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 – 11-9 – Triumphant Return

After spending one last night with Cynthia, it was time to finally leave Sinnoh and head back onto a boat that would deliver us back to Indigo. Since Indigo was closer than Hoenn, our group were first to get off the boat after about a day's trip back. Drake would stay on for the remainder of the trip back to Hoenn.

"It's been fun, John. I can see why you were so insistent on opening up cave explorations back in Indigo too." He said to me as we were about to arrive in Indigo, "I'd be happy to join in again in the future."

"You think of doing something like that in Hoenn?" I asked.

He shook his head, "Nah, that's too much effort. If someone else made the suggestion then I'll be happy to go along with it. But I don't have the patience to fucking deal with it otherwise."

"I see." I nodded, that sounded like him, "Anyone interesting competing in the Hoenn Conference that you know of?"

"Fuck no." He laughed, "If there was, then I'd actually be there and looking into them. But nah, this year's crop really isn't anything special. No offense to them, but from what I see they'd still need a year or two to refine themselves."

"If anything, I think most of our eyes are on Steven Stone, and that friend of his." He added, "Bruno, I think he's called. That fucking huge hunk of muscle that follows him around."

"Yeah, his name is Bruno." I confirmed, "He's really strong."

"I know that. I saw how hard he pushed you in your fight against him. Between him and Steven, I think we'll see some interesting fights happening quite soon." He nodded, "Maybe we'll see some changes in our Elite Four roster."

"And you're not upset by that?" I asked.

"I like my colleagues, and I'd be sad to see them leave, but it's not personal." He explained, "I consider them all to be good friends of mine, but the Elite Four is not about your friendships. It's about strength. If Bruno and/or Steven can prove themselves to be the better trainer, then I'd welcome them with open arms regardless."

"That's a good mindset to have." I nodded, then the blaring of the ship's horn signaled to us that we had arrived, "Anyways, it's been good to spend time with you, Drake. Have fun back in Hoenn."

"You too, John. I can't wait to see what kind of fucking shenanigans you get up to next." He grinned, "It's always an exciting time with you."

With those parting words that marked the end of my time with Drake, I exited the ship and gave him one parting wave.

Luckily, there was no 'big ceremony' to welcome us back to Indigo. So outside of a few reporters and cameras that took my picture, I was free to head off back home.

As I flew back home, I made sure to call Lance just to debrief him on what had happened in Sinnoh. He should have known everything already, but it was good to run things through once more just in case there was any miscommunication.

There wasn't, and Lance was more than satisfied with the developments in Sinnoh. He especially emphasized his hopes that Lorelei would establish a good rapport and reputation with her efforts with her branch of the International Police.

"The more we can show the wider world that they can only gain from having inter-regional organisations, the more united we can be as a world." He told me, "The more we can show that we are helpful, the more receptive they will be to such an idea."

"And how much are we benefiting from this increase in internationalism?" I asked out of curiosity.

He grinned, "Will could probably give you a better answer, but we're flourishing economically. That's to no one's surprise. Having more people to trade with has been greatly beneficial for the economy of Indigo as a whole. Not too mention all of the extra tourism that this brings."

That was good. A healthy economy means prosperity, and prosperity meant that people were less inclined to perform extremist actions just to earn their livelihood.

"Well, that must be good for your ratings then." I quipped.

"I won't deny that it's been a very appreciated side-benefit to all this success." He chuckled, "But I truly do want to see this happen. Once we crush whatever remnants of the terrorists are still lingering in Sinnoh, I truly believe we can build a wonderful and prosperous society that will endure for the years to come."

I smiled, happy to hear that his thoughts mirrored mine. It only reinforced the idiocy and the delusion of the plans that Team Galactic had thought up. There was no need to remake the world to create an utopia when far simpler actions could already achieve it.

It was ironic that they were all that stood between a secured prosperity when that was what they were supposedly aiming to achieve.

My call with Lance wrapped up soon after that, perfectly in time as I had just arrived home.

