#I want Ingo to call her Lady Sneasler

[bluebellowl]

Where hair?

It going. It gone

[leggerefiore]

cw: PLA Ingo, short drabble,

pairing: Ingo/Reader

▲▽▲▽▲

When the Warden asked you out for a day away from both of your duties, you expected something cute and simple. Maybe lazing around his cabin or your home in Jubilife, cooking together, and discussing what life was like for him before ending up in Hisui. Instead, you stared at the large cliff in front of you in the highlands.

“You…. You're really serious about climbing, huh?” you could only watch as Ingo easily found a way to climb the cliff face. His face was intense and focused as he gripped the grooves and carried himself higher and higher. When he reached the cliff, he stopped and turned to look down at you. It was a bit astonishing. You had been calling him an old man, but he just proved himself more spry than you.

“I thought it might be a good idea to show you around the area more thoroughly,” Ingo called out, voice loud as ever. You sighed and tried to find your way up, just as he had. His metallic eyes felt locked on to you as you carefully found your way up. Yet, just as you found yourself at the top, you lost your grip and fell back. Before you could scream and crash into the ground below you, Ingo grasped your hand tightly.

The Warden helped you up. You fell on to the ground with a sigh. “Ingo… I know you have been into mountain climbing as of late, but this is exactly why you let me use lady Sneasler,” you tell him and shake your head. He let out a chuckle and sat down beside you.

“I want to show you an area that's hard to get to with her, dearest,” his voice was gentle and encouraging, “I ask that you please give it another try before we actually stop.” You felt tortured by the gentle begging in his eyes.

“Fine, but if I nearly fall again, we're going to your cabin for a nap or something.”

He laughed and agreed.

~

The following adventure was a bit harder, as sometimes the cliffs became difficult to climb, even for Ingo. He led you carefully and dutifully, however. The Warden made sure that you got up each cliff. You soon found yourself crashing the grass as you stared at a small spring where bloomed Cherrim danced around it playfully and Beautiflies flapped around the open air above the sparkling water. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

You sighed and leaned your head on his shoulder after he sat down beside you. “I don't think I've seen this place on my map at all,” you chuckle as you gaze at the scene playing out before you. It was quite more difficult to get here than the usual areas you explored, however.

“Ah… It's a bit out of the way, so I doubt most mapmakers really cared to note it,” he explained, “I only found it by chance while I was wandering through the area. I believe Melli knows about it, too, but he doesn't seem to care for it.” You nodded. The sun was beginning to sun into the horizon, leaving an orange glow to bathe over the world. You closed your eyes.

“I'm sleeping at your place tonight,” you tell him, “You're also cooking.” He hummed in reply.

“Should I wear an apron?” The Warden joked.

You looked at him deadpan, “You have to, now.”

In the end, you both enjoyed yourself despite the strain of getting to the location.

[waywardstation]

Sorry for sprinkling a bit of Angst into this Phione AU and have Ingo find the headkerchief Akari usually wears.

Ingo would switch into panic mode if its here so she must be nearby or it would be crushing for him. And Akari probably panicking as well as to what happened to her body?!

-

Also aside my sprinkle of angst it would be interesting when she recognized her as she is just sad and basically defeated. And just in that moment when he turns to look at his noisy passenger suddenly awfully quiet he notices that lost and kinda lonely look to her he saw when he first first met. Akari. When was just a lonely warden tasked to guide her to Lady Sneasler. Slowly gears start turning (what are gears and why does this word sound familiar) and he asks the Phione: “Akari…?”

OH. OH THIS IS SO GOOD!!!

I know we said that Ingo would figure out that this phione is Akari because she writes a message in the dirt, but this concept is SO GOOD

After days of looking, Ingo finds Akari’s satchel and headkercheif (and maybe even her scarf?) in the tide offshore, near the cliffs.

This is exactly what he didn’t want to find.

He picks them all up, as well as whatever items managed to spill out from the satchel - it's clear that all of these things had been in the water for at least a day or two - and starts calling out for her as he's frantic at the shoreline. He's trying to ignore the terrible fate that this is pointing to.

She wasn't strong enough to make it back to shore. Ingo knew he should have started teaching her how to swim sooner. Why couldn't she have simply waited for him to finish his shift, so he could go with her?

Ingo can't tell if it's been 5 minutes or an hour, but he's not finding anything, and no one is calling back to him. He's afraid of the terrible situation that is glaring right back at him. Exausted, he falls to his knees in the sand, allowing himself to start crying as he holds onto Akari's things.

In the collar of his coat, Akari is mortified as well - If these are her things, did she swap bodies with the phione she's now stuck as? Where is it? Did it drown? Is she stuck like this forever??

But Ingo is crying. It breaks her heart. He thinks she's gone, but she's not! She's right here!

One more time. She'll try one more time.

Akari is a bit hesitant to do it - she knows she hasn't exactly behaved well these last few days in her attempts to get Ingo to recognize her, and Ingo is currently grieving over the items in his hands. She doesn't know how he'll feel about this, but she has to try.

She swipes her things out of Ingo's hands. He appears indignant at first, which makes her nervous, but Akari does her best to put the headkercheif around her head, as well as wrap her scarf around her. And she pulls her waterlogged pokedex out of her satchel, flipping it to the first page where she's written her name. She points at the name several times with a flipper, then back at herself, with big, mournful eyes.

Please. Please understand.

Ingo stares at the pokedex, then her. Back at the pokedex one more time, then they stay on her, for a long time. The hardened indignance in Ingo's features melts into more of a sad hope, as he wipes at the tears in his eyes.

Moreso than the attire, he recognizes that look.

"Akari..?"

[sea-adhesiveness537]

Ingo's Hisui pokemon!!

(Again, all pokemon caught in their first evolution except Express and Polar and all evolved to their last)

During the early days of settling into the Pearl Clan, Ingo has no idea what an alpha pokemon is, and no one can explain it to him properly bc language barriers so when he sees an alpha Gligar (Em) he's just "wow that's a big fuckin Gligar" with no concern for the danger. He first sees Em from within the settlement, trying to hunt some food in the distance. He's with several other smaller Gligar who for some reason aren't letting him get close to the prey. Em is very brave and tries his luck stealing food from the settlement, which causes some panic. Ingo quickly sees he has a broken wing and is probably considered weak by his own kind for it, even as an alpha, which is why they treated him that way. Ingo throws him some of his own food much to the horror of the clan members. Em continues to return to the settlement and steal food from Ingo after that, eventually trusting him enough to let him look at his wing and help heal him. Em decides Ingo's back is very comfy actually and he's gonna stay there and cling to it now. Ingo names him because his smile reminds him if someone he can't quite place

Ingo and Em are exploring Hisui so Ingo can get used to its geography when they end up in the Coastlands. They're foraging and are not so subtly being followed by a Tangela (Trip) that keeps snatching up berries Ingo (definitely not intentionally) drops. She's noticed bc she keeps tripping over he own vines. Em gets annoyed with her and tries to scare her off. Ingo scolds Em and challenges Trip to a battle instead of scaring her. Em thinks that once the battle is over Trip will leave but much to his jealously, despite Em's victory, Ingo congratulates Trip's bravery and invites her to join them (Em and Trip eventually become besties I promise)

It's after this point that Ingo is introduced to Jubilife and gets some pokeballs from Laventon

A Machoke (Express Train, Express for short) sees Ingo training with Em and Trip in the Icelands often and takes it upon himself to challenge them every time he sees them. One time Ingo tells him it will have to be their last battle for a while as he is going to the Highlands to be a warden. Express decides to go with him bc he'll miss the battles too much

Lady Sneasler is baffled by Ingo's lack of survival skills (aka fondness for pokemon) but she wants him to be happy so if he wants a pokemon he can have this baby Abra (Motor) she found that was causing disturbance in the Ursaring territory. Abra don't live in the Highlands anyway it's her own fault she ended up here maybe she should have stayed in the Fieldlands if she didn't want to be a gift

Ingo is still new to navigating the caves in the Highlands when he decides to put torches in Wayward Cave. He has no idea where he's going and gets lost. He sees a group of Nosepass and forgets to be cautious around Hisuian pokemon. He does his pointing pose and asks if they can help him out. Most raise their defences but one (Compass) points back as if challenging him. She leads him out of the cave. Ingo returns later to complete his torch trail and Compass sees him and thinks he got lost again so tries to show him the exit. Ingo uses the direction to place his torches. Compass decides if this silly man is going to keep getting lost in caves she might as well follow him so she can help him out

A Magneton lands in Hisui through a space-time distortion. It is disoriented and wanders out of the distortion by accident. Ingo is nearby and sees it panicking when the distortion closes and it has nonjdea where it is. He tries to call out to it to calm it down but it keeps zooming around the area and poking at the ground trying to find a way back home. Ingo sees the thundertone that was knocked out of the distortion before Polar does and he calls out too late. Polar accidentally touches the stone and evolves into Magnezone, fuelling its panic more bc it did not expect to evolve at that moment. It eventually runs out if energy and Ingo tries to comfort it, telling it he is also misplaced and if it would make Polar feel better, they can travel and search for home together

(Polar ultimately decides to stay in Hisui when Ingo returns home. It doesn't know if it and Ingo come from the same place/time and it is too afraid to be ripped from all that is familiar again. Motor is the only one that goes with him)

:0 I like how some of his Hisui mons are named after snippets of his life/time period prior to travelling back in time; especially Em! The nickname is so cute, but also sad in context 💀. I also like how two of his mons started out as rivals/enemies, but became besties over time, makes me think about the Jellyfish Duo xbxhdhsjsbdjdhhsxhxj.

[cheemken]

More stuff with the train men the in hisuian zorua!Drayton AU, lotta ppl headcanon the train twins to be related to dreyden in someway and I think for this AU their his kids (so he’s got 3 sons in total, Drayton’s dad n then the twins!) they never knew Drayton was a zorua until recently not out of bad intentions but bc it’s Drayton’s choice on who he gets to tell! Iris knows from the start bc duh they live together and Drayden knows bc Drayton’s dad called him for help when Drayton was first found so no one of the extended family knows Drayton is a zorua

But the twins drop by opelucid for a visit since Ingo never really got to meet Drayton as the E4 kiddos ran off once they got Lacey well in nimbasa but it’s only Iris and Drayton home as both of their parents are busy and Drayden is busy w/ mayor stuff, Iris n Drayton are rough housing like sibs do but Drayton is in his zorua form playfully biting at his sister n stuff n then the twins kinda just barge in (they have house keys and just��breaking into their brother’s house seems like something they’d do lol) n both siblings kinda freeze up n panic at seeing the twins

Emmets just like “oh wow! Iris! I didn’t know you were close with the strange white zorua! That’s verrry cool! Where’s your brother? Ingo wants to meet him!!” N ingo is just starring at Drayton, feeling something familiar as he stares at the zorua well Drayton is just wide eyed panicking along with his sister….~Drayton angst anon💛

Okay but can you imagine Drayton and Ingo just looking each other like

Where Drayton really knows Ingo while Ingo's there still having that feeling that he should know this tiny Zorua

But also imagine😭

Iris: oh, well, my brother, yeah, he's uhh...... He's out with his friends!

