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((I shall heavily detail every battle of the battle subway in this post. I'm doing this with the intention of doing 49 battles and hitting 50,000 characters in one post.))

The Battle Subway served as a sort of loop for trainers to test their skills. Typically it was used to get people used to active motion. Where as in the restaurant there was protective glass and - Henrietta and Wayne had learned - hot lava, Nacrene was more of a standard battle against a monster that just hit harder if you hit it, Castelia was a place full of traps - Nimbasa promoted active motion in combat. In some scenarios, such as the roller coaster one, this included actually being on a sort of roller coaster. For this reason, trainers seeking to challenge the gym often first came to the subway in order to get used to the motion of it.

There were seven consecutive battles usually with very few trainers ever pushing past that point. Most were 'thrown off' by the subway bosses at the seventh battle. Even so, it remained a popular way for trainers to test their skills and prepare themselves for the journey ahead. Much like the amusement park, it became pretty popular once the lock down had been put into place by people that were stuck in Nimbasa.

Henrietta and Azucena descended the stairs to the subway and were greeted in a way that Henrietta had yet to become accustom to.

"Look everyone it's The Knight!"

Takamaru had taken to his popularity with reckless abandon, letting it get him free meals, props, and the like. Henrietta wouldn't have been surprised if he used it to get himself friends, a girlfriend, etc.

It was in poor taste.

Henrietta dealt with it differently. A few days ago she would've reacted shyly, hidden herself inside. She'd grown to ignore it, to never look at them intentionally. Today, with Azucena at her side, she barely registered the noise.

Azucena took her hand, fingers entwining with her own, and she was pulled forward.

"Ignore it," Azucena said.

"Ignore what?" Henrietta smiled sheepishly when Azucena looked at her. The spanish girl snorted and lead her toward the receptionist desk.

"Welcome to the Battle Subway! How can I help you?"

"Tickets for the double battle train, please," Azucena said and the smiling receptionist printed the tickets and handed them over.

They had made a huge profit recently with the subway bosses clearing out a horde of trainers daily. Taking wins and submitting it to the company. What had previously caused a small panic in the employees over whether or not this was a cost efficient method, was now a welcoming prospect. They'd gained quite a bit of notoriety, you see.

The two boarded the train, continuing to ignore the people that thought Henrietta to be a celebrity. A natural born hero, some had said.

A prospect that had been popularized ever since the historic events of Kanto many years ago, and kept alive in legend up until Sinnoh. It had been ten years, but people had come to believe in the idea of heroes and villains as a result of this. A lot of common moral views listed one side as evil and one as good, in a black and white sense respectively.

It took being in the middle of it all to truly understand the difference.

"Is this for real?" said one young man. Next to him was a young woman, hand on her hip. Henrietta looked toward them, as if she'd barely just acknowledged that they exist.

"Hum?"

"One of those heroes I keep hearing about? I've been stuck outside of Nimbasa because of the lockdown but I'll have you know I'm Rodney, champion of the Subway Trains."

"I'm Ellen-

"Quiet babe. Listen, I'm the only guy here to ever make it to fifty six battles on this train, no matter what train that is." As he said this Ellen glared at him. Henrietta and Azucena traded glances at each other. Azucena shrugged.

"And now I get to start my new reign by taking down a hero? This is just-

"You're wrong." Henrietta stared him down, her expression read as if she was dismissive. "Right now I'm not a hero. I'm just a Pokemon trainer on a date."

"Say it however you like, babe. The winners write history."

"How does that have anything to do with-

The overhead speak drowned out the rest of Azucena's words. The subway doors closed and people gathered to watch.

Ellen and Rodney released their Pokemon, a Gothitelle and a Kangaskhan.

However, from the very first order it was clear both were Rodney's Pokemon - Ellen was just someone to bring along to allow him to partake in the double battles.

Bastion and Ervin landed, and were promptly bombarded.

Circle Throw tossed Ervin cross the subway car. Bastion, who couldn't help but grin at the cheering, lowered himself to fire a water gun from one of his cannons - he was getting used to using them.

