John's Team

Tyrant - Slaking

Vordt - Ursaluna

Smough - Snorlax

Klee - Blissey

Port - Mantine

Zephyr - Pidgeot

Klaus - Wyrdeer

Luna - Clefable

Pixel - Porygon-Z

Euphie - Sylveon

Ornstein - Obstagoon

Wraith - H-Zoroark

Winston - Lickilicky (Shiny)

The New Normal – 13-2 – Business Changes

"We're not kicking you out." My dad reassured me, chuckling a bit as if he thought that idea amusing, "Nor do we think that you're a bother, but we've been talking about the future, and we thought that it might be good for you to get your own place or two."

"I mean, wouldn't you want privacy with Cynthia anyways?" My mom added, "Sure, you don't see each other that often, but it's better to have it available than to not have it. And you can always live with us if that's what you still prefer. It's just we wanted you to have a place you can call 'yours'."

I mean, fair enough. They made good points, "…Sure. Did you have any suggestions on suitable locations? I'm drawing a blank for the moment."

"You should definitely still have a place here in Cerulean." My dad said, "Considering your political ties to the local council, it makes sense to have a house here to maintain those ties. I know a friend that's looking to sell a place next to the Gym; it's a small modest house, and I'm sure there'd be enough space for you to live in comfortably. Or even with Cynthia, if that's what you prefer."

"I'll be sure to have a look." I agreed, it sounded pretty good. Having a house near the Gym would be 'proper' for an Elite Four like myself, "Is it pricey?"

"Nothing you can't afford." My dad reassured, "We were also thinking you might want to buy up a few houses in other regions as well. Just so that you don't have to rely on the hospitality of the other regions when you visit, and they'd serve as nice vacation homes for you and Cynthia."

"Maybe this is a conversation you can talk with your girlfriend about." My mom suggested, "It'd probably be better as a joint decision, and something you can think about for the future. No need to rush into it, we're just throwing out suggestions."

I nodded, "I'll speak to her about it. But this couldn't be all you wanted to talk about, right?"

"Yes, we also wanted to discuss the changes that we've been looking at regarding the family business." My dad explained, "I'm sure you know that our business has been booming in recent times, with the markets of Hoenn being very inviting to us, and we now have the capital to start looking at different investment opportunities."

"You mean expanding to Sinnoh?" I asked. It seemed like the most logical move forwards.

"Not exactly." My mom shook her head, "Actually, this was an idea that your sister brought up. She suggested that we sell more than just Moomoo milk, and capitalise on both you and your sister's joint reputation as Normal specialists to open a breeding ranch for Normal type Pokémon. It'd be a good way to diversify our business."

I blinked. That was a…novel proposal. I knew our business was successful, but I assumed that further growth would just mean expanding into new markets, not something like this. But it wasn't a bad idea.

I recognised that I was practically single-handedly championing the strength of Normal types both in Indigo and overseas. If anyone was going to open up a ranch dedicated to Normal Types, my name would likely be the first on people's minds.

My thoughts must have shown on my face, because my mom smiled at me, "Judging by your expression, you must be pleased with the idea."

"It holds appeal." I admitted, "But what's the purpose of this ranch? How would you profit off it? Where would it even be built? We don't have space here."

"Ah, well it'll be built in Goldenrod, where your uncle Milton is." My dad explained, "We would simply expand out our current operations there to accommodate a ranch. The land's cheap, and we're already well acquainted with the local Goldenrod council. It won't be difficult."

"As for the purpose of the ranch itself – I think it'd be best if it would serve a dual purpose. For one, we know that the training fields here aren't really satisfactory for you and Whitney's needs, and having more space to train up would be beneficial if you need it. Secondly, it would really cement your image as being the Normal type specialist. I assure you that people would be rushing to buy any Normal Types that you end up training up – especially if they were hatched from the loins of your Elite Pokémon."

"Not sure how much time I would have right now to train up other Normal types to be sold." I said, "Even if I were to train them up only to a basic level, that's still a huge time commitment."

Honestly, I saw this as more of a hobby more than anything else. I couldn't really see myself as a full-time Pokémon breeder. That just wasn't what I was super interested in.