Emmet: ah, what a shame, indeed. Then perhaps we can visit some other time, right, brother?

Then they just see Ingo just,,, staring at Drayton like 👁️👁️ and Drayton's there all 👁️👁️💧

They're like, staring at each other for Arceus knows how long till Drayton whimpers and hides behind Iris. Ingo was honestly spacing out at that point lmfao. Then he's just "the white Zorua, how peculiar... It looks like... Hmm..." Then he turns to Emmet, nodding, then to Iris, "very well, perhaps we came in rather short notice as well. We shall leave soon, do send our dearest brother and father our regards, Iris."

Iris just gives him a thumbs up, laughing nervously, all "sure thing! I'll tell em you both stopped by, maybe you can visit tomorrow!"

"we shall. Farewell, young Champion."

After they left, Drayton turned back to his human form, Iris is there looking at him all "what was that about??"

"that was Warden Ingo.."

"Warden..?"

And it'd be dope if he really tells her abt the Pearl Clan, like, abt everyone he knows, who took care of him when his parents died, and then he finally gets to Ingo's bit, and then in Iris' pov it suddenly makes sense, the time Ingo was missing,, he was sent back in time to Hisui, and now that Ingo is back, Drayton was now with them in this time, in the present, the future

But also it'd be dope if like, on the way back home, Emmet was also asking Ingo the same thing. And Ingo told him that the white Zorua is like the Zorua in Hisui, the place that he was stuck on. He then tells him abt this one Zorua that lady Sneasler took in, and then mentions how when he looked at Drayton, when he looked at the Zorua with Iris, it felt like it was the same Zorua that Sneasler took in

Emmet's there all "do you think that Drayton is..?"

"perhaps.. but we cannot be certain just yet."

And they just,,, theorize stuff hahaha

[ghostypetrainer]

I don't know if you've mentioned it yet but what does Warden Annabel's team look like? I remember You've mentioned a Goodra and a challenge team alphas but what does her team look like besides that?

Does ingo's team change now that he works Interpol? Does Ingo continue to use his team from before or does he time share them with Emmet? Does he have a new team entirely?

I actually gave Anabel's Hisui team some thought and ended up with the following squad!

Alakazam, Snorlax, Mismagius and Weavile are all Pokemon she has on her sun/moon team that are also available in PLA, so I stuck with those four. Weavile obviously fits incredibly well here, given that she would be Lady Sneasler's new warden, so of course she takes in the odd colored Sneasel that she finds in the Fieldlands one day. And Alakazam is just funny to me that it overlaps with Warden Ingo's team. Couldn't pass that up.

I wanted to give her a Hisuian mon too, and Hisuian Goodra felt right to me! And lastly I gave her a Luxray bc I love Luxray. Also it calls back to her Raikou.

As for Ingo, he still uses his normal team- Chandelure, Excadrill, Haxorus and Garbodor, but I like to think he also catches at least one Ultra Beast to fill out his roster, and the idea of him still ending up with a Gliscor is also fun to me!

[yewsoup]

Everstone Statue pt 2

Words: 2,496

There is a statue of a man on mount coronet. Everstone details forever unbroken. The way it was made, an impossible construction, unknown to all. How did such a thing come to be? And what happens when an eternal stone cracks?

Can also be read here on Ao3!

Rei, sixteen now, has been in Hisui for over a year when the fifth noble frenzies.

Fortunately, there are no qualms of Ingo aiding with the quelling of Lord Avalug's frenzy. Even without them knowing of his help in quelling Lord Electrode.

(They're both almost certain it's suspected. By Irida and Warden Calaba at least. But nothing has been said, so it's fine.)

Ingo's presence helps soothe over any lingering tensions and uncertainties from the pearl clan. Or at least, they don't get particularly voiced.

Sabi was a bit of a nuisance to chase. But they managed it on their own fine.

Staring up at Lord Avalug, they're glad Ingo is here to help. They don't even comment on Irida calling him Uncle. (That would be rude.) Because they do NOT want to do this alone.

The winter's chill bites their exposed skin, and they hike the scarf Ingo gave them a little higher on their face, before they ready the balms, and Lord Avalug awakens.

<---------------------------------------------------------->

An icicle rips through the side of Ingo's tunic as he shoves them out of the way. Their heart twists in two as he cries out in pain.

But he waves them on as his pokemon drags him away from the fight. They have to keep moving.

And as Warden Ingo passes out from pain, Avalug's Frenzy is Quelled. Much to the villain of this story's fury.

<---------------------------------------------------------->

Ingo is staring at the ceiling of the Pearl Clan medbay. Rei is sitting next to him. A messenger had been sent to the Galaxy Team to make them aware of Rei's stay with the Pearl Clan.

The silence is deafening.

"I just slept for twelve hours but I still might be tired so let's go for another twelve." Ingo says from the bed.

Rei startles at the sudden words, staring at their friend. "Ingo, that's a coma."

"Sounds festive." He mumbles as he closes his eyes.

He does not end up sleeping. Instead bursting into laughter (that makes him wheeze and cough a bit, much to Rei's panic, though they are waved off) when they shake his arm and shout at him.

Rei is incredibly glad he was joking.

Even as their laughter fades and they go back to tense silence, neither wanting to address the copperajah in the room.

Rei ends up softly wishing Ingo well and leaving when he does, inevitably, fall back asleep.

<---------------------------------------------------------->

Lady Sneasler breaks into the medicine tent to check on Ingo. Nobody is surprised, except at how on earth she got in without anyone hearing her and without leaving traces of her presence.

She laughs at them and keeps her secrets.

At least Ingo convinces her he'll be okay. Even if they all know she'll be back to check on him.

<---------------------------------------------------------->

In a secret, hidden, space, the one who caused the frenzies fumes as he paces back and forth. Not a single one has gotten it's attention! Every single time, the frenzies have been quelled by that. that. skyfaller! And their crazy warden friend even started helping them!

The villian has seen that man feed an alpha kleavor from his hand. Standing close enough to it that it could have easily sliced it in two with it's axes.

Something more drastic has to be done. More drastic than the frenzy he had been infusing Lord Avalug with in his hibernation. Striking it as well as whatever other noble that frenzied at the same time. Which allowed it to build and be ignored for the lord was dormant. They have to go higher than the nobles. Strike at something else. Something more. Something bigger than a puny noble.

He and Giratina must frenzy a God.

But that requires Giratina to store up even more power, more anger, in order to strike like that.

And so they wait. Continuing to pretend their goodness.

<---------------------------------------------------------->

Rei stays with the Pearl Clan for a week, helping out around the village as they worry about their best friend. Zisu even makes the trek to come see Ingo! Using Kamado's orders to check up on them to see if her friends are alright and if Ingo is healing alright.

Ingo, despite everything, is healing surprisingly well and quickly. The way the healer clicks it's tongue at him and comments that it'll never understand how the old man heals so quickly reminds them of how Pesselle was surprised with how they healed quicker than she expected, when they had gone to her for medical aid after the fieldlands Alpha Rapidash incident, and didn't get as hurt as she thought they would be by the alpha.

They think it's a difference between humans now and humans in the future. Or maybe it's just from falling through rips in space-time. But it didn't strike them as weird how quickly their gash healed (it wasn't THAT much quicker than what Pesselle had expected) so unlike when they felt like they were taller than they should be when they first got here, they're pretty sure it's just a future thing.

Yet more proof Ingo came from the same time as them...

They're both sitting at the edge of the settlement, away from prying ears, and staring up at the rift above Mount Coronet.

Rei speaks first.

"Do you... Do you think this is over? I-I mean, if the pattern holds, this should be the last frenzy, but the rift is still there."

"I don't know. I hope it's over, but I fear there is worse on the horizon..."

"Worse? Worse than Lord Avalug?! We barely beat Lord Avalug and you got hurt! Really badly!"

"You could have been hurt worse."

"I'm young! I'll heal better! I don't-" Rei hesitates, biting their tongue. They're beginning to cry, they know it. So they continue, quieter. "I don't know what I'd do if you died because you were protecting me..."

"If I died protecting my friend, helping them, I would die only regretting the sorrow I would cause them. Cause others." Ingo pauses, before continuing. "If I had been a little faster, a little more careful, I wouldn't have been hurt. I'm sorry for failing to complete my safety checks and worrying you like this."

They fall silent, Rei leaning on Ingo's shoulder. "Promise me you won't get yourself hurt just to protect me?"

"I promise. But I won't let you fight anymore frenzies alone, okay?"

"Pinky promise?"

Ingo blinks, before his eyes crinkle at them in a smile, and he hooks their pinky with his own. "Pinky promise. We'll be a two-car train."

They smile back at him, before going back to leaning on him. They sit in content silence until it gets too cold for them to stay out any longer, and their pokemon drag them back in.

<---------------------------------------------------------->

Things had returned, more or less, to normal, after the week spent at the Pearl Clan camp. Rei went back to survey work, and Ingo returned to Mount Coronet.

Of course, that means they're wandering around the coronet highlands. Surveying and checking those tunnels they found.

Rumbling like an earthquake quickly sends them running out of the tunnels. It happens, and they haven't seen any tunnels collapse yet.

But they don't want to be in a tunnel when it does end up collapsing. Trapped and suffocating in a cave so like the Sinnoh Underground, yet different. Nobody will find you if you get hurt and stuck in them.

Welp. Guess they're surveying something else today!

Maybe they can go find Ingo?

<---------------------------------------------------------->

They find Ingo sitting and eating a berry. Taking a break from whatever he was doing (or just having come to enjoy the weather, this isn't too far from his lady's den.)

They also find a Massive Alpha Steelix looming over him, poised to strike. The biggest one they've seen.

Ingo is completely unaware of the Steelix as he waves to Rei, calling out. "Ah! Hello, Rei! I didn't know you were in the highlands." His brow furrows, noticing their tense posture. "What's wrong?"

His gaze follows where they're pointing, nice and straight like he taught them, to look behind him.

Ingo looks down, at the ground, before his gaze travels up, and up, and up, to see the Steelix. Feather in his cap nearly brushing the ground as he stares up at the Eleven Metre Tall Steelix.

"Oh." He does not sound surprised.

Instead of running, or sending out a pokemon, or any other manner of reasonable things, he holds up his berry to it. "Do you want this, Tracks?"

Tracks? Tracks?? He KNOWS this Steelix?!

