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 – 9-3 – Interviews and Meetings

Even though I still had a several more meetings to go through, I didn't let that stop me from getting up late the next day. I was tired and exhausted, so I believed that I deserved to be able to lie-in for once.

That was why I found myself slowly chowing down my breakfast alone in the living room, idly listening to the news; my parents had already long gone to work by then.

"…With Elite Bertha now confirmed to be on her way back to Sinnoh, it's almost time for the first showdown between challenger Cynthia and Elite Four Aaron! After her momentous announcement earlier this week, stunning all of Sinnoh at her declaration to become Champion, our new challenger has been making the waves as she participated in interview after interview explaining her political objectives to the people of Sinnoh!

But now we're about to see if Cynthia can put her money where her mouth is. Elite Four Aaron has been a member of the Elite Four for some time, despite being the youngest and most junior member of the roster. His Bug type speciality, while often seen as weak by the uninitiated, has been able to tear through many a foe during his many battles to hold his position in the Elite Four. Pokémon like his Scizor and Heracross have proven time and time again why challenging him is a foolish idea, will Cynthia prove any different?

Of course, we've seen her draw over Elite John of Indigo in a friendly match, but that was all it was. Friendly. She has yet to prove her strength, beyond her 8 badges and her Conference win, in any recent official setting. So I believe I can say that Sinnoh is watching with growing excitement and anticipation to see what this challenger can really pull off."

I smiled as I listened to what the reporter was saying, glad to see that Cynthia was doing well. The news was doing their best to hype up Aaron, but I knew from my earlier research that he was going to be steamrolled by Cynthia.

That didn't mean he was weak – he had more than earned his position in the Elite Four. He fought like a powerful mix of Koga and Walker, with fast and agile Pokémon that relied heavily on speed and dodging to make up for their poor defenses while also hitting hard enough to harshly punish an opponent for overextending.

It was a good mix of a burst offense and evasive manoeuvrability.

…But that wouldn't be enough. I could see him putting up a good fight, but I was all but certain that Cynthia would come up on top. No, she wouldn't just win, she would dominate the fight. And the people of Sinnoh might actually lose their minds when they saw just how strong Cynthia actually was.

I couldn't wait to see that. She deserved every bit of attention that she got.

With that in mind, I made sure to send over some encouraging messages to Cynthia, wishing her all the best and telling her that I would watch her match when it happened. I had informed her about my conversation with Lance from yesterday regarding our relationship, and she was happy with the outcome.

She said that if it was only about getting the public on our side, then it was still manageable. She said she'd be brainstorming about a possible plan to win over the public and make this no longer a problem that we would have to worry about.

Unfortunately, I didn't have any more time to just idle about, and I had to quickly scoff down the rest of my breakfast that I had previously been slowly eating as I realized that I was about to be late for my next item on my schedule. I had to head to my family's offices to host the interviews to find the assistants that would be part of my team.

But more importantly than that, I had to meet Daisy early and explain to her the role I wanted her to play.

If I was lucky, then after this meeting, my new team of assistants should hopefully aid to alleviate my schedule a bit and free up more time. I didn't mind running around like this every once in a while, but doing so constantly would definitely wear me down.

So I flew over to where our offices were, not even bothering to conceal myself as I did so. The fact that I was hiring was practically an open secret in the news, and I had seen some of the less reputable 'news agencies' trying to speculate what the REAL reason I was recruiting them for.

They were really trying to play up the conspiracy angle, but no one with any common sense actually read that tripe.

I landed outside our company's offices, and quickly stepped in before I could get mobbed. Even though the office was still relatively new, the effort that my parents put in to expand the company was evident. Instead of the empty offices that I had seen before during my tour, this time the office was not only filled with proper equipment, but also employees. Many of whom gave me a nice wave and a nod as I made my way to the meeting room that was reserved for the interviews.

I made a mental note to show myself around the offices a bit more. I didn't want to be known as the heir to a family business that didn't actually do anything but reap the profits. That was a reputation that I DEFINITELY didn't want.

As I entered the meeting room, I spied a small figure that quickly shot up from where she had been sitting and run up to me, falling into a hurried bow.

"Elite – I mean, John! Welcome!" Daisy Oak greeted me.

"Thank you, Daisy. I hope you haven't been waiting too long." I said.

