The New Normal - A Pokémon Elite 4 SI by CartecFF

Chapter 50: 197-201

Chapter 50: 197-201

The New Normal – 9-16 – Interlude – Whitney

"...And this is the cafeteria where you're free to eat whenever you want, but try to keep it to the lunch break." Samson said to her as he showed her around the Saffron Gym, where she'd be starting as a new Gym Trainer. The fact that they had an all-you-can eat cafeteria that was FREE was an amazing benefit to working for the Gym.

Her eyes scanned around and took a look at the options available, where it was mostly standard cafeteria fare.

...Okay, so they weren't as luxurious as she had expected, but they were good enough, and there were plenty of options so she wouldn't get bored any time soon.

And most importantly, FREE! Not only that, but she was getting paid on top of that too! She initially didn't want to take payment from him, but both of Sabrina's parents insisted that she be paid for her work, just like any other Gym Trainer would be.

"Thank you, it all looks really good." Whitney smiled, "Is there anything else I should know about?"

"Not particularly – and Sabrina can show you the rest if I did miss anything." Samson said, "Anyways, feel free to spend some more time to familiarize yourself with everything. Otherwise, please report to the Head Gym Trainer to receive your duties."

"Yes sir!" Whitney saluted, a little clumsily. Samson just chuckled.

"You should call me Gym Leader when we're working, but there's no need to salute." Samson rubbed her hair, "You can keep calling me Samson in private."

With the conversation over, Whitney followed his instructions and reported to the Head Gym Leader of the Saffron Gym, a young adult Psychic called Albert.

"You must be the newbie." He said blankly as his Pokéballs circled in the air around him. "Well, let me give you a rundown of your new duties."

"I've looked into the strength of your Pokémon. From the team I've seen you use in official battles, I'm unfortunately going to have to say that you won't be allowed to use them over the course of your duties as a Gym Trainer." Albert explained, "Not only are they mostly the wrong Type, but they are also mostly too strong for your opponents. It wouldn't be fair for the typical 6th? Badge challenge we offer. However, you may use your Girafarig if you wish."

Whitney nodded; she had expected this. Even Sabrina had to hold back from using the stronger members of her team too. "Instead, please pick up the Pokémon that we use for the Gym. You will be expected to use those to test trainers that are challenging the Gym."

"Be careful though. Your objective is not to obtain victory, unlike the battles I'm sure you're used to." He warned. "Instead, you will be expected to test all potential challengers to see what if they have what it takes to make it to the Gym Leader." A handbook suddenly levitated into Whitney's hands, "This is the handbook that we use. It should provide you with a guide on what you should be looking out for when fighting potential challengers. Study it well."

"You might be personal friends with Sabrina and the Gym Leader, but I will be testing your performance carefully. I will not allow you to get away with damaging the Gym's reputation with your overenthusiasm. Do I make myself clear?" Albert's eyes dug deep into hers, and she wondered if he was reading her mind like Sabrina could.

She supposed that his piercing glare was supposed to look intimidating, but it didn't seem like his Psychic talent could match Sabrina's, as she could not feel the telltale signs of a mental intrusion. So she just shrugged it off.

"I understand." Whitney instead replied, mustering every bit of seriousness she could.

Albert blinked, a little unruffled by her lack of response, "...Good. Then I look forward to working with you in the future."

He recovered from his surprise quickly, "You joined at a good time. We're nearing the end of the circuit and are about to enter the off-circuit, so things are going to be quiet for now. That'll give you some time to learn the ropes."

The Pokéballs around him shuffled around until they formed an arrow that pointed to the right, "Please head over there to pick up the Pokémon you will be using. I expect you to get familiar with them and get used to fighting with the Psychic type. I'll check up on you later."

Whitney thanked him and left, heading to where he pointed to. As she arrived at where the Gym's Pokémon were being stored, she found Sabrina already there, thinking carefully as she inspected the options in front of her.

"You're only taking out the one?" She asked as she saw the single Pokéball that Sabrina had grabbed.

"I am planning to train up my Slowpoke and Girafarig as well. They are both weak enough to be used, and I intend to use this time to train them up further." Sabrina replied.

"Oh cool! I was planning to do the same with my Girafarig – we can train them together like before!" Whitney exclaimed excitedly. They had unfortunately not been training their Girafarig together much in the past as they had other priorities with figuring out how to tackle the next Gym Leader, but now was a good time to get back into it.

She wondered how strong their pair of Girafarig could get after training together. Who knows what they could accomplish by working together?

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she turned back to the rows of Pokéballs that contained all of the Gym's Pokémon. "Um...that means I still have to pick two...uh, I don't know what to pick. Do you have any suggestions, Sabie?"

"No," Sabrina shook her head, "Pick whatever you feel like. I am sure you are familiar enough with the Psychic type to do fine. However, I would recommend picking Pokémon that fight similarly to your own. That way, you can transfer anything you learn while using them to your own Pokémon."

"That's a good idea." Whitney smiled, "Thanks, Sabie. I'll be doing just that."

Her eyes danced across all of the options laid out in front of her. She read the labels – there were Starmie, Slowpoke, Kadabra, Medicham, and many other Psychic types for her to choose from. Each of them had a slightly different fighting style, and Whitney intended to follow Sabrina's advice and pick out the Pokémon most suitable for her.

Eventually, she picked out Medicham and Xatu, as they were most similar to her Miltank and Noctowl respectively.

Having made her choice, she wandered over to the training fields to get acquainted with her Pokémon. Sabrina followed her; and Whitney was inwardly glad for the familiar presence of her close friend.

She admitted that suddenly finding herself working with the responsibilities of a Gym Trainer scared her a bit. She had never been in a position of authority before, and she was afraid of doing a bad job. She didn't want to disappoint Sabrina or her parents, who were so nice to offer this opportunity to her.

As if sensing her negative emotions, Sabrina patted Whitney on the shoulder and shot her a small reassuring smile.

'You aren't alone, Whitney. I will be there with you, and so will Janine, if only in spirit.' She spoke into her mind.

Whitney shot her friend a reassuring grin, giving her a quick hug for her kind words.

They helped remind her WHY she had come here in the first place. She knew that working as a Gym Trainer for a prestigious Gym (and perhaps two, if Koga lets her join as well) would be great for her experience as a trainer, and she intended to make full use of the opportunity to grow her skills a trainer even further.

