The New Normal - 14-1

The New Normal – 14-1 – Reaping the rewards

There was a lot to do after the events at Spear Pillar had concluded. Cyrus might be gone, but the chaos that he caused still lingered. Even after getting a good night’s sleep, much of the exhaustion that had built up from the battle still lingered in my bones, and there was still too much to do for me to just give myself another rest day. Everyone was running around trying to restore order and reassure the public that everything was indeed over.

Cynthia’s press conference went a long way into doing that, reassuring the public with her transparent explanation about what had happened at Spear Pillar and why the sky had suddenly cracked apart. She left out some key details of course, especially with the Red Chain, since we didn’t want anyone to get bright ideas about trying to replicate it.

Before she had the conference, she had already discussed it with me about my level of involvement with Regigigas. She wanted to double check with me that I was fine with that knowledge being known to the world, and the scrutiny that it would naturally attract. There was obviously no hiding it, but she asked if I’d rather she not bring any attention to it.

I was fine with it, so long that it was made clear that I was not in direct control of Regigigas and had not captured the Legendary Titan.

Although that press conference helped calm everyone down a lot, I still did my part in helping out wherever I could, aiding a few Gym Leaders in the larger cities or in towns that didn’t have such Gyms that things were indeed over and that they could return to their homes and duties.

Many of the current authority figures were busy with the processing and arrest of the Team Galactic terrorists that had fought their way up to Spear Pillar. From what I heard, they confirmed that two commanders (which I suspected were Mars and Jupiter) were also arrested and detained. I knew from Cynthia that there was a little bit of a discussion about whether they should be continuing with the psychic interrogations on the new prisoners since the crisis was over, but there hadn’t been any conclusion to that argument as of yet. The leaders were almost definitely going to be subjected to it, but the grunts might not be.

Nevertheless, I currently found myself in Floaroma Town, with my Pokémon out in the open to help escort the people that had panicked and fled away from Eterna City to get away from whatever was happening at Mt. Coronet. For those who had simply stayed in Floaroma Town, that was a simple task. But the much harder task was trying to find and rescue everyone that had desperately fled into Eterna Forest, thinking that it was safer there than in the city.

Needless to say, with the wild Pokémon also agitated because of the spatial distortions that rippled through the region, Eterna Forest was not a safe place to be. Pokémon panic just like any regular human would, and they were far more likely to attack out of fear. Plus, the maze-like interior of Eterna Forest didn’t help either, and there were a bunch of people who had gotten lost inside.

Which was why Gym Leader Gardenia and I were out today trying to find those stragglers before they got themselves badly hurt. Or to get them immediate treatment if they were already hurt.

“…I can’t believe how many people fled into the Forest.” Gardenia muttered from next to me, “I mean, I know everyone was panicking and desperate, but surely they should know better. At least they didn’t choose to hide in the Old Chateau – that place gives me the creeps.”

“I can’t really blame them, considering that the world was at the risk of ending right then and there. It’s actually worse for them, as they didn’t actually know what was happening.” I replied, “…Still, I agree that some of them should have known better. So many injured people…” I trailed off.

Fortunately, those injuries mostly just consisted of minor scrapes and scratches. There were only a few people so far that were injured enough to warrant an immediate flight to the nearest Pokémon Center.

Gardenia let out a sigh, “Yes, it’s pretty bad. But it could have been a lot worse, considering how many wild Pokémon live in Eterna Forest.” She said, likely trying to reassure the both of us, “We could have had a lot more injuries, but I guess the wild Pokémon were also too busy fleeing than bothering to attack them.”

“…Though that reminds me, we’re also going to have to deal with all those Pokémon habitats that have ben disrupted by all this panicked fleeing.” She frowned, “That’s not going to be fun to deal with. I’m going to have to speak to the rangers about that one.”

Then she slapped herself on the forehead, “Look at me. Complaining about my petty troubles to a trainer who had fought against a Legendary itself. Sorry if it comes off as whining compared to what you and the others went through.”

“It’s fine.” I waved her off, “I… won’t say the battle was easy, because it wasn’t. But I can appreciate that everyone has their own problems.”

“You know, part of me is a little envious that I wasn’t part of that fight. I mean, I can see the glory and praise being piled onto Fantina and Crasher Wake, and I can’t deny it makes me a little envious.” She said, “But… at the same time, I’ve spoken a bit with Fantina about what she had experienced. She tried to be her usual dramatic and haughty self, but I could see through that façade of her. She must have been terrified out of her mind during that fight. And I don’t blame her.”

