The New Normal - A Pokémon Elite 4 SI by CartecFF

Chapter 49: 193-196

The New Normal – 9-14 – A Call to Action

As I hoped, my announcement and call to action spread rapidly across the entirety of Indigo. Cerulean was only the starting point, as more successful cities like Viridian, Blackthorn, Fuschia and many others echoed my sentiments.

Support and aid were rapidly being provided to the cities that were in need of assistance. Seeing this tidal wave of collective support, businesses and even private individuals began to jump in on this bandwagon and provide aid wherever it was needed – whether that be in Kanto or Johto.

With all this support, any city that found themselves struggling to protect their Pokémon habitats from smugglers and over-catching were given the necessary resources, manpower, and/or funding to help them deal with the situation.

Was it all out of altruism? Of course not. I bet most of them had realized what a giant PR win this could be for them and were eager to reap the rewards of their participation.

Not that I cared. False altruism or not, they were still contributing. And more importantly, the public of Indigo could see that by working together, by not focusing on regional differences so much, we could all stand to benefit.

I hoped that they would remember this feeling; this collective enthusiasm to help their fellow neighbours. I hoped that it would help break down any lingering animosity between our regions as we all got together to help each other.

And now the results of our swift actions were bearing fruit, with the initial burst of chaos from the release of the PSS being rapidly contained.

Between our warnings and statements being blasted over the news, the new regulations that all of the regions had collectively put in place, a heavy amount of patrols from the ever-present Jennys, all of these factors helped cut down on the number of smugglers and overeager trainers.

They must have regained the rationality because their numbers practically vanished overnight as they realized how hard the League was cracking down on them. We had made it very clear – the PSS was not a tool for them to exploit.

But with their numbers dying down, yet with the morale of the public still so high, I realized that I had yet another opportunity on my hands. With the spirit of cooperation still going strong, I was going to use this moment to properly solidify this region-wide cooperative spirit. There would never be an better opportunity for it.

So after checking through with mayor Henry about my plans, I went to Lance and offered him a new proposal.

"...You want to create a region-wide charity run by the League?" Lance checked with me.

"Yes." I confirmed, "Though I wouldn't call it a charity. I figure it would be more like a...publicly funded emergency fund."

"And what would the purpose be?" He questioned.

"The purpose of the fund is to replicate what we've done here over the past few days – giving rapid assistance to those who need it." I responded, "The fund would be able to collect donations from anyone, and any city, who wanted to donate, and this public fund can be used to be support cities and places that are in need of financial support – whether that be in Kanto or Johto."

"...Would this fund fall under the authority of the Champion? Or the Committee?" Lance asked after a moment to think.

"I think it'd be best if they fall under the authority of the Committee, and the panel should be chosen from certain select members – with an even split of Kantonians and Johtonians." I replied, "In order to prevent any accusations of misuse of the funds, the funds can only be usable with approval from the Committee via a vote, or something of the sort. I'm sure your administrative assistants could figure out the details."

"And it'll give the Committee members something to work towards." Lance finished for me, "They always like having another feather to add to their cap."

"Exactly." I nodded. "Since they'll be able to hold both roles simultaneously, it'll give them that extra bit of prestige that they might be angling for. I highly doubt they'll say no to this, especially not when they'll be able to capitalize on the recent momentum."

And more importantly, it'll give another reason for Kantonians and Johtonians to work together. By creating an inter-regional fund like this, I'm confident that it would further promote the idea of unity for both regions. Plus, it was important to actually to turn all this public sentiment into something tangible.

I didn't know how effective such an emergency fund would be, but I trusted that we had sufficient oversight to not have the Committee members abuse and misuse the public's funds. Especially with Lorelei's new organization in place.

"Hmm...I think you're right about that. It needs to be monitored carefully, but it should be a nice PR win for us, one that we quite desperately need right now after what just happened." Lance agreed after thinking it through, "...I believe it'll be a good idea. I pulled forward another Committee meeting for tomorrow, I think we can propose that on top of my own proposal as well."

I tilted my head curiously. "What's yours?"

"We need to massively expand on our current systems of monitoring trade." Lance explained, "With the PSS now out, our current numbers just won't cut it. So, just like Wallace and Lucian would be doing in their respective regions, we're going to propose this expansion to allow us to cut down on any future abuses of the PSS."

I nodded, "Yeah, that seems like a good idea. I'm just glad the restrictions have achieved what we hoped they would. Speaking of which, how are the other regions getting along? I've only heard bits and pieces from Cynthia about Sinnoh."

I didn't want to seem biased, but I knew that Indigo was currently blessed with better leadership than the other regions. Hoenn had a solid core of Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and a good Champion, but their Committee was unreliable and infamously fractious.

On the other hand, Sinnoh had a relatively powerless Committee that had mostly just been replaced, and they had no Champion. But what they DID have were competent Elite Four members, and a public that were naturally against change in the first place. As Cynthia mentioned before, the public of Sinnoh weren't nearly as excited to jump onboard and make use of the PSS.

"From what I've heard from my counterparts, they've all implemented the restrictions that we agreed upon, and they are working with similar degrees of effectiveness. However, I believe that Hoenn is struggling the most out of all three of us." Lance responded, "That's not to say they're doing badly. But Wallace has mentioned his frustrations about dealing with the Committee, especially with all the many business interests that are entrenched there. They are handling the situation, but it just took them longer to push things through."

"As for Sinnoh...I was remarkably surprised by how well they've managed it." Lance added, "I admit to being doubtful about their situation at first. They had no Champion and a public that had just gone through some political upheaval. So I thought they would be doing the worst. But their Elite Four, and especially Lucian, have really impressed me. They were the first to pass through the changes needed to control the situation."

"Also, I'm not sure if you've been following the news, but I suspect that they'll be having a new Champion very soon." Lance continued, but then he grinned, "Of course, you don't need me to tell you that. I'm sure you know more than me on that front – you've probably spoken quite a bit with her."

I chuckled, but I didn't deny his words. Although I enjoyed the phone conversations that we had, I really did want to see her in person again. Hopefully I would get the opportunity to do so soon.

"No comment." I replied cheekily.

Lance let out another chuckle, "You think we'd get along when or if she becomes Champion?"

"First of, I'm very confident it's a matter of when, not if." I raised a finger, "Secondly, I'm as biased as they come, but I'm sure you two will get along well. I'm certain she'll impress you."

Lance whistled, "High praise from you, but I shouldn't be surprised." He laughed, "Well I hope that you're right. Sinnoh desperately needs a guiding hand if they want to fully enter into a period of recovery."

I agreed, before switching the topic back to what was important. "...So can I assume that the consequences of the PSS have been dealt with?" I asked.

Lance nodded slowly, "...I don't want to celebrate too early, but it does seem that way. For the most part, my advisors and I don't see any other big problems stemming from the PSS."

"There will likely be more laws that need to be created once people start exploring the PSS and its capabilities further, but those are only going to be minor problems and nothing like the crisis that we just had to deal with." He confirmed.

He then let out a tired breath, "And thank Arceus for that. This really caught us with our pants down, and I don't think I've had to run myself this ragged since I started out as Champion. Even the Fairy reveal wasn't this crazy."

He growled, "I'm going to wring Bill's neck if he ever does this again. He broke his damn promise to me."

I winced, Lance sounded mad. "Where is he anyways? And do you know why he did it?"

"Yes, I paid the man a visit because I wanted an explanation for breaking our agreement." Lance stated, "Admittedly, I wasn't in much of a listening mood – I was a little too furious for that."

"So what did he say?" I asked.

"He blabbed on about investor pressure and how he was forced to release it to meet the demands of his backers, but I think he was just piling on the excuses." Lance explained, "My gut tells me he was just trying to wiggle his way out of getting in trouble after recklessly releasing his invention without letting us know."

"You know what enraged me more?" He seethed, "It was the fact that I knew that he was inwardly questioning why I was even mad at him. He kept reiterating how he was 'just a scientist' and that he was just trying to share his invention to the world as soon as possible. The moment I heard that, I realised that Bill is an incredibly reckless person who likely gave no thought to whatever consequences his invention would create."

I wasn't sure how objective Lance's comments were about Bill, given that he was admittedly very pissed at the man. Though what Lance said did match up with what I knew of Bill's actions from canon.

Still, I knew better than to disagree with him at the moment, "Right, so what's going to happen with him now?"