Gothitelle's eye flashed with Miracle Eye, and then Mirror Coat returned the damage as Kangaskhan slid around behind Bastion and caught him from the other side with Double Edge.

Roaring he collapsed to a knee only for his cannons to be grabbed and he himself to be circle thrown.

"Jump!" Azucena shouted.

"Catch him!" Henrietta shouted.

Ervin was over Bastion, ingrain roots protruding from his feet to grab Bastion and swing him as Ervin's hands caught a poll, forward. Not enough to throw, but enough to counteract the momentum.

Kangaskhan closed the distance, Hidden Power Fire ignited in front of it - it stopped.

Bastion's head, which had taken a second to squeeze into its shell ejected as the flames faded - slamming into Kangaskhan's stomach.

He'd spent the entire time getting used to his body after his training with Azucena's Pokemon, he was excited to show off his new tricks.

Kangaskhan flew backwards into Gothitelle. Ervin hopped off of Bastion's cannons and fired down a Giga Drain, slamming both Pokemon into the floor. Bastion finished them with a Rapid Spin, ejecting both Pokemon from the aisle and into different seats.

Rodney and Ellen stood, jaws agape.

"How?"

"Anyways, are you ready to talk?" Henrietta asked Azucena as they recalled their Pokemon and brushed by the defeated duo, into the next car.

((Just kidding, I hope you enjoyed that.))

((I recently beat Final Fantasy Legend 2 in expectation of my Dead Space 3 arriving. Nio and I are gonna beat it co-op style. While that sounds awesome to be in the same house as the person you're going to play with, our rooms are across the house from each other which means there will not be any of the expected coordination from such an action.))

The third battle was against a Klang and Trubbish.

"What about you? Why do you like me?" Azucena asked.

"You're exciting," Henrietta said.

Gear Grind saw the dual gear Pokemon launch at Bastion who caught the Pokemon. Ervin the Maractus struck from an edge, causing them to flip in the air so the flat of them faced Bastion's cannons. He fired, the Pokemon was shot at Trubbish who had no hope of catching it.

"That can't be all there is to it," Azucena said.

"I mean, every day I've spent with you has been exciting. At first when I started working the night shift for the citizen militia and when I started construction I was tired. I came home the next morning and couldn't sleep. So you took me to the park, and we ended up having a lot of fun. At a park."

"Yeah, I've never seen someone enjoy a swing before."

"It was the first time anyone had ever pushed me. I felt like a kid again."

Thunder Shock caused the two Pokemon to dive sideways out of the aisles. It was a feint, as Trubbish sent out Toxic Spikes, littering the ground. Returning to the battle ground would be problematic.

[Hop on!] Bastion called as he launched into the aisle. Ervin jumped onto his shell and grabbed the cannons for support.

One Rapid Spin later the spikes had been flung into Trubbish and Klang. It meant nothing, but this, too, was a feint.

"So you like me because I make you feel like a kid?"

"That's a bad way to put it."

"How would you put it then?"

"I told you. You excite me. I'm happy, I feel alive, like, like I'm really living. It's new. Everything about you is energetic, and I feel pulled into your pace when I'm with you and I like that. You're preppy and happy and you don't let me feel down. You're a legitimately good person. You're funny and really sweet - like milk and honey."

Blastoise's assault saw the Hidden Power Fire blasting Klang away, Trubbish dodged the falling metal gears only to be Needle Arm batted toward Blastoise who finished it off with a Skull Bash.

"Milk and honey?"

"Yeah. Let's go." Henrietta offered Azucena her hand and the two were off to the next battle.

((So I find myself posting all of these without proof reading, and I know the dialogue probably feels a little lame. I'll fix it up later maybe. Sorry for that, I'm mostly throwing out posts before going to bed. What I'm gonna do in the morning is look these over and see what my problems are when I'm more awake and fix up the posts. It'll be the exact same content just different wording for some things, so don't feel as if you need to wait for me to fix them up before reading them please.

If that kinda responsibility is thrown on me I'll totally blow off fixing them up, cause burdensome, tedious responsibilities make me not want to do things.))

"So you've met a lot of people, right? Tell me about them," Henrietta said.

