Chapter Text
“Signing up again, Beauty?”
“Yeah, well, what can I say?”
What could Elesa say? It’d been five months now since her first initial dive down into the subways, and in those five months she’d only missed one single tournament. She’d yet to make it into anything particularly noteworthy - not finals, semi-finals, or even really semi-semi-semi-finals - but she had had people come up and compliment her, saying they seemed to work well with her pokemon, giver her some tips and pointers, the like. She’d also finally transferred her tournament team into subway balls, though she went for the ‘look mostly like regular pokeballs but won’t sync with pokecenters’ rather than some of the pretty or flashy variants that were offered.
“Have you seen Conductor around?” Elesa asked as she tossed one of her pokeballs casually, looking around. It was hard to see through the mob of people, but Conductor seemed to essentially have a second sense for all things going on in the underground and usually found her not too long after she arrived. She wasn’t sure why he seemed to usually stay near her - maybe he was suspicious of her, seeing as she was a gym leader and he clearly was aware of that? - but she enjoyed his company. She’d yet to see him battle, or even with any pokemon at all, and she was unsure what he got out of all this. Maybe he just enjoyed the atmosphere; he certainly wouldn’t be alone in that, there were easily as many, if not more, spectators than there were actual people competing in the actual tournament.
“Can’t say I have, Beauty. I’ve seen Guard, though.” Bugspray wrote Elesa’s stand-in name on the board. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about it - it was a little too spot-on to who she was - but she also had yet to think to change it. If she wanted to, she needed to do it soon, because the name was really starting to stick.
“Guard?”
“Oh, right, you haven’t been here very long, huh? Yeah, Guard. Never seen him and Conductor in the same place. Last I saw him was by the stairs.” Bugspray nodded in the direction of said stairs.
Well, Bugspray, in the grouchy woman’s wisdom, had yet to steer Elesa wrong - or at least had no reason to give Elesa bad advice - and so she headed in that direction.
It didn’t take long for Elesa to figure out just who Bugspray was talking about and why Buspray had seemed so convinced that this ‘Guard’ would be in some way connected to the currently-absent Conductor. He lounging on the stairs with a baseball cap on and tugged low, wearing a nondescript jacket. It was a sense of fashion that one saw repeatedly from those who frequented the tournament. Perhaps, for those who didn’t know Condcutor, Guard would appear just as bland or unammusing as any other trainer there. However, Elesa had spent enough time with Conductor over the past few months (admittedly only for a few hours at a time per month) that even with the dark and confusing black lights set up the two men had clear similarities. For one, both had the long sideburns, the same whitish-gray color that glowed in the blacklight. They boht it would seem also had permanent facial expression -r at least, Elesa had to assume this man’s was permanent, though only talking to him would reveal that. Instead of a smile that didn’t always reach his eyes, the man was frowning, though in a ceratin almost disinterested kind of way. Or perhaps that was Elesa giving the expression too much personality without really knowing it.
“Guard?” She called out as she approached him. The man, who had had a pokeball in his hand and slowly revolving it with his fingers, sat up stranger at his ‘name’, looking around until he spotted her.
“Hello, ma’am.” Guard stood up, tipping his hat to her and hands going behind his back in a way that was oddly professional looking, especially given his current casual clothes. She wondered briefly what it was the man did outside of the tournament, but shut the thought down quickly. It wasn’t her place to speculate, all of the people here had lives of their own, lives that they put at risk by being here, and even in her own thoughts, she’d tried to give them the privacy they deserved. “To what do I owe the pleasure? And to whom?”
“I’ve been going by Beauty. BUgspray said you might know where Conductor is.” Or, well, Bugspray hadn’t really said that, but it was close enough to not be a lie in Elesa’s books.
“Beauty. Yes, I’ve heard, ah, ‘Conductor’ talk about you.” The man put his hand out and shook hers. “As you seem aware, I’m Guard. A pleasure to meet you. Conductor has spoken highly of your skill, as well as your character.”