"As my advisors had told me, nothing." Lance growled, "Because the man has technically not done anything wrong. And despite his incredible recklessness, the man is a great scientist and inventor who CAN actually contribute meaningfully to society."

"Of course, while he's not being legally punished, the man has just burned down every bridge he has with anyone with a brain." Lance chuckled darkly, "I'm sure he'll find it much harder to find financial backers for whatever invention he comes up with next since no one's going to want to be associated with his recklessness. And he's not going to like the increased oversight from the scientific community and his peers either, most of whom I've heard are either annoyed or frustrated at Bill for damaging the reputation of scientists. Otherwise, he's going to be squatting in his little seaside cottage doing whatever he does next."

"I hope the man isn't about to drop another big invention of us anytime soon, because I might seriously pay him an unfriendly visit with my Dragonite if he does. I'm not dealing with this kind of mess again." He said as he deflated in his chair, "...I feel like I need a week's break."

"Are Champions even allowed to take breaks?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Technically, Champions can choose their own hours." He answered amusedly, "You technically don't have to do anything if you don't want to, but that's a mark of a bad Champion. I took the position, so now I owe a duty to handle the responsibilities of this role. So as much as I want to, there'll be no breaks for me."

I raised an eyebrow, "Maybe you could pass the role to Clair for a few days while you take a rest?"

Lance cringed slightly, "...That would not be ideal. My cousin is capable, but she definitely lacks the temperament for this position. I've tried my best but...she's still very much a work-in-progress. As much as I would like to have a trusted successor to succeed my position, just like Oak did with Pryce, Clair is not a good option for it."

...Knowing what I did, I could see why.

We made some more small talk before I eventually decided to head off. The past few days dealing with the PSS had been difficult to deal with, but I think I was able to make some big gains during it. I hoped that the region as a whole became more unified as a result.

However, just like Lance had said, I really needed a rest. And thinking back on the conversation that I had over dinner with Koga, I think I knew how to kill two Pidgey with one stone.

But that could wait till tomorrow. Right now, I was going to catch up on some sleep.

============

?Now that the chaos from the PSS had settled down, I had time to honour the words that I shared with Koga. So one phone call later, and the young Daisy Oak arrived at my house.

She looked around a little nervously, but straightened up as soon as she saw me.

"...Hi, John. Thank you for having me." She greeted politely, "I, uh, heard you wanted to train me?"

"I did." I confirmed, forcing away the tiredness that I felt from the past days of running around and pushing the enthusiasm into my voice. "I've said this a few times, but I think you certainly have the potential to be a great trainer. So I thought – if I already have the time to work with you, I might as well also nurture your potential as a trainer too."

"...But, John, I'm not sure if I really want to be a career trainer." She said hesitantly, "I think your efforts might be wasted. I think you could spend your time better elsewhere."

I smiled kindly at her, "Training you won't be a waste of effort, I promise. And besides, training you gives me an excuse to not focus on anything else. I'll also be training my own Pokémon as well; so it's going to be doubly effective."

"But wouldn't you want to train someone who was more enthusiastic about becoming a trainer? Like I said, I'm not like my brother." She responded.

I shook my head, "I think you're lying to yourself, Daisy." I said gently, "I think you like training as much as any other trainer. I've seen it in your eyes when you talk about your training with your Clefairy, and you already told me that you had a goal of getting all 8 badges. No one aims for that without having a great deal of passion for training."

"But I won't force you." I reassured her, "If you would prefer not to train with me, that's perfectly fine. I won't be offended, and we can instead spend some time going over what you've learnt while working for me. It's totally up to you, whatever you feel comfortable with."

"...I just don't think being a trainer as a career is what I want to do." She muttered.

"And that's fine." I patted her on the head, "Training with your Pokémon doesn't mean you HAVE to become a career trainer in the end. Many powerful trainers often end up taking up other jobs, while still training their Pokémon. I have a friend, who's probably one of the most capable trainers I know, and she still spends most of her time as a historian and archaeologist rather than as a trainer. Although recently she's pursued a trainer career again."

"...Okay." She said after a moment, before bowing deeply to me, "Then thank you in advance for your help."

I smiled, and we got to work. About an hour later, I realized that Koga's advice to train with Daisy was utterly correct.

I don't know whether it was the natural talents of someone born from the Oak bloodline, but Daisy took to training like a Magikarp to water. She had all the right habits already ingrained into her, whether that was from her grandfather's teachings or not, but I knew that it would save her tons of time and prevent her from making many common mistakes that trainers made.

Between her and her little brother, they both would be ones to watch in the future.

While she only had her Clefairy as her sole Pokémon, she was already training it in all the right ways. Instead of focusing on power like most younger trainers did, she prioritized training up Clefairy's supportive and regeneration moves as Clefairy was meant to do. From what I could tell, she seemed really suited to playing to the strengths of the Fairy type. And I made sure to tell her that.

"Have you ever considered becoming a Fairy specialist?" I asked her. "From what I've seen, you seem very suited to it. Especially since you sound so interested when talking about your Clefairy's Fairy typing."

Daisy blinked, "Not really...I didn't think that much about it. I only got my Clefairy recently because grandfather was doing some research on them for the Fairy type. I was just helping out with the Pokémon one day – since they seemed to like me – before this Clefairy waddled up to me and asked to join my team."

She rubbed the little Clefairy on the head, a fond smile growing on her face, "I couldn't say no to this little sweetie, so she became my first Pokémon. But...it was all a coincidence. I never intended or thought of becoming a Fairy specialist."

"I think it's something you could consider." I advised gently, "Like I said, you're very suited to it. And you seem to instinctually know how to train up Fairy types and help them fulfil their full potential."

She blushed, "That...that's because I used to play with my little brother a lot." She explained, "Every time we would use grandfather's Pokémon, and he would pick the stronger and cooler-looking Pokémon all the time. I liked to pick the cuter looking Pokémon, which meant that I knew I had to fight smartly if I wanted to defeat my brother's stronger Pokémon."

She turned to me, "Do you really think I could become a Fairy type specialist?" She asked, fully serious.

"I certainly think you have the potential for it and would definitely be something worth considering." I confirmed, "Here, maybe this would help solidify your decision." I released Luna and Euphie onto the field, who both immediately ran up and played with Daisy and her Clefairy. Euphie wrapped herself around Daisy like a coat, to her joy, while Luna greeted her younger evolution with a cheery wave and a high five.

"You know of my sister, Whitney?" I asked as she nodded, "She told me early on that she really wanted to be a Normal specialist. But besides wanting to follow in my footsteps, her other main reason was that she could see herself training up and battling alongside a full team of Normal types. She loved being around Normal types – and felt most in tune with them. THAT was why she wanted to be a Normal type trainer." I explained.

"So spend some time around my Clefable and my Sylveon. Play around with them, ask them to show off some of their moves. See what they can do." I suggested, "And after that, we can have a practice battle with you using my Sylveon to face off against one of my developing Pokémon so you can get a feel of what it'd be like in the future if you go down this path. How does that sound?"

She nodded excitedly, and I let her run off to play around with my Fairy types. In the meanwhile, I released Ornstein and Pixel to check in on their training progress, since I had been too busy over the last week or so to really check up on them.

Though Shelly never got back to me on the progress of a sane version of the Dubious Disk, saying that there were far more complications than expected, Pixel was making plenty of headway regardless. It had taken longer than I expected, but Pixel had successfully mastered the use of Conversion, and was now able to switch types at will – barring a short delay. I ran a few tests with it, and I was very satisfied with what I saw.

Not only that, but Pixel's durability and offensive power had grown. It still wasn't quite there for what I would like in an Elite Pokémon, but I felt that it now had the potential to be a legitimate option in serious battles for me. The combination of its wide movepool, ability to switch types, and regeneration abilities all made it a perfect addition to my team.

Moving on to Ornstein, he was really turning into the equivalent of Sidney's Sharpedo. But he had more than raw speed; he had trained himself to be able to pivot and spin around on the spot, making him really hard to pin down and hit with an actual attack. Not only that, but he was able to leverage his speed to hit REALLY hard, much harder than what you would expect a Pokémon of his size to be able to accomplish.

Sure, his endurance was poor, but that was always going to be the case until he evolved. And now that I was satisfied with his ability to evade attacks, I decided to develop his all-in mindset even more by teaching him to train and learn to use Belly Drum. That would turn him into more of a glass cannon, but the raw damage he would be able to output would be a match for some of my Elite Pokémon.

