The New Normal - 15-12

The New Normal – 15-12 – Looking into Plasma

With so many different things in the works, there hadn’t been much of a chance for me to relax and unwind. But on one particular morning, when I was spending some free time that I had by myself, I received a phone call from an unknown number.

I contemplated on whether to answer or not, but ultimately decided that it was best not to ignore it.

“Hello? Who is this?” I asked, letting a little bit of my annoyance leak into my tone.

“Elite John? Sorry to bother you, but this is Looker. From the International Police.” That introduction instantly snapped me out of my relaxation. Looker wouldn’t call me for no reason, “I’d like to speak with you in private – about the suspicions that you and Elite Drake have brought back from Unova about PLASMA. There are also a few things I wanted to show you; would you mind arranging a place where we could meet up?”

“That’s not a problem at all.” I replied, “Come over to my home next to the Cerulean Gym. I’ll host you there.”

“Thank you.” He said, “I’ll be right over.”

And so I left my family’s house and actually headed over to my own private residence that I often neglected. The most that I did was drop by once a week to clean up and to check if anyone had written to me. If they did (and they usually had), then I might spend a night there to go through those messages that deserved a reply.

Most of it was unimportant fan-mail, but there were an occasional letter or two that had some thoughtful suggestions for me, especially regarding local developments in Cerulean.

Nevertheless, I tidied the place up a bit while I waited for Looker to arrive. After about thirty minutes or so, I heard a knock at my door and saw that he had arrived.

“Thanks for meeting me on such short notice, Elite John.” He greeted me, “I know how busy you’ve been in recent times.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I waved him off, “I know you wouldn’t have called me up like this for no reason, especially since it seems like you took the time to find my number. So, what’s so important?”

“Well, it’ll be easier if I start from the beginning.” He said, “When you and Drake came back from Unova, the two of you gave warnings about your suspicions about Ghetsis and the PLASMA organisation that he leads. Your warnings were passed up to the International Police, and I was assigned to investigate PLASMA to see if there were any validity to your claims. I trusted both of your judgments, so I knew that you wouldn’t have given out such warnings for no reason. Therefore, I really put my head to the grindstone and did my best to check through anything I could to see whether your suspicions had any merit or not.”

“There was just one issue with this. The International Police currently has no jurisdiction in Unova, and I have no authority to conduct a thorough investigation into Ghetsis as I would if he was from one of our regions.” He explained, “Therefore, my ability to properly vet him is very limited to unreliable hearsay and whatever is published in the media. Which is basically hardly anything to go on.”

“Yes, I could see why that would make things difficult.” I nodded.

“Exactly. And that’s why I’ve come to you personally to make a proposal to you. One that, if I were to be transparent, carries quite significant risks to both you and I if you were to approve of it.” He warned, “Yet, I hope you do – because I think that this is the only way that we’ll be able to prove your suspicions in any reasonable amount of time. And before you ask – I’m doing this because I vehemently do not want a repeat of what happened with Cyrus.”

I crossed my arms together, very interested in what he was about to say, “Go on then. I’m listening.”

“Allow me to go deep undercover and infiltrate the ranks of PLASMA.” He stated, “That is the best way for me to properly gather information about the ongoings of PLASMA and see if they really are as good-hearted as they claim. The reason I wanted to go to you for this is because I know that my superiors at the International Police would never approve of such… reckless actions. Truthfully, I understand where they’re coming from. Our relationship with Unova is still quite new, and my superiors wouldn’t want to put that at risk with espionage.”

“And that’s why you’ve come to me, as you realised that I would likely grant you the approval that you seek.” I realised, “Because you know that I’ll take you seriously.”

“Yes, exactly.” He nodded, “I also know from your past actions that you’re not someone who will leave a potential threat unattended. I know how much you tried to stop Cyrus before he became a problem, so I was confident that you want the same here.”

He was right; I very much did. While Ghetsis was nowhere near as dangerous as Cyrus, that wasn’t some high bar to clear. I still wanted him stopped before he could summon Reshiram/Zekrom using N as a proxy and rule over Unova that way.

And besides that, I didn’t want anyone to fall prey to his insidious manipulations.

Therefore, I realised that there was only one thing I could say, “Tell me how you want me to help you.”

