Chapter Text
A female Unfezant circled the summit of the Unova Victory Road. Her keen eyes scanned every inch of the mountain’s surface but came up empty. Nothing was here. Unfezant looked to the setting sun and flew back the way she came. She flew down the entrance of Victory Road where a girl with a ponytail tucked into a hat was waiting. Unfezant let out a trill as she landed before her.
“Hey, girl,” Lizzie walked up to her. “Any luck?” Unfezant sadly shook her head, and Lizzie rubbed her neck. “It’s alright, I’m sure you did your best,” She reassured, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice. Unfezant moved closer and nuzzled her, causing her trainer to smile a bit, “Thanks, I’m okay,” She said before holding up a Pokeball. “Take a good rest, you’ve earned it.” The bird returned to its ball, and Lizzie sighed heavily before she turned and made the trek back the way she came. Night had fallen when she arrived in Opelucid City.
Once she checked into a hotel, Lizzie sat heavily on the bed with a sigh. She pulled out a folded map from her pocket. She took out a pen and marked an X over Victory Road, matching all the other locations in the Unova region. Lizzie stared at the map; she was almost out of places to look, and there was still nothing. No clues, no leads, nothing.
Lizzie put the map aside and flopped onto her back with a groan, pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes. “C’mon Ingo; where the heck are you?!” She rolled back onto her feet and started pacing. “You’ve got to give me something! Some kind of sign, anything to let me know if you’re still-!” Lizzie shook her head. “I can’t keep going back to Emmet with no answers, he…he can’t live without you!” She sat back down on the bed. “I’m doing the best I can but…I don’t know how much longer he can last…let me find you, Ingo, for his sake…”
As expected, silence answered her. Lizzie could only sigh.
The next morning, Lizzie flew on Unfezant to Nimbasa city, landing in front of a large apartment complex. Lizzie took a deep breath as she approached the door, her Emolga on her shoulder. She knocked three times before opening the door that was always unlocked. “Hellooooo?” She called, shutting the door behind her. It took her a second to realize the lights were off.
“Tik! Tik!” Lizzie looked down to see Joltik scurrying towards her, jumping about in worry.
“Oh no…” She said softly and moved further inside, Emolga sliding off her shoulder and landing next to Joltik. Lizzie made her way to the living area and easily spotted the Subway Boss. He was sitting on the couch, shoulders hunched. His hat was off, his coat and tie in disarray, and in his hands, he fingered a black hat. Ingo always had a spare, and now it was the only remnant left of him.
“Emmet?” Lizzie quietly moved over and sat next to him. Emmet didn’t move. “Bad day today?”
Emmet silently nodded. Every now and then, Emmet had his Bad Days. Days where he would wake up and be completely unable to function due to grief all but consuming him. Where every breath he took seemed to remind him of his missing brother which sent him into a spiral of depression and despair. This led to someone visiting Emmet every day to make sure he wasn’t starving himself or doing something stupid. Most days it was Lizzie; if she was unavailable, it was Elesa; if she couldn’t make it, Lenora, followed by a whole list of safety nets and back-ups to make sure someone was keeping an eye on the remaining Subway Boss.
Lizzie reached over and rubbed his back. “...How long has it been now?”
“...Two years, three months, twenty-seven days…” Emmet croaked.
Lizzie inhaled deeply through her nose, a lump coming to her throat. Seeing Emmet like this was never fun, but it was important to keep him talking. The younger twin had a nasty habit of bottling up his feelings when something was wrong. “Have you cried yet today?” She asked. Emmet’s lower lip wobbled and he shook his head. Lizzie scooted closer to him, “...It’s okay,” She whispered.
And like clockwork, the dam broke.
Emmet just about pitched forward and buried his face in his brother’s hat, loud wails and sobs filling the dark room. Lizzie wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a half-hug, Emolga and Joltik watching sadly from afar. After about ten minutes, Emmet’s sobs died down to soft whimpers. “There you go…” Lizzie rubbed his shoulder. “How do you feel?”
“Fine…” Emmet mumbled.
“Emmet,” Lizzie warned.
“...Like nothing matters,” Emmet relented. He took a shuddery breath. “...I miss him…”
“I miss him too,” Lizzie said softly, while silently urging him to keep going.
“I know it’s been two years but…” Emmet swallowed. “Every time I look in the mirror, I see his face…every time I turn a corner, I think he’s going to be there, I keep thinking that…that he never disappeared…Lizzie…am I losing my mind?”
Lizzie took a deep breath. “The fact that you’re telling me all this, tells me that no, you aren’t.”
Emmet looked at her, “But-” “You’re still grieving, that’s all it is.”
“But…it’s been two years…”
“Everyone grieves differently; for Arceus’ sake, you lost your twin, your other half, it’s obviously gonna take a while for you to get used to that,” Lizzie said. “And you know what? I bet wherever Ingo is, he’s missing you just as much.”
“...Then where is he?” Emmet asked softly and bitterly. “...Why isn’t he here to tell me that?”
“It’s got to be something beyond his control,” Lizzie countered easily. “I know Ingo, and you know him even better; if he could help it, nothing would keep him from coming home.” Emmet didn’t respond, pulling Ingo’s hat closer to him as a few more stray tears rolled down his cheeks. He took a deep breath and seemed to have calmed down, so Lizzie opted to change the subject.
“Let me guess; haven’t eaten yet?”
