The New Normal - 15-5

The New Normal – 15-5 – Exploring with Drake

After the battle was over, the mood of the Unovans noticeably dropped as they suffered through two back-to-back defeats. We tried to bring up the mood again, but they clearly weren’t feeling it at the moment, and after a few more polite words, they left us soon after that.

I did feel a little bad for them. Despite Grimsley’s less-than-subtle challenge to us, my gut told me that he wasn’t one to do so out of malice. Perhaps I would have done the same in his position, since he seemed like he was only looking out for Unova. He didn’t seem to have any real hostility against us.

That being said, I didn’t regret my actions. As much as I hoped for Unova to be our friends and allies, this battle was a good reminder on why they should be our friends – because they did not want to be our enemies.

Nevertheless, with the battle over, I went over to speak with Drake and Sidney, asking them what they thought of the battle.

“Meh, I would have loved to have battled against their other Dragon trainer.” Drake shrugged, “Too bad Drayden wasn’t here. I think our battle would have been interesting.”

“But I saw that Marshal still did a number on your Salamence.” Sidney pointed out, “His Conkeldurr was really delivering the pain.”

“He’s better than every other Fighting specialist I’ve fought against.” Drake allowed, “Though that’s probably why he’s in the Elite Four.”

Sidney nodded, “If anything, I wanted to see more of what they can do. Just fighting a 2v2 like that really doesn’t allow you to see the full breath of their capabilities.” He looked to Drake, “Maybe we can arrange for a more proper spar between us in the future.”

“I’d fucking love that.” Drake grinned, “Maybe you can join in too, John.”

“Sure, if you’ll have me.” I agreed, “But good luck convincing them to agree to another battle. They didn’t look very pleased with our victory.”

“Eh. I’m sure they’ll bounce back soon.” Drake didn’t seem concerned, “They wouldn’t have made it to the Elite Four without learning how to shrug off losses.”

I certainly hoped so. While I was pleased with our victory, I didn’t want any negative feelings to be fostered within the Unovans as a result of our win. That would be unfortunate.

Nevertheless, in the early morning of the next day, Drake called me and asked if we could meet up again so that we could explore Unova together and check out a few of the more important sites that the region had to offer.

Having nothing else planned, I quickly took him up on it, after making sure that Karen didn’t mind. She didn’t, as she coincidentally had her own plans with Sidney too. Therefore, Drake and I ended up heading over to visit Dragonspiral Tower – which had been labelled as one of Unova’s cultural landmarks.

However, apparently our movements were not as subtle as we thought, as on the way there we ended up meeting with Gym Leader Brycen from the nearby Icirrus City, who asked if he could join us. Seeing no reason to decline, we accepted.

“Thank you for accepting my invitation.” He said to us as we walked over from Icirrus City, “I had hoped to meet you ever since your arrival. It was nice speaking with Karen, and I very much wanted to reach out to her other colleagues as well.”

“Well you have us now.” Drake grinned, “Any sort of questions you’d like to ask us?”

“Actually, I had one on my own.” It was a question on a topic that I had neglected until now, but really should have asked about earlier, “What are your thoughts about us, now that you’ve seen us hang about in your region? Are you happy about our arrival?”

Brycen nodded slowly, “…That’s a good question, and not one with an easy answer. Personally, as someone with a passion for the arts, the discovery of new regions and cultures is a welcome one, as there will certainly be much inspiration that could be derived from your differing cultures. However, my peers… they don’t think the same as me. As far as I’m aware, most of them are cautious. You are a great unknown to us, and so are your intentions.”

“From what I’ve seen thus far, you and Karen have been nothing less than amicable and friendly, but there’s every chance that your friendliness is merely a façade.” He explained, “Personally, I doubt it. But the concerns are real, especially since your three regions outnumber us so heavily. And your victory over our Elite Four hasn’t exactly helped.”

I winced, “I hope there were no bad feelings over that.”

“Oh, I don’t think there would be.” Brycen quickly replied, “Everyone knows that your victory over them wasn’t personal or anything. But it’s just another reminder that we need to be cautious of your strength.”

“Hmph. Well, I know I may not act like it, but I’m not the type of person that likes to pick fights.” Drake said, and seeing the incredulous looks he got from both of us, he quickly corrected himself, “At least, not with other regions. After seeing what we’re able to do if we work together peacefully, I’d much rather we get along with Unova as friends rather than as enemies.”

“And I believe that.” Brycen nodded, “But others might remain wary nonetheless.”