"Welcome back, dear." My mom smiled softly at me, "I saw that you were busy in Sinnoh. Did you find it fun?"

"It was enjoyable." I nodded as I looked around, "Where's dad?"

"He's still in Hoenn at the moment to sort out a few things." My mom said, "He told me to come back first to handle some other matters. He should be back within the week."

"Ah, I see." I plopped down on the couch, "And how's Whitney doing? Have you seen her since the announcement?"

"Oh yes – we were all very excited and surprised about that. Who knew that both of our children would be such geniuses." My mom was practically bouncing on her feet in excitement and happiness. "Katrina was insistent that I come over to congratulate them in person, and those Farigiraf of theirs look very special."

"It's such a shame that they didn't get the full publicity and recognition that they deserved." My mom frowned, "They only made the headlines for a few days before everyone really forgot about your sister's discovery."

In all honesty, that was already pretty good. But I didn't blame my mom for wanting my sister to get more recognition.

"Eh, that normally happens with reveals like this, but it'll pick back up when Farigiraf gets used in a big battle. Plus, she'll have plenty of opportunities to be in the public's spotlight in the future." I waved her off, "And this is a good foundation for her anyways."

"Well you'd know it better than me." She said, "Have you had something to eat yet? I want to hear more about what you've been doing in Sinnoh. Especially anything relating to you and Cynthia." She grinned, and I let out an exaggerated sigh as I indulged my mom's curiosity over some food.

I didn't realise how many photos there would be circulating around the Pokénet of Cynthia and I hanging around each other, sometimes in rather affectionate positions, but I personally thought that everything remained within the bounds of decency. Judging how my mom had also cut up a few photos and stuck them into a notebook, she agreed.

I obviously did not let her know about what happened last night. That was definitely staying just between Cynthia and I.

My mom and I spent the rest of the night catching up, and she was surprisingly interested to hear about what happened during my raids in Sinnoh. She was obviously concerned for my safety, but she also felt bad for the Sinnohnians for having to go through such a problem.

Before I headed to bed though, I did ask Cynthia what her gift was meant to be – as it hadn't arrived yet. I was hoping to pry an answer out of her, but she remained vague and told me that it would remain a secret. However, she did reveal that she was certain my parents were going to love it, so that didn't help with my bubbling curiosity.

Then, on the next day, I had polished off a quick breakfast before heading to the training fields where I awaited Karen's arrival. Apparently, she had things she wanted to tell me in person rather than over the phone.

I arrived at the fields just in time to catch her landing.

"Welcome back, John." She greeted me with a smile, "How are things? Going well?"

"I should be the one asking YOU that." I returned, "But yes, all is well. The terrorists are still holing up in Sinnoh, but I trust Lorelei and everyone's efforts to uncover them. There's not much else I can do about it now."

"That's good. I know how much you've been stressing about this – so I hope it gets resolved as soon as possible too." She said, "Anyways, I'd thought I should update you on my plans for the future, now that I've confirmed them."

"Oh?" I exclaimed curiously, "And what are they?"

"I've decided that I will be challenging Agatha after I win the Indigo Conference." She declared, causing my eyebrows to rise. This was an ambitious statement, but I couldn't say I disapproved.

"Are you sure you aren't putting the cart before the Ponyta here?" I asked, "You still have yet to win the Indigo Conference."

"I'm not overly worried about that. Not to be arrogant, but I've seen my competitors. I'm confident in my chances of beating them." She shook her head, "And if you took some time to study the remaining trainers in the Finals you would likely agree with my assessment."

I nodded. I understood that Karen's strength was more than a match for most trainers. I believed it when she said she would likely win against her opponents. She did beat Sidney, after all.

"That may be the case, but arrogance is ever the downfall of men." I warned, "Make too many mistakes, and you might find yourself losing."

"I know, but I'm confident that it won't happen." She replied, "Which is why I'm focusing my efforts on making plans to replace Agatha in the Elite Four."

