The New Normal – OMAKE – The Hero
As the young man finished placing his saddle onto his Dragonite, he turned to look over the huge cliff. In the distance, a large tribal city was located just below, as if it was being protected in a nest of cliffs and mountains. This seemingly innocent city was actually the powerbase of one of the most powerful factions of Johto, and one of their greatest sources of military strength.
The Blackthorns had been Dragon breeders and caretakers for centuries and had contributed greatly to the Johto war effort. Unsurprisingly, their monopoly on Dragons was one of Johto's greatest strengths, and the devastating power of said Dragons almost brought Kanto to its knees many times over.
Throughout the war, Johto ruled the skies, their Dragons completely outclassing Kanto's Flying types. After all, what was a bird to a Dragon, if not prey?
Of course, Kanto learned to adapt to its enemy's reliance on Dragons, and soon learned to train up their own Pokémon to master Ice type moves to fight back against the dominance of Johto's Dragons. But it was still not enough.
The Dragons proved too mobile, too strong, and too versatile. Instead of relying on all out attacks like they were doing previously, Johto quickly adapted and started to rely on hit-and-run attacks by making use of their aerial superiority to strike like thunder and escape before Kanto's reinforcements could arrive.
For a while, Kanto's leaders despaired as they realized that they would slowly lose the war of attrition. For a while, Johto went from strength to strength as their Dragons continued their reign of domination; Kanto's Pokémon simply unable to win against a horde of Dragonites in hit-and-run engagements.
For a while, all seemed lost.
Until one day, a young boy stumbled onto an injured Dratini in the wild by a complete stroke of luck. The young boy, although scared, helped nurse this weak Dratini back to health. In gratitude, the young boy became the first Kantonian to win the loyalty of a Dratini in years.
As the years went by, the bond between the Dragon and its rider grew stronger. And the now young man became a prominent trainer and soldier in his own right, with a full team of diverse Pokémon loyally standing by his side as he fought through battlefield after battlefield. Winning victory after victory.
His now evolved Dragonite turned the tides of battles that they would have once lost, and Kanto slowly started to win back the aerial superiority that they had always lost. Furthermore, by allowing Kanto the opportunity to properly research his Dragonite, they managed to learn much about the strengths and weaknesses of their greatest enemy. And from that, how best to counter them.
Over time, the young man's infinite kindness and mercy brought him many friends and allies, who admired the strength of his will to maintain his humanity despite the sea of suffering that always surrounded him. It was this bravery and strength, tempered by a sense of mercy and morality, that would cause many to later dub and honour him as the Champion of the war.
And now, the man, one of the prominent leaders of Kanto, was determined to end the war. He saw that both regions had long grown tired of the seemingly endless conflict, and the suffering that it brings to their people. Generations had died for a war that hardly anyone remembers why they were even fighting in the first place.
Hence, this man believed that the time was ripe to finally bring about peace. To convince the other side to lay down their arms, and hopefully find a compromise that would satisfy both regions and finally end the war.
However, the man knew that the only language that his opponent spoke was the language of violence. He recognized that, without being in a position of strength, he would never be able to bring Johto to the negotiating table.
And thus, it was why he and his chosen Elite trainers were now preparing to strike at the heart of the Blackthorn Clan in order to cripple their ability to continue fielding Dragons for Johto. If they could remove Johto's greatest advantage over Kanto, then Johto would be much more willing to negotiate some form of peace.
He let out a sigh. He had done this many times before, but the act of killing and destruction never truly became easier. He just learned to better harden his heart.
"Sir, we are ready when you are." One of his Elites approached him and saluted.
"Understood. Let's go. As planned, follow my lead." He strapped himself onto his ever-loyal Dragonite and took flight, carefully maintaining his speed as to not break formation with his superior Flying speed.
As they got close to Blackthorn City, he could hear the sounds of blaring alarms and shouts spreading throughout the city. As expected, they had realized that they were about to be under attack and were quick to rally their Dragons to prepare for aerial combat. Soon, the Blackthorns had assembled over two dozen Dragonites that flew up into the sky, prepared for combat.
But the man was not scared, even as he saw a few of his Elites falter slightly at the sheer number of Dragonites coming their way and continued to fly forwards into the incoming Dragonites. He had faith in his Dragonite, and his allies, to see them through, as they always have.
He watched steadily as the enemy Dragonites continued to get closer and gripped tightly onto his harness as they finally got in range. He gave the order that would spell the beginning of the battle.
"Annihilate them."
And suddenly, the sky was split apart as a devastating beam of draconic energy from his Dragonite's maw devastated everything in its path. Swaths of enemy Dragonites were instantly felled and began falling out of the sky as they were obliterated by the attack before they could even react. Their long-term reliance on hit-and-run attacks making them unused to direct confrontations like this.
