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 – 11-16 – Aftermath

I held Oak's words to heart on the next day, and I deeply reflected on his wisdom as I slept. He was certainly right that a great leader needed to be more than just someone who could lead and be strong, but they also had to be empathetic and approachable. The people were relying on us, and it was time to meet that expectation.

With those thoughts circling around my head, I woke up the next day full of vigour and determination, a large contrast to the general air of malaise that plagued the temporary residents of Pallet Town. The memories of the eruption were likely still fresh in their minds.

But I wanted to do my best to correct that. So, I quickly chowed down on breakfast and got to work, making sure I was a friendly face as I went from tent to tent to make sure that people had someone checking up on them and listening to their concerns.

Fortunately, it seemed that Oak had already handled the worst of the cases, as it appeared that the evacuees were a lot more calm after they had gotten some sleep, especially since most of them were able to get into contact with their loved ones and made sure that they were okay. There were still a few attempts of thievery or fighting between the evacuees overnight, but the situation was nowhere near as bad as it could've been.

I had actually checked in with Lance on that, and he told me that the evacuation was a huge success – the evacuation measures, as well as the joint heroic efforts of everyone involved, managed to buy enough time to evacuate almost everyone off the island in time. Sadly, there were, inevitably, a few people that were still listed as missing, but we were holding onto hope that this was because of an administrative error rather than the alternative.

Still, with that bit of positive news in mind, I got to work speaking with the evacuees.

"Thank you for your attention, Elite John, but we're doing fine at the moment." One elderly couple said to me, "We lost the house, but it was pretty rundown anyways. Maybe they'll build us a better one in the future. In fact, I was pretty sure I saw someone's Pokémon rip out our house to help block the lava. That was pretty amusing, seeing our old home used that way. It made us feel like we contributed, in a way."

"I have been assured that rebuilding efforts will begin shortly, right after they clear up all the lava." I informed her, "I'm not quite sure on how they plan to redevelop the place, but I'm sure something will be announced later. In fact, the new Indigo Charity Fund that was set up may actually compensate you for your loss. I believe that there will be an announcement soon regarding that, so please make sure to follow up on that."

That was a scheme that I had previously proposed successfully with Lance, and I hoped to see it coming into use here. At least it seemed like the right thing to say, as the elderly couple began chatting about how much they would receive from it.

However, the next individual that I spoke with was far less calm, "…It was pretty scary, not knowing where the lava was. My wife had just gone out to pick up some groceries when the warning sirens starting blaring. Then the next thing I know was that I saw Gym Leader Blaine rushing towards the lava with his Pokémon as the volcano began spewing it out like a flood."

"I had already ran out of my house at that point, but even though I could reach my wife over the phone, we weren't close enough to meet up. Then the next thing that I saw was that Blaine and many other trainers just held the lava in place. I didn't know what happened next, but I just ran to find my wife. Yet I was stopped by one of the trainers who forced me to head to the evacuation point instead."

"…I haven't been able to contact my wife since then, and I don't know if she's okay. I think she must have dropped her phone." His breath caught in his throat as worry filled his eyes, "Please, I need to know if she's okay. I've looked around Pallet Town but haven't been able to find her, and the Jennys and Nurse Joys were too busy to help me yesterday."

I sympathised, and I did my best to put on my most reassuring smile, "…I'll see what I can do for you. Pallet Town isn't the only evacuation point, since many people were also taken to Fuschia. Let me speak to a few people and ask around for you. What's your wife's name, and can you give me a general description of her appearance?"

He did so, and I quickly ran to where the Jennys were and asked them to chase up on the matter. The line was very busy, but within minutes, I was luckily able to confirm that his wife had been successfully evacuated to Fuschia. And I quickly reported that back to the man.

"Oh, thank you! That's a huge relief." He let out a big sigh, and I felt the weight dropping off of his shoulders, "…I wouldn't know what to do if she was missing."