"Have you spoken about it to her?" I asked.

"Not yet, but I will do so soon." She informed me, "Though I suspect that she has already predicted my intentions."

"And she didn't say anything…?" I said.

"No, which probably means she had planned for such an outcome, or at least she might have expected it to some extent." Karen responded, "But I can see the benefits to her as well. If she loses to me, her 'chosen apprentice', then it looks much better for her. People always love to see students surpassing their teachers. Especially when that teacher is nearing the age of retirement. Her loss to me would allow her a graceful exit from the stage of the Elite Four."

"Not only that, but it would also solidify my status as her apprentice, and make people more accepting of any transfer of power between us." She continued, "I know the original plan was for me to take out Will, but I believe I'm strong enough to give Agatha a run for her money. Sure, taking out Will would allow the both of us to be in the Elite Four together – but, like I said before, I don't actually want to that to happen."

I nodded, remembering her fervent wish to give her mentor the opportunity to finally put down her responsibilities.

"Well I have no problems either way." I said to her, "But you better be confident that you can win against Agatha. Agatha is strong."

She snorted, "You don't have to tell me that. I'm well aware of how strong the old hag is, and I know full well she would never hold back against me."

"Truth be told, I'm nervous about it as well." Despite her words, her eyes were gleaming with determination, "But I see this as the best path forwards, and I will have to take my chance so that I can achieve the best outcome for everyone. After all, challenging Agatha would grant me a much larger degree of respect than if I fought Will."

I smiled, this was the passion and drive I wanted to see. "Then I'll do my best to support your efforts either way." I told her, "Although I don't fight anything like Agatha does, I'll help you with whatever you need."

"That being said, you should probably tell Agatha about your plans sooner rather than later." I added, "This really isn't something you should keep from her."

"I know, I just wanted to tell you about it first." She replied, "I'll speak to her about it soon."

We walked deeper into the training fields, "Do you know what kind of team she'd likely field against you?...Actually, now that I think about it, I don't actually know the full extent of Agatha's team."

"She has more Ghost types than you think." Karen explained, "She's always been disdainful of the culture where most trainers should 'only' have 6 Pokémon. Even I don't think I've seen all of the Ghost types she owns. But she has at least more than a dozen."

"Are they all at the Elite level?" I had to ask.

"Nah, not that I'm aware of." She shook her head, "There's a reason she so frequently makes use of the three Gengar that you always see her field in battles. They're her strongest ones, and I expect to be facing all three of them in battle."

"Makes sense." I nodded just as we arrived, "Then we better get to training then. I want to show you how much my own Pokémon have improved too. My weaker Pokémon aren't so weak anymore."

"Oh? Then you better show them off." She grinned, "Maybe they'll serve as a good warmup for me."

Though I wanted to, I couldn't just spend the day training with Karen. I had other things to attend to while I was here. Now that I was back in Indigo, I could finally work on the plans that I had put on hold for the Tournament. Namely to make sure that everything was in place for my proposal to allow Gym Leaders to be appointable from anywhere from within Indigo.

Seeing the public's reaction to the Tournament, and their excitement for another one, had given me the confidence that the political climate was ready for such a proposal.

To that end, I had to meet up with someone I was still reluctant to spend time around – Pryce.

Luckily for me, he seemed to be in a better mood today, as he had gone so far as to greet me at the door rather than have me walk to his office.

For Pryce, that was basically treating someone like royalty.

"Good to see that you didn't steal all of the spotlight from my niece." Was how he greeted me. I guess a good mood could only carry his niceties so far, "I was concerned that your greed for the spotlight would overshadow her own efforts. But I see you know when to tone back."

"I hardly crave the spotlight, Pryce." I frowned, "Becoming famous is not why I chose to go down this path."

"Bah, the youth and their idealism. It makes it worse because you truly believe in it." He grumbled as we walked into his office.

