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.

169. The New Normal - 8-16

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 – 8-16 – A Conversation

I was satisfied with the good start that I had with Wraith, and I spent the next hour or so making sure trying to settle him in with working and training with the rest of my team.

It was a good thing that the more senior members of my team understood that Wraith's aggression was a temporary thing borne from wariness and a little bit of fear. It also helped that the more experienced members of my team helped reign in the younger members who may have been more unused to dealing with such a new, and potentially hostile, addition to the group.

Especially one that was more arguably more powerful than them.

With the morning training session done, I went back to the labs to fulfil my promise to Cynthia; allowing them to perform a few tests on Wraith. Unfortunately, being poked and prodded by various machinery was distinctly uncomfortable for him, and it really tested the limits of his patience and our newly forged bond between trainer and Pokémon.

Fortunately, the scientists were all experts at this and knew when to back off before they pushed Wraith over the edge, stopping just before he was about to lash out. And they all seemed very pleased about the data they collected.

"The scans shows that this is indeed the Pokémon that we've read about from the historical texts!" One scientist excitedly exclaimed, "It's almost a full match to the other preserved sample that we've collected in the past! This Pokémon is really from Hisuian times!"

"So we DID find something from back then." Cynthia hummed thoughtfully, "…I wonder if we can find other Hisuian Pokémon down there?"

"There was that one really weird tall and purple Weavile that we saw." One of the explorers who had joined in on the expedition pointed out, "Maybe that's another one?"

"We should schedule another expedition right away!" The scientist shouted immediately, "And we already have the forward base in place to make things easier."

But Cynthia shook her head, "Not at the moment, though perhaps I can have someone else to organize it." She said, before turning back to me, "Thanks for coming, John. You don't have to sit around to listen to all us eggheads discussing things. Isn't Will arriving for lunch?"

"I don't mind." I chuckled, "But yes, I think he is arriving soon—" My phone buzzed, and I checked it and found that Will had sent me a text stating that he had arrived. "What a coincidence. He just arrived. I'm going to go meet him." I waved them goodbye as I made my way to the canteen, allowing them to fall back into their scientific discussions.

At the canteen, I instantly spotted Will's eye-catching outfit; his purple and black heavily standing out amongst the normal white and light blues of the lab.

His eyes lit up when he saw me, "John! It's been some time!"

"It has." I smiled at him, "Let's catch up over lunch."

We moved over to one of the more private tables towards the side, just to avoid too many people from overhearing our conversation. Fortunately, the scientists were respectful enough to not invade our privacy, and our topics of conversation weren't particularly confidential either.

"Good job on getting Silph Co to agree to a deal to come over." He began the conversation as we ate our lunch, "It's been really helpful for me too."

"How so?" I asked, chewing on my food.

"Like I told you and Lance previously, I've been to establish business connections between our two regions as well." He explained, "But whereas before they were hesitant, seeing Silph Co take the first plunge and properly invest in Sinnoh has caused many of them to reconsider their hesitant approach. With such a big company already going ahead, they felt safe doing the same. Or more likely, they didn't want to miss out on whatever Silph Co saw."

"That's good. We need more connections with Sinnoh anyways." I nodded.

"Yes, which is why I'm trying to get Lance and Wallace to agree to a new tax policy that should hopefully encourage foreign investment to and from Sinnoh." He smiled, "But that might have to wait until the protests are over and the situation calms down a little. Political instability doesn't make for good business opportunities."

"…Though from the things I've heard from Lucian, that might be solved quite soon." He whispered to me, "I think you should know what I'm talking about, right?"

"I do." I admitted, realizing it wasn't a secret, "But we should leave that sort of business to them. It's just a shame that I couldn't stay to watch."

"True enough. Neither in Hoenn or Indigo have we seen someone challenge their way through the entirety of the Elite Four before." He commented thoughtfully, "That's definitely going to be THE event to watch."

"You think we'd have something like that happen back home? Where someone has to fight their way through us to challenge Lance for the title?" I asked curiously.

"…I sincerely doubt it." Will said after thinking it through, "There's only a total of 3 potential challengers in any given year, outside of the Gym Leaders. And you and I are already in the Elite Four. The only person who isn't is Bruno. And while I don't doubt his strength, not after your battle against him, he has already lost against you. I don't see him challenging Lance anytime soon."