But more importantly, the whole reason why she had chosen to work as a Gym Trainer was to spend more time around her friends – to not let the strong bonds that they had forged over their journey falter and break.

In the end, that was what was truly important.

The New Normal – 9-17 – The New Champion

(Cynthia POV)

She stared Lucian down, ignoring the roar of the audience around her. She had a one Pokémon lead on him, leading the match 4-3.

Her team had taken down his Mr. Mime, Medicham, Espeon, and Bronzong, leaving him with his final two Pokémon. In return, he had knocked out her Roserade, Togekiss, and Spiritomb. Compared to all the other matches that she had fought – this was her closest fight yet.

But there was no hint of worry in her mind. No jitters of battle. She had seen her path to victory, and she would secure it with both hands.

"...I must say, I knew how strong you were. But this is really something else!" Lucian called out to her. "But I've not run out of options just yet!"

"GO! Alakazam!"

"You got this, Milotic!"

Her beautiful Pokémon emerged with a sonorous trill, twirling around as she showed off her brilliant gleaming scales to the crowd. The crowd cheered and clapped in approval, and her Milotic seemed to bask in the attention, as if she was ignoring the actions of her opponent.

But her trainer remained aware. Cynthia's eyes were locked onto Alakazam, watching intently for its every move. Lucian had given it no commands, but she was not foolish enough to believe that it wasn't setting something up.

And with how Alakazam's eyes repeatedly flashed a bright blue, she already knew that Lucian was preparing for his signature move.

Despite this, she made no move to stop her Milotic from her showboating. Because it was all an act. While Milotic appeared to be just playing to the crowd, she was actually setting up with all her recovery moves. Aqua Ring, Safeguard, and even Coils were all set up in preparation, setting the stage for the next act of the fight.

Occasionally, Milotic would even fire off a quick Hydro Pump, launching a powerful torrent of water towards the Psychic type. Though they never managed to hit their mark as Alakazam was easily able to dodge out of the way with a precise series of Teleports.

But that was fine, she was only trying to keep Lucian on his toes. They were never meant to hit.

Of course, Lucian wasn't a fool. He must have figured out that her Pokémon wouldn't be showing off during such an important match. He would have realised that this was actually just a way of concealing the set up moves that she was doing, and that the Hydro Pumps were meant to just buy even more time for Milotic to set up.

To Lucian, her plan with Milotic was obvious. Set up as much as possible, then stall the match for as long as possible to eventually beat his Alakazam in a battle of endurance. A simple strategy, but nonetheless an effective one. It was the same one she employed to great effect against both Bertha and Flint.

He must have realised this as soon as the round began, which was why he was already preparing to unleash his most powerful move with his Alakazam from the moment it emerged onto the field. And judging by the keen sense of anticipation that shined in his eyes, or the way that the air shimmered and thrummed with barely restrained power, she knew that he had committed to this path. To land a huge decisive strike against Milotic to take it out of the battle in a single stroke.

She had to hold back a smile. It was exactly what she hoped he would do.

Then, the attack came.

"Psychic Bombardment!"

The air suddenly flared with Psychic energy before being torn apart as a bombardment of Future Sights erupted from all sides. The surroundings twisted and turned, becoming completely distorted as a nuclear amount of Psychic energy detonated in the air, with Milotic being right in the epicentre.

The resulting impact from the simultaneous explosions sent earth-shattering shockwaves radiating out of all directions, flying out with such force that it almost knocked Cynthia over. She had to shield herself as all manner of dust and rubble flung themselves into her, completely obscuring her vision.

But Cynthia didn't care about that. She was just waiting for the single act that would signify her victory.

And then it happened. A second, even more powerful explosion abruptly detonated from within the cloud of smoke, ripping forwards in a cone of pure destruction that eradicated all that was unlucky to be caught in its path.

This time, the psychic barriers completely failed to withstand the second even-more powerful blast. They shattered instantly, allowing chunks of rubble and sand to be thrown around into the crowd. The resulting screams of panic from the crowd were muted by the deafening explosion, and also her own concentration.

She stared intently at the battlefield, patiently waiting for the thick cloud of dust to clear up. And as it did, she smiled as she saw the result of the clash.

A single cone-shaped trench had suddenly been ripped out of the arena, with cracks spreading across that entire section of the arena. It was testament to the power of her Milotic's counterattack that literally nothing remained within the trench; as if everything inside had been annihilated by the sheer power of the attack.

But more importantly than that, her Milotic was the only Pokémon that was still standing. There was no sign of Lucian's Alakazam, and not because it was sneaking around or anything. No, as she followed the path of the trench with her eyes, she eventually found the remains of Alakazam, having been violently smashed against a now-broken wall of the arena.

The Psychic type lay limp and broken; there was no chance it was getting up from that.

In the meanwhile, her own Milotic was hardly doing better. She managed to keep her head high, but it was only just. It was impossible to miss her Milotic's unsteady swaying and wobbling, with most of her body lying limply on the ground, no longer able to support her usual regal posture. However, despite the fact that her once pristine and beautiful body was now marred with injuries, Milotic's eyes remained resolute and determined, as if she was ready to take on another opponent if she was ordered to.

Her Milotic was wounded, but she refused to bow. And the pride swelled within her as she felt the determination of her Pokémon, but she did not need to push her Pokémon that far today.

She felt Lucian's eyes on her, and she looked up to meet them even as she announced that she was retiring Milotic from the fight. She could feel his confusion.

"...Mirror Coat?" He asked after a moment, and all she did was nod once.

He laughed bitterly, "You hid this strategy this entire time? All the way until you fought me?"

She shrugged, "Your colleagues didn't require such a strategy." That might have been a bit blunt, but it was true.

Aaron and Bertha were both mostly physical attackers, and they could be handled with other methods. Flint was tougher, but she didn't require the Mirror Coat strategy when Milotic was already such a good matchup against him.

She didn't necessarily plan it this way when she first began the gauntlet, but it made for an excellent surprise tool to bring down one of Lucian's most threatening Pokémon.

She was pleased it worked out so well. It was why she did everything she could to bait Lucian into going for a decisive strike, all so that it could be reflected with a Mirror Coat to knockout his prized Alakazam with a single move. It would have been a huge pain to deal with otherwise.

