John's Team

Tyrant - Slaking

Vordt - Ursaluna

Smough - Snorlax

Klee - Blissey

Port - Mantine

Zephyr - Pidgeot

Klaus - Wyrdeer

Luna - Clefable

Pixel - Porygon2

Euphie - Sylveon

Ornstein - Obstagoon

Wraith - H-Zoroark

The New Normal – 11-13 – A New Challenger Approaches

Right after my proposal was officially passed, I received many congratulatory messages from my friends such as from Steven, Wallace, and Lucian.

Cynthia was obviously included in that list, but she also had more words for me.

"So what are you planning on doing next, now that one of your longer term goals have been achieved?" She had asked me, "I don't see you as someone sitting idle. Are you going to try to make it so that Gym Leaders can be appointed from and to any region? Not just their own?"

I shook my head, "I've thought about it, but that's probably going a little too far. I don't think it would be suitable for now. Instead, I was thinking about slowing down my developments in Indigo in favour of focusing on more international pursuits once again. And I'd be looking for your help."

"Oh? And what do you want me to help you with as Champion of Sinnoh?" She grinned, "Do remember that just because we're dating doesn't mean I have to agree to everything."

I laughed, "Don't worry, I didn't forget. I was just thinking of formalising our cooperation with each other, perhaps by creating a joint organisation or political entity that could foster and formalise the cooperation between all the regions."

I knew that things were looking up for the joint collaboration between our regions, but I really wanted to solidify that mutual aid into something formal. Creating an organisation that would guarantee open borders, trade, and provide a promise of support and aid, would help to prevent any backslide to the age of isolationism that we were once in.

However, to my surprise, I hadn't been the only one to think of such an idea, as the pleased grin from Cynthia seemed to reveal, "I've been thinking of the same, actually. After all the help that both Indigo and Hoenn have provided us, I felt that Sinnoh should be at the forefront of creating a new political entity – like you suggested – to formally lay out our terms of cooperation. It's actually something that I have in the works right now."

"I even thought up a name for it." She added, "I planned to call it the Regional Union, or RU for short."

"Oh, I guess I've been one-upped." I chuckled, not at all displeased that she had already thought of this. In fact it just made it better, "Yes, I can see why it'd be better for Sinnoh to propose this. It'll be better for balance if that were the case."

Indigo couldn't be the only region proposing these policies. After all, if we wanted all the regions to work together, it wouldn't look great if the public only saw that Indigo was the only region putting in the effort and work. Other regions needed to contribute too.

Hoenn had already done so by proposing and hosting the Tri-Regional Tournament, and now it was Sinnoh's turn.

I relayed the same to Cynthia, who nodded, "Yes, those were my thoughts as well." She said, "So would you mind if you wait for me to make all the preparations to announce this?"

"I don't mind at all, so long as the organisation gets created in due time." I replied, "In fact, it might actually be better for me to step away from politics for a little bit to let things calm down. After the passing of my recent proposal, I think it's better if I laid low for a bit and let others take the spotlight for a while."

"Mhm…I wonder how well that'd go." She thought aloud, "Anyways, I have to run off now. Give Karen my good luck for me. I know she'll do well."

"Oh, have you been speaking to her?" I asked. I was unaware of this.

"Occasionally. We mostly talk about battling and trading tips. Nothing else." She said, and my gut told me that she wasn't telling the full truth, but I knew better than to call her out on it. Still, after exchanging a few more words we wrapped up our conversation.

Speaking of politics, the announcement that the current Goldenrod Gym Leader, Lewis, was being petitioned to be removed came as a slight shock to me. Even with my recent visits, I admit that I wasn't the most well-informed about the current status of all the Gyms, but this seemed like something that was premeditated by quite a few people to remove him from his position.

However, from the formal accusations laid out against Gym Leader Lewis, I was willing to believe that they were doing this because they were truly displeased by his poor leadership rather than because of any personal dislike of the man.

The fact that Clair and Pryce were both in agreement despite their animosity told me enough about Lewis' leadership, or lack thereof. It was also particularly damning that Lewis didn't seem to be bothering with defending himself, almost as if he was content to let things play out.

I frowned at his defeatist attitude.

Seeing this happen, I idly wondered how it was that my sister became the Gym Leader of Goldenrod in canon. Perhaps my existence had already changed that fate for her? I thought about it for a little while before dropping the topic entirely and instead decided to pay her a visit.