It would also give him a trump card for when he evolved.

That being said, I still didn't think he was quite ready to join my team as a proper consideration in serious battles. I think he needed to evolve into his final stage before that could happen.

I continued training up with both of my Pokémon for a little while longer before I decided that Daisy had enough time to play around.

"Hey!" I called out to her, waving for her to come back. "You feel up for a battle?"

"Sure!" She said excitedly, her face flushed red from running around with Luna and Euphie. She was also giggling a lot, which said enough about how much she enjoyed her time with my Pokémon.

"Well then, let's take our places." I gestured to a spot a slight distance from me, and Daisy quickly jogged over with Euphie. Luna and Pixel moved to the sidelines to cheer us on. Ornstein moved next to me and got ready.

"Are you ready?!" I shouted, getting a nod back from her. "Then...START!"

"Reflect, Sylv- Euphie!"

"Hone Claws, Ornstein."

A faint screen of light shimmed into existence in front of Euphie as Ornstein brandished and sharpened his claws. I could have shut down Euphie's attempt with a Taunt, but I was using this battle to encourage Daisy's interest in the Fairy type. I didn't need to fight that seriously.

As such, the fight was much slower than you would expect. Despite her natural talent, Daisy was unused to battles and it showed – she gave commands late, and seemed a little hesitant on what to do. But that was fine; that was why she was here to learn.

So I had Ornstein hang back, focusing on dodging Euphie's attacks rather than actually attacking himself. Moonblasts and Dazzling Gleams were both either avoided or blocked by Ornstein, who continued to circle around Euphie.

Though she wasn't able to land a move, the sheer excitement on Daisy's face as she fired off attack after attack told me all that I needed to know. She was really getting into the battle, and I was all too happy to stand back and let her enjoy herself.

Eventually, realising that she couldn't hit Ornstein, she tried for a different tactic.

"Dig, Euphie!"

"Hone Claws again, Ornstein."

Ornstein continued to buff himself up as Euphie disappeared into the ground. I didn't have to wait long before Euphie erupted out of the ground near Ornstein. But instead of going for an attack, Daisy had a different plan.

"Thunder Wave!"

A paralyzing wave of electricity shot out from Euphie and went straight into Ornstein. The paralysis quickly set in, drastically cutting Ornstein's speed to something far more manageable. But then Daisy failed to capitalize on it, and I decided to make this a learning moment.

"Baby-Doll Eyes, Euphie!"

"Iron Tail, Ornstein."

Euphie's eyes began to sparkle with almost unnatural charm, but a fierce Iron Tail slammed into her side before the attack lowering effect could go off. Euphie skidded back with a pained cry, and a look of alarm appeared on Daisy's face.

"Oh no! Uh, Dazzling Gleam!"

"Iron Tail again!"

Ornstein rushed forwards, rapidly closing in on Euphie despite the effects of his paralysis. But Euphie moved first, firing off a powerful wave of Fairy energy that crashed into the charging Ornstein. Ornstein stumbled, but Daisy's delay in making the attack meant that he was close enough to still smash his powerful Iron Tail into Euphie, cancelling the attack and throwing her into the ground.

With all the Hone Claw boosts, Euphie was sent crashing painfully into the ground. So, not wanting to push Euphie too far and make Daisy worry, I decided to call the battle here. Luna immediately ran forwards to heal up both combatants.

"Good job, Daisy! You really picked up on that fast!" I complimented, making sure to praise her despite her defeat, "You got a little careless with not having Euphie back off after landing that paralysis, but that's something experience will help to fix."

"Thanks, John. For both the battle and for letting me play and train with your Pokémon." She said with a bright smile adorned on her face.

"So...you have any thoughts on the Fairy type now that you've played around a little more with it?" I asked.

"...Yes, I do." She nodded while her hand idly patted Clefairy on the head, then she turned to me with eyes now full of excitement and conviction, "I think...I think I'm willing to try being a Fairy type specialist. I think they're really cool, and I really enjoy spending time around them. I'll let grandpa know about this – but I look forward to training with you more in the future."

And thus, Daisy Oak – Fairy specialist, was born.

The New Normal – 9-14 – Interlude – Steven & Bruno

(Steven POV)

Bringing in Bruno as his personal trainer was the best decision he's ever made.

Ever since he had started training with Bruno, he could feel that his Pokémon were getting stronger with every session they participated in. Bruno was not only a powerhouse of a trainer, but the man was an excellent teacher with a sharp eye on where his Pokémon needed improving.

As a Steel specialist, Steven had naturally trained up his Pokémon to have a great deal of focus on their defensive abilities, making up for their comparative lack of speed by giving them the ability to just tank through an onslaught of attacks without much issue.

But all that defense meant very little when Bruno's Pokémon just slammed into them, again and again, with jaw-dropping power and brutal efficiency.

Steven was unashamed to say it, but he lost more than he won against Bruno. He did not underestimate Bruno, but he still got a thorough thrashing by the man. That string of losses did bite at his pride; he had thought he was a lot stronger than that.

Yet he was not one to give up. His losses to Bruno were only a temporary setback. And he put his mind to work, analysing how Bruno's Pokémon fought and how best he could learn from it. Overtime, he came up with a two pronged strategy.

The first prong was simple, but it was something he had previously overlooked. He needed to train up his Pokémon more with their long-ranged attacks, and be more creative with them. Previously, while he never neglected his Pokémon's use of longer-ranged attacks, he had thought that a bulk of his damage would be done at close range. Naturally, with his Pokémon's high defenses and solid attack, his strategy involved getting his Pokémon in close and overwhelming his opponent at close-range.

But Bruno had exposed his complacency for relying on a strategy like that - simply by being BETTER at this than him. The reason why he lost so much at the start against Bruno was because he foolishly allowed the Fighting master to get in range, thinking he could win by relying on his Pokémon's better defenses.

He did not. Bruno's team decimated his as soon as they got close. Thus proving that he needed to come up with more methods of deterring attackers from getting in close. He needed to make full advantage of most of his Pokémon's part Psychic type.

The second way was inspired after he studied how Bruno's Hariyama fought. The Fighting type was extremely slow, but it made use of his huge bulk to soldier through attacks before retaliating with a crushing counterattack. And his Pokémon were all the same – huge defenses and endurance, with generally powerful attacks, but poor speed.

So he replicated Hariyama's fighting style, but with a more cunning edge that he picked up from watching the fighting between Sidney and Karen. Not only did he train up his Pokémon's attacks so that they could hit hard enough to punish their opponents for trying to land a hit, but he also trained his Pokémon to deliberately expose themselves to bait the enemy in.

And now, as he watched his Metagross pretend to overextend itself, he let out a grin as Bruno's Hariyama stepped forwards, thinking that it had an opening that it could exploit.

Only to be blasted by a quick Psychic that staggered the Hariyama for long enough to be smashed head-first with a critical Zen Headbutt, capitalising on its exposed state. Hariyama flinched back, and Metagross finished off its combo of attacks with a quick Bullet Punch to the gut.

This method of creating false openings and pretending to be exposed was an excellent way of overcoming his Pokémon's lack of speed, and it allowed him to strike hard with surprise critical hits on his opponents.

And through training up on both of these areas, Steven was able to slowly transform his Pokémon from being simply defensive walls with a good offense, into much more versatile and wily fighters that were also becoming more and more resilient to attacks as they battled against Bruno's monsters of the Fighting type.

Thus, with every battle that they fought, the more Steven felt his chances of winning rose. Not just against Bruno, but also his chances of winning the title of Champion altogether.

His Pokémon were becoming ever more refined.

He remained thankful that Bruno seemed to be so patient with him, so willing to continue training together. If Steven could be honest – Bruno was wasted as a wandering fighter. The man had so much more potential in him, not just as a trainer, but even as a member of the Elite Four. It was crazy to Steven that someone THIS strong wasn't an Elite Four member.

Especially when Steven thought he would be very suitable for it.

So, Steven had tried to nurture this other side of Bruno, but he wasn't sure how successful he had been. He knew he wasn't going to be able to change Bruno's mind in the short term, but that was fine, he had the patience for it.

If only Bruno wasn't so stone-faced, then it would be easier to read what he was thinking.

=====

?(Bruno POV)

Choosing to accept Steven's proposal turned out to be a prudent decision. But more importantly, he had underestimated the man.