Lucian let out a sigh, "So it comes down to this then. My final Pokémon, versus two of yours." But despite his words, there was no defeat in his voice. Only the resolve of a trainer that went into the battle knowing he was going to lose, but was determined to prove his all regardless.

A good attitude. One she would repay.

"Gallade!"

Lucian's starter came out in all of his glory. A Pokémon that had earned much renowned for its supreme excellence at close-range combat. Many trainers had been taken out by the deadly blade of his Gallade, and the common piece of advice was to never engage the Gallade at close range.

But...she never really cared what you were 'commonly' supposed to do. If Gallade was known to be the best close-range fighter, then she would simply beat him at his best.

"Go, Garchomp!"

Her Garchomp emerged silently. She did not roar. She did not intimidate. She did not posture. No, she left that pride for other Dragons, and instead immediately dug into the ground as a harsh Sandstorm whipped around the arena.

A frown formed on Lucian's face. He knew what was coming, yet there was only really one thing he could do, "Teleport back and Blade Dance!"

By infusing Psychic energy into his usual Swords Dance, Lucian had been able to train up his Gallade to create a move that was doubly effective of a regular Swords Dance, giving an effective 3x boost to his Gallade's attack. An extremely powerful set up move that punished even the slightest misstep from the opponent.

Flint and Lucian were often seen as evenly matched, but Lucian was often recognised to have the edge over his Fire type colleague. Gallade was the reason why, and she knew better than to underestimate the power of her foe's starter.

But neither should anyone underestimate her own.

"Earthquake, Gallade! Punish it!"

Gallade quickly completed its setup and moved to punish Garchomp for her burrowing. However, before Gallade could even stomp on the ground, her Garchomp came bursting out of the ground right next to Gallade with her fangs bared menacingly. From the surprise in Gallade's usually stoic eyes, she knew that he wasn't expecting her Garchomp to have moved so quickly.

Yet the surprises did not stop there. Going against all common sense to utilise the move so early in a fight, the distinct aura of Dragon energy rapidly built up around Garchomp as she forced herself into an Outrage. The air began becoming distorted as a powerful aura of draconic energies began radiating out of her Garchomp, and with it, came an overwhelming boost in strength.

Claw slammed against blade. Using full use of his buffs, Gallade was just barely able to block the incoming Dragon Claw with a Night Slash of his own. Gallade instantly moved to counterattack, but Garchomp slammed an Iron Head into him first, disorienting the Psychic type enough to interrupt his strike.

Moving decisively, Gallade immediately backed off and Teleported backwards, thinking that he could buy time until the Outrage wore off.

To both Pokémon and trainer's complete surprise, Gallade was given no such reprieve as Garchomp immediately launched herself forwards; letting out a fearsome roar as she re-ignited her Outrage and charged forwards with an unstoppable Dragon Rush.

Gallade was barely able to Teleport away in time before Garchomp brutally slammed down in the area he was in just before, forming a deep crater in her wake. But instead of tiring out, Garchomp simply reborrowed into the ground.

"Set up a Reflect, Gallade!" Lucian shouted out.

Gallade Teleported to the edge of the arena, making as much distance as possible as a Psychic shield began to shimmer into existence in front of him – only to be instantly shattered as a raging Dragon erupted out from the ground like a hunter who had found her prey, smashing down with a Brick Break.

A powerful set of jaws Crunched down on the surprised Gallade, causing the Psychic type to wince in pain. But he was not an Elite's starter for nothing, and quickly sent a punishing Ice Punch into Garchomp, sending the Dragon type reeling backwards from the supereffective attack.

Thinking that he had the momentum, Gallade Teleported behind Garchomp, another Ice Punch poised and ready to strike. But instead of meeting Garchomp's exposed back, Gallade instead met Garchomp's waiting Dragon Tail that struck like a powerful hammer into his side.

The Psychic type was thrown painfully into the ground, but with a serious exertion of effort, he managed to Teleport himself to the edge of the arena, hopefully giving himself a few seconds to make use of a Heal Pulse.

But Garchomp showed no inkling of ever giving Gallade a moment to heal up.

"Dragon Pulse, Garchomp!"

"GAR!!" With another roar, a torrent of violent and pulsating draconic energies shot through the air, launching their way towards Gallade.

Despite the speed of the attack, Gallade cancelled his healing attempt and quickly sidestepped the Dragon Pulse before blinking forwards to Garchomp's side, his bladed arms glowing with icy energies as he prepared to slam a brutal Ice Punch into Garchomp – thinking that Garchomp was too busy channelling her Dragon Pulse to block the attack in time.

However, that was a mistaken assumption, and Gallade was caught unawares as a explosion of rocks tore out from under him. The attack did minimal damage, but it caused Gallade to stumble right into Garchomp's waiting Dragon Claw.

Gallade let out a pained grunt as Garchomp's claws ferociously tore into him and forced Gallade onto his knees. Trying to deter Garchomp from another follow up attack, Gallade fired off a quick yet powerful blast of Psychic that detonated point-blank against her starter.

Yet that was not enough to stop the Dragon. Allowing for another explosive surge of draconic energies, Garchomp willed herself to not stumble backwards – to not allow Gallade ANY opportunity to break off her offensive momentum.

Gallade tried to Teleport away again, but this time Garchomp was quicker with her Dark Pulse, cancelling the Teleport and preventing the escape before a second Iron Head brutally slammed the Gallade back into the ground.

Then, Garchomp clamped down with her claws around her opponent's throat and SMASHED the Gallade through the ground, pinning the Psychic type under her as she bit down mercilessly with a ferocious Crunch. Gallade did his best to fight off the Dragon with another Ice Punch, but Garchomp grunted through the pain and unleashed another violent Earthquake – forcing Gallade to take the full brunt of her savagery.

Unfortunately for Lucian, it didn't matter how well-trained his Gallade was. Pinned helplessly against an Outraging Garchomp, there was only so many Outrage-boosted attacks he could take before he succumbed to his injuries.

Eventually, after Garchomp tore into him with another gouging slash, Gallade's arms fell limply by his side and his head weakly collapsed to the ground.

The battle was over. She had won.

