The New Normal - 8-13

The New Normal – 8-13 – Explorers of Time

With the battle with Flint over and with him retiring to have his Pokémon healed up, Cynthia turned back to me.

“I’m glad you seem to believe in me.” She said with a cheeky smile.

“Why wouldn’t I?” I shrugged, though I was also smiling. “Anyways let’s talk and work at the same time. I need to clean up the fields.”

So that’s what we did. I had Smough and Tyrant help tidy up the field, while Cynthia continued to talk.

“Oh, by the way, John, did you know that I’ve been organising an expedition into the caves under Snowpoint City?” She said.

“I did NOT know that.” I remarked, a little surprised, “Since when did you have time to organise it?”

“It’s been something in the works for a while, even before you got here.” She informed me, “But we thought that now would be a good time. Because you’re here.”

“Me? Why?” I asked.

“You see, this expedition is huge. We’ll be bringing a group of over 50+ trainers and scientists to delve together into the caves to set up a forward base – that would allow future explorers to have an easier time to resupply and rest instead of having to travel all the way back up to the surface.” She explained.

“Okay, I understand that. And I suppose you want me to come along for the extra security, right?” I said.

“Exactly.” She nodded, “I’ve seen how your Pokémon are capable of not just fighting, but also healing and supporting others. That’ll be very useful to bring along, since you’d be a huge help to buff up our security. So would you please come with us?” Her eyes seem to shine as she begged me with her eyes.

Damn. “You don’t need to beg, I’d say yes anyways. A big expedition that goes far down into the caves? I’d be a fool to decline!”

She grinned, “Excellent. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some last minute preparations to sort out. I’ll leave you to your cleanup.” Then she left me alone as she rushed back to the labs. I just shook my head and focused back on tidying everything up.

I quickly learnt that Cynthia was really underplaying how much work was required to organise a huge expedition like this. Not only did she need to acquire the necessary manpower, but they had to do repeated checks to confirm that the safety and stability of the caves was suitable for such a large endeavour.

There were many safety checks that needed to be done.

Plus, to add on to the complexity of everything, the defense of the huge bagging training that we would be bringing along needed to be organised and planned. And the strength of the security team of trainers that would be bringing along had to be tested to make sure that we could actually defend against the inevitable onslaught of wild Pokémon that would undoubtedly be attracted and aggravated by the large group of people suddenly entering their territory.

That task was made worse by the fact that the wild Pokémon that could be found within the caves were more than a match than your average trainer, and we needed to have extra trainers on standby to set up the perimeter for the forward base when everything was set up.

Later, Cynthia mentioned to me that if it wasn’t for the fact that the Celestic Town Research Centre was THE largest and most prestigious research lab in Sinnoh, they would never have been able to organize or even fund this expedition. But Cynthia adamantly believed that such an expedition would finally unlock the secrets of whatever hid within the caves below Snowpoint City.

I didn’t know how she found the time to do all of this while also prepping for her not-so-secret ambitions to challenge the Elite Four, but she seemed to be no less determined nor tired whenever I saw her.

The whole ‘last minute’ preparations ended up taking a whole two days. I did my best to help her whenever I felt like she needed it. I obviously wasn’t as familiar as her with the resources of the lab, but I was able to help with organising and testing the Ace trainers that we’d be bringing along to make sure they were up to scratch.

We couldn’t afford any weak links. Not when we were about to enter into very dangerous territory.

Overall, despite how busy everything was, I was very excited for this expedition. Everyone had been chatting about how they hoped to find all sorts of rare Pokémon when we ventured deep into the caves beneath Snowpoint, and my mind flashed across to a few Pokémon I had really hoped to add to my team.

It was a slight disappointment that I hadn’t managed to find any Pokémon that were particularly interested in joining my team thus far, but I was hoping that would change soon.

And so, after many hectic days of planning, the expedition force was finally ready to set off. Reporters had also been invited to join in the initial stages of the expedition to take some photos and to allow the Celestic Town Research Centre to not only show off their prestige, but also to hopefully encourage and generate interest in their readers about what they were doing. Mostly for funding purposes.

Once again, as I followed the large expedition group into the caves, I spotted a Wigglytuff, Chatot, Loudred and Bidoof casually waving at us while munching on Apples. It was as if they were wishing us good luck as we entered into the mysterious dungeons below.

Odd, but I made sure to wave back.

As soon as I entered into the caves, I released my two Pokémon as I was asked to, Klee and Luna, both to support and to protect the weaker members of the group from the wild Pokémon. My other Pokémon were less suitable as they either lacked the wide supporting capabilities, or they were simply too large. But as I delved into the caves, I found myself assaulted by two different threats, one from wild Pokémon, and one from the overeager reporters who stubbornly insisted on getting an interview with me.