In their initial meeting, he had thought he had gotten a good measure of Steven. An ambitious and cunning businessman that had the wisdom to not become obsessed with it. But he had overlooked a very important aspect of Steven's character.

His intelligence. And more crucially, his willingness to learn from his mistakes and not make it again.

When he first defeated Steven's team, Bruno admitted to a slight bit of disappointment. He had thought that Steven would have put up a better fight against his team, despite the poor type matchup on his end. The only really tough fight was against Steven's Metagross, as to be expected.

It was a little disappointing coming from a man whose ambition was to become Champion.

However, it was then that he realised that this was merely the surface level of the trainer that was Steven Stone.

The Steel specialist was a cunning man, with an analytical eye that was all too eager to learn from his own tricks. It only took a few battles, but it was impossible for Bruno to miss the noticeable improvement in Steven's battling style, as if the man had already studied his Fighting types and how best to counter them.

And during their next few weeks, barring the sudden distraction when the PSS was released (Bruno had no idea why everyone thought it was such a big deal – he carried all his Pokémon on him all the time anyways), Steven's Pokémon only continued to improve as they fought both smarter and harder.

They were becoming more mobile, more flexible in their movements. Steven began leveraging his Steel's types incredible bulk to bait his Pokémon into overcommitting into landing a powerful retaliatory blow that he had no hope of dodging. His Pokémon remained the better fighters, but Steven's Pokémon were just naturally more bulky, and Steven was becoming better at leveraging that bulk.

Thus, all of a sudden, his Fighting types' once dominant victories became a much more close-run thing.

However, Bruno was not upset by this development. Far from it. He was excited. There were very few trainers that could force Bruno to push his team harder. John could have done it, but Steven was even better suited for his Pokémon to train against, considering how much Steven relied on his Steel Type's bulk.

As Steven improved, Bruno slowly began to forget about his original intention of fighting against other opponents in Hoenn, because he was getting all the training he needed battling against Steven.

His Steel type's great defenses forced his Fighting types to dedicate themselves more into each attack, which in turn forced them to train up their attack power. He never would have thought that his Pokémon needed to hit harder, but the iron wall that were Steven's Pokémon had prompted such improvement.

And, as Steven's Pokémon became increasingly capable at fighting back with their powerful counterattacks, his Pokémon were also becoming more and more familiar with the pain of taking a big hit – which worked wonders for their endurance training.

Because the Steel types hit hard.

The most important training he got was when Steven decided to make mix in a few Special Attacks; Bruno wanted his Pokémon to get all the experience they could with handling that.

Therefore, it was impossible for Bruno to be displeased with this arrangement, especially seeing how both their teams were gradually improving and had created a positive feedback look where both teams were able to continuously improve alongside each other.

And as the days went by, he became more familiar with interacting with Steven. He hesitated to say that they had become friends, but there was undoubtedly mutual respect between the two.

Yet, one day, after one of their training sessions, Steven had surprised Bruno by asking if he was ever interested in joining the Elite Four in Indigo.

"You certainly have the strength for it." Steven had said. "If you hadn't challenged John, and instead someone weaker, you could have made it in. I could already imagine it."

"I do not have the interest with dealing with politics." He replied, "I thought I made this clear – I only desire to make my Pokémon even stronger – to explore the boundaries of martial arts."

"But I think that exact mindset is what would make you an excellent representative in the Elite Four." Steven countered, breaking out into that signature smile of his. "That kind of incorruptible honesty is something that could serve you well in politics and business. There's much good you could do in a position of power."

"Give it some thought, Bruno." Steven patted him on the shoulder, "I admit I'm trying to persuade you and that I'm putting the cart before the Ponyta, but it's only because I think you'd be an incredibly good Elite Four member. I think you have the mindset and the strength for it."

Bruno didn't know what to say to that, so he remained silent as Steven continued to stare at him with an unknowable look in his eyes. Bruno could see the gears turning in Steven's head, no doubt having some kind of plan in mind that he hoped to rope Bruno into.

Bruno shook his head. If only Steven was easier to read.

The New Normal – 9-15 – A Much Needed Rest

The bright rays of sunlight shined onto my blearily eyes, forcing consciousness back into my body. Stifling out a yawn, I pulled off the covers and dragged myself off the bed, blinking the last vestiges of sleepiness from my eyes.

As I left the bed, I let out a full stretch that forced the sleepiness out of me. It was nice to have some good days of sleep after all of the hassle with the PSS, and the training session that I had done with Daisy – and with my own Pokémon – were perfect for relieving me from all that built-up stress.

Working through my morning ablutions, it didn't take long before I slumped onto the sofa with a full plate of breakfast in hand. I casually chewed through my breakfast while I idly watched the news.

I could never have dreamed of doing this if the PSS crisis was still ongoing. Fortunately for everyone, the messages I received from Lance last night confirmed that the situation in every region was stabilizing. Control measures had been set up to deal with the PSS and FINALLY everyone could let out a big sigh of relief as things returned to normal.

I took another bite out of my toast as I continued watching the news.

"...Despite all the events and announcements that have taken place over the past few days, it appears that none of that has distracted our famed Challenger from yet another decisive victory over Elite Flint! Challenger Cynthia managed to break the Fire specialist's team with an outstanding 6-3 victory! While Flint may have put up more of a challenge than his colleagues, it seemed like he was still no unable to stop the dominant streak from our challenger! Cynthia's Milotic has proven to be unbreakable!"

"And now, Cynthia is one step away from earning her position as Champion of Sinnoh! Would she be the successor we have sought since ex-Champion Hayato's abdication?!"

"But it's not been all good news for our new challenger. Some of her more vocal critics have criticized both her and the League for 'exaggerating' her strength, claiming that the Elite Four had purposely sandbagged themselves in order to make her victory more impressive. These critics state that, alluding to her previous correspondence with the Elite Four, that the Elite Four and Cynthia have been colluding to exaggerate her strength in order to install a puppet Champion. Whereas, in reality, her strength was nowhere near as impressive as her victories make it seem."

"There have been no comments from the League, or Cynthia herself, in response to these criticisms."

I snorted. I knew this was coming, and so did Cynthia and the Sinnoh Elite Four. She was absolutely not faking her strength, and I didn't doubt for a moment that Aaron, Bertha, and Flint had put in their all to beat Cynthia during their matches, only to fall short regardless.

There was no need to 'sandbag' against her. Cynthia was strong enough to fight them at the best and still win.

That being said, watching that news report of her instinctively made my hand move to my phone. I called her up before I even realised what I was doing.

"Hey, John. How's everything going in Indigo?" She greeted.

"Things are fine – I've finally gotten a chance to relax." I replied, "But never mind me, congratulations on your victory against Flint! Hope I caught you at a good time."

"Any call from you is always at a good time." She said, causing me to break out into a chuckle, "But yes, I've a few moments to spare. I admit that I made a few mistakes against Flint. I think my victory could have been more perfect." She said.

I snorted, "More perfect? A 6-3 victory against a member of the Elite Four is impressive enough, especially since this is your third battle with such a result. I think you're too hard on yourself – but I suppose that's in your nature."

"You had a more dominant showing in your 3v3 battle against him." She pointed out, "Besides, I acknowledge that I made a few mistakes. I underestimated just how hitting some of his Fire attacks could be, and I don't have any Pokémon that can match the endurance that yours do. My Milotic really had to pull its weight for me to win convincingly."

"We both know I only won as dominantly as I did because Flint was a poor matchup against me." I reminded, "Your victory was impressive enough."

"Anyways, let's not dwell on this for now. Focus on your battle against Lucian. You're only one fight away from making it as Champion." I said.

"I know, I know." She responded, "And...I don't know if this makes me arrogant, but I can't see myself losing to Lucian."

I smirked, "I would call that arrogance for anyone else – but I know how strong you are. Instead, I would just label it as confidence. Just make sure not to underestimate him; Will had plenty to say about Lucian's strength."

"I won't. You know how much research I've done in preparation for this. I won't be caught off-guard, and I've already developed a plan for him. Just trust in your girlfriend." She said, causing me to chuckle.

"Speaking of which, and not to bring down the mood, but do you have a plan for how to handle your critics?" I asked, "Knowing you, I figured that you've already thought of something up."

"I have." She confirmed, "I discussed the idea with Lucian, and he's onboard with it as well."

"Care to share with your boyfriend?" I grinned.