"She'll be looked after." I added comfortingly, gently patting him on the shoulder as I let the tears of relief stream down his face, "Your wife will be fine, and I'm sure you'll be able to meet with her soon."

"…And I'm counting down the days until then." He nodded, "Thank you again, Elite John. You don't know how much this helps. I can finally relax now. Keep up the good work."

I held on to the warm feelings that I received as I continued to make my way to more people. I didn't forget to also thank the actual residents of Pallet Town, many of whom – while not necessarily opening their homes to the evacuees – had donated whatever spare amenities they could afford to those who needed it more.

"I do hope that things will get better for those poor evacuees out there." A kind-looking, brown-haired woman said to me from the porch of her house, "I couldn't imagine what it'd be like to lose everything you had."

"It'll get better for them." I promised, "The Indigo League will do its best to rebuild Cinnabar Island as quickly and as efficiently as possible. They'll have good lives to return to."

"I'm sure you're all working hard." She smiled softly, "…If I was in that situation, I wouldn't know what to do! My son's always running off to play with his friend, and I don't know if I could run away from the house without him. I would be losing my mind if I couldn't find him! But there really should be a way to stop another eruption from causing so much damage. Maybe that's something you can pass on to the redevelopers?"

"It's something many have mentioned, and I will pass the message on." I nodded, "Don't worry, that is a topic that the higher-ups are all thinking about as well. Especially since we're able to design the new city from scratch."

Apparently, I heard from Lance that one of the main reasons that they couldn't have extra measures installed originally was that the city was built long before those kinds of technologies were developed. It then became too much of a hassle to redesign the city to implement such measures; it would have pissed off too many vested interests for such plans to be politically feasible.

Of course, now that the entire city had burnt down, we had free reign to design the new Cinnabar Island to whatever we liked. And this time, like many have suggested, there would be an emphasis on not allowing this level of damage to happen again.

It was going to be expensive, but worth it.

"Thank you, I'm sure the future generations would appreciate it." She smiled, "You know, I've been really meaning to do more—" Whatever she was about to say was cut off as a high-pitched voice interrupted her.

"Mom, mom! Look at all these new Pokémon here!" A very familiar kid's voice came running towards us, "Even Gary was surprised! There's so many that he hasn't seen before."

I blinked; needing to do a double take as I took in the sight of the newcomer. There was no way I didn't recognise him.

"…Ash, I hope you haven't been bothering them." She lightly scolded, "I told you that they've been through some tough times already. They deserve the opportunity to relax."

"…I know, I know. But they're just so cool!" The future protagonist smiled excitedly, "I even saw someone with a Clefable! That's the new Fairy type!"

Then he turned to me, recognition flashing through his eyes, "…Wait, I know you! You're John! Gary talks about you sometimes!"

I smiled, "He does?" That was interesting, "What does he say about me?"

"Oh, only that you talk to his sister more than you talk to him." He responded, before dropping his voice into a whisper as if he was telling me some dark secret, "…I think he's jealous of her."

I chuckled, "I'm sure he will become a fantastic trainer too, one day. And you as well. You both are still are very young, but if you prepare well, I'm sure you will be an extremely formidable trainer once you set off on your journey."

Ash grinned wildly at that, but I wasn't done yet, "But that's only if you actually prepare well. Study hard, learn the Type matchups, think about what kind of Pokémon you want to start off with. Not only that, but you should study how other experienced trainers battle and see what you can learn from that. Or better yet, see if you can convince your mom to let you get a starter Pokémon a little earlier so that you can get a head start on training. It will help you a lot."

Ash instantly spun towards his mother, "Can I, mom!? Please! I told you I've always wanted my own Pokémon!"

Whoops, I probably should have asked if that was okay first before making the suggestion. I got a little too talkative after meeting him. Luckily, Ash's mom didn't seem annoyed by that as she replied to her son, "…Next year, I promise. I still think it's a bit too early now."

He pouted, but that quickly faded away as he regained his usual enthusiasm, "Okay! Deal! So, John, what kind of Pokémon should I start with? What Pokémon are powerful?!"

