Immortal ocean subway

A collaboration between Sunsorrow18 and Lord Agravane Undead

Disclaimer: We don't own Pokemon or any of the characters within.

Castellia City's Café Sonata was a small, inconspicuous café, tucked away down the suitably named Narrow Street. It was the sort of peaceful place where nothing much really happened and the regulars of the café preferred it that way. However, today was different. Today, an elderly red-haired man sat in a booth, sipping coffee and awaiting the arrival of two old friends.

They arrived promptly enough, ducking through the doorway into the quiet, almost timeless cafe. Sighing, Ingo dropped right in to the seat across from the red-haired man, while his twin brother remained standing restlessly behind him, neither looking a day over thirty.

"Well, we've arrived - on time, despite excess dawdling," Ingo said, casting a glance at his twin.

The elderly man rose to his feet, somewhat slowly and greeted Ingo and Emmet.

"Bonjour, my dear friends," he said, shaking hands with them both. "How good it is to see you again! Emmet, won't you sit down? I shall treat you to drinks, what would you both like?"

"I don't want to sit down," Emmet said stubbornly, as he shook the man's hand. He did enough sitting in his train car, waiting for the challengers who didn't come anymore. Ingo waved a hand.

"Don't worry about him," he said. "How about coffees for us both? It's been a stressful week, if not a long one. But how are you, Lysandre?"

"Of course," said Lysandre, though he did look a little concerned. Emmet didn't appear to be quite his usual cheerful self. Lysandre smiled at the Twins and beckoned to a waiter to order three coffees.

"I'm not too bad," he said, once the waiter had left. "I think I may have another line on my face, which while unpleasant, isn't the end of the world." He held in a sigh. "Perhaps I am expecting too much from a man of nearly 90."

"I don't think you look bad for a man of your age," Ingo said. "You haven't even lost the colour of your hair." Does Lysandre dye his hair now? The thought entered his mind only then. It was better not to voice it. "Besides, there's always hope to escape the hands of time."

Lysandre smiled, pleased at Ingo's compliment. "Thank you. Yes, I am relieved that my hair has kept its colour, all these years. I'm relieved that I still *have* hair." He winced at the thought of going bald but as he had made it to 88 with a full head of hair, he hoped that such a thing wouldn't happen now.

"Hmmm, escape the hands of time, you say?"

"Isn't that what you've come to ask about?" Emmet questioned, fixing his eyes on Lysandre and stilling his fidgeting for a moment. "You wouldn't travel all the way to Unova just for pleasantries, would you?"

"Well, yes, in part," said Lysandre. "However, as you know, I am not a selfish man. I certainly wouldn't expect you or Ingo to help me with anything, while not offering something valuable in return."

The waiter brought three coffees and set them down on the table. "Ah, thank you, Sir," Lysandre said. The waiter nodded pleasantly and then left to attend other customers.

Ingo nodded, stirring a liberal amount of sugar into his coffee. Emmet forced himself to take small sips rather than downing it all at once and burning himself.

"Of course not," the twin dressed in black said. "I'd rather we attend to the matter of the subway first, if it doesn't make a difference to you. With your knowledge it shouldn't take long, not nearly as much time as it takes to achieve immortality."

"Of course!" Lysandre replied. "I am eager to proceed with that matter too. After all, if it becomes a success, it will be one of my finest creations, not to mention a great service to people and Pokémon alike. Would you and Emmet care to see the plans?"

"You have them ready already?" Ingo asked, a little surprised. Lysandre was a fantastic inventor. There is no way to deny that. The Subway Masters hadn't realized he knew that much about trains and subways that he could make plans himself. "In that case, yes."

Lysandre nodded and took a briefcase out from under the table. "Well, not 100% ready," he said, somewhat apologetically. "I have here the drafts, although the first version of the main plans are on my computer."

The case was locked with a 3 number combination. Lysandre entered the code and the case clicked open. Inside was a sheaf of papers, bound together with red ribbon. Lysandre smiled as he took them out. "Ah, what with all the modern technology we have and yet, still, paper is as important as ever."

Emmet leaned over Ingo's shoulder to look at the plans, curious. Ingo simply nodded. "I won't disagree with you there. Would you mind explaining to us what you have here?"

