The New Normal – 4-18 – Interlude – Will
Will stared down at the official letter from the League with a bright smile on his face as he stood in the middle of his decorated living room in his expensive apartment. Finally, the League had begun to recognize his brilliance and properly rewarded him for the hard work that he had done.
To be fair, he had expected such an invitation a few months ago when Blaine stepped down in the Elite Four, but the League could be forgiven for choosing a Kantonian to replace Blaine. But now, with a Johtoninan spot that needed to be filled, it was only natural that they selected him.
After all, who else in Johto could be his match? Outside of the Elite Four, of course.
None. That was the easy answer. No one else had his drive and determination to dive headfirst into business and politics as soon as they won the Indigo Conference. None had his savvy to start making powerful connections with businessmen and other friends in high places. None had been able to transform themselves from a relative nobody into someone who the League recognized and WANTED to be in the Elite Four.
Admittedly, there was that weird buff guy from Johto as well, but Will didn't think he had the pizazz or star power that you REALLY needed to be in the Elite Four. He was strong, undoubtedly, but the public wanted a show. They wanted someone who could wow them with cool stunts and Pokémon, with a personality to back that up. Not someone who immediately absconded themselves up a mountain after their victory in the Indigo Conference, even if his strength might have been deserving to be in the Elite Four.
The previous winner of the Indigo Conference before him might be the stronger trainer, but that didn't matter when he had the personality and likeability of a fist to the face.
Speaking of the Elite Four, he idly wondered if any of the Elite Four were fans of his too; they must have at least known who he was before they invited him! He saw in the news who had chosen to vote for him, and he was eternally grateful for their recognition. He held a great respect for the institution, and he wished to prove himself worthy in their eyes.
Especially the Champion. In his eyes, Lance really had everything. Not only did he have strong and powerful Pokémon, but his choice of attire was also fantastic. It really matched the Dragon trainer vibe and gave him a distinct identity to the public. Honestly, if Lance hadn't effectively nailed that idea down, Will might have tried wearing a cape for himself to finish off his look.
Alas, at least he was adorned in purple. The colour of royalty.
Still, he made sure not to overly indulge in his fantasies. He recognized that although the League sought out his talents and ability, he would still need to prove to the world that he deserved to keep his position. After all, even if he was confident that he would become one of the more popular members of the Elite Four, that meant nothing if he couldn't hold his position in a battle of strength.
Which was why Will was not one to give all of the credit to himself. Indeed, his powerful Psychic type Pokémon deserved much of the credit for his success. After all, their elegant fighting styles focused on skilfully evading and overpowering their enemies were always a sight to behold, if Will could say so himself.
It would take a blind fool for one to not be able to appreciate the elegance and splendour of his Pokémon. Just ask his many fans who had all supported him during his run through the Indigo Conference; none managed to stand up to him and his Psychic types!
The reason was simple. Psychic types needed an intellectual trainer to command them, because Psychic type Pokémon relied on clever strategies rather than barbaric brute force. And Will knew that he HAD that cleverness, as seen by his undefeated string of victories ever since he entered the Indigo Conference.
He still remembered the time where his starter Xatu was able to flawlessly able to knock out an opposing Typhlosion with proud ease. And how his Hypno was able to do the same, winning flawlessly through a powerful Hypnosis that allowed him to freely earn his victory with Dream Eater. The crowd went wild when that happened.
It was no wonder that he got a reputation for never being hit in battle.
And Will himself was more than just a trainer, he was someone that was more than capable of handling business affairs and politics as well, and from what he had read was ultimately the reason why the League chose him in the first place. He might have been self-taught but mingling and forming connections with his many 'friends' in business and politics taught him a lot about how to handle the gentlemen that backed up their society; skills that would definitely be put to use when he was in the Elite Four.
Especially in the Elite Four, when almost all business and political deals were about give-and-take and trying to get what you wanted for as little as possible. That was the main goal of many politicians. Will understood this very well; it was what he had learnt from his many interactions with other businessmen.
And now, as he placed the official letter confirming his appointment in the midst of his collection of business cards, he was grinning from ear to ear.
It was time to show the world his brilliance!
A.N. This was a fairly hard chapter to write. I wanted to nail down Will's personality as rather intelligent, but he's quite the show-off (although not blindly so). I think I made Pryce a bit too unlikeable, so I tried to make Will less of an ass but still not that pleasant. I hope that comes through, and you'll see more of him very soon!
And yes, I recognize that the comparison between this Will and Hard Enough's Will is inevitable. Unfortunately, I had already planned and written this before that whole fight went down. Still, I will do my best to try to make my Will distinct enough from Hard Enough's. I can only apologize for the similarities.
This chapter has been 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!