“I want your backing and support for my actions so that you can convince my superiors to approve of my infiltration.” He stated, “I know the risks of going undercover are very high, and if I were to get exposed, then the International Police, and by extension, Indigo, will suffer a lot of damage from the backlash. But if you were to use your influence, then my superiors in the International Police will have to reluctantly approve of my mission – even if they don’t want to.”

Then he winced, “Of course, if anything does go wrong, then it’s going to be very bad for you.” He admitted, “Though I doubt you needed me to tell you that.”

He didn’t. If Looker’s espionage mission got exposed, it would be horrible for the newly built rapport that we had with Unova. It would break all of the trust between us. It wasn’t something that could just be written off.

“…What are the risks of you being exposed?” I asked, “I’m not familiar with undercover operations, so I’m unfamiliar with the standard level of risk involved, but can’t they just read your mind psychically to know that you’re not a part of their group?”

“First of, Psychic mind-reading is actually a very uncommon procedure, even among criminal groups.” Looker replied, “It sounds strange, but even criminals are generally unwilling to subject their own employees to mind-reading as it is an extreme breach of their personal autonomy. So most people aren’t just going to allow themselves to be subject to a psychic mind-read, especially considering the inherent dangers involved with such a process.”

Okay, that was fair enough I suppose. I wouldn’t want to have my mind-read either, even if it’s for security measures. Perhaps, in a more ruthless world, then forcing people to have their mind’s read would be more prevalent. But fortunately, I wasn’t living in that kind of world.

“Secondly, all International Police members have undergone anti-Psychic techniques to prevent mind-reading.” He continued, “Of course, it’s not fool-proof, and if someone really wants to dig into your mind then there’s nothing you can do to stop it. However, I promise you that it’ll be enough to trick any cursory psychic reading, which on the very rare occasions that they are performed, should be enough to throw them off.”

“Therefore, I can say that my chances of being exposed are pretty low.” He concluded, “Undercover operations like mine are undertaken all the time by the International Police, although admittedly their consequences if they were exposed had never been so high.”

“Okay, I get that. But how are you going to be infiltrating their ranks in the first place?” I questioned, “It’s not like they’re just openly hiring.”

Looker shot me a strange look, “…But they are? Look, see for yourself.” He pulled up a news article on his phone.

And sure enough, it portrayed an official message from PLASMA stating that they were looking for new volunteers to join their ranks. It was specifically targeted at our regions as well. I guess they were trying to capitalise on the new open borders to expand their ranks while Unova was still in the public eye.

“I must have overlooked that.” I admitted, “But I get it. You’re just going to be posing as one of those new recruits, right?”

“Yes, that would be the plan.” He confirmed, “I intend to tailor my fake persona so that I would be an immensely attractive option for them to ensure my recruitment. We can discuss further details later as necessary.”

I nodded understandingly, falling into deep thought as I weighed up the pros and cons. On the one hand, having an undercover agent within PLASMA’s ranks was going to be a huge boon in exposing him. On the other hand, there could be a very big backlash for us if he got exposed.

In the end, I realised that this wasn’t my decision to make. There was too much on the line. I had to speak to my colleagues and Lance first, and I said as much to Looker.

“That’s fine. I expected you to say something like that too.” He revealed, “I just thought it was better for me to explain everything to you first, and then for you to bring it to Champion Lance instead of me. It’d be less awkward this way.”

I understood the logic, so I put this discussion on hold as I made a call to Lance, where he quickly arranged a meeting to be held to discuss it further. Once we had all gathered together, I quickly relayed and summarised everything Looker had told me.

“…It’s good that Looker didn’t just go do this on his own.” Lance muttered, “A loose cannon is the last thing we need. But since you were the first to speak to him, what are your personal thoughts on this, John?”

“Even knowing the risks, I want to give him the green light.” I stated, “We only need to look at what happened with Cyrus when we let threats like these fester. I am nearly certain that Ghetsis is a threat, so we need to deal with him accordingly. And this is the best way to do so.”

Lance nodded, “And what about you, Lorelei? You’re the one directly involved with the International Police. What’s your opinion on this?”

