The New Normal - A Pokémon SI

by CartecFF

For most, becoming a member of the Elite 4 would be the culmination of their Journey. A great achievement that solidified your status in the annals of history. For me, it was just the start of my journey. Hopefully, everything stays Normal. A pre-canon self-insert into the world of Pokémon. Inspired by Hard Enough. Crossposted SB/QQ. Updates every Mon/Fri. Short Interludes on Wed.

172. The New Normal - 8-18

John's Team

Tyrant - Slaking

Vordt - Ursaluna

Smough - Snorlax

Klee - Blissey

Port - Mantine

Zephyr - Pidgeot

Klaus - Wyrdeer

Luna - Clefable

Pixel - Porygon2

Euphie - Sylveon

Ornstein - D-Linoone

Wraith - H-Zoroark

The New Normal – 8-18 – The Return Trip

As I expected, buying gifts for the many, many, acquaintances and friends that I had was a huge headache. I actually had to write down who was in my contacts list to see who I had to buy gifts for because of how many people I had become acquainted with.

Luckily, most of those gifts weren't that voluminous, but there were still a lot of them.

I wasn't the best gift-giver in the world, but the more notable gifts that I bought included: A watch and wallet for my dad and mom respectively, a cute, pink yet rugged backpack for Whitney, and a relatively nice bracelet that caught my eye for Karen.

That last one was especially important. I hadn't told her yet, but while I knew it was going to be a difficult conversation, I still valued Karen as a friend. I would hate for that to end because of this.

I also asked around and bought some good wine for Giovanni, on top of an expensive tie. I also, for the laughs, bought a very familiar looking red cap for Silver. Maybe he'd live up to it. And lastly, I included a nice purple scarf for Agatha, which I'm sure she'd appreciate.

I didn't forget about Cynthia, but hers was a little more special. And took me the longest to sort out.

There were of course plenty of other gifts that I bought as well for Lance, Lorelei, Will, and all the others. But that'd be too many to list out.

I had actually bought so many presents that I had trouble storing them all in my room in the lab. Fortunately, a few of the assistants were able to allocate some space in the storage room overnight. That was all I needed to store them for, since I was already preparing to leave Sinnoh the very next day.

And that was what happened. The next day, I finally finished packing all my things and prepared to leave Celestic Town for the last time in a good while. There were a few heartfelt goodbyes between myself and many of the scientists and assistants here; many of them that I'd come to know and made acquaintances with over my stay here. Overall, I was very thankful for Celestic Town to have played host to me during my stay here, and I wouldn't have traded it for anything else.

So, with my goodbyes made, I set out for Canalave City, where a ship was waiting to take Will and I, among a few other delegates that had been similarly sent over from Indigo, and deliver us back home.

I was truthfully a little melancholic on my flight to Canalave City, and flew a little slower so I could appreciate the scenery and atmosphere of Sinnoh for just a little while longer.

While I still preferred Indigo, I had come to really enjoy my time staying in Sinnoh, especially with all the cave explorations that we did. Sinnoh really had some spectacular and remarkable caves that was well-worth exploring, even if I couldn't really appreciate all of the rich history that must have come with it. My fondness for cave delving made me reaffirm my decision to bring up a similar proposal about opening up Cerulean Cave for similar explorations.

Eventually, I neared Canalave City, and could see that a large crowd had gathered around the distinct looking ship that would take us back home. It seems that there were many that we were eager to see us off. As I got closer, a few people even started pointing towards me, and cameras began to flash as I landed near the Gym.

"Make way! Make way!" One of the Indigo League officials shouted out as they pushed my way towards me, shoving away all of the reporters that had immediately tried to swarm me.

"Elite John! You should make your way to the boat now! It's—" He tried to tell me, but then a signature flash of light from a Teleport suddenly appeared next to us, interrupting what the official was trying to say.

Will stepped out of the light, looking as dressed up as usual and wearing his signature mask. But what was more surprising was that Cynthia and Lucian stepped out after him, shocking the crowd at their appearance.

Cynthia and I shared a small smile as we saw each other. We had agreed to keep our relationship private for now. There was no need to advertise it and attract undue scrutiny.

"John! What fortuitous timing!" Will greeted with his arms outspread, "Are you excited to head back?"

"Of course he is." Lucian stated, "Who would not want to return his home region after so long being abroad?"

"I think I would have liked to stay in Sinnoh for longer." I said, shooting Cynthia a subtle glance, "But I also understand that it's time to head home."

