Spring 2012

Elesa thought she was doing pretty good in life all things considered. She may not be going to college like Ingo and Emmet but she had a steady job that involved battling, even if she wasn't technically a Flying-type trainer like Nimbasa's gym leader. She wasn't living with half a dozen other girls in a tiny apartment anymore. Her modeling career was going really well too. Volo had really lucked out with Macro Cosmos but it turned out he had connections to Silph Co. as well. Elesa wished she could get some gigs closer to home but she wasn't complaining about the extra cash.

Her next break was coming up though. The big thing she needed to get her career in Unova rolling. Elesa just knew it. "House meeting everyone!"

Ingo was the only one downstairs, sitting up from where he was lying on the floor with Excadrill and Elesa's Stunfisk. "House meeting? What for?"

"Good things," Elesa promised. "You think the boys heard me?"

"We heard you," Volo said, half falling down the stairs. Linoone darted down after him, weaving between his feet. Volo stepped over him with practiced precision. "No need to make Ingo yell. What's up?"

"The old man's retiring. The gym's getting new leadership," Elesa announced, all three boys brightening at her words. She'd complained about the Nimbasa gym leader enough that no explanation was needed. "The League is looking for someone to take over. I'm going to apply."

Elesa clasped her hands tightly in anticipation. She'd thought long and hard about this but she still wanted her friends' input. Maybe it was a bad idea. She was a good trainer but she wasn't in the Unova Hall of Fame or anything. She had her modeling career to think about as well. It was going well and becoming a gym leader could either be a huge help or a huge risk. She wouldn't do it if her friends didn't think she could.

Looking back, Elesa didn't know how she thought they could be anything but supportive.

"I think you would make an excellent gym leader," Ingo told her, leaving out all his usual cheers and exclamations so she knew he really meant it. Elesa found herself smiling and ended up totally missing whatever Emmet and Volo said. Agreeing with Ingo in their own way, she knew. She didn't need to hear them to know how they felt.

"Good," Elesa told them, nerves melting away, "because I'm going to need your three's help. Obviously I'm not going to be a Flying-type gym leader which means the gym is going to need some massive renovations."

"It needed them anyway," Emmet piped up, earning himself an elbow from Volo.

"You think everything needs renovations."

"It is true though! Most things could be better."

Elesa huffed fondly. "Yeah, well, that's probably going to be a point in our favor. The League is giving all potential applicants a week to rustle up a new gym plan. Whoever has the best one gets it."

Emmet was practically vibrating. "We know about blueprinting League-approved battle facilities!"

"That's what I was counting on," Elesa told him, his excitement getting her going as well. "Consider this a practice run for your guys' subway plans."

"No trains though," Volo said immediately before Ingo and Emmet could even try to get that ball rolling. "There are enough trains in the Gear Station. This is going to be Elesa's thing. Save the trains for your own battle facility."

"A subway battle facility sounds exciting," Ingo murmured but, for once, Emmet spoke over him.

"One train!"

"No."

"Half a train?"

"No."

"How about a roller coaster?" Elesa suggested, the idea suddenly coming to her mind. Her initial ideas had been something more runway-related but she could compromise. Volo would probably say she shouldn't mix modeling with the gym, at least not yet. "Nimbasa is known for its amusement park. We could play on that somehow."

"That's a good idea," Volo agreed easily. "Gyms are meant to capture the spirit of the city it's in. The League would probably like something that fit that theme."

"Roller coasters are pretty similar to trains," Ingo admitted. "Smaller too. I think a plan involving roller coasters would be far more timely."

"I am Emmet. I find this agreeable."

"Volo, you've always been good at figuring out what the client wants and how to sell it to them," Elesa started, pulling Volo's attention back to her. "Think you can help me draw up some designs for the twins to build?"

Volo started to nod before pausing. "Midterms are about to start."

"You're studying history. You just read a bunch and write papers," Emmet pointed out, waving a hand dismissively. "You're verrrrry good at both of those things. You will not have a problem with managing your time."

"You're right. This seems way more fun."

"And this will be a good way for us to study for our own exams, Emmet," Ingo said, his excitement bubbling up as well. "This project is the perfect opportunity to apply all that we've learned so far."

"You're right! We should probably find an actual professional to run safety checks though."

"Naturally."

Elesa grinned as the two continued to bounce off each other, Volo throwing in the occasional comment. This was the best team Elesa could've asked for. They were definitely getting this gym!


Elesa regretted her confidence the moment she stepped into the League building downtown. She knew she'd have competition but she hadn't put any thought into who it might be.

"Elesa!" a familiar voice called, stopping Elesa in her tracks. "Wasn't expecting you to show."