This is why I knew we still had a long way to go when it came to becoming truly friends with Unova like we had done with Sinnoh and Hoenn. This initial distrust was hard to remove so soon.

Discussions on this aside, Brycen asked us the standard roster of questions – asking on general topics like about Pokémon and the cities. Though he also branched out and asked about the cultural and artistic scene of our regions, explaining to us that he had been a former actor and still dabbled with the arts on occasion.

“…To be honest, I’ve been pretty torn about whether to continue my duties as a Gym Leader, since recently I’ve been feeling more of an itch to return full-time to the arts.” He admitted to us, “However, then I look at my peers like Elesa and Burgh, who are both able to maintain their artistic careers and Gym Leader positions with little trouble. It makes me wonder why I’m not feeling satisfied with my current balance. But do you also have Gym Leaders who split their time for the arts?”

“We do.” I replied, “The Gym Leader of my city, Cerulean City, are also famous contest performers and regularly host shows in between their Gym Leader duties. Of course, their position as Gym Leader is shared between all three sisters, so I guess they have an easier time of handling both.”

“But to address your particular concerns…” I continued, “My friend, Blaine, he used to be a Gym Leader and scientist simultaneously, but eventually gave up on the former to pursue the latter – as that was where he felt his true passion lied. So you aren’t the only one that feels this way. And now he’s successfully become a Professor. So it’s just a matter of realising what you want to pursue into the future.”

Brycen nodded at my words, but Drake had a few things to say of his own, “Don’t forget, lad, that being a Gym Leader is a prestigious position that rightfully brings much honour and respect, but at the same time, it demands that you put your whole heart into managing the position. So while I’m not accusing you of anything, do remember that as a Gym Leader you would be doing the trainers that look up to you a disservice if you are aren’t able to give it your all.”

“…You’re right.” Brycen nodded again, “…Thank you for both for your thoughtful words. I will have much to think about.”

“Bah, no need to thank us.” Drake waved him off, “We may have just met, but I can tell that your heart is in the right place. Better than a few fucks that I used to know.”

I raised an eyebrow, “Anyone that I should know about?”

He shook his head, “Nah, this was before your time, lad. No need to worry about it now. Wallace dealt with them when he became Champion.”

Our conversation came to an end right as we arrived at Dragonspiral Tower. It was known as the oldest structure in Unova, and it clearly showed. Unlike Spear Pillar, which still somehow managed to look supernaturally clean, Dragonspiral Tower really showed off its age.

The tower looked like it was seconds away from crumbling down completely. The exterior of the building was heavily chipped and damaged, and almost completely covered in overgrown moss. Also unlike Spear Pillar, Dragonspiral Tower was home to many wild Pokémon, which only made the Tower seem all the more messy and unclean.

Yet despite the age, the moment we stepped foot into the tower, I could feel the familiar presence of a Legendary radiating out of the entire structure. It wasn’t nearly as strong as the feeling I felt at Spear Pillar, but it was unmistakably present.

From what I knew from my meta-knowledge, I could understand why that was. Spear Pillar was literally the place where the Creation Trio, and Arceus itself, would manifest. The entire place was practically a birthplace for many of the Legendaries of Sinnoh. On the other hand, Dragonspiral Tower was merely the place where Reshiram and Zekrom were sealed into their respective Light and Dark Stones, and where they would subsequently be reawakened from them.

In other words, the Legendary weight between the two places were like night and day. Spear Pillar was simply far more important.

Maybe because of that, I didn’t feel as unnerved as I did when I first visited Spear Pillar. That, or after I had spent time around certain Legendaries, I had just grown immune to the sensation. Regardless, that didn’t detract from the uniqueness of Dragonspiral Tower, and it was nice to walk around the interior and inspect the sights for myself.

A part of me was actually kind of hoping to accidentally stumble into the Dark or Light Stone while I was here… but, like I expected, I couldn’t find anything that even sort of resembled it.

The interior was merely filled with long-broken rubble that had never been cleared up, probably intentionally so.

Honestly, I could understand why this place hadn’t been opened to the public, and why we were only allowed in since we were accompanied by Brycen. Not only was this an important cultural site that should be protected, but it was also not safe at all. With how old the place was, the interior pathways looked like they were moments away from crumbling to dust if you stepped on it. And with how tall the tower was, that was very dangerous if you did end up falling.