"That's something you'll have to figure out yourself." I lectured gently, "But, if I could give you a word of advice – I know you're friends with Gary, so why don't you speak more often to Professor Oak? The man is one of the best trainers in the world, and he can give you more tips than I could. I'm sure there's much that you can learn from him."

I also idly wondered how much my advice would change his future as a trainer. Maybe he'd be less prone to making beginner mistakes like he did so frequently at the beginning of his journey.

Ash clearly wanted to say more, but he was interrupted by his mom, "And I think we should leave it there. Ash, let's not keep the kind Elite Four member any longer – I'm sure he has other things to do. Why don't you say goodbye to him and let him continue on his duties?"

"…Okay, thank you for the help, John." He said a little reluctantly, "But I'll remember what you say!"

And with that, I parted ways with what could have been the future protagonist of this world. I say that, because I was absolutely certain that my own actions would have drastically altered the course of his life by now, to the point where I wasn't even sure if he was going to be the protagonist anymore. After all, he was like 7 years old right now. There was a lot that could be different in four years.

Yet, in a way, I was happy about that. No 11 year old deserved to bear the responsibility of the world on his shoulders. If my actions allowed him to live a more stress-free life, then I was content with that outcome. I was certain that he would still be a great trainer regardless.

Either way, that was something to consider for the future, and I resumed my previous duties as I set off to check up on more people. After a few more hours of doing this, it was time for lunch – which meant I could finally take a break.

Of course, that was when I received a call from Lance.

"Lance, how is everything going?" I asked as I picked up the call.

"The fact that it took me this long to call you is probably a good enough sign that things haven't exploded in our faces." He replied, "Unless you've been hiding things from me."

"No, Pallet Town is okay. There's some frustration and discontent, but nothing above what would be expected." I informed him, "Oak and I have been doing the rounds; making sure people aren't misbehaving and are staying calm."

"Good, good. I'm glad to hear that." Lance nodded, "Will reported that there were little issues at Fuschia City as well. Koga has been excellent at maintaining discipline."

That was relieving, "And how's Cinnabar doing?" I asked.

"As devastated as expected. The city is a total loss, but we've scoured the parts of the city that haven't completely submerged into the lava to see if we missed anyone and didn't find anything." He explained, "Still, we've done our best to recover anything we could from the eruption, but we're still going to have to rebuild everything from scratch."

"A word on that front – many evacuees have stated that they would prefer if such a devastating eruption could never happen again." I told him, "Its like we talked about before. I think we really need to emphasise that having proper defences set up in case of another eruption should be the utmost priority during the reconstruction. In fact, the entire city should be rebuilt in a way to minimise damage done from any future eruption."

"Yes Will received similar comments in Fuschia." He nodded, "I will definitely keep that in mind and pass it on to the relevant people. You're both right in that a disaster of this scale should not ever happen again."

"Speaking of which, I have better news for you." He continued, "Many of the Pokémon Centers around Indigo have cleared out all their non-essential beds; they're now fully open to take in the evacuees. It's a temporary measure, and there still isn't enough space for everyone, but it'll probably beat sleeping in tents."

"That's good news." I commented.

"It does mean that you're going to have to organise them to the appropriate Pokémon Center. We don't want to break up families due to poor organisation." Lance said, "There'll be League officials to help you out with that. You just need to stand there and act imposing so that the evacuees fall in line."

I chuckled, "I'll let my Pokémon do that. They're far more intimidating than me."

We didn't talk for much longer as we both had work to get to. As per Lance's words, a group of League officials arrived in Pallet Town shortly after and began organising the evacuees, with those separated from their families having priority so that they could be reunited. As I stood there, waiting for the people to be sorted out, I let out an inward sigh of relief. It looked like the most immediate consequences from the eruption were about to be settled.

Now it was time to deal with the less-immediate consequences.