And the crowd was not shy in their approval, roaring to life as they let out a collective cheer that was so deafeningly loud that she thought it could be heard all the way at Canalave.

Are you seeing this, John?

She gave herself but a moment to bask in the adoration of the crowd, before she stepped into the arena to greet her former opponent.

"Well fought, Lucian." She smiled at him, "You gave me the toughest fight so far."

"And yet I didn't even manage to defeat more than half of your team." Lucian said with a complicated smile, "I barely even managed to wind you, didn't I? Despite putting all that I could into beating you. In the end, I wasn't even close."

Cynthia knew better than to answer there, and she simply remained silent as she watched a complex mix of emotions roll around Lucian's face. After a moment, he let out a sigh and returned a small smile to Cynthia, extending a hand for her to shake.

"Congratulations, Champion Cynthia. I'm glad that my eyes weren't wrong. I look forward to working with you." He declared solemnly.

"Likewise, Elite Lucian. I hope I will prove to be a Champion worth following." She replied sincerely, shaking his hand.

And she was going to keep his words to heart. Being Champion was only the start. Now she had a new goal. She was going to turn Sinnoh into a prosperous and wealthy region, just like their counterparts.

That was her promise. And she swore it upon Arceus that she would see it fulfilled.

===========

?"...I think you might have a serious contender for the title of best Dragon trainer, Lance." Lorelei quipped as we had all gathered round to watch the final match between Cynthia and Lucian in Lance's office.

I couldn't help but grin madly as Cynthia crushed Lucian in her final battle, dominating the supposed 'strongest' amongst the Sinnoh Elite Four. She had done it!

Lance scoffed, his pride offended. "I won't deny that she's an excellent trainer, and her Garchomp is very well trained, but she has a long way to go if she wants to take my title from me."

He squinted his eyes, "Although...did anyone else notice that her Garchomp was seemingly able to force itself out of its Outrage without any consequences? Garchomp did it with such regularity in-between attacks that it was like it was practically toggling its Outrage on and off. THAT is frankly a ridiculous level of discipline that I will be trying to replicate. It's very impressive."

I inwardly agreed. Even though I knew Garchomp would be Cynthia's most formidable Pokémon, I had yet to truly see it in action when we spent time together in Sinnoh. But it was a threat.

If anything, Lance was underselling how powerful the ability to trigger Outrage whenever she needed to. Outrage was an incredible boost to any Dragon type's power, but it came with a huge drawback of rapidly burning through your Dragon's energy and risking losing control to primal rage. For most, it was a move only to be used as a last-resort or when you wanted to go fully on the offensive, as you could not order your Dragon to release its Outrage until it completely ran out of energy.

But the fact that Garchomp could control when and where to use Outrage, and for how long it would last, meant that she suddenly had all the benefits of Outrage without any of the drawbacks.

Furthermore, the fact that Garchomp could traverse so quickly while underground could not be understated, and was another huge advantage for her to have as it allowed her to get into her most effective range as quickly as possible.

Yes, I believed that Lance's Emperor would win in a one on one fight against Garchomp in a battle of pure strength. But Garchomp did not fight like Lance's Dragons. Garchomp's primary strength lay in her ridiculous speed (for a Pokémon with THAT much power) and her oppressive ambushing potential.

With the ridiculous boost of power that Outraging at any time could grant her, a single moment to strike might be all it takes for her to land a decisive blow.

The sound of Agatha's cackle brought me back from my thoughts, "We all know you're going to be trying to get yourselves a Garchomp after this meeting is over. No need to be coy. I can see the greed in your eyes, Blackthorn."

Lance did not deny it, instead choosing to stay silent as Will spoke up, "...I would have been crushed if I tried to fight against her. I will not lie – as a fellow Psychic specialist, Lucian is my superior in terms of strength. And yet Cynthia still managed to defeat him without needing to use her full team...it was a humbling battle to watch."

Lorelei nodded solemnly, "All hail the new Champion of Sinnoh." There was a muttering of agreement to that from the rest of us.

We all stared silently at the screen as the Sinnoh newscaster frantically scrambled to announce Cynthia's victory. And we all saw a podium being hastily set up for the new Champion to make her first speech.

I wondered what she was going to say.

I took this time to send a quick congratulating message to her as Lance spoke up, "I want your thoughts. John, you especially, since you've spent the most time around her. What is Cynthia like? What do you think her time as Champion will look like?"

I took a moment to think about it before replying, "I'm very biased, but if there is a single word I can use to describe Cynthia – it would be 'brilliant'. Because that's what she is. In everything and anything she sets her mind to. She is an excellent scholar and trainer, and an extremely hard worker. I am confident that she would make a fantastic Champion for Sinnoh."

I was confident she would be the Champion that Sinnoh needed.

Lance nodded, "That was my impression of her too. That's good. Sinnoh needs all the competence it can get right now. However, do you think she'll have any internal issues with her Elite Four? They might be bitter that she defeated them."

Both Will and I shook our heads. Seeing that Will had something to say, I motioned for him to go first.

"I truly doubt that will happen." Will said, "I have never seen their interactions to be anything less than cordial. And I'm certain that Cynthia made the challenge to become Champion with AT LEAST Lucian's approval. They had already planned this out a while ago." I nodded in support of Will's words.

"I figured as much as well, but it was good to get a second opinion on this." Lance muttered, "During the PSS crisis, I found Lucian to be a decisive and intelligent thinker. Would Cynthia be—"

"She would not be any worse than him." I interrupted, always happy for an opportunity to talk about my girlfriend, "At the very least, I have never known Cynthia to dismiss any advice given. She is not prone to arrogance, only confidence. And I am sure that her newfound position won't change that aspect of her. I really meant it when I said she was going to impress you. You won't be disappointed with her. Not one bit."

"As for her likely policies...I'm not sure what she'll be trying to implement domestically, but she won't have any issues with our current focus on internationalism. She's all for cooperation and the benefits of working together." I explained, with Will nodding along in agreement.

Was I biased? Absolutely. Did I care? Absolutely not. After all, I was dating her. Lance already knew of our relationship, so he knew to take whatever I said with a pinch of salt. Still, I didn't think I was exaggerating with my praises, and I think Lance knew that as well.