Emmet shook his head.
“Okay,” Lizzie got up, and Emolga and Joltik promptly took her place. She went to the kitchen and inspected the pantry and fridge; thank Arceus Elesa had gone shopping when she came last time. She decided to go with scrambled eggs and toast, she wasn’t in the mood for anything fancy today.
She glanced back at Emmet on the couch, Joltik on his shoulder and Emolga on his lap. He was gently scratching Emolga’s chin, the faint shadow of a smile on his face. That was better than nothing. They had two years to get used to a non-smiling Emmet, but it was practically impossible for Lizzie. Heck, it was impossible to see one but not the other, especially with how close they became in such a short period of time.
Lizzie shook her head and focused on cooking; the last thing Emmet needed was for her to start breaking too.
Lizzie spent the whole day with Emmet, as was routine for his Bad Days. It wasn’t possible to completely cheer him up, but getting him to have conversations and eat was enough to get him through it. Finally, the sun started to set, and Lizzie got ready to go. “You sure you’ll be okay for the night?” Lizzie asked as Emmet walked her to the door.
“I’ll be fine…I’ll have Eelectross stay out of his Pokeball tonight.”
“Okay,” Lizzie said. “You think you're gonna go to work tomorrow?”
“Yes…taking one day off has already put me behind-”
“Emmet, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you and Ingo have enough vacation days stored up to last you years, taking a few days here and there won’t kill you.”
“I know…” Emmet sighed.
Lizzie opened the door and pointed at him, “And if I hear you’re overworking yourself again, I will drag you back here and put you on lockdown.”
That got a smile to almost appear, “Alright…”
“I mean it, I’ll do it, Elesa will back me up,” Lizzie added, getting the smile to grow a half-inch. “And…I know it’s gonna be hard, but, try to get some sleep tonight, okay?”
“Only if you do too,” Emmet replied.
Lizzie blinked, “...Touche.” She waved, “See you later.”
“Lizzie,” She stopped just before she stepped out. Emmet glanced between her and the floor. “I…haven’t said this before but…thank you…for everything you and the others have done, I-I know I’m being a pain and-”
“Stop right there,” Lizzie faced him. “You’re not a pain; you’re one of my best friends, and until I find Ingo and bring him home, I’m not going anywhere.” Emmet gave a shaky, watery smile and Lizzie smiled sadly. “Alright, c’mere…” Lizzie stepped forward and pulled him into a gentle hug that Emmet returned, burying his face in her shoulder. Lizzie rubbed his back as he let out the last of his sadness. “You’re gonna be okay.”
Emmet sniffed, “I…I’ll try…”
“That’s all I need,” Lizzie slowly broke the hug and turned back to the door. “See ya.”
“Goodbye…”
Lizzie shut the door behind her and sighed. Emolga chirped sadly, clearly also worried. “We’ve got to find him, Emolga,” Lizzie said softly with finality. “He’s on his last legs in there…” Emolga nodded in agreement before returning to his Pokeball and Lizzie exited the building with heavy feet.
Lizzie bunked in the Pokemon Center that night, once again spending the evening going over her notes and maps to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. When she saw the clock say 10:30, she begrudgingly put everything away for the night. She hadn’t been on to anything in the last three hours, it wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Lizzie lay down on her bed and stared at the ceiling, letting herself unwind, trying not to think about where Ingo could be or if he was in any danger.
Instead, her mind opted for reminiscing about how simple everything seemed to be just a few short years ago.
Lizzie’s friendship with the Subway Bosses was…unexpected.
Meaning, other than her Pokemon, Cheren, and Bianca, she didn’t expect to get as close to them as she had. She had first met them when she arrived in Nimbasa city for the first time. After doing a little sightseeing, she went and challenged the gym right away, but Elesa made quick work of her. With her team currently consisting of Dewott, Tranquil, and Pansear at the time, she was no match for Elesa’s electric types. She threw herself at the gym leader two more times, but every time, she was outmatched.
Finally, Lizzie had become frustrated, and her Pokemon were too. She could grind all she wanted, but it meant nothing if you had a type disadvantage! That was when she heard about the Battle Subway from some passing trainers; a place where trainers could battle constantly and train. Well, it had to be better than just throwing herself into tall grass all day.
So, she slowly made her way underground to Gear Station, and after a quick look at the map, she stepped onto the Green Line train.
“Oh! Ingo, looks like you’ll have a challenger soon,” Emmet said, glancing at the many screens in the control room.
“Really?” Ingo perked up, joining his brother’s side.
“She’s almost reached 20 wins,” Emmet said, gazing at the streak results. “We haven’t seen that in a while; and she only has 3 Pokemon!” Ingo continued to watch the results with Emmet; this could be an interesting day.
By the time Lizzie had reached 21 wins, all her Pokemon were beyond exhausted. She had run out of healing items about 5 battles ago, Dewott was her only Pokemon left, and both of them were running on fumes. But she still stood tall when she entered the next subway car, where a pair of twins were standing, one in black and the other in white. Lizzie honestly didn’t know what to say; she hadn’t done any double battles so far. “Uh…”
“I am Ingo,” The one in black said.
“I am Emmet.” The one in white said.
They struck a pose together, “We are the Subway Bosses!” Lizzie blinked.
"You’ve done well to make it this far,” Emmet said.
“Now we will decide your next destination based on your talent.” Ingo finished.