“Really? My character?” Elesa tried to recall if she’d done anything particularly noteworthy and was coming up with a solid blank. Yet Guard nodded.
“Yes. I’m afraid, however, COnductor was unable to make it today, and he likely won’t be around the next few tournaments. However, if you need company, I can provide my own.” He offered.
Finally, Elesa couldn’t help herself, letting out a laugh and quickly trying to stifle it as best she could. Guard looked at her, tilting his head like a confused lilipup.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” She quickly apologized, trying to compose herself again in front of the stranger. Despite the man’s similarities to Conductor - she had to assume they were related. Brothers, maybe? - he was for all intents and purposes a complete stranger, and a stranger that she had just laughed in the face of. “Just, you’re so serious, and formal. And with, you know,” Elesa gestured vaguely the entire underground tournament thing they were the middle of, “It’s just so, uh, unique!” she said as democratically as possible.
Guard let out a hugg of air, and then, to Elesa’s surprise, it morphed into his own chuckle.
“Yes, I suppose I don’t exactly, hm, line up with the tracks here very well, do I?” He seemed to find this even funnier as he chuckled more and louder, shaking his head. “Well, if you’re as brilliant a trainer as Conductor has said, I’d like to see it.” He reached into his coat, hesitating for a moment, and then seeming to resolve as he pulled out a pokeball.
“Oh, are you in the tournament as well?” Elesa asked, but he was shaking her head before she had even finished her question.
“Never, I’m not one for battling. However, I would enjoy seeing your skill for myself, and you know what they say about pokemon battles.”
What didn’t Elesa know about battling? Well, probably plenty, but she also likely knew much more about the technical nature of battling and what old books and essays from all points of time had to say about the subject than anybody else down here. Unless, of course, other gym leaders were down here, which was clearly not out of the question.
“If you’re not one for battling, why battle me?” Elesa asked as she followed Guard. He led the way down further into the subway tunnels, away from where other trainers were battling against each other. While the tournament hadn’t started up just yet, plenty were either training and warming up for the coming battles, or simply enjoying the fact that they could battle currently, enjoying that freedom.
“No better way to get to know someone. You know, they say that battling used to happen between two trainers who locked eyes, no matter the time, place, or ages. If you were outside - especially along routes - you were open to battle. And in this way, people were unified through gaining an understanding of those around them and the pokemon of the area,” Guard said. “I’m not sure how entirely true that is, but I have found that battles do create an understanding not only between you and your pokemon, but with the one you’re battling as well. It's strange that what one might mistake for more frequent fighting could result in clearer understanding.”
“You seem to have given it some thought.” Elesa pointed out.
“If you’re down, here, I’m sure you understand why.”
Well, she couldn’t argue with him there. Perhaps he battled when he wasn’t down here. Could he be an officially licensed trainer? Maybe that was why he didn’t usually battle, he was paranoid of it giving him away. Elesa could understand that. It was something she’d considered, after all. Like Guard had said, battling gave you a fell for the person you were battling, and it wasn’t impossible for that to be a way for she herself to have her identity found out by someone who wasn’t Conductor.
Hm, did Guard know who she was? It felt wrong to outright ask, a fear of so much as whispering her name in the current situation.
They were well away from the others when Guard finally stopped. In fact, they were now beyond the other battlers and at the edge of where lanterns were placed to welcome those who were on their way. As far as Elesa knew, only the patrolling absol ever came this far out regularly.
“Alright, are you ready?” He asked.
“Always.” Elesa smirked and tossed out her leavanny.
“ALL ABOARD!” He shouted as he tossed out a crustle.
“Oh! Is that why you come?” Something clicked in Elesa’s brain. Guard blinked, and then slapped a hand over his mouth as if he could take back the battle cry he’d just let out. She couldn’t help the light-hearted laughed that wormed its way out of her again.
