smile.

The New Normal – 1-6 – Shipping with Karen

I quickly got a text back from Karen giving me her room number. Deciding that hanging out in her room was leagues better than staying alone in my own cramped room, I went to sought her out.

But before leaving, I quickly changed my clothes into something more suitable for the temperate and sunny Hoenn weather. I replaced my jacket with a thinner vest and donned a bucket hat. I also changed my shirt and trousers to their short variants. I went to check my appearance using the standing mirror, and a young, tall, teenager with black hair and brown eyes with a hint of baby face stared back at me. Over the years, I've accepted the fact that I basically look like a generic background character, fitting, considering my generic name. Combined with my new clothes, I looked like your standard Hoenn NPC tourist.

I felt that my new outfit was working rather well at disguising my identity as I wasn't accosted once as I walked past the many crowds on my way to Karen's room. Soon after, I had arrived at her room and was allowed to enter after a brief knock on her door.

I was immediately jealous that Karen's room was over twice the size of mine, and I also failed to hide that jealousy as I saw Karen giving me a smug smirk.

"Like what you see?" Karen grinned, and I wasn't sure if she was referring to herself or her room. Either way though, my answer was the same.

"Yes." I replied wryly, managing to somehow not blush at that.

Karen gave me a nice smile at my reply, before flicking her hair over her shoulder and gesturing for me to sit down on the cushioned chair near the table. She sat down opposite me on the edge of her bed.

"Say, Karen, why are you coming to Hoenn in the first place?" I asked, "I know Agatha wanted you to accompany me, but surely she couldn't have forced you to go to Hoenn against your will, right?"

"Yes, you're right that it was my own decision to come to Hoenn." Karen nodded, "You see, I'm a Dark type specialist, which I've never regretted, but I admit that finding new Dark type Pokémon to catch has been challenging." Karen admitted as she shuffled herself backwards so that she was leaning against the headboard.

She continued, "But, I did my research and found that there were plenty of Dark types in Hoenn that I've yet to catch. And so, I wanted to head over there and see if they'd be suitable for my team."

"Yeah I can relate to that," I agreed, "My typing doesn't have a lot of Pokémon suitable for high-level battling either."

She hummed appreciatively at that before asking a question of her own.

"How are you finding your new responsibilities as an Elite 4?" She inquired in a tone that was more serious than I was expecting, "Is it tough?" Her eyes suddenly widened as she facepalmed herself, "Wait, no, I'm being stupid. You've only been in the Elite 4 for less than a day. That was a dumb question."

Hearing how serious she was, I decided against mocking her and instead giving her an honest answer, "Mhm...as you say I've only been an Elite 4 for a day but, I can tell you that there's a lot more politicking involved than what the public might think." I answered while scratching my head.

Karen frowned at me, "What do you mean? You mean the stuff with Pryce that I overheard? And with you being sent to Hoenn?" She asked.

I shook my hand in the so-so gesture, "Well, yes, but there's more than just that. Once you enter the ranks of the Elite 4, you are forced to enter the world of politics whether you like it or not. People WILL try to use you for their own benefit and likely to your detriment. The stuff that you overheard between Pryce and I is just one element of that."

Karen listened and scowled with a serious expression on her face, and I wondered why she was so curious about this. Then I remembered that she would eventually join the Elite 4 and probably wanted to know more about it so that she could prepare for it.

"Hold on," I suddenly thought aloud, "Surely you could've asked Agatha about this? She's definitely more experienced than I am at being a member of the Elite 4."

Karen shook her head at that, "No, asking Agatha would've been pointless." She bit out with slight annoyance in her tone, "I may be her apprentice, but Agatha really just does her own thing and damns everyone else. She has her own way of dealing with things that I could never replicate, so asking her would not be useful."

I frowned at that, though considering my own interactions with Agatha I couldn't say that I found that overly surprising. She really was a prickly and ornery person.

"Besides, Agatha has the entirety of Lavender Town backing her up," Karen continued with a bitter tone, "So does Pryce, Lance, and Walker. They all come from important backgrounds that give them influence beyond their own as a member of the Elite 4. It's why I wanted to ask you, John, since you also come from nothing. I wanted to know about your experiences because I felt like I could relate to you the most."

I had to restrain my grimace at the reminder of my poorly past but acknowledged that she didn't mean it as an insult and instead found it relatable. Admittedly, it was weird to have someone sympathize with the fact that you used to be poor.

Perhaps it was because of that sympathy that led me to open up to her. "Yes, you're right. During the Indigo League, when I was close to reaching the finals, I realized that even if I won and was selected to join the Elite 4, I would still be a relatively unknown name with no influence beyond what being an Elite 4 gave me. The public still didn't really recognise me from my discoveries of Ursaluna and Wyrdeer. Thus, I feared that I would be side-lined as an Elite 4 or simply become a puppet for others to use."

"Then what did you do-"

"Therefore, I decided to meet with Giovanni after the ceremony." I continued past her interruption, "I won't announce exactly what we discussed, but I have tentatively gained his support and friendship, meaning that I at least have some political influence to make use of."

