John's Team
Tyrant - Slaking
Vordt - Ursaluna
Smough - Snorlax
Klee - Blissey
Port - Mantine
Zephyr - Pidgeot
Klaus - Wyrdeer
Luna - Clefable
The New Normal – 1-2 – The Ceremony
I was jolted awake the next day by Whitney, who pestered me incessantly to watch and help her train her Miltank. Her enthusiasm eventually won over my sleepiness, and I dragged myself out of bed to handle my morning ablutions.
A very quick breakfast later, I joined my sister in the fields to oversee her training. My parents were already out taking care of the other Miltanks, and they said they didn't need my help.
"Ok Miltank, we're going to be continuing your strength training so keep breaking those boulders!" Whitney had already told me in advance what she wanted me to help with, so I sent out Vordt to create rocks for Miltank to smash.
"Miltank! Miltank! MILLLLTANK!" With each thrust of its deceptively stubby arms, Miltank managed to smash a rock into pieces. I looked carefully at Miltank as she continued smashing rocks, and noticed that though it was breathing heavily, it impressively still had plenty of energy left.
I was amazed at Whitney's and Miltank's progress. Despite just being 11-years-old, Whitney's determination and persistence in training her Pokémon in a healthy and efficient manner was extremely eye-opening and remarkable.
Admittedly, I did the same thing. But I had the benefit of my past-life to rely on. Whitney was just that naturally determined even as a child. And I couldn't be prouder.
"Good job Whitney," I said as I patted her head with pride, "you've made incredible progress with Miltank's training. I believe you'll be one of the strongest starting trainers next season."
Whitney turned to me with a bright smile on her face, "Thanks John!" she hugged me, "I just followed the tips you gave me in your letters. So you helped a lot too!"
"Mil, Miltank!" Miltank clearly overheard our conversation and gave me a thumbs up with a smile on her face. I couldn't help but laugh at that.
"Ursa, Urs, Luna" Vordt cut in. I nodded in agreement to Vordt's observations and looked at Whitney again.
"Vordt's right Whitney. You and Miltank are definitely strong, but that's only for starter trainers." I tried to put a serious expression on my face as I said this, "Never let yourself become overconfident and rest on your laurels too much. There are –"
"Always stronger opponents, yeah yeah I get it brother." Whitney snarked, "But I get it John, I really do. I'll never stop training my Pokémon." Miltank nodded alongside her.
"Good. I know I say it a lot but it's the most common failing of an aspiring trainer to become arrogant and rush into things without proper preparation and training." I then gave her another pat on the head, "Besides, it's my duty as a brother to make sure you're going to be successful in whatever you do."
Whitney turned red at this and punched me in the stomach in embarrassment, which I barely felt but pretended that it hurt, before turning away from me and telling Miltank to start with dodge training.
I nodded to Vordt as he began throwing rocks at Miltank, who dodged the rocks with various degrees of success.
"Miltank's dodging still needs work," I noted to Whitney, who didn't react to my comments, "But his endurance is quite good. She got hit by several rocks and shows no sign of injury."
I was clearly talking to myself because Whitney ignored me as she continued watching Miltank struggle to dodge the incoming rocks.
Whitney then cupped her hands and shouted, "Miltank! Use your fists to break the rocks that you can't dodge!" I smiled as I heard this. This was the exact conclusion I hoped Whitney would bring up herself without me telling her.
With his added rock smashing, Miltank managed to avoid far more rocks than she did previously. Whitney allowed Miltank to persist for a few more minutes before ordering a break. Klee, who was watching carefully on the sidelines, went up to Miltank to heal him up.
"Blissey, Blissey." Klee seemed to lecture Miltank about not training too hard and harming himself.
"Mil, Mil." Miltank sighed and nodded at Klee, probably too tired at the moment to argue anyway.
After seeing Miltank in action, I thought that, overall, it was well-balanced in its areas of training and the training regime didn't need any major changes. I told Whitney as such and she smiled and pumped her fists in the air.
"Ok gang!" I shouted at my own Pokémon, "Miltank's already working hard, so let's start our own Gravity training now!"
My training-obsessed team all cheered at this, which honestly sounded more like a battle roar than a cheer, before Klee and Luna quickly used Gravity on them. Though I can't say for certain if I 'discovered' Gravity training, but I was sure that it wasn't a widespread method of training Pokémon despite how effective it is at building strength. Of course, I had already explained in great detail to Whitney in my letters about the benefits of Gravity training.