"There's much for us to do." Will agreed, "And, if I could be honest, I would very much to get out of this cold weather."

Cynthia snorted, "Better than the heat of Hoenn, from what I've heard. I've always found the cold more preferable."

"Let's agree to disagree on that one." Will replied diplomatically, but I knew he disagreed.

In the corner of my eye, I could spot the League official looking troubled as he stared at the four of us chatting. Many cameramen had used our sudden conversation to rapidly take as many pictures of us as they could, and the official clearly wanted us to just board the ship and set off from Sinnoh.

Well too bad for him, I still wanted to chat a bit. "Thanks for seeing us off." I said to the two of them, "Or are you here for other reasons?"

The two of them looked around at the reporters crowding around us before responding. "Partially." Lucian responded, after making sure that none of the reporters were in earshot and could overhear us, "But we're here to make an announcement as well." Cynthia nodded at his words.

Understanding flashed through my head, and I shot Cynthia a smile, "So it's finally time? Well, I know you'll do well."

"Thank you, John." She said, with a little more emotion than she would usually have, "But we hope to put on a good show with our battles. In just 4 battles, we need to regain the trust of the region in the Sinnoh League by proving my strength to the public."

"There's a lot of weight on Cynthia's shoulders." Lucian continued, "We won't be able or willing to hold back in our battles, so there's a lot riding on her strength to be able to defeat us all in a convincing manner."

"Have you already decided on an order?" I asked, "Or when the first battle will take place?"

"Due to the need for urgency, the first battle will take place in a week, against Aaron." Lucian replied, "Then Bertha, a week after that, after she returns from Indigo. Then Flint a week later, then myself last. Overall, assuming no complications, all the battles should be done in a month."

"It's a lot of work, but my team have been preparing very hard for it." Cynthia added, remaining confident despite the herculean task ahead of her.

Then she took a quick look at her watch, "I think we should let Will and John head back now. That League official standing next to us has been growing increasingly frustrated at our lack of movement."

"Let them squirm." Will chuckled, "You don't know how lucky you were to not have League officials following your every move when you were in Sinnoh, John. I like the spotlight, but they had no respect for privacy."

I gave him a commiserating look, "You have my thanks for dealing with them." It must be bad if even Will was complaining about them.

But we eventually decided to make our to the ship, and I swore I could hear the League official letting out a giant sigh of relief when we finally got moving.

As we reached the ship, both Will and I made a show of waving everyone a big goodbye. Will moved to exchange a few extra words with Lucian, while I did the same with Cynthia.

"I'll miss you." I whispered to her, "Exploring the caves with you was an unforgettable experience."

"It was for me too." She replied, "And you don't have to thank me for anything. I'm always happy to share my passions and interests with anyone interested. If anything, I'm grateful for how receptive you were to trying out next things. I doubt most other members in your position would be so eager to delve deep into the caves like that."

"We found something really cool out of it, didn't we?" I replied with a fond smile.

"We did." She nodded happily, "My own latest…discovery is still being monitored and examined, but I fully intend to include it properly into my team when the time comes. I assume you're doing the same with your own Pokémon."

"I am." I confirmed, "He'll grow to become a very strong addition to my team. And I'm sure yours will do the same."

"I hope so too." She replied.

"Before I forget, I got you a little something." I took out my gift to her, which was contained within a delicate box. Holding the box gently with both hands, she opened the box carefully to reveal a small locket that was designed to look like an Armor fossil.

Within that locket contained a picture that was taken of the two of us by one of the reporters during our long expedition together, where we were both sitting opposite each other in the cave, sweaty and exhausted, yet with bright smiles on our faces.

I had my own copy of the photo and locket, of course. Except mine was shaped like a Skull fossil instead.

I thought there could be nothing more suitable and fitting for a history and archaeology lover like Cynthia. And seeing the wide-eyed look on her face and how her eyes seemed to lock onto to the photo, I knew I had gotten it right.

"…Thank you, John. This is…this is very sweet. Sweet and thoughtful" She managed to say. "I'll keep it by my side. Now I feel bad I didn't get you anything in return."

"I thought it was something to remember me by, since I have my own." I replied softly as I showed her my own locket, "I hope you like it."

"I love it." She smiled, and nothing could have been more beautiful than that. I wanted to kiss her then and there, but I barely held myself back.

"…And Cynthia, let's make sure to talk when I get back to Indigo." I instead said to her.

That brilliant smile never left her face, "I was about to say the same thing. Maybe I'll have to call for you for help if I can't handle the stresses of my new position. Or the paperwork." She joked.