Her head swung from side to side, "Nope! I've just been talking to grandfather while I waited. He told me to make sure all my notes were in order and that I had read through a summary of the interviewees' files before you arrived. But I've already double checked that all of your interviewees should be arriving today."

I blinked, that was way more than I expected, "That's…quite diligent of you. Good job." I praised as I took a seat at the front of the table. "Have you memorised all of their info?"

"Mostly." She nodded as she took a seat instinctively to my right, "Grandfather always made me do memory exercises in my spare time, so this is quite easy for me."

"Huh." I guess Oak wasn't kidding when he said his granddaughter could handle it – maybe she would be far more of an asset than I realized.

"Well, anyways, let me run through what I hope you can help me with today." I began, but slowed down as I watched her take out a notebook to write down what I was saying. Very prudent.

"First of, let me just reassure you – you won't be expected to speak much to them. I'll handle the questions. But I do want you to observe." I explained, going through the plan I had already made in my head. "Given my reputation, it's expected that they'll focus their attention on me. They'll do their utmost to impress me, but I want to see how they interact with you."

"Don't reveal your surname to them, just introduce yourself as 'Daisy' and just say that you are just helping me out. Reveal nothing else." I told Daisy, "Before they come to meet me, I'll have them sit outside in the waiting room for a few minutes. You'll accompany them, but your role will be to observe them and see how they treat you."

"Take a note of their behaviours – if they're dismissive, nervous, haughty, arrogant etc. I want to know how they act when they're not face to face with me. You'll also join me in the meetings to do the same. I'll have you sit on that table further away from me so you can observe them in peace."

"Should I try to talk to them?" She asked while she continued to make notes of what I just said.

"You can try, but don't push yourself if you're not comfortable." I said, "Overall, just try to get an impression on them. Personality is harder to change than competence."

That was the plan that I came up with when I realized I had Daisy to help me. I needed assistants that I would be able to work well with – competence alone wasn't enough. And when they were effectively representing me on a day-to-day basis while they worked around the League, I needed to be confident that who I had chosen would not tarnish my reputation with their poor behaviour.

Hence why Daisy was so useful. Like I said, I was certain that they would all try to put their best foot forward when it came to meeting me, but would they do the same to an unknown girl? That was what I was looking for. You revealed a lot about your true personality when you dealt with people you thought were unimportant.

"Grandfather said the same before." Daisy nodded, "I can do this for you."

"Thank you, Daisy, you're a real help." I smiled, before turning to check my watch, "We still have a bit of time before the first appointment – so tell me about yourself, Daisy. What made you want to do something like this instead of becoming a trainer like most kids your age?"

Daisy tapped a finger on her chin, "I never really was interested in becoming a great trainer – not like my little brother. I know grandfather used to be Champion, but I never really got interested in becoming strong."

"I'm still going to go get my 8 badges sometime – since getting them opens many doors for me. But I probably won't go beyond that." She stated with surprising maturity.

"Nothing wrong with that." I replied approvingly, "So what is it that you want to do?"

She frowned, "I'm not sure yet. I'm kinda torn between being a Pokémon coordinator, Pokémon groomer, or just a doctor. But grandfather tells me not to worry and that I have plenty of time to decide. That's why he suggested that I should go explore a few different options and see what I liked doing."

"It's a good idea, and I'm thankful for your help." I nodded to her, "And there's no rush about deciding what to do. I never expected to make it into the Elite Four, for example, it just happened to me. So don't think your life needs to be decided at such a young age – there's still plenty of time to change course in the future. Even my sister, Whitney, doesn't know what she really wants to do yet. And that's fine!"

Daisy nodded, and I was glad that my words had gotten through to her. "You have any Pokémon that you're currently training up?" I asked.

She nodded again, but this time more excitedly. "I have a Clefairy! I think grandfather said it was part of the same group that helped evolve your Eevee!"

"Oh wow!" I remarked surprisingly, "That's quite the coincidence. Have you been training with her?"

"Sometimes, but I also like to practice my performing moves with her too!" Daisy replied, "We split time training for both."

The small talk continued for a while longer, as the two of us exchanged questions and got to learn a little more about each other. I thought that, out of everything that Daisy found out about me, she was most surprised by the fact that my sister had already gotten her 7th Gym Badge. Her reaction had been very amusing.