"What?"

Henrietta laughed, embarrassed at saying the next part, "tell me a story."

Azucena laughed this time. "Alright. Let me think."

Darmanitan beat his belly - Belly Drum. Before Bastion could stop this the enemy Liepard sucker punched him across the face, causing him to stumble a few steps backward.

"Alright, I have one. I was in Johto for a while, staying at this guys house. Probably the longest I've ever stayed anywhere, actually. But he had pot, and when I got high I got lazy."

"You did drugs?" Henrietta gave a look that made Azucena sigh. It was one of instant judgment.

"A million years ago. I bet you've done some stupid stuff too."

"Yeah." Henrietta's expression changed to a more apologetic one. She wouldn't go admitting she'd tried to kill herself once, but she understood to some degree or another.

Powerful blows were made from Darmanitan, ones that were best avoided. His targeted was Ervin, and Bastion found himself occupied by the agile Liepard. They were fragile Pokemon - one solid hit could easily put one down, but this one had trained to avoid that.

"Anyways, I was fourteen, had been away from home for four years. Parents were telling me to come home, go to school, give up adventuring. I said no. So you know what they did?"

"What?"

"Hired a private investigator to come find me! Can you believe that?" Azucena's tone rose as she announced this. Henrietta stifled a laugh, one she couldn't help from the way Azucena told the story.

Darmanitan's primal Taunt caused Ervin to cease his evasion and attack. Bastion called for him to stop but Liepard got in the way. Bastion did the only thing he could - he bit Liepard and threw the Pokemon in the way of Darmanitan's fist. The collision stopped Ervin from taking the super effective part of the fist and only the natural force of it.

He hit the ground and struggled to get back up.

"The next thing I know my parents are at the door. They found out everything, that I was smoking, that I was living alone with a guy way older than me. Sent me into a rehab program."

"So you quit?"

"No way. Stupid teenager, remember? I broke out."

Darmanitan charged, Bastion blocked his path. Dual cannons aimed at the gut - fragile from the beating of belly drum, and they fired. Darmanitan was shot back and hit the floor.

"Went back to the guys house. He had gotten into some hard stuff in the week I was gone. Tried to put a needle in my arm."

"And you didn't let him?"

"No way. So he tried to force it. Guess he fancied me like that."

Liepard attacked from behind, Ervin slammed him down with a Needle Arm. A direct hit.

"What happened then?"

"Ervin kicked his a** and we ran away. I tried to explain everything to my parents, but they wouldn't listen. Told me I had to enter rehab, but I didn't want to. So we fought for like, ever."

"And then what happened?" It wasn't Henrietta, it was one of the trainers they were fighting. Azucena looked at him.

"I fell into a crowd of people that would listen to me while we all got high the next city over. Parents found out, called the police. I got arrested, put back in rehab, broke out." Azucena looked at Henrietta. "Parents disowned me too, after that went on for a year. They got tired of it. Even after I did some growing up in Hoenn I didn't call them. Didn't visit. Haven't. Really hurt, you know? Still does, but instead of dwelling on it now I just keep going."

"Without doing stupid things, right?"

"What would you call sticking around in a stadium full of terrorists?"

Henrietta smiled. "Tuesday."

((And so the journey comes to an end. This absolves me of any and all "waiting on Avalite" excuses as I'm ready for anything now that I've progressed time for my characters to the exact time of "whenever you need them"))

"What I do. What I say. Always the same. Follow the rules. Safe driving! Follow the schedules. Everyone smile! Check safety. Everything's ready! Aim for victory! All aboard!" The dramatic arrival of Emmet followed these words. He posed.

"Let me introduce myself. I am a Subway Boss, Ingo! Well, there is nothing else to say for the person who comes all the way here. Let's have the greatest battle, better than ever before." The dramatic arrival of Ingo followed these words. He posed.

Henrietta and Azucena stared.

Henrietta looked over at Azucena. "So we're dating now?"

"Yup. I'll bet I'm your first girlfriend too."

Totally ignored, the subway bosses narrowed their eyes in unison.

"Very well then! Let us battle!"

Eelektross and Haxorus were released.