"I don't think I can help you with those." I laughed, "I already pity Lance for the amount of work that gets piled up on his desk. I don't foresee your position being any better."

She let out an exaggerated sigh, "That's just part of the cost of being in charge." She lamented, "Anyways…I think it's time to make my announcement."

"Good luck." Was all I said. It was all I needed to say.

"Thank you." Then she wrapped me in a tight hug, "Let's see each other soon."

"Likewise." I responded. With my arms wrapped around her back and her head subtly leaning on mine, my self-discipline was strained to the limits as I just about stopped myself from pressing my lips into hers. And from how tightly she was hugging me, I figured she was doing the same.

The two of us lingered like that for a moment longer before we eventually let each other go, just before our hug became 'more than friendly', and she shot me one final smile before she turned around and tapped Lucian on the shoulder. With an acknowledging nod, the two of stepped forwards, facing the crowd of reporters and cameras that had been snapping away at us all this time.

The reporters all paused at the two's sudden approach, and they all collectively fell silent as their instincts warned them that a juicy story was about to appear.

Cynthia only began when everyone had fallen silent, "…I'll keep this brief, as I do not want to overshadow the departure ceremony for our friends from Indigo. However, as I'm sure many rumours have already hinted towards, I am using this opportunity to officially announce my intentions of making a challenge for the position of Champion."

There was a collective gasp from the reporters, and they were all momentarily stunned at the sheer implications of Cynthia's statement. But Cynthia ignored their reactions and continued, "I have already been in correspondence with the Elite Four, and they have unanimously supported my challenge. Of course, this doesn't mean that they'll be holding back at all. In fact, we hope to prove to the public of Sinnoh, that is all of you, that the institution that is the Sinnoh League will have the strength and competence to continue serving and protecting all of you to the best of its ability!"

Lucian stepped forwards next, "The first battle has already been arranged to take place against Elite Aaron next week. With the fight with Elite Bertha taking place a week after that, and Elite Flint a week later. Then finally, against me a week another week after that." He explained. "We hope you can all be there to show your support."

As soon as Lucian finished, the reporters all exploded with a chaotic mix of applause and questions. Will and I just politely clapped and made a show of shaking both their hands before we finally hopped onboard the ship, leaving Cynthia and Lucian to deal with the questions.

I continued to stare at her figure as we slowly departed from the port.

"…Felt like we just left them to the Sharpedo." Will commented wryly as he walked up to me.

"It's none of our business anymore." I shrugged, finally tearing my gaze away from Cynthia's figure, "You gonna head inside or get something to eat?"

"I already ate." He waved me off, "I'll just get some shuteye."

I nodded and made my way into my room, finding that my long list of purchases and souvenirs had somehow already been transported abroad. I winced as I saw them; even in this big and luxurious room my gifts still took up most of the space.

I shoved away my regrets for my over-spending and fell onto the deluxe bed, taking out my phone as I began browsing the Pokénet, wondering what I had missed over the past few days.

Turns out, quite a bit.

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[LARGE EXPEDITION ORGANIZED BY THE CELESTIC TOWN RESEARCH CENTRE?! WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING TO UNCOVER?!] By Sinnoh News

[Picture of the Celestic Town Research Centre]

The Celestic Town Research Centre, recently gaining more prominence in the spotlight due to them hosting Elite John during his stay in Sinnoh, has just now declared their ambitious new plan: To set out on a large expedition to set up a forward base in the caves under Snowpoint!

Long story short, setting up a forward base would allow them to delve far deeper into the caves than they had ever done before. Who knows what kinds of discoveries they might find in there? Furthermore, a team of reporters will be attached and joining in on this expedition, so you can be sure that the entire adventure will be properly documented and published for the public to see! Let's hope we find something interesting down there!

More notably, Elite John has been made a public member of this expedition, providing much needed strength and security to defend against the numerous strong and deadly wild Pokémon that can be found lurking around these caves. We wish all of these brave explorers all the best and hope that they can stay safe!

Comments

LoveIsEterna

Ruins and cave exploration have always been a big part of Sinnoh's culture. We're all huge fans of our history here, and we're all very proud of it. So it pleases me to see that the foreign delegates of Indigo are willing to take a chance and try to learn more about our history and do things that they normally wouldn't.

Good on them!

FutureAce

I wonder how strong the Pokémon are in those caves? Are they really powerful because they've been down there for so long? Or would they be weak because they haven't had interactions with trainers in so long?

