The New Normal – 11-20 – Interlude – Blaine

It had been a long time since he was last here, but he felt that it was about time that he visited his long-time friend.

"Blaine, I was surprised when you told me you wanted to meet." Giovanni greeted him as he walked into his office, "What finds you here?"

"Not sure." He admitted, "I just thought to check up on you. I hope I'm not disturbing anything."

"No, of course not." Giovanni shook his head, "It's been some time since we had last caught up."

"Yes, it has." He agreed, thinking back on his old memories, "I remember one of our last discussions involved us working on a joint project together—"

"And I don't regret changing my mind about it." Giovanni was quick to cut him off, "Trying to clone a Pokémon was a dumb idea. I was too…ambitious at the time."

With the benefit of hindsight, Blaine knew that that was quite the understatement. The results of such a project, even if successful, would likely be catastrophic for everyone involved. He was glad that the project never manifested, and that Giovanni had no intention of pursuing that ever again.

"You've lost a bit of your fire, but not in a bad way." He nodded, "The old you was like a raging inferno, burning all in its path. But now that fire has been tempered, and has become warm and inviting."

His old friend used to be far more intense, always laser-focused on ensuring that Kanto would be dominant and be returned to its former glory. Blaine never fully agreed with such sentiments, and he had grown increasingly concerned with Giovanni's flirtations with extremism. He was glad that this part of his old friend was now gone.

He turned to the photos of Giovanni and his family at the beach that were framed on Giovanni's desk, "I suspect that Silver is the reason. I told you before to reconcile with Ariana, but you didn't listen."

Giovanni chuckled as he poured Blaine a drink, "Well I've listened now. You were right."

"Of course I was." He snorted, accepting the drink with a nod of his head, "You always had the foundation to become a great family man; I just didn't understand why you didn't see it. Ariana obviously loved you, but you were too stubborn to change your ways. Even your old subordinates – I forget their names, agreed with me. You were the only one blind to her affections."

"And what about you, Blaine?" Giovanni asked, deliberately switching the topic, "Now that you've 'retired' from the Gym, are you looking to settle down? Take things easy?"

"I think starting a family would be the opposite of taking things easy." He barked out a laugh, "Or are you telling me that the bags under your eyes are from your work as a Gym Leader? No, clearly Silver has been the one running you to the ground. Heh."

Giovanni rolled his eyes as the pun, but he didn't comment on it, "Then what are you doing now? I don't see you idling about while twiddling your thumbs. You've lost your lab; are you here to ask for funds to rebuild it? Like you did when we first met?"

"No need for that." He shook his head, "I've made an agreement with Shelly."

"Ah. Shelly. Your new partner at Devon Corp." Giovanni hummed knowingly, "You do know that the standing offer for you to work at Silph Co still applies, right?"

"I prefer my independence – which my current agreement with Devon Corp still allows." He waved him off, "Plus, Shelly and I have a working understanding. We know how to not get in each other's way, and I find there are many benefits to working with her. I still have many projects that I'm currently working on, so I'm still kept busy."

"Fair enough. I won't question you on that." Giovanni replied, "But are you sure you no longer want to be a Gym Leader? That's been something I've been meaning to ask you ever since I heard the announcement. The Cinnabar Islands will have lost a lot of prestige with the loss of their Gym."

He scoffed, "Like I cared about those social climbers. I may have had to work with them while I was a Gym Leader, but we most certainly did not like each other. If anything, I'm happy to be away from them."

Then he sighed, "Truthfully, there were a few things that I genuinely enjoyed when I was a Gym Leader. There were some moments which were honestly pretty entertaining, and it's nice to watch trainers grow and learn from their experiences. That was one thing I do miss about being a Gym Leader, seeing how trainers were able to use us as a grindstone to better themselves and their team."

He let out a fond sigh, "It was that part that made me almost consider continuing to hold the Gym in some random cave near Cinnabar or something while repairs were being made."