"You seem to really like her." Lorelei muttered curiously from the side, "Is she really that worthy of your praise?"

"She is." I replied instantly, ignoring the knowing look I was getting from Agatha, "But you don't have to believe me now. You'll see for yourselves soon enough."

And, as if I had timed my words perfectly, it was time for Cynthia to take to the podium, where she would make her first speech as Champion.

"Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for their support and their encouragement during my fight to the top." She flashed the audience a sparkling smile, "It's heartening to see that a previously unknown trainer like me could get so much support and love for the people of Sinnoh."

"However, while it is usual for a new Champion to be giving an outline of their policies during their first speech as Champion – I will not be doing that." She declared, causing an audible gasp to resonate throughout the audience as they stared confusedly at Cynthia, not knowing what she was planning.

Her eyes narrowed, and her friendly smile disappeared as she took on a far more serious expression, "I have not been blind or deaf to the rumours about my climb to the top was rigged, that somehow the honourable members of the Elite Four were sandbagging and deliberately losing to me to pave the path for my ascension as Champion as their chosen puppet."

Lance would win, no doubt about it. He wasn't even fazed when the new usurper Fairy types were introduced! Cynthia is strong, but Lance is just stronger. As befits the Master of Dragons.

GeneralistGeneral

I wanted to say more in the other post...but the comment section scared me off (seriously, when do you get to see 3 Champions and 2 Elite Four posting all together?).

Anyways, Cynthia would win. Easily. Because she has the most versatility. And time and time again we've seen how useful having a versatile team truly can be. She's the strongest trainer in the world right now. No doubt about it.

TangelaThoughts

Hmm...it's a difficult question. I think you're overemphasising the inflexibility of type specialists. I mean, using Lance as an example, we've SEEN him use a whole host of different Types of moves, not just Dragon.

And all that versatility is useful, but Lance has always shown that he is able to brute force his way through most problems. I'm not too sure if Cynthia would be much different here, because her Pokémon might not be able to withstand the sheer force of Lance's assault.

ANormalFan

John would win if it was a proper battle. He has more experience fighting against high level trainers than her. And his team is also very versatile. He wouldn't lose!

NotTooMuchWater

I feel like you guys are looking down on Wallace too much. While his team isn't nearly as 'showy' as the other Champions, he truly has mastered the tenacity of Water types to the fullest extent. That gives him an edge over any kind of generalist.

PunchingBag

Bruno. WOULD. WIN! He lost before, but against some pansy generalist who can't even master a single type?! There's NO WAY he could lose!

FlyingHigh

Bruno is a strong trainer. That I'm not disputing. But I think Cynthia has more than enough tricks up her sleeve to handle someone who can ONLY really fight in close range.

The New Normal – 9-18 – Interlude – Cynthia

Cynthia let out a tired breath as she finally managed to escape from the crowds of reporters and well-wishers. They had been hounding after her after she made her open challenge, and while she usually would have the patience to at least answer a few more questions, she wasn't feeling up to it today.

But the day wasn't over yet. As she flung open the door to her new private office, she already found the Sinnoh Elite Four waiting for her there.

They spent a few minutes giving their congratulations and expressing their approval of her open challenge. They already knew she was going to do such a thing beforehand; it was a plan that both she and Lucian had come up with.

She was just glad that the Sinnoh Elite Four had been so welcoming to a 'newcomer' like her and weren't bitter about her victory. It said a lot about their characters and virtues that they were willing to share power instead of nominating themselves as Champion.

So she would have to work extra hard to prove herself to be worthy of their friendship and abilities if she was to lead them in the future.

But as they finished with their congratulations, it was time to get down to business.

"So, what's first on the agenda, boss?" Aaron asked, "We need to hit the ground running after your two weeks of Open Challenge is over. No time to dilly dally."

"As promised, my first act will to copy what Lance did and grant the Elite Four the power to directly vote in the Committee." Cynthia stated, "Your efforts in governing Sinnoh during the absence of a Champion has placed you in a good light in the eyes of the public; and you MUST be rewarded for your efforts."

"Won't that risk giving off the impression that you are just a puppet of the Elite Four?" Bertha asked.

"In the beginning, yes. But I'm confident in being able to prove my abilities as a Champion and win back their trust in the future." She explained, "The most important thing right now is to ensure that we lower the Committee's ability to hold us in a deadlock. I don't want a repeat of what the traditionalists have done to happen again in the future."

"And besides, her Open Challenge is meant to reinforce the public's confidence in her." Lucian added, "I highly doubt she'll be seen as a mere puppet of the Elite Four when she crushed us so handedly in battle. Momentum and recency is on her side."

Bertha nodded, "Fine. I can see it. Then what's next? I know I've been out of the loop compared to everyone else, but what else do you have planned for Sinnoh?"

"We need to give back to the other regions." She responded, "Ever since we've opened our borders all we've really done is taking in their charity and their business. We have not really proven what we can contribute to THEIR regions as well. We need to start on that as soon as possible and reaffirm our status as a member of the international community. Show the world that we are willing to give back the friendship that they showed to us."

She had a few ideas on how she would accomplish that, besides the obvious like creating their own branch of the International Police and making it easier for businesses to invest into foreign regions.

"It's important that we establish good relations with our counterparts." Flint agreed, "John and Will's stint in Sinnoh was a good idea in the short term to show the public a few friendly faces, but we need to make sure that Hoenn understands that they have a friend in us as well."

"Leave that to me. I'll be speaking to Wallace soon enough." She nodded. She was looking forward to that conversation. Wallace had a brilliantly artistic mind and was known for his creativity and showmanship. What kind of ideas could she pluck from that brain of his?

She hoped that it was something that they could implement jointly between all of the regions.

The sound of the phone ringing interrupted their discussion, "Apologies. I have to get this." Lucian said, before walking off to the corner of the room as he picked up the call.

"Anyways, moving onto something more exciting, any idea who's going to be taking you up on that Open Challenge, Cynthia?" Aaron asked, "Or maybe a fellow someone might have a better idea." He gave a pointed look towards Flint.

Flint shrugged, "I can't say I always know what Volkner's thinking, but I'm pretty sure he'll take you up on your challenge."

Bertha stared, "Volkner? Surely he can't think he'll win? I know you've always said that he's strong enough to be the Elite Four, but Cynthia's already proven that just being in the Elite Four is not enough to win."