“I’d say that this is far too risky.” Lorelei replied, “I agree with his superior’s stance. I know Looker’s a competent guy as I’ve worked with him before to help expose Cyrus, and I appreciate his proactiveness, but this is going a bit far.” She turned to Koga, “What do you think, Koga?”

“I agree with John.” He said, which wasn’t all that surprising given his background, “This isn’t something we should shy away from just because of the potential for backlash. Potential threats like Ghetsis must be investigated and dealt with swiftly.”

“But is the need to do so really that urgent?” Karen asked, “Couldn’t we wait until we get official jurisdiction first before we do so? I don’t see the need to rush when we can wait.”

“That might take too long.” Koga denied, “Furthermore, if PLASMA turns out to be the threat that we suspect they are, it will be a long time before we have the necessary ground work and political influence to launch a ‘standard’ investigation against them. As the past has shown, Cyrus managed to exploit such methods to stall out the investigation for long enough for him to launch his own plans, using his entrenched positions against us. Right now, PLASMA is nowhere near as entrenched as Cyrus was, which gives us the perfect moment to strike, especially given their desire for recruitment.”

And so, among the Elite Four, we were split 2-2 on whether we wanted to approve or decline this operation. Therefore, the final decision rested with Lance.

After a moment of silence, he let out a breath, “…I think that John and Koga have the right of it. We delayed in taking decisive action with Cyrus, and look where that got us. Risks or not, we can’t just sit still and do nothing, not when an opportunity has presented itself like this.”

Outwardly, I showed no reaction. But inwardly, I was smiling. I knew that given a choice between backing off or pushing forwards, Lance would always choose the latter. His pride wouldn’t allow him to back down.

Still, I made sure to show my appreciation with a bow, “Thank you for your trust.”

“There’s no need to thank me. You were only doing what you thought was best for Indigo, after all.” He replied, before turning to Lorelei, “Lorelei. You and I will have to host a meeting with the higher-ups of the International Police and inform them of this new operation. Bring Looker along as well – I’ll want to speak with him too.”

Hearing this, I made a mental note to also warn Looker about N and his ability to understand and speak with Pokémon. I didn’t want him to be caught out by that.

“Of course.” Lorelei nodded.

“As for the rest of you – if the worst case scenario happens and Looker is exposed, I’ll take personal responsibility for this mission.” Lance said, “There’s no need for you to tarnish your own reputations with the backlash—”

“No.” Koga firmly interrupted him, “That would not be wise. Instead, place the blame solely on my shoulders. There is no need to taint the Champion of Indigo with something like this. If this does become a scandal, just say that this entire operation was my idea and that you had no knowledge of it. Considering my history as a ninja, this would not be unbelievable for the public, and it would preserve your reputations too.”

Of course, that wouldn’t mean that everyone would believe that Koga was solely responsible. However, Koga’s sacrifice should cast enough doubt so that only he would be seen as ‘untrustworthy’ by Unova, while the rest of us would mostly remain clean.

“…You would do this for us?” Lance asked slowly.

“Without hesitation.” Koga nodded instantly, “I would do anything for Indigo.”

…Well, there was nothing else we could say to that. And so the arrangements were made.

===============

(N’s POV)

He made sure that he made as little sound as possible as he entered into the meeting room, which was already filled with occupants. Around him, he spotted the rest of the Seven Sages in attendance. A few of them dropped him small smiles at his arrival, while the rest ignored him as they were more focused on listening to Ghetsis speak.

“…Recruitment levels aren’t reaching the highs we were expecting.” Gorm reported, “It appears that our message has not resonated with as many as we had hoped.”

“And that’s because your ‘message’ is far too soulless, like I said it was!” Bronius countered, “These are completely new people who have never heard of PLASMA and our ideals before! How could you imagine they be convinced just from a simple speech that they probably glanced over without a second thought? The only way for our message to be heard is for PLASMA to actually head over to the New Regions and start spreading it in person.”

“And abandon our roots here in Unova? That would be the height of foolishness.” Ryoku denied, “We have yet to make strong inroads in Unova, despite all of our collective effort, and now you want us distracted with trying to establish ourselves overseas when we haven’t even managed to become influential at home? Preposterous!”

