Episode 16: Feeling good
Niko woke up the following morning feeling more rested. When he woke up, Charlotte was already up, reading her book. Warren was also up and presumably out doing something else, as he was not in the room.
"Where'd Warren go?" Niko asked, less groggily than he usually sounded.
"Warren's off getting tickets to a sports game." Charlotte said. "Today there's a basketball game he wants to go see. I think they're called the Icirrus Beartics. Nimbasa is famous for having the biggest stadium in the world. They always hold championships for all sporting events, which kind of pisses off other major cities in the world, and understandably so." Charlotte said, clearly repeating from her book. "He wanted to know if we wanted to go with him."
"Do you?" Niko asked.
"Sure, I'm fine with it. I've never seen a professional basketball game up close anyways." She shrugged. "But it looks like Nimbasa City has a lot of really interesting things to do. There's the Battle Subway, the Rondez-View Ferris Wheel, and a Musical Theater. Plus, of course, the gym."
"I think we should check out the Battle Subway today, maybe before the basketball game?" Niko suggested.
"I'd like to check out the Ferris Wheel, if you and Warren are up for it." Charlotte added. "But I'm fine with going to the Battle Subway. Not sure how useful I'd be there, though."
"Oh you'd be plenty useful. Smeargle can learn any move!" Niko said.
"True, but she hardly ever battles." Charlotte said, looking a little dismayed.
"Well, if we end up in a multi-battle together, then I've got you." Niko said reassuringly. "We'll win for sure."
"Think so?" Charlotte asked.
"I know so." Niko said. "Now, let's get going, we've got a busy day."
The two got dressed and joined Warren out in the lobby. He had luckily grabbed three tickets for the Icirrus Beartics game that afternoon. Then, Charlotte and Niko told him of their plan for the day, and he had no problem with it.
"Should be a fun day, and then tomorrow Niko can challenge the Nimbasa Gym, right?" Warren asked. "I heard it's an electric type gym, too!"
"Oh, great." Niko said. "But I guess I'll be fine. I have enough faith in Snivy and Roggenrola to run this match. I don't think Rufflet would be the best choice."
"That fair." Warren said with a smile. "Plus, aren't electric types typically faster? Snivy can probably keep up with the typical electric type."
"She can." Niko said. "And if she can't, we'll work on it. But I doubt that'll be the case." Niko said, suddenly surprised by his own optimism. He thought about it for a moment, and realized that this journey has been what he needed to get back on his feet. A few consecutive wins, loyal friends, and a good relationship with his Pokémon. While it's true that he had those before he quit months ago, Niko felt better about his position in life now. He felt more confident in himself. He wasn't the only one to notice this newfound optimism. Warren raised an eyebrow as well as Charlotte. But nothing was said of this development, and instead the group stood up and left the Pokémon Center to start their day.
Nimbasa City was a smaller city than Castelia City is. From Niko's perspective, it was roughly the size of Celadon City in Kanto, or Lilycove City in Hoenn. The evening prior—when they arrived in Nimbasa City—they noticed the lights from the stadiums, the Ferris Wheel, and a litany of other attractions. The city was more entertainment-based than any other city Niko has visited, and it was surely a sight to see.
The Ferris Wheel was in the eastern part of the city, on a strip of land that sat above a large river. It was at the far end of the strip of land, overlooking the river. To get there, the trio passed by a massive inflatable Pikachu, a neon-blue building with a glowing roof, and another inflatable Pokémon that Charlotte and Warren identified as an Audino.
"Hello, may we have three tickets for the Ferris Wheel?" Warren asked as they approached the ticket stand. It was a small rectangular structure with a man sitting inside of it behind a glass window with a small circular opening at the bottom of it.
"Ferris Wheel isn't open this early in the morning. Come back later." The man at the ticket stand said in a bored and slightly irritated tone.
"But…"
"No buts. Come back later, please." He said, turning away to do something else.
"Well, that was rude." Niko said as the trio turned around. "What should we do now?" He asked as they walked back down the strip again.
"I guess we could check out the Battle Subway. We've only got a couple of hours before the game starts, anyways." Warren shrugged.
"Sounds good to me. I don't think we'll be there very long." Niko said.