"Nope." She smiled cheekily, "You'll just have to hear the announcement like everyone else."

"Aw...are you trying to keep it a surprise?" I teased, "You know I wouldn't spill."

"Mhm, but I think I want you to react like everyone else." She giggled, "I think you'll approve once you do hear of it."

I was curious, but I knew that she was adamant in her path; I wouldn't be able to persuade her.

"Then I'll be looking forward to it." I replied, "It's a shame that I won't be there to congratulate you in person at your victory ceremony. I would have liked that. You deserve it."

"It's okay, it's enough for me to know that you're cheering me from Indigo. I wouldn't make you come all the way here for something like this." She said. "And sadly enough, with my new ascension, we probably wouldn't get much time to spend together anyways."

"You know I'll do my best to find time for us to spend together." I said firmly.

A small smile adorned on her lips, "And so will I. Don't worry John, once I become Champion, even if I'm busy, I promise I'll make time for us to see each other. You have my word."

That was a shared promise we made to each other.

"Anyways, keep your chin up and maintain that confidence of yours." I said to her, "You'll make Champion in no time. I look forward to seeing you on that victor's podium."

"Thanks John, I appreciate it." Then she looked at the time and frowned, "Ah, sorry to cut this short, but I have somewhere else to be." She said apologetically, "We can talk more later."

Our call ended there, which was just in time because I heard my parents coming down from their room.

"Oh, you're here today?" My dad asked me, "I thought you'd be rushing out of the house like usual."

"Nah, that stuff's finally over and done with." I shook my head, "I'm treating it as my day off just to unwind."

"That's good." My mom nodded, "I saw you were very busy dealing with that Pokémon Storage System stuff. Too bad the new system isn't very useful for our company. Being able to transfer Pokémon doesn't benefit too much."

"At least that means we don't have to suddenly reorganize everything." My dad exclaimed, "I heard that some of our neighbouring businesses had to practically reorganize their entire company because their way of working would be rendered completely obsolete by the new invention. At least we weren't affected, for good or bad."

"Hmm...true enough." My mom agreed, "Makes me glad we went into the Moomoo milk business instead. It seems like there are fewer problems to deal with."

"How is the business going anyways?" I asked, "I've not been caught up with it because of everything's going on. But I read the recent report from a few days ago – have we finalized the decision to expand into Mauville?"

"Yes, but we were waiting on you." My dad replied, "We knew you had the connections, so we wanted to see if you can save us on costs by making use of them. You said something about speaking to Mr. Stone?"

"Sure, I'll send Joseph an email." I said, "He's already been expecting it for some time."

Ever since I helped him deal with the criminals in Hoenn, Joseph had always been looking to repay me for my efforts. That feeling only redoubled after he failed to find a Normal type fossil for me, despite his best attempts. I heard that he had even managed to revive a Cranidos and Sheldon at this time, but he had regretfully told me that they weren't Normal types.

I honestly didn't mind at all, but he sounded upset that he couldn't repay me for my help. Hopefully asking him for assistance on this would cheer up him up. He was a good man.

My dad patted me on the shoulder, "Thanks, son. Let us know what he says."

"Oh, that reminds me! Where IS Whitney?" I asked. "I was too busy to think about it for the past few days, but she hasn't been home recently, has she?"

"Our little girl's all grown up." My mom smiled, "She's spending time with her friends now. She called over yesterday and said she's been sleeping over with Sabrina until she starts working as a Gym Trainer at her Gym."

"It seemed like it was only yesterday when she was too nervous and unwilling to leave the house." My dad reminisced fondly, "And now its like she doesn't want to come home. But I'm happy that she seems to have great friends to spend time with."

I smiled. My sister had really come a long way. And without much intervention on my end, it seemed like she had naturally fallen onto the path of becoming a Gym Leader. I'm not sure if she and her friends deliberately planned it this way, but Whitney really was boosting up her potential to one day be a future Gym Leader.

Maybe she would be able to position herself to be an ideal candidate to be the Gym Leader of Goldenrod like she did in canon? That would be cool.

Polishing off the remains of my breakfast, I stood up to clean my plate before my phone started to ring. This time it was Karen.

"Hey, what's up?" I answered.

"Just finished with the Open Qualifiers, that's what's up." She replied, "You're now speaking to someone who made it into the Preliminary Rounds!"

"Congratulations!" I praised, "Knew you could do it."

"Yeah, thanks. But everyone knew getting here wasn't going to be a big problem for me." She waved me off, "Even the Preliminary Rounds shouldn't be too bad. It's when I get to the Finals that I should be concerned."

"Eh, fair." I nodded, knowing that she wasn't talking out of arrogance. She WAS much stronger than what was normally seen in the Preliminary Rounds. "So what are you up to today? I have a whole day off."

"Well...I could use a break." She said mischievously, "And since you aren't busy too, why don't we meet up somewhere? Maybe Pewter? I want to visit Brock and his family, and it's been some time since you've seen them too."

Pewter? She was right; it had been a while. I wonder how he had handled the PSS. "Sure, I want to meet him too. Meet you for lunch?" I asked.

"Do you mind eating with the kids? I'll text ahead if you don't." She questioned.

"Nah, go ahead. I'll meet you then." I replied.

=========

?Since today was a day where I was meant to unwind, right after I sent that email to Joseph I spent the rest of the morning training up with my Pokémon again.

Well, I say 'training', but what I meant was that we all just hung out together in the training fields and played around. They deserved a small break too.

Pixel, Ornstein, and Euphie returned to playing around with each other. Although now that they were a little older and all evolved out of their basic stages, their 'playing' was a lot more intense than before. Their 'playful' attacks were now strong enough to knock down your average Pokémon, and their games of tag were wholly unfair as they had started throwing in their own attacks to try and trip up the chaser.

Klee and Luna were always on standby just to make sure there were no injuries on that front. Though they generally spent most of the time just cheering the younger ones on.

In the meanwhile, my latest addition to the team was surprisingly hanging out with Smough. Overtime, I learnt that Wraith shared a similar voracious appetite as Smough did, although it was fortunately nowhere near as bad. Wraith was just very appreciative of food, possibly due to all the scavenging for food that he had to do when he used to live deep underground. So whenever we weren't training, he could often be found just chowing down on food with Smough.

I was just glad that he was getting along well with the team. I wouldn't call his relationship with everyone to be 'cordial' yet, but he was on friendly terms with some, such as Smough and Tyrant, while being at least neutral with the rest. That was good enough for me for now.

In the distance, Klaus, Zephyr, and Port were freely sprinting and flying around the house, to the distraction of the farmhands. This actually doubled as training for the three of them, because Klaus was getting better with moving around, and sometimes even Teleporting, from mid-air platform to platform. While Zephyr and Port were getting more practice making sharper turns when flying at high speeds.

That just left Vordt and Tyrant. But they were just hanging out next to me. Vordt was snoozing in the morning sun, lazing around and taking full advantage of the break as best he could. On the other hand, Tyrant sat close to me, joining me in watching the rest of my team play around.

"Not going to join them?" I asked him, but he simply shook his head in response and let out a quiet snort.

I smiled slightly, "You're not that much older. You can join them if you like." Another grunt was what I got in reply.

"...Suit yourself." I muttered as I munched on a cookie that my mom had decided to bake. They really were quite good.

The two of us sat in tranquil silence, allowing the feeling of relaxation to simply wash over us as we continued to idly watch our Pokémon play around. Eventually, I broke the silence, "Say, Tyrant, do you ever see yourself giving up on battling? Retiring to just play around all day?"

Tyrant let out an amused snort, as if the very concept of retiring was laughable to him. I let out a chuckle, "Yeah...didn't think so. I don't think you and I are the retiring sort. There's always something to do, isn't there?"

"Sla...king." He agreed. "King..."

I nodded, "You're right. I was just airing out some idle thoughts. Don't worry, I'm not about to get complacent. Not when there are still things to do."

Despite this moment of peace, I knew that Team Galactic were still continuing their scheming. Archer had been put on the case, but I haven't heard anything back from Giovanni yet. No news WAS good news, since any major action by Team Galactic would have tipped off Archer. But it still meant that they were able to build up their resources.

I would have to wait for Cynthia to settle in as Champion before I could really do anything about it. Luckily, I had already hinted to her about my plans and asked for her cooperation, which she was more than happy to accept.