I nodded at his explanation, "Maybe something like that'll happen in the future." I chuckled.

"Unlikely, though anyone foolish enough to do such a thing would surely be stopped by me!" He said proudly, puffing out his chest a bit. "…Anyways, do you have anything else to do while you're in Sinnoh? Anything to do with your remaining time here? Catch a few Pokémon, perhaps? I know I have."

"I only caught the one." I said vaguely, intentionally not describing just WHAT I had caught, "You?"

"Same, actually." He nodded, "I intentionally planned to capture more, but there just wasn't the opportunity. The Pokémon must have been overly intimidated and awed by the pressures of joining my grand retinue, I suppose." He boasted.

"Though I heard they're planning on making Sinnoh Pokémon more accessible to us from Indigo and Hoenn in the future. So, we can easily acquire more even without heading back here." Will explained. "It's like what they did with the Hoenn Pokémon."

"Oh, that's good." I responded, "I think my sister would be very interested in catching a few other Sinnoh Pokémon too."

"Oh yes, your sister. I think I heard a few things about her current journey." Will stated.

My back straightened, "Did you? What about her?"

He waved me off, "Nothing concerning, if that was what you were thinking. Just that she was quite the prominent trainer. After all, it's not so common to see someone as young as her collecting her 7th Gym Badge on her first run through of the Gyms."

I relaxed. "Yes. That was quite the shock to me as well. But I couldn't be prouder of her. I always hoped that she could make herself into a prominent trainer in her own right." A proud smile unconsciously formed on my face.

"She really is doing quite well." Will agreed, "Though forgive me if this is an overstep, but I believe she might need a bit more pizazz. She needs to dramatize herself a bit. Make herself stand out a bit more."

"What do you mean?" I questioned, giving Will a look.

"I know I may show off a little too much, but you cannot deny that my attire is not eye-catching." Will gestured to his outfit, "And eye-catching means memorable. Why do you think Lance dresses up in that cape of his?"

"Because he's that kind of guy?" I quipped.

"…Well, maybe." Will conceded, "But it also makes him memorable. You look at Lance and you recognize him as THE Dragon Master. It's iconic and memorable."

"I don't have a particular outfit though, and I'm popular enough." I argued.

"Yes, but you're very strong." Will countered immediately, "Strength is a recognizing factor of your own, plus you have your political achievements to add to your reputation. I'm not saying your sister isn't strong, but compared to her friends, she doesn't stand out as much as them from what I've seen. At least her friends have the 'psychic genius' and 'ninja-in-training' look."

I frowned, but Will continued, "Look, I REALLY don't want to interfere with your family, especially since your sister is still really young, but take it from me. One day, unless your sister achieves something as remarkable as you did, she'll want to curate an image for herself in the public eye. It'll really let her stand out and make her far more memorable."

"I'm not saying that this is something you have to discuss with her now, but just keep it in the back of your mind for the future." He finished.

"…I will. Thank you." I ended up saying, a little taken aback about how this conversation came to be.

"Your sister has great potential, from what I'm seeing." Will said, "Now it's all about refining that potential and getting her known in the public eye. A bit of fame goes a long way to establishing yourself as a prominent trainer, and it really opens up many opportunities for them. Try to give it a think, John. I truly believe that it'll be good advice for your sister."

I stayed silent as I went over Will's words. He definitely wasn't wrong. I still thought that Whitney and her friends were still a little too young to be worrying about this kind of thing, but this was something I SHOULD point out to them in the future. Yet I wouldn't pressure her into anything, it was up to her if she wanted to create an identity for herself like that or not.

I didn't follow that route, so I wasn't going to be a hypocrite and force her into it.

I returned to my conversation with Will, realizing that I had accidentally ignored him, "Sorry, just had a stray thought. You were saying?"

The two of us then continued with our casual conversation. I appreciated being able to catch up with him, and I felt like his time at Sinnoh had brought out his better side.

Our conversation lasted a while longer, but he eventually had another appointment to head to, so he told me to enjoy the rest of my time here in Sinnoh and then waved me goodbye, saying that we'd meet up again for the cruise home.

After Will left, I headed back to the underground training fields to continue training up with Wraith, thinking that I had nothing better to do at the moment.

It was then that Cynthia returned.

"Hey, John, remember that conversation we promised to have?" She said as she approached me, "I think we've put it off long enough, don't you think? We really should have a talk about our friendship going forward."