As soon as the evacuees were all safely escorted out of Pallet Town into their new temporary homes, Lance had summoned all of the Elite Four to meet him at his office for a meeting. Lorelei was here by video.

"Sorry that I couldn't be there." Lorelei apologised to us, "But I'm glad to see that it's mostly been handled."

"No need to apologise; you have your own duties in Sinnoh." Lance waved her off, "And to the rest of you, thank you all for your hard work over the past few days; I know it must have been tiring work for you all." Lance said to us, "But before I let you go home and properly rest, I thought it would be prudent to discuss a few of the changes that we will be announcing in the next few days."

"Are we about to assign the blame?" Agatha grinned, "A disaster like this must fall on someone. So who will be sacrificing today?"

"The choice has already been made by the man himself. Blaine has already agreed to 'accept responsibility' for the eruption." Lance announced, to my shock.

"Wait, why?" I asked disbelievingly, almost offended on my friend's behalf, "He didn't do anything wrong – and from all that I heard he performed admirably with his response to the eruption."

"He has – I was not faulting his conduct. To clarify what I meant, Blaine has volunteered to take the blame." Lance explained.

My first thought to Lance's words was more confusion, but as I thought things through, I slowly began to piece together Blaine's thought process. Only to realise the only logical conclusion to his actions.

"…Is he stepping down as a Gym Leader?" I asked carefully, this time eliciting a surprised look from both Will and Lorelei.

"He is." Lance confirmed, "I suspect that he wanted to use this opportunity to focus more on the sciences rather than stay as a Gym Leader, though I believe you'd have more luck asking him yourself."

I nodded slowly, my mind still whirling at a mile a minute as I comprehended the resulting consequences of this decision. To step down as a Gym Leader was a massive decision, and I needed to know what Blaine was thinking.

"Regardless, this is actually why I brought you all here today." Lance explained, shaking me out of my thoughts, "With Blaine's imminent retirement as a Gym Leader, we have a new problem on our hands. Namely, we need to both find a replacement Gym Leader for Blaine, and also construct a new Gym to serve as a replacement to the now-destroyed Cinnabar Gym. The Kanto circuit must have 8 badges."

"Fortunately, this isn't a decision that we have to make immediately." Lance added, "We still have some time before the circuit starts up again, but we need to at least make a decision on where the next Gym should be built. Construction does take time, after all."

"So are we going to be able to give suggestions?" Will asked.

"Yes. I predict I'll be very distracted with the cleanup of Cinnabar to really search for an appropriate candidate, so I'm offloading the responsibility to all of you." Lance nodded, "If you believe someone is suitable for the role, let me know and I'll put them into consideration."

I could see the spark of ambition growing in Agatha's eyes, "Never mind who becomes the next Gym Leader for the moment. The Gym should be rebuilt in Lavender Town." She stated immediately, pouncing on the opportunity like her Ghosts on a Psychic type.

"Are you telling me or asking me?" Lance chuckled.

Agatha rolled her eyes, "Don't play coy with me, Blackthorn. You know as well as I do that there isn't anywhere else in Kanto to accommodate a Gym other than Lavender Town. Or are you about to build up a Gym in tiny Pallet Town? Or in the middle of Viridian Forest? And it's not like you'd be able to rebuild the Gym in time for the beginning of the new circuit in Cinnabar Island anyways, not when its still flooded with lava."

She was right, but I stayed silent as I allowed Agatha to continue, "Besides, it's about time that Lavender Town receives a Gym. I've been on the Elite Four for longer than you were alive – I think this would be an appropriate 'gift' for my services."

"Are you nominating yourself to be the Gym Leader as well?" Will inquired.

Agatha rolled her eyes, "You must be wearing that mask of yours too often because it's making you blind." She spat out, "Do you think I'm suited to being a Gym Leader?"

"You DID act as regent for the Pewter Gym for some time." Lorelei pointed out.

Agatha waved her off, "I just passed everything on to my apprentice and let her do all the work. I'd rather throw myself down a flight of stairs than have to deal with all those trainers on a daily basis."