“I- ah-” He stuttered in a desperate search for words.
“You’re a big fan of the Subway Master!” She snapped her fingers the accentuate what she’d figured out.
“Uh, y-yes, a very big fan.” Guard tugged down on his cap to cover his face as much as possible.
There was absolutely no way that Guard didn’t battle regularly.
Guard and his crustle were like a single being in battle. Battles essentially demanded that trainers call out the moves of their pokemon, but Elesa wouldn’t be surprised if Crustle could battle exactly how Guard wanted him to without a single word even passing his lips. It made Elesa feels almost clumsy as she took the time to assess the battlefield and then tell Leavanny what to do, and then the time it look Leavanny to actually do the attack. As much as Elesa’s battling had improved of the previous months, she was till far more used to how battling was done in gyms with calculated thought and plenty of time provided for that.
Whatever it was Guard did, he was more than familiar with the rhythm of the underground battle style.
Despite that, he actually lost to Elesa, though it wasn’t exactly what could be called a fair fight. Elesa had three pokemon while Guard only had one. Or, he only used one, if the man was this good at battling, no doubt he had other pokemon up his sleeves that he just for one reason or another, didn’t want to show Elesa, even as far from any other eyes as they were.
“You’re good.” He said appraisingly and sounded like he meant it. She could now say that he definitely didn’t stop frowning, but he more than made up for the lack of expression with his voice. He sounded distinctly pleased with how the battle had gone even if it had lost.
“Not as good as you.” She pointed out. Guard looked away, again tugging on his hat to try and hide his face from view.
Guard and Conductor were certainly an odd pair and more than anything, mysteries. Elesa had never considered herself one who enjoyed solving mysteries before,a nd yet here she was, curious all the same but far too careful to voice any of what she was thinking out loud. Perhaps, though, with time, she’d learn more.
Gothitelle, Elesa’s current pokemon out, made a sudden movement, and Elesa followed th pokemon’s eyes to movement behind Guard. Guard was quick to realize something was going on and turned around as well. At first, it was too dark to see anything, but as Elesa focused she could see what was lurking in the subway shadows.
“Gothitelle, it’s okay, it’s just a kid.” Elesa put a hand on Gothitelle’s shoulder and gently pushed the pokemon to be behind her. With slow steps, Elesa stepped closer to the kid. She dind’t get too close, however, and eventually got down on a knee, holding a hand out. “Hey there, are you lost?”
The child’s features were hard to make out in the subway tunnel, but she could see the movement of their head as they looked down at Elesa’s hand and then up at her face. The kid’s head also turned to look over at Guard. Guard had also gotten down on one knee, though he didn’t say anything, just looking. The child, after a moment, seemed to come do a decision, as they ran back down the tunnel.
“Shoot.” Elesa stood up, ready to chase after the strange kid. Abandoned subway tunnels weren’t exactly a safe place for a child to be playing. However, before she could move forward, Guard stopped her.
“They were return when they like. I take it you haven’t been told about the little friend we live with down here?”
“Don’t tell me you guys just let a kid run around here!” Elesa dearly hoped that wasn’t it. She understood that some situations were more nuanced than they appeared and all that, but you would also think that of all the trainers down here, if many knew about a kid who was scavenging around tunnels, something would be done about it.
“Not so much. They say there’s a ghost that haunts these tunnels, and if I’m not mistaken, we have just seen it.” Guard was still staring off in the direction the child had run.
“A ghost, or a ghost-type pokemon?” Elesa asked. Guard shrugged.
“Who can say for certain. What I do know is that the ghost has been accredited with leading the police astray the times that they have found us, so I respect and thank it.”
“Hm.” Elsa wasn’t sure if she believed that, but she’d also certainly heard of stranger things.
“Well, we need to debate back to the station if you’d like your pokemon healed in time for the tournament.”
Guard turned and began to stride back the way they’d come.