... Why are they so surprised, they have seen him wrestle with other alphas.

Rei watches Ingo, on cue of the Steelix's rumble, toss the berry into the air, where it neatly snaps it up. Then turns back to them as if there is nothing terrifying about this picture. "This is Tracks. It digs tunnels with me in exchange for berries, so there's more space in the caves for other pokemon, and people can travel, at least sometimes, a little more safely!"

"Wait, YOU'RE the one whose been causing the mysterious tunnels!?"

<---------------------------------------------------------->

Rei stares up at the strange symbols carved into the cave wall.

|   | !

||  | _

They have no idea why Ingo thought this was funny.

It has become lost to him as well.

They suppose they'll never get an answer to these strange notations.

<---------------------------------------------------------->

They can't believe this. As they follow Ingo through the tunnels on a short tour. They can't believe their best friend didn't tell them about this.

The rumbling in the tunnels is when Tracks is going through them, or digging more.

"I can't believe you're the one who started the Sinnoh Underground..."

"...Pardon?" Oh no. Did they say that out loud?

<---------------------------------------------------------->

Ingo watches Rei freeze when he questions their odd words. Started? He just likes tunnels. Making tunnels for easier travel just makes sense to him. Why would Almighty Sinnoh claim tunnels? Why call it the underground?

"I-Erm-" Rei fidgets, staring up at Ingo's glowing eyes as he looks over his shoulder at them. Then they sigh. "Okay. I've been meaning to bring this up anyways..."

They go sit on a rock on the side of the tunnel, and pat it as a signal to join them. He sits next to them and stares at them expectantly, avoiding eye contact so they're comfortable.

Lucas takes a deep breath to steady themself, before they begin. "I'm not... I remember more than I've told you. Bits and pieces. A lot of it's really... blurry."

Sigh. "Probably because I'm from the future of Hisui. Where it's called Sinnoh, like the god, for reasons that escape me still..."

A glance to Ingo, to see him listening attentively, before they continue. "In the future, there's a place called the Sinnoh Underground- because it's in Sinnoh. It's a system of tunnels all throughout the underground of Sinnoh. Hence the underground part of the name. The underground started from a grouping of tunnels under Mount Coronet, which were expanded by people and pokemon underground until they were able to be accessed anywhere in Sinnoh. And..." Deep breath. "And I guess you're the person who made the original tunnels!" They give him a weak smile, an attempt to be cheerful. "But I... Well..."

They look back down at their hands, picking at the hems of their sleeves. "I haven't been born yet- won't be born for at least a hundred years, probably more. And..." and... "And you won't either, I think. Because you're from the same place I'm from."

"You cannot just sail home." Ingo surmises, jumping over the fence of their words and getting straight to the point.

Lucas cringes, but nods. "And if I do manage to find my way home, everyone here- everyone I've made friends with- will be dead." Including you. Unless you come with me. They do not say. "I don't... I don't want to lose..." their best friend. "But I want to go home and I'm-" They let out a frustrated growl, screwing up their eyes as they press the heels of their palms to their face. "I'm not you! I remember things! I don't have any family here! And the only other person not afraid of pokemon is you!"

Ingo does not flinch, instead putting a comforting hand on the sixteen year old's shoulder. His words are somber when he speaks. "I understand your plight, Rei. I was not always as accepted as you see me. I am... strange. Weird. I was even moreso when I was younger, due to learning so much from Lady Sneasler. People did not like me very much, and even if I did not remember, I wished to go home."

A pause, for words to sink in.

"I still want to know where I came from, let the people I knew know that I am alright somehow. And I would prefer not to lose you. But if you want to go home..." Hm... "If you want to go home, which is in the future, we could always make you a time capsule? Write you letters. So you can hear from us, even when we're all long gone? Or perhaps you could work something out with that perplexing creature that sent you here..." He muses. "It sent you here in the first place, yes? Should it not have the power to take you back and forth?"

"I hope so. I really hope so. I don't want to leave you behind, but I don't want to take you from everyone else- who I don't want to leave behind either!"

"Even Bagin?"

"Even Stinky Old Bagin."

<---------------------------------------------------------->

Lucas ends up telling Ingo more about the future, sating his curiousity some. It even brought some whisps of memory back!

Apparently, he was a city boy. Which is far too funny as he literally lives on a mountain as far from civilization as possible and used to visit settlements every couple months at best. The most mountain man mountain man he could be. He's literally a chansey case of sorts. This man could not be more feral unless he lost all concept of manners.

And they have an unspoken agreement not to mention this knowledge of the future to anyone.

It does not stop them from rickrolling Melli. Who is incredibly confused by it.

<---------------------------------------------------------->

Despite the tension. The rift still looming above the mountain. Things slowly go back to normal. Everyone going about their days as they were before.

Ingo's wound from Lord Avalug heals to a scar.

Rei is getting closer to completing the pokedex every day.

No more nobles are frenzied.

Everything is fine.

There was even a rainbow the other day :)

<---------------------------------------------------------->

Part two! Once again you can read it in full on Ao3 or tune in later for part 3- aka the last part until I finish the sequel fic.

[a-land-lacking-sleep]

Submas/PLA Fic Electric Trains are the Future Ch. 9: All the Time in the World

Previous Chapter (8) - Current Chapter - Next Chapter (10)

What better way to come down from Emmet committing a violence than 2 months of slice of life? It feels so good to have this be my return chapter, honestly, because it feels so sweet to me. I’m really happy with this chapter.

Chapter Summary: Life in Jubilife is easy when you have family. Akari works on her Pokedex, Elesa gets used to her new jobs, and Ingo enjoys the company of those around him. Chapter Word Count: 4054

As always, you can read below or on AO3 with additional notes! Reblogs and comments are always appreciated, but first and foremost, please enjoy!

2 Days since Elesa’s Arrival

Ingo wakes up first that morning, and finds himself wrapped up in Elesa’s arms. He lets a small huff, and slowly unwinds her arms before making his way quietly to the room divider and changing out of his underclothes into a clean set, then putting his Clan uniform on with his customary coat and hat on top. Once he’s dressed, he takes a quick look at Elesa, who is still out like a light on her futon, and laughs softly. He made sure to keep quiet as he wrote a note for her.

“My station for the next few days will be with Lady Sneasler in the Highlands. I should not neglect my duty as Warden. My tracks will lead me back here, with a cargo of plump beans, hearty grains, and various berries. Please perform your safety checks, and remember to smile!            - Ingo”

Ingo quietly slips out of the house and begins his walk down Canala Avenue, waving quietly to the other early risers in Jubilife. He wasn’t an odd sight around here anymore, and plenty of the villagers, themselves foreigners from other lands, had grown used to having him around. Especially after many of them came to the Training Grounds to ask him questions while Zisu was around. That didn’t mean he was surrounded by friends, however, so his walk to the exit of the Village was cordial, but quiet and uneventful.

“Ah, end of your shift, Warden?” Ress asks as Ingo approaches the gate. As expected, Ress is the first and only to say anything to Ingo.

“Yes, right on schedule,” Ingo says, gripping his cap with his left hand. “My home station is calling for me, but I will return to this one in a few days time.” The two weren’t particularly close, but they at least had a working relationship.

“Can’t wait to have you back, Warden,” Ress says with a laugh. “Been meaning to swing by and train Mr. Mime’s barriers.” The Mr. Mime mentioned was currently over to the side of the gate, yawning and wiping the sleep from his face before miming himself a cup of coffee. Hm, Ingo will have to remember to see if the Gingko Clan has any coffee, or can at least procure him some.

Ingo nods briefly as he thinks. “I’ll keep that in mind, Ress. Until I return, I recommend having him test his barriers against your Shinx and Bidoof. They can attack in a variety of ways and help to broaden his strengths and lead to victory.” Satisfied with his advice, Ingo finds himself naturally falling into his point and call pose. “Now, I don’t want to keep my Lady waiting, so I will be departing on this line.” He lets go over the brim of his hat and gives a short wave. “Remember your safety checks! All aboard!”

The trek from the Village to the Highlands was nearly a full day trip, though there were still a few hours of sunlight when Ingo arrived at the foothills of the mountain. Pulling out his Celestica Flute, he blows two loud notes into it, and waits patiently for Lady Sneasler to appear.  Once she does, he greets her with a wave and a smile. “Good Evening, my Lady! The tracks were clear, and thus I was able to make good time on the schedule.”

Lady Sneasler looks at him with an odd expression, then laughs to herself. Ingo frowns and pulls his hat down slightly in embarrassment. “My Lady, I don’t know what you mean by ‘looking like a Glameow’, I was trying to give you a smile.” Sensing her Warden’s embarrassment, Sneasler pushes Ingo’s hat up and licks his forehead.

Ingo gives Sneasler a huff, then a small smile. “Come, my Lady. We have work to do before the sun goes down, and I have memories to share with you.” Sneasler perks up, her mouth open in shock before she hugs Ingo tight. “My Lady, please remember your station!”

However, even though he struggles against her hug, he can’t help but hug her back, letting out his booming laughter.

2 Weeks since Elesa’s Arrival

Elesa raises her arms high above her head, stretching her back and shoulders, hearing joint pop throughout her body. It was a warmer day as the sun began to climb up the sky, and she was incredibly thankful for Arezu’s help with her hair and the modifications she made to her uniform.

On the hair front, she had removed the braids from her hair and cut it into a short bob that had slanting bangs on the front, and an undercut that she convinced Arezu to dye a bright electric blue. With her uniform, she had thinned the material around the shoulders for better movement, removed the fur from her cuffs and instead cinched them tight, and added some more fur to the neckline, keeping it fluffy but not all that more warmer. Kamado wasn’t the biggest fan of her modifying the uniform, but he allowed it once Zisu gave her the clear.

Speaking of Zisu, she’d given Elesa a job this morning. An Alpha Luxray had nested nearby Jubilife, far too close for the Galaxy Team’s liking. All Elesa had to do was drive it off, most likely by fainting it and then getting Akari’s help to relocate it, or capturing it. The reason Elesa was chosen was because after a week in the Training Grounds, Elesa had proven to be second only to Ingo in the Security Corps when it came to battling. Since Akari and Ingo were both out of the Village, she was the natural choice.

She’d barely even crested Aspiration Hill when she heard the Luxray yowling into the open air. Elesa wouldn’t make any claim that she could understand a Pokemon’s voice when she hadn’t trained them, but she could hear the anger and warning in this Luxray. She keeps low to the ground, hiding in the grass as she comes into view of the Luxray.

“Holy fucking shit.” Elesa was alone, she didn't care about language. 

That has to be the largest Luxray she has ever seen, nearly 3 times the size of her own Sheds. She could hardly believe that Akari and Ingo both captured and trained these things, but now it’s her job to get rid of them.