"You should try it sometimes. I'm sure it beats being cranky all the time." I snarked.

"You try to live up to my age and not be an old crank." He shot back while sitting down, "Besides, I know you're 'friends' with Agatha. I don't know how you manage to stand up to that hag and not want to turn her into one of those Ghosts that she loves so much."

Probably because she's still more caring than you, was what I thought but didn't say.

Unaware of my thoughts, Pryce waved me off, "Regardless, before you sour my mood with your presence." Well fuck you too, "I'm pleased to see that you have kept to your side of the bargain. Lorelei has already informed me of your gift to her."

"Then will you keep to yours?" I pressed.

He grinned sharply, "And what would you do if I didn't?" I moved to say something, but he just laughed. It wasn't a pleasant sound. "Hah! Not that I would! You're no Blackthorn. I will honour my side of the deal. You will have the support you desire for your proposal."

"Thank you." I still said, even though Pryce never failed to rile me up.

But then he surprised me, "I will do you one better. The reporters are probably aware that you have come to Mahogany Town to speak to me, but they do not know what or why we are speaking. What I propose is for you and I to go out there, and smile and grin at each other like we are a pair of old friends."

"Are you even able to smile?" I couldn't help but ask. Though inwardly, I couldn't deny that pretending to be friends with Pryce would be great for optics. If I could be seen as being 'friendly' with Pryce, it might convince a few would-be opposers to reassess their thoughts because Pryce was not against it. It wouldn't win everyone over, but it was much better than nothing.

As much as Lance would prefer otherwise, Pryce still had some degree of political influence as a former Champion. He had not been completely disgraced, and he was still respected in certain spheres. Being friendly with him despite our past animosity would also make me seem open-minded, which was always a good thing.

His lips turned up slightly, "I am quite capable of smiling, thank you. And despite our…animosity, I do not hate you. Plus, feigning a friendship for political reasons is something I am more than capable of doing."

"Okay, I can see the benefits of this." I replied, "But WHY are you offering this?"

"Because politics is something that you cannot escape from, not in our positions. Once you've dipped your toe in it, it will ensnare you forever." He grumbled, "But I can fake a smile if it means reminding people of my political relevance – something that I'm keen to do to capitalize on my success in making it to the Top 3. Plus, my niece still requires all of the support she can get. She is in a very important time in her political career, and I intend to be in a position to extend a helping hand if required."

I blinked, "…I'm surprised. I'd always thought you were distant from Lorelei."

He barked out another unpleasant laugh, "She is my successor, whether she wants to be or not. No matter her actions, no matter how she tries to distance herself from me, there will always be those that tie her actions to my own. So why shouldn't I help her?"

I disagreed inwardly; I thought that Lorelei was more than capable of stepping out of Pryce's shadow, but I didn't voice it here. He wouldn't agree anyways.

"Regardless, my reasons are my own, and frankly I have already spoken too much." He continued, "Let us focus back on what truly matters. Your proposal. Even with my support, I hope you're not naïve to think that you can pass this without any pushback from the Committee – something as controversial at this can't be secured with just a few handshakes."

"I understand that." I nodded, "Still, I am confident that we will have the numbers."

"And do you truly think, from the bottom of your heart, that this proposal will pass? I may agree with you that the world has changed, but the people's beliefs are not so easily changed." He challenged, leaning forwards as he did so. His eyes stared into mine, as if trying to imprint the seriousness of his question.

I thought my answer over carefully before responding, "I know that too. But I cannot be so afraid of criticism that I do nothing. I must try. At the end of the day, I truly believe that my proposal would lead to a brighter future for Indigo, and I have to hope that the public shares in my view. If there is opposition, then I will do all I can to reassure them."

"Overall, I am confident that Indigo has been more united than it has ever been before. After all of the changes over the past year, my assistants have reassured me that the public's desire for further unification is only continuing to grow as they continue to reap the benefits of our greater unity. Furthermore, with some key Gym Leaders supporting this proposal, like yourself, I think that will sway the majority of both the Committee and the public to our side."