"Don't worry, the duty won't fall on you entirely. Whitney will pick up the slack as well, and we will hire others to assist." My mom said, "The most important part is that the Pokémon are all hatched from your Elite Pokémon. The marketing value from that alone would be enough to attract buyers."

"…Yes, that could work." I said after a moment. I was about to ask if people would be really that interested in buying Pokémon from us, but I realised that was a silly question. My name was a frequent sight on the Pokénet, so I knew it wasn't arrogant to assume that there would be buyers.

"But what kind of Pokémon do you want to raise? Have we done any market research to see what would be popular?" I questioned.

"Honestly speaking – we haven't done the research yet, we just wanted to make sure you were on board first." My dad admitted, "But we plan to get everything constructed and ready to go by the end of the upcoming circuit, since that would be the time when trainers would most likely be looking for Pokémon to buy."

"As for Pokémon…why don't you choose." My dad suggested, "Better for you to select Pokémon you're comfortable with training rather than us forcing it on you. Feel free to pick and choose."

I nodded then began to think about what Pokémon I should choose. Obviously Eevee were going to be in high demand, and I wouldn't mind training more of them up. I could even have them pre-trained to be ready to evolve into Sylveon, as that would undoubtedly be popular.

Teddieursa was another Pokémon that would be good to train up, since they were fairly straightforward. I considered if it would be feasible to train up a bunch of Munchlax, but the cost might quickly become prohibitive. I knew full well how frustrating it is to deal with and take care of a Munchlax that was hungry.

And Munchlax were always hungry.

I relayed my thoughts to my parents, who gave me a satisfied nod, "That would do for a preliminary plan, and we could always add more later. We'll bring these to your uncle Milton, who should help us sort out the logistics. We'll let you know how it goes, like once we get the land sorted and everything. Or perhaps you could pay him a little visit just to check up on him. I know he asks after you – and it has been some time since you last visited."

"Oh sure, I'll go and do that." I replied, and the conversation moved on to more casual topic after that.

As I headed to bed that night, I brainstormed about possible ideas for where I wanted to buy up some property for myself. Ideally, I wanted a place in every region for convenience's sake, which also included Johto. I just didn't know exactly where I wanted them to be.

I'd obviously be bringing my girlfriend into the discussion regarding the house in Sinnoh, and it was something we had idly spoken about before, but for the rest…I wasn't sure yet. Each region had its own places that I found uniquely appealing, and I couldn't decide on what was best.

Oh well, a problem for later.

I ended up speaking to my dad's friend about the new house in Cerulean, and I spent the morning doing a quick tour of it. Like my dad described, it was a pretty small but cozy house, and the interior was clean and modern – it was clearly a house that was newly built. But more importantly, since the house was right next to the Gym, it had access to a large training field that was privately shared between the neighbouring houses.

It wasn't completely private, so I couldn't train anything I wanted to keep secret, but it would do if I had a guest over and wanted to show them something in particular with my Pokémon.

Overall, I liked the new house quite a lot. It wasn't anything fancy, but it would serve as a suitable 'symbol' of my connection to the city of Cerulean, and would be a good place to have one or two guests over.

Admittedly, I doubt I'd actually live here on most days, as there were many things about the family's house that I still preferred. Not only was our training field actually private and not shared between a few people, but I also preferred being able to speak to my parents or my sister in person rather than having to go somewhere to meet them.

This house would probably be more for show than anything else. I was going to put a lot more effort into choosing something nicer when I chose the house that I would live with Cynthia in – as that was likely going to be my future home for the years to come.

However, like my parents said, it was still nice to have, and I was actually looking forward to decorating it to my liking, which is why I immediately entered into negotiations for its purchase.

Oh the joys of not having to worry about money. I had come very far since those impoverished days when I had first started my journey. Like most other Elite Four members and/or Gym Leaders, we were pretty financially comfortable. Especially with how successful our family business had become.

While I left the experts to handle the purchase, I headed to another Committee meeting where the Regional Union was finally being voted upon – having been accelerated thanks to the efforts of the three Champions.

I arrived just in time, and the meeting started with Lance and the others going over once again the articles and logistics of the Regional Union, including explaining who would be joining the Regional Union's internal voting committee.