As the enemy suddenly halted their assault as they witnessed the sheer destructiveness of the attack, his Dragonite took advantage of their surprise as it suddenly surged forwards with Extreme Speed, gouging an enemy Dragonite with one of his claws, before a quick bone-shattering swipe of its Dragon Tail slammed another Dragonite out of the sky. Unrelenting, it continued charging forwards at any Dragonite that it saw in its path, attacking repeatedly with ruthless Dragon Rushes that ferociously tore through the enemy lines, leaving a trail of fallen Dragonites in its wake.
His Dragonite was a whirlwind of violence and destruction, reigned in only by the iron will of its trainer. It unleashed a vortex of Draconic energy that violently swept through the battlefield, consuming all resistance in its path.
Having dealt with their immediate opponents, the trainer and Dragonite turned around and surveyed the damage. A huge bulk of the enemy's Dragonites had already been defeated, and the remaining ones were being tied down by his Elites.
The man gestured forwards and they went to finish off the remaining Dragonites. It was time to finish the battle.
"Finish them off! Watch out for friendly fire!"
They spun around and fired off another pulsating ray of energy that took the enemy Dragonites by surprise and ruthlessly decimated what remains of their opposition. Perhaps some might have found it dishonourable to attack from behind, but the man was more concerned about prioritising the safety of his fellow Elites.
"Captain! Report your losses!" He barked out at one of his Elites that was riding on a heavily panting and injured Pidgeot.
"James, Michael, and Catelyn are all down. They fell to the initial rush of the enemy Dragonites. There's only four of us remaining." The Elite replied with a hoarse voice.
The man grimaced and gritted his teeth at hearing about his fallen comrades. His heart clenched as he was forced to endure yet more loss to this pointless war. But now was not the time to mourn them. He stoically nodded at the captain and ordered the remaining Elites to follow him to finish what they had come here to do.
His Elites continued to circle the skies above as he landed in the center of a small clearing within the buildings of Blackthorn City, where a crowd had gathered and witnessed the defeat of their prized Dragons. The man landed graciously, covered and splattered with the blood of his fallen enemies, looking like a splitting image of a victor and warrior.
Or, perhaps, a conquering hero.
In a matter of minutes, the man and his Dragonite had annihilated any form of resistance from the Blackthorns and brought an end to their reign of power, at least for this generation.
And the residents of Blackthorn knew it.
"Young warrior!" An old, grizzled elder called out towards him. "I am the patriarch of the Blackthorn Clan, and we know when we are defeated. Speak your terms, honourable warrior."
He didn't know what was so honourable about fighting a war, but he knew better than to gainsay the elder at the moment.
"I am looking to end the war!" The man declared as he projected his voice loudly and clearly, eliciting sharp gasps from his audience. "I did not attack you out of malice, but because this was the only way to bring Johto to the negotiating table. I am sorry for your fallen soldiers, but I hope that these will be one of the final casualties that we will have to endure before we can bring about an era of peace."
He continued before anyone in the crowd could interrupt him. "The war has gone on for long enough! How many of your brothers, sisters, and children, have died fighting in a war that seemingly has no end!? There is no victory, only more death and suffering! If our two regions are to heal, we must bring peace! Therefore, I ask of you, citizens of Blackthorn City, will you surrender to me and help bring an end to the suffering that plagues our two regions?!"
That started a round of whispers and mutterings from the audience. The patriarch himself also turned and whispered to a small group of elders that surrounded him. The tense silence stretched on for a moment before the patriarch eventually spoke up once again, "We too, believe that the war has gone on for long enough. And as you say, peace is something that we in the Blackthorn Clan have also long sought out. We would be honoured to discuss terms with you if you can assure our safety."
"Bend the knee, and none shall be harmed! I swear this on my word." He declared, but then the man signalled his Dragonite with a small tap, and a huge orb of energy flew up into the air, eliciting gasps of horror and surprise as the blinding energy from the Draco Meteor loomed threateningly over the gathered residents of Blackthorn City.
"BUT! If you betray my trust, then I will devastate what remains of your city. I will wipe Blackthorn City off the face of the map if you dare break your word." He warned threateningly, his eyes sweeping over the gathered people as if to scan for any signs of defiance.
Somehow, this act of ruthlessness seemed to garner more respect in the eyes of the elders. "Ah, that is the move that you have developed…isn't it?" The elder asked rhetorically as he stared at the glowing orb of energy in undisguised awe and admiration.
Eventually, the elder turned back to face the man with a look of faint recognition. "I have heard tales of a young warrior from Kanto who was the first and greatest Dragon rider to ever emerge from your region. A young warrior who matured and honed his skills on the battlefields and grew into a great leader. And now that warrior has begun his journey to seek peace. A very admirable sentiment." The elder gave the man a surprisingly respectful smile before continuing.
"We are honoured by your presence, young warrior, and we can reassure you that none will dare harm you while you are here. But, before we bend the knee, can we know the name of the great warrior?"
"My name is Samuel Oak." The man declared to the world, as if engraving his name into Legend, "And I ask the citizens of Blackthorn City once again! Will you kneel and join me on my quest to restore peace?!"
And, as one, Blackthorn City knelt.
A.N. I spent WAYY too long for what was supposed to be just a bonus OMAKE. Hope you like it and that I've done the character justice.