"You may call it naïve, overly idealistic, or whatever other insult you like to use." I said firmly, the passion growing in my voice, "But this is the future that I hope to craft. A Gym Leader should serve as a pillar of our region, but it shouldn't matter where that pillar comes from. Kanto OR Johto, we are both equally interested in protecting our joint people and livelihood."

That is what I truly believed in – how I truly felt. Win or lose, I wanted the proposal to at least be discussed at the highest level, and for it to be legitimately considered.

"We will see about that." He said neutrally, though he wasn't inspired by my words, "Nevertheless, I would like to know when you plan to push this through, and what that process will look like. I know special arrangements will need to be made for us Gym Leaders to participate, but has that already been agreed upon?"

I had to give it to Pryce, when he wasn't being a complete asshole, he asked good questions. It was a reminder that there was still an astute political mind somewhere in that cranky brain of his.

"Once I've checked through with Lance about the preparations, then we will announce the proposal to the Committee shortly afterwards." I answered, "Though I don't exactly know what the voting process will look like at the moment – I'll have to speak with Lance about it."

"Fine. I suppose you wouldn't know unless Lance tells you." He said.

Then he shook his head and let out an uncharacteristic sigh, "I disagree heavily with your idealism…but I suppose…I was like you, once upon a time. But just like me, I know once reality has reared its ugly head towards you, you will be forced to mature just as I did. Your idealism will fade away in time."

I frowned, "I wouldn't use the word 'mature'. I don't think you 'matured', I think you grew so cynical because you were too used to the power that being Champion granted you. No one did this to you other than yourself. You chose to throw away your idealism."

And I vowed to hold on to mine for as long as possible. The Pokémon world was a beautiful place. I had thought so when I had first came to this world, and I still thought so now. That feeling was only compounded when I had first started my journey, to know that even despite the poverty of my childhood, that every trainer had the opportunity to win glory and riches for themselves. The fact that everyone here was just so friendly, accepting, and not judging of one's circumstances (for the most part) was such a breath of fresh air for me when I had started my journey.

Very few had looked down on me just because of my poor upbringing. While they looked down on Tyrant when he was merely a Slakoth, that didn't last for long when they saw what he could do. The authorities genuinely did their best to look out for everyone, and I could feel that our leaders were genuinely passionate about their jobs and responsibilities.

The Pokémon world was just so idyllic compared to everything that I was used to.

Which was why I clung so hard in trying to improve the world even further, and not let it fall into what I saw were the same mistakes as my old world. The people were just naturally more friendly here, and I wanted to encourage this natural friendliness and spread it throughout the whole world. It was why I was so passionate about making sure that proposals like these would be pushed through, because I thought that they would allow that natural friendliness that the people here possessed to shine and make the whole world brighter for it.

That was why I disagreed heavily with Pryce's cynicism. There was no need to see the negative in everything that you looked at.

"…Perhaps I did." But he didn't say anything else as he pulled himself out of his seat, "Enough of my past though. I can already hear the reporters outside trying to scramble for tomorrow's headline – it seems that they have caught wind of your arrival. I believe it's time to give them a show."

I nodded, "Yes, we shall." And by shaking hands with Pryce, that would mark the first step towards finally making my long-term proposal a reality.

A.N. Back to politics, both with Karen and her plotline and with John and his own. Karen's finally revealed her intentions to challenge Agatha, instead of Will as originally planned. I thought this would be more interesting and would be better for Karen's development.

And with John, this proposal of his was a long time in the making, and I thought now would be a good time to properly begin implementing it. I really wanted to highlight John's passion for these kinds of projects. It might be out of idealism, but he truly wants to implement these things for the betterment of Indigo. I hope that came through!

Also, I see a few people struggling to find the chapter on Questionable Questing. You have to create an account to access the NSFW section, and the chapter is published there under the same name (Cartec). I hope that helps!

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!