I didn't think she was lying, but I also thought we were going wildly off-topic, "So, just to confirm, you think Lavender Town would be the best place for a new Gym?"

"Yes. Again, where else would it be built?" She asked rhetorically, "Cinnabar is covered in lava. Pallet is too small. And you would never build a Gym in Viridian Forest. All the other cities already have Gyms in them. So Lavender Town remains the final option."

"We could always build it at the Seafoam Islands—" Will tried, only to be immediately interrupted.

"And build the Gym inside a cave? Don't be stupid." Agatha cut him off, "Ignoring how impossible that would be for young trainers to find, it'd also be the least prestigious Gym ever built. No, we needn't argue this any further, Lavender Town is the only appropriate place for the new Gym."

Agatha was being uncharacteristically insistent and forceful on this, though I suppose it shouldn't be surprising. Having a Gym be built in Lavender Town was practically a gift from Arceus for Agatha – I could understand why she was so worked up about it. And I agreed about her point about Seafoam Islands. Even if that was where Blaine had relocated to in canon, I felt that having the Gym there was insane.

"The Sevii Islands are an option too." Lorelei pointed out again, "Though perhaps that might be a bit too far away."

"Let's table this discussion for now." Lance interrupted before Agatha could respond, "I do agree that Lavender Town seems like the most appropriate option for now, but let me speak to my other advisors to see how viable that would be. I will get back to you about my decision once I hear back from them."

We all nodded, Agatha more reluctantly than others. She must have really wanted for Lance to make a decision here and now.

"Other than that, there's nothing else urgent we need to talk about. Just keep your phones on so that you can be reached if something pops up." Lance told us, "Otherwise, you're free to leave. Get some rest, you've all earned it."

All of us split off as soon as the meeting ended. Agatha even disappeared on me before I could speak to her.

However, I had someone I wanted to meet with before I headed home. I rang up Blaine.

"John, I guess the Champion must have told you about my decision if you're calling me this soon." He greeted.

"He has." I confirmed, "I just wanted to speak. Is there someone we could meet up?"

"Well my lab is gone, and I don't really know anywhere else we could meet." He shrugged, "You decide."

"…Then let's meet at my place." I decided, "Here's my address."

"Alright, meet you there." He replied.

Fortunately, no one was home today, and it wasn't long before Blaine arrived at my house. However, instead of looking tired or exhausted like I expected him to, he looked just as he usually did.

Amusedly gruff.

"Thanks for inviting me over." He greeted me with his usual smile.

"No problem…though I'd thought you be more upset about losing your Gym and stepping down." I couldn't help but say, "I can't say I expected to hear that you were stepping down."

He shrugged, "There are ups and downs." The two of us sat down as I offered him a drink. "I'm pretty sure I told you before that I've been increasingly dissatisfied with being a Gym Leader. Even though I hadn't held the position for very long – I think it's been just over a year, a little before you started your duties as an Elite Four."

"In truth, I saw the title of Gym Leader as a means of regaining some of the respect and recognition I knew I would lose when I stepped down as an Elite Four." He admitted, "But I don't think I was very suited for the responsibilities of the position. I'm no politician or Gym Leader – I'm more of a scientist at heart. That is what I enjoy doing."

"So you stepped down because you wanted more time to be a scientist?" I asked, "But why take the blame as well? After all, I think your actions during the eruption were commendable. You were the perfect example of what a Gym Leader should be."

"Because someone must – you know how the media are. Plus, with my role as Gym Leader, most of the responsibility would have fallen on my lap anyways." He explained, "Admittedly, I could have done more to make sure there were further measures to ensure the protection of the city in the case of an eruption. That fault does lie with me."

"It doesn't." I disagreed, "There are many others who could have made a similar suggestion."