He wasn't lying when he spoke to John about feeling that he wasn't very suitable for holding onto the responsibilities of a Gym Leader, or that he was feeling increasingly dissatisfied with the position. Still, he acknowledged there were moments where he was thankful to have been a Gym Leader, and there was a bit of lingering regret for leaving the position.

And Giovanni must have caught onto that regret, as he shot him a knowing smile, "I think it's a good thing that you're feeling complicated – I certainly would be if I had to step down from the position for any reason, even if I didn't intend on becoming a Gym Leader to begin with…But I assume you're happier now that you can focus on the sciences like you've always wanted to."

"I am." He confirmed, "It was one of the main reasons why I stepped down as an Elite Four member – aside from Pryce. I feel like being a full-time scientist has always been my true calling, and it fulfils me, so I ultimately don't regret making the choice."

"Mhm. I can see that." Giovanni agreed, "For as long as I've known you, I've always thought that you were chafing between the responsibilities of being a respected trainer and a brilliant scientist. You were too good at both, and I saw how your responsibilities and desires were split between your two strengths."

He nodded, agreeing with what his old friend was saying, but Giovanni wasn't done yet, "However, seeing you now, I'm glad that you've seem to have made a choice. And, for what it's worth – even though I think you would have made for a great Gym Leader if you had continued to stay in the position – I think you will become an even greater scientist."

"You're probably aiming to be a Professor, right?" Giovanni asked, and he nodded again, "Then I know that you will be able to do so in the very near future. You've always been an excellent and exceptional scientist."

Blaine felt his friend's words settle into his heart, and he couldn't help but feel reassured that his decision wasn't wrong. It was moments like these where he regretted not keeping in touch with Giovanni for some time, and he inwardly vowed to repair their slightly distant friendship.

Still, he made sure that none of that actually showed on his face as he retorted with a snort, "You know the decision is still reversible right? If the Lavender Gym goes down in flames, then perhaps a new Cinnabar Gym can rise again from its ashes."

A part of him did hope that the Lavender Gym would fail, if only so that he could laugh at Agatha's face. But that was probably a going a little too far.

Giovanni shrugged, "And would you take up the position again if that happens?"

"…Maybe, but it's unlikely." He admitted, "I've already made a decision, and I wouldn't want to go back on it. I'm sure there must be some other person who would want to be a new Gym Leader. Who knows – with the passing of the new bill – that person could even be from Johto."

"Mhm. But if that were the case, then rest assured that I will make absolutely sure that they are worthy of the position." Giovanni promised, "So you don't have to worry about a future successor of Cinnabar tainting your achievements."

Then Giovanni relaxed back into his chair, "Anyways, enough about that serious stuff. Do you have some free time now? Ariana hasn't seen you in a while either, and we'd be more than happy to host you for lunch. Maybe you can help us entertain Silver while we eat too."

"Are you sure you want me near Silver? What if I infect him with my puns?" He grinned, which turned into a laugh as he watched a frown form on Giovanni's face, "Oh relax, it takes a real connoisseur to be able to appreciate and make such high-quality puns on the fly. It takes a real burning passion for the art."

The unimpressed look that he got from Giovanni simply proved his point for him.

He returned to the original question, "But sure, I'll be happy to join. Is Ariana still working as a scientist? I remember she had some interesting projects that she was previously working on. Maybe we can talk about those too."

"She's semi-retired now." Giovanni revealed, "Taking care of Silver is a full-time job, but she does work on a few things back with Silph Co if the need arises. But more as an overseer rather than an actual researcher."

"I'm sure we'll still have things to discuss." He allowed, getting up from his chair, "Now, show me around your place. I'm sure things have changed from that gloomy and lonely place you used to call a home…"

A.N. I wanted Blaine to be in the spotlight for just a little bit longer to better contextualise his decision to leave his post as a Gym Leader, since that is such a massive change from canon. I also wanted to add a bit of background to both Giovanni and his shared past and their friendship.

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