"Of course," said Lysandre. "As we know, Poke-earth is covered with two-thirds water, separating the continents and making travel to them rather difficult, unless one has a flying Pokemon or wishes to travel by aeroplane. However, aeroplane flight, even 150 years after it was invented, is still as expensive as ever and not everybody has flying Pokémon. So, the next logical step is to travel underwater..."

Ingo nodded again slowly, looking over the papers Lysandre had produced. "Yes, I understand," he said. "And, so?"

"Well, your trains run underground, so why not underwater too," Lysandre said. "It cannot be more difficult to create an underwater subway as it would be to tunnel out great chunks of rock and earth." He unrolled the plans and spreads them out on the table. They featured images of train tunnels, terminals and stations, built inside protective bubbles, all beneath the ocean.

"We understand trains," Emmet said briskly, almost snappishly. His aggression had been rising slowly ever since the Subway started to decrease in popularity. "We get tunnels and stations and everything inside them, probably better than you do. And while I don't disapprove of this map, it's those protective bubbles that we really need your help with." Ingo stared at him, shocked by his rudeness.

Lysandre didn't take offence at Emmet's sharp tone; he was too old and mellow to let it concern him. (Unless he was going senile and simply didn't notice). "Yes, the bubbles," he said, admiring his neat drawings of them. "They are made from a substance which is...well, let's just say it can easily stand up to the pressure of tons of sea water on top of it. Was that your concern?"

"Yes, of course," Emmet said. "I'm sure you can see the problems if trains full of passengers were burst apart by pressure. Although, considering your past ventures, you might actually appreciate if that were to happen."

Ingo let out a sigh and pointed at the chair next to him. "Sit down, Emmet, and kindly shut your mouth. I'm sorry about him, Lysandre."

Lysandre wondered why Emmet seemed so upset. He nodded kindly at Ingo. "It's quite alright. Emmet is right...well, not in that sense." Lysandre blushed a little, he didn't want to kill all the passengers. Not any more. Luckily, he has mellowed out regarding his ambitions as well.

"His behaviour is going downhill," Ingo said, voice holding the smallest hint of a complaint. "Anyways, these... bubbles, how much do you think it's going to take to get them?"

"Well at the moment they are only being manufactured by Lysandre labs, my company," Lysandre said. "I am hoping to gain some more publicity for them, so undertaking this venture would certainly do that. I can supply them to you gentlemen for free." Lysandre was still rich and could afford to do such a thing for his friends.

Even the Battle Subway wasn't originally free (they had needed to pay for that big station somehow); although the twins had eventually realized people weren't going to pay to be totally flattened in battle. Ingo shook his head. "I wouldn't allow you to do that."

"Though I'm sure you wouldn't complain about a decreased price, right, Ingo?" Emmet snickered, just wanting to attack whatever he could.

"Hmm, very well then," Lysandre said. "I can show you the price list and then we can negotiate. I was thinking 20% of the original price but I shall let you both make the final decision."

"Alright," Ingo said. Negotiation was something he could do, as long as Emmet shut up and didn't ruin everything. "May we see the list?"

"Certainly," Lysandre replied. He took out a price list from the briefcase and handed it to Ingo. The prices were generous, with even a smaller business not having to break the bank if they wished to purchase such equipment.

Ingo nodded, looking over the list. Emmet had respected his silent wish and was too busy staring at the table to comment.

"It looks reasonable," the black conductor said. "20% is very doable."

Lysandre smiled, pleased that they seem to be making progress (and also pleased that Emmet was behaving. "Excellent! Do we have a deal then?"

"Yes, for sure," Ingo said. "An under ocean subway would provide such convenience almost any price is worth it."

Lysandre agreed. "Yes, it would be a great service to both people and Pokémon and revive the subway's popularity." He held out his hand for Ingo to shake.

Ingo shook it firmly, nodding. Emmet watched them blankly, wondering if he even wanted the subway to become popular again. He'd probably go mad if it didn't. Maybe that would be relaxing in a way, though.

Sometime later, Lysandre, Emmet and Ingo were vacating an old abandoned office. Situated on the 23rd floor of a tall skyscraper and overlooking the dockyards, it gave an excellent view of the ocean. However, the view was the last thing on any of their minds. They still had much important business to attend.