But the time for conversation was finally over as I checked my watch once again, "I think it's time that we get ready. The first interviewees should be arriving any minute now." Daisy nodded obediently and made her way out of the room, ready to welcome them in as per our plan.

I made sure to straighten out my clothes and blank out my face. Time to be a boss.

I let out a tired groan as the last interviewee finally stepped out of the room with Daisy. Turns out hosting back-to-back-to-back interviews was a tiring and boring affair. It wasn't fun. Not for the interviewer. There were only so many carefully prepared and rehearsed answers I could listen to before they all seemed to blend together in my memory.

Fortunately, Daisy seemed to have picked up the slack. She was a very diligent worker, obviously inheriting many of her grandfather's positive traits, and was an able and efficient helper despite her young age.

She was a little nervous at first, but quickly learned to pipe in and ask the occasional question that would almost certainly throw the interviewee off-guard. They never seemed to be ready to deal with Daisy and her questions, and many of them kept shooting me confused looks as if they were puzzled by the interruption.

The ruder ones would visibly scowl or glare at Daisy, trying to intimidate her into silence. But Daisy was made from sterner stuff than that – and I was proud of her for not backing down in the face of their hostility.

Those who glared at Daisy weren't going to be selected. I had no need for those who would treat those they deemed below them with such disdain and hostility.

Admittedly, I had already decided on who I was going to select before the last interviewee even walked out. But I purposely waited for Daisy to return so that I could ask her about her thoughts. I wanted to test her judgment.

"Who do you think I should choose?" I asked her directly as she returned to her seat.

She furrowed her eyebrows in thought. I gave her a few moments to process her thought before she finally spoke up.

"I think I like Andrew, but…we can drop Michael. I didn't think he had the motivation." She concluded, "He seemed a bit too laid back."

I gave her an encouraging look to keep going, so she did, "…Maybe just keep Andrew and Emily for now? You mentioned you didn't need a huge team to start with, so maybe you can just see if they can work with you?"

I nodded, "Yes, I agree with that. Those were the options I had picked as well. Do you think you can work with them? It's going to be a very small team – so you might have more responsibility than you expected."

A brief look of uncertainty flashed over her face before it quickly disappeared into one of firm confidence, "I can deal with it. I won't disappoint you or grandfather."

"I'm glad for it." I smiled at her, before starting to wrap up my stuff, "Right, I'll get back to those two and will give them the good news. I'll also be sure to introduce you to them formally, if that's alright with you."

She nodded so I continued, "Try to get along with them. I'll be sending over a brief of my expectations and what I hope you guys can help with. Please study it and cooperate with them as best you can."

"But let me know if I'm putting too much on your plate and you're feeling too stressed." I reminded, "I don't want to push you too hard."

She bobbed her head once again, and we finally finished up for the day. I made sure to escort Daisy out of the front door of the office, but just before I could properly send her off, I suddenly stumbled into an ambush by a crowd of reporters that had been waiting outside our office building, waiting for me to come out.

"Elite John! What's with the sudden interviews? What are you looking to do?"

"Are you looking to build a new political team? Or are you hiring on behalf of your family's company?"

"Are you shifting your focus to politics ahead of your draw against Cynthia?"

"Are you taking a more active role in your family's company at last? Are you going to be taking direct control over the future of your company?"

They threw question after question at me, as if they were demanding me to respond. I was tempted to leave them to their questions, but then I realised what a good opportunity this was for me.

I knew that most of the reporters were here to try to stir up drama by bringing up my draw against Cynthia. They were trying to provoke a reaction from me, but I wasn't going to play their game. I had my own way to change the topic.

I stepped into the crowd of reporters, my gaze sweeping over them as I signalled for them to quiet down.

It was only after they did that I began, "Thank you for your questions. I will begin by stating that yes – I am hiring a new personal team that would help and support me with my political adventures. This was something that I should have done some time ago, so I'm grateful that I finally have taken this step. This should help me keep up-to-date and informed even when I'm out and away from Indigo."

"Are you looking to take up a bigger part in Indigo politics?" One asked.

I gave that person a weird look, "My team will help assist me with ensuring that I receive the necessary information to make the right decision." I clarified, "That should have been obvious."