"He knows that too. It's about the challenge for him." Flint explained, "Volkner's always seeking out a good fight to test himself and his team. And this challenge is going to be just the thing."

"I'm not sure if the others Gym Leaders will follow suit, though." Flint continued, "It would be up to their own judgment in whether they can give you a worthy fight. It wouldn't be good if you completely dominated them. They certainly won't be eager to repeat the actions of that one trainer against John."

She stifled a chuckle; Shin's reputation really had hit dirt.

"I don't mind if they challenge me; I thought that something like this would happen anyways." She said, "In fact, the more the better. Every subsequent victory will be another bit of proof that I deserve to hold this position."

"That's a lot of battles that you'll be going through. I hope you have the stamina to make it through it." Bertha said.

"I will." She affirmed. She was going to say more, but she was interrupted by Lucian returning from his call with a complicated look on his face.

"So...that was something." He said as he rejoined the conversation.

"What happened?" Flint asked.

"Just got a call from a friend of mine." He explained, "It looks like you might have quite the interesting challenger on your hands."

"...It's Ex-Champion Hayato, isn't it?" She replied, cutting through the mysteriousness.

Lucian sighed, "It's no fun when you can guess like that. But yes, Hayato seems like he'll be trying to force his way out of retirement with a battle."

"Bah. That old has-been doesn't know when to quit and stay down." Bertha spat, "I think the message is pretty clear – we don't want the traditionalists anymore."

"Indeed." Lucian nodded, turning to Cynthia, "This will be an important battle for you to win. It'll be a symbol of our new future."

"I understand. I fully intend on it." She nodded back, already realizing what she must do. It was just ironic that John had already showed her the path.

She was going to have to repeat John's actions against Shin and utterly crush Hayato in a battle. Not because she hated the man, even if she certainly disagreed with him politically, but because it was the best way to show the public that Sinnoh was going to be led into a new age.

And with the Elite Four standing behind her, she was sure the future was bright.

The New Normal – 10-1 – A New Tournament

Turns out that just because Cynthia wasn't going to 'officially' style herself as Champion of Sinnoh until the Open Challenges were done doesn't mean that she couldn't get a head-start in pushing through the policies she wanted to pass through.

And the first thing she did was to reach out to Lance and Wallace, as well as some of our Elite Four, to try to create a proposal that would tie our regions closer together.

It was hosted as a conference call, with Lance bringing me, Wallace bringing Sidney, and Cynthia bringing Bertha.

Cynthia started off the meeting, "Our regions have gotten far closer over the past year. As the region that was newest to be introduced, we are deeply appreciative of your efforts to bring us closer to the international community. But now is time to do more. We should change our bonds of friendship into something more solid; something more tangible. We ought to solidify our friendship in actions while public support for internationalism is still as high as it is."

"How prudent of you." Wallace said, "Well, this is something that I have discussed with the Hoenn Elite Four, so we see no reason to decline such a proposal. What about you, Lance?"

"Same here." Lance replied, "But what would your idea look like?"

"I had an idea that should accomplish two objectives; the furtherance of our friendship as well as clamping down on the criminals that are hiding in our borders." Cynthia described, her eyes gaining a steely look, "From what I've been read in on since yesterday, I understand that Sinnoh has been inadvertently become the hiding place of a notorious group of terrorists – the same group that escaped from Hoenn."

"They are." I responded, "We were tempted to pursue them into Sinnoh, but we knew we didn't have the authority to order the International Police to run around Sinnoh without express permission from the Sinnoh League."

"Consider it granted." Cynthia said firmly, "On top of that, we'll be funding our own branch of the International Police as well as construct an official base of operations. We can decide on the details on that later."

"However, I have no intention on letting these criminals continue running free for much longer." Cynthia bit out, "John, I know you're the most familiar with the actions. What can we do to help your efforts?"

This was the moment. I had to take this opportunity to put the hurt on Team Galactic as much as possible and slowly force them into the light. Their time of hiding and recovery was over.

"Run a full sweep of the finances of the big businesses in Sinnoh." I replied, "We have mountains of evidence to suggest that these terrorists are well-funded, to the point where they ALMOST seem to have access to limitless resources. But we know that there is no such thing as unlimited funding. They must be getting it from somewhere, and our suspicions all point towards their backer being a reputable business in Sinnoh."

"Understood. I will look into that." Cynthia said unflinchingly, not even reacting as I condemned the businesses of Sinnoh. After all the evidence we had collected and presented to Sinnoh, she knew what must be done, "I will carry out the investigation, but I will be determining if there are suspicions we should act on. This must be a decision of Sinnoh, but I will forward you the results as soon as we get them."

Though she was addressing everyone, I knew her words were directed at me. I nodded back, understanding what she was telling me. With something as delicate as this, Sinnoh couldn't afford to give off the impression that policy was being dictated from a foreign region. That would be trespassing far too much into Sinnoh's autonomy, and Cynthia knew it.

She knew she couldn't allow our relationship to interfere with her authority.

"Let me be clear on something." Cynthia addressed the call with steel in her voice, "As soon as I learnt about just how big of a threat that these terrorists were, with their insane ambitions to awaken and control a Legendary, I have made them my utmost priority as Champion to have them dealt with as swiftly and as efficiently as possible."

"Therefore, I will freely accept any help, information, or advice that could be used to help us crack down on these criminals." Cynthia continued, "Do not hesitate to reach out to me if you think you have something that could help us, and I will consider everything on behalf of Sinnoh to make the best moves forwards."

We all nodded solemnly, though inwardly I was relieved. As soon as she heard about the danger that the criminals could bring, Cynthia was already preparing to march to war. Exactly what I hoped she would do.

"Your decisiveness is commendable, Champion Cynthia." Wallace smiled, "You will have Hoenn's full support in this matter."

"Same with Indigo." Lance added, "Just call when you need us, and we will be there to help."

"Thank you. I will be making an announcement after this meeting to announce the formation of our International Police branch and the creation of the new headquarters." Cynthia said, "We can leave it to the juniors to discuss who should be sent over."

Wallace clapped his hands, "Actually, since we're all here, I did have another idea that could hopefully bring our regions together." He stared at Cynthia, "It was actually something I was inspired from Cynthia's Open Challenge."

