Chapter Text
The only light was provided by Elesa's flashlight. The rails on the old abandoned subway line lead the way forward, but Elesa's ears were constantly warning her of sounds that weren't even there, the fear of being run over by a subway train a constant pressure. What if this line wasn't as abandoned as she thought? What if she'd heard the whispers of her gym trainers incorrectly? They had been fairly quiet.
You would think, given the circumstances of battling in Unova, that gym trainers, allowed to battle and train against each other, wouldn't feel the tight restriction of pokemon battles as sharply as the rest of the citizens. Well, Elesa had once been a gym trainer herself and now looked over many, and she was of the opinion that it was the exactly opposite. Gym trainers were locked in to a typing, were locked in a place, knew the thrill of the battle but so rarely were able to actually put that knowledge to use.
Elesa had accepted the battle system of Unova for years. She'd played the game, she'd become a gym leader. But she couldn't deny that she'd felt the chafe of the rules for years and years now. They say it used to be different, that battling with others used to be done in the streets and the roads, and it gave such freedom and understanding, and a sort of adrenaline that a moderated and watched and carefully logged battle couldn't create. Of course, they also said that it was dangerous to put that kind of power into the hands of the people, that roads and sidewalks and buidlings had been ruined far too often. Things are better like this, safer like this, they insist.
But really, it was sort of inevitable that she would be brought here, at least the once.
The trio of pokeballs hanging from her hip felt odd, a weird shape and heaviness. They shouldn't, but knowing that the contents weren't her normal team somehow made the pokeballs entirely alien elements as they gently bumped against her in time with her footsteps.
Elesa could still turn around. It wasn't too late. She hadn't done anything illegal yet, aside from perhaps walking down a closed subway track.
She continued.
Like a distant rumble, or the sound of the wind as it rushes towards you through the treetops, a din began to reach Elesa. Music, she eventually realized, there was music.
An abandoned subway station crowded with trainers, lit with blacklights that served to create a strange and almost confusing atmosphere, mystifying the people illuminated from it. Elesa was glad she'd worn mostly black, but the little red and blue details on her outfit she'd allowed popped out.
There was an absol standing at the edge of the tunnel, valiantly watching, and it just gave her a nod, allowing her to pass and to join the group proper. There were people loudly singing along to the blasting music, dancing, and pokemon everywhere out of their pokeballs, mixed in with the crowd as if well and truly a part of it. Elesa didn't know what to make of it, only standing and staring with wide eyes.
"You look new."
Somehow, the man's voice was audible over all the noise, and it surprised Elesa enough that she jumped. Her hand slid over her pokemon and then her fingers yanked back as if burned. No, it was illegal to release a high-level pokemon in a public space. And then she remembered where she was. The man laughed at her, though it didn't sound capricious. It wasn't exactly warm either. In fact, the man's voice was exactly middle-of-the-road as far as positive or negative inflection went.
He was wearing a white beanie that practically glowed under the blacklight, so low only his eyes barely peeked out from beneath it. He was dressed in plain street clothes, but little spots of yellow designs jumped out. There was a strange and fixed smile on his face that was somewhat off-putting. Then Elesa realized that one of the yellow spots was moving, and she looked closer to see a joltik running freely along the man's clothes. It was frankly adorable, and endeared him to the man a little more.
"You have yet to sign up." The man then said, and despite how it was phrased, it was plain it was actually a question in disguise, especially by how he quizzically tilted his head.
"I haven't." she admitted.
"Follow me!"
He walked into the crowd and Elesa followed behind him, weaving around and between people and pokemon alike. A big scolipede roared, but didn't move to strike anybody, instead just twisting and shuffling like it was dancing along with its trainer. Elesa had been through her fair share of crowds, but there was something about the new and strange atmosphere that made her more on edge, more careful, and she was thankful for the strange man to lead her.
Sure enough, there was a big whiteboard where people had written down pseudonyms that clearly weren't names. A woman was managing the board, and she nodded to the strange man.
"Signing up tonight?" she asked him but the man shook his head.
"I only observe. You know this." he said.
"One day we'll get you on the roster. I have a feeling you've got something good up your sleeve." The woman said. The man smiled and lifted his hand, where a second joltik peeked out of his sleeve.
"Just joltik." He said. The woman rolled her eyes but then turned her attention to Elesa.
"And you?"
"I would like to sign up." She nodded. The woman pulled out a whiteboard marker.
"Name?"
"Uh," Elesa hadn't thought that far. She'd been half convinced she would've turned around before even reaching here, and now here she was, signing up for an illegal tournament.
"What pokemon are you using?" she asked, and revealed she was chewing gum as she blew a big bubble that popped in a satisfying sound.
"Leavanny, Cinccino, and Gothitelle." Elesa listed off. The pokemon weren't very familiar yet and all had yet to battle pokemon that weren't one of the other two. Elesa'd had to train them up in secret, heal them with potions and revives when necessary. Bringing them to an official pokecenter could raise unwanted questions.
"Fashion Beauty." the smiling man said.
"Uh-" Elesa began to interrupt, but the woman was already writing the name down. It was a little too close to Elesa's whole modeling thing for comfort, but even though it was only dry erase marker, it looked so official written down that Elesa let it go. The woman produced a small white band from somewhere and held it out to Elesa. It was one of the kind that was created to be cut off when you were done wearing it, and Elesa dutifully put it on.
"You should get food," The smiling man suggested, "While you wait the official tournament to start."
"Thanks for your help." Elesa fidgeted with the band, looking at the man's bare wrist.
"I like to help, Beauty." he said, easily slipping her new name in. It was only one night, so it wouldn't be a problem. She did her best to remind herself of that.
"Well, I'm at disadvantage here. You know my 'name' but I don’t know yours." The two of them made their way around the edge of the crowd, in the direction of food and drink.
"You can call me Conductor." His smile looked a bit more honest as his hand went up, miming gripping the edge of a hat and tipping it.
"Really buckling down on the train theme here, huh?" She noted, and Conductor gave a laugh.
"Yes! Trains are great!"
"I guess it does make this the best 'train'-ing ground." Elesa mused. Conductor groaned, holding his head in his hands, and now Elesa laughed, smiling.
They'd only just reached the make-shift bar counter when a hush fell over the crowd, the music muting to only a vague hum.
From the subway tunnel, a man emerged. He was weaking a long coat, half of it white with bright blue strips and the other half black with bright red stripes. His hair was so pale gray that the blacklights lit it up, and even from a distance, Elesa could swear his eyes were glowing too. His mouth was covered by a yellow bandana that hid the bottom half of his face. He was flanked by a chandelure and a haxorus, both of which moved with an air of being aware of how much attention they were getting and very used to it, confident radiating from the trio.
"Is the tournament ready, Bugspray?" His voice was loud, easily carrying over to the woman with the whiteboard.
"Nearly, just had a couple last minute entries." She told him. He nodded, and then with a wave of his hand, the noise rose again, though it was plain that people kept glancing over to him as he climbed onto the platform and then stood at the edge, looking over the abandoned train tracks.
Elesa had heard of him before.
The police hadn't managed to track him down. Sometimes, there'd be late-night discussions over his identities, where he was, why he was doing what he was doing.
The founder of the Battle Subway Tournament.
The Subway Master.