"I'm teaching you how to fight," Henrietta told Azucena at the battle began.

"That kendo stuff?"

"I've picked up some things from Salieri, and some things I learned before that. I'll teach you that."

"Don't trust me with a sword?"

Henrietta shook her head. "Not that. I just don't want you to go into a fight and get disarmed."

The intensity of the blows, the reckless abandon of the blows, shattered windows. A stray shot blew a set of seats off its bolts, flipping it over another set.

"I getcha. What else?"

"You have to let me know as soon as you see or hear anything strange. Don't ever act alone, and run if you can if you are alone. Survival is important."

The loosened seats were a shield, and then a weapon. Taking Eelektross' shot and then fired like a projectile back at it. Haxorus split the seats in half with his axe head.

"Anything else?"

Haxorus' gut was skull bashed, Eelektross' Thunderbolt was offset by Ervin's needle arm. The bolt hit Haxorus, the water gun threw him back. He crashed into Eelektross.

"If you hum, if you can't sleep. I'll.."

"Wait. Are you?"

"Don't." Azucena wrapped her arms around Henrietta, hugging her tight.

"You are! You're trying to be-

"Don't!"

Azucena let out a joyous laugh. "You're the cutest thing ever."

Solar Beam from one side, Water Gun from the other. The Subway Bosses stunned faces capitalized their defeat.

The subway train came to a stop, the doors opened.

"I need to pack!" Henrietta shouted as she hurried out of the train, Bastion already recalled.

Azucena followed after, laughing all the way, Ervin recalled. "Wait up! I said I'd help remember?!"

Back in the train the subway train bosses slumped back to back.

"We lost."
"Our good name, down the drain."
"No, my brother. It only means one thing."
"What is that?"
"We must work harder."
"Yes, lets!"

((Just to clarify, Flaring is NOT code for Ladyrection. But apparently the two share
a mysterious link.

Thank you for the posts, Ava. I see my intricately-crafted persuasive techniques
worked))

PokéLand

"Sorry, bro, I got kids to feed."

"But I helped save the city, man! I'm a hero! I totally deserve free cotton candy!"

A few people glanced in Wayne's direction as they walked on past but none
stopped to gawk. His celebrity was dying down, it seemed. The young vendor at
the candy stand certainly wasn't impressed.

"I don't know about that. Fighting some douchebags on a football field doesn't
exactly equal saving the city." The vendor shrugged, "Like I say, you gotta pay."

Wayne slapped his palm to his forehead, "But I blew any cash I had on essentials."

He took out one of his pokéballs, Daphne's ball, and turned it so that the vendor
could see the green leaf mark printed inside a small circle on the red half of the
ball. "These stickers do not come cheap, let me tell you."

"You got ripped off, man," the vendor sighed. "I feel sorry for you. Clearly you
skipped school before hitting 10."

"Shows how smart you are!" Wayne said triumphantly, "I was home schooled by
one of the cleverest guys I know!"


----

Route 4 - Desert

Zack leapt away from the falling rocks as they blasted through the sandstorm,
crashing into the ground and kicking up a spray of hot sand. He skidded as he
touched down, looking back towards the horde of pokémon that was chasing him.

This is a good idea, he thought.

The sandstorm blinded him, but he could still sense the Aura coming from the
pokémon's attacks. While pokémon couldn't flare Aura on their own - they relied
on linking with humans for that - each attack they performed used a small amount
of Aura.

Most trainers referred to it as their Power Points. Most trainers shouldn't be allowed
to name things.

A Krokorok threw itself through the storm, attempting to Crunch Zack's arm.
He flared his Aura, giving his Natural Infusion a huge boost, and the crocodile
pokémon's teeth shattered. It let go in shock, and because it didn't have any
teeth left, and Zack drove a fist into its chest, knocking it back into the cloud of
sand and out of sight.

Although I didn't think attacking all those little pokémon would piss the rest off so much.

Two more attacks flew in. The first came from a Hippowdon, the pokémon crashing
down at Zack, barely missing him as he shifted out of the way. Sand exploded
and the ground began to quake. Zack felt the tremors rattle his bones. Such a
strong attack could turn a normal man's insides into jelly at this range, but Zack
was protected by his Natural Infusion.