Shaking off that negative thought for now, I looked at the time and realized that it was about time to meet up with Karen and the children. Brushing off the crumbs that I had left, I pulled myself off the ground and let out a stretch, with Tyrant copying me.

"Right, let's go see the kids." I muttered, "RIGHT! TIME TO HEAD OUT EVERYONE! ENOUGH PLAYING!" I shouted out to my Pokémon, ordering them back.

It took a little while since some of my Pokémon were reluctant to end their playtime, but I eventually was able to get going and set off for Pewter City on Port. I was heading there empty handed; Karen had already reassured me that she would be buying enough for everyone.

I landed near a small, unassuming clearing near the Gym before making my way to where Brock and his family lived. I hadn't been here in a while, and it showed in my lack of recognition at the changes that took place.

The house seemed to have gotten a little bit of an upgrade. I saw a small extension to the side that wasn't there before that I presumed was used for storage. I hoped that would at least clear up some of the space for the residents of the house, but I still doubted there was enough space for all 10 of them to live in.

But my doubts were more reassured when I walked inside. The interior of the house had gone through a small makeover, and some of the chipped paint on the walls were now gone. The sofa was also brand new, no longer the patchy and old thing they used to sit on. Small differences, but it showed that their lives were improving.

And that's all that mattered.

"Hello everyone!" I greeted as I walked inside.

"Ah, hello John." Forrest greeted me with slightly less enthusiasm than I expected, "Thanks for coming."

...Was it me, or did I sense a little bit of tension in his voice? Was that just my imagination?

"No problem. I wanted to see you all anyways." I smiled, then I turned to next eldest sibling who had been busy setting up the table, "Yolanda, is there anything else I can help with?"

"No, it's alright. You can sit down for now." She said, giving me a smile that I immediately knew was a bit forced, but nothing I could consider impolite.

Still, that confused me. What was going on here? That could not have been a coincidence.

It wasn't outright hostility that I was sensing from them, but there was this sort of wariness that they definitely didn't have last time. Oh sure, they were at least trying to hide it, but they were doing a bad job of it.

I was pretty sure I didn't do anything bad since I last came over, and that was a while ago.

But judging by their expressions, it didn't seem like I was going to get any answers from them anytime soon. So I did my best to ignore it as I offered to help out simply sat down and made some small talk with Forrest, who at least was cordial enough to hold a conversation with me. Even if he was staring me with a studying expression.

Luckily, before long, the door swung open again, this time letting in Karen and Brock, with all the rest of the kids trailing after them.

"Oh, hey John. Didn't know you arrived already." Karen waved to me. "How was your morning? You looked a lot more relaxed."

"Yeah, and it felt great." I smiled, "Also, hey Brock. Nice to see you again."

"Thank you, John." He said politely, but just like the rest of his siblings, he seemed to be giving me an odd look.

Okay, what the fuck was going on here?

I sat in silence for a moment as Karen spoke with the kids, but that distinct feeling of uncomfortableness never left. Eventually, my curiosity got the better of me, and I wanted to know what was causing this weirdness.

Giving off my apologies, I pulled Karen aside and decided to directly ask her.

I made sure we couldn't be overheard before speaking, "Okay, do you know what's going on here? Because the kids are all giving me weird looks."

Karen blinked, "Weird looks? How?"

"I don't know. It's not hostile, but it feels like they're wary of me. No, not wary, but it seems like they're not sure how to act around me." I explained, "Did I do something wrong or something? I don't want to make them uncomfortable if I am."

"...Are you sure you're not overthinking things?" She replied.

I shook my head, "No, definitely not. Brock was friendlier with me the last time I was here – and we were strangers then. I don't think I've done anything to upset them, so why the distancing?"

A pondering look fell upon Karen's face, and she tapped her chin as she thought over my conundrum. It took some time, but then she suddenly broke out into a smirk, "I think I figured it out. You see, I told the kids that you and I weren't dating. I remembered seeing the shock and how disappointed they were for me."

My mind blanked, "Wait. What? They're wary of me because we're not dating?"

Karen giggled and patted me on the shoulder, "Mhm, though 'wary' isn't the right word. If my guess is right, then they're just not sure how to act around you. I wouldn't worry about it; they're just naturally sensitive to this kind of thing considering what happened to them. I think they're just being protective of me, but I'll explain things to them and I'm sure they'll get over it. I do want to apologise on their behalf."

That...made sense, actually. "No, no. You don't have to apologise. I can understand where they're coming from." I replied as a small smile appeared on my face, "And if its true, I think that's cute of them."

Karen turned, sending the kids a fond glance, "They're good kids. I know they treat me as some sort of mother or sister figure, which I'm deeply honoured by. So they're just looking out for my happiness."

I scratched my head, "I didn't expect this. How awkward."

Karen laughed, "You really need to spend more time around kids, they act like this all the time! Anyways, they'll calm down once they see things haven't really changed between us, and I'll talk to them if they still don't understand. They've always listened to me."

I nodded and followed her back into the dining room, where lunch had already been set up. We all took a seat at the table, with me deliberately sitting down nearest to the eldest of Brock's siblings, while Karen sat with the youngest ones so that she could help them with lunch.

I decided to just address the Donphan in the room as soon as possible, "You don't need to be so worried, Karen and I are still friends. That hasn't and won't change."

They all blinked, taken aback my directness. There were a few blushes, but Brock was first to recover, "We believe you. Sorry, we didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, but Karen means a lot to us, and we'd be very upset if anything happened to her."

"Yeah, we know you're a nice guy and that you've helped us with the Gym, but this and that are different." Yolanda added, "We know you're a bigshot Elite Four, but we just didn't want Karen to feel sad."

"No, I understand." I replied, "I can promise that I won't do anything to hurt Karen intentionally. I'm not perfect, after all. But I do care greatly for her, and I wouldn't think of hurting her on purpose."

And I meant it. I thought I did a good job balancing the new dynamic between Karen and Cynthia. At least, I didn't suddenly ignore Karen now that I was dating Cynthia, and I treated her no differently than I did in the past.

The three eldest siblings all stared at me with a scrutinizing look, before they all nodded in sync as if satisfied with what they saw. "We'll hold you to that. Elite Four or not, we look after our own."

I smiled, glad my sincerity had shown through. Even though some might see their confrontation as a little hostile and rude, I knew where they were coming from. Was it an overreaction? Perhaps, but I didn't blame them for it. It was natural for them to be as defensive and they were when they had gone already gone through so much already.

Though that didn't stop Karen from whacking them on the head, "You're being too overprotective. Don't you trust your big sister to take care of herself?"

"No, it's not like that!" Brock protested, losing all of his earlier seriousness, "We just wanted to make sure..."

"Bah! You're being too paranoid." She rubbed her knuckles into Brock, "I already said that John was a good guy."

"AH! HELP! BULLY!" Brock squealed as his siblings laughed at his fate.

Eventually, Karen deemed it a sufficient punishment and let out a sigh, "Anyways, you should all apologise. John doesn't deserve your hostility."

They pouted, but did as she said anyways, ""Sorry John.""

I waved them off, "Don't sweat it. As I said, I understand where you're coming from. Now let's put this all behind us – lunch isn't going to eat itself!" I gestured to the food.

Karen nodded, "Let me get the younger ones." She quickly stood up from her table and rushed to the rooms, where I heard more laughter.

The mood turned much friendlier after we had cleared the air, with me inquiring about how the Gym had been faring given the recent shenanigans that had spread throughout Indigo. Brock cheerfully talked about all the improvements that they had managed to achieve, and how even the official regent had praised him for his diligent and efficient work ethic.

He also said that he was spending a lot of his spare time on training up his team, just so that he would be able to stand tall with all of the other Gym Leaders.

In the corner of my eye, I could see Karen giving me a sweet and proud smile, like a sister would. I was just happy that she was happy. Karen had truly earned her way into the kids' affection. And I knew they both treated each other as family at this point. They were inseparable.

And as she laughed and smiled at the youngest of pair of twins – I thought that there was no place more suited for her.

The New Normal – 9-16 – Back to Business

I had hoped that my stress-free vacation would be able to last a bit longer than it did. However, duty called, and when Giovanni rang you up saying that he had news from Archer, that warranted enough importance for me to resume my duties.

Of course, I was just about to get started with training with Karen, so that was a bit of unfortunate timing.

"Sorry, Karen, but I need to head out. This probably shouldn't wait." I told her, "We can reschedule for another time."