"Do you want to join in with your Miltank?" I asked Whitney, "We can start at a lower intensity of Gravity to start with, then increase or decrease it as necessary."
Miltank excitedly agreed before Whitney could and got up and called out to Klee to use Gravity on him too. Miltank's excited expression quickly warped into one of intense concentration as she struggled with the newfound weight of his body.
The morning and early afternoon passed like this as Whitney and I continued training our respective Pokémon. Overall, it was very productive and helped take my mind off of this evening's ceremony.
It was late afternoon when the family gathered in the living room again, this time all formally dressed. My parents seemed to be a mix of excitement and nervousness, while Whitney was so excited that she could barely sit still in her pink frilly dress.
We would be splitting up to travel to Indigo Plateau. Sadly, I was the only person to have a Flying License, so I could ride on Port with Whitney, as she was the lightest, while my parents would have to teleport there with Wyrdeer and Luna.
While my mother fussed over everyone's appearance, I double checked my planned speech was still in my pocket. I was nervous about my upcoming speech as I knew that this speech would serve as a first impression for many, especially the Gym Leaders. There were some Gym Leaders that I desperately wanted to make a good impression with, as they would help greatly with my plans.
"Ok lets go lets go!" Whitney complained, "We're going to be late! Gogogogogoo!" And she was already out the door and saddling herself onto Port. My parents shook their heads in exasperation while I just gave them a grin of my own before following Whitney and climbing onto Port and fastening myself in.
I looked back and made sure that Whitney was securely fastened before waving to my parents, "See you there!" and flying off into the air with Port.
Once in the air, Whitney gave whoops of excitement as she looked down at the many bright lights of Kanto. As we continued to fly over Kanto, Whitney asked me a question.
"Hey John, when do you think I can get my own Flying License?! This is so cool!"
I chuckled at her question before responding, "Honestly getting a Flying License is very similar to getting a driving license for a car. First, you need at least 5 Gym Badgers from any region to qualify. Then, for each region, you need to pass a practical and written test to show that you and your Pokémon are capable of flying safely in that specific region."
"Aww poo. That sucks" Whitney whined, "that's gonna take so longggggg."
I chuckled again at her complaining, "Just be patient Whitney. Don't worry, if you train hard, you'll get those badges in no time!" I encouraged.
Whitney adopted a thoughtful look at that, and the rest of the flight passed in comfortable silence. Not long after, we landed at the League Headquarters, where the ceremony would take place.
I was busy readjusting my own wind-battered appearance when a flash of light signified my parents' arrival via Teleport. I allowed myself to be given another once over by my mother before gently escorting my family past security and into the ballroom.
Fortunately, we had chosen to arrive early, ahead of the photographers and media, so we weren't immediately mobbed by a crowd of frantic reporters. I made sure that my family managed to settle down at our designated table before making my way backstage as instructed in my invitation letter.
I was immediately greeted by Mr Charles Goodshow, the President of Indigo League. Charles serves as effectively the permanent secretary to the Champion and handles much of the mundane paperwork of the League. Essentially, the Champion choses the direction and the big picture, while Charles handles the minutiae.
"John! Good to see you! Your journey to the Elite 4 was remarkable, and so young too! I was in awe!" Charles simpered while reaching to shake my hand. I immediately disliked him but returned a false smile.
"Thank you, Mr President. I hope to be of service." But not to you.
"Excellent! Well, why don't you go meet your other colleagues in the Elite 4? I'm sure you'll be the best of friends soon." He patted me on the shoulders condescendingly as he said this, obviously judging me by my young age. I grit my teeth at that, but merely gave him a terse nod in response. No need to antagonize him so soon.
Quickly separating myself from his odious presence, I made my way into the private lounge for the Champion and the Elite 4. Entering it, I could see that it was luxuriously decorated in red and gold with a giant carpet, so much so that it was gaudy and excessive, and I thought that it was a huge waste of wealth.
More importantly than the décor though, were the individuals sat around the room. Champion Pryce, Elite 4 Agatha, Elite 4 Lance, and Elite 4 Walker. They all looked much younger than what was portrayed in the games, but by now I was used to people having different appearances as I recognized early that I was a few years before 'canon'.
Funnily enough to Charles statement that we'd all be friends, the current members of the Elite 4 could not be seated any further apart from each other.
