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.

205. The New Normal - 10-4

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 – 10-4 – A Frosty(?) Reunion

I was reluctant to go see Pryce, as all I anticipated was getting a major headache from our conversation. But there was no real good reason to put it off, and so I eventually decided that pushing forwards my plan was worth any potential frustration that I might have with dealing with Pryce. It was best to get this out of the way first before I got distracted by the upcoming Tournament.

Therefore, with a resigned breath, I rang up Lorelei.

"You want to speak to my uncle?!" She asked with undisguised shock, "What made you want to do that? I thought you hated him?"

"Hate is a strong word…we just had our political disagreements." I said unconvincingly, "Regardless, I do have something I want to speak to him about. But I don't know how to contact him – nor can I just drop into Mahogany uninvited. Could you please set up a meeting with him?"

"…Okay, I'll try, but I can't promise you that he'll say yes." Lorelei replied.

"Thanks, that's all I ask." I said, "Speaking of which, has he really mellowed out since his time as Champion? Or were those all just false rumours?"

"I…I'm not sure." Lorelei responded uncertainly, "I've spoken to him a few times, and he was as harsh and as cold as I remembered him to be."

I sighed, "Oh…well, that sucks–"

"But his words weren't as cutting as usual." She interrupted, "I didn't get that he was actively looking down on me anymore. I can't tell if that's because he's no longer Champion of Indigo, or because of some other reason. Honestly, I'm still really conflicted on how to speak to him. He is still family."

I blinked, that sounded complicated, "Ah, that's true. Though thanks for the info. I'll let you know how it goes then."

"Is this about your proposal to have Gym Leaders be appointable from either Kanto or Johto?" Lorelei suddenly asked.

"Yes, it is." I confirmed, "I didn't realize my intentions were so obvious."

I could tell Lorelei was smirking, "I think it's pretty obvious considering what's being planned. Lance filled the rest of us Elite Four in about the Tri-Regional Tournament, and I hadn't forgotten about how you told me before that this was something you wanted to get passed. If I were you, I too would have tried to take this opportunity to push this if you saw the Tournament was a massive PR win."

"And not to worry – I fully intend to honour our agreement. You'll have my support on this if and when you put it in front of the Committee." She added.

"Even if I fail to persuade your uncle?" I asked.

"I'm not tied to him." She snorted, "I can make my own decisions too. If he wanted to be part of the decision-making process, he should have fought his way back into the Elite Four."

I chuckled, "Well I appreciate you sticking to the agreement. I'll let you know how my meeting with your uncle goes." The call ended there.

Later on in the day, I was just about to start another training session with my Pokémon when my phone buzzed and I received a text from Lorelei saying that Pryce was available to meet. So, understanding that Pryce was not a person who liked to be kept waiting, I set off for Mahogany Town.

As I neared the town, I realized that it really had been some time since I was last here. Mahogany Town was never a very attractive town to visit, not for any nefarious reasons, but simply because there just wasn't really anything to do here.

The only real thing of interest was the Gym and Lake of Rage, but the latter was barred to the majority of the public anyways. Otherwise, it was a very sleepy town that was only really famous because of Pryce's prestige as Champion.

Not that such a thing was bad. It had its own charm.

I landed a small distance away from the Gym, but I was already met with a pair of Gym Trainers that had wandered over to greet me.

"Elite John, Gym Leader Pryce is waiting for you." One of them informed me, "Please allow us to escort you."

I nodded and followed after them. Honestly, I was half-expecting Pryce to have me make my way inside myself out of spite. Perhaps the old him would have done so.

But as soon as I entered his office, I could feel the air surrounding me tense as the two of us locked eyes. A pool of complex emotions swirled in his eyes as he continued to stare at me, and I could see that his fists were clenching and unclenching reflexively.

Neither of us spoke, content to continue our staring contest.

However, since I was here to ask for something, I decided to extend a hand of courtesy, "Would you mind if I sat?"

Pryce blinked, before he let out a huff, "Do as you please. I can't just order you around anymore."