She turned to me, “…Was the battle really that bad?”

“…Yes and no.” I admitted, “At the time, you don’t really have a chance to think of much else as you’re so focused and concentrated on the actual battle. Against a Legendary, a single mistake is enough to permanently put an end to your fight. Yet there were a few moments in that fight where I genuinely thought it was the end for me.”

That moment where Palkia had suddenly formed a black hole right in front of me, and that feeling where I was rapidly being sucked in – that was the moment where I was most reminded of my mortality. I can still remember the moment vividly whenever I close my eyes.

“Those moments do taint the victory.” I continued sombrely, “As glorious as it might seem to an outsider, I think the news have understated, perhaps deliberately, just how dangerous it was fighting alongside and with a Legendary. They aren’t meant to be fought, not even with the strongest of Pokémon. But sometimes you have to fight, no matter the danger or the odds, and this was one of them.”

“At the end of the day, I do not regret the fight. And there were even moments that I will think back upon with pride and fondness, such as when I saw with my very own eyes that my Pokémon were actually able to deal damage to a Legendary. However, I will never forget just how precarious our situation was.” I finished.

“…Thank you for your honest thoughts, John.” Gardenia said after a moment of silence, “Like you said, I honestly had expected a bit more embellishment about the battle when I had asked, but you do make a good point. Legendaries are called that for a reason. I guess there was nothing to be jealous of when I missed out. Sorry if I seemed insensitive.”

“It’s not a problem.” I said, and it was actually nice to be able to verbalise my feelings on the battle. “There aren’t any recordings of the battle, so it’s only natural to be curious. I’d be too, in your position.”

She smiled, “Thanks. Anyways, I think we’ve walked around this section of Eterna Forest enough. Let’s move on to the next quadrant. Hopefully there aren’t too many more people trapped here. I’d love to get some rest before the award ceremony begins. It’ll be a nice celebration.”

“Having everyone come over for a celebration rather than a battle would be a nice change of pace.” I agreed, “And having a full gathering of all the Elite Four should be fun. We haven’t really had that opportunity to meet in person since the Tournament.”

She agreed, and we returned to our task of searching through Eterna Forest. Several hours later, we found a couple more, who luckily weren’t too injured. One person had even climbed up a tree and was staying there with a bunch of Wormadam.

But eventually we had done enough so that we could leave the remainder to the rangers and Jennys, giving us a little time to rest before the award ceremony took place.

The ceremony, by its very nature, was rushed and a little haphazardly done. From what I knew, everything would take place at Spear Pillar, at the very site of our battle. That meant that the public wouldn’t be allowed to come, since there firstly wouldn’t be enough space to accommodate them all, and also because most of Mt. Coronet had still been badly damaged by Team Galactic’s fight to the top and in need of repairs.

Palkia may have made repairs, but only at Spear Pillar. The rest of Mt. Coronet was still a partially destroyed mess.

There were some talks about delaying the awards ceremony until after Mt. Coronet was fully repaired, and to change the location to one where the public could attend. But it was ultimately decided to host the awards ceremony as early as possible, just to show the public that the final nail had been put in the coffin for Cyrus and his band of terrorists.

That they were truly gone and defeated.

So when the awards ceremony came around, I flew over to Spear Pillar – dressed up in casual clothes. That was certainly uncommon for something as prestigious as this, but Cynthia had explicitly told all the participants that had been at the battle at Spear Pillar to wear more casual clothes – like you would wear for an upcoming battle.

That was because she felt that a more battle-ready attire would be more suitable for an award ceremony meant to commemorate a victorious battle.

As I flew, I could see that Mt. Coronet was still cordoned off, and a large host of Jennys were now patrolling the air to make sure there were no trespassers. I even had a small group of Jennys approach me as I flew over, though they quickly moved to escort me once they confirmed my identity.

I landed at the point where Mt. Coronet connected to Spear Pillar. Turning around to look at the interior of Mt. Coronet, I could see the sheer destruction and the litany of scorch marks staining the caverns. It really demonstrated just how desperate the fighting was between us and Team Galactic as the latter tried to fight their way to the top.

But before I could linger any longer on that thought, I was approached by two people that I was not expecting to see at this ceremony. Bruno and Steven were standing there chatting to each other, and they turned to me as I approached.