To sum it up, certain Committee members from each region would be selected to join the Regional Union's, though they would have to give up their current seats if they chose to do so. They would have the power to vote on the inclusion of further articles to the Regional Union as necessary, discuss if current articles needed to be changed in some way, and execute the articles as requested.

After all that was done, it came down to the vote, which passed without any surprise. There was far too much political weight behind the Regional Union for it to be stopped at this point. Thus, the Regional Union had passed in Indigo, and I knew it was only a matter of time before it would pass in the other regions as well.

This marked another huge step that had been taken into creating the international society of my dreams.

As the polite applause died down, Lance spoke up once again, "Once the other regions have approved of the Regional Union as well, we will be hosting an opening ceremony at the Sevii Islands. However, for the sake of convenience, only officials from the other regions will be expected to attend. Not their Elite Four or their Champion."

Though there were a few noises of disappointment at that, since their attendance would have added to the grandeur of the event, everyone here understood the underlying reason for it. With the brewing storm happening over at Sinnoh, it was better to not ask the other Elite Four to come all the way to the Sevii Islands when they might be called upon at any time.

On that note, the Committee meeting came to an end there. However, before we could leave, Lance told us to stick around as he had something to speak to us about. So we promptly reconvened at his office.

"Sorry for taking up more of your time, but some of my advisors have asked me to bring this request to you all." He said, "With the Circuit starting up, we felt that we should really put up some kind of opening ceremony for the public to commemorate this occasion. Especially since this would be the first time I could actually host one."

"Couldn't you have hosted last year's one?" Karen asked, "I thought you became Champion before the start of the circuit?"

"By a matter of days." Lance replied, "So no, I didn't have the time. Therefore, this would be the first."

"Pryce wasn't very keen on hosting ceremonies." Lorelei added, "Especially not in his later years. He probably found them too much of a waste of time."

"Indeed, and that's partially why I've been advised to host one." Lance replied.

"…Are you sure this is the right time for it?" Koga asked, "We could be spending that time training up in preparation for our fight."

"I did hear about that – and good job on that, by the way." Lance nodded, "But we can't just put everything to the side because of what's happening in Sinnoh. The opening of the Circuit is something of major cultural importance, so putting on a show for the audience not only makes it memorable, but it also gives the public something to cheer for. Remind them that things aren't just doom and gloom in recent times."

"I accept that reasoning and withdraw my concerns – it should not be much of a time sink anyways." Koga allowed, "What do you need for us to do?"

"What you do best – give us a fight." He explained, "Show matches are simple and popular, and with a completely new roster of Elite Four it would be good for the public to see just how well you guys are able to match up against each other. As far as the public knows, none of you have actually battled each other in an 'official' setting before, and it'll give them something to discuss about your relative strength rankings."

We all rolled our eyes at that.

"Yes, we all know that such a ranking doesn't actually matter, but you know how the public are like. They love having something or someone to compare." Lance remarked, "And I don't actually need all of you to participate. Just two will do. Though any extras will obviously be welcome. I'd participate myself, but sadly I've been repeatedly told that it isn't good for a Champion to be so 'open' with offering fights."

We all shared a look with each other before all nodding.

"We would all be happy to participate." Koga said on our behalf, "But if the others don't mind, I'd like to challenge John for myself."

I blinked, a little taken aback by that, "Can I know the reason?"

He nodded, "I defeated Will by making clever use of my tricks to bring down foes that were stronger than my team. However, my naysayers like to say that it was merely a fluke – I would like to prove that it wasn't. A victory against you would shut them up for good."

He shot me a battle-hungry smile to punctuate his words.

I grinned back, "I'm not losing that easily. But sure, I'll take you up on it. I can guarantee that I won't fall for the same tricks that Will did."

"We'll see about that." Koga replied, and the two of us locked eyes. The match was set.

"Then I guess it's me and you." Karen said to Lorelei, "That actually works out fine. I too need to prove my doubters wrong and cement the fact that Agatha wasn't sandbagging in her fight against me. So sorry, Lorelei, but you'll have to suffer your first loss in the Elite Four."

Lorelei rolled her eyes, "Pride comes before the fall. I'll make you regret making such a statement."

In the end, it was all playful banter; none of us were really that serious about knocking the others down a peg. But we were all trainers, and victory was in our blood.