I took a seat opposite him as he spoke, "So, what does the young 'prodigy' want with me? Here to ask for something? If you're asking on behalf of the Blackthorn, then the answer is no."

I sighed, "Lance didn't send me. I'm here on my own volition because I have a proposal that I wanted passed."

"Something else to 'further unite Indigo'?" Pryce scoffed, "Previously, I would have called you naïve and dismissed you on the spot for wasting my time."

I bristled, but Pryce wasn't done, "However, I can see that the politics of the times have changed. I do not know whether for good or ill, but the policies that I once championed have fallen out of favour. Furthermore, you would not have volunteered to speak to me unless it would be a big proposal. So go on, speak your piece."

Man, Pryce was difficult to deal with. But I swallowed those feelings for now. At least he said he would hear me out.

"My new proposal primarily concerns the Gym Leaders, as I want to implement a new rule that allows future Gym Leaders to be appointable from anywhere in Indigo. That means that you can have a Johto-born trainer running a Kanto Gym, and vice versa. Of course, we'll be implementing this as a test run first, so you and the other Gym Leaders will be given a chance to evaluate the new appointee to see if they meet your standards."

As I finished my explanation, I had half-expected Pryce to react by giving me a verbal-tongue lashing, before the entire conversation devolved from there. But that never came.

He just stared at me with an unknowable look in his eyes, studying my every expression. Unlike what I had expected, he didn't look angry or even annoyed at my suggestion.

Instead, his eyes locked onto mine as he developed a thoughtful expression, as if he was analysing me and thinking over my proposal at the same time. I couldn't help but notice that his gaze no longer had the dismissive arrogance that he once had as Champion; it was more focused now.

It took some time before Pryce spoke up again, "Tell me, John. Do you think your proposal is likely to succeed – ignoring whether I agree to it or not?"

"I'm confident that it would, assuming that the Tournament will be the success that I predict it to be." I nodded firmly, though I was bluffing a little. "As you said, times have changed, and public sentiment is visibly leaning towards openness and cooperation. I'm confident that a proposal like this, if properly worded, could pass. Especially since I intend for this to be a test run."

"Knowing the scope of the proposal, the Gym Leaders will be invited to vote on it, right?" He pointed out accurately, and I nodded to his question, "Then how do you think the other Gym Leaders will vote?"

"While I haven't spoken to them directly yet, I have been advised that the Kanto Gym Leaders will mostly vote on my side." I stated truthfully, "And Clair will not disagree with me either."

"I do not believe for a second that Surge will support you, the musclehead that he is." Pryce scoffed dismissively, "Still, I am more than aware of your friendship with Giovanni, seeing how expertly you both cooperated with Lance to dispose me."

I shrugged shamelessly, not rising to his bait, "You deserved it, in my eyes."

He snorted, "I see that you've only grown more bold since we last spoke. But nevertheless, I am not unaware of your growing connections. With Giovanni supporting you, I believe that you would be able to obtain sufficient support from the Kanto Gym Leaders."

He ran his fingers across his desk, "Which is why you came crawling to me – because I'm one of the key figures that you want to sway to your side so that the Johto Gym Leaders will follow suit." He grinned knowingly.

"Don't oversell yourself, Pryce." I cut off whatever he might be thinking, "I don't NEED your support. It would just make things easier."

That being said, I was fully aware of the hassle that Pryce could create if he truly wanted to oppose me. The proposal wouldn't be impossible to pass through if he did fight against it, but his neutrality or support would make things much easier.

But I was sure he was aware that fighting me in politics would also be equally bad for him. His political influence had been declining, and him engaging in a war of public opinion against me would only damage that further.

Still, instead of being offended, he barked out a laugh, "Oh I'm fully aware of that. I just found it amusing how much you've grown since you deposed me. You used to be far more nervous when you spoke to me, betraying your young age. But that hesitation is all gone now, hasn't it?"

"I've had to deal with a lot of things since then." I replied, nodding, "But enough side-tracking. I'm sure you don't want me wasting more of your time, so tell me what you want for your support."