Lizzie honestly didn’t know how to react. “Oooookay, so are we doing a Double Battle, or…?” She gestured between them.
“No, I shall be your opponent,” Ingo said, stepping forward.
“This is the Singles line; no double battles here,” Emmet added, still smiling.
“Is one Pokemon each agreeable?” Ingo asked, holding up a Pokeball.
“Uh, yeah yeah, that’s fine,” Lizzie said, nodding.
“Don’t forget your safety checks, now!” Emmet said as he stepped back. “Everybody smile!”
“Chandelure, all aboard!” Ingo announced, releasing his partner.
Lizzie eyed the flames and nodded, “In that case, Dewott, let’s go!” Her starter emerged, looking a bit haggard, but raring to go. “Just one more, buddy; you ready?” Lizzie called.
“Dew dewott!” Dewott responded with vigor.
“Chandelure, Will-o-wisp!” Ingo commanded. Chandelure began to spin and shoot globs of fire.
“Use Water Gun!” Lizzie yelled. Dewott shot a stream of water from its mouth and doused all the flames. “Now, use Fury Cutter!” Dewott’s tiny claws lit up and he charged.
“Dodge,” Ingo ordered, pointing, and Chandelure easily floated out of the way. “Use Flame Burst!” Chandelure flew behind Dewott and shot a small orb of flames. The moment it made contact, it exploded into flames, sending Dewott to the ground, face-down.
“Dewott, are you okay?” Lizzie called. Dewott slowly started to get up; the damage from the previous battles was starting to take its toll. However, the Pokemon still got to his feet. Dewott then let out a loud battle cry as a blue aura surrounded him, and his eyes began to glow blue. Dewott looked fiercer than ever. “It happened again…!” Lizzie exclaimed softly.
“Looks like we’re running at full speed now,” Ingo remarked. “Let’s see how long it can last; Chandelure, use Overheat!” A giant stream of hot flames were shot towards Dewott.
“Counter with Razor Shell!” Lizzie yelled. Dewott drew his twin scalchops and charged the flames, water blades emerging. Emmet and Ingo both watched in shock as the small Pokemon spun and crossed the scalchops, cutting a narrow path through the flames. By the time the attack ended, Dewott was right in front of his opponent. “Now!” Lizzie punched the air and Dewott hit Chandelure with both scalchops. “Nice one!” Lizzie cheered. “Okay, let’s finish this! Water Pulse!” Dewott formed a ball of water between his paws and shot it towards Chandelure.
“Despite being worn out, your Dewott has the strength and power of a speeding locomotive,” Ingo commented. “But we’re not going to stop anytime soon; use Shadow Ball!” Chandelure shot a glob of shadowy energy and it collided with the Water Pulse. The two attacks pushed back and forth against each other for a few moments. But in the end, the Water Pulse just wasn’t enough, as the Shadow Ball soon overcame it, sending Dewott off his feet.
“Dewott!” Lizzie cried.
“Looks like we’ve reached the end of the line,” Ingo announced. “Use Psychic!” Chandelure’s eyes lit up and Dewott was lifted up with blue energy. He was then slammed into the ground and fainted.
Lizzie moved forward and carefully picked up Dewott, “You okay, buddy?”
“Dew…” The Pokémon opened his eyes and gave a tired smile. “You did great; guess we overdid it a little,” Lizzie admitted, both of them with sheepish smiles.
“Bravo,” Lizzie and Dewott looked up as the twins approached her. “That was a very good battle; this is your first time on our Battle Subway, is it not?” Ingo asked.
“Yeah, it is,” Lizzie nodded. “We had no idea how intense it would be, though.”
“Wott,” Dewott agreed.
“There’s a healing machine over here,” Emmet gestured to the corner of the car. “Why don’t you let your Pokémon rest?”
The train calmly made it back to the station and Lizzie sat on one of the benches. Her Pokémon had been patched up and we’re currently eating on the floor. Ingo was standing and Emmet was sitting on the bench near her, the girls telling them about her journey so far.
“You were definitely an unexpected challenger,” Emmet said. “Not many trainers challenge the Battle Subway so early in their journey.”
Lizzie shrugged, “I prefer to train with actual battles instead of fighting wild Pokémon,” She said. “And right now we need a lot of it.”
“If you’re collecting badges, then a certain challenge must be obstructing the tracks.” Ingo deduced.
“Elesa,” Lizzie grumbled. “No matter how hard I try and I just can’t beat her…”
“Yes, I can see how that would be difficult with the typings of your team,” Emmet remarked, glancing at her Pokemon.
“And there aren’t any Pokemon that would have a type advantage nearby,” Ingo mused.
“So I have to work with what I have,” Lizzie finished. “Which in my case leaves only Pansear.” She ruffled the fire monkey’s fur, who leaned into her touch while still eating.
Emmet frowned. “So you plan to only rely on Pansear?”
“Well, what other choice do I have?” Lizzie asked.
“Pansear will definitely last longer than Dewott or Tranquil, but what will you do when Pansear inevitably faints? It’s bound to get worn out eventually.” Ingo pointed out.
“Then what else can I do?” Lizzie asked. “Dewott can take an electric attack, but only one; two if he’s lucky!”
Ingo looked at Dewott, thinking for a moment until a smile came to his face. “You could utilize what you did in our battle.”
Lizzie blinked, “Huh?”