But I supposed that was part of the rustic charm, and it certainly still made for an interesting visit. Even if we were occasionally harassed by the odd wild Pokémon. Though most were promptly deterred and scared away when Drake and I sent our Pokémon out.

However, after probably half an hour of looking around, both Drake and I felt like we had seen enough and that it was about time to depart. There were still other places we wanted to check out, so we headed back for Icirrus City where we split up from Brycen as he had to return to his usual duties.

After that, we headed for the Desert Resort, where we wanted to visit the famed Relic Castle. Yet, the moment we arrived there, we ended up stumbling across a very unexpected individual – who looked just as surprised to see us as we did. I recognised him the instant I set my eyes on him.

It was Ghetsis.

“…Oh my, what a pleasant surprise this is.” Ghetsis smiled at us politely, “You two must be those foreign Elite Four that have recently arrived in Unova, right?”

“We are.” Drake nodded, “And you are?”

“Ah, I have overlooked the most important thing.” Ghetsis let out a chuckle, “My name is Ghetsis – advocate and leader for the liberation and better treatment of Pokémon, also known as the Pokémon Liberation And Safety Moral Association. Or PLASMA for short. It’s a real pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

He extended a hand for us to shake, all the while presenting a very cheerful smile that never even faltered even as he spouted such lies at us. Yet, even without relying on my metaknowledge, I wasn’t fooled by it. Not after having spoken with Cyrus, who was a much better liar than he was.

Ghetsis was more… obvious, in his desire for power. To me, his inner megalomania was practically screaming to burst out of him, and his eyes revealed a lot more than Cyrus’ did. Ghetsis simply wasn’t as good at hiding his true emotions as he pretended that he did.

So much so that Drake was not fooled by his façade either, as he refused to shake his hand.

“An advocate for Pokémon liberation?” Drake asked as he crossed his arms, “Never heard of anything like that. What’s it about?”

I caught Ghetsis’ eyes twitch at Drake’s refusal, but he gave an explanation as if he wasn’t bothered by it, “It’s simple. We’re a group of people who are taking a moral stand against the harmful exploitation of Pokémon by trainers. Trainers who hold Pokémon against their will and force them to battle—”

“Ah, say no more.” Drake interrupted him with a wave of his hand, “I can already tell that the only thing that your mouth can spout is nonsense – especially not on a topic as insane as your so-called ‘Pokémon liberation’. I don’t need you to waste any more of my fucking time.”

Ghetsis’ pleasant smile instantly disappeared, and for a split second was replaced by an expression of pure rage, before he quickly hid it behind a mask of false hurt, “…Why are you so hostile to me?” Ghetsis asked, putting on a mask of false hurt, “Or is this the way that Hoenn treats those they deem lesser than them? You haven’t even given me your name yet.”

“The name’s Drake, and don’t you fucking forget it.” Drake ‘introduced’ himself, “I would say it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, but that would be a fucking lie.”

Drake then grinned at Ghetsis, but there was no friendliness in it, “You don’t need to try to twist my words to suit your needs, not when I can already tell that you’re doing that with the ‘Pokémon liberation’ nonsense that you’re spouting. If you were actually sincere about the topic, then maybe I’d give you a moment of my time. But I know that you don’t even believe the words you’re saying.”

That caused Ghetsis to drop the mask of civility altogether, and the man was now glaring at Drake. But that only caused him to bark out a laugh, “Yeah, glare at me as hard as you fucking like. But I see you for what you are. I’ve dealt with terrorists and criminals like you for far too long – so you don’t fool me. Isn’t that right, John?”

Wow, Drake was really going at it. I didn’t initially intend to display such overt hostility against Ghetsis, but since Drake had already done so, I wasn’t going to let him do it alone. I wouldn’t abandon him like that.

“I couldn’t agree more.” I nodded in solidarity with Drake, “Like Drake said, you don’t seem sincere in your words. But even if you were, I’m certain that Pokémon liberation is not the right method of granting our Pokémon happiness. In fact, it’d only make things worse.”

At this point Ghetsis was practically fuming with anger, and he looked like he was trying to kill us with his eyes alone with how hard he was glaring at us. But I wasn’t scared. How could I be, when I had faced off against threats far worse than he would ever be?

Besides, the very fact that he couldn’t keep a control of his emotions as well as Cyrus did already made him far less intimidating. Whenever I was unfortunate enough to have to speak with Cyrus, it was like talking to a walking corpse. It was unsettling to see Cyrus’ unchanging expression, as if his eyes could see right into your very soul. But with Ghetsis, his temper tantrums just wasn’t nearly as disturbing.