"Is this an attempt to recover some of your reputation after you draw against Cynthia?" Another asked.

"This and that have nothing to do with each other." I replied firmly, being careful to make sure they couldn't dramatize anything I said, "This just seemed like the logical step for me to advance and aid my political ambitions."

"What kind of policies are you hoping to enact? Are you going to continue pushing for your international agenda?"

"I have always been aiming to improve the relationship between the regions, yes." I nodded, "I think we've seen time and time again that there are many benefits to fostering international relations, from Hoenn to Sinnoh. Indigo continues to reap the benefits of our mutual cooperation, so I fully intend to continue down this path."

"As for specific policies – I'm afraid you'll have to wait and see." I said, "Revealing them now would undermine my plans, so I won't be doing that. And don't try to push me for it."

"Who's that little girl next to you?" Someone asked a little rudely as they shoved their microphone next to Daisy, "Is she a friend of your sister that you're helping out with?"

I was about to answer for Daisy, but to my surprise, she bravely stood her ground and mustered her confidence as she spoke loudly and clearly, "My name is Daisy Oak. And I've been asked to help out with John and his new team."

Namedropping Oak seemed to have sent all of the reporters reeling for a moment, before they doubled down and ramped up their intensity of the questions towards Daisy, "What made you work with John? How did Professor Oak introduce you? Are you representing Professor Oak's interests here? Does that mean Professor Oak is planning to make a comeback into the political world—"

I cut them off before they could go down that line of questioning, and I could see that Daisy was starting to get overwhelmed, "Enough of that." I said sternly, "Have you no decency to behave yourself properly instead of like a pack of starving Carvanha in front of a young girl?"

"But to answer your questions, Daisy is here because she wants to learn. Nothing more, nothing less. She is not here to represent Professor Oak's interests, and I accepted her because I wanted to return the favour to Professor Oak for his help with the Fairy project. There are no political implications here." I answered, with Daisy nodding along in support.

I could feel the disappointment radiating off the reporters at my answer.

I had to firmly and clearly state that Daisy's involvement did not mean that Professor Oak was getting back into the political scene. THAT was not something I dared to imply. A comeback from Professor Oak would upturn the political scene in an instant. Lance – for all his current popularity as Champion -would have a very uphill battle keeping his position.

But luckily that was not something that we had to consider right now.

However, the reporters were quick to recover from their disappointment, "You've spent some time in Sinnoh speaking with the now-challenger Cynthia. You even fought and drew against her. If she does succeed in her path to becoming Champion, does that mean you would have a connection to the future Champion of Sinnoh?"

"I won't deny it." I revealed, seeing no reason not to, "After spending so much time with her in Sinnoh, I am very confident in her chances of becoming the next Champion of Sinnoh – and I believe that she is eminently suitable for the position. I believe the world will be pleasantly surprised with what she is about to show."

"Are the two of you friends?" I was also asked.

"I would say so." I replied vaguely, "We have kept in touch with each other since my return to Indigo. And I consider her to be a good friend. I do hope that our friendship will allow for an easier time for our regions to form friendly relations with each other as well. As I said, I am always eager to promote internationalism."

Well, she was far more than that. But these reporters didn't have to know.

"Wait!" A reporter suddenly shouted out, "Doesn't that mean that you'd have strong political connections between yourself, Hoenn, and Sinnoh? And with your public friendship with Lance, doesn't that mean you'd be connected to many of the leaders of the known world?! From every region!?"

The reporter's statement caused the crowd to erupt into a shocking realisation – while I just simply smiled, not saying anything else. But it was enough of an implicit admission that sent the crowd into a frenzy of additional questions. The reporters instantly stared at me with a different light.

I wasn't just some influential Elite Four member in Indigo; I was far more than that.

The realisation had hit them – that I had successfully put myself in a position where I had the friendly ear of all kinds of movers and shakers from around the known world, just by being their friend and ally. While that didn't translate to direct influence, the soft power that I held in my hands was newsworthy.

And if Cynthia became Champion, then my influence would skyrocket even further.

A.N. Definitely a slower chapter, but I wanted to use this moment to re-establish John in the political world. His efforts in establishing connections with many of the important people of the world have finally been realized by the reporters and, soon, by the public. Moves will be made soon!

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!