“Dewott’s Torrent ability,” Ingo clarified. “If Dewott is able to withstand one or two electric attacks before fainting, then the ability should activate and increase all of Dewott’s water moves.”
“So…instead of healing and risking getting knocked out, we just go in and put everything into one blow,” Lizzie computed before exchanging a look with Dewott, “That…that could work.”
“Dewott!” Dewott agreed.
“Oh! I have another idea!” Emmet exclaimed. “What about teaching Pansear Dig?”
“Dig?” Lizzie asked.
“That would give you a bit more of an advantage,” Ingo nodded.
“And it would keep Pansear safe from incoming attacks too!” Emmet added.
Lizzie nodded along, her expression brightening with every word, “Yeah, yeah, that could work! It’s starting to come together now!”
“Then your destination is set!” Emmet said.
“Feel free to use the Battle Subway to practice,” Ingo added.
“Thank you so much, I finally feel like I have a plan now!” Lizzie said. “We’re gonna work super hard, aren’t we gang?” Dewott, Pansear, and Tranquil all voiced their agreement happily.
“Always a pleasure to assist a valued Subway Rider,” Ingo said.
That night, Lizzie went back to the Pokemon Center and drew out a plan for their training, including teaching Pansear Dig. After another subway streak lasting a full day, practicing their new moves and strategies, Lizzie felt she was ready. She challenged Elesa again a day later, and sure enough…she was. Pansear’s Dig was just the ticket she needed and just as Ingo said, Dewott’s Torrent was her saving grace for Elesa’s last Pokemon when Pansear inevitably fell.
Lizzie all but sprinted back to Gear Station to show the two brothers her new badge and to thank them for all their help. Ingo and Emmet smiled and said she was welcome to the Battle Subway anytime, whether it was to enjoy some battles or get in some training. And that’s just what she did.
Lizzie moved on and kept traveling, beating trainers, and defeating gyms. But whenever she found herself struggling or getting nervous about an upcoming battle, she found herself traveling back to Nimbasa City to challenge the Battle Subway. And once her Tranquil evolved and could fly her to and from places, she ended up returning even more.
She still couldn’t beat Ingo and Emmet when they battled together, but she enjoyed the challenge. Plus, it was just nice to see them; so much so that Lizzie found herself seeking out their company more and more. She couldn’t help it; the Battle Subway was fun. Battles with Ingo and Emmet were fun, and tag battles were even better.
“Lizzie, would you please explain to me where we’re going!” Cheren protested as he was practically being dragged by his arm towards Gear Station.
“I told you, the Battle Subway!” Lizzie responded.
“You keep saying that, but I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Cheren shot back.
“You’ll see when we get there!”
“Could at least slow down?! You’re pulling my arm off!”
“You’ll be fine, c’mon, we’re gonna miss it!” Cheren yelped as Lizzie just about yanked him along through the tunnel until they barreled onto the Subway’s Orange Line. Lizzie finally let go of Cheren’s arm, letting her friend catch his breath, his hands on his knees, the doors closing behind them. Only then did she think maybe she overdid it. “Sorry…”
“Just…tell me…what we’re doing on a subway car…” Cheren managed, trying to catch his breath.
“That’s what the battle subway is; the goal is to win as many battles in a row as possible,” Lizzie explained. “And this line is for tag battles.” Cheren nodded and straightened, fixing his ruffled clothes, “But why are we here? We both have six gym badges, I don’t see-”
“That’s exactly why! We have two more badges to get, and you know they’re gonna be tough!” Lizzie said. “And I know better than anyone that this place is the perfect place to train!”
Cheren sighed, “Well, the train’s already moving…and I won’t say no to training.”
“Great; you’re gonna love it here,” Lizzie said. “And just wait until we win 21 battles in a row and get to Ingo and Emmet.”
“Who?” Cheren asked, but Lizzie grabbed his hand and led him to the first battle car.
“Oh! Lizzie’s on the double battle train!” Emmet exclaimed, catching Ingo’s attention.
“Oh really?” He said. “It’s been a while since she’s visited.”
Emmet nodded. “And she’s brought a friend! She must want to try tag battling!”
“Well, I’m definitely looking forward to that,” Ingo said.
It wasn’t long before Lizzie and Cheren had reached 21 victories. They entered the next car, where Ingo and Emmet were waiting for them. “Hey, guys!” Lizzie greeted with a wave.
“Hello Elizabeth,” Ingo nodded.
“Nice to see you again!” Emmet said. “And on a different line, too!”
Lizzie shrugged, “I wanted to change things up a bit,” She said. “And this is my best friend and rival, Cheren.”
“Uh, nice to meet you,” Cheren said.
“Greetings!” The twins did their signature pose. “We are the Subway Bosses!”
“I am Ingo,”
“I am Emmet!”
Cheren blinked and Lizzie elbowed him, “You get used to it.”
“Now, you two are here for a Subway Bosses tag battle,” Ingo said. “Are you ready?”
“You bet!” Lizzie nodded.
“I look forward to seeing how well you fight together.” Ingo adjusted his cap. “Let’s see how in sync you are.”
Emmet mirrored the gesture. “Everything’s ready; aim for victory!”
Both groups grabbed a Pokeball. “Chandelure, all aboard!”
“Eelektross, full speed ahead!”
“Samurott, come on out!”
“Serperior, go!” And the battle began.