“Ghetsis should still be making a tour around the world and get people to know us better. It won’t do if we sit around in Unova doing nothing.” Rood argued, “Our message is unfortunately quite unique and ‘different’ from what they’re used to. These foreigners are too used to the cycle of abuse that they unintentionally subscribe to, and they need a guiding hand to show them the true path. Only Ghetsis will be able to do that.”

All of the Sages looked to Ghetsis, as if waiting for his opinion. However, in a moment of bravery, N decided to speak up.

“…Is it okay if I go instead?” He asked quietly, almost too quiet to be heard, “I think I could be able to convince them.”

Some of the Sages, like Rood, lightened up at his suggestion, but the immediate scowl that formed on Ghetsis’ face already told him all he needed to know.

“No.” Ghetsis declared with finality, “N, you will not be going. You will be staying here to continue your education and to wait until the time is right. You are too precious for us to risk; you cannot afford to be corrupted. You must remain here.”

“Nor will I be leaving Unova.” Ghetsis turned to the rest of the Sages, “There is still much work to be done here that requires my presence, and I shall not sacrifice that for the New Regions. Not yet. Instead, Zinzolin, you shall go in my place to the New Regions. Spread the message on my behalf; I trust your skills.”

Zinzolin bowed deeply, “Thank you for your trust. You shall not be disappointed.”

But as Zinzolin rose from his bow, N caught a brief glimpse of something pass between him and Ghetsis. He knew that a silent message had just been communicated, but what could it have been?

Yet he wasn’t able to figure it out as Ghetsis continued, “Recruitment may be lower than expected, but there must be some new recruits that are worth mentioning. Are there any standouts? Especially any from the New Regions?”

“There was one.” Giallo replied, “A veteran Ace Trainer that had apparently retired because he wasn’t comfortable with the way his Pokémon were always badly battered in battle. Apparently, he was very taken by our message and wanted to express his willingness to join our cause.”

“Did you catch his name? Or the Pokémon that he had?” Zinzolin asked.

Giallo frowned, “…I can’t recall his name off the top of my head, but I’ll recognise him when I see him – I remember he was quite the looker, so he could be good if we place him in front of a crowd. As for Pokémon? He apparently released them all back into the wild, so all he has now is a Croagunk that insisted to stay with him.”

“He’s already released them from their Pokéballs?” N couldn’t stop himself from asking. That was the first time he had actually heard about someone doing that so quickly after hearing their message! That was incredible!

“Yes, that’s what he told me.” Giallo nodded, “I thought it was a little too much at first, but I had the opportunity to speak with him over the phone and… he’s quite the oddball. I’d even go so far as calling him simple-minded, but at least his eagerness is unrivalled. He was practically buzzing with excitement over the phone about wanting to join our ranks.”

“Well being eager is always a good thing.” Rood chuckled, “But if he proves capable, we should have him help out with spreading the message, especially since he’s going to be more familiar with the New Regions than we would be.”

“He would make for a good propaganda piece.” Ryoku agreed, “When is he arriving? We should make sure we give him a good first impression of PLASMA and our cause.”

“Do not worry. I’ve already made arrangements to meet him in person tomorrow.” Giallo assured, “And he will get to know the righteousness of our cause firsthand.”

As the other Sages murmured their agreements, N had to fight down his excitement. This was going to be his first time meeting a foreigner that actually understood their message! His conversation with John had been… thought provoking, but he had come to realise that John had been tainted with an unhealthy amount of scepticism and bias. So this would be the first chance he got to share his views with a foreigner – someone who had seen more of the world than he had – who actually understood.

He couldn’t wait!

A.N. I wanted to show the effects that Cyrus has had on this world. Even though I’ve not deliberately shown people to be ‘traumatized’ by his actions, I still wanted to highlight how the leadership of Indigo are now far more paranoid against future threats than they were before – to the point where they were willing to take on a risk to infiltrate PLASMA like this. Yet, because of the risks involved, I wanted to highlight the discussions behind the decision and show that it wasn’t made without thought.

And this is where Looker makes an appearance in the story again, as who better to infiltrate the ranks of Team Plasma than the man himself! Despite how goofy he can appear in the games, as I’ve shown previously, Looker really is one of the best agents that the International Police has, and he’s going to be showing off that prowess real soon. You’ll see how he works around people like N and Ghetsis. Hope you enjoyed!