The Battle Subway was located in Gear Station, a massive two-story building with a dark green roof. Tall poles with different flags stood surrounding Gear Station. The trio walked inside the large entranceway and into lobby room with a ticket stand in the back. They looked around at their surroundings, noting the number of trainers and Pokémon interacting with one another.
Niko then approached the ticket stand. "Hello, we're looking to participate in the Battle Subway. How do we sign up?"
"Oh, of course sir." The lady at the stand said. "You just need to tell me which type of battle you wish to participate in, and where you want to go."
"Where we want to go…?" Niko asked curiously.
"Oh, well the Battle Subway is still a subway. As in, it takes people to other parts of Unova." She said in a very matter-of-fact tone.
"Got it." He turned to Charlotte and Warren, who both shrugged in response. "I guess it doesn't matter. We've got a couple hours to spare."
"Alright…" She said lazily, as if she knew Niko was making a mistake. "What type of battles? Single, double, or multi?"
Niko turned to Charlotte and Warren again. "What do you guys want to do?"
"Err…how about this, Niko. I'll go ahead and grab our seats for the game, and you and Charlotte do the multi battle?"
"Why Charlotte and I?" Niko asked.
"Because you need the training and Charlotte has expressed interest in the Battle Subway." Warren said. "Go on, I'll catch ya later." He said.
"Uh…alright then." Niko said, turning to look down at Charlotte, who shrugged. "You up for it?"
"I guess so. I mean, I don't know how helpful I'll be to you, but I'll give it a shot." She said.
"Good luck you two. I'll see you both at the stadium!" Warren said before running out of Gear Station, leaving a confused Niko and Charlotte.
"Okay, well we'll do the multi battle." Niko said, and the very bored ticket lady produced two tickets, one for the each of them. "Thank you." He then gave one of the tickets to Charlotte and the two were off to find their subway station. Walking past the ticket stand they took a couple flights of stairs down to the bottom floor, which was a large circular room with several tunnels running in nearly every direction, each with trains running in and out of the tunnels.
"Which one is ours?" Charlotte asked, looking at her ticket. "Station 8…is it that one over there?" She asked, pointing to the station to their immediate left. "Yes, looks like it." The two walked over to the station, flashed their tickets to the conductor, and entered the closest subway cart.
The Battle Subway looked like any ordinary train cart. There were cushioned seats lining the sides of the cart, underneath glass windows. The only difference was the aisles were larger than an ordinary train cart, for obvious reasons. Niko and Charlotte took seats down and waited for the train to start moving. Once it did, every other person on the train stood up and started talking with one another, supposedly with an interest in battling.
"Hey, you!" A short black-haired boy said to Niko. "Let's battle!"
"Sure, kid. You've got a partner?" He asked.
"Err, no…" He said.
"Niko, I'm fine with watching." Charlotte said politely. Niko shrugged before standing up.
"Alright, let's go. One on one?"
"Yeah!" The kid said, pulling out a pokéball. "Pansage, I choose you!" He said, summoning a small green simian Pokémon with a small bush-like thing on its head.
"Pansage, the Grass Monkey Pokémon. Grass type. It's good at finding berries and gathers them from all over. It's find enough to share them with friends."
"Rufflet, let's go!" Niko said, summoning his faithful Eaglet Pokémon. "Let's start off with hone claws!"
"Pansage, vine whip!" The kid said. The Grass Monkey shot out twin green vines from its hands at Rufflet, who slashed at them with hone claws before diving down and crashing into Pansage with wing attack. "Oh no! Use seed bomb!"
Pansage conjured a large seed-shaped object and slammed it down on Rufflet's back, who was not able to evade the attack. The kid then called for Pansage to use vine whip once more, to which Rufflet retaliated with fury attack by spinning around onto his back and slashing at the vines again with his talons.
"Rufflet, get back into the air and use peck!" Niko shouted. Rufflet obliged, somersaulting backwards before launching himself towards the ceiling of the train cart and then diving back down, beak glowing bright white. He collided with Pansage, hitting the Grass Monkey in the forehead and knocking it over before swooping back up into the air, right in front of Niko. Pansage collapsed onto the ground, unable to battle."
"Pansage…" The kid said, sniffling a little. "Are you alright?" He said. Feeling bad, Niko walked over and knelt down next to the kid.