Unfortunately, even with Cheren by her side, Ingo and Emmet came out victorious. But that didn’t mean they didn’t come close. They came very close, but Ingo and Emmet were just…more in sync. However, Lizzie could tell that Cheren and Serperior enjoyed themselves immensely.
“You and your friend are very in sync,” Emmet said as they healed their Pokemon.
“That was the closest anyone has ever gotten to beating both of us,” Ingo agreed.
Lizzie put her arm around Cheren and pulled him close, “We’ve always had a bit of the same mindset, haven’t we?”
“Is that what you want to call it?” Cheren teased.
“Well, why else would we be rivals?” Lizzie shot back.
“Well, any friend of Lizzie’s is a friend of ours too,” Emmet said happily. “Feel free to use the Battle Subway anytime.”
“Thank you,” Cheren nodded.
After that, Lizzie’s journey continued as normal, or, at least as normal as it could be with Team Plasma popping up everywhere. She swore, if she heard the word ‘liberate’ one more time, she was going to lose it. She tried to focus on her gym battles more than anything, occasionally calling up Ingo and Emmet on her Xtrans if she needed any battle advice (turns out, triple and rotation battles are brutal if you don’t know what you’re doing). Lizzie would be lying if she said she didn’t always smile whenever Emmet and Ingo’s faces both popped up on the screen without fail.
To say Emmet and Ingo were inseparable would be the biggest understatement in history. From what Lizzie could gather, they had been together since the moment they first opened their eyes. The only time people really saw one and not the other was during Battle Subway streaks, with Ingo handling Singles and Emmet handling Doubles in separate train cars. But this meant that if one got separated from the other unexpectedly…things got intense.
And she had learned that the hard way.
It was just after Lizzie had gotten her eighth and final gym badge. Her next stop was the Pokemon League; her team was excited and raring to go, even her newly acquired Larvesta had been working so hard to get ready. Despite being a baby, the little guy was so eager to battle and make his trainer proud. So, Lizzie decided to make one last stop to get some last-minute training in; the Battle Subway. Heck, if she could finally beat those two in a double battle, she would be more than ready for the league! She arrived in Nimbasa as the sun had just set; a lot of people probably wouldn’t be on the subway now, but she didn’t mind.
She stepped onto the Pink Line train and it took off. Larvesta squirmed eagerly in her arms and Lizzie chuckled as she walked into the first battle car, “Alright alright, be patient, you’ll get a battle in just a minute, we just-”
Lizzie stopped short. At the other end of the train car was another trainer, standing next to some Team Plasma grunts. The trainer was standing completely still, his eyes glazed and empty as an eerily familiar Sigilyph was floating in front of him, its eye glowing. The Plasma grunts also froze and stared at Lizzie, in the process of taking the trainer’s Pokeballs and putting them in a bag. They stood in silence for a good few minutes, until Larvesta let out an angry squeal that snapped both of them into action. Luckily, Lizzie was faster.
“Sigilyph, use Hyp-”
“Larvesta, Ember!” Larvesta shot a small stream of flames at the Sigilyph, and it hit dead-on, breaking the Hypnosis on the other trainer.
“Gah! Let’s move!” The Plasma grunts grabbed the bag and ran into the next car, while the poor trainer was still collecting himself from the Hypnosis.
“Son of a…!” Lizzie quickly guided the trainer to one of the seats before giving chase while carrying Larvesta. “I can’t believe this! Can’t I have ONE DAY where these guys don’t ruin it?!” Her mind was racing; if Team Plasma was on this line, did that mean they were on the other lines?! And what about Ingo and Emmet?! And why were they even here?! Just to steal more Pokemon?! “I swear to Arceus, N, if you show up I’m gonna deck you in the face!” Lizzie growled.
She passed several other weary trainers, all of them still out of it due to exposure to Hypnosis. This was the lowest Lizzie had ever seen Team Plasma go…
Finally, Lizzie reached the first car, where the Plasma grunts were trying to force the door open; nowhere to run now. “Hey!” Lizzie yelled, grabbing their attention and she pointed to the bag. “Why don’t you hand over those Pokemon nice and slow so no one has to get hurt?” Larvesta growled in agreement.
“What do we do?!” One grunt hissed. “That’s Lord N’s rival, we can’t do anything to her!”
“Who cares, let’s just go!” The other responded before hitting a button on the control panel. They got the doors open, braced themselves, and jumped out. Lizzie yelled out and ran after them, but they had tucked and rolled out of the train and into the tunnel, a number of Pokémon in hand.
“Those little-whoa!” Lizzie barely kept her balance as the train made a sharp turn. She looked out the front window and paled as a wall was heading straight for them! The train had switched tracks and was heading straight for a dead end! Lizzie swore under her breath and hurried into the front car where the automatic controls were. Luckily, the Emergency Stop button was glaringly obvious.
She pounded the button with her fist and lurched forward as the brakes squealed loudly. She hugged Larvesta close as the wall got closer and closer, but stopped as the train came to a halt, inches from a collision. Lizzie deflated in relief; that…was way too close. She peeked out the doors and Larvesta perked up and cried out, pointing towards the rear of the tunnel. Lizzie looked up to see two lights shining down the tunnel and coming closer. Only two people, in particular, would be down here if something was wrong with the train.
“Oh thank Arceus…!” She slid out of the train, running towards them. “Ingo! Emmet!”
“Elizabeth!” Ingo exclaimed. “What happened here?”