"Skyla," Elesa greeted levelly, turning to face the other trainer. She had several of the other gym trainers with her. Elesa tried not to let it bother her. Ingo, Emmet, and Volo were a lot more useful than they'd ever be. Though she'd probably want to hire some of the ones with Emolga if the League ended up choosing her plan…"

"Do we know Skyla?" Emmet asked quietly, getting a shrug from Volo.

"Wow, you got fans now!" Skyla exclaimed, taking a step to circle the boys. Elesa thought she was being condescending. She was pretty sure she was, at least. Skyla was hard to get a read on sometimes.

"We are not fans," Ingo responded, frown deepening.

"I'm a fan. We're generally fans of most things Elesa does," Emmet countered. "Except her puns."

"Not helpful, Emmet," Volo sighed, taking a step to the front of the group. "We're just her friends. I take it you're here to submit a gym plan to the League?"

"Yup!" Skyla responded, demeanor totally shifting now that she was facing Volo instead of Elesa. Elesa tried not to be offended. Elesa wouldn't say she and Skyla were best of friends but she thought they were at least work friends before this whole battle for the gym again. Then again, Volo could be charming. He knew how to get people to be nice to him. "You're looking at Mistralton City's best pilot and Nimbasa's next Flying-type gym leader!"

"Why are you even in Nimbasa if you're a pilot in Mistralton?" Emmet asked, getting another elbow from Ingo but Elesa thought he had a point. Why did Nimbasa even have a Flying-type gym? It had an airport, sure, but most cities did. Nimbasa ran on electricity and that made it far better suited for Electric-types, at least in Elesa's opinion. Wait, wasn't Mistralton near Chargestone Cave? Elesa was pretty sure she'd seen something on the news about the gym there…

Volo puzzled the pieces together a moment quicker than she did. "Wait. We might not even need to compete for the gym."

"What do you mean?"

"You said you're from Mistralton, right? Mistralton has an Electric gym but the gym leader advanced to the Elite Four a couple months ago and the League hasn't replaced her yet since it's too hard to get to without a Flying-type. Wouldn't it make more sense for Mistralton to have a Flying gym? Elesa wants to set up an Electric gym anyway. The two cities could just… swap."

Skyla's eyes met Elesa's. Elesa's eyes met Skyla's. They didn't need to speak to know what the other was thinking. A united front may give them both a better chance at scoring their gyms.

"My appointment with the Leaguer is in thirty minutes," Skyla told her. "Are any of your guys good at ad libbing? Because mine are shit."

Ingo and Emmet were too. Thankfully, that was what Volo was for. "Volo?"

"Um, yeah." He looked nervous but he always looked nervous. Elesa had full faith in him. "Let me just Goodrle Mistralton real quick. That was about everything I know about it."

"Dragons above," Skyla muttered. "This better work."

"It will," Elesa promised and it did. Hour long meeting and Elesa ended up getting both a gym and a lifelong friend out of it.


Spring 2013

It was only a year later when they were back at it. They were still living together at this point, though Elesa suspected it wouldn't be for long. Elesa was busy running her gym and her popularity as a model had surged as a result. Volo still managed all her gigs but he was in his last year at the university and the history professors apparently caught wind that he was trained in Pokéball craftsmanship. Elesa hadn't known that but it made sense considering none of his Pokémon were in standard Pokéballs, save the Galvantula he'd evolved from one of Emmet's Joltik. It was a big deal apparently and it was starting to look like Volo would have a future with the university beyond his time as a student.

Ingo and Emmet managed to graduate early and Elesa wasn't surprised. Studying to be an engineer was rough but the twins never did anything halfway. No more classes and no more tuition costs also meant more time to draw up their plans for the Battle Subway.

"You know what trains mean to them," Elesa told Volo one day when he found Ingo and Emmet passed out on the kitchen table surrounded by train manuals and drawings of half-baked explanation fell short but Volo nodded along like it wasn't. And, a year later, they were right back in that kitchen celebrating the good news.

"It got approved! The League is going to let us build our battle facility! We're going to get to implement all the changes we want to the subway system!" Ingo rattled off, pacing around the room. Sitting at the table was Emmet, smile so wide he was forced to remain silent. "We're going to be Subway Masters! No more green Depot Agent uniforms."

"The most important part," Elesa joked. "You're letting me design your new uniforms, by the way."

"Of course. We wouldn't let anyone else try."

"You need to rename the lines," Volo told them as his Sneasel crawled up into his lap, curious about what all the excitement was about. "I've lived here for four years and I still don't know how to get across the city without asking one of you for help."

"Spiritomb," Spiritomb agreed, materializing next to their trainer. "Tomb!"