Pryce was seated and reading the news, and studiously ignoring the stares that Lance was shooting at him from across the room. Which was hardly surprising, it was almost an open secret that Lance was eyeing Pryce's title as Champion. Agatha was speaking to a Gengar, but she was speaking quietly enough that I couldn't overhear their conversation. Lastly, Walker was looking through a journal about bird Pokémon.
Agatha was the first to spot me, and she hobbled over with her cane tapping across the carpet as she inspected my appearance.
"Ah, the newest and youngest of our prized Elite. To replace poor old Blaine. Hah!" She cackled, "Well at least you're from Kanto, we have enough of those Johto scoundrels here already."
"Hey, hey, be nice to the newbie Agatha." Walker gently reproached before approaching me with a smile on his face, "I'm Walker, the older brother of the Violet City Gym Leader. My brother said some great things about you John, so it's nice to meet you." We shared a smile at that before shaking hands.
Agatha snorted at that, "Bah! You and your brother think everyone is talented compared to you louts. You're all so past your prime that it's embarrassing that you even hold the titles that you do." She taunted.
Walker's smile quickly disappeared, and he glared at Agatha with an angry expression on his face.
"Now listen here you bit-"
"Enough." Pryce interrupted from his seat, "Sit down and stop making a scene." He then turned his attention to me, still remaining seated. "I've seen your battles, John, and I approved your appointment despite your age, as we needed someone urgently to replace Blaine. Don't make me regret it." He then turned back to his book without acknowledging me any further.
My fists clenched at his rude dismissal, but I held my tongue. I was still unproven, and so I didn't want to rock the boat until I had solidified my position.
"John." Lance suddenly called out, gesturing with his hand for me to sit opposite him. He waited for me to sit down before continuing, "I've seen your Pokémon and your battles. How did you discover those evolutions for your Ursaring and Stantler?"
Obviously, it was because of my past life meta-knowledge, but I couldn't say that. Luckily, I had some bullshit prepared for these types of questions.
"Some timely observations, mostly luck. For Ursaring, I noticed that he enjoyed playing around with peat blocks, and I thought that teaching him to manipulate it would be a useful surprise attack. Instead, he actually evolved from it. For Stantler, I found that its species possesses many psychic type moves, which I thought to enhance. Eventually, I had enhanced it enough to trigger its evolution."
"Fascinating. And to discover it as such a young age too." Lance praised. "You have a fascinating mind, John. No wonder you became the youngest member of the Elite 4."
"Thank you, Lance. But that most of that credit goes to my Pokémon. They did the hard work." Agatha cackled once again at my statement, making it clear that she had overheard our conversation.
Lance ignored Agatha, "A good sentiment. I can see from your words and actions that you care greatly for your Pokémon and are determined to make them the strongest they can be. Good. I look forward to working with you." We shook hands at that, and I couldn't help but smile as I took in Lance's approval.
Despite Pryce's position as Champion, I saw Lance as the most important figure in the room. I knew that Pryce's days as Champion was numbered, even without relying on my knowledge of canon, as I believed that Lance was stronger than Pryce and would make an official challenge soon.
With almost perfect timing, Charles popped into the room and announced that it was time for the ceremony to begin and that we should make our way onstage.
As I followed my new colleagues onto the stage, I was hit by another bout of nervousness which I failed to shake off. Walker took notice though, and he patted me reassuringly on the shoulder.
"Come on, your family is cheering for you." He said as he gestured to my family's table. I looked over at them and saw my family all waving at me with bright smiles, which caused one to quickly spread across my own face. Feeling much less nervous now, I thanked Walker and took my place to the right of Lance on the stage as the second member of the Elite 4, with the first being Walker.
The order of the Elite 4 has nothing to do with strength, though it typically is seen as such. And to be fair, I thought Walker was the weakest of the Elite 4 by far.
I was broken away by my thoughts as cameras started to flash wildly as Charles approached the microphone.
"Thank you! Thank you! Today, I have the honour of introducing the latest, and youngest, member to the Elite 4. Please welcome, John Smith." He gestured to me as the cameras rapidly turned towards me and began their onslaught of flashes again. "Would you like to say a few words, John?"
Charles stepped away from the microphone as I replaced him, prepared speech in hand. Honestly, I thought I would be feeling more nervous, but all I could feel was calm acceptance and pride as I realized that I had achieved one of my long-time goals.
I took a deep breath to settle myself before beginning.