“John. I’m glad you’re uninjured.” Steven greeted me with a smile, “That must have been a great battle.”

“Thank you.” I nodded, “But what are you two doing here? I thought you would have headed back to Hoenn after you found the Iron Plate and got your hands on that Goodra.”

“We considered it, but we decided to hang around for a bit longer.” He responded, “And then the whole crisis happened, and we decided to lend our assistance.”

Ah, that must have been why they were invited.

“Unfortunately, we were not there for the big fight at Spear Pillar.” Bruno stated, “However, Steven managed to convince the authorities to allow us to provide assistance in the aftermath. We were happy to lend our support.”

Then Steven leaned into me, whispering loudly so that it was obvious Bruno could hear him, “Just between you and me, Bruno’s a little disappointed that he didn’t get a chance to fight against a Legendary. He was grumbling about not being able to test his Pokémon’s strength against one. But knowing him, he’d actually try to punch one with his fists, and I’m not sure if he’ll be able to survive the aftermath. He’s quite stubborn.”

“It would have been a good fight.” Bruno grumbled, which only seemed to prove Steven’s point.

After talking for probably several more minutes, our conversation came to an end as more people started to arrive at Spear Pillar. For me, the group that I was most looking forward to speaking with was the Indigo contingent, who all arrived at the same time. I knew that they had arrived the day before, but we didn’t have a chance to meet because they were immediately conscripted to helping out in other areas like I was.

“Good to see you actually unharmed.” Karen said as she arrived, making a show of looking me over.

“What do you mean ‘actually’?” I questioned, “Did you not believe my texts?”

She scoffed, “No, because I knew if you were actually injured you wouldn’t tell me as you know I’d snitch to your parents when they asked. Glad to see you weren’t lying though.”

I sighed, though she was right. So instead I just blatantly changed the topic, “Is everything alright in Indigo? The news reports I’ve read are quite confusing.”

“Well, the events at Sinnoh definitely was a scare for the public.” Lorelei answered, “It didn’t help that the Sinnoh newscasters were all panicking and dramatizing everything as well. Fortunately, things didn’t descend into outright panic – probably because of they thought that the distance between us and Sinnoh kept them relatively safe. Either way, it was a huge relief.”

Before she could say anything more, a large shadow engulfed most of Spear Pillar, and a large host of people could be seen landing from their mounts. Though rather than carrying anyone important, the group merely consisted of the reporters that were tasked with attending the ceremony.

Almost as soon as the reporters landed, they immediately split up as they began to ask their questions. Naturally, as someone that was there at the fighting, I was saddled with a bulk of their attention.

Their questions obviously revolved around my contributions to the fight at Spear Pillar, and they were especially interested in whether my Pokémon actually were able to do any significant damage to Palkia as they were fighting.

I was tempted to exaggerate, but I kept my description as matter-of-fact as possible, “My Pokémon contributed as much as any other fighter in that fight did. Thanks to our overwhelming numbers, we were able to set up heavily with our Pokémon and organise them according to their greatest strengths. And then, with Regigigas taking up the bulk of Palkia’s attention, our Pokémon were able to get in a few good hits in. So yes, we did manage to do damage to a Legendary. Not much, but it was there.”

“But if you actually managed to do damage to Palkia, does that mean you had a chance of taking it out?” Someone asked, “And who in your opinion did the most damage to Palkia? Or was it yourself? And do you think you could have taken down the Legendary if you had gotten in a few more hits?”

“I can answer neither of those questions, simply because I don’t know the answer to that.” I replied, “But I’d like to clarify some of the misunderstandings that I’ve seen. Many think that just because we were to able to deal some powerful blows against Palkia means that we suddenly have a fighting chance against a Legendary. Let me quickly dissuade you of that delusion before people start finding out ways to fight against Legendaries with their powerful Pokémon.”

“No. You will be to them what Magikarp are to Tyranitar, and without the potential to evolve. If we had not had Regigigas on our side, we would not even be able to break through the spatial distortion that it had formed around itself to even fight it. Its attacks warped the very realities of space around us, and it was able to repeatedly displace both trainer and Pokémon during the fight, completely ignoring the natural laws of the world.”

