Author's Note: This chapter might seem a little "filler-ish", but it's nothing too droll. After all, each chapter is important in its own way, so it can't be too trivial, right? Basically, it's the Battle Subway challenges, but it leads up to the next part of the story. It's not like this in the games, but I obviously tweaked it so it'll fit in. You'll see what I mean come the next chapter. So for now, enjoy this one!
One trip to the old Nimbasa Gym's dressing room later, I left the building with my usual clothes on and my fashionable face makeup off. I made my way out of the park and into the Pokémon Center, where I gave the Nurse Joy the Poké Balls containing Leon, Eris, and Percy. After a brief health scan, my Pokémon were all returned to me in one piece. I released them from the Balls, and everyone appeared to be in full health.
"The three of you did a great job out there!" I said, giving them congratulatory rubs on their furry scalps. "All that hard work really paid off!"
"Well, of course I pulled it off!" Leon gloated, placing a proud paw on his chest and smirking.
"Pulled what off? Fainting because of a stupid striped horse?" Percy scoffed.
"Hey! FYI, that Zebstrika was actually a match for my strength! Tch, I'd bet you hardly did shit…"
"On the contrary, Leon," Eris said. "Percy here took home our victory by defeating Miss Elesa's Emolga! Though, it's such a shame I didn't get to meet her for too long…" she pouted in a disappointed tone.
"Don't worry, Eris," Percy responded comfortingly, placing a gentle paw on Eris' back. "Perhaps you'll get to see her again next time?"
"Here's to hoping…"
"Erm, if it makes it any better, you were wonderful when you took out that Flaaffy…"
"I was, wasn't I? You weren't half bad yourself, dear Perseus! Why, if it wasn't for you, we surely would have suffered a terrible loss!"
"Thank you…" Percy's face had a noticeable pink flush to them as he scratched his head sheepishly.
"H-Hey! What about me, Lady Eris? Did I do good out there too?" Leon wanted to know.
"Certainly! You were fantastic against that Zebstrika! Even if you didn't win, you still gave it your all!" Eris answered.
"Aww, shucks! Thanks! I'm sure you did great too, Lady Eris!" Leon chuckled, his face also turning pink as his snout stretched into a huge grin. "What about you, Hynden? Did I do good? Am I still a good boy?"
"Yes, you are! You're a good boy, Leon!" I crooned, positioning my hand under Leon and scratching lightly, causing the Growlithe to roll onto his back excitedly. "Who's a good boy? You're a good boy!"
"Ah-hahaha! I'm the good boy! I'm such a good boy!" Leon cackled, panting at my tummy rubs until I stopped. "Ah, those never get old…"
I recalled all three of them to their Poké Balls and exited the Pokémon Center. One look at the Battle Subway reminded me of my promise to Nate. Following the directions on my Town Map, I made my way out of the city and onto Route 16. I searched around the area for my new friend, but I couldn't find him anywhere.
"Nate? Naaate!" I called, placing open hands near my mouth to amp my voice. "Nate, c'mon! We're supposed to challenge Ingo and Emmet again!"
I continued to search for Nate in all of the potential training spots. I even asked some of the nearby Trainers on where he was, only for none of them to have seen him. I scurried into the taller grass. and coming from the entrance to a place called "Lostlorn Forest" was Haley, who was covered in dirt and had something akin to maroon-colored mud on his face while shoving a weird pole back in his bag.
"Haley!" I cried, running up to him. "Hold on, why are you all dirty?"
"What's up, Hynden?" he asked, brushing the dirt off of himself. "Oh, don't worry about this. I had to take care of something important is all!"
"Okay… have you seen my friend Nate? He's about yay high, wears a blue jacket, white shorts, a red visor…"
"That kid? Yeah, I think I did." Haley closed his dimming eyes and showed me a perky smile as he cocked his head to the side. "I heard him say he knows you, but he also said some… other things."
"What else did he say? Was he still gonna challenge the Multi-Train with me?"
"Hmm, let's see. Oh yeah! Now if I remember, that jackass changed his mind about it. Said a 'weak loser' like you wasn't worth his time and walked off. Pathetic, really. I can't believe he'd outright ditch you like that!"
A hurt gasp escaped my throat at Haley's news. I didn't get why Nate would outright ditch me like that and act like a total scumbag after he seemed so nice, but I was fervidly disgusted at what he did. With a huff, I folded my arms and kicked up the dirt in frustration. Haley's comforting touch on my arm didn't make me feel any better for once.
"That figures…" I growled, still huffy.
"Hey, you know what? Fuck him," Haley said to me, still smiling for some reason. "I've got an idea! Since Nate clearly wanted nothing to do with you, why don't I act as your replacement partner? We could ride this Multi-Train thing together! Just you and me, Hynden!"
"Deal! You're gonna be my new Battle Subway partner, Haley. Loyalty's never been an issue when it comes to you."
"Great! Then what are we waiting for? Lead the way, Hynnie!"