"No, it's fine." She shook her head, "...But is something wrong?" She shot me a look of concern.

I shrugged, "Not sure yet. Hopefully there isn't – but I guess I'm about to find out."

"...Can I ask what it's about?" She said after a moment, "I want to be able to help too. Or at least help you with some of your burden."

I smiled, "Trust me, I appreciate it. But this is something that I've been told to keep quiet about. You know I would talk about it if I could, but this is best kept quiet."

Her eyes widened, "...Oh. I see. Then I wish you the best of luck. Let me know if you're heading back soon, and I'll leave some food for you."

Even though we weren't dating, our friendship had normalised, and Karen had continued spending more and more time at my place until she effective lived there. Whenever she wasn't taking care of Agatha, she would come over and spend time with me and my family; though she would always return home to sleep.

At this point, it was just a natural habit for her to join us for meals. And I knew it was because she had started seeing my family as an extension of her own. It was clear she had adopted my own parents in her mind, which they were only too happy to reciprocate.

I knew Agatha was happy about it too. She had made it loud and clear that she hated being pampered and didn't want Karen fussing over her. Nor was she one to feel 'jealous' of other people occupying Karen's attention.

Between my family and Brock's, it seemed like Karen had really integrated herself into both of our families while I wasn't looking.

Good on her.

Putting those thoughts out of my mind, I refocused myself as I exchanged a quick goodbye with Karen before flying off to Viridian City to meet Giovanni. I didn't know what Archer had for us, but I hoped he had at least managed to get SOMETHING on Team Galactic.

I landed and quickly moved my way into the Gym. I greeted Giovanni briefly, and that it was onto business. But what I wasn't expecting was for Archer to join us directly in a video call; this meant that whatever he had to report WAS important.

"Repeat to John what you just told me." Giovanni ordered.

Archer nodded, "John, as Giovanni reported to you before, our team thought we had caught a lead. I admit we got a bit hasty, because we were really struggling to find anything of use outppside of this, and we ended up pursuing this single lead a bit more enthusiastically than we should have."

"But this time our enthusiasm ended up paying off. I don't know if we just got lucky and we got caught up in a fortunate coincidence, but after following the money and looking into a few trails, we ended up catching a glimpse of some members that my team swore used to be ex-Rocket grunts that defected to join up with Proton. We kept monitoring those guys, until one day they eventually led us into stumbling into something we really didn't expect."

"It was a small facility that served as a base for a large smuggling operation that was for the illegal capture and sale of many Sinnoh Pokémon. After further investigation, we realized that this operation must have allowed them to supply the Team Aqua and Team Magma grunts with those Sinnoh Pokémon."

"The fact that they had a large operation didn't surprise me, but what WAS surprising was finding that the place was practically shut down. There was no smuggling going on, and the place seemed completely abandoned. We figured that the recent lockdown and increased wariness by the police must have forced them out of business."

"Or perhaps they had no one to sell to, since John kicked the criminals out of Hoenn and Indigo." Giovanni pointed out.

Archer nodded, "Yes, that's a possibility too. But this is a big deal, because an operation like this must have generated them plenty of cash before. Cash that they no longer have access to, or anytime in the future either."

"Okay, so how does this help us?" I asked, feeling a little confused.

"Because criminal operations like this need huge amounts of funding to run." Giovanni explained, "Think about the cost of their manpower, the resources that are needed to keep morale high and to sustain their daily costs. Then think about the operating costs of all their facilities. That's not even including all the additional costs they must have while they're doing whatever research they're trying to do."

"Trust me on this. Running a criminal operation is NOT as cheap or as easy as you might want it to believe." Giovanni said firmly, "And losing out a huge source of income like this is a BIG blow to their ability to keep up with their costs. They HAVE to be bleeding money."

"But couldn't they just be a big enough business to sustain all those costs?" I questioned.

Giovanni shook his head, "No. Once again, I have more than enough experience with this kind of thing. You know of my true role in Silph Co. You know the resources I have access to from that position, as well as my de-facto rule of Viridian City. But even then, it was a struggle to keep up the funds required to maintain Team Rocket alongside all my other projects and ambitions."

"I don't care how big their company is, but they won't be big enough to maintain all those men if they just lost one of their big money makers." Giovanni advised, "And it's even worse if their smuggling operations stopped being efficient a long time ago."

This is why I had to bring Giovanni on board. He was much more familiar with the intricacies of running a criminal operation. Far more than I ever could be.

"Okay, so what's the consequence of this going to be for them? How can we leverage this to exposing their identity?" I asked.

"We need to work on the legal side of things to ramp up the pressure and get them to slip up." Archer said immediately, "It's time for the authorities to step in to do the hard work for us."

"IF they're having money problems sustaining their criminal operations, that means they're going to have to take cash from other sources. The easiest way of getting more money is by siphoning it from their legal business." Giovanni cut in, "THAT's where we can punish them. Get the authorities involved, get them to do a big financial sweep, and that'll expose the cracks in their finances. Then we won't need to do anything, because as soon as the authorities catch wind of their activities then they'll be exposed."

"It'll make them panic at the very least." Archer added, "And we might see them have to limit their operations not because they want to, but because they're FORCED to. In the meanwhile, I'll have my team continue to monitor them. Perhaps we can continue catching them out and find more opportunities to expose them in the future."

Yes, I see why this was a big deal. What better way to limit their operations by forcing them to be unable to fund future ones? They'd just implode on their own.

I blinked, "I see...If I was being honest, I never thought THIS was how things would play out when I asked you to investigate them, Archer." I chuckled, "This seems a little more mundane than I was expecting, but I'm glad we're getting something done."

Would this really be how the big bad Team Galactic got uncovered? Because they had MONEY problems?! And out of all people, it was the CEO of one of the biggest companies in Sinnoh that got exposed like this? It felt a little surreal.

"You can't expect miracles with a small team." Archer shrugged, unaware of my inner thoughts, "Staying hidden and mobile is our greatest advantage, not performing daring rescues and other stupid heroics. And hitting someone in their finances is often the best way of destroying them. You can hide many things, but not from the taxman."

"Not without a lot of proper setup." Giovanni added, and I could feel the smugness radiating out of him for having done just that. Giovanni NEVER seemed afraid of the taxman, which really goes to show just how entrenched he was in Viridian.

I moved to refocus the topic, "Right, then I understand what needs doing. I'm assuming you informed me because you need me to make use of my connections to persuade the leadership of Sinnoh to get the Sinnoh police to do some sweeping up?"

"Exactly." Giovanni confirmed, "We can't do anything on our end. But we've seen the news. We know your 'friend' is one fight away from becoming Champion. If she does...then you have a very powerful ally that's only a phone call away, don't you? And more importantly, she'll be able to provide us with the help we need to sweep these insane terrorists, wouldn't she?"

I nodded in agreement. Giovanni and Archer had a point. If Team Galactic were as financially vulnerable as they described them to be, then this would be a good chance to really inflict some damage on them. Oh, I was under no illusions that a simple financial investigation would be able to bring down Team Galactic by itself – they were way too wily and cunning for that. But it didn't need to.

So long as the investigation bought us some time and disrupted their plans, then I was already satisfied with the outcome. Attacking them like this cost me very little, and had very little risk of alerting them that someone knew of their existence. Because the financial sweep would be targeting every business all at once, and not just Galactic company specifically. That way, their suspicions wouldn't be alerted.

It would be a small victory, but a victory nonetheless that took advantage of the best of both worlds. Archer was right, there was no need for heroics. Not at the moment.

"So what's the next step for your team in Sinnoh?" I made sure to ask Archer, "I appreciate all the work you've done, but are you going to keep snooping around hoping for different clues?"

"We'll keep trying." Archer confirmed, "Like I said, we'll continue to establish our information network here and set up a proper foundation for carrying out future operations if we need to so that we may act on future plans if they become necessary. Of course, if we find anything more incriminating, I'll be sure to keep you both informed."

"Stay cautious." Giovanni reminded, "We've secured a big lead; no need to lose it."

"We will." Archer promised, and the call ended soon after that. I thanked Giovanni for the help and for keeping me in the look, and the two of us reaffirmed our promise to continue working together to bring down this collective threat.

This was a good start. Let's hope we can build on it.

===========

?I was in a better, if contemplative, mood after my conversation with Giovanni finished. If things truly went well, then we were really going to start doing some serious damage to Team Galactic. However, as I arrived home, I reminded myself that I had promised my parents that I would call Joseph about helping out with our expansion into Mauville.