"Thank you everyone. I am very honoured and humbled to accept the position of being the newest Elite 4. Of course, I would not have been able to do this without the unconditional support of my family and Pokémon, both of which I relied on heavily to push myself to where I am today. I hope that I will prove to be a pillar and icon of strength and safety for the people and Pokémon of Indigo for many years to come." I paused slightly at that before continuing.
"Despite my young age, I am not blind to the many problems that plague our young union of Kanto and Johto. Thus, though it may be outside the normal purview of an Elite 4, one of my long-term goals as a member of the Elite 4 will be to aid both nations and create shared prosperity for all." As I said this, I could feel Pryce glaring at the back of my head, "Thank you. I will be taking questions."
A sea of hands were raised at that, and I picked one out at random. "Sir, can you explain what you meant by bringing prosperity? How does being an Elite 4 allow you to do that?"
Thank Arceus I actually anticipated these questions. "You're right, being an Elite 4 member doesn't allow me to do anything directly. But I hope to facilitate connections with individuals that share my goals to help me improve both nations' economies and integrate them together. I may be young, but that doesn't mean I should sit still and do nothing."
I got a loud applause in response, before I fielded another question, "Are you going to challenge Champion Pryce for the title? You'd be the youngest Champion ever!"
Wow, I could feel the hole Pryce was drilling into the back of my head widen even further at that question. Worse, I could feel Lance doing the same.
"No, I don't." I responded with as much seriousness as I could muster, wanting to shut down this line of questioning as soon as possible. "I am happy enough with being in the Elite 4. I don't have any ambitions for being Champion anytime soon, and I feel that I should definitely settle into the role of Elite 4 first before making any future plans at becoming Champion."
Fortunately, the next topic veered widely away from any talk of me being Champion, "Sir, do you have a girlfriend?"
I couldn't help but laugh at that, "No, I don't. And on that note, that's all the questions I will be answering today. Thank you all for coming." With that, I walked away from the stand despite the vocal protest of reporters desperately trying to ask more inane questions to fill their headlines.
I took my place solemnly opposite of Pryce, who didn't look happy but at least wasn't glaring at me anymore.
He recited, "Do you, John Smith, solemnly swear on Arceus that you will serve the interests of Indigo as the newest member of the Elite 4?"
"I do."
"Then with my position as Champion, I grant you the honour of joining the Elite 4." I was almost blinded and deafened by the bright and frantic camera flashes and the loud cheers that erupted from the audience.
From then on, the ceremony was over, and everyone proceeded to the party itself. After being swarmed with congratulations by strangers that I never spoke to, I re-joined my family at our table.
"You did well, dear." My mom said as she palmed my hand and fought back the tears welling up in her eyes, "You've made us all very proud."
My father rubbed my shoulders at that. He didn't say anything, but I could tell that his eyes were moist too.
"That was so cool bro!" My sister broke in, blissfully shattering the moment, "I want to be on stage with all those cameras too! Do you think I can do that one day?"
"Of course, Whitney. If you keep training hard, I'm sure one day you'll be on that same stage too." I responded with confidence. What I didn't say was that I believed her capable of being the Goldenrod Gym Leader like she was in canon.
"Ah, I'm sorry to bother you and disturb your family time, Elite John." A deep voice caught my attention as I turned around and saw a familiar-looking black-haired man wearing what looked like an expensive suit. He looked middle-aged but was clearly aging well.
"Ah, yes. Gym Leader Giovanni." I stood up and greeted him with a handshake, "How may I help you?"
"Well, as the 8th Gym, I work very closely with members of the Elite 4. I wanted to discuss with you about your ideas of helping Kanto prosper a bit further." He looked me directly in the eyes as he said this, likely taking my measure.
"Of course, I'd love to." I responded. I had intended to initiate contact with Giovanni myself but seeing him approach me first was both a blessing and a curse.
Throughout my journeys in Kanto and Johto, I remained wary and alert about rumours about Team Rocket's activities but found nothing. Thus, I believed that Team Rocket had either not formed yet, or they were still in the early stages. That was crucial, as I hoped to influence Team Rocket away from traditional villainy. And to do that, I needed to speak with Giovanni.
"I also had a few things I wanted to talk about with you as well." I continued, "But I don't believe that this is a very suitable environment to speak in. Maybe we can speak in private later?"
"Of course," said Giovanni, "I admit to being intrigued to listen to what you wanted to speak about, so perhaps we could talk in my office in Viridian afterwards."