Karen got a thoughtful look in her eyes, "And you intend to make use of that relationship to grow your influence even further by making use of Giovanni's own connections."

"Exactly." I confirmed with a nod. "Hopefully, I would be able to build enough personal influence to solidify my position in the Elite 4 for the future. I know many hate politicians for how they act, but as a member of the Elite 4 you HAVE to act like one in order to be successful."

I got a considering look from Karen as she took in my words and plan. I could tell that she was out of her element; many Pokémon trainers are unfamiliar with politicking. Admittedly, I would be as lost as she was if not for my past life's knowledge.

Honestly, joining the Indigo Elite 4 was like making a job application. You needed to have at least 8 badges, and you needed to win the Indigo Conference. Then, you were allowed to challenge a specific Elite 4 of your choice, and if you won, you would replace them and join the Elite 4.

However, if there is a free spot in the Elite 4 available like I had with Blaine's retirement, then a selection committee consisting of the Champion and other senior League officials would have the discretion to choose the next Elite 4. They could select anyone they like, but an unpopular choice would spark public outrage, so they often chose the Indigo Conference winner or someone with equal achievements.

We both sat there in silence as I allowed her to contemplate and think about what I just told her. A few minutes passed before she turned to me and gave me a small smile.

"Thank you, John." She said gratefully, "You have given me much to think about...I assume you've probably guessed by now that I also want to join the Elite 4, probably after Walker inevitably gets kicked out. Would you mind if I asked you more questions like this in the future?"

"Of course." I answered immediately, "Feel free to ask whatever you'd like. I'll be happy to answer." I gave her a goofy thumbs up to lighten the mood.

She chuckled at my gesture before checking the time. I copied her and not only noticed that it was lunch, but that the ship had already begun its journey to Hoenn without me noticing.

I asked Karen if she wanted to have lunch, since I was starting to feel hungry, and we both made our way to the crowded dining area to pick up some food.

Nearly half an hour later pushing past the many passengers, we both managed to abscond with a sandwich and a bottle of water each and made our way back to her room to eat.

As we munched on our sandwiches, I noticed that Karen was eating with a slight scowl and that she was thinking deeply about something. For some reason, I instinctively felt like I should cheer her up, so I decided to ask her a question to distract her.

"So, Karen, how did you and your starter meet? What is your starter anyways?"

"Hmm?" She mumbled distractedly, before visibly brightening as she processed my question. "Oh! Yes, my sweet little Murkrow." She instinctively reached for her Pokéball but then frowned and stopped herself as she remembered that she wasn't allowed to release Pokémon on the ship.

She turned back to me before continuing, "I found Murkrow badly hurt on the outskirts of Saffron City, around Route 7, and I rushed her back to the Pokémon Center to be healed. I stayed while she was being healed and I fed her after it was done being healed and made sure she was nice and full. Then, I carried her to release her back into the wild. But she wouldn't leave and kept following me around!" Karen exclaimed with a fond smile as her eyes glazed over in reminiscence.

She shook her head to snap herself out of her memories, "Eventually, I understood what she wanted and went to the Pokémart and spent all of my pocket money to buy a Pokéball to capture her in. We've been partners ever since." Karen sat there with a fond smile as she finished her recollection, and I couldn't help but find her smile mesmerizing.

"What about you?" She asked back, "How did you meet your starter? Isn't it your Slakoth?"

"Yes, my Slakoth." I affirmed, "I'll be honest. My family barely had any money, and we definitely had no influence to get sponsorships, so for the longest time I thought I would likely have to settle for one of the common Kanto Pokémon like Pidgey, Rattata, or Caterpie for a starter. I thought that, maybe if I was lucky, I would be allowed to capture one of the Miltank or Tauros that we had around the farm. But my family probably couldn't afford for me to do so."

I could still distinctly remember the despair and anger I felt at that time. I remembered raging about the unfairness of being reborn into the world of Pokémon, yet not having the money necessary to go on a journey or even capture a starter.

Karen was giving me a look of sympathy as she heard this, and I gave her a smile in return before continuing, "One day our distributor came by with his cart that unknowingly had a Slakoth that had climbed onboard his cart sometime during his trip in Hoenn. The distributor didn't realize he had picked up another passenger as he ignorantly ferried the Slakoth all the way to our farm. I only noticed him when I was helping my dad pack things onto the cart that I saw the lazy thing sleeping in the corner. The moment I saw it, I knew that this was a gift from Arceus. And as luck would have it, Slakoth also seemed to react well to my presence and allowed me to carry it off the cart. When the distributor saw it, he laughed and said that I could keep him if I wanted to. Despite not having enough money for a Pokéball, Slakoth was willing to hang around me until I was able to afford one. And I'll always be grateful for his dedication."

I patted Tyrant's Pokéball affectionately with a smile as I ended my story. My journey to the Elite 4 had not always been smooth sailing, but Tyrant stood by me as we overcame the many challenges together. I turned that smile to Karen as I saw her watching me with a smile of her own.