"Sorry for having to bring you all the way up here," Ingo apologized. "But at least the elevator still worked. We have sensitive information to discuss that I'd rather not be overheard."

"It is quite alright," Lysandre said. (He was secretly relieved about the elevator though. He didn't think he could have climbed up to the 23rd floor at his age). "Yes, I shall assume that what is about to follow is not for just anyone's' ears to learn of..."

"Incorrect," Emmet said. "Actually, about half of everyone gets to hear it. The catch is, most people only learn it once they're dead, and it's too late to cheat. But, you're right that not just anyone should learn it while still alive."

Lysandre was pretty intrigued by Emmet's statement. He moved a little closer, shifting the old office chair he was sitting on nearer to the Twins. "Well, yes. I understand it wouldn't really help a dead person. So, I am ready. What is the secret of immortality?"

After all, who better to ask about immortality than those who were already immortal. Despite the Twins only looking about thirty, Lysandre knew them to be over 6,000 years old and counting.

"It comes in three easy steps," Emmet said, smiling and raising one finger. "Live, die, and wait. You can hope too if you want."

Ingo let out a deep breath. "He's not wrong, as odd as that may sound, and it really is a luck based process. But, if you're willing, I can tell you how to dramatically increase the odds."

Lysandre raised his eyebrows. He felt a little uncomfortable. "You have to...die first?"

"Yes," Ingo said. "You know how our form of immortality works. We age at a much slower rate than you, but we'll still, eventually, die at the equivalent age we would have. So it's lucky that you get to die first and be reborn, or if you were to succeed at your age, you might have only added two-hundred years to your life."

Lysandre considered the information carefully. "Yes, I understand what you mean. As I am already old now, I certainly would not wish to live for another two hundred years as an old man. That is not appealing at all." He scratched his beard thoughtfully. "So...how does the death and rebirth process work?"

Ingo thought for a long minute. It was a complicated thing. "The first life is the most difficult part. You have to be noticeable and entertaining. Emmet and I managed that by being pathetically miserable, but I think your... eh, your archaeology trip to Geosenge would have caught notice," he said delicately. "Then, you die, any way works. Waiting is just the blink of an eye for you then. And if you were amusing enough, you meet the lord of death. I'm sure it sounds a fantastical tale, but then again, everything surrounding the mere prospect of immortality has this certain right to be a little eccentric."

Lysandre listened carefully to all that Ingo was saying. He winced at the mention of the archaeology trip; he had a feeling he knew what Ingo was referring to.

Lysandre tried to understand but it made very little sense to him, apart from the fact that he had to die. "The lord of death?" he repeated, almost in a whisper. "Do you mean...Giratina?

Yes," Emmet said. "He's a massive-"

Ingo decided to cut his twin off there. "Giratina himself, yes. And he decides whether you're reborn or if you go into Yveltal's care eternally." He had a darker face on than normal. "What increases your chances is when he asks you to give him something in return."

Lysandre frowned. It all sounded very risky. But then, what was life, if you never took any risks. "Hmm, I am following you so far, I think. But what kinds of things does Giratina ask for?"

"You're dead then, so you've lost all your possessions, clothes included. And Giratina wants his gift then. He'll accept anything you have on you at the time," Emmet said. "However, only certain things better your chances. He doesn't want eyes or ears or fingers. He wants something from inside."

Lysandre cringed. Of all the things he could have been worrying about, the worst one at that moment was the thought of Giratina seeing him without clothes. "Something from...inside?" he muttered. "Do you mean…internal organs?"

"No," Ingo said, shaking his head. It was still as strange to him as it was when it happened. "Not something that can be touched. Emmet paid for himself with his empathy, and, since he wouldn't allow me to lose anything, for me with his ability to form relationships with people. That's the type of thing Giratina wants, because he wants you to be amusing in your immortal life too. That's why he makes people immortal, not out of any kin entertainment."

Lysandre was horrified. He hid it well but for the first time in his entire life, he was actually reconsidering whether or not he truly wished to become immortal.

There was one last question he had, however. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he said to Ingo, "This...this thing that Giratina will ask for. Is one able to specify what it should be? Or will Giratina choose..."