Making sure Haley was following behind, I led him out of the Lostlorn Forest. As we traversed the route, I came across a blue Xtransceiver. Looking closer, I saw the letters "NA" etched into it, but I couldn't see the rest due to Haley stepping on and breaking it before kicking it far away.
"It's just garbage," he insisted with obvious venom in his tone. "People really oughta keep better track of their electronics."
I kept leading Haley all the way back to Nimbasa City, and we kept walking until we found the Battle Subway and entered the towering building. Down the stairs, our new surroundings were nothing but eight trains with individually colored stripes, Trainers, and strange people in green uniforms and hats.
"This is a lot of trains," Haley commented, walking up to one of the people in green uniforms. "Excuse me, which way's the Multi-Train?"
"Are you referring to the regular one, or the Super Multi-Train, young man?" they asked.
"Uhh, regular, I guess."
"It's the orange line. You can't miss it!"
"Thanks!" Haley and I said to them, walking towards the train with the orange line on it.
A man wearing the same green uniform was in front of the large speed train handed Haley and I two electronic cards that read "Battle Points" with the words "0 BP" below it. I tapped the screen a few times to see if it would change or do something else, but it didn't. I wasn't quite sure on what to do with the card, so I just put it in my pocket for safekeeping.
"Every time you win seven consecutive battles," the man began, "you earn three Battle Points as reward. Also, you're only allowed two Pokémon each per round. Choose carefully because you won't be able to change your decision until seven battles have been won."
Haley took out all three of his Poké Balls and put one of them back when he chose. I searched my belt of six, and after thinking it through a little, I decided to go with Leon and Percy, despite how the two felt about each other.
"If you've made your decision, hand me the Pokémon you don't intend to use," the man said before we did as such. "These will be kept safe and you'll get them back after the first round."
The man placed our Poké Balls inside of a transportation tube, typed in a few random keys, and off the orbs went to another place. Once again, the man assured us both that our Pokémon were safe due to high security and ushered us onto the train.
"All aboard!" he shouted in unison with the train door shutting and the locomotive moving forward.
Haley and I walked further into the first train car, where two Trainers were awaiting us. One was a Rich Boy, and the other was an energetic Preschooler boy holding his hand.
"Are you our challenger?" the Rich Boy asked. "Hmph, petty peasants like you don't seem worth my time or my baby brother's, but I don't have a choice. Ready, Rupee?"
"Yeah, Dollar! Let's go!" Rupee cheered.
"Rupee and Dollar?" I wondered when I heard the odd names.
"I don't know what else I'd expect from rich people," Haley scoffed, rolling his red eyes. "Naya, you're up first!"
"Naya" turned out to be Haley's new Simipour. I sent out Leon afterwards, and he immediately smoothed back his mane with a wet paw and gave Naya a suggestive eyebrow wiggle.
"Hey there, cutie," Leon purred. "People call me Leon, but you can call me anytime. Sound good?"
"Umm, excuse me," Naya scoffed in a rather masculine voice. "I'm a guy!"
"Oh! ...And?"
"Ugh, I have no interest in pigs like you. Let's just get these miserable train rides over with!"
The rich brothers' Pokémon were a Snivy and a Blitzle from Rupee and Dollar respectively. As the Multi-Train car kept moving forward, Leon attacked and defeated Snivy with his new Flame Burst attack. While Blitzle struck Naya down with a critical Shock Wave, Rupee's second Pokémon was revealed to be a Lillipup.
"Leon, use Reversal!" I commanded.
"Naya, use Lick!" Haley told his Simipour. "Then use Fury Swipes!"
While Leon easily KO-ed the feeble Lillipup with his Reversal attack, Naya's sticky tongue ran up Bliztle's face and left it unable to move as quickly. No matter how hard it trudged towards Naya in an attempt to strike him, Blitzle was rendered unconscious by Naya's multiple Fury Swipes attacks.
"Come on, big brother!" Rupee cheered from the seat, "Take the poor people down!"
"We're not poor, you brat!" I snapped.
"Herdier, come out!" Dollar shouted, summoning the evolved form of his brother's Pokémon.
"Leon, use Rock Smash," I said.
Leon leaped into the air and crashed down onto Herdier's body, defeating it with hardly any effort needed. A dejected Dollar conceded defeat and took a seat beside his brother. I high-fived Haley and performed our personal handshake with him before we recalled Leon and Naya and moved onto the next car.
The next five battles that ensued were rather difficult. But in the end, Haley and I managed to pull through with Leon, Percy, Naya, and Kuina (who recently evolved into a Tranquill) by our side. Currently, we were facing off in the seventh car against a Backpacker and a Biker, who were down to their last Pokémon like us.
"Percy, use Force Palm!" I shouted.
"Kuina, Air Cutter!" Haley ordered.
Percy grabbed ahold of the Biker's Lillipup and flung it across the train car. Lillipup was still breathing, but it couldn't get up to fight, so the Biker recalled his poor little partner and sat down.
"Ya did good, little buddy," he sniffled.