"You did a good job, though." He said, patting the kid's shoulder. "You just need more practice, but don't give up, alright?"
The kid nodded, returning his Pansage. "You-you're right. One day my Pansage will be the strongest ever!"
"That's the spirit." Niko said, helping the kid back up. "You just have to keep practicing, and keep finding ways to get stronger. Catching other types of Pokémon helps, too." He said as Rufflet perched himself on Niko's shoulder.
"Thanks sir! I promise I'll keep training!" The kid said before running off, presumably to whoever he was with before. Niko then sat down, with Rufflet perching himself in between his trainer and Charlotte.
"That was fun." Niko said with a smile. And he was, truly, satisfied. He felt good about helping a young kid out.
"Yeah, true. You seem at peace." Charlotte said. "It's different from how you have been the past few weeks."
"For some reason I have been. I can't explain it." Niko said, leaning back in his cushioned seat, trying to understand the reason why he was so optimistic recently. It could be that he was exhausted the previous evening and then getting the right amount of sleep. That, to him, was the most plausible explanation. But Niko also considered the possibility that he might just be content because he was doing what he loved—travelling the world with his friends and Pokémon.
He didn't have much time to consider it, since he and Charlotte were approached by two tall men—one in a black conductor outfit and the other in a white conductor outfit. Each man had a long coat with their respective color striped with a pale red-orange color. Each peered down at Niko with squinted eyes.
"Hello?" Niko asked.
"We noticed how easily you beat that kid's Pokémon." The man in white said.
"And we believe we've seen you from somewhere else…Hey, Emmet, where did you say we saw this guy?"
"I can't remember Ingo, but this guy is good, that's for sure." The man named Emmet responded. "C'mon, do you and your girlfriend accept our challenge for a battle?"
"First off, she isn't my girlfriend." Niko said defensively. "Second off, I'm quite sure I've never met either of you before, so there's no way you know who I am."
"Oh, but we do. Now, let's see those powerful Pokémon of yours." Ingo said with a smirk. "Now, do you accept?"
"No, I do not." Niko said defensively.
"Actually Niko, he's right." Charlotte said, much to Niko's surprise. "You are a strong trainer, let's battle them."
"But you don't want to…" Niko said with shock. "You told me you didn't want to battle."
"Now I do. Let's go." Charlotte said, standing up. "We accept."
"Excellent." Emmet said, clasping Charlotte's hands. "We are Ingo and Emmet, the Subway Bosses!" They both said, standing side by side and striking a pose with their hands, thrusting them to each side in a "dabbing"-like motion. "And now, we will battle it out in the Battle Subway!" They both pulled out pokéballs and simultaneously summoned a Pokémon.
Ingo sent out a large chandelier-like Pokémon with yellow, pupil-less eyes and purple flames coming out of its centerpiece and the four arms. Emmet sent out an eel-like Pokémon that looked akin to a lamprey. It had long, tentacle-like, finned limbs extending from its head. It had a beige fin on the upper portion of its body and beige fin-like legs below. Lastly, it had red eyes, a dark blue body, and possessed clawed, paddle-like arms with yellow spots and yellow-and-red palms.
"Chandelure, the Luring Pokémon. Ghost and fire type. The spirits burning up in its ominous flame lose their way and wander this world forever."
"Eelektross, the EleFish Pokémon. Electric type. It latches on to prey with its sucker mouth, sinking in its fangs and shocking the prey with powerful electricity."
"Those are some cool Pokémon." Niko said observantly. "Snivy, let's go!"
"Smeargle, I choose you!" Charlotte shouted, summoning her Painter Pokémon. "Niko, you first." She said politely.
"Alright. Snivy, use leaf tornado on Eelektross!" Niko commanded.
"Smeargle, ember on Eelektross!" Charlotte called out. In response, Ingo's Chandelure jumped in front of its partner, absorbing both attacks and dealing no damage. It then used a move called hex, which allowed it to summon a sphere of black energy with a red eye in the middle and launch it at Snivy, who took the hit and was launched backwards through the car. "Smeargle, sketch hex!" Charlotte shouted, knowing that the move would be effective. "Now, use hex on Chandelure!"
"Chandelure, use will-o-wisp on Smeargle!" Ingo commanded.