RuinsManiac

It varies heavily, but the general power level of wild Pokémon that can be found in our caves shouldn't be underestimated. I'm unfamiliar with the strength of wild Pokémon in other regions, but in Sinnoh it is not recommended for anyone below the level of an Ace trainer to enter into a cave unattended and unsupported.

NotTooMuchWater

So in Hoenn, we have all this water and cool underwater features. But in Sinnoh, we have all these cool caves and underground areas. What's next? Really cool big cities?

Anyways, loving the huge focus you guys have on caves. Would love to explore them for myself one day.

ResearchMagnet

It pains me to see these caves of supposedly historical and scientific importance be opened up to the public. If they contain important scientific information, then access to them should be restricted for those who can TRULY make use of that information. Instead of having to waste time being used for 'entertainment'.

LoveIsEterna

ResearchMagnet But that's just a part of our culture! We can't just deny it to the public! They have every right to be there!

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[FOSSILS REVEALED! DEVON CORP COMPLETES THEIR FOSSIL MACHINE AND SUCCESSFULLY REVIVES FOSSILS INTO POKÉMON!] by the Eye of Science

Scientists, archaeologists, and Pokémon enthusiasts are all celebrating today as Devon Corp have made a momentous announcement in that they have completed their fossil revival machine! As its title implies, the machine's function is to revive old fossils into new Pokémon! Not just one or two, but potentially over a dozen new Pokémon await us!

The machine has been extensively tested and reviewed, and has proven to work without causing harm or any side effects to the revived Pokémon. And while the process IS time consuming, two new species of Pokémon have been revived, named Lileep and Anorith from the Root and Claw fossils respectively.

The new Lileep is a Grass/Rock type, and the new Anorith is a Bug/Rock type. The Root and Claw fossils have always been suspected to be created from the remains of…[Click hereto continue reading]

Comments

ResearchMagnet

You love to see science being able to uncover the mysteries of the past. If the Root and Claw fossils can be revived, surely the other ones can too. Excited to see it.

FutureAce

Woah! New fossil Pokémon! They must be super ancient Pokémon then. Wonder how good they might be in battle? Because if they're as old as they are, then surely they must fight super well.

TangelaThoughts

Hope we can see more of these Pokémon showing up. If we can revive all of the available fossils that we've found so far, that gives us 3 new Pokémon to find, on top of the discoveries of Lileep and Anorith that we've already revived so far!

Great job Devon Corp!

LoveIsEterna

Wonder if that machine works on Sinnoh fossils as well? Because we've also got the Armor and Skull fossils here. That would be exciting to see! Especially since businesses are allowed to invest in Sinnoh now, maybe we can see some cooperation like this for the future?

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[GYM LEADER BLAINE CREATES AND DISCOVERS A NEW EVOLUTION ITEM?! MAGMARIZER TO BE SOLD IN STORES ACROSS THE REGIONS?!] By the Eye of Science

[Picture of a Magmarizer] [Picture of Blaine's Magmortar]

Gym Leader Blaine has done it again! When most of the world has thought that he was busy with discovering a new Pokémon using the PIT technique, he really was actually working on a new type of evolution item specifically to evolve Magmar into what he has dubbed is a Magmortar.

This evolution item, made from the careful condescending of magma and volcanic energy into a concentrated box, is able to channel enough power into a Magmar to stimulate an evolution into a Magmortar.

We'll leave out the battle and trainer implications of such an evolution aside, but Blaine has provided plenty of reports that show that the Magmarizer has gone through rigorous testing and is ready to be sold and distributed to the public. You can get them from special stores run by Devon Corp, though there is inevitably going to be a hefty price tag attached to it for such a specialist evolution item.

Blaine has once again stepped up and proven his keen scientific skills and abilities once again, despite a few people wrongly writing him off as more of a Gym Leader than scientist. What do our readers think? Let us know!

Comments

KantoRepresent

…What do you mean that Devon Corp will be handling the sale? WHY is SILPH CO not doing it?! Someone explain this to me, NOW!

ILoveGoldenRod

Chill, dude. They probably just offered a better deal or whatever. Devon Corp have been expanding quite nicely into Indigo. Glad to see it!

FutureAce

Interesting discovery! Not entirely surprised by Blaine discovering a new Fire type evolution – it was always his specialty. But I wonder if there could be an easier way of creating a Magmarizer that doesn't require volcanic energy. We should really try to make it cheaper for the trainers!