"Before I answer that, has my niece already agreed to your idea?" He asked.

"She has." I confirmed, "We already made a deal a long time ago."

He gave off a thoughtful nod, and he fell silent once again. The only sounds in his office was the periodic tapping of his fingers on his wooden desk.

"…I have three requests if you want my support." He began, finally voicing out his thoughts, "The first, I want you to ensure that, should Lorelei fall out of the Elite Four, she will be able to inherit her old position of Gym Leader of Mahogany once again and that you will reasonably support her while doing so."

I blinked; I had not expected him to ask for something like this. I thought his requests would be more selfish, based on what he was like in the past.

Uncaring of my thoughts, he continued, "The second, I want you to reasonably support Lorelei's position in her new organisation. That means no making power plays to have her replaced with your own lackey, or deliberately weakening her influence. Of course, this is also within reason, so I will overlook any unintentional harm you may cause or if your support is not feasible for whatever reason. This shall last until the end of the next circuit, which should give my niece enough time to properly solidify her position."

"Lastly, I want you to acquire a powerful Ice type, either from Sinnoh or something that you and your team of scientists newly discover, and gift it to Lorelei. It should be something she would actively include into her Elite team."

"Should you fulfil and agree to all of the above, you will have my support for your 'test run'." He stated, then fell silent once again as he allowed me to process his words.

I was surprised, all three of his requests were specifically to improve Lorelei's political position. Did he have a change of heart to support his niece?

None of his three requests were particularly difficult for me to fulfil, nor did they harm my interests. His first request was simple enough – I would have supported Lorelei as a friend anyways, and it shouldn't be overly difficult for me to support her re-ascension to Gym Leader.

Plus, I didn't see any difficulty with fulfilling his second request either – Lorelei and I weren't at odds with each other, and allowing her to maintain her power over the organisation SHE created wasn't against my interests. Although, it would mean that I would have to reasonably support any expansion of this organisation as well. Likewise, his third request wasn't problematic either.

No, after thinking it through, his requests were all reasonable enough in exchange for his support.

"Fine, I agree." I said, "Lorelei will have my support as you stated."

"Good, then I agree to your test run as well." He nodded in return, "Since my niece will be supporting it, I hope your idea doesn't crash and burn for her sake."

I rolled my eyes, "Sure, I hope so as well. Then can I have your number so that I can let you know when and what I got for her?" I asked.

He snorted, "No need for that. Lorelei will let me know by herself. I'm sure you don't want to give me any chance of contacting you out of the blue."

I nodded despite myself, I did not want Pryce on my contact list. He might have mellowed out, but I still found him unpleasant.

Since there was nothing else we had to say, I gave Pryce a polite, but quick goodbye, and began walking out of his office. I wasn't going to question this surprising burst of (for his standards) pleasantness. I really thought he would be more difficult than he was.

Did he really want me to support his niece like that? Or did he really have a change of heart since he stepped down from being the Champion?

Well, either way, it didn't matter. I got the support I wanted.

---

With that conversation with Pryce wrapped up (which went better than expected), I left the Mahogany Gym and headed on home.

As I flew home, I kept thinking back on our conversation. I had a gut feeling that he wasn't as distant and as cold to his niece than I first expected, since he seemed like he wanted to be supportive of her, but it was really hard to tell with Pryce. Or perhaps this was just my own bias talking.

However, I put that thought out of my mind once I arrived. Pryce's proposal to catch an Ice type for Lorelei actually reminded me that I needed to follow up with Cynthia on whether she was going to continue those underground expeditions to where we found Wraith and Kleavor.

While I could have just asked Cynthia to just catch the first Ice type she saw and send it over, that was a little too disrespectful for Lorelei. I inwardly promised that she was going to get something unique and/or strong from me.

So I ended up calling my girlfriend, hoping that she wasn't too swamped with her work and her battles to speak.

Luckily, it seemed like she wasn't. "You caught me at a good time, I just beat my old friend." She said.

"Is that really something to be happy about?" I joked, "Anyways, who was it?" I thought through her the friends I knew she had, "Was it Candice?"