"You see, the public love a grand spectacle. It catches their interest, and ingrains itself into their memories." He explained, "And recently, we've had a lot of proud moments where our regions have come together with collective action to help restore order and stability as quickly as possible. This presents us with an opportunity to make a show of it. To dazzle the public with something that can bring them all together, and serve as a symbolic demonstration of our unity."

"And what would that be?" Lance asked.

"Why, a tournament of course!" Wallace exclaimed, extending his arms, "But not just any tournament. It will be a tournament involving the Elite Four and the Gym Leaders of every region...maybe we'll even call it the Tri-Regional Tournament."

"...Just the Gym Leaders and Elite Four? Not the Champions?" Lance asked curiously, and a little disappointedly.

Wallace shook his head, "...Better to avoid a situation where the Champion could lose. Unless you really want that to participate, consequences be damned."

Lance paused and took a moment to think it through – he seemed very tempted to participate anyways. In the meanwhile, I spoke up, "What would the format of the tournament look like? Are we just all fighting each other?"

"No. That would be against the spirit of international cooperation." Wallace replied, "Instead, it shall be a 2v2 tournament. Each trainer from a different region, working together as a team. The battles should be 4v4, two Pokémon at a time from each pairing."

I blinked. That was VERY interesting. It was also just the sort of thing that would really hype up the public since everyone loved to see a good fight. Furthermore, if the teams were based on trainers from different regions, well that just brought people together.

It was an excellent idea, and I was very impressed by Wallace's ability to come up with something like this.

Since people were in pairs, the tournament wouldn't necessary prioritise individual battling skill – but rather, there would be a larger focus on the teamwork between the trainers. After all, on a stage this grand, no one wanted to look selfish by steamrolling over their opponents without any thought given to their partner.

The public would want to see the teams working together, not just having two people fight their own individual battles.

I already felt my blood boiling in excitement.

"But how are the teams going to be balanced? Or are they going to be completely randomized?" Bertha asked, "Because there are only 12 Elite Four to 32 Gym Leaders. You're going to have teams consisting of only 2 Gym Leaders, which should notably be weaker."

"To put it nicely, we all know that not all Gym Leaders are equal." Wallace replied, "There are some that are more...suitable for the position than others. Or their talents might lie elsewhere, other than in fighting strength. The Elite Four will be paired up with those weaker Gym Leaders for a fairer fight."

"Do we know in advance who will be in our team? To give us a chance to practice working together?" Sidney asked, he must not have known about Wallace's idea beforehand.

"Yes, you'll be given some time to acclimatize to your new partner, though I suspect that it might be difficult to meet up in person since we're all from different regions. But remember, this isn't a serious tournament. The goal is to have fun and to bring everyone together." Wallace said, "The emphasis is on 'teamwork' rather than 'victory'. Feel free to goof around if you want."

"When and where would this be hosted?" Cynthia questioned.

"I was thinking after your Open Challenge is over, so in two weeks' time, and in Hoenn." Wallace replied, "We can frame this as a celebration of your rise to Championship as well as Sinnoh's efforts in joining the international community."

"...There must be SOMETHING us Champions can do." Lance whined a little bit, which amused me greatly, "I'd hate to sit out of something as grand as this."

"Same, actually." Cynthia smiled, "It's not fair if everyone else gets to have fun when we have to sit out."

Wallace fell deep into thought. "Hmm...then how about this. At the very end of the tournament, we can have a battle. It will be us three Champions, using only one Pokémon each. Then we'll face off the top 3 teams of the tournament in a 3v6 fight. This would allow us to keep our prestige as Champions even if we lose, and build on the narrative of the tournament; give something to hype the crowd up for even more. Something like this..."

Wallace then explained his idea of what the tournament would look like. There were 44 participants (with 12 Elite Four and 32 Gym Leaders), split into 22 pairs, and the format looked like this:

Round 1: Fight for Top 11 (With one losing team, as voted by the crowd, to continue fighting after this round, effectively making it Top 12)Round 2: Fight for Top 6Round 3: Fight for Top 3Round 4: Top 3 vs ChampionsNotably, there would be no 'winning team'. The Top 3 teams were considered the winners, regardless if they beat the Champions or not. Wallace argued that it was better that way and would avoid unnecessary conflict amongst the public.

Lance grinned, "An excellent idea. While I don't know about you two, I don't intend to lose such a battle."

"Neither do I." Cynthia's smile turned more challenging, "So long as you don't hold me back, I don't intend to lose either."

Wallace laughed, "Come on, no need to take it so seriously. It's just a battle for fun."

Sidney snorted, "You're not fooling anyone with that look you have in your eyes, Wallace. We all know you like winning as much as those two."

"Of course I do." Wallace smiled unashamedly, "I did not become Champion by losing."

I elbowed Lance, "I look forward to facing off against you then."

"You're so confident that you'll make it to the end?" Lance smirked, "You have to work together with someone that you might not get along with, you know."

"Then I'll just have to make sure that we can work together." I shot back, "After all, I AM good at working together with others."

Bertha coughed, breaking through the growing excitement as she changed the topic, "I assume we can leave it to Hoenn to sort all these details out? Do you require any funding to help set this up?"

"No, we'll be fine, but thank you for the offer." Wallace nodded, "Just make sure the event is sufficiently advertised and hyped up in your regions. Ideally we want every person in the world to be watching this event."

"Are we going to need to sort out ticketing or...?" Sidney asked.

"Of course. An event to see a full tournament between every Gym Leader and Elite Four in our regions? We're going to charge them through the nose!" Wallace laughed, "Though online viewing will be free. But I know those with money to throw around won't miss out on an opportunity to splurge to watch something like this in person. We can get away with higher prices."

"So is there going to be a cash prize for us if we win?" I spoke up.

"I'm sure we can come up with something." Wallace said, "We can even have smaller prize categories for novelty's sake. Again, give me some time to come up with the full proposal and I'll let you all know."

We all nodded, but Cynthia spoke next, "Right, sorry to cut this short, but I have a battle to go to."

"Ah yes, I did hear that the challenges were pouring in." Lance chuckled, "Are you confident you can beat them all?"