ResearchMagnet

Feh! To try to make a discovery cheaper is one of the most idiotic things that could be said. The time and effort can be better used to discover further developments! Science cares not for money.

TangelaThoughts

Arceus! Did anyone see the battle that Blaine took part in against a trio of new trainers? He really showed off the power of Magmortar! The link is here.

FutureAce

…Wait a minute, I recognize those trainers. Isn't that Sabrina and Janine? The daughters of the Saffron and Fuschia Gyms respectively?

They seem really strong. I wonder who that third girl is. Her Miltank is the strongest I've seen!

---

[INVENTION OF A NEW TYPE OF PC STORAGE SYSTEM?! RENOWNED SCIENTIST BILL HAS CREATED A NEW WAY OF TRANSPORTING POKÉMON?!] By the Eye of Science

[Picture of Scientist Bill, with a PC behind him]

It seems like recently has been one of significant scientific progress as scientist Bill, a renowned scientist and expert in many different scientific disciplines, has finally revealed to the world the results of his long-time project!

Dubbed as the Pokémon Storage System, or PSS, it allows any trainer in the world to simply transfer and access their Pokémon by transmitting and storing them as computer data! What this means is that, should this system be implemented on a worldwide scale, each and every trainer will have the ability to access their full roster of Pokémon by simply visiting any PC compatible with this storage system.

Knowing of the world-spanning implications of such an invention, we just HAD to speak to the man himself to see what he had to say:

"The Pokémon Storage System was something I invented to solve a fundamental problem of this world – the storage and accessibility of Pokémon. Unless you were someone with a great amount of resources, many trainers are not able to capture more than 6 Pokémon because they simply do not have the ability to keep so many Pokémon around."

"However, with the PC Storage System, I hope to allow more trainers the freedom to capture more Pokémon, with the understanding that their Pokémon can simply be stored away and kept safe for later, as well as being able to be accessed at any time. And I would like to thank all my many sponsors for providing the necessary funding for this project!"

"That being said, I would like to clarify on one specific point. Keeping your Pokémon in the PC for long periods of time is not recommended. While the storage system does convert your Pokémon into data, your Pokémon are effectively kept in status until they are released again. As you may know, keeping a Pokémon in status for long periods of time can be rather detrimental to their health and training, so it is inadvisable to keep your Pokémon stored in a PC for an overly long time."

Bill also clarified that the PSS is still very much in its beta-phase, and that the system still needs to go through many rigorous rounds of testing before it can even be CONSIDERED to be released to the public. Yet he has repeatedly expressed his desire to make an official release soon, being as excited as the rest of us to truly explore the potential of this new system. This writer is extremely curious to see how it will change the landscape of society moving forward. This is another excellent scientific development!

What do you all think? Let us know in the comments! (EDIT: Okay, that is SOME comment section)

Comments

BigFlamer (Verified POG)

BILL! Since when did you find the time to work on this?! But I'm delighted to see you hard at work again! HAHA!

And since when did you do 'beta' stages anyways? I thought you were the type to just release your discoveries to the public as quickly as possible?

StoneCollector

Very interesting! Would love to see the implications of this on trade in the future! I wonder how much this would simplify logistics for many businesses! We here at Devon Corp are very interested!

We have so many questions! How will this be released? I assume it'll be released in stages to slowly introduce this new system into the public. Let us know if we can be a part of this!

TheRealBoss (Verified POG)

I must agree with my counterpart from Devon Corp. Silph Co is also extremely interested and invested into pursuing this for our own purposes. Good work! You do our region proud!

We hope that once the PSS is gradually released to the public that you can entrust us with the responsibility of testing it!

PsychicReader (Verified POG)

Very fortunate timing, if I could be honest. This would hopefully allow Sinnoh to have access to Pokémon from the other regions much easier, and vice versa! Very good!

Like the others have mentioned, I wonder when and how it'll be released. I'm sure everyone's very interested! Flint's already interested to have easier access to more Fire types!

SamuelOak

Good job, Bill! You should come by to the lab sometimes and show me how it works! I'd love to be able to play around with it!

A.N. A split chapter this time! I didn't want a full Pokenet Interlude, so this is the compromise I came up with. Hope you liked it!

And yes, Cynthia's finally made her announcement. Unfortunately, John won't be there to see it (not in person, at least), but her path to the top won't be fully offscreen.

And for those curious why SamuelOak doesn't have a (Verified POG), it's because he doesn't need it. EVERYONE knows who he is, and no one's going to dare to impersonate him.

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!