“…You both will rue the day that you disrespected me like this.” He growled out, “I do not take slights against my person lightly, and I will make sure that you two will suffer for this indignation.” Then without another word, he turned away with a swish of his cape before he sent out a Beheeyem and Teleported away.

Once he was gone, Drake let out a scoff, “Good riddance for that. His presence was just slimy.”

“It was.” I agreed, “But now we have another megalomaniac that we have to deal with.”

“Yes… we do.” He nodded, “A man like that is bound to be a problem in the future. There’s no way that fuck isn’t plotting something sinister in the background – especially on a topic as insanely dangerous as ‘Pokémon liberation’.”

“I take it you don’t agree with the subject?” I asked, a little interested to hear his thoughts.

He scoffed again, “Fuck no. No trainer should ever be compelled to release their Pokémon, unless they’re abusing them. But if they’re not, then it has to be their own choice. There’s nothing else that needs to be said about the matter. You don’t separate a trainer from their Pokémon. It’s just fucking stupid.”

Then he let out a tired sigh, “…There’s always another fucking madman on the horizon, isn’t there? First we dealt with Cyrus, and now there’s another loon waiting to take up the fucking mantle. How many fuckers do we need to bury into the ground before they learn to wise up?”

“The lure of power is too enticing for some people.” I stated, “However, I doubt that Ghetsis is as entrenched as Cyrus was. It’s not like he’s the CEO of some super large business, or else he would have said so. Knowing the man, he probably wouldn’t be able to resist showing off.”

“True, he did seem quite arrogant.” Drake chuckled, though that quickly turned into a frown, “But that doesn’t mean it won’t change in the future. Maybe we got lucky coming into contact with Unova so early on. If we had done so later, perhaps Ghetsis would have already been too fucking entrenched just like Cyrus was.”

“That’s true.” I agreed.

“Still, we really ought to do something about this before they can grow much more.” Drake said thoughtfully, “We don’t need to deal with another fucking version of Team Galactic. Once was already more than enough.”

“…The problem is that we’re not native to Unova.” I pointed out, “And I doubt the Unovans will listen to us if we simply tell them to not trust Ghetsis and PLASMA. Arceus, they barely trust us at the moment.”

Drake growled, “I hate that it always comes back down to fucking politics. Why can’t things ever be fucking simple for once?” He gritted his teeth, “But John, I want to properly crush this problem before it becomes a bigger one. As much as I enjoy a good scrap and fighting alongside you, I’m not going to let these fucking criminals make a mess of other people’s livelihood once more. There’s been too much of that in recent times.”

“It just means that it’s all the more important that we form closer bonds with Unova then.” I replied, “Once we get International Police jurisdiction in Unova, we can more easily clamp down on Ghetsis and his schemes.”

Drake nodded. We’ve done this rodeo more than once already, so we knew how it was done. The actors might be different, but the process was still the same. Furthermore, like we mentioned, I highly doubted that Ghetsis was as entrenched politically as Cyrus was, meaning that his base of power should be much weaker. That would make things easier, I hoped.

I turned around and stared at the view of the Desert Resort, seeing many trainers from Unova just hanging around the place peacefully, completely unaware of Ghetsis and his evil plans.

I wouldn’t let him and PLASMA ruin this.

But then Drake bumped me with his shoulder, “No need to brood like that. As much as I’d prefer if things don’t go to shit, but if it does, then you know I’ll be by your side as we pummel these fuckers back into the dirt where they belong, right? You and I – our bonds were forged in battle. So I’ll always have your back, John.”

I smiled, “And I’ll always have yours, Drake.”

He grinned, “Now enough of this mopey shit. We have a castle to explore.” He then pulled me forwards as we headed into Relic Castle, “Oh and did I tell you about my training with Misty? She’s a fast learner that one. I was thinking of even introducing a few Dragon types to her to see if she’s interested in following in my footsteps…”

A.N. Drake and John’s back at it again with another villain to beat down. But this time around, John isn’t the only one to sus out Ghetsis’ intentions with his meta-knowledge. After having dealt with Cyrus, Drake is more than wary of would-be dictators as well. Ghetsis’ evil isn’t getting past him, nor is Drake diplomatic enough to not hurl it at Ghetsis’ face that he knows. Hope you enjoyed the conversation with Ghetsis, and the demonstration that he isn’t nearly as well put together as Cyrus was.