It was like they had no sense of danger.

Fortunately, I was able to say that I was busy because I had to assist with fending off all of the wild Pokémon. And it was true! The second that we entered into the deeper part of the caves systems, it was like we were assaulted by a constant onslaught of attacks from all sorts of wild Pokémon; they were furious at our intrusion into their territory.

All sorts of powerful Pokémon, including many Drapion, Hippowdon, Gligar, Probopass and many others charged and blasted against our defensive line. But we were well prepared for this, and we retaliated with overwhelming force. For every one wild Pokémon trying to attack us, we shot back with 4 or 5 of ours. In these smaller engagements, the numbers were heavily skewed in our favour, but even then, we were constantly pressured and strained as we often had to fend off attacks from unexpected angles.

It only took one stray attack to suddenly knock out an unsuspecting expedition member, especially the weaker ones who weren’t Pokémon trainers. That was why Cynthia had arranged for many Psychic types to be on rotation to constantly maintain a defensive barrier around the entire group.

The most dangerous part of the expedition was when we entered into what we thought was an empty room, before an entire horde of wild Pokémon suddenly appeared and swarmed us out of nowhere. It was like a monster house!

“Life Dew! Heal up the frontline!” I ordered both of my Pokémon as the sudden swarm of Pokémon crashed and mauled a few of our Pokémon that were taken unaware.

“Aura Sphere, Lucario! Make some space!” Cynthia was also taken part, leading from the front as Lucario forcefully repelled the initial assault. The Aura Spheres detonated powerfully on the many rock and Dark types that tried to ambush us, forcing them back and allowing our downed Pokémon to recover and rejoin the fight.

Fighting in confined spaces like this was dangerous. Not only was the threat of friendly fire EXTREMELY likely, but we had to watch out in case we accidentally caused a cave-in from the collateral damage of our attacks. And so, while it might be common practice to use large sweeping moves to clear out a large group of Pokémon like this, we couldn’t afford to do so because doing so might inadvertently collapse the roof of the cave on us.

Then, with our frontline healed up and restored, Klee and Luna switched to a more offensive role and slammed the groups of wild Pokémon with powerful Psychic and Ice Beams while the many other Psychic types in our group moved to maintain the Light Screen and Reflect barriers.

And it didn’t take long for the wild Pokémon to scatter once they realized that they weren’t about to win the fight. We allowed them to scurry away as we quickly checked to see no one had been injured in the ambush.

Once we had gotten out of that trap, we continued on, and I slowly realized that while the threat of wild Pokémon were the greater concern and causing us to slow down, but the treacherous terrain was also slowly down our progress significantly. Not only was it freezing cold, but just as Cynthia had warned me before, the ice-covered rocks was incredibly slippery. And combining slippery flooring with unstable and uneven surfaces was just a recipe for disaster.

There were many times where we had to catch someone with our Psychic types before they slipped and fell down a large hole. The reporters were the main victims of this; they clearly did not participate in the training exercises that we did properly.

Eventually, and we were behind schedule because of just how many interruptions we had from either wild Pokémon or the treacherous terrain, we arrived at the area that had been scouted and marked out for the forward base.

Camps and supplies were promptly set up, with the lab equipment being prioritized due to how big and bulky they were. In the meanwhile, the rest of us formed a large perimeter around the area much like the ones we did near the entrance to the caves. Everyone worked swiftly and efficiently, the training that we did was put to use as the forward base was rapidly established.

And everything had to be set up properly. We were in very dangerous territory, with so the perimeter had to be well-defended by a range of powerful trainers and their Pokémon.

While everyone was running around, I noticed that Cynthia had taken some time to rest, sitting herself on top of a rock that her Lucario had carefully melted the ice off, and so I used that opportunity to approach her.

“You doing okay?” I asked her as I walked up.

“Tired.” She replied with a sigh, “But otherwise, I’m doing fine. I didn’t expect us to run into quite so many wild Pokémon though. I had expected a lot, but even then…”

“We were making quite the ruckus when we were heading down.” I pointed out, “It’s not surprising for us to have attracted so many wild Pokémon as a result.”

“True.” She nodded, “But I’m mostly just glad we got to set up this forward base in one piece. So long as this base can hold, I’d already consider this expedition a success.”

“I’m still surprised you had the time and energy to organize all this.” I continued while looking around, casually watching as everyone ran around to set up the base, “I thought you might not have the time for it, considering…”

“Just because new considerations have popped up in my schedule doesn’t mean I can simply ignore my previous commitments.” She stated, “This expedition has been in the works for some time. Yes, my personal ambitions are important too, but I had a duty to fulfil as a member of the Celestic Town Research Centre.”