"Sure, and thanks for coming when you didn't have to." I said, since attendance was optional for Gym Leaders. Though the entire ceremony was open to the public.
We parted ways with that after exchanging contact details, and I turned around to return to my family's table. However, before I could sit down, Agatha approached me with a very familiar and beautiful teenage girl at her side.
"John, getting a big head from all the congratulations you're getting?" Agatha mocked, and she continued before I could reply.
"Well, that doesn't matter. Come, I wanted to introduce you to my apprentice, Karen." She gestured to the tall teenage girl standing next to her.
'Wow she's hot.' Was my first thought when looking at Karen. I mean I knew that her sprite was attractive back in the games but looking at the real deal in front of me really put that to shame.
Shaking off my inner thoughts about her appearance for a moment, I shook Karen's extended hand, "Nice to meet you Karen, I'm John."
"Wow, not even using your new title huh? Did you forget about it already?" Karen teased, but not maliciously.
I grinned in response, "Of course not, but I'm not someone who waves their title around in search of validation. I know my Pokémon are strong, and that's all I need."
Karen's eyebrows raised in approval, "That's good. Glad to see you're not one of those boys who see a pretty face and feel the need to show off."
"A pretty face? Where?" I pretended to look around and she lightly slapped me on the arm in response which brought grins on both of our faces.
Agatha coughed loudly and tapped the floor with her cane, "Well, I'm pleased to see you two young'uns are getting on so well." Agatha interrupted, turning serious for a moment, "John, Pryce is going to tell you later that you'll be sent to Hoenn on some diplomatic mission to improve relations between them and Indigo. I want you to bring Karen along. After all, you seem to be getting on quite well."
I blushed slightly at her final comment, causing Agatha to cackle again as she saw it. But then I became focused again and asked Agatha.
"Why is Pryce sending me to Hoenn so soon? I've just been sworn in as the newest Elite 4!" I asked with some confusion.
Agatha gave me a pitying look, "Pryce never liked you, boy." She said bluntly with a shake of her head, "He thought you were too young to handle the responsibilities of your position but chose you anyways because you won the Indigo Conference. And now with your speech about wanting to help with the politics of Indigo? Pryce hates you even more now."
I took in her words and paused to consider them. I knew from the news articles that Pryce was considered a stable leader, which in other words meant that he liked doing nothing and maintaining the status quo. I guess that's why he's sending me away so that I don't upset anything.
I frowned at my realisation. I was annoyed that I was being side-lined for wanting to help, but I knew protesting against this was useless.
"Well, I can't say that I'm not frustrated about this, but thank you anyways for the warning, Agatha." I said to her, before turning my attention to Karen who had been standing there silently, "And yes, Karen, I'd love to bring you along with me to Hoenn. Can I get your contact details so that we can meet up later?"
Karen gave me a sultry smile at that, before taking out a pen and paper from her pockets and writing down her phone address on it. "Call me anytime." She smirked.
I gave her a smile of my own before turning back to Agatha, who had been eyeing my interactions with Karen with a sharp look, "Is there anything else?" I asked.
"No," she said with a shake of her head, "But I think introducing you to Karen is going to go better than I thought it would." She said with a grin and a gleam in her eyes. Agatha then turned and ordered Karen to escort her away.
I stopped to watch them leave momentarily before returning to my family. Both my mom and Whitney gave me cheeky smiles when they saw me talking to Karen, but I ignored their teasing looks as I tried to absorb everything that just happened.
Of course, that was when Pryce approached me with a blank expression on his face.
"John, I'm sending you to Hoenn tomorrow evening by ship. You'll be communicating with the Hoenn League to show off the strength of Indigo and to ensure that we can work closely with each other. While in Hoenn, you will act and behave as a member of the Elite 4 should. Understood?" Pryce said sternly with a curt tone that warranted no response.
I held in my annoyance and managed to give off a "Yes, Sir." Where he merely nodded in response and walked away. I clenched my fists as I watched him leave.
"Problems?" Asked my mother with a worried look.
I held her hand in reassurance and shook my head, "No, it's ok. I can handle it."
"The Champion looked unhappy to see you." Whitney mumbled with a frown, "He looks so mean."
"Don't worry sis. That's just how he is." I comforted my sister with a pat on the head, making sure not to mess up her carefully crafted hairstyle.
I then took out my phone and texted Giovanni, I wanted to meet him tonight.