The way that she worded that…it was a conversation that I had been wanting to have for some time. Yes, now was the time for it. The moment of truth had finally come.

Anticipation rose from within me, "Oh — yeah, of course." I said slowly as I stood up, "Lead the way."

The two of us exited the canteen and found ourselves in a private spot outside of the labs, away from all prying ears and eyes. Ensured of our privacy, I was about to speak up when Cynthia beat me to it.

"I've never been one to beat around the bush, so I'll ask you straight up." Her eyes locked onto mine, "Are you interested in me?"

I blinked, taken aback by her bluntness. But that surprise turned to amusement as I realized how fitting this was for her. "I am. How could I not be?"

She smiled, "I see. Well thank you for your interest."

"…And? That's it?" I asked.

"I'm just kidding." She giggled musically, "But I thought my feelings about you were pretty clear. Did you think I would have invited you to do all those things if I didn't find you interesting to be around?"

"…It could be out of friendliness." I tried.

"Well then let me make it clear." She stepped up to me. Before I realise what was going on, her lips pressed onto mine.

My eyes widened with shock, but before I could even process that her soft lips were touching mine, she pulled back. My heart instantly yearned for more.

"Does that make things clear?" She smirked, and my eyes focused on the way her tongue licked around her lips unconsciously.

"…Yes, it does." I was still a little stunned, but I was pretty sure I had a goofy smile on my face, "…Wow, I wasn't expecting that."

"I'm not one to second guess myself." She shrugged, though there was a hint of red on her cheeks, "I've greatly enjoyed the time that we spent together. You don't look down on me, and I could tell in your eyes that you like me for reasons beyond just my appearance."

"I'm too used to dealing with people like that." She grumbled.

"Do you have people that judge you based on your looks?" I asked.

"Of course. They look at me and instantly label me as 'pretty blonde', and that's all I become for them." She frowned, "Then they try to ask me out. Not because they know anything about me, but simply for the shallow reason that I look attractive to them."

"Surely that's at least slightly flattering." I replied.

"It was at first." She admitted, "But then it just got tiring. My looks are something that I was fortunately blessed with. I did not work for it or really do much to achieve it, and compared to many other aspects of my life it's probably the area where I put the least amount of effort in. My looks are not what make me, me."

"You've worked very hard to be where you are." I said, "Only a fool would be blind enough to miss that."

She smiled, "See, you're the one that spots that. You see the whole package. You don't just see Cynthia the historian. Or Cynthia the trainer. Or Cynthia the potentially future Champion. I saw in your eyes that you fell in love with my determination, and THAT is the most flattering thing that you could have done."

A smile broke out on my face as well, "I couldn't help myself."

"And I deeply appreciate it." She smirked.

Then she let out a sigh, "Well I better do well to prove myself to be your equal, shouldn't I?" She chuckled, "It wouldn't do for the rising star of Indigo to have been ensnared by some no-name trainer in Sinnoh. Someone like you deserves a partner of equal status."

"I don't really care about that–"

"Yes, but others will." She interrupted, "Face the facts, John. You're the second most powerful person in Indigo, besides Lance. And even then it's a tossup. You're beloved by the public, and you're strong enough to keep your place in the Elite Four for years to come. Not only that, but you've been the backbone of the recent push for internationalism."

"In the public's eyes, you're too important to be dating some nobody." She said firmly, "That is the reality of politics. You can ignore it, but it would better for your ambitions."

I blinked; but eventually came to accept her words. Cynthia was always aware of the political realities. She had to be.

"It seems like you put a lot of consideration into this." I smiled, because I saw how much she cared.

"Of course, did you think I would go into this without thinking it through?" She raised an eyebrow, "You know that's how I do things."

I nodded, "I'll take your words into consideration. But like I said, nothing would change even if you didn't become the Champion of Sinnoh. I'm not THAT consumed by my ambitions."

"If you were, we wouldn't having this conversation." She smiled, but there was an edge there that also served as a reminder. One that I inwardly acknowledged.

"Still, you don't have to worry about that, because I will do my utmost to make sure I do win the whole thing." Then she leaned forwards closer to me.

"After all, I have another reason to succeed now, don't I?" She smirked at me, her eyes gazing deep into mine.

All I could do was swallow deeply. I might not have fallen for her looks, but damn.