"Of course," Ingo agreed easily. "This is just as much about the infrastructure as the battling."

"I am Emmet. I still like battling," Emmet told them, still smiling. "You two better be the first ones we beat on the Multi Line!"

Elesa grinned, matching his smile and rising up to meet the challenge easily. "You mean we're going to be the first ones who beat you on the Multi Line."

"We'll see!"


Fall 2014

Elesa and Volo kept their promise. It was some time before the Multi Line opened, many months after the Single and Doubles Lines, but Ingo and Emmet got the line running eventually. Elesa and Volo were there the day its doors opened. They were looking forward to this for some time.

Elesa would've said she and Volo breezed through the Depot Agents but they didn't. Ingo and Emmet had done well when deciding who to hire. Still, Elesa was a Gym Leader and Volo had freakishly strong Pokémon for no apparent reason. Seriously. Spiritomb was one thing but everyone else was another. Leavanny and Mr. Rime evolved by friendship so Elesa chalked it up to a strong bond. It was the only explanation she could think of for a guy who worked in a research lab and never battled for anything but fun.

They made it to the final train car though and the battle was on.

"I am a Subway Boss, Ingo. The fellow over to the side is also a Subway Boss, Emmet," Ingo introduced even though he didn't need to. If he weren't wearing a coat, Elesa would bet money she would've seen his shoulders shaking in barely contained excitement. "Will a Multi Battle help us cover each other's weakness? Or will you show your overwhelming power? I look forward to seeing how well you fight. However, it is difficult to win unless you and your partner are in total sync."

"Follow the rules. Safe driving! Follow the schedule. Everybody smile! Check safety. Everything's ready! Aim for victory! All aboard!"

Chandelure and Eelektross appeared on the battlefield. They were quickly followed by Spiritomb and Zebstrika. It was unusual to lead with your ace but this was no usual battle. They were all too excited to do anything but give it their all right out of the gate.

"Eelektross, Crunch!"

"Fire Spin, Chandelure!"

"Zebstrika! Wild Charge, let's go!"

"Hit 'em with a Sucker Punch, Spiritomb!"

Zebstrika was taken out and quickly replaced by Emolga. Spiritomb's Ghost and Dark-type moves took out Chandelure fairly easily and Haxorus was sent out. Haxorus's Earthquake knocked out Eelektross almost instantly and, after a couple Dragon Dances, Spiritomb too. After that, it was just bad luck Volo had brought Obstagoon as his second Pokémon. Conkeldurr's Fighting-type moves took him out rather easily. Alone on the battlefield, Emogla was no match for Ingo and Emmet's teamwork.

Volo and Elesa weren't deterred by their defeat though. They came back the next day. They were defeated then too. They would've come back the next day after that but they both had jobs they couldn't just ignore to challenge the Battle Subway. They kept trying though and eventually they did win.

"Bravo!" Ingo cried but Elesa didn't let him finish his script. Ingo and Emmet hadn't had the chance to use this particular part but Elesa didn't care. All this time and they'd finally won.

"Told you we'd be the first to beat you!" Elesa exclaimed when Volo's Galvantula took down Emmet's Klinklang. Boltund, Stunfisk, Garbodor, Excadrill, Orthworm, and Weavile had all already been defeated some time ago. "Eat your words, Emmet!"

"If I recall correctly," Ingo spoke up, smirking in that way he did without smiling, "Emmet said you two would be the first ones we beat on the Multi Line. Which you were."

"You're not ruining this for me, Ingo!"

Volo just laughed, voice light and carefree in stark contrast to Elesa's passionate shouting. "So you both kept your promises. Not a bad thing. Now Elesa can stop showing up at the university to get me to practice with her and Ingo can finally get some sleep without Emmet trying to strategize their next win."

Elesa and Emmet turned to their battle partners, scandalized. Ingo let it wash over him, unaffected. "Come, our shift is almost over. Let's decide on something to celebrate your hard-earned victory!"

"Rematch!"

"Emmet, no."

"Emmet, yes. There is no celebration better than a battle."

"I know what Galvantula wants," Volo said, gathering up his winning Pokémon in his arms. She was far too large to be held and her many legs didn't make it any easier but Volo was never one to be deterred by something like that. He still let Obstagoon climb on his back and Mr. Rime try to sit on his knees. Galvantula's awkward shape was nothing compared to that. "Let's get you healed up and then we'll find you some grub, you hear? Good stuff, whatever you want."

"Galvan!"

That was a good idea, Elesa conceded. They owned their Pokémon for this victory, and for putting up with all this battling. "Finish up your train stuff, you two. All our teams are getting spoiled tonight!"