Keeping to the grass, she watches the Luxray turn the other way and plod down the path as she recalls Akari’s advice. If you strike a Pokemon from behind, they take longer to react. She grabs Skitters’ ball and brings her arm back, zeroing her gaze onto the back of the Luxray’s head. With a silent prayer to Reshiram for her aim to be True, she whips her arm forward, launching the Pokeball and slamming it into the back of Luxray’s head.

Skitters comes flying out and nearly falls out of the air in shock seeing such a huge Luxray, though Elesa’s command causes her to snap into focus. “Skitters, use Charm, and then Acrobatics to throw its balance!” Skitters knows exactly what to do, landing on the Luxray’s head and nuzzling into its fur for Charm, before backflipping down its back and landing with full force onto its back.

This snapped the Luxray out of its daze, and it roared loudly, knocking Skitters off of its back and into the air. Before she could right herself, the Luxray spins around and launches itself into the flying squirrel with a Double-Edge, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

Biting her lower lip, Elesa grabs the Pokeball for her Stunfisk, Smirks, and shouts out a command for Emolga. “Use U-Turn, you need a break!” She was already throwing out Smirks’ ball as Skitters collides with the giant cat and comes back to her ball, just in time as the Luxray uses a Wild Charge on the new target. Smirks chuckles.

The Luxray nearly crumples to Smirks’ Earth Power, falling forward as its front legs give out. As it struggles to get back up, Elesa throws an Ultra Ball at it, pegging it in the ribs, and holds her breath. She watches the ball bounce up once, barely coming off the ground.

And then fireworks. Elesa crumples to the ground with a sigh while Smirks does a wiggle of celebration.

6 Weeks since Elesa’s Arrival

Akari wishes Rei had been able to stick around when this Distortion showed up, because she was in need of assistance. She didn’t blame him, he was out of Pokemon to use, but she is currently surrounded by nearly half a dozen Pokemon, with only one being her target - A tiny little Cranidos who is trying to pick a fight with an Alpha Steelix.

C’mon, little guy, he’s so big, don’t do this. Akari needs him awake to capture, and she thinks this Steelix will just kill the little guy instead. She has to come up with a plan. As the two are shouting at each other, she pulls out some Heavy Balls and looks through her pack. 3 Cakes Bases, 13 Oran Berries, and oh, 2 Smoke Bombs and a Stealth Spray!

First order of business was to snag two of the watching Pokemon with Heavy Balls from behind, a Johtoan Sneasel and an Eevee. Thankfully, they stayed in their balls, and the fireworks were quiet enough not to disrupt the rest. The other two that were ready to watch the slaughter, a Geodude and a Cyndaquil, did look around though, noting the disappearance of the two.

So Akari drops the smoke bomb, covering her nose and mouth as it fills the area, actually driving Geodude and Cyndaquil further away. Didn’t expect that, but hey, never look a gift Ponyta in the mouth. She hefts the Cake Bases in her hands, and tosses one past the Steelix’ eyeline, and then a second behind the Cranidos. Both feuding Pokemon trail the flying Cake Base, but Steelix moves faster towards it and scoops it up.

Before it can finish chewing, however, an Ultra Ball bounces off of its head, and it goes into the ball. And just after, another bounces off Cranidos’ head. Akari watches from the grass for them both to shoot fireworks.

Crandidos’ ball shoots fireworks first, and bounced back towards her. Goal!

Steelix’ immediately breaks open as she catches the successful capture, and whips around to face her. 

Akari wastes no time straightening up and bolting out of the Distortion, pulling out the Celestica Flute to call for Lord Braviary. Screw this Distortion, she didn’t need anything else!

9 Weeks since Elesa’s Arrival

“Adaman, sorry to say this right as we meet, but you’ve waited too Muk-ing long to get that dye redone,” Elesa says with a shake of her head. Arezu had told her that the Leader of Clan was coming to get his hair trimmed and redyed. Thankfully, she also told her that he was very relaxed and a fun gossip.

“I know, I know,” he says in response, putting his hands up in defense. “Unfortunately, my favorite Warden and hairdresser now lives a day’s travel away,” he says with a smirk as Arezu comes around the corner to hug her friend and Leader.

“Careful, Addy!” Arezu says with a laugh as she steps back with her own smile. “Mai might not like hearing her little brother call someone else his favorite Warden.” Arezu had told Elesa about Mai before, Wyrdeer’s Warden in the Fieldlands, and the adoptive sister to Adaman.

“Now, now, Arezu, no need to tease your boss,” Elesa says, patting her coworker on the back of the head. “It’s good to properly meet you, by the way,” she says, bowing slightly instead of extending her hand like she normally would. “My name is Elesa, as Arezu here has most likely told you.”

“Yes, she’s told me about you,” Adaman says with a smile and the barest of a bow. “You’re Ingo’s,” he glances at Arezu to look for guidance on what to say before “wiiiife?” Arezu sighs and Adaman backpedals. “Or are you two still courting? I didn’t get the full picture.”

If there was any offense that could be had, Elesa didn’t find any as she giggled. “Ingo wishes I was his wife, given the looks I catch him giving my legs some nights.” Adaman pulls a look of shock at the brazenness of her statement, and Arezu has to hold back a laugh, nearly doubling over. 

Old Edith, however, did the most sensible thing, and let out a loud cackle. “Ingo must be a true gentleman if he’s actually trying to hide those looks, dearie.” Seeing that the conversation would continue, Edith grabs Adaman gently by the arm and leads him to a chair. “Now, sit down, young man, and let’s get that hair tie off so we can get started.”

As Arezu gets started, Edith excuses herself to grab some food from the Wallflower, and Elesa sits down in the open chair to chat. “I have to say, Elesa,” Adaman starts as Arezu begins brushing out his hair, “I didn’t expect to see someone else with a similar taste. The two of us must be kindred spirits!” He lets out a laugh, and is swatted gently by Arezu.

“Yeah, most people around here tend to do more natural colors, or a full head of a single color,” Elesa says, lifting her bob to show off the blue in her undercut. “But I like to play around a bit, and haven’t done blue in a few years.”

“It is a very bold choice,” Adaman says, shivering slightly as Arezu applies the oily balm (Elesa swears it’s just Basculine made with real Basculin) to his hairline. “I have to ask, how did you manage to get such a vibrant blue?”

“She brought some Tangrowth vines and used that for the color base,” Arezu says with a laugh as she begins applying the dye. “Edith occasionally asks her to bring some more stuff by, since she tends to make such vibrant dyes.”

A few minutes pass before Adaman speaks back up. “So, Arezu told me that Lord Dialga brought you here through time, right?” Elesa quirks an eyebrow and nods. “So have you had a chance to chat with the new Unovans she said showed up with the last batch of arrivals?”

“Oh! No, not yet,” Elesa says, rubbing the back of her neck. “Kamado and Cyllene aren’t sure if we should be telling people about the whole Faller situation, so I’ve been avoiding them. The boys also have Johtoan in their bloodline, so I don’t wanna risk anything if they end up being people that go back to Unova or something similar.” She waves her hand around. “Paradoxes, you know?”

Adaman hums in acknowledgement. “Yeah, we’ve had some Leaders before theorize on what might happen with paradoxes, though we’ve never had a way to test.” Another swat from Arezu to remind him of manners. “I wasn’t going to suggest she be our test subject on that!”

“Then be nicer about it!” Arezu says, huffing out her cheeks as she finishes up the dye job. “Don’t be mean, you Avalugg!”

Elesa just laughs, and is about to say something when Edith walks back in with lunch, killing the thought.

10 Weeks since Elesa’s Arrival

Akari and Rei are both dozing under a tree in the Mirelands, sitting in front of the slope to the Solaceon Ruins after a long day of survey work. Her newly evolved Bastidon and Rampardos had meandered down to the river bank, resting in the last of the setting sun. Akari had them working full force through the day to level up as Cranidos and Sheldon, and then to evolve and fill out the new entries for their evolved forms.

Rei, meanwhile, was working on finalizing his own Pokedex entries. He couldn’t officially submit the entries for the four Pokemon he’d spent the day with, since a capture is required for Cyllene and the Professor to properly count it, but it gave him a head start.

“Calculating all the captures and surveillance from today, I’m still only at the beginning of Star Rank 9,” Rei says in exasperation as he looks over the new additions to his Pokedex. “Is Rank 10 even possible? I don’t even have a chance to get some of the Legendaries you got your hands on.” He looks over to Akari with a tired expression.

Akari raises her hands in confused defeat before finding words to respond with. “I swear that Cyllene or Kamado or Laventon, or WHOEVER made the points for the ranking, want to punish us. Rank 10 is impossible! It’s a scam!” She pulls out her own Pokedex and puts it on the ground, waving Rei over. Rei follows the command dutifully.

“Look at this,” she starts, leafing through her Pokedex. “I have 50000 points, which is still 10000 points away from getting Rank 10!”

“I have 35000! How did you get so many?!” Rei pulls out his Pokedex and starts rifling through it again, cringing at how many empty spots he has where he has observations, but didn’t manage a capture. “That could explain why I’m lagging behind…”

“Hey, don’t worry, you got time,” Akari says, gently shoving Rei to keep him focused. “The reason my points are so high is because I also went through and did every task for a lot of the Pokemon, instead of just completing the entries. If I’d just done that, I’d be 3000 points short of where I am.”

“Wait, so it’s even worse!” Rei exclaims, causing his Pikachu to lift its head from the nap it was taking, before plopping it back down. “You basically have to do everything! Is there even anything worthwhile to get from getting Rank 10?”

Akari slams her book shut and huffs. “From what Laventon said, no! You get a small pay raise, like with the other ranks! But we only get paid by captures, not by research, and when we finish the Pokedex, getting captures is meaningless!” She leans back heavily against the tree, causing it to shake slightly. “It’s a scam! Kamado had to have come up with it.”

“Or Laventon,” Rei says, also falling against the tree with a hard thud, causing it to shake more. “Galarians like to do weird things li-” 

Whumph. Whumph. Three things happen in quick succession.

The first thing is two Cherubi fall from the tree, bouncing slightly and getting stunned from the fall. One is slightly smaller than the other, almost like a baby. Size wasn’t a research task, but it’s a bragging right, dammit!

The second thing is that the smaller one was immediately captured by Akari, who instinctively threw a Pokeball at it before it could even register it hit the ground.

And third, Rei flips his Pokedex to Cherubi’s page and marks down that he’s seen two Cherubi fall from a tree, before capturing the larger one in a Great Ball.

The two stare at the balls in silence, and then erupt in cheers when the fireworks go off. “Finally!” Akari shouts. “I’ve been trying to find a fucking Cherubi for months!”

“Akari, language! Calaba might be around!” Rei says, quickly making sure the elder isn’t nearby before marking down the capture in his ‘Dex.

“Oh, bite me.”