The Hippowdon tore its mouth agape, roaring in the man's face as he staggered
to one knee, the stench of the wild pokémon's breath slamming against him. The
second attack was much faster than the first; a Scrafty's Hi Jump Kick.

Zack brought his arm up, blocking the attack but being knocked down. The Scrafty
flipped off of him acrobatically, its movements fluid despite it never letting go of the
loose skin 'pants' that it wore. Zack hit the sand, then rolled as the Hippowdon's
foot came down where his head used to be.

He got a hand underneath himself and released a small pop of an explosion, which
propelled him back onto his feet. He let his momentum carry him, and brought
the back of his fist into the Scrafty's face as it leapt at him for another kick. The
Fight type's head jerked to the side and it was flung back into the sandstorm.

But this is definitely a good idea. Training solely against Ferox is too limited.

Hippowdon roared once more, enraged at the human. Zack turned and held up
a hand to the monster's wide open mouth. The air cracked and he unleashed hell.
A sudden, violent explosion engulfed the Ground type from the inside out, expanding
outwards into an enormous ball of flame that lit up the shadowy sandstorm.

The mass of fire died down and the Hippowdon screamed back in pain. The fact
that its head remained in one piece was a testament to its strength. Its mouth
had become ashes, and the pokémon's bulk shifted until it slumped into the sand.
Zack had purposely kept the explosion weak - it was mostly flame - to avoid killing
the ground type. He doubted it would be getting back up soon.

---

Entralink Base

Jacqueline followed Jump out of the locker room. She sucked her cheek, shaking
her head. Was everything a game to this man? She hesitated to think of him as a
man due to his attitude; he hadn't grown up at all since they were teenagers, not
emotionally anyway.

"So what's this soo-per cee-crit news you have to tell me?" she asked, "Oh, and by the
way, I'm impressed that you remembered to write your message in code. I doubt
anyone above basic reading comprehension could crack that easily."

She paused. "Of course, it took me a long time to understand it."

---

Route 4 - Desert

Zack's explosion had punched a hole in the sandstorm and he could see the rest
of the horde. Dozens of pokémon, Hippopotas, Scraggy, Sandile, were dotted across
the desert, surrounding him, their eyes trained hatefully on the human. He looked
right to left, and they slowly faded from view as the sandstorm swept over them.
But they were there, and they were watching.

Watching for what?

Then he heard it, the high pitch shrieking. It was barely a voice, scratchy and torn
as it called its name. The griffin pokémon descended through the storm. Zack
recognised it as a Braviary. They sometimes flew over Village Bridge from their
nesting points near the Victory Road mountain range.

It spread its wings wide, revealing an impressive wingspan, bracing itself. Its beak
snapped open and the Braviary unleashed a searing white beam of power. The
Hyper Beam burnt into the sand, quickly slicing upwards towards Zack. He stepped
to the side, spinning to pull his shoulder out of the way of the attack. Braviary's
strike had separated him from Hippowdon's defeated form.

What do you know about these things?

He shot up a blast of flame, but the eagle-like pokémon wasn't foolish enough to
remain in one place while it recharged, and soared above the blast as it shotgunned
out below. Zack grit his teeth and adjusted his aim. His Aura radiated and Braviary
suddenly threw its wings together.

It released an Air Slash; razor sharp gusts of air whipped through the sandstorm
and sliced into Zack's arms and chest, knocking him backwards enough to redirect
his blast. Braviary swooped down, underneath the flames, but turned up before
hitting the sand, speeding just above its surface and crashing into the human.

The world rushed past, a mess of sand and stone. Zack was pinned against Braviary's
skull while he was forced backwards through the air. It knocked the wind out of him,
but he was able to get his bearings and lift his fist into the air. Slamming down
on the pokémon's back would shatter its spine, but the fight would also come to a
swift close. He swung down.

Braviary drove him through a building wall before he could land his blow. The ancient
stone scattered around them and Zack barely had time to grunt before crashing
out through the far wall. He was flung from Braviary's beak, hit the sand and started
to roll. He came to a stop, breathed out quickly, and forced himself back up.