"Eelektross, acid on Snivy!" Emmet shouted. The EleFish Pokémon shout out purple liquid at Snivy, who was just recovering from the hex attack. Fortunately, she was able to dodge the move by rolling to her left, behind Niko, and then bursting forward and lunging at the electric type, using leaf tornado up close. "Thunderbolt!" Emmet commanded. The Elefish Pokémon launched a surge of electricity from its body into Snivy's, electrocuting her and forcing her into the ground. Her skin was singed in a few spots, and she had difficulty standing back up.
"Snivy, you can do it. We can keep going." Niko said calmly, just as Smeargle got burned by Chandelure for the second time before getting hit by a psychic attack immediately after. Charlotte looked worried for her Pokémon. Niko turned from her back to Snivy. "For Charlotte and Smeargle, we need to get back up, Snivy. C'mon, you can do it…" He said just as the cart was suddenly bathed in a bright white glow.
Snivy slowly made her way on to her feet before beginning to grow to twice her size. Like Snivy, she was bipedal and primarily green with a cream green underside, and narrow red eyes. The yellow leaves on her neck were now forming into a V-shape that started at the chest and extended behind her shoulders. Her limbs remained short, but she began to form a small crest on the back of her head. Lastly, three palmate leaves grew along her back and tail.
"Servine, the Grass Snake Pokémon. Grass type. When it gets dirty, its leaves can't be used in photosynthesis, so it always keeps itself clean."
"Servine, eh?" Niko asked, putting away his pokédex. "Charlotte," He said, turning to his friend. "Let's win this."
She nodded.
"Servine, use leaf tornado on Eelektross!" Niko shouted, thrusting his hand out.
"Smeargle, hex on Chandelure!" Charlotte called out. Both Pokémon attacked their respective targets before Eelektross used discharge, electrifying everyone Pokémon around it. Chandelure then used psychic to take control of Smeargle and launch her into Servine, slamming both against the window of the moving train cart.
"Ingo, let's finish this." Emmet said. "Eelektross, acid!"
"Chandelure, use flamethrower!" Ingo commanded. Both attacks struck Servine and Smeargle, ultimately defeating them once the two slumped down off of the cushioned seats and onto the cold floor of the train cart.
"Well then…" Emmet said, returning Eelektross. "I should have expected better from you, Niko from Pallet Town." He said with a smirk, raising his white conductor's cap.
"How do you know who Niko is?" Charlotte asked, demanding to know.
"We keep up to date on up and coming trainers, in the event that they ever visit this Battle Subway. The real question is, how do you not know Niko?" When Charlotte looked confused, Emmet looked like he was about to elaborate when suddenly the train began to slow down. "Ooh, looks like we've arrived at our destination!"
"Our 'destination?'" Niko asked, thankful to not be on the previous subject—they clearly knew who he was.
"Anville Town. That's the destination. You didn't know that?" Ingo asked, genuinely confused. When Niko and Charlotte turned to each other with confused expressions, he let out a short, but prominent, laugh. "Ohoh! That's rich, Emmet. Anyway, you might want to consult with the ticket office for the next train back to Nimbasa City." He said, leaving the cart with Emmet. "Thanks for the battle, by the way. You're certainly not the trainer we thought you were."
"Yeah, we thought you were actually good." Emmet said with a smile. "Oh well."
Then they disappeared from the cart, leaving Niko and Charlotte with their defeated Pokémon.
"So…Niko…" Charlotte said, suddenly whipping her book on the Unova region out. "We're, uh…really far away."
"How far away…?" Niko asked, peering over Charlotte's shoulder. She pointed to Anville Town, which was in the far northwest part of Unova. For comparison, Nimbasa City was close to the center. "Oh no. Oh no no no. So you mean to say we're stuck."
"Yep." Charlotte said. "We're stuck."
Author's note: Yeah, Ingo and Emmet are kind of jerks to Niko. I always took them to be kind of haughty people, but i've also never really seen them in the games or anime. Also, the reason for Warren just straight up leaving Niko and Charlotte behind was a little weird (even when writing it!), but there's a purpose behind it, even if it doesn't immediately seem clear. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this episode. Two of our three friends are stuck in the middle of nowhere, and Niko is worried about his past coming to light again. So the next episode should be exciting!