14 Weeks since Elesa’s Arrival

It’s been a week, and Ingo still couldn’t get used to how cold it is in the mornings. The wind bit into his skin every morning, even with his undershirt to help insulate. And do not get him started on the hat! He was glad that Rei lent him an extra hat, but Ingo likes to fidget with his brim, and the flat caps the young man collects aren’t thin enough or sturdy enough at the edge to properly grab.

If it weren’t Elesa who had asked him, Ingo would’ve never let his coat and hat depart from their station. But Elesa had made the original coats for him and Emmet when the pair had gotten the grant and license for the Battle Subway approved over a decade ago. And she was so happy when she finally got the materials for it through the Gingko Clan that Ingo made the painful choice to remove the coat of paint from his cab.

He just wished that it could be done faster. Spring was running the tracks at full speed, but getting to the Training Field so early was still cold. At least he had turned Zisu onto coffee, so they were able to get moving much faster to help fend off the chill. But, since Elesa had returned from her expedition out with Akari and the Professor the night before, that means his coat should be done tonight.

Ah, there Elesa was, reporting for duty this mor- She was wearing his coat! Without letting Zisu know, Ingo rushes from the Training Grounds to meet his partner.

“All Aboard!” Elesa shouts with a laugh, pointing at the quickly approaching conductor with a laugh. “I thought this coat was good for warmth in Nimbasa, but it makes night and day here too!”

Ingo wasn’t paying too much attention to her words though, instead looking over the coat. Elesa caught on and turned a pose to let him see the coat at a better angle. And dear Zekrom, this was his coat in an Ideal form! He was unable to discern where the fabric was restored by stitch alone, though he could tell she had cut the coat’s bottom half and redid the hem entirely rather than try to cut pieces to fit the shreds.

“Bravo!” Clapping, Ingo straightens back up and slides his hands under the coat, holding his girlfriend to give her a kiss. “It looks like it was never worn!”

“I did try to leave some of the wear there,” Elesa says, reaching up and snatching the flat cap off of Ingo’s head, placing his normal hat back on. “It adds a lot of character. Helps show your passion for the position.” She lifts an arm and slaps him with the limp end of the sleeve, which seems to extend a good 3 inches off of her arm. “Now get this thing off me, I have Banette hands!”

Ingo helps her slip the coat off, taking a sleeve off Elesa’s arm as she keeps giggling, and putting his arm in immediately to help keep it off the ground. “Ah, it feels good to have the weight back!” He snatches the flatcap from her hand and places it on her head when he notices a bit of discoloration on the inside of the cuff.

“Hm?” He rolls back the cuff, seeing a light pink fabric, the same texture as the rest of the coat. Lifting the hem, he sees the same color, only showing on the inside of the coat. And there, where the hole that a Sneasel had ripped also had a sliver of pink. It was the same color as the tunic he wore beneath.

“I worked with Irida on getting the dyes for the fabric,” Elesa says softly, smiling at him. “That way, when we get back home, you would still have a connection to them, through time and space.” Her smile falters for a second. “Wait, Ingy, are you smiling?”

Ingo was indeed smiling, a normally expressionless flat line slightly upturned as tears began to leak from his eyes. A smile he very rarely held during particularly intense battles, now on full display. “Bravo, Elesa. This is beyond all my expectations.”

After a moment of Ingo quietly crying in happiness, Elesa pats him on the arm. “C’mon, Deerling, I think Zisu’s noticed us.” That got him to swallow heavily and straighten, and walk back with her to the Training Grounds, tears still collecting in his eyes.

Once they come back in view of where Zisu is standing at the Dojo, she turns to greet them and pauses. “By Lugia, Ingo, that’s the difference of night and day! I never realized your coat was so long and beautiful!”

Ingo stood straight, fixing his collar like a punk would focus on fixing his pompadour. “Why thank you. Elesa did wonders, did she not? I feel as though my cab has been fully repaired!”

[pointvee]

I posted 1,191 times in 2022

That's 1,188 more posts than 2021!

118 posts created (10%)

1,073 posts reblogged (90%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@browniefox

@rukafais

@poplasia

@rolkientolkien

@fluorescent-air-fresheners

I tagged 801 of my posts in 2022

Only 33% of my posts had no tags

#pokemon - 481 posts

#submas - 345 posts

#ingo - 297 posts

#emmet - 182 posts

#vee talks pokemon - 73 posts

#lmao - 68 posts

#wardeningopcau - 58 posts

#akari - 37 posts

#kirby - 30 posts

#sneasler - 27 posts

Longest Tag: 109 characters

#and as both an asian and a southerner this severely limits my beverage options at any given event or function

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Submas Longer Fic Recs pt. 1

In Tandem by yautjan

In which Arceus calls upon two pairs of twins to stop two doomsday plots simultaneously.

Ingo and Emmet are summoned to two different Jubilifes, to two different teenagers to aid them in their seemingly innocent journeys for reasons they do not fully understand. Dark machinations are at work though, and if everyone wants to get home safe at the end of the day it will take every ounce of strength, conviction and courage to brave the trials set before them.

Oh the Years have been Long by layren

Emmet and the world forget Ingo after he disappears, and some years later Sinnoh forgets Dawn. Nonetheless, they return, their own memories worse for wear. The Nimbasa Crew and Sinnoh Trainers combine forces, try to make sense of their lost memories and regain what's lost, and create a found family in the process.

Sought and Found by SakiStarling

When Akari was taken from her time, she was in the middle of something rather important. Now, things are even more dicey in a region that may or may not know her.

A Delivery Through Time by MCNixie

Emmet gets letters from 200 years ago via time magic. He is not having a good time.

Standard Operating Procedures by layren and pointvee

Who is Ingo? Who is Emmet? Who is Missing? 

Unknown Tracks by StellarCoachman

In which no one told Emmet and Elesa that Ingo had time travelled, with some interesting consequences.

Detours by BrownieFox

Ingo and Dawn fall back into the future - and so does Rei. 

(grabs the funny subway man) YOURE GOING BACK HOME FUCKER by Random_ag

In which Nimbasa City's most prominent figures find themselves in grief, a man and a child emerge from the mountains, and Ingo grapples with a world he would swear he knows, but cannot recognize.

Next stop, the place once called home by shadow_oblivion

the joltik fic, where Lady Sneasler and Ingo fall back into current times, and almost die a few times

232 notes - Posted April 30, 2022

#4

I can imagine that because it’s basically his diary he also records things that tick him off as well as important life events. He doesn’t upload anything for a while and then he posts a barely visible picture of a toppled over torch in a cave with “Goddammit Melli” written under the image, or whatever the pokemon equivalent of goddammit is

"Sinnoh above Melli this is the fortieth time this month"

others include:

[a shot of a large pile of torches, whose design is distinctive to pre-colonized Sinnoh] "Lady Sneasler was kind enough to help me gather all of the torches"

[a shot of a trail of torches leading the way through a cave, with a barely visible purple claw on the border] "All Safety Protocols have been Restored!"

[an extremely blurry shot of a frightened man in blue being bowled over by a blur of purple fur] "YOU."

260 notes - Posted April 11, 2022

#3

im surprised no one has eeby deebied the funny train men in marvel new york

ingo and emmet as villains of the day but theyre really just renovating the subway and making all the train run on time

or maybe just emmet while ingo has fun in hisui

tony stark having to deal with an unknown energy drain. emmets joltiks have coincidentally found a new favorite snack. emmet is also missing several joltik. the two collide. 

spiderman meets joltik??? wait doesnt miles morales also have electric powers

 something about the tesseract. maybe it summons palkia by accident

idk theres so many ideas to be had here

302 notes - Posted April 3, 2022

#2

more additions to the ingo on social media post i had:

im yoinking an idea from @cell113 with permission to fix my plothole, ingo thinks he’s like. posting these pics to a gallery. he’s using it kinda like a diary, where he can store his memories? he’s got plenty of pictures but its like scrap booking only the best/most important get put in the gallery. this means that unless something eventful happened 80% of his early posts are sneasel pics or landscape pics because,, he’s on a mountain. aint much up there. the point is he doesnt know other people can see what he’s posting.

anyways one of the first pics to break the wholesome trend (it also breaks the daily post streak ingo has kept up) is an extremely blurry picture of a figure in what can barely be recognizable as a white subway master coat, albeit ripped and tattered. theres what might be blood smeared across it??? the face is too blurred to make out as they loom over the camera, but theres a fanged smirk just barely visible. the caption is simply it looked like me. why was it smiling? 

his followers are... understandably freaked out. theres a lot of concerned comments (that ingo cant see because he never figured out the show comments button lol) asking if he’s ok. he’s. mostly okay, just mild lacerations there are a lot of @’s toward @/submasemmet asking “Is this you?????” 

and so emmet finds out about this very odd account. 

(the mods on the site try to take to picture down a couple times for content violation, yknow. blood lmao. ingo keeps reposting it, worried that his diary is glitched, which increasingly confused captions like 

this is my fifteenth time posting this why is it disappearing

is this device glitching?

before the mods give up attempting to contact him to stop and just spoiler warning his photo lol. theres a whole reddit thread compiling his captions though, and it is becoming slowly apparent that something is wrong with this account.)

313 notes - Posted April 8, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

ive seen a few akari has internet on the arc phone posts but hear me out:

ingo, his divine xtransceiver, and moderated social media

moderated so he doesnt break the time line ofc

it starts after the inital fuss of ingos fall into hisui, after being rescued and be selected as Lady Sneaslers warden. when the dust settles, ingo finally has time to look at the belongings that came with him. the odd watch like device he had that doesnt tell time he sets aside at first, its original position taken by the warden bracelet that is a sign of his position. but somehow its face flares with light, and it is transformed, slightly. golden lines and white planes replace black and red faces, and what he had assumed to be blank instead shows... him? 

anyways he figures out it take photos! and the first post (why he’s posting and how he knows how to post is handwaved pls, idk myself lol) is a verrrrry close up photo of his eye. the handle is wardeningoPC which i bet would confuse some people on what the PC means. pokemon center? pokemon coordinator? (its pearl clan) 

the account starts small back in the future, mostly pictures of the mount coronet landscape at different times, with captions in a weird mix of galarian and old sinnohan. the posts garner a small following, some rather concerned when ingo posts a picture from lady sneaslers cave of the raging blizzard outside. ingo can see the comments, mostly, but doesnt tend to reply. anyways he takes alot of these pics, and they look really nice. divine cameras have really nice resolution yknow

and then lady sneasler has kits. and what else would he want to take pictures of after that?? the people in the future are going absolutely bananas because this random guy is posting pictures of a completely extinct variant of pokemon, and babies at that. this is where the moderation comes into effect, as research inquiries, bribes, and even threats flood the account wanting to know about/obtain these rare mons. ingo sees none of this, most explicit mentions of the future are removed anyways. not sure if that moderation can be seen in the future though? ingo replies so rarely people would be unable to tell what he sees and doesnt see anyways

the sneasel pics skyrocket the account to internet fame in a week. people are speculating on who the account belongs to, what kind of pokemon are shown in the photos, where the owner is, etc. 