Just as Kuina left critical damage on her Pansear opponent, Pansear retaliated with Incinerate. The scorching flames that left its mouth wrapped all over Kuina and sent her to the ground with a burn.
"Come on, Kuina!" Haley cheered. "You can pull through this! Use Air Cutter again!"
Kuina bore through the pain by lifting her burnt feather-covered body up and flapping her wings. From the turbulence came razor sharp blades that cut right through Pansear and knocked it out. When the Backpacker returned Pansear to its Poké Ball, he took his seat as the train came to a stop. Haley and I healed our Pokémon using the miniature healer in the corner and got off the train. At the stop, we were both greeted by another person in green.
"Congratulations!" they cheered, shaking my hand with Haley's. "You two have just overcome the first trial! Two more rounds, and you'll be facing my bosses!"
"That shouldn't be too hard," I said.
"Ah, but don't get overly confident. The closer you get to the twins, the harder your opponents become. Make any adjustments needed over at the Poké Exchange Computer over there, and come see me or another Depot Agent when you're ready to board again."
The Depot Agent used some sort of scanner handle to award Haley and I our deserved 3 Battle Points. After, we went over to the Poké Exchange Computer, scanned our Trainer Cards on it, and I tacked away at the Party Adjustment screen.
"Okay, who do you want for the next round?" I asked. "I'm going with Rubella and Percy."
"I want… Ace and Naya," Haley decided. "Kuina's earned a good break, and Ace seems to wanna get to know Naya a little more."
I tacked more at the keyboard and made the final adjustments. Kuina and Leon were exchanged for Ace and Rubella respectively. We went over to the Depot Agent and confirmed we were ready to board for Round 2. The Multi-Train rolled up and stopped on the tracks, allowing Haley and I to get onboard safely before it took off again. Our first set of opponents for the second round were a Lady and a female Veteran.
"Greetings," the Veteran said. "My name is Gwendolyn, and this is my daughter, Amy. I assume you're our opponents?"
"Yes we are, ma'am!" Haley confirmed, sending out Ace to fight.
"Awesome! Mom and I'll totally beat you heading for the hills!" Amy gloated, sending out her Emolga.
"Amelia Lou Barton, manners!" Gwendolyn scolded as she called her Elgyem out. "Sorry, let's begin the battle."
"Rubella, let's go!" I shouted, summoning my Zubat from her Poké Ball. "Use Bite on Elgyem!"
Rubella's fangs produced a scary dark aura and she sunk them into Elgyem's small body. The damage was critical and super effective, but the little Psychic-type was hanging by a thread to stay conscious. Meanwhile, Emolga attacked Ace using an Acrobatics attack, which left him severely weakened.
"Ace, take five!" Haley told his Pignite as he recalled it. "Hynden, let's switch for now!"
"Fine!" I agreed as Elgyem fell unconscious before my weakened Zubat. "Rubella, use Confuse Ray on Emolga!"
"Naya, come out and use Scald on Solosis!" Haley commanded, "Then attack with Lick!"
First, Naya released a gush of burning hot water from his mouth and onto Gwendolyn's Solosis. The attack was performed at the same time Rubella spat out a bright orb that spun around Emolga several times until it was rendered utterly dizzy.
"Emolga, use Acrobatics!" Amy commanded.
The attempted move failed greatly. Emolga thoughtlessly flew around the train car until it rammed its entire body into a wall and fell. Because the impact of the collision was so great, Emolga managed to clumsily knock itself out.
"Aww, Emolga!" Amy groused, returning her confused Pokémon to its Ball. "Minccino, go!"
"Take a break, Rubella," I said to my Zubat as I sent her back to her Poké Ball. "How are we doing over there, Haley?"
"Pretty solid!" Haley answered as Solosis fell from Naya's Lick attack. "Just beat that Minccino, and we'll be on our way to the next train car!"
"Great! I'll wrap things up in a jiff! Percy, come out and use Rock Smash!"
As soon as Percy took the stage, he raised both fists up above the petrified Minccino. The Normal-type frantically darted its head from side to side, and by the time it calmed, Percy easily subdued it with his move. Minccino was unable to battle any further, signifying a brutal defeat for Veteran Gwendolyn and Lady Amy.
"You win," Gwendolyn sighed, sitting down with her daughter after recalling her Pokémon.
"Boo! I should have won!" Amy whined, "My Pokémon are way better than yours!"
Ignoring Amy's whines and Gwendolyn's scolding tone that followed, Haley and I recalled our own Pokémon and went over to the healing machine in the corner of the train car. When our teammates' energy returned to them, we proceeded into the next car for our intense ninth battle on the speeding Multi-Train.
Pokémon obtained: None.
Badges earned: 4/8
Boxed/Unboxed: None.
Author's Note: I don't exactly remember the specific Trainers I faced on the Battle Subway, so I'm just kinda BS-ing it a little. I have a vague memory, but it's not an exact one to recall each type and name I battled. But man, they were tough! Stay tuned for Chapter 17! Review and comment if you'd like!