Sure, I could have done so while I was walking about, but that didn't feel right for a business discussion like this. I figured doing it in the privacy of our own home was more suitable.

So I rung up Joseph on a video call, and he picked up only after a few rings.

"John! I was just about to call you!" He greeted cheerfully, his happy smile visible on the screen. "How have you been? It's been some time."

"I'm doing great. And you?" I replied.

"These days have been quite busy, but it's the good kind of busy." He responded, "Even putting aside all of that confusion with the PSS, just dealing with new Fossil discoveries have taken up most of my time. Thanks to all the extra supply we're getting, of course."

"Don't you have assistants to help with that?" I asked.

"I prefer to stay more hands on with projects that I am personally interested in." He chuckled, "And seeing all these interesting new Fossil Pokémon never ceases to amaze me."

"Where are you up to on that? I think I heard you revived the...Skull and Armor fossils, right" I asked.

He nodded, "Yep. Into a Cranidos and a Sheldon respectively. Those were from the fossils that we got from Sinnoh. Something that we've noticed is that the fossil Pokémon all seem to share a common Rock typing. Among the four that we've revived so far, all of them have been Rock type. Sure, we've only have a small sample size to work with, but it IS becoming a noticeable trend."

Then he let out a sigh, "Unfortunately, progress isn't going as quick as we wanted it to. For every success we have with a Root or Armor fossil, we have more failures when we tried testing out fossils that didn't lead to anything. It's hard to know what constitutes a revivable fossil and what doesn't."

"Yeah, I can see how that could be an issue." I said understandingly, "So how many fossils are you reviving at this point? Can we expect to see fossil Pokémon in the hands of regular trainers anytime soon?"

"Possibly." Joseph replied slowly, "I don't want to make any promises I can't keep, but with the funding we're getting and the successes we have, it should only really be a matter of time. I've already started to give a few fossils to Steven so he can train them up if he's interested. I do have a few I could give to you to train up, if you're interested in them? We still haven't managed to evolve one yet – though I'm sure it'll only be a matter of time."

I shook my head, "Not particularly. I just recently got a new Pokémon, and I'm not really looking to add yet another to my roster. Especially not a type that I'm not familiar with working with. Thanks for the offer though."

"Anyways, let's get back on the reason why I called – thank you for offering your help with our family's business move to Mauville City." I said, switching the topic, "I hope you don't mind lending some assistance."

He waved his hand, "It's not a problem. It really wasn't that big of a deal. Here, one second. Let me fetch something." He rummaged through his desk and withdrew a few pieces of paper.

"...Ah, yes, here we go. My assistants compiled a few locations that we could help you get set up in. They're all within the new build of Mauville City, inside the shopping complex, and their difference really comes down to size and rent. Obviously, the bigger they space, the more rent it'll cost." He explained, "But what kind of business are you looking to set up anyways? Or is it just another store to sell your family's Moomoo milk?"

"No, we're doing something different with Mauville." I replied, "We've done our research, and we know that the people that visit Mauville often have more money to throw around. They wouldn't be interested in plain old Moomoo milk, even if my name is on it."

Joseph nodded, allowing me to continue, "What MIGHT catch their interest are specialty products. Products that take our family's Moomoo milk and turn it into something more interesting and unique."

"Are you going to be making fancy drinks using your Moomoo milk?" Joseph questioned.

"Yes." I confirmed, "At least that's the plan. We have the framework with what we want to do, but we need to see how much everything's going to cost first to see what we can do with it."

"Well I think I can help with that. What do you need help with to set up this new branch?" Then the two of us fell into discussion about what we needed.

I obviously kept out some of the more important details. Friends or not, I wasn't about to be blurting out confidential information about our business to Joseph. Nor did he ever push to ask, seemingly very aware of the boundaries of what he was allowed to ask and what he wasn't.

So I explained to Joseph that we wanted to set up was a specialty drinks shop that used our Moomoo milk as its primary ingredient. The drinks would be priced highly, but hopefully the quality and novelty would offset the high price. We explicitly chose to go down this path because we knew that we currently didn't have any competition in Mauville City that was going to be selling the same products as us.

After a few minutes of explanations and back-and-forth, Joseph had a better understanding of what we wanted to do. "Well I can't say for certain if it'll turn out to be a success, but from what I'm hearing, and knowing of your reputation, I'm sure it'll garner some popularity. Initially out of curiosity, more than anything else."

He flipped through the notes that he had written during my explanation, "I don't see any big problems that jump out at me. I'll put your parents in contact with someone who can help you get set up. You should have no problems with logistics. Do you want me to send Steven to come over on your big opening day just to garner some popularity?"

I blinked, a little surprised by his offer.

"Yes, if he's free – that would be great. Thank you." I replied sincerely, not expecting the offer. I heard Joseph typing as if to make a note of it for himself. Having Steven show up would do wonders to attract attention and boost awareness of the new shop. He had a very different popularity to someone like me. And in Hoenn, his popularity was substantial.

I thought the call was going to end after our discussion was over, but Joseph apparently had something else he wanted to bring up, "Say, John, have you realized that Cerulean City has just become the main source of fossils in Indigo?"

I blinked, "I did not know that." I replied, "But...now that you've said it. I guess we do have both Mt. Moon and Cerulean Cave under our authority. But wouldn't the other cities have fossils as well? And that's not even including Mt. Silver."

"Well, yes. You're right. But Mt. Moon is known to be the most popular place to locate fossils from Indigo." Joseph explained, "And that's not including whatever you can find out from Cerulean Cave. That's just a whole new area of untapped potential."

"But the reason I mentioned it is because I would like to have access to the fossils you dig up from these locations." Joseph said, "Not all of them, naturally. But Devon Corp would like to make a contract with Cerulean City to buy off the fossils you find."

I put up a hand, "I don't actually have the authority to make these kinds of agreements. I'd have to speak to the mayor and get his approval. But I'll pass on the message."

"Thank you, that's all I ask." Joseph nodded, "You can speak to Shelly if you come to an agreement and she can sort out the rest of the details. I'll fill her in after we finish this call."

"What ARE you going to do once you are able to revive more fossils, if you don't mind saying?" I asked, "Because yes, fossils ARE rare, but at some point you're going to have over hundreds of fossil Pokémon just lying around. Surely you must be planning to do something with them?"

"This might sound bad, but we'll hold an auction to sell them off to the highest bidders." Joseph stated, "After all, we ARE a business, and that's just the most logical thing to do when you have a monopoly over the supply of certain rare Pokémon. Of course, we'll give a few out as gifts, but that's the gist of our plan. The offer still stands if you ever change your mind about receiving one, by the way."

I wasn't surprised or offended by what I heard. As Joseph put it – they were a business. This was what they did. The fossil revival machine was built entirely by Joseph and his company's own efforts, so they deserved to reap the rewards of their success. And while the price for a single fossil Pokémon would likely be out of arms reach for most trainers, I was confident that as soon as the supply of fossils went up, the price of these fossil Pokémon would become more affordable to the average trainer.

And there certainly would be a high demand for it, considering how unique they were. Not to mention that fossil Pokémon were all quite strong as well.

"I'm fine." I repeated, "But thanks again for the offer and for the help with Mauville. Maybe one day I'll ask you for a fossil Pokémon to be used as a gift, if you don't mind."

"Of course not! And there's no need to thank me." Joseph said immediately, "If we're counting who owes who, I'm still in the red. Helping you and your family out with Mauville is a very small thing. Even gifting you with a fossil would be a small ask for us. And I know you're still bringing the fight to these criminals – you're just waiting for an opportunity to strike."

I stayed silent, but he deemed my silence as confirmation, "Exactly. So don't feel bad for coming to me for help, especially if you need resources to fight back against these terrorists. THAT kind of help I'll provide for free."

I was grateful for his support, and made sure to mention it to him. The two of us shared a few more words before he ended the call, having to run for another meeting. I made sure to jot down a few notes as soon as the call ended so that I would have a note of this discussion when I got back to my parents.

I was sure they would be happy about this development. The expansion to Mauville was a huge milestone for our family business – as it meant that our family business was now going to become a properly international business. Not only that, but it was also going to be our first foray into going into a different type of business than the simple selling of Moomoo milk.

It was a really big step up for the former farmers that lived in poverty. And I was going to make sure it would be a success.