“It was Team Plasma, they-they hijacked the Battle Subway, they’ve stolen Pokémon, the trainers onboard they-“
“Lizzie, slow down!” Emmet exclaimed.
Lizzie pointed to the train, “There are trainers…Team Plasma used Hypnosis on them and stole their Pokemon, they…they don’t look okay.”
“I’ll radio the staff to alert medical personnel,” Ingo said. “In the meantime, tell us exactly what happened from the beginning.”
Ingo and Emmet brought her to the Main Control Room for the subway and Lizzie explained everything that happened. Thankfully, the Pink Line train was the only one sent careening towards a wall; all the others seemed to be running in their endless loops, but Emmet and Ingo couldn’t access any of them, such as force them back to the station or to stop. Team Plasma had really thought of everything…
“I don’t get it…” Lizzie muttered, catching Emmet and Ingo’s attention. “Why here? Why now?”
“You’ve encountered these criminals before?” Ingo asked.
“Ugh, way too many times,” Lizzie shook her head. “They’re obsessed with ‘liberating’ Pokemon; they’ll even go as far as to steal them from trainers just to release them. And don’t even get me started on their king.”
“They have a king?” Emmet tilted his head.
“Leader, I guess is the right word,” Lizzie amended. “He’s…a weird one. He’s the one who wants Pokemon and humans to be separate, and he hates battling-” Lizzie stopped herself as the answer came to her. “Oh no…”
“What?” Ingo urged.
“Team Plasma’s leader hates battling, says it’s pointless, and just gets Pokemon hurt…and now Team Plasma is sabotaging the Battle Subway which is nothing but battles!”
“So this is an attack on us,” Emmet realized.
“And stealing those poor trainers’ Pokemon is probably just a bonus,” Ingo added.
“So what are we gonna do?” Lizzie asked.
“Well, they can’t take any of these trains out of the subway,” Ingo said, eyeing the map and the moving lights representing the trains. “The lines for the Battle Subway have completely separate tracks from the passenger lines; all the track switches for them lead to dead ends if they need to move out of the way of another train.”
“So they’ll need to transport the stolen Pokemon to another train, one that can actually exit the subway if they want to make a getaway.” Emmet finished.
Ingo frowned, “If that’s the case, one of the passenger trains may be in danger of being hijacked.”
“I doubt that,” Lizzie said. “Team Plasma don’t attack groups of people or large crowded areas; they’ve always been by themselves or harassing one or two people who can’t fight back. Taking a whole subway line hostage would be too much for them.”
Ingo looked thoughtful, “If that’s the case, they might have their own train lying in wait.”
“The goons I saw both jumped off the train we were on,” Lizzie pointed out. “I bet they ran through the tunnels to get to their train!”
“So then we just have to find the train that doesn’t belong,” Emmet said with a smile, turning back to the screen. “Let’s see…” His eyes scanned the lights and the little numbers representing which train was which, until…! “There!” He pointed to a light that was moving; it had no identifying number above it. “Now we just have to catch it; I’m sure our little Crew Car will be more than fast enough!”
“Good idea,” Ingo nodded. “Let’s hurry!”
“I’m coming too!” Lizzie chimed in.
“What?” Emmet asked.
“Elizabeth, this is far too dangerous,” Ingo agreed.
“Hey, I’ve tussled with these guys tons of times, I know what I’m getting into,” Lizzie countered before frowning. “Plus, no one sabotages our favorite battle facility and gets away with it.” Larvesta chirped in agreement.
“Something tells me we won’t be able to stop you, regardless,” Ingo said with a smile.
“You bet,” Lizzie smirked.
“Alright, all aboard!” Emmet announced.
Lizzie returned Larvesta to his Pokeball and followed them out of the room. A while later, they were rocketing through the subway tunnels on their Crew Car. Emmet held a small map in his hands while Ingo focused on steering and swerving through the multitude of tracks.
Lizzie sat in the back, eyes sharp for any sign of trouble, and after a while, Emmet spoke up, “Uh, Ingo?”
“What?”
“The unmarked train disappeared.”
Lizzie perked up, “Huh?!”
Ingo stopped the Crew Car and looked at the map with Emmet. Sure enough, the unmarked light had vanished. “The train stopped,” Ingo said. “Where did it disappear?”
“Up here,” Emmet pointed to an area.
“Trains don’t just vanish, do they?” Lizzie asked.
“They don’t,” Ingo answered plainly.
“We’d be out of a job if they did,” Emmet added.
They kept moving and eventually reached the correct area. They stopped the Crew Car and got out, Ingo and Emmet getting out their lanterns. “These tracks can be dangerous on foot,” Ingo said to Lizzie. “Be very careful.”
“Got it,” Lizzie nodded.
They wandered the area until Lizzie noticed a tunnel leading to darkness. “Uh guys?” She called and Emmet and Ingo walked towards her. “What’s down here?”
Suddenly, they were blinded by bright lights and the sound of a train engine revving up. Ingo and Lizzie jumped to one side of the tracks while Emmet jumped to the other, and a line of three train cars bearing the Plasma insignia shot out of the tunnel and onto the tracks. “All aboard!”
Lizzie blinked before she and Ingo did a double-take; Emmet had grabbed onto the rear handle on the rear car! “EMMET!” Ingo shouted, rushing back to the Crew Car, Lizzie not far behind.