It had been some time since I had last seen my sister, and I felt like I really should catch up with her. I hadn't managed to see her when I was at the Saffron Gym the last time just because of poor timing.

That was why I had called ahead notifying her of my arrival, before I flew over on Port to Saffron City. However, I didn't fly to the Gym itself, but I instead landed somewhere on the outskirts before walking my way over to a restaurant that Whitney had already seated herself at in advance.

I was also wearing a disguise just to avoid any unnecessary attention.

The enthusiastic waving from my sister quickly caught my eye, even though it kind of ruined the point of a disguise, but I still sat down opposite her with a cheerful smile.

"You're here quick!" She giggled, "I was just about to order."

"Order whatever you want." I said, "I'll pay."

Surprisingly, she shook her head, "No can do, bro. I have a salary now – I can pay."

I was grateful, but I still insisted to pay, "Your salary can't be that high. You should save up that money and buy something nice for yourself or your team."

"No, it's fine bro. Let me pay. It's not that expensive anyways." She countered, and seeing the determination on her face I eventually acquiesced to her. Though I didn't fail to hide the proud smile on her face.

My parents would be so happy when they heard about this.

Our food arrived soon after, and we caught up with what each other had been doing as we ate. Well, in reality, I mostly just listened as my sister rambled out everything she had been doing in the Gyms and how she had been training up her new Farigiraf.

She told me she was finding a lot of success with making full use of the versatility of Farigiraf. Her newly evolved Psychic type could brawl, fight at a distance, and also set up support moves as necessary. It would never be the best at any one of them, but it still served as a powerful and flexible jack-of-all-trades that she could deploy almost at any time.

She was also now involved with Sabrina in helping the Gym to train further Girafarig so that they could evolve into Farigiraf. I guess Samson wanted Farigiraf to be the 'speciality' of their Gym for the future.

From what I was hearing, she seemed like she was more than happy with her time in the Saffron Gym, and her team was continuing to develop and grow stronger at a healthy pace. That was relieving.

And it was what led me to ask my next question, "So, Whitney, what do you plan on doing after your time in the Saffron Gym? I know you said you'll be moving onto the Fuschia Gym with Janine afterwards, but what next? What do you want to do? What do you want to work towards?"

She tilted her head cutely as she tapped a finger on her chin, "…I don't know yet, Joh – bro." She quickly corrected herself since she knew we were trying to be incognito, "I guess I just want to spend more time with my friends. I don't want to be separated from them."

"Maybe I'd be a Head Gym Trainer for one of them?" She suggested, "Not sure what else I could do."

I nodded, "That's a good goal for now. I don't want to make it seem like I was pressuring you – but I'm happy you have an idea of what you want to do in the future." However, I would do my best to help Whitney achieve her canon position as Gym Leader, whether that be at Goldenrod or not.

She deserved to share the same status as her friends.

Then I remembered a conversation I had with Will all the way back in Sinnoh that I meant to bring up earlier, "Hey, sis, have you ever thought of crafting an image for yourself?"

"An image?" She asked, "…You mean something like Koga? With how he's like a ninja?"

"Yes, that's exactly it." I nodded, "Will had actually brought this up with me – as advice to give to you. He said that it would help your reputation if you could stand out in some way with your appearance. That's going to be especially important now that you're starting to be on people's radars thanks to your discovery and Circuit success."

"Like, with what I wear?" She asked.

"Yes, something like that." I confirmed, "I'm not sure if you realised, but your friends have already been doing something similar. Sabrina has the 'genius psychic' look, and Janine has the 'ninja-in-training' appearance."

"And I'm pink." Whitney said, but then a look of inspiration passed through her eye, "I like being pink. And cute. Maybe that could be my thing?"

"If that's what you want to do, then go for it." I smiled, although I was of the belief that she was always going to be cute no matter what she tried, "I'm not going to force you to do it. It's just something I thought you might like to think about from time to time."

"…Or maybe I could even coordinate with Sabie and Jas so that we could match!" My sister perked up excitedly at the thought, "Maybe we could have a trio of matching outfits!"

I chuckled, "If you think that would work. It would be pretty cool though."

Apparently that was the right thing to say, because Whitney wouldn't stop blurting out ideas about how she'd get her friends to dress up. She even had a common colour palette thought up for the three of them.