Just to be clear, like The Mother Omake, this is either canon or non-canon depending on your own preference. Oak's background is not and will never be a big part of my story. However, one takeaway you should have is that Oak is EXTREMELY respected.
This chapter has been BETAed by Allute! Cheers!
The New Normal – OMAKE – Ingame Conversation Snippets v2
When speaking to John at Seafoam Island:
["Blaine is an…impressive Gym Leader. I mean, what kind of guy watches his life's work and Gym get destroyed by a volcano, and relocates everything to some cave in the middle of nowhere?"]
["I'm not sure how 11-year-old kids like you are supposed to find his Gym in the first place. But I mean, if you could do it, surely the other kids would be able to too. Right?"]
When speaking at Goldenrod City:
["When I received news from my sister that someone defeated her and made her cry, I was most wroth. But then I heard it was some punk 11-year-old kid that did it, and I contemplated how best to avenge my dear sister."]
["Don't look at me like that. I wouldn't do anything to harm you. Not directly, at least."]
Random occurrence when speaking to John:
["Hey, wouldn't it be CRAZY if it turned out all of us Elite Four members were secretly terrorists looking to genocide the world? And wouldn't it be CRAZIER if some of the Gym Leaders that you know were also criminals too? I mean, in such a world, who would stop us?"]
["It's okay. I wouldn't do something like that. I mean, taking over the world by force is too much work, and you always get stopped in the end. I'm not interested in something like that."]
["Oh, speaking of which, did you know that the Smith family Moomoo milk is about to form a monopoly on milk? What a coincidence, huh."]
When speaking at the bottom of Cerulean Cave:
["Oh, hey there. Didn't expect to see you here. …You look disappointed at finding me here? Why is that? Were you expecting something else? Perhaps a Legendary?"]
["Welp, hate to break it to you, kid, but there are no Legendaries down here. Just me. Hey, while you're here, want to buy some Moomoo milk for the journey back? I always have some on hand!"]
When speaking at the top of Bell Tower/bottom of Whirl Island:
["Oh, uh, did I interrupt something? I just saw a whole bunch of Kimono Girls dancing and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about…but it seems like I ruined things. Oh well, you probably weren't doing anything important right?"]
["Anyways, you Kimono Girls look frustrated about something. Um…as an apology, here's some Moomoo milk to calm you guys down. Sorry about this once again."]
["Hey, why are you looking at me like you want to punch me? I already apologized!"]
When speaking at Silph Co.:
["It's a remarkable thing, this Master Ball. A Pokéball so powerful that it can catch anything with a guaranteed catch rate. I wonder if it'll work on Legendaries…not like anyone's going to get an opportunity to test it."]
["Oh? You seem to be eyeing this Master Ball very eagerly. Did you want it?"]
["Unfortunately, this is the only Master Ball that Silph Co. has at the moment, and it shall remain in their hands. I'm only here to inspect it on behalf of the League. Anyways, we wouldn't give away such a powerful Pokéball for no reason, especially not to some random 11-year-old. No offense intended."]
When speaking at the Safari Zone:
["…I still can't believe such a facility is allowed to exist in this world. I mean, who was the idiot that thought it could POSSIBLY be safe for trainers to walk around a huge field full of dangerous Pokémon WITHOUT being able to use Pokémon of their own?"]
["And to make matters worse, these trainers are then encouraged to throw rocks and carry around huge amounts of bait. What were they thinking?! Who allowed this?!"]
When speaking at Lavender Town:
["No idea why people find this place so spooky. I understand that the Pokémon tower is located here, but that shouldn't make things scary. Hell, the only thing I'm afraid of is the old lady that constantly haunts me."]
["Her name is Agatha, and she's a real pain in my...I really shouldn't say more."]
When speaking at Pallet Town:
["I really like hanging around here. For some reason, this and New Bark Town really give off a certain energy that really makes me feel like I'm about to embark on a grand journey. You'd know, wouldn't you?"]
["Also, was it just me, or did I see Professor Oak just leave your house in a rush? Huh. Wonder what he's doing there."]
When speaking at the Lake of Rage:
["This place is really too hostile and dangerous for 11-year-olds to be in; and if it were me all children should be banned from entering a Gyarados infested Lake. That just sounds like a quick way to meet Arceus to me."]
["Why are you looking around so much? …Oh, if you were looking for that Red Gyarados, I'm sorry, but the League already caught and dealt with it. It was doing too much damage and had to be relocated somewhere else."]
["…Why do you look so upset?"]
When speaking at the top of Mt. Silver:
["…"]
["…"]
["…"]
["…Oh, were you expecting me to say something or battle you? Nah, no thanks. I'm just here to enjoy the view."]
A.N. DOUBLE OMAKE! John Smith, S tier cockblocker. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this OMAKE as well! Once again, don't think too hard about it.
BETAed by Allute! Cheers! And to anyone who wants to support me, please check out my p atreon at CartecTNN where you can read 8 advanced chapters! Thanks to those who have supported me already!