"Yep, and it's a good moment because I realized that she's really grown quite a bit. She's far more lively now that she's taken up the position as Gym Leader; I always knew that the position was good for her." She said.

"Anyways, you usually don't call until nighttime, so what can I help you with? If it's about the financial investigations, then I've already got everything running through the preparation stage. It should be ready soon."

"No I didn't call about that, though that's good news to hear." I said, "I was actually going to ask about the cave explorations. Have you found any other new Pokémon or discoveries since we last headed down there?"

"Ah, well unfortunately not. From the reports I received, even though we've done a few more runs, they weren't able to find that long Sneasel we saw; it must have snuck off somewhere." She explained, "It's disappointing, but it must have hidden itself away; perhaps we spooked it last time.

"Admittedly we don't explore the lower levels that often." She said, "The Research Centre is unsurprisingly comprised of scientists and explorers rather than trainers, so our focus has often shifted away from just rare Pokémon. I know a lot of effort has been done to study the changes in geology, for example."

"No, that's fine, I was just checking up on that." I responded. "I understand that the explorers may have other priorities. Actually, the reason I asked about this is because…" I then gave her a summary of Pryce's requests and my desire to personally catch an Ice type for Lorelei, which would mean heading over to Sinnoh.

"Mhm, I see…well, now that you mention it, you know that you have an open invitation to come to Sinnoh to go exploring once again, right?" She told me, "We would be happy to host you again, especially with your added strength you could greatly assist the teams in getting as far, or even farther, than we did before. You could catch a strong Ice type while you're down there, and maybe even find that unusual Sneasel we lost track of."

Her words instantly sent me into a reminiscent mood, as I remembered about all that we accomplished during our cave explorations together. It was a fun time, and I would have loved to experience it again. Likewise, I could also visit Volkner in Sinnoh and get to know him better, especially since we might be working together in the future. Despite all that though…

"I know, and while that sounds great and all, I don't think I'll be able to visit Sinnoh again until at least AFTER the Tournament." I replied, "I think I'll be preoccupied before then."

"No, that's very reasonable." She agreed, "Just making sure you knew. Of course, if you do come, I'll do my best to make free time to spend with you. But I can't guarantee I'll have enough time to explore the caves together like we did before. That might be a little too much of a time investment."

"I understand. That's fine, worst case is I go by myself." I replied.

Though it would be a bit strange to go cave diving by myself. I had always gone with Cynthia…just as I thought that, a wild thought sprung to mind.

"Hey, uh, is that open invitation to go exploring limited to just me?" I asked, "Or would you be okay if I had one of my friends accompany me as well?"

"Assuming that friend is strong enough to handle cave exploration? Then yes, I've no problem with it." She responded, "Why? Thinking of bringing someone along? Should I be jealous?" She teased.

I chuckled, "Not like that. I just had a thought that it might be a good idea to introduce the wonders of cave diving to a few of the more adventurous people I know. More precisely, I was thinking of asking Drake. Not only that, but knowing him, I think he'd love the opportunity to explore a new region as well since he hasn't been to Sinnoh yet."

It was a pretty wild idea from me, but I thought that I would love to be able to explore the caves with a man like Drake – he was a man that practically screamed 'adventure'. I felt that this would be something he would like doing. Plus, I really did want to spend more time with him; it'd been a while since our time fighting together in Hoenn.

"Drake? Oh, yeah, I see it." She nodded, "Sure, if you can convince him to come, then I'll be happy to host him."

"Just let me know if you have ever have the time to come over." She smiled, "I'll make sure your old room is tidied up for you."

"I'll speak to Lance when I feel like the time is right." I promised.

"Mhm. I'll look forward to it." She nodded, then she frowned as she looked at the time, "Right, sorry about this, but I need to get ready for tomorrow's match." She said apologetically, "I have an important match to win tomorrow against the Ex-Champion."

"Oh, right. I forgot that was tomorrow." I said, "Good luck on that – though I'm sure you'll win."