She seemed more excited about this than when she told me her Girafarig evolved. But I was happy for her – to see that she had a direction that she wanted to take herself. The Whitney that I saw today had the potential to become more than what she achieved as her canon self.

And I would be there to support her if she ever needed it.

With the 'heavier' topics out of the way, our conversation returned to the levity that it started with. But soon she had to run off back to work, and I had intended to head to Cerulean City to check up on the construction of the cave – I had heard that the renovations were near completion.

But my plans were interrupted by a call that I wasn't expecting.

"Hello Daisy. Is there something wrong?" I greeted my junior assistant. She was an intern no longer – and was now getting a salary. Nothing much in the grand scheme of things, but it was a lot for a young girl.

Yet the seriousness in her tone caused me to stand upright, "John, there's been a development. We were just informed that Will had received a challenge."

My eyes widened, "Wait, what? Will got challenged? From whom?" It couldn't be Karen. She had seemed so firm about her choice to challenge Agatha, and she still hadn't actually won the Indigo Conference yet.

"It's from Gym Leader Koga." Daisy replied, "We don't know the reason why he's challenged him, but Andrew is trying to get the details now."

"…Okay, thank you for letting me know." I said after a moment, "Please let me know if you can get any more details."

"Will do." Daisy answered dutifully before hanging up, probably to do just that.

As the call ended, I stood still as I fell deep into thought; a finger tapping idly on my knee while my phone remained clutched in my hand.

After a moment, I ended up ringing up Will. Despite my poor first impression of him, I actually did think of him now as a friend. So I wanted to check up on him.

"Hello? John? Wasn't expecting a call from you." Will began, "I guess you must have heard the news."

"I did." I confirmed, "I was just calling to check up on you. How are you feeling? Do you feel prepared?"

"Mostly still recovering from the shock." He admitted, no longer trying to uphold his usual confidence, "Koga really knows how to ruin a shopping trip. And I had just found such a nice hat to try out in Celadon."

"Oh wait, you're at Celadon? I'm actually nearby." I said, "I was just having lunch with my sister at Saffron. Do you want to meet up, maybe over a drink?"

"…Yeah, sure. I could use an ear." He said, "Thanks for this, John. I'll meet you at the café on the rooftop atrium."

It didn't make me long to get there, and it actually took me a little bit to spot Will in the crowd because he wasn't wearing his usual eye-catching outfit. He was also looking far less enthusiastic and bombastic than he usually was. Instead his posture was subdued and thoughtful.

As I sat down next to him, I decided to lighten the mood, "Of course out of all the places you could choose to meet up you'd choose the overpriced as shit café that everyone knows is a tourist trap."

That got a chuckle out of him, "What can I say? I'm a man of refined tastes."

"It's more like you're a shopaholic trying to pass yourself off as a cultured person." I shot back, getting another laugh from him. The Will that I had first met would have gotten offended by that.

"No, I really do like the drinks here." He said as I gave him a weird look, "Yes, they're pricey. But I think they're worth the price."

"…If you think so." I replied uncertainly, "Anyways, you looked deep in thought when I saw you. You worried about the battle?"

"I am." He admitted, "I knew a challenge was coming, but I was expecting your friend to be the one to challenge me." He said, "I thought that was the plan for Karen. She had the Type matchup against me and everything."

"I thought you were training hard in preparation for this?" I asked.

"Yes, but now I've realised I've been training for the wrong person." He told me with a frown, "Like I said, I thought I would be facing a Dark specialist. So I had spent most my time studying her moves and the way she fought. I threw myself into trying to work around her speed and disruptive tactics – though I admit I was struggling to find a solution around her larger threats."

"Yet now I find that most of my training, while not useless, is not going to be as effective as I hoped." He continued, "Koga is a very different kind of trainer compared to Karen. And he is no less strong."

"Well I see where you're coming from…" I nodded sympathetically, "But I'd thought you'd be happier fighting against Koga instead of Karen. You have the Type advantage of him."

"First of, there's every possibility that Koga AND Karen might challenge me back-to-back, which would be the worst case scenario for me." I purposely stilled my reaction. That likely wasn't about to happen, but I didn't want to give Will false hope in case Karen changed her plans, "Secondly, even without doing research, I'm certain that Koga would have thought up of countermeasures to deal with Psychic types. Even amongst the Gym Leaders, Koga stands out for his strength."

"Our battle won't be the same as Lorelei v Surge." He added, "As much as I don't want to lessen her achievement, Lorelei had it easy fighting against Surge. I may be stronger than her, but Koga will be tough."