The two of us continued walking around the lab, just enjoying the time that we spent with each other. After a small, but tranquil, moment of us just enjoying each other's company, she spoke up again.

"Tell me more about Karen." She said.

Ah, I expected this. "She's a friend. A very good friend." I admitted, "She's practically family to my parents and to my sister."

"I heard rumours that you two were dating." She said, "But knowing you, you wouldn't have been interested in me if you were. You wouldn't cheat on her like that."

"We never dated, but I WAS interested in her." I confirmed, "But she unfortunately wasn't ready for it. We came to an understanding."

"Should I be concerned about her jealousy?" She joked, but I knew it was a serious question.

I thought about it for a moment, before eventually shaking my head, "That doesn't sound like her, but I can't answer you for certain. I think she'll be sad, but she wouldn't hate you for it. She has a kind soul, and she wouldn't take it out on you."

"Sounds like you still like her." Cynthia commented with an assessing look in her eyes.

"…I think a part of me still does." I admitted carefully after thinking it over, "Had she not hesitated and we became a couple, then I don't think I would have any regrets with dating her."

"But I understand that the time for that has passed." I took Cynthia's hand into mine, clutching them softly, "I would happily be your partner. There's no need to consider what-ifs and what could have been. I chose you, because I found your determination and passion too dazzling to ignore. I would regret it if I passed you over, or if I wasted the opportunity in front of me. There's no need for me to doubt anything else."

"And I won't let those doubts surface." She smiled beautifully, and my heart skipped a beat once again as she directed that towards me. "It'll be difficult for us, since we're going to have to date long-distance, but I believe it can make it work."

"No. I WILL make it work." Her determination flared, "Believe me, John. I'm not one to let go of something when I've caught hold of it. This relationship will work, distance be damned."

That flare of determination caused my body moved on its own, as I returned the kiss that she had surprised me with before. This time it was my turn to catch her by surprise, but that surprise melted into passion as the two of us stayed like that for a moment with our lips locked together.

The soft feeling of her lips that I yearned for had returned. And the way her arms instinctively wrapped around my shoulders as she pressed herself against me was intoxicating. No, more than intoxicating.

It was addicting. Every part of my body didn't want this moment to end.

But end it had to, and we both stared into each other's eyes for a moment. "…I guess we just have to get the most of our time together in Sinnoh." I eventually.

Then something came to mind, "You know I'd have to tell Lance about this relationship, right? I don't know if you want to reveal it to the public or not, but I can't keep him hidden in the dark like this. Not when I'm in the Indigo Elite Four. He deserves to know that my judgment might be compromised."

"That's a very polite way of saying that you fell for me." She chuckled, before she turned serious, "But I agree. Even if I'd prefer to keep this relationship to ourselves, you should tell Lance as soon as you get back, and maybe speak with him about how you can juggle both your political responsibilities and this relationship."

She stared into my eyes, "It won't be easy. For the both of us. We don't have just distance getting in our way, but the realities of politics too. We both may have to make some sacrifices. But will you be happy to wade through all of that just for us to be together?"

"I will." I nodded firmly, as if I was making a vow. Like she said, things weren't going to be easy, but with my focus on internationalism and my achievements I was sure I could spin it in a way so that my relationship with Cynthia could be seen as another positive. And if not, then we would MAKE one.

But that was a problem for later. For now, it was just about being in each other's company.

"…Then do you have time now? I know this great restaurant in Sinnoh that I like to visit from time to time." She asked. "And perhaps we can walk around afterwards? Just to spend some time together?"

I took her hand in mine, smiling as I felt how her smooth hands clasped mine. "Of course, lead the way."

A.N. So, I finally got around to writing a chapter like this. I took a really objective look at both the comments and how the story was developing. And I came to a decision. I decided that it made more logical sense, considering John's character and his romantic interests, for him to ask out Cynthia. He would not pass up on this opportunity.

Cynthia's determination is exactly what got him so attracted to Karen, and Cynthia has that in spades. Looks aside, THAT is what John likes the most about her. Yes, there relationship will have problems to overcome, but which relationship doesn't? And that's just another challenge for the two of them to conquer together.

I admit I have made mistakes when writing the romance of this story, but I hope that you're happy with what I've come up with here. I can also promise that this will first and foremost be a Pokémon story, not a relationship drama.

This chapter has been BETAed by Allute! Thanks man! 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!