“What the heck is he thinking?!” Lizzie exclaimed.
“He saw an opportunity and took it,” Ingo said tersely as the car took off after the train. “Why does he always pick the worst times to be rash?!” Luckily, the Crew Car was able to catch up with the Plasma Train relatively easily.
Emmet was standing in the doorway, waiting for them. “C’mon!” He waved. “This car is empty; they must be further up!”
“Stay put, Emmet!” Ingo called as they drew closer in the Crew Car. However, Lizzie was too slow to notice the familiar shadow behind the unassuming Subway Boss.
“Emmet, behind you!” Lizzie yelled, but it was too late.
“Use Hypnosis!”
Emmet whirled around, only to lock eyes with Sigilyph. The next second, his eyes glazed over and his arms dropped to his side. He was then yanked out of sight by some grunts. “Emmet!” Ingo gained speed, failing to see the explosives set on the tracks ahead of them and the grunt holding up a remote.
“Ingo, stop the car!” Lizzie reached forward and pulled the brake but it was too late. A small bomb went off and the Crew Car was derailed, sending Ingo and Lizzie to the ground.
“NO!” Ingo scrambled to his feet and made a last-ditch attempt to grab his brother, but he was already too far away. “EMMET!”
The train zoomed away, leaving Ingo and Lizzie behind. This…just got way worse.
After righting the fallen Crew Car, Ingo and Lizzie zoomed off immediately, trying to track where the Plasma Train had gone. Ingo was so tense that Lizzie swore he was going to snap in half at any moment. Not that Lizzie could blame him. His brother was trapped on a train full of Plasma goons, alone. Team Plasma was all about ‘liberation’ or whatever they wanted to call what they were doing, but considering their track record, Lizzie didn’t want to think about how they would treat a hostage.
She was so deep in thought that she almost missed the shadow of a stopped train, hidden in a dead-end tunnel. “Ingo! Over there!” Lizzie pointed. Ingo slammed the brakes, nearly making Lizzie flip right over the front of the Crew Car and Ingo hurried out. “Ingo, wait up!” Lizzie called, chasing him. They ran into the dark tunnel and Ingo lit his lantern. “The Plasma Train!” Lizzie confirmed.
“They must have jumped onto another Battle Subway line!” Ingo exclaimed. The train was also dark and quiet; Emmet wasn’t on it. Ingo rushed back to the Crew Car so quickly that Lizzie was almost left behind.
“How are we gonna tell which line they took?” Lizzie asked.
“This track only holds one line for a while,” Ingo said. “We’ll catch them before they can throw us off.” Sure enough, one of the Battle Subway lines soon came into view. “We need to make sure we don’t lose the Crew Car!” Ingo yelled over the noise.
“I got it!” Lizzie sent out Larvesta. “Use String Shot!” The small bug shot a thread of silk and connected it to the train before connecting the end to the Crew Car, serving as a cable. “Nice job!” Lizzie gave him a pat before recalling him.
“Alright, make sure to keep the speed up!” Ingo said, passing the controls to Lizzie.
“Wait-”
Ingo leaped onto the train, holding his cap on his head. “When you’ve reached the right speed, lock the speed in place!” And he ran further in.
“Ingo, don’t just-” Lizzie cut herself off with a growl before locking the speed and eventually giving chase. These two were going to be the death of her.
Ingo flew through the train cars, tunnel vision on. They were all empty, so Ingo just ran faster. Emmet, Emmet, Emmet, find Emmet! He burst into the final car and the first thing he saw was Emmet slumped against the wall, his eyes hidden by his cap.
“Emmet!” Ingo ran up to him and knelt before him. “Emmet! Emmet, are you alright?!” Ingo took his shoulders and gently shook him. His head lolled, making Ingo hold his face and look him over. “What have they done to you…?” Ingo whispered. He looked behind him to make sure no one was coming, “Don’t worry, Elizabeth is just in the next car, we’ll get you to-”
He was cut off by his own cry of pain as a hand tightly gripped his wrist. Ingo looked back to see his brother tightly squeezing it, his head still down. Ingo grunted as the pain got more intense. “Emmet?!” Emmet looked up with a mischievous, very much not-Emmet grin.
The last thing he saw was Emmet transforming into something small and black before seeing Sigilyph’s glowing eye.
By the time Lizzie reached the front train, it was completely empty. Her heart sped up, “Oh Arceus no…” She breathed before looking around frantically. “Ingo?! Emmet?!” She called. “Guys?!” She spied the forced open door and her memory flashed to when she first saw Team Plasma here. “Oh no no no no…!” Lizzie ran up to the controls and stopped the train, all but leaping out the door. She ran back along the train, coming up to a split pair of tracks right where the Crew Car had stopped.
Bright lights blinded her for a moment and she made sure she was off the tracks, and when she looked up, it felt like slow motion. The Plasma Train zoomed past her, and in the windows, for a split second, she saw the hypnotized faces of Ingo and Emmet.
“NO!” Lizzie started to run and sent out her Sawsbuck. The large deer ran alongside her and Lizzie swiftly got onto her back. “After that train!” Lizzie yelled, pointing. Sawsbuck let out a cry and bounded down the tracks. A few moments later, the tunnel ended, leading them to tracks outside the subway. Lizzie was slowly gaining on them; Sawsbuck wasn’t really made for running, but as long as they could keep them in their sights, that was enough.