"You choose." Ingo had always wondered why Emmet has chosen those things in particular. Though, to be fair, he hadn't used them all that much in his first life either. "It's part of what makes him think you're going to be funny or not, I guess. But after that, with luck, you're born again."

"Well, that's one good thing, at least," said Lysandre. He took a handkerchief out of his jacket pocket and wiped his forehead. Such information was really unexpected to him. And now, it presented an even more complicated problem. What ever could he choose to give up?

"It's a pressing choice," Emmet said. He hadn't been smiling the whole time they'd been talking. "We were expected to make it quickly, but you have time to cheat and make a good decision."

"Yes. Yes, that is true," Lysandre mused. "Because you and Ingo have forewarned me, I have time to think and plan carefully. As least, I *hope* I have time." Even though 88 was a good age, Lysandre wasn't quite ready to die soon.

"It's tough, isn't it?" Emmet asked, only the barest ghost of a smile appearing. "Choosing something to go without for 15,000 years. But, that thing will also give you those years, so it's worth it... Right?" He shrugged. "I think the hard part is deciding if you really want to become immortal or not. It's a pretty long time to watch everything grow old and ugly in front of your eyes."

It was indeed a monumental decision. Lysandre frowned again and gazed down at his lap. He couldn't bear ugliness, it was true. However, something else troubling had occurred to him.

"My friends," he said, more to himself than to the Twins. "Professor Sycamore and Ghetsis. What would be the value in immortality, if they were to die but I would spend thousands of years alone?

"I'm glad that I got to have Emmet," Ingo said. "I don't think I would have done so well if I were left to mourn alone and wear away for centuries."

He stood up and put a hand on Lysandre's shoulder. "It's a difficult choice. Think about it very deeply. You can't change your mind once you're reborn."

Lysandre gave Ingo a small smile, grateful that he was being supportive. "Yes," he agreed. "I understand. Being lonely is a terrible curse."

He took a deep breath. "Hopefully, I have a few years left to think carefully on it. I have never been one to make snap decisions."

Ingo gave a small, tight smile. "Maybe tell a friend or two, see if they'd agree to go with you, if you want. I think... having even one person you love to stay with you makes losing all the rest bearable."

Yes," said Lys softly. "I will...discuss it with my friends. I will choose the moment carefully, as I wouldn't want to disturb them or freak them out. Although my friends know that I have been seeking immortality for many years now, so I don't think it would be too much of a shock to them."

"Yes, be gentle," Emmet laughed, a little meanly. "You don't want to give them heart attacks and send them on before you can tell them."

Lysandre looked alarmed, then he realised Emmet was joking. (At least he thought Emmet was joking. It was hard to tell with Emmet).

Trying to calm himself down, Lysandre rose out of the chair and nodded in what he hoped was a calm and decisive way. "Well, so that is settled then. It would appear that we have a deal, Gentlemen, no?"

Ingo agreed. "I believe so. Are you satisfied with the deal?" Emmet was pleased that the grim conversation was over

"I am indeed," said Lysandre. "And I trust you and Emmet are too? Shall we shake on it?"

"Very," Emmet said, as he and his twin both hold out their hands at once. It was Emmet who awkwardly transitioned into brushing his hair back. Not like he wanted to shake Lysandre's hand anyway.

Lysandre shook hands with Ingo and then with Emmet. "Splendid," he said. "It may sound cliché but it has truly been a pleasure, doing business with you."

"With you as well, Lysandre," Ingo said, as warmly as he could seem without actually smiling. "Next time, I hope we can just meet over coffee to discuss unimportant things."

"I hope so as well," Lysandre said. He smiled at Ingo and Emmet. "Until next time, gentlemen."

"We don't have to say goodbye quite yet," Ingo said. "We still have an elevator ride to go together."

"Ah yes. Thank goodness it's the elevator and not the stairs," said Lysandre. Even going down that number of stairs at his age would be daunting.

Emmet grinned and nodded. He and Ingo weren't fans of stairs either. Probably because looking down from even the height of one flight of stairs scared them.

Lysandre followed with Ingo and Emmet over towards the elevator. His mind was mostly filled with the upcoming plans of creating the underwater subway. He would have time to consider immortality later. He hoped...