The griffin perched on the lip of the hole they'd made, its wings tucked in at its sides.
Its eyes lacked the same hate as the other desert pokémon, but instead seemed
to be evaluating the human before it, judging him. Or trying to understand why he had
attacked the other pokémon to begin with.

Zack felt the pain from the last attack stab at his chest as he met the Braviary's
gaze with his own defiant look. He flicked the corner of his mouth with his thumb.

"Heh. Brave Bird," he said, naming the last attack. Braviary tilted its head slightly
as he spoke. Zack glanced around to get his bearings. They'd reached an area of
the desert that was covered in ruins. The ancient buildings were densely packed
but falling to pieces. Worn down by the sand, they lacked any defining traits, so all
Zack could really know about them was that they hurt if you crashed through one.

The sandstorm had weakened. Zack assumed that the pokémon generating it had yet
to catch up to them. He finally got a proper look at his opponent. It looked like any
other Braviary, although he'd never seen one this close up before. It had a regal
air about it. There were crosses of tiny scratches on the bird's beak, very faint but
detectable to eyes enhanced by Natural Infusion. This pokémon had seen a lot of
battle. Could it have come from the north?

Zack took a step forward and the Braviary screeched, spreading its wings. Didn't
look like it was ready to let Zack go. That was fine by him; he was in this for the
practice after all. And judging from the way this pokémon was able to keep up with
his attacks, he needed all the practice he could get.

Still, he thought as Braviary shot into the sky. This bird's playing with fire.

Zack drew his fist back and flared his Aura, throwing his arm upwards to unleash
an absolutely gigantic blast of fire that dwarfed the buildings around it. It flashed,
turning the sky black, creating a huge shockwave that took a few seconds to properly
rip through the desert sand, speeding outwards in a ring.

And I'm going to burn it to a crisp.

Salieri hadn't taken any free stuff. She didn't want people's charity. If it was people's pity for what happened to Liuye Dao, it was even worse. "It's called fifteen minutes of fame. You're lucky it's lasted so long, I can't believe you accept-"

Hold on.

"Hey! I am a girl!" A vein pulsed on her forehead. She put her hands on her hips. "And we can dress up however we want."

She hadn't considered telling Wayne about her date. Not that she cared what he thought about that or if he'd be the slightest bit jealous. Now that he was curious, she had to.

Her hands clasped behind her back and she kicked at the ground. The smile she had on her face was beyond her control at this point.

"I just thought I'd change into something more...casual, cause I have a date."

Salieri tried to look annoyed, but failed because she was still smiling too hard. "Shut up, of course not!" She folded her arms and tilted her head. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

Entralink Base

"Code? I didn't write in...ha ha, you're hilarious," Jump snarked while adjusting the cuffs on his sleeves. Hearing Jackie cracks jokes wasn't common, but he enjoyed it every time.

"I just wanted to drop in, see what you're up to. Oh hey, do you wanna go and find the, uh."

He looked behind Jackie and over his shoulder. Nobody in sight. "Giant castle blueprints? C'mon, it'd be fun, we'd save the world again. You're not doing anything else, are you?"

Pokeland

Salieri would have prodded further while she still had Wayne on the spot, but disregarded the idea when he said she looked good. A wise change in tactics.
"What? No, but Henrietta totally is. Oh dude, she's going on a date with Azucena right now! Isn't that crazy?"

She snapped back from her tangent with a wave of her hand. "Anyway, he's-whoa, speak of the devil."

Sal pointed over Wayne's shoulder at N, who was walking towards them. "Thanks for meeting me here, Salieri."

As soon as she was addressed, her face took on a slightly pinker shade. She rubbed the back of her head. "Oh, hahahaha, yeah no problem."

N turned his attention to Wayne. He assumed that Salieri had simply run into him in the amusement park, and did not bring him along like she promised not to. To talk with more than one person in the Ferris Wheel would mean preparing all over again.

The green haired trainer gave the other trainer an upwards nod hello. "Hello, Wayne."