"Winning won't be difficult, but I want a flawless victory." She stated, "I want to repeat what you did against Shin. To send a message to the old traditionalists of Sinnoh that there time has truly come to an end. Though I don't hate the man personally, I will be crushing his team."

That actually made me laugh, "I don't know whether I'm corrupting you or if I should be honoured you're following in my footsteps."

"Well if you remember I also told you to crush Shin as well." She reminded with a grin of her own, "So I guess it evens out."

Cynthia had to end the call shortly after that, so I merely wished her all the best. I would be eagerly awaiting her battle against Hayato. I wanted to be the spectator this time round.

Putting that aside for now, I decided to also ring up the guy that I was actually planning on inviting.

"Drake, you there?" I said as he picked up the phone.

"John! Wasn't expecting a call from you!" He greeted cheerfully, "I didn't know they released the partners for the Tournament already? Are you calling because I'm partnered with you? That'd be fucking great!"

I laughed, "Unfortunately, the teams haven't been announced yet. Nor do I think they'd ever pair you and I together."

"Bah, they're just scared we'd roll over the competition if we were together." He scoffed, "We'd be unstoppable! Could you imagine? Your Slaking with my Salamence? Arceus, our opponents might as well surrender now."

I laughed even harder. I didn't disagree; Drake and I would absolutely crush everyone if we were on the same team.

"Wait, so if not for that, then why did you call? Not that I mind, just curious." He quickly said.

"I was just speaking to Cynthia. She's a good friend of mine." I added that latter bit for clarity, "You know the cave explorations that I did in Sinnoh?"

"Yeah, heard a little bit about that." He nodded, "Heard you're trying to do the same with that cave of yours in Cerulean. What about it?"

"Well – and this is just a thought for now – but how would you like to join me if the two of us both get the opportunity to visit Sinnoh?" I asked, "I know you haven't been cave diving before, so I thought about introducing it to you. Maybe you could even catch a new Water or Dragon type to add to your roster."

Drake barked out a laugh, "You fucking crazy bastard! Like fuck am I going to say no to that! You can count me in!"

Then he frowned, "…Not sure when I'd have the time though. I'd have to speak to Wallace. When were you thinking of heading there?"

"Not anytime soon; probably sometime after the Tournament when it's convenient and I have some free time." I said, "But I haven't spoken to Lance yet either, so this is just a preliminary invite for now."

"That's fine. I appreciate it anyways." He chuckled, "Arceus knows that it's been a while since anyone outside of the Hoenn Elite Four have invited me to anything. Just let me know whenever you have time or feel like heading there, and I'll see if my schedule matches up."

"Of course, I'll let you know." I agreed.

"Actually, now that I have you on call, tell me a little about the Gym Leaders of Indigo." He said, changing the topic, "I have a feeling I might be paired up with one of them, so I'd like to know a bit more about them in advance…"

And so I regaled him of whatever I knew about the Gym Leaders of Indigo, trying my best to remain objective. Knowing how strong he was and how Wallace likely wanted 'balanced' teams, it was likely that he would be paired up with one of our weaker Gym Leaders, and Drake knew it too, so I made sure to emphasise on those.

Then, it was my turn to ask about the Hoenn Gym Leaders. I wanted to check to ensure that what I knew about them matched what Drake thought of them, and just like Drake, I focused on the weaker Gym Leaders since I figured I would be paired with one of them.

So that was how we spent the evening, two battle buddies exchanging stories about their Gym Leaders and making predictions about who would be paired with who. I never expected to be gossiping with Drake of all people, but hey, I enjoyed it.

And it made me all the more excited to find out who I'd be teamed up with for the Tournament.

A.N. Definitely a lengthy conversation chapter, but I hope that you enjoyed John's conversation with Pryce. I wanted to add a bit more depth to his character, while at the same time keeping it consistent with his old personality. He's still a grumpy old man, but I wanted to show a bit more than that.

Of course, no mystery dungeon-ing can be complete without a suitable partner. And who better than Drake! And yes, with most of the politics set up, the Tournament's preparations and arrangements will be revealed soon! 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!