Unfortunately, that was when a Plasma grunt appeared at the door, accompanied by three Darumaka. “Alright, we’re officially tired of your meddling,” He said. “Alright, Darumakas; use Flamethrower!”
“Sawbuck, move!” Lizzie quickly ordered, and her Pokemon quickly leaped out of the path of the attack…except they weren’t aiming for her. The three Flamethrowers aimed downward at the tracks. Acting just like rocket launchers, the train picked up speed, faster than they could catch.
“NO!” Lizzie screamed. “INGO! EMMET!” The train sped away, leaving Lizzie and Sawsbuck in the dust. They were gone.
The Plasma Train arrived at Opelucid City, where its contents were quickly smuggled onto a van. The van then drove to the Victory Road and into an underground tunnel, far beneath the usual entrance where their secret weapon lay. At that time, two hypnotized Subway Bosses were dragged out of the van and through multiple winding hallways until they reached a room, where they were shoved inside. The moment the door shut and locked, both twins gasped as the Hypnosis wore off.
"What just…?” Emmet put a hand on his head.
“Emmet…!” Ingo grasped his brother’s shoulders. “Are you alright?” The last thing he remembered was finding Emmet in the train car before…
“I’m fine,” Emmet said before blinking. “Wait, how are you here? I thought you were with Lizzie!”
“We attempted a rescue after we were separated,” Ingo said. “Elizabeth got left behind, but I got on the train that held you, or I thought it did; after that I was…here…” Ingo trailed off as he and Emmet took in the room they were in. In short, it looked like a fancy guest room. There was a double bed, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, everything you could think of. All that was missing were windows.
“Ingo, where are we?”
“I…don’t know,” Ingo said, completely at a loss. “We were clearly captured by Team Plasma, but this isn’t what I was expecting.”
Emmet went to the door and tested it; locked. He instinctively reached for Archeops’ Pokeball, only to grab air. His eyes widened as he looked in his jacket. Eelektross, Archeops, and Durant…! Where were they?! “Ingo! Our Pokemon…!”
Ingo’s expression mirrored Emmet’s as he checked his own jacket. Chandelure, Excadrill, and Klingklang were nowhere to be found. “They must have taken them while we were hypnotized!” Ingo exclaimed angrily.
Emmet turned on the door and began pounding on it with his fist, “Hey! What have you done with our Pokemon?!” He yelled. “Let us out of here!”
“Emmet, calm down.”
“How can I calm down at a time like this?!” Emmet demanded.
“Even if we get out of here, we won’t last long without our Pokémon,” Ingo explained, which seemed to convince his brother. “We’ll just have to put our faith in Elizabeth.”
“Do you think she’ll be alright?” Emmet asked.
“I don’t know,” Ingo sighed, moving to sit on the bed. “But there’s not much else we can do.” Emmet also sighed and sat next to his brother, scooting close to him so their shoulders were touching. “We’ll be alright,” Ingo reassured. “I won’t let them touch you again.”
“Well, same goes for you,” Emmet responded, his smile returning. Ingo smiled back.
With a heavy heart, Lizzie directed the Crew Car back to the main station. She couldn’t believe this; she actually failed. For the first time, when it actually mattered, she failed to stop Team Plasma! She walked past the now recovered trainers, most of them mourning their stolen Pokemon when she spied a flash of green hair by the subway entrance. N, the King of Team Plasma, turned and looked at her, his face holding no remorse.
Suddenly her guilt vanished and was instantly replaced by white-hot fury. “You…!” Lizzie stormed forward and grabbed N by the front of his shirt. “You scumbag! Stealing Pokemon wasn’t enough for you?! You had to add kidnapping to the list?!”
“They were simply in the way,” N said calmly, despite being surprised at the roughness. “They won’t be hurt, I promise you.”
“Like your word means anything, you liar,” Lizzie growled. “Call your goons and have them bring that train back!”
“I can’t do that,” N said. “The trainers on that train were forcing their Pokemon to battle endlessly; the Battle Subway is nothing more than-”
“Oh here we go!” Lizzie rolled her eyes, cutting him off. “Buckle up for the Lecture Train with Mister Holier-Than-Thou! How the heck do you fit that hat onto that big head of yours?”
N frowned, “I just discontinued a service that encouraged Pokémon getting hurt.” He said stiffly. “I expected you would understand-”
“Oh please, cut the BS!” Lizzie cut him off. “You go on and on about how you know Pokemon and what they want, but in reality, you don’t know anything except what you want!”
N froze, “What are you-”
Lizzie shoved him against the wall, still holding his shirt. “You say that Pokemon are your friends, but have you ever once asked them what they want?!” Lizzie demanded. “Pokemon aren’t mindless, they can make their own choices! So why don’t you let them choose?! You want to create a new world for Pokémon where the Pokémon don’t even get a say?!” N was silent and Lizzie nodded, slowly letting him down. “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” She said bitterly. “I used to think you were a hypocrite, but clearly I was wrong…you’re nothing but a naive, selfish, little kid. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Team Plasma was just using you-”
“You’re wrong!” N seemed to snap back at that last statement. “Team Plasma has the same beliefs I do! They see the true future where Pokemon are perfect and trainers are no more!”
“Keep telling yourself that; at this point, I don’t care.” Lizzie moved back towards him. “So, I’ll ask you one more time, Your Highness ,” She said firmly. “Where. Are. They?”