(mmm i have more thoughts but thats for later i think)

686 notes - Posted April 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

obviously that suggests that giratina is equivalent to the three fingers/the flame of frenzy, which also tracks for other reasons if arceus is the greater will, so if you wanted to be REALLY mean, and keep with the aspect of canon that is volo causing ingo's situation, you could cast ingo in a sorta similar situation to hyetta (or at least. what i think the best read on hyetta's Deal is considering [points at yura/shabriri right next to her]), as in someone in another's body unaware there's anything strange about them or that the light that calls to them is false and warped. i don't know how far you would take that though in terms of actual character arcs/situations and not just composition, since there's also the pearl clan and lady sneasler to factor into things so it wouldn't make much sense for ingo to be going on hyetta's quest. hmmmmmm

so volo and elden ring's kalé (in the cut questline) have almost verbatim the same line abt their goals huh. "I want to know where I came from and where I'm headed. I want to know my path, so to speak." / "My roots. I want to know who I am. Where I came from. Where I'm headed." give me a lil bit i'll have a whole au spun off of that

[ann-chovi]

*banging pots and pan together* OC TIME OC TIME!!!

This is Mari, my PLA OC who is very much not the protag lol.

Wanted to make a character who felt like she fit into the story, but wasn't the focus, and played more of a supporting role to the events of the game. She's got her own story arc, and besides, her knees are too bad to be going toe to toe with raging Noble Pokemon. :P

More info / headcanons behind the readmore~

Mari (and the other temporally displaced folks who pop up ala Ingo) do not fall out of the sky like Akari. Akari is the only one who Arceus intercepted, thus got the special treatment. All others were plopped unceremoniously via time space rift inside various ruins / temples throughout the world. Mari appeared in the Ruins of Alph, memories garbled b/c of the Unknown. As a result, she's nervous around them. She HAS her memories, but they don't make any sense to her.

Mari lands in Johto about 2 months before the catastrophe that causes the Galaxy folks to travel to Hisui.

She was able to blend in as just a slightly off outsider more easily than Ingo and Akari, and most of the Galaxy crew thinks she's just from a far off region like Laventon, but she's from an alternate reality/timeline (multiverse babey!!!)

Mari is not skilled at CATCHING pokemon, her team consists solely of pokemon that have decided to join her. She is skilled at training them though.

The key to catching pokemon in pokeballs is for the button to depress on impact, so it must be thrown just right- otherwise it bounces off. Mari has shit aim and thus is never considered for survey work. Her ability to befriend and train strong pokemon however gets her security work fast

After arrival in Hisui, she's the first to go out and search for missing members of the survey team, as no one else feels confident in doing so

She has little to no self preservation instinct, having only tenuous interpersonal connections in the beginning- but she DOES like being useful. Zisu assigns her as head of Search and Rescue specifically before too long- after rescuing someone from an angry alpha pokemon

Eventually, while out on a rescue mission in the Coronet Highlands, she runs across Ingo- who offers to assist. She hesitates at first, but accepts when he calls in Lady Sneasler to help. (Girl loves her Johtonian Sneasels, and is FASCINATED by the Hisuian variant)

Thankfully, they find the wayward survey team member before too long, a bit banged up, but whole. Mari thanks Ingo and Sneasler for their help, pleasant "maybe we'll meet again under better circumstances!" Are exchanged, and they part ways. Ingo ends up assisting Mari fairly often, and they become a bit of an unofficial team / friends

I've got so much more to add to this lol, but I think that's enough for now. :'D There will definitely be more of her in the future, because I do so love my self-indulgent OCs. ♡

If you managed to read this all, thank you. I make art and things like this for myself really, but it's always nice when other folks are interested in my original stuff too. ♡♡♡

[jiracheer]

Ingo for “Here, take my blanket/jacket" please!

authors note: INGO,,,, MY WEAKNESS,,,,,,,,,,, I know you didn't specify which Ingo, so i went with warden ingo!! hope that's okay!!

I wanna give a special thank you to Lyon!! They were kind enough to proof read this for me!! <3

prompt: “Here, take my blanket/jacket." tags: fluff. It’s so fuckin sweet i felt like i was going to EXPLODE

You rubbed at your arms and blew hot air into your hands, feeling the tips of your fingers go numb at the action that was barely doing anything for you. They weren’t kidding when they said the Highlands were freezing cold.

Blinking over at the man who accompanied you to the cliffs in order to find salt for Professor Laventon, you watched as Ingo marched along with ease. He must’ve been so used to this type of weather… I mean, he did frequent here a lot with Lady Sneasler. And, didn’t he say his hut was here? You wondered what it was like to spend so many days in the cold.

But when the thought came, your mind drifted back to Irida.

“Ingo.” You disturbed the peaceful silence, drawing a hum from the odd man before you. “You know… I’ve always wondered how Irida copes with all this cold! Have you seen what she wears? Super cute… But isn’t she cold?” You picked up the pace, matching his steps and leaning slightly against him in hopes of soaking up his warmth. He felt like a furnace when you pressed against his arm, making him jolt.

“Lady Irida does have an interesting sense of fashion… but I suppose it is what makes her most comfortable. You and I both know she doesn’t cope well in the heat. Perhaps she runs at a higher temperature than we do. The whole clan probably does.” 

You nodded along to his explanation, despite finding it a bit odd. Nonetheless, you took it for what it was.

“Does the cold bother you? It doesn’t seem like it. Perhaps you should also don the same outfit she does!” A laugh sounded from you, causing Ingo to tilt his hat down in mild embarrassment. A part of him adored the sound of you laughing. It was unique in its own way and always left his lips jumping.

A rumble in his chest desperately wanted to sound. Laughing was a challenge nowadays, but at least smiling wasn’t too tough. Akari and Rei had taught him that with each and every battle they had with him. For Giritina's sake, even you got a smile out of him

“I don’t think my figure would fit such an attire, hero-”

“Y/N, Ingo. Just Y/N.” It would always bug you when he would call you ‘Hero.’ You just wanted to live your life normally in Hisui now that you were practically stuck there, but maybe, just maybe, after kicking Arceus’ ass again, you could convince the being who trapped you to let you go back home.; more specifically, to let you and Ingo go back home.

That is, if he even remembered what his home was. He seemed familiar but you could never recall who he was or what he did before Hisui.

“Ah. Yes. Y/N. My apologies.” He tilted his hat at you before readjusting it, allowing the rim to rest above his eyebrows with his hands tucking themselves on his back once more. Ingo was always so polite. “... And besides, I do believe pink isn’t my color.”

“Oh it so is! I’ll have to speak to Anthe about making you your own.” You elbowed him gently, grinning at the typically somber man. “I’ll make sure it’s modest, just for you.”

Now a grin was starting to pull at his own lips, and a huff of a laugh exited his nostrils with the shut of his eyes. “Of course, Y/N.”

And that was that. The conversation ended on a light note and the two of you continued on your merry way, stopping every so often to hit at the pink salt growing on the side of the mountain to toss into your basket. But as the sun slowly began to descend, so did the temperature. You couldn’t help but shudder and chatter your teeth as the hours went by.

Ingo was quick to catch onto this and his hand hovered over your shoulder before it would drop. He felt so awkward around you. Not in a bad way, no. He just wasn’t sure how to exactly act around you. You made him feel a certain way and it made his head hurt when he tried to think about it.

Lost in his thoughts Ingo didn’t even notice how a particularly harsh gust of wind almost blew you away, forcing you to grasp at the collar of your jacket in an effort to stay as warm as possible. Your nose and ears flared bright red, and your eyes watered from how harsh the ice particles were in the breeze. It was when you grabbed his arm for support did he snap himself out of his thoughts, almost leaping into the air when you squeezed his bicep. You stopped walking, gasping for some sort of breath.

The wind was so cold you could hardly breathe. 

“Y/N…?” Ingo supported you by grabbing your forearms, a frown forming on his face. “Arceus, you’re freezing!” With ease, he leaned back and shuffled off his jacket, throwing it over your shoulders and clasping the two buttons before drawing the collar closer to your face. “Here, take my jacket. It’ll keep you warm until we reach my hut.” His face was so close to yours. Your eyes fluttered open and met his own gaze.

The two of you just… stood there. Barely a single breath away from him, the tip of your nose brushed against his own and you leaned forward to hide your cold face in his shoulder. Your cheeks became a newfound red and it wasn’t because of the weather. He felt so firm and stable, and when your hands came to grasp at his tunic you gasped.

“Aren’t you c-cold? I can’t take your jacket!” Leaning up on your tippy toes, you grabbed more of the Warden’s clothing with a gasp. “You’ll get cold and sick, a-and-”

Gentle hands held yours and pulled them close to his face, cupping them in order to blow heated air onto them. You Immediately melted, eyelashes fluttering with a gaze that read heavily of the emotions you felt for him.

“I’ll be just fine, Y/N. Trust me. Now come, let’s get you someplace warmer… preferably with a bowl of stew.”

Keeping your hands in his, he walked ahead of you to shield you from the harsh winds. Along the easy, the two of you had the biggest smiles on your face…

… Even if Ingo was freezing his ass off.

[waywardstation]

It’s Just a Cold

Ingo is entrusted one of Lady Sneasler’s late-hatching eggs to help it hatch, but he quickly falls sick. While the Warden believes it’s a passing cold, Pearl Clan’s medicinal woman Calaba believes it’s a curse tied to a superstition about eggs. Akari does her best to help Ingo get better so he can help Lady Sneasler’s egg hatch.

Giant fic!! Biggest one yet. Started as a 4K fic off of a sick fic request, but I decided to rewrite the beginning, which had been a short summary, and it grew into like the first 5-6K words there. But either way, it’s done!

OR read it on AO3 here!

Enjoy!

————

As the early morning sun rose on the cloudy Coronet Highlands, turning the dark purple sky a more mellow shade, wild Pokémon slowly began to stir. light snow drifted about in the air as Ingo trudged his way up the mountainside, rubbing at his nose as he sniffed and pulled his coat closer against himself.

The warden had woken up this morning not feeling too well.

Despite the crisp weather and the thick Mamoswine-fur blankets across his bed, Ingo had lugged himself out from under the blankets feeling a little cold.

The warden had found that a little peculiar; but he had not dwelled on the subject for long. Today was an important day!

About a month ago, Lady Sneasler had presented Ingo with a clutch of eggs. Sneasel and Sneasler numbers were already scarce, so Ingo had been very proud of his noble at the sight!

