The New Normal – 2-16 – Interlude - Lance
Lance stared intensely at the screen as he studied the battle between Drake and John. He was dismissive of the battle at first, but Clair was insistent for him to sit down and watch, and he could see why.
The battle between the two of them was far more intense and interesting than he expected. He always knew that Drake fielded a similar team to himself, but watching John take down his Flygon with his Slaking was both worrying and exciting.
Worrying, because he really did underestimate the strength of John's team. Despite John's impressive record of wins, John never really had to fight against strong opponents during his time as a trainer. He didn't even need to fight and defeat a member of the Elite Four to join, since he was selected by committee to fill in the vacancy caused by Blaine's departure.
So, watching how his Slaking almost instantly demolished Drake's Flygon was definitely eye-opening. Lance inadvertently thought about how his own team would match up against his Slaking, and he wasn't certain that, outside his starter Dragonite, he could defeat John's Slaking in a one vs one.
Oh sure, he could just use his Pokémon's ability to fly to just stay out of range of his Slaking and slowly wear it down with long-ranged attacks, but Lance despised winning like that. No, if he were to ever fight the Slaking in a real battle, he was determined to win by demonstrating his Pokémon's own strength and surpassing John's Slaking in a proper battle.
And this was why Lance found this whole situation equally as exciting. He admitted to himself that ever since he joined the Elite Four, he never really had the opportunity to battle to his full potential. Understandably, the Blackthorn name deterred many challengers from challenging him for his spot in the Elite Four, as they assumed that he was probably too strong from them to defeat.
They weren't wrong, but that did mean that Lance was deprived of good battles for the past few years.
"So, what are you thinking about, cousin?" Clair's voice broke through his thoughts and Lance turned to face her. "You're probably measuring yourself up to him." She guessed.
"Yes, and I find myself pleasantly surprised by John's performance." He admitted easily. "I haven't had a real challenge in a very long time, and John might be a great opponent for me to test my skills against one day."
"Hmmm." Clair hummed thoughtfully. "Do you think I have a chance of defeating John with my team?"
"Not a chance." Lance denied with brutal honesty, causing Clair to frown. Lance felt a bit bad for crushing Clair's pride like that, but she was better off not deluding herself. "I know that you have a lot of pride in yourself and your team, but you're definitely not at John's level."
"I'll have you know that I was chosen to be the Blackthorn Gym Leader-" Clair spluttered out indignantly, but Lance interrupted her.
"Yes, I know you were. I was there. But there was a reason that the Clan selected me to join the Elite Four and not you." Lance said seriously. "You forget yourself in your own pride sometimes, Clair, but I'm saying this for your own good, do not let your pride rule your head. You'll become a worse person and trainer if you do." Lance warned, though he was self-aware enough to realize how hypocritical that statement was.
"Hmph." Clair snorted dismissively and left the room, not even bothering to finish watching the battle between John and Drake. Lance watched her leave with a shake of his head; he already told her everything that she needed to here, but he wasn't about to coddle her until she understood.
That was not the way that things were done in the Blackthorn Clan.
Returning back to the battle, he saw that Drake was about to send out his Salamence. Lance instantly regained his focus; he knew that Drake's Salamence was stronger than his own and wanted to see how his Salamence would match up against John's Pokémon. It would be a good indicator of how strong John's team was at compared to his own team.
John had already beaten Drake's Gyarados with his Snorlax, and while Lance didn't know exactly how strong Drake's Gyarados was compared to his own, it was still a good point of measurement. He should also probably schedule in a time to actually speak to John more in person, just to get a better measure of his character.
He seemed shy and rather humble the first time they met, but Lance wondered if his forced trip to Hoenn would have changed him any. That would be interesting to see.
Lance wished that Clair did stay to watch the rest of the battle, she had much to learn from it. If only she didn't let her pride blind her so. It was especially ironic since she was the one who told him to watch it at first, and now she's the one who left.
Nevertheless, Lance put those thoughts aside and continued watching the match. He was impressed by John's performance, and now wanted to ensure that he would not be blindsided by his strength.
His ambitions would not allow him to be careless like that.
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