"I wouldn't have made the announcement if I wasn't confident." Cynthia smiled confidently, "It's going to be rough fighting against so many of them, but individually, I won't lose."

The conversation continued on for a little longer after that, but Cynthia eventually had to make her departure. Wallace promised to provide full details of the tournament in the future, and asked us to make a joint announcement about its existence when it was ready.

With the call ended, Lance and I couldn't help but continue talking for a little longer about the upcoming tournament.

"Any idea who you'd be paired with?" Lance asked, "You won't be paired with any of the traditionally strong Gym Leaders. Not with your strength."

I nodded, "It'll probably be someone quite junior or new to their position." A few figures flashed through my mind, but I truly didn't know for sure who I would be paired up with.

Either way, I was sure it would be an interesting pairing.

=========

?Finishing off with that exciting conversation, I got a call from one of my assistants telling me that mayor Henry was trying to get a hold of me, stating that the construction work around Cerulean Cave was almost done and he wanted my input on something. With nothing else on my schedule, I decided to head there straight away.

I found the mayor standing alone, staring at the final bits of construction that still needed to be finished up before the cave's grand opening. It was looking good, far more visually appealing than the unassuming hole in the wall that the cave's entrance used to be.

He brightened up as soon as he saw me, "Ah, John. I'm glad you got my message."

"Of course, what can I help with?" I asked as we both stared at the opening to the cave.

"As you can see, the cave's nearly ready to be opened to the public. But there are still a lot of things that need to be sorted out before it can officially open, and I wanted to give you a rundown about what the current status of our renovation efforts." He said.

"Firstly, we've already sent some explorers and trainers down in advance to examine what's truly inside these caves, and you were right." He smiled at me, "The cave is a treasure trove of items. Not as rich as Mt. Moon, but it has been a nice influx of cash. And, with our plans, the cave should serve as a nice source of income for the years to come."

"Plenty of fossils as well I hope?" I asked.

"I think so." He nodded, "Though again, not as much as Mt. Moon, but still quite a substantial amount I'd reckon."

"That's good. I meant to tell you about this earlier, but Joseph Stone was trying to strike a deal with our city to buy the fossils that we uncover so that he can bring them back to life again with his new machine." I said.

"Oh – I did hear about this." He replied, "I figured it was only a matter of time before he reached out to us. I don't see any reason for us not to agree, so I'll get back to him and have the juniors figure out the minute details."

"To get back on topic," He continued, "The bigger attraction and concern regarding Cerulean Cave is the very strong wild Pokémon that can be found within. Even our Ace trainers reported some difficulty with handling them, at least when they headed further down. It was actually a little concerning; I'm really not too sure how safe opening the cave would be to the general public."

I tapped my finger on my chin. I knew Cerulean Cave was always going to be filled with powerful wild Pokémon, but that wasn't too different with the caves of Sinnoh. We should be able to copy their methods here...

"Once I heard this, I decided that the best thing to do would be to transform the first floor of the Cerulean Cave as a general tourist attraction, and save the lower levels for more experienced trainers to try their hand at – since they would have the strength to make it through. What are your thoughts on this?" He asked me.

"How dangerous is the first floor of Cerulean Cave?" I asked, "Would a proper team of Ace trainers be able to secure it for visitors?"

"...I'd have to ask to confirm, but I remember them mentioning that it was possible." Henry replied, "So you're agreed then? To turn the first floor into a safe haven?"

"Yes." I nodded, "The way Sinnoh did it was that they hired on a large, rotating group of trainers that would form the perimeter in a safer area. They would guard against any incursions by wild Pokémon with their overwhelming force. If we copy the way the Sinnohnians do it, then we can definitely protect at least the first floor."

"Then, like you said, the lower levels will be accessible to the stronger trainers." I added, "With how valuable having access to powerful wild Pokémon are for trainers, I'm certain they would flock to such an opportunity. We just need to make sure we're properly screening these trainers so that they have sufficient strength to explore the lower levels in relative safety. We'd need to implement something like a pseudo-Gym badge or similar."

"How strong do you think they'd need to be?" Henry asked.

"I haven't a clue, you're going to have to ask the experts on this." I shrugged.

"Fair enough, I'll bring it up at our next meeting." He replied, nodding, "Thanks again for your input."

He then let out a breath, "Like you, I am very invested in the success of this project and am eager to open it up to the public. I think the only remaining things to do are to iron out the details regarding the necessary qualifications that we should impose on those heading to the lower floors."

"I'll also have to do some calculations regarding the costs to maintain a perimeter of powerful trainers around the first floor." He continued, "That way we can have a proper idea on how much we should charge per visitor entering."

That seemed very prudent, and I made sure to say so. Though I had a follow-up question, "What kind of wild Pokémon did they find down there?"

"All kinds of fully evolved Pokémon." He answered, "There were reports of a large group of Machamp that could be found inside, also Alakazam, and even rare Pokémon like Snorlax and Lickitung. I was never a very good trainer, but even I'm not blind to how attractive that selection is to an ambitious trainer."

"That's good then. It means that we can expect large numbers of trainers to be heading our way." I said. "I wonder if we need to start limiting how many Pokémon that a person is allowed to catch per visit."

"It'd be very difficult to enforce that; we could just limit the number of trainers going in at a given time." Henry advised, "Though I've been told that the local population of Pokémon is sufficient enough for us to not have to worry about over-catching. We should also set up a gift shop – everyone loves a good gift shop. Especially us, since it's easy money!" He chuckled.

"As soon as I get back, I'll ask around to see how we can attract some trainers who would be interested in a job like this." He continued, "I'm sure that finding people won't be difficult. I still have those contact details you gave me."

"It shouldn't be." I agreed, turning back to the stare at the cave, "...This will mark a new path for Cerulean to take. We'll slowly be known for more than just being about the arts. The world will recognise us for our prosperity and success soon enough."

I felt Mayor Henry nodding besides me. The two of us just continued staring at the nearly completed entrance to the cave in comfortable and reflective silence.

Cerulean City had come so far. From a middling city that was unimportant outside of a very narrow niche, it had now grown to become one of the more prosperous and notable cities in Kanto. With the construction of Cerulean Cave, we were going to be able to diversify ourselves into being known for other fields as well.

The afternoon sun shone brightly in the sky, illuminating the city and the view in front of us.