I smiled despite myself, “Very admirable.”

“Thank you. Oh, and I think you ought to know that my preparations to become Champion are currently being made.” She told me, her voice lowering slightly so no one could overhear her.

I nodded, “How’s that going?”

“Less than I hoped, more than I feared.” She explained, “I did research on how the other Champions from Hoenn and Indigo came into power. While I don’t have the unshakable foundation and backing that Lance did with the Blackthorns, nor the sheer charisma and on-stage popularity of Wallace, I have made some connections with a few of the movers and shakers of Sinnoh - thanks to a few introductions from Lucian. But not as many as I hoped.”

“But Sinnoh desperately NEEDS a Champion, and I at least have the backing of the Elite Four, as you could probably tell.” She continued, her eyes narrowing with determination as her voice filled with resolve. “If I calculated this correctly, then that should be enough to ensure a smooth transition, so long as I give off a sufficiently eye-opening and unquestionable display of strength.”

The determination in her voice once again sent something through me. I was starting to realize what that was. But I tried to push thoughts aside for now.

“…Then it’s all down to your performance against the Elite Four.” I pointed out.

She nodded. “We’ll all be fighting at our strongest to demonstrate my strength to the public. There won’t be any sandbagging – the public will know the difference. And, truthfully, most of my support is dependent on my own personal strength as a trainer. They wouldn’t have supported me otherwise.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised there weren’t other contenders for the position.” I pondered curiously, “I would have thought the title of Champion would have been very alluring.”

“Strong trainers don’t just grow on trees.” She chuckled, “And the other two Sinnoh Conference winners…they aren’t at the level of strength needed to become Champion. Far from it, in fact. Usually, that means that the Committee ought to pick who the next Champion should be, but they’re in no position to do that at the moment with all the chaos and deadlock that they’re in. So, by luck or chance, I found myself to be the first real contender for the position in some time.”

“I see. That sounds like a pretty fortunate coincidence then.” I commented.

“It was, so I’m not going to let this opportunity go to waste.” She agreed, “I’ve already pushed this back as much as I could to shore up my political standing, but after this expedition is over, I’ll be making my official challenge.”

She flicked her hair back as she spoke, and my eyes unwillingly followed her movements as if entranced. I stared for a little longer than I needed to.

“All hail the new future Champion.” I chuckled, trying to play off my staring.

Cynthia looked at me for a moment before laughing, “Yes, I hope so as well. But I’m not naïve enough to think that simply being Champion is the end goal. I am aware of the numerous responsibilities that are piled on a Champion, especially with Sinnoh in the state that she’s in, but I WILL manage those responsibilities. The public will expect nothing less.”

That last sentence was why I believed she’d be a great Champion, “I’m sure you’ll do an excellent job.” Was all I said.

“Thank you.” She smiled.

“It’s a shame I probably won’t be there to see it, since I’ll likely be sent back after spending so much time here.” I said with a bitter smile. I knew it was only a matter of time before I was sent home.

Cynthia stared at me for a moment. An unknowable look passed through her eyes, and we ended up staring into each other for a moment.

It took her a moment before she spoke up again, “…Yes, that is quite a shame.” She said slowly, “Actually, now isn’t the right time for this, but would you like to speak later? I have something I want to talk to you about.”

My heart beat in my chest, and I responded a second slower than I normally would. “…Of course. I think I have something to get off my chest as well.” I replied, shooting her a slight smile.

There was no denying it now. I liked Cynthia. Though I was taken in by her looks when I first met her, as most people would have been, her looks had little to do for why I had become attracted to her. She was far more than her appearance may imply.

Her unyielding determination and passion was what drew me to her. Seeing her drive herself forwards, pushing to claim what she wanted, that was what I was entranced by. Her force-of-will and personality was magnetic, and I found myself wanting to see more of it.

Out of all the incredible individuals I have met during my time as an Elite Four, none radiated so brightly as Cynthia. She who forged her own path, using her own strength and intellect, to seek out and achieve the greatest goal of a Pokémon trainer. She would pave the way for Sinnoh’s rebirth into a stable and prosperous region. I was absolutely sure of it.

I was blessed enough to consider her a friend. One that I hoped that I could maintain for the years to come. But now I was starting to hope for more than that.

My fists clenched behind my back.

Cynthia nodded, “Well enough of that. We have an expedition to finish, don’t we? I think we both have rested enough.”