This week they were supposed to hatch, and after three days of continually checking, no egg had cracked yet. But every day, Ingo went regardless - he wanted to witness a rare event such as this, but he wanted to be there for his noble when it happened! She had expressed she wanted him there when they hatched, and Ingo could not let her down.

So ignoring the shallow chill settling into his skin, Ingo had gotten ready and headed out towards Lady Sneasler’s nest for the fourth day this week, hoping today would be the day. He had already let Jubilife Village know he would not be at the training grounds for a few days, but the time off was running out, and he was supposed to be back with Zisu again tomorrow.

He really hope the eggs hatched today.

Making his way further up the mountainside, Ingo sniffed again, rubbing at his nose - it was a little runny. Perhaps it was the altitude…

He didn’t remember the trip up the mountain being this exhausting.

Finally, Ingo pulled himself up the last rocky incline, and found himself outside Lady Sneasler’s den, a warm cavern that the noble had filled with various soft foliages.

“Lady?” Ingo whispered into the cave as he adjusted his coat and hat, a little more out of breath than he liked.

A short chirp from inside the cave called out to him, inviting him in; it seemed indifferent.

“Good morning, Lady Sneasler,” Ingo greeted his noble as he stepped into the dim cavern; the warmth inside was noticeable, but not enough to drive the light chill from him. “I take it none of the eggs have yet hatched?”

Lady Sneasler, who was sitting amongst the soft flooring of the cavern, frowned dejectedly and shook her head. She pulled back a layer of the bedding to reveal her clutch of eggs, none of which had yet hatched.

The sight pulled at Ingo’s heart. Lady Sneasler had been trying so hard. His noble preferred a less…fluffy living area, feeling quite comfortable amongst the rocks with nothing but a small area set aside for sleep, which consisted of a few layers of leaves. But once she presented her eggs to Ingo, the man had seen her completely reinvent her cave just for her kits. He had watched her prepare several new layers of bedding for her nest, now covering the entire floor with types of foliage, spare feathers, and tufts of fur she had gathered, both tufts left behind by wild Pokémon, and shed from her own body. Ingo had even brought some additional soft materials to help her.

Lady Sneasler was looking forward to welcoming her kits into the world (as was Ingo), but after three days of nothing…

“The little ones are a little behind schedule, yes,” Ingo reassured Lady Sneasler, “But I know they will arrive shortly. Today will be the day!”

Lady Sneasler let the layers of bedding fall back over the eggs, and glanced back at her warden, appreciation for the reassurance clear in her eyes.

Ingo sniffed again, and went to sit down on the cave flooring, back propped against the rocky wall. He was never one to really sit on the rocks like this, as it hurt his back, but the trip up had made him tired. He pulled his coat over himself tighter, and settled in.

“They will hatch soon my Lady. I will wait with you a while.”

Lady Sneasler hummed, sounding disappointed but grateful.

————

Ingo Must have dozed off, because he woke up with a start (and an awful crick in his back), to Lady Sneasler shaking him and chirping with an urgency.

“Lady?” Ingo jolted up, still half asleep as he readjusted his cap and stretched the knot out of his shoulders. What happened? Did something happen to the eggs? Did a wild Pokémon get into the nest?

Lady Sneasler tugged on his coat and dragged him over to her nest, where…there was movement under the bedding!

Ingo immediately understood the situation now, and what grogginess had still clung to his brain was immediately chased away, replaced by excitement.

“They’re hatching!” Ingo exclaimed with excitement, now matching Lady Sneasler’s anticipation.

The two watched as the bedding of leaves and fur continued to rustle, before a cracking sound was heard, then silence.

In a stretch of a few seconds that felt like hours, the noble and her warden were frozen, waiting for something.

And then, with a stretch of tiny claws and a little squeak, a perfect little Sneaslet pushed through the warm bedding, and was welcomed into the world.

With an exclamation of “bravo!” from Ingo (Not too loud though, Ingo didn’t want to startle the baby!) and a cry of happiness from Lady Sneasler, the little sneaslet was lovingly scooped up into the nobles claws, and she began to lick her kit clean as it mewed quietly, nestling into Lady Sneasler’s warm fur.

More cracks were heard, and soon, Ingo witnessed more tiny little heads and claws break the surface of the bedding, pushing through the soft materials as they cried out in search of their mother, not yet able to open their eyes.

Lady Sneasler carefully scooped them up as they mewed to her, and collected them in her claws, licking them clean and holding them close to warm them, eight kits in all. Her joy was apparent as she answered their mews with her own chirps, overjoyed.

“Excellent job, my Lady,” Ingo sniffed again as his noble took care of her kits. “I knew they would arrive soon!”

Lady Sneasler looked beyond happy as she placed the kits back in an area of the nest as she finished cleaning them. The ones placed back in the nest were already starting to wiggle around a bit, slitting their eyes open slowly as they adjusted to the light.

The sight moved Ingo’s heart, he was so proud of Lady Sneasler, and so relieved that the worry was over.

…that was, until Lady Sneasler froze having noticed something, and with a sound of surprise, started pulling back the bedding again, to reveal another egg.

To Ingo’s dismay, it remained unhatched. It wasn’t even wiggling!

Lady Sneasler placed the last of her kits, all cleaned, back in the nest, and pulled the egg out of the bedding carefully.

Ingo was alarmed at the sight, but given Lady Sneasler’s immediate distress, he did not want to make anything worse.

“I am sure it is running a little more behind schedule than the others,” Ingo tried to reassure his noble. “It too will hatch, we will wait a little longer.”

So time passed. Ingo stayed in the cavern as time went on, waiting with Lady Sneasler. The Sneaslets quickly had become accustomed to their environment, and had begun moving about on their own - all over the soft, childproofed cavern, Lady Sneasler, and Ingo (though he took care not to let their claws touch his skin). Lady Sneasler was clearly enjoying the company of her kits, and Ingo had to admit, as he played with the little sneaslets himself, he found himself smiling multiple times.

But when the kits got too rough and started play-fighting a little too close to the egg, or whenever Lady Sneasler glanced back at it concerned, Ingo began to worry more and more.

With all of the kits now in this space running around, Ingo was worried for the safety of the egg. And it didn’t even show signs of hatching yet.

Ingo looked out to see that the sun had long since reached its highest point in the sky, and was now beginning to dip lower.

“Lady Sneasler,” Ingo began. He was surprised at the sound of his voice - it sounded a little stuffy. “I should now depart if I am to reach my destination at the Pearl Clan settlement on time. I am afraid I must now leave.”

Lady Sneasler didn’t have to utter a sound for Ingo to see she wanted to know what he thought about the unhatched egg.

Watching most of the sneaslets running around, and Lady Sneasler constantly trying to keep them in one area while feeding others, Ingo realized that this would not be the safest place for an egg to be when it should have already hatched. Eight energetic kits were a lot to keep watch over.

Ingo glanced at the egg uneasily. He would have decided to just stay here with Sneasler overnight, but with how cold he was feeling now, Ingo was worried he’d freeze in this cave if he stayed. And he had to be back at the training grounds tomorrow.

“My Lady…it does not seem like the kits are being mindful of safety precautions towards their unhatched sibling.” Ingo started cautiously; Lady Sneasler was his noble and the two trusted each other, but how would she take this proposal? “Perhaps…I should take the egg back with me. You will not have to worry about the safety of the egg, and can focus on attending to your kits. I promise, with the egg under my supervision, it will receive the best quality care I can offer.”

Lady Sneasler did not seem happy with the proposition at first. She glared down a moment as her kits ran around her, mewing playfully. Ingo stood there awaiting her response, surprised to find himself shivering slightly - the cave felt colder than it had earlier.

“I will take good care of it,” the warden reiterated. “So you can focus on taking care of your kits.”

Another moment of pondering, before Lady Sneasler made a sound similar to sighing. Ingo watched her move her large claws to gently pick the egg up out of its warm spot, and hold it out to her warden.

“Thank you, my Lady,” Ingo expressed gratitude over the fact she took his proposition well. He carefully took the egg out of her hands, feeling the light weight of it as he brushed the bedding’s feathers and fur off of it. The shell was lightweight but thick, meant to withstand colder temperatures and hold in heat as long as it was insulated in some fashion.

“I will see to it that it hatches.”

Sneasler hummed, obviously still a little hesitant as she watched the warden wrap it in his coat to keep it (and himself) warm, firmly securing it.

“I will return as soon as the kit arrives!” Ingo announced, shuffling through the thick bedding of the cavern floor carefully so as not to step on any of the sneaslets running about. “Take care of your young, their unhatched sibling will join them soon!”

With a wave, Lady Sneasler chirped a goodbye amongst the choir of quiet mews, and Ingo exited the warm nesting cave, stepping into the colder crisp air. Snow still drifted down, but it was picking up. If there was going to be a snowstorm, Ingo definitely couldn’t stay here overnight.

He wiped at his nose again, annoyed with the incessant switch between being runny and stuffy, and readjusted the position of the egg within his coat, holding it close against his stomach to keep it warm.

He made sure to firmly grip it; Ingo didn’t even want to think about accidentally dropping it on the way down the mountain.

“We should hurry back,” Ingo conversed with the egg, starting down the mountainside carefully and taking note of the setting sun.

His body ached without reason.

Ingo reached the alabaster icelands, the Pearl Clan settlement in view just as the sun went down below the mountain line, and the falling snow picked up to the beginnings of a snowstorm. Within half an hour, it would be coming down full force.

Holding the egg close to him to keep it warm, Ingo trudged through the ankle-deep snow. Using his free hand to keep his cap on his head, his tattered coat moved with the flurry.

“It’s a good thing we departed when we did,” Ingo talked to the egg. “Or we would be getting caught in this at its worst.”

The egg said nothing, as expected.

It was hard to make out much of anything though, still. Ingo almost didn’t notice something large dart across the path in front of him.

Pausing, Ingo followed the blur to see a pair of piercing yellow eyes staring at him through the flurry, off to the side of the path.

Ingo recognized those eyes, and he had heard the stories about them, but he saw no danger in them. No threat. He saw only caution, and curiosity.

So Ingo turned, egg held tight, and continued on his path back towards the Pearl clan settlement.

The Zoroark watched him through the snowstorm.

If it hadn’t detected the precious egg nestled close against the man, it would have attacked.

————

Waking up the next morning, the first thing Ingo noticed was the pounding headache.

Well, that, and the pounding on the door of his accommodation.

Putting his hands over his eyes to block out the sunlight coming in through his window, Ingo groaned-

Wait, sunlight?

Ingo never slept in, he was always up before dawn broke!

Sitting up straight quickly, Ingo took a breath only to find his nose was completely clogged, and taking an open-mouthed breath instead, he coughed as something wet dislodged itself in his throat.

Slouched over, Ingo realizes he felt absolutely terrible.

