The New Normal - 13-18 - Interlude - The Smiths

The New Normal – 13-18 – Interlude – The Smiths

(Angela POV)

She and her husband sat nervously as they huddled around the television at home. They knew that there was an ongoing crisis going on in Sinnoh, and they knew that their son was there as part of his duties as an Elite Four.

At first, they weren’t too worried – they knew that he was supported by trustworthy and strong companions that would keep each other safe. However, that all changed when they felt an ominous pulse of power, followed by reports on the news that the sky in Sinnoh had suddenly cracked apart.

It was nothing like they had ever since before, and the scientists’ confusion and failure to explain what was going on only added to their distress.

Even though the spokesperson from the Sinnoh League urged for calm, that was incredibly hard to do when they now knew that their was something dangerous going on, and their son would be right in the middle of the fighting – as he always was.

They were both incredibly proud of him for always being in the thick of the fighting, doing what’s best for the world and standing up for what he felt was right. Yet at the same time, no parent wants their child to ever be in such dangerous scenarios, even if he might have the strength for it. He had been other fights before, some where he even came out injured, but this one seemed far more threatening than all those other ones.

Despite their fears, there was nothing they could really do about it except stew in their nervousness and fear, which had only worsened when Whitney had called home explaining that the Gym was going under lockdown as Samson was called away. They tried calling Katrina after that, but she wasn’t able to provide any information.

They stayed like that for a long time, until finally the news anchor suddenly switched topics as images of Sinnoh were shown again. This time, the cracked sky had now returned to normal, and there were reports of people flying in and out of Mt. Coronet. They confirmed that the crisis was over a few minutes later, when Elite Bertha came flying down and speaking to the cameras.

“Team Galactic has been taken down.” She told them, “They made one last attempt to enact their plans, but thanks to the combined efforts of everyone today, they have failed. Cyrus has been defeated, and peace has been returned to Sinnoh.”

Of course, that led to a storm of questions being asked about what had happened, but Bertha merely dismissed them with a wave, “There is a lot of cleanup to manage right now, so the Champion will be hosting a press conference shortly to answer all your questions. As for now, I have somewhere else urgent to be.” And before the reporters could get another word in, she had flown off.

But even with Bertha’s claims, the two of them still remained anxious as they still had not heard back from John, who had yet to respond to their text. It was only after another few minutes later that he finally responded back.

‘I’m safe. Sorry for worrying you. But everything’s now over.’ He texted, ‘We won.’

That had finally allowed to let out a huge sigh of relief, releasing all of the tension that they had accumulated over the last few hours. They didn’t care what John had done, since all they really cared about was that he was safe and well.

They would come to regret that sentiment a few hours later, when the press conference with Cynthia had concluded and she revealed that their son was somehow an instrumental part of awakening a Legendary – which he then befriended. And it wasn’t any Legendary either, but the Legendary Titan itself.

Non-battlers they may be, but the significance of that statement could not be understated. Legendaries were not just things you could ‘interact’ with. They were beings of unimaginable power – avatars of Arceus’ will and adjudicators of the natural laws of the world. And their son had just managed to successfully awaken one and fight alongside it – against another Legendary for the fate of the world, no less.

To say that they had a hard time wrapping their heads around that would be a colossal understatement. Of course, they knew that their son had grown very strong over the years, as it was impossible to miss how much the news praised him as the strongest member of the Indigo Elite Four. They knew that he was likely a match for the Champion himself, but even then it was difficult to visualize just how much he had grown up since he had went on his journey.

Yet the very fact that he was now at the level where he could interact with a Legendary… that spoke volumes to his growth and strength.

Even beyond the pride and surprise that they felt, they knew that this was the kind of thing that you made stories and legends out of. That statues were built of.

To think that such a thing could happen with their son.

Naturally, they knew that they were probably overstating their son’s achievements, as he had not achieved everything alone. His colleagues who fought with him at Spear Pillar were likely instrumental to his victory too, and deserved as much credit as he did. But their accomplishments would certainly be written down in the history books for the future generations to learn about.

Even compared to everything he had done after he had entered the Elite Four, none would be as memorable as what he had just achieved in Sinnoh.

Her son had made a permanent mark on history, one that would not be forgotten anytime soon.

However, despite all of that, it was a parent’s prerogative to worry. They knew that a fight between Legendaries for the fate of the world couldn’t have been anything less than supremely destructive and dangerous, and even though everyone was praising their son and his companions for their victory, she knew that such a victory may have come at a cost.

They might not be aware of what had happened during the fight itself, and would probably never know for certain, but they doubted their son had been completely unscathed during such a cataclysmic battle. Whether that be physically or mentally.

She shared a concerned look with her husband, and they both nodded in agreement. Her son might have won a great victory and had covered himself in glory, but as his parents, they would do their best to make sure that he wasn’t hurt by the events that happened in Sinnoh.

Perhaps they were overreacting, but it was better safe than sorry. It was their duties as his parent to make sure that they would always be an open ear for any of his concerns.

Because now that Team Galactic was dealt with – a problem that they knew their son had been struggling and fighting against for a long time now – they recognised that this meant that John would have an abundance of free time now.

Free time to enact all those incredible reforms and changes that were always floating around in that smart little head of his. And they wanted to make sure that he could be completely focused on all those changes he wanted to implement, rather than be weighed down by the horrors of such a battle.

Because they understood the passion that their son had for making the world a better place. It was impossible not to after they had already seen all of the many positive changes that he had brought to not only their region, but to the other two regions as well.

And they knew that this was just the beginning, as they knew that he still had many plans with Cynthia that he had hinted about. Now that he had the time to just focus on his own passions and ambitions, what else could he accomplish?

They were eager to find out.

A.N. And finally, the Arc 13 – The Galactic Calamity arc has been brought to an end. Like I promised, this isn’t the end of the story, and there are more things coming in the future that I want to explore. Some have already predicted what those might be, but I’ll be keeping silent for now as to not spoil anything. But things will be happening.

As for this chapter specifically, I know John’s parents haven’t really been a big part of the story, which is why I wanted to briefly highlight their thoughts about everything that has happened in Sinnoh. They’re concerned for John, as any parent would be, but they’re also very proud of him. I also wanted to show off more of why awakening a Legendary is seen as THAT big of a deal. Hope you enjoyed and are looking forwards for the events to come!