I shook off my thoughts and agreed, and the both of us started helping out the other expedition members with setting up. She resumed her duties as the leader of the expedition, while I checked on the perimeter crew to make sure there wasn’t any risk of wild Pokémon breaking in.

Overall, despite my limited experience with setting up a defensive perimeter, I was satisfied with what I saw. There was a small army of Pokémon constantly on rotation to defend the forward base, with each Pokémon at least at the level that I would expect to see from Conference finalists. It must have been very expensive to have so many capable trainers on demand to be used as a perimeter guard like this, but I suppose that was why the Celestic Town Research Centre was one of the more prominent research labs in Sinnoh for a reason.

It didn’t take long for the forward base to be built up enough for it to be deemed safe, which was done under careful supervision. Once the base was sufficiently set up, a small group of more experienced explorers, myself, and Cynthia broke off to head further into the unexplored caves, hoping to find something cool or an important piece of history.

And so, after a quick rest, we set off, heading deeper into the increasingly freezing caves below. Fortunately, we had brought Fire types specifically to ward off the cold, but in turn that increased the number of wild Pokémon attacks against us as the sudden warmth attracted many hostile visitors.

However, because the reporters weren’t about to subject themselves to THIS level of danger, they stayed at the forward base. And since we didn’t need to escort our heavy supplies and equipment, nor the group of untrained reporters, we could actually move much faster than we were previously, despite the increasingly treacherous terrain and conditions that we found ourselves in.

Immediately, I could see the results of setting up a forward base paying for itself. This far down, it was practically a treasure trove of new and unexplored ruins, filled to the brim with undocumented history and rare Pokémon. In fact, the ‘rare’ Pokémon might as well be considered as common considering how often they showed up.

Yanmega, Mamoswine, and even a few Lickylicky could easily be found just stomping around in the caves, which would all be considered very rare Pokémon above ground. We even saw a group of Garchomp fighting over territory, all of them very strong and battle-scarred. We made sure to avoid them.

The explorers had enough discipline to not stop and gawp at each and every ruin that we walked past, even though I knew that every scientific bone in their body itched for them to do so. But we had a different priority; to go deeper than we ever could before. To explore every unknown crevice within these freezing caves.

After who knows how long of careful exploration, though it was probably over a day as we were slowed down by the occasional breaks and naps that we had to take to stave off the increasing tiredness and exhaustion, we stumbled onto a huge open area, filled to the brim with nothing else but wild Pokémon. There were no ruins here, just inches and inches of freezing cold rock that encased the entire zone.

And the startled gasp of one of the scientists drew our attention. We followed to where he was pointing at, and all of us gasped in shock.

I was probably the only one that could fully comprehend what we were seeing.

Right in front of just, slightly in the distance, was a Kleavor minding its own business. But that wasn’t all. A Sneasler was battling a Mamoswine, its poisonous fists slamming repeatedly into the Mamoswine, who tried and failed to run it through with its large and menacing tusks.

It took all of their collective discipline and survival instinct for them to not immediately rush forwards to inspect all these new Pokémon. And that quickly proved to be the correct decision, as Cynthia’s Lucario suddenly growled as it turned to face the nearby wall.

Cynthia and I turned to look at the wall, and Klee and Luna both stiffened slightly as they suddenly threw themselves in front of me. Barely a moment later, the wall began to shimmer as a recognizable form suddenly appeared in front of us, its Illusion fading from sight.

And with a ferocious and vengeful howl, the Hisuian Zoroark’s eyes glistened maddeningly towards us, its razor sharp claws shining menacingly from the light reflecting off the ice. At the same time, its howl alerted all of the wild Pokémon within the cave, all of whom suddenly turned to us and glared at the sudden intruders that had entered into their territory.

Almost as if they had planned it beforehand, the wild Pokémon roared out and charged at us, forming a deadly stampede of ornery and dangerous wild Pokémon. With the Hisuian Zoroark leading the charge as it leapt straight towards one of the explorers who was unlucky enough to be the closest to it.

My hands instinctively went to the Premier Balls on my belt. We were going to have to fight our way out of this one.

A.N. Sorry for the cliffhanger! But I’ve finally revealed some of the Hisuian evolutions that have been living in these deep caves! I wanted to show that the reason why they had yet to be found before was because no one had ventured this deep into the caves. And yes, John finally admits to himself that he likes Cynthia.

Also, this chapter coincidentally marks the 1 year anniversary of this story. All I can say is thank you so much for your continued support for my story, and the fact that you all continue to interact and engage it. Thank you. I never expected this level of support when I first started, especially for my first story, so to see everyone continue to be supportive has been a great motivator for me to keep writing.

I appreciate each and every one of you.