"Then shall the fights be Koga vs John, and Karen vs Lorelei?" Lance confirmed, getting nods from all of us, "Then that's settled. We'll be doing it in a 3v3 format, though instead of having it be a continuous fight, we're going to have it so that it's basically three 1v1 duels so that the focus is on the Pokémon's individual strength rather than on teamwide coordination. With these kinds of matches, its all about generating interest around your respective Types and showing off what can be accomplished if you train hard enough. Victory can be considered secondary to that."

Even though he said that, but we all knew victory was important.

Seeing us nod again, he smiled, "Thanks for doing this. I'll speak to my subordinates and get this all sorted. I'll see you all there, then. And also at Sevii Islands, once the Regional Union gets fully approved."

"Oh, before we head off." I spoke up, "How are things going in Sinnoh right now? Is there anything we should be concerned about?"

Lance frowned, "Well, there aren't really any good news or bad news. Wallace and I have both stayed in close contact with Cynthia, and we are as up to date as we can get on the situation there. But with the terrorists having gone underground, rooting them out takes time. Especially with few to no leads."

"We know they're targeting the lakes, though." I pointed out, "We had a series of arrests around those areas before."

"Yes, and the Sinnoh League knows that too. They've prioritised their protection." Lance assured me, "And now that the Regional Union's almost established, you can expect to be heading over to Sinnoh very soon, so be prepared for that. You likely won't be sent there all at once; we'll probably do it on a rotational basis. But we'll discuss the details when it happens."

We all nodded understandingly, and without any further questions, the meeting wrapped up there. Koga also reminded us to keep on training and to stay healthy for the days to come.

As we left, Karen briefly pulled me aside as she wanted to show me something. Finding a quiet corner near the entrance of the League building, she pulled out a Pokéball and released a Skorupi.

"Whew." I whistled, "Where'd you get that from?"

"Your girlfriend got it for me as a gift." She replied, "I told her she didn't need to, but she wouldn't listen."

"Sounds like her." I chuckled, "So you gonna train it up from scratch? I know a Drapion would be a fine addition to your team. You could use another strong bruiser."

"Yep." She nodded, "And Cynthia even went out of her way to find a newly hatched one for me. That way there aren't any habits that I have to train it out of. It makes much easier."

Then she turned to me, "Also, what's this about I hear about you getting a new place? Are you moving out?"

My eyes widened, "How did you even hear about this? I only messaged Cynthia about it this morning."

"Oh I actually heard from your sister." She answered, "She was telling me she was a little sad that you were leaving the house behind, since she's so used to having all her family in one place."

"Oh. Well, I'll tell her not to worry, because I don't think I'm moving out of the family home quite yet." I replied, "I did find a new place, and am actually in the process of purchasing it right now, but I think I'll still be staying at the family home for the time being. At least until Cynthia and I are actually able to live together – then I'll move out."

"She'll be glad to hear that." Karen nodded, "And you'll have to show me your new place sometime then. I'll even help you decorate it."

"Sure." I nodded, "That would be nice. I haven't the slightest clue on what to do on that front, so you'd be a massive help."

After our conversation, Karen returned home to Lavender Town while I remembered to make a visit to uncle Milton, calling ahead to make sure that he knew I was coming. I flew over to our farm near Goldenrod, and promptly landed next to one of the fields which was used to raise Miltank.

My uncle was already there to greet me.

"Heya squirt." He waved and pulled me into a hug, "Been a while. You've grown!"

"Hey, uncle. Sorry for not visiting." I was quick to return the hug, "So, what have you been up to? I see that the farm has really…grown…out…" My words died in my throat as I was taken aback at what I was seeing – its elongated form constantly spinning around in the dirt like a drill.

What the fuck was a Dudunsparce doing here?

A.N. Surprise Dudunsparce! This was actually foreshadowed many, many, many chapters ago! And I felt that it was finally time to bring it into the spotlight! As for the Regional Union, it unsurprisingly faced little resistance at this point, and has been approved! The Sevii Islands are about to be very happy!

Also, I think this would be a good opportunity to open the floor to you viewers for suggestions regarding John's new home(s). What cities do you think would be suitable for him to live in (try to stick with the cities that are featured in the games)? Let me know in the comments and I'll definitely consider them! 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!