"I can't disagree with that." I replied, overlooking his small slip of arrogance, "Surge is…not the greatest trainer. Not when compared to the likes of Koga." He had raw power, but little else. Koga was a much tougher opponent.

The two of us stayed silent like that for a moment, and Will took a few sips of his overpriced drink before he spoke up again.

"Say, John. Would you do me a favour?" He asked softly, but with genuine sincerity.

"Of course. What do you need help with? Do you want me to help you to train?" I asked.

He shook his head, "No, nothing like that. I will face my opponent with my own strength and determination, not with the borrowed strength of others. This will be my fight, and I have no intention of losing."

I smiled at his determination, "I like the sound of that. But if you don't need help with training, then what?"

"Even if I don't intend to simply give up my position, it would still be prudent for me to have contingency plans in case I slip up on the day." He said, "Backup plans are always necessary."

I stayed silent, listening intently as I allowed him to continue, "So…if I'm forced out by my unexpected defeat, I'm looking for a method to exit in a way that allows me to remain relevant. I know my strength and worth, and I'd hate for someone like me to fall into complete obscurity."

"You'd still have a chance to challenge someone when you lose." I pointed out, "You could challenge Lorelei for your position, for example."

"That's true, although I'm not sure I want to take the risk of having two back-to-back losses." He said slowly.

"…Yet perhaps something could also be negotiated with Lorelei…" He mumbled thoughtfully, his political brain running a mile a minute, "…Yes…that's definitely something I should bring up with her."

I guessed that he was probably thinking to himself about what kind of deal he could strike with Lorelei. Perhaps it would be a deal for Will to not challenge Lorelei, in the event of his defeat, in exchange for some kind of promise. Or perhaps I was just overthinking it and that he was going to challenge Lorelei directly and just wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings between them. I couldn't really guess at the moment.

"Well you can plan that through later." I said, breaking him from his thoughts, "What kind of favour did you want from me?"

"I think I once told you that I've always wanted to be a contest performer, right?" He said.

"…Yes, I remember that." I nodded, recalling the conversation, "But you said you ended up not pursuing it cause you thought it wasn't a sustainable career path."

"Mhm, but that was before. Thanks to recent developments, that's no longer the case." He responded, "I hope I'm not asking for too much, but I wish for you to assist me into helping me transition into a career in the arts, if I was to be kicked out of the Elite Four. I think they would welcome me with open arms."

"Consider it done." I waved my hand, "And I won't even consider this me doing you a favour. Had you asked, I would have done so anyways. You're a friend." And I meant that genuinely.

That made him smile, "I'm glad you consider me one. I know I rubbed you the wrong way when we first met." He scratched his head embarrassedly, "Actually, it wasn't just you. I think I pissed off all of the Elite Four with my pompous introduction."

"You certainly didn't win yourself any friends." I chuckled fondly, thinking back on his memorable introduction. Walker was practically the only one that treated him nicely.

"I guess I've matured since then." He chuckled with me, "You know, now that I realise this could possibly be my last few weeks in the Elite Four…I've really come to treasure and cherish my time here. Being in the Elite Four has taught me a lot. It's helped me mature not just as a trainer, but as a person too. I'd like to think I've become a better person since I joined."

"You have." I nodded, "You're a lot more relaxed now, in a good way. You used to flinch and take offense at every little joke against you. But now you let those slights bounce off against you, and you're willing to laugh at yourself. It's a good change, and it makes you a much better person to be around."

"I appreciate you saying so, John." He smiled again, "But I think we've gotten a little off topic. We're counting our Pokémon before they even hatch. I won't just roll over."

"Mhm, you haven't lost yet." I agreed, "So keep your head high, Will. Win or lose, I'll still support you."

"Thank you John." He extended a hand, one that I took and shook, "I feel a lot better about this now. I won't take up any of your time any longer; I have my own training to get to. Koga might be Intimidating, but I'll ensure that I remain Defiant to the end."

"I wish you luck." I shot back, "You can always come to me if you have any problems."

Because that's what friends do.

A.N. And with that, John and Will have come full circle. From 'rivals' that disliked each other, to friends that genuinely respected and actively wanted to help each other. But I hoped I showed how he has developed a character since his first 'unlikeable' introduction, to be more likeable as a person. Its what I hoped to set out to achieve with his character.

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