“These are attacks that are far more dangerous than you’d expect to see in your typical Pokémon battle.” I continued, “Those, you can block with a Protect shield. How could you block an attack that literally ripped a hole in reality itself? You can’t. You simply lose. Which is why I will always compliment the bravery that everyone in that battle showed to still stand up against such an overwhelming threat and fight with everything they had. Despite our fear, nobody in that fight gave into it. We all held our ground, and because of that, we were able to win the day and take down Cyrus.”

“Well said.” The voice of my girlfriend came from behind me, and she approached the reporters with a confident gait in her steps, “You can see why the Sinnoh League was so insistent with hosting this award ceremony. Such bravery and fortitude must be appropriately rewarded, especially for our foreign allies who came to help us during our hour of need.”

“Elite John! You mentioned the Legendary Titan a lot.” Another reporter spoke up, “Everyone knows you awoke it, so will we be able to see the Titan for ourselves? In action, instead of dormant?”

Cynthia and I shared a look before I shrugged, “Unfortunately, Regigigas has returned to its dormancy, and it shall not be awakening any time soon. Though we could visit if it if that’s what you want.”

“But first, let’s get on with this ceremony.” Cynthia cut in, “Everyone’s arrived.”

And so we did. I followed after her as she made her way to the ‘front’ of Spear Pillar, and we all gathered around in silence as Cynthia and the other Sinnoh Elite Four took to the makeshift podium that had been created.

With cameras flashing from all angles, Cynthia began her speech, “Thank you very much for all coming here. Today marks the day that we defeated a madman, a man insane enough to try to dominate a Legendary in order to use its power to enact his delusional plans. His name shall be one of the many that will be lost to time, as it is only appropriate for a man as villainous as him. Regarding his former organisation, rest assured that we have already begun the process of completely dismantling them and are ensuring that any remnants are found and captured – which shouldn’t number any more than a few dozen at most.”

“On the other hand, the people that we should commemorate are now standing here before us. Please, if you were at the fighting at Spear Pillar, head on to the stage.”

I moved to do so, alongside everyone else that had taken part in that world-changing battle. We all shared a small smile as Cynthia resumed once we were all on stage, “Sinnoh gives their thanks to our brave fighters here, as well as all those that had also helped out in subduing the surge of chaos that unfolded due to Cyrus’ actions. The defeat of Team Galactic and its leader has always been a collective effort, and their plans would not have been stopped if it was not for our joint efforts. So, as Champion of Sinnoh, I would like to thank every single individual who has helped to take down Team Galactic. Your efforts have been invaluable.”

There was a polite smattering of applause from the crowd, and Cynthia continued after a small pause, “However, for those that had the bravery to stand against a Legendary, we felt that an extra special thanks should be awarded for their efforts. For their bravery and determination to hold their ground against a Legendary and fight for the fate of the world!”

“For such an act of incredible virtue, the Sinnoh League felt that it was only appropriate if we memorialised their names into history!” She declared, “To etch their names into the very pillars of this place itself for the future generations to see! To leave a mark that demonstrates the courage and valour that they showed in their fight!”

With a wave of her hand, a few Psychic types that had obviously been prepared beforehand started etching our names onto one of the central pillars of Spear Pillar. The following was written:

‘In honour of those who have fought alongside the Legendary Titan, Regigigas, in service and in protection of the region of Sinnoh against a Legendary threat. These people have fought heroically and valiantly, and their efforts shall be duly remembered:’ It was then followed by a list of our names.

That was already an incredible honour, but Cynthia wasn’t done yet, “That’s not all! A statue of Regigigas shall also be placed here, to give thanks to its efforts and to remind the public of the future that they have a protector in the Legendary Titan – Sinnoh’s watchful guardian!”

“Lastly, for those foreign members memorialised on Spear Pillar, we shall also do the same in our newly-created Hall of Fame, where they shall be the first inductees.” She announced, obviously excluding herself and her Elite Four from being inducted. That wouldn’t look the best. “The Hall of Fame shall be a ceremonial institution that will serve to honour and venerate those that have served Sinnoh in an exceptional capacity, and the Elite Four and I are in agreement that there can be no one more suitable than them as its first inductees!”

There was a big round of applause as she concluded, but even though we had all been informed of these announcements beforehand, it was still an incredible honour to be showered with such acts of veneration.

I didn’t do it for the praise or glory, but it was undeniably nice to receive it.