He shook his head, "No, John. There is also one other thing. It hasn't been announced to the public yet, but you must be aware that it takes a large amount of Fire Type energy to create a Magmarizer, which requires careful handling of the magma from the Cinnabar Volcano-"

"Wait, are you saying that the creation of the Magmarizer caused the eruption?" I interrupted with visible surprise. I highly doubted that was the case though. I knew the production of a Magmarizer only involved small pools of lava – definitely not sufficient to cause an entire eruption.

"I suspect that we might have disturbed the volcano accidentally, which may have led to the eruption." He nodded, even though I believed that this was just his guilt or paranoia talking, "Initial reports don't show any other external factors that may have caused it. Or perhaps it was just a spot of bad luck from Arceus. It's rather impossible to tell."

"Nevertheless, even if we might never know if that was truly the case, I still feel partially responsible for that." He continued, "Plus, as Gym Leader, I could have been more insistent on ensuring that the further protections were provided in the case of an eruption. But I was too focused on other things and didn't make it a priority. So I agree that I hold some of the fault. Anyways, it doesn't matter – I'm happy enough that it gave me an excuse to step down. I would far prefer having more time to dedicate to the sciences instead."

"…I think I would never have done this had I not been so wildly successful – with your help – with my projects." He continued as he idly ran a finger over his teacup, "But with the income and fame that I've been receiving from our shared discoveries, I don't really need to be a Gym Leader anymore for the recognition. My scientific achievements are already notable as is."

"Plus, I'll still be working with Shelly in the future. Our cooperation doesn't end with my retirement as a Gym Leader. So nothing really changes there." He explained, "In fact, I might even join Devon Corp as a scientist instead. It would be more fun there. And more importantly than that, it would help me on the journey to become a proper Professor, like Samuel is."

I took a sip of my tea to hide my continued surprise at his words. Who knew that my interactions with Blaine would change so much for the man? In canon, he would have stayed as Gym Leader even after the eruption, to the point where he even kept his Gym open in a dinky cave in Seafoam Islands. And now he was willing to give that all up for his true passion in science.

Yet, after coming over my shock, I found myself smiling at him, "If that is truly what makes you happy, then I'm all for it. Let me know if you need any help with anything. And I won't simply stand back and allowed you to be torn to shreds by the media. I'll have your back. Both for this and your journey to become a Professor."

Professor Blaine. Who would have thought it?

"Thank you, John. I admit that I was concerned that you might treat me differently now that I no longer intend to be a Gym Leader. But I'm glad to have misplaced my fears." He said, mirroring my own smile.

The two of us settled into a comfortable silence as silently sipped our teas. It was a moment longer before I spoke up, "Do you have any suggestions about who could replace you as Gym Leader?"

"Not a fucking clue." Blaine grinned, "You think I have any idea about who would replace me? I'm hardly suited for the role as is. I didn't have time to choose a successor."

That was about what I expected. Yet with Lance giving us the opportunity to put forwards our own suggestions, this was something I was going to have to think seriously about.

However, there was one amusing thought that popped into my mind. "Say, Blaine, do you know where the new Gym is being built at to replace yours?"

He raised an eyebrow, "No, I don't. Where would it be?"

I grinned, "Lavender Town." And I watched as his face immediately turned into a scowl.

"Fuck."

A.N. Yes, like I said in chapter, this marks the end of the immediate consequences to the Cinnabar eruption, though the political consequences are still yet to come. Oh, and just in case it wasn't clear, I'm using the game world for Indigo just for simplicity's sake. So the anime-only cities don't exist.

I know it probably comes as quite the surprise, but Blaine stepping down as Gym Leader was something I had planned out for a long time. I know this is quite the divergence from canon, but I hope that this wouldn't be too out of place for the Blaine that I had written. I always felt he deserved to be more than just some lonely Gym Leader hiding out in a cave. He has other ambitions now, and I thought taking him down the path of becoming a true Professor in the future would be interesting.

And yes, that is Ash. No, I don't have any immediate plans with what to do with him, but you may see him from time to time in the future. Hope you enjoyed!

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!