"You know, John, I think you've done very well for yourself." Karen complimented, "Hearing about your struggles in your youth, I'm honestly amazed that you managed to become as successful as you were. It's rare for those without sponsors to make it to anywhere close to the Elite 4, let alone joining it."

I blushed heavily at that, but still managed to mumble out a "Thank you." Wanting to avoid further embarrassment, I quickly changed the topic.

"Say, why do you want to become an Elite 4 anyways? Do you just want to follow in Agatha's footsteps, or do you have something to prove?"

Karen grinned mischievously as I changed the topic but didn't comment on it. Instead, she pondered for a bit before replying.

"It's a bit of both," she admitted, "I do want to make Agatha proud. I do find her to be a pain sometimes, but I do still care about her and want to prove to her that her efforts haven't been wasted. But more importantly, I want to show the world the power of Dark type Pokémon."

I nodded with sympathy, I also found that people tended to underestimate and looked down upon Normal types during my own journey.

"So, if I make it to the Elite 4 with my Dark types, I'd prove to Indigo that this 'new' type isn't as weak as people believe. I want to prove that Dark types are more useful than just to counter Psychic and Ghosts types! They have such a varied move-set that allows for unusual styles of fighting that can be extremely effective! The haters are just using it wrong!" Karen passionately declared.

I stared entranced by Karen as she passionately began to list out the many strengths of Dark type Pokémon. I felt increasingly that, more than her appearance, it was her personality that I found the most attractive.

I quickly refocused my attention back onto what Karen was saying before she could catch me staring; I didn't want to be teased by her if she had noticed.

"...Don't you agree, John? Don't you think Dark types are cool?!" Karen excitedly asked with an intense gleam in her eyes.

"Yes, of course." I immediately agreed without thinking, though luckily, I said the right thing. "Although my team often relies on brute strength and simple fighting styles to achieve victory, I have members like my Blissey and Clefable that use more 'intelligent' ways to win. So, I can understand that brute strength isn't everything." Although my Pokémon were definitely very good at it, especially my three big boys.

"Mhm, you get it!" Karen nodded sagely, "Isn't it satisfying when you beat a trainer who relies entirely on brute strength alone? Watching them seethe as their much stronger Pokémon is slowly worn down without them being able to do anything about it? It's amazing." She cackled in a familiar way that reminded me that she was undoubtedly Agatha's apprentice. They even had the same cadence.

"Although, I do admit that Dark types aren't very good in a straight up fight." Karen admitted sadly, "I currently don't have anyone on my team that can actually win a straight fight against another Elite level Pokémon with no tricks involved. I do have a Pupitar, but I feel like it's a while away from becoming a Tyranitar, and I'm not confident in my training methods to help it with its raw strength."

I almost choked when I heard that she had a Pupitar, though in hindsight that wasn't very surprising as Tyranitar was the only currently discovered Dark types that actually had brute strength and good durability.

"...Maybe I could ask Flint about how to train a defensive Rock type, I'm sure he knows-"

"I can help you," I quickly interrupted. I felt oddly possessive and didn't want Karen asking others for help for some reason. I wanted her to rely on me. "I'm confident that my experiences with my Ground type Ursaluna will be useful for training your Pupitar. I'll help them train together when we get to Hoenn."

Karen gave me a teasing smile at my quick interruption, and I quickly realized that I had fallen into her trap. She never intended to ask Flint; she just wanted me to offer my help. I sighed as I realized this, which only caused her to break out in laughter.

"Ah you're adorable, John." She wiped her eyes, "But thank you, I do appreciate the assistance." Karen's smile was more sincere now, and I felt that I didn't mind being teased if this was my reward.

We devolved into happily talking about more mundane topics as we travelled slowly to Hoenn. If this had been a proper diplomatic trip, I would have spent time tidying up my appearance and being lectured by the League officials to not embarrass Indigo and to maintain proper decorum.

However, since the whole reason for the trip was to side-line me anyways and they decided to send me there alone, I decided not to worry about it. I was mostly done being annoyed, so I might as well just enjoy my time there.

Who knows, maybe I'll meet some new people and get to make new discoveries? Maybe I'll find some way of getting back at Pryce while I'm there? Or, more importantly, maybe I'll be able to spend more time around Karen.

As I was a teenager again, I couldn't help but think that the last point was the most important.

We talked for many hours before she eventually got hungry again and decided to head down to the canteen to grab more food. I was feeling pretty tired myself, and not wanting to head down to my room again, I just decided to take a quick nap on the chair.

I told myself that it was just a quick nap, and that Karen would bound to wake me up soon. Sadly, I ended up sleeping until we arrived at Hoenn.

The 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 that Karen had woken up AND tidied up her appearance. It took me by surprise to see 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 into 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 Four?!"

"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 Four.

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 Four, 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 Four 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 Four 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 Four 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 Four 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 Four.

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 Four 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 probably illegal, but I was a member of the Elite Four 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 a smile formed on her face and she kneeled down and patted Corphish's head, which Corphish snapped his claws happily at.

Karen didn't catch him right away, but rather chose to play around with him 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 Four 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.