With the big announcements all done, the award ceremony was followed by a large photoshoot where we all stood next to the new memorial and pictures were taken for tomorrow’s headlines. Then the reporters started to go around and talk to those who hadn’t participated in the fighting, asking around for their opinions as well as their perspective of what happened in Sinnoh or what they were doing during it.

As a result, the awards ceremony quickly transformed into a political/social gathering where everyone took the opportunity to reforge and to check up on connections with each other, and to reaffirm the bonds between our regions – which should be stronger than ever considering what had just occurred.

On my end, I made to check up on my fellow award-winners, wanting to make sure everyone was doing okay after the fight. For the most part, they were. Which was very relieving.

But my day wasn’t done yet, as I was then ferried over to where Regigigas had chosen to return dormant once again with a few reporters in tow to pay my respects one last time before I had to depart from Sinnoh.

I was also accompanied by Lucian, since the rest of the Elite Four remained at Spear Pillar to mingle after the award ceremony was over. On the flight over, I was asked by a reporter if I was happy with what the commendations we received from our efforts, and I made sure to give an answer I knew Cynthia would be pleased with.

“I have no complaints with it, and am actually honoured to be inducted and remembered in that way.” I replied firmly, “After all, I was merely doing my duty – the duty of every citizen to stop someone who wanted to end the world in his insanity. I would have been fine had I received merely a pat on the back, so this was far more than I hoped for.”

“After all, who wouldn’t want their achievements to be remembered?” I finished rhetorically, “That’s worth more than any monetary reward.”

“It’s the least we could do.” Lucian added from the side.

The conversation stilled for a moment as we arrived at Snowpoint Temple, or at least, what remained of it. Regigigas’ awakening had completely wrecked the surroundings, and the Temple was now a ruin of its former self.

The only thing that even resembled its former appearance was the unmoving figure of Regigigas standing right in the centre. I had always wondered why it chose to rest at Snowpoint – perhaps there was some sentimental reason for it, but I had forgotten to ask about it.

I approached the lone figure of Regigigas. Seeing it unmoving and still like this was strange, given that I had gotten used to seeing it moving around and in action. Similarly, I was used to being around its aura of strength that it naturally exuded, which was significantly muted now that it was inactive again.

And yet, perhaps it was due to my connection with it, I could feel that its incredible strength was merely simmering beneath the surface. It might be inactive, but I felt the link that connected me to it was as strong as ever. It was this slight pull that lingered on the edge of my mind, but one that reminded me of our former bond.

And I made sure to honour that bond.

“There needs to be a new building for Regigigas.” I said, ignoring how the reporters were taking my picture as I inspected Regigigas’ form, “We can’t leave it sitting here in the open like this.”

“We’re working on that already.” Lucian confirmed, “Snowpoint City is going to go through some serious redevelopment, especially now that we’ve seen the power of Regigigas for ourselves and know that it truly is a protector of Sinnoh. An appropriate building will be designed to house it, with the necessary security measures put in place so that no one disturbs its slumber.”

“That’s good.” I nodded, “…Once it does get built, I think I’d like to be there for the grand opening. I think it’d be fitting.”

“And we’d be happy to have you.” Lucian agreed, “There’d be no one more suited.”

“John!” One of the reporters called out, “Now that you’re here, do you think you can awaken Regigigas again? Are those rumours of the bond between you and the Legendary Titan true, since you managed to awaken it in the first place?”

However, to his disappointment, I simply shook my head, “Even if I could, I would not disturb its slumber. A Legendary should not be so carelessly wielded, as Team Galactic has just shown. But I can promise you one thing. Having fought alongside it and even spoken with it, I say with utter certainty that Regigigas is humanity’s protector – a source of stability and order. It has strength aplenty, but only to ensure that it guards us from threats that we cannot handle ourselves. It is a friendly giant, true to its purpose, and will remain our eternal bulwark.”

“And we are blessed to have its protection.”

A.N. This is going to be John’s final chapter in Sinnoh for the time being as we return to Indigo in the next chapter. I wanted to wrap up a few more plot points from what remained after the crisis, and make sure that everyone got their due rewards for their efforts. I included the Hall of Fame because I wanted to integrate it into the world, as something that is always there at the end of every game. I felt it was only appropriate for the victors to be commemorated this way.

Hope you enjoyed are prepared for a few timeskips as we get started on Arc 14 – The Future Arc! They won’t be anything too drastic, but there’ll be things aplenty to change!