“One moment!” Ingo called out to whoever was outside his door, stiffening at how stuffy he sounded.

He pulled himself out of bed and did his best to quickly get himself dressed, aching the entire time. Finishing the process by putting his cap on his head, Ingo turned back to his bed. Situated between the bed frame and the wall was Lady Sneasler’s egg, protected by all sides with layers of pillows and spare clothes that Ingo had set up last night, both as a barrier to protect it from cracking, and to keep it warm. He had tried to emulate what Lady Sneasler had put together in the floor of her cave.

Ingo picked it up carefully, holding it close to him within his coat once again, and then proceeded to answer his door.

“Apologies for the delay!” Ingo announced as he opened the door with the hand not holding the egg - he didn’t even know who he was addressing yet, but wanted to apologize for keeping someone waiting.

That someone was Lady Irida, who had been standing in the cold morning atmosphere in clothes that were suited much better for hot weather. As always, it never seemed to bother her though.

“Warden Ingo!” The Pearl Clan leader exclaimed, a bit more animated now that he had finally answered the door. “So you are home!”

She crossed her arms as if upset, but her eyes showed concern. “You missed the community meeting today, you’ve never been late to one ever, much less missed one entirely! We were beginning to worry that you got stranded out in the highlands snowstorm last night, we were about to send out a search party! Are you alright?…you look terrible!”

“Again with the apologies Lady Irida, I did not mean to miss the meeting!” Ingo began as he tried to rub the aching from his eyes. “I am…not feeling well this morning. I suppose I slept in longer than I meant to, that is all. I am ready to attend to my duties now.”

Ingo brushed it off as a minor issue. The training grounds were expecting him today and he felt obligated to go, but he really felt terrible. Irida could see it was worse than he let on from the terrible sound he made, sneezing loudly into his coat sleeve, and sniffing wetly with a thick cough.

“You sound like you’re coming down with something!” Irida fretted at the sight of him as he learned against the doorframe, already getting tired from standing up. “I’m sorry Ingo, but you need rest. I relieve you of your duties for now; go see Calaba at her medical tent.”

“But Lady Irida,” Ingo argued. “Who will be stationed at the training grounds today?”

“I’m sure Zisu can take care of things herself,” Irida told him. “Now come on, let’s get you to Calaba.”

Helping him stand away from the doorframe to head over to the medical tent, much to Ingo’s disagreement, she could feel him shivering. Pearl Clan Settlement was stationed in the Alabaster Icelands, but Irida had never seen Ingo shivering in the cold before. How sick was he?

Looking over at him, it was then that Irida noticed Ingo was holding his arm around something that rounded out under his coat, pressed against his side.

“What is…?” Irida started to ask, pointing to the lump in his coat, but Ingo already saw what she was talking about, and with a quiet “oh!”, Ingo pulled the egg out from under his coat, and presented it to Irida, holding it firmly in both hands.

“It’s one of Lady Sneasler’s eggs.” Ingo explained, a sense of pride in his voice. “Every egg of hers hatched yesterday, except for this one. It is behind schedule, so I am taking care of it for Lady Sneasler until it hatches, so she can properly care for her kits.” He sniffed. Curse his runny nose…

Ingo noticed a change in Irida’s steps as they continued to head across the settlement together.

“You took it back with you?” She asked, concern apparent in her voice. “You’re not supposed to take late hatchers! We really have to get you to Calaba now!”

“…what?” Ingo asked, feeling like he missed something important. Suddenly not liking the way Irida was glancing at the egg, he concealed it back into his coat, back where it was warm. “Please Elaborate.”

Irida’s eyes darted around a bit, as if trying to figure out where to start first. “Late hatchers, well…hmm, we don’t touch eggs or try to help them if they don’t hatch with the others. Those are for the Zoroark.”

“I don’t understand,” Ingo furrowed his brow, a look of concern on his face. In truth, he understood perfectly well the implications. And he did not like them at all. What he didn’t understand, was why?

“It’s a rule,” Irida explained, finding the topic a hard one to discuss (or did she just think this was common knowledge, and find it surprising Ingo didn’t know?) “If a Pokémon egg doesn’t hatch, it’s to be left for the Zoroark. If someone takes their egg, person or Pokémon, they will be afflicted with a Zoroark’s curse. It’s sad, about leaving the eggs, but it has to be done.”

Ingo internally rejected this thought immediately. This wasn’t a rule, this was a superstition!

During his time in Hisui, Ingo had come to notice similarities and differences between the Diamond and Pearl clans. Tradition was one of those differences. The warden had observed Pearl Clan was a lot more mindful of superstitions than Diamond clan, and as an outsider, he hadn’t grown up with any of them, and had come to know only a few.

Don’t look a Froslass in the eyes, or you’ll be cursed.

Don’t eat food cooked with a Typhlosion’s flames, or you’ll be cursed.

Don’t touch a Basculegion’s tail, or you’ll be cursed.

And now, don’t take late hatchers from a Zoroark, or you’ll be cursed.

Most of them involved being cursed, and this “Zoroark” myth was just another variation of the same superstition. Not like Ingo had believed these anyways.

Ingo had always felt the people of Hisui viewed the Zoroark unfairly to a degree as well, as if they were invasive, bloodthirsty demons from another realm.

“I see,” Ingo cleared his throat, even though he did not see at all. “And, how did you learn this? Has anyone else gotten sick like this after taking care of an egg that was behind schedule?”

“No, not for as long as I can remember,” Irida told him as she helped him start up a hill. With Calaba’s medicinal tent at the top, they were almost there. “But that’s because we have always tried not to touch late hatchers!”

Ingo thought that sounded baseless. How would they know if no one had ever done it-?

“But now that you took that late hatcher back with you, you’re sick!”

Ingo, who’s eyes had been half-lidded in a tired haze, opened in alert. Was Irida trying to tell him he was cursed? Surely she didn’t think-

“But don’t worry,” Irida reassured him as they reached the top of the hill, arriving outside of the medicinal tent. “Calaba has been a part of this clan for longer than any of us! She knows how to take care of things like this!”

“Lady Irida, I believe it’s just a little ill-timed sickness is all. Yesterday, I also wasn’t-“

Ingo was cut off, unable to finish his sentence as the tent flap opened, and a Bibarel stuck its head out, curious of the two voices it had been hearing. Calaba looked out a moment later, to see what had caught the Pokémon’s attention.

“Calaba!” Irida greeted her. “Good afternoon! Warden Ingo and I would like some assistance with something!”

“Oh yes?” The medicine woman asked, eyes shifting between the two of them from inside her tent. “With what?”

“Well, Warden Ingo has come down with something, and after he brought home a late hatcher last night, I’m a little concerned-“ the Pearl Clan leader began, gesturing towards the sick warden.

“-a curse!” Calaba cut them off, eyes wide. “I haven’t had to deal with one of those in ages!”

Her tone suggested to Ingo she was judging him, almost as if he broke a streak that the Pearl clan had worked so hard to maintain. As the clan’s only outsider, she often seemed to judge him a little more harshly than others.

She squinted at Ingo momentarily, looking him up and down and shaking her head at the sick sight. “And unless he’s always looks this disheveled, this one’s bad.”

“I can assure you, it’s just a common case of feeling under the weather,” Putting aside his indignant shock at her comment, Ingo tried to reassert his view on the situation, putting his free hand up as if to halt this spiraling conversation. However, it only made Calaba notice Ingo’s other hand was holding an egg-shaped lump sturdy inside his coat.

“You brought the egg with you?” Calaba gasped, apparently amazed he would do such a thing. She peeked around outside of the tent to see if anyone was around, before urging the two of them inside her tent.

“Come inside, quickly!” The medicine woman urged, opening the tent flap wide. “I don’t need anyone knowing we have a cursed warden walking around here!”

Irida must have noticed Ingo’s hesitance.

“She’ll help,” she whispered to him. Ingo sighed, and took a step inside the tent, Irida following after.

Ingo just wanted to feel better.

————

Ingo had previously thought Irida was the one who went a little overboard with the superstitions, but that was before he learned what Calaba thought about them.

“With all due respect, I firmly do not suspect it is a curse,” Ingo coughed, lying down on one of Calaba’s med beds while Irida stood close by, and Calaba searched through her shelves. Ingo still held onto Lady Sneasler’s egg. If he was being honest, he was worried Calaba might try and take it away.

“Who’s the medicine woman here?” Calaba reminded the warden as she pulled a collection of pages tied together from the shelves of ingredients, and began thumbing through the pages. “I think I know what I’m talking about.”

Approaching the med bed, Calaba’s eyes scanned the writings of a particular page. “Now, Zoroark’s curse in regards to taking a late hatcher…if you take an egg that was supposed to be left for it, it will harm your soul, corrupting it with a curse. This will leave you drained of energy, and feeling cold while also burning up. Have you been experiencing this?”

“Well, yes,” Ingo started, being quite the contrast to Calaba’s dramatic reading. “But a common ailment will also do that.”

“Hmm…” Calaba wasn’t convinced, and read on. “It fills the body with foreign gunk, a physical manifestation of the cursed soul. Now I know you’ve been coughing and experiencing congestion.”

“That can also be attributed to a common ailment,” Ingo tried his best to offer counterpoints, but felt that they were falling on deaf ears.

“Alright,” Calaba closed the notes back up like a book. “If you want to skip the symptoms, answer me this. If it’s a no, we can try your way and treat you for a physical ailment. But if it’s a yes, we must treat this as a curse. After you picked up the late hatcher, did you encounter a Zoroark on the way back to the settlement yesterday?”

Irida looked over at Ingo in concern.

Ingo’s mind drifted back to the yellow eyes he had seen in the snowstorm last night.

“Well-“ was all Ingo was able to get out.

“It’s a curse!” She asserted, cutting him off. Irida gasped at the news, and Ingo sat up, supporting himself on his elbows.

Surely not-

“Luckily, this is an easy fix,” Calaba reassured them. She pointed at the egg in Ingo’s arms.

“Come nightfall, all you have to do is leave that egg outside the settlement grounds, doing what you should have done before, and tomorrow morning, once it has been taken, you will be better.”

“I will not abandon Lady Sneasler’s Egg!” Ingo reinforced his grip on it. “I promised her I would take care of it, and she is counting on me to see to it that her egg hatches. I intend to keep my promise.”

“As long as you hold onto it, you will not get better!” the medicine woman warned, lightly bopping Ingo on the shoulder with her notes, “you have to put it outside the settlement and let the Zoroark take it.”

“I will not abandon Lady Sneasler’s egg.” Ingo coughed again as he repeated himself, and sighed as he laid back down, holding the egg against his chest. The sight worried Irida. As someone who believed in Calaba’s methods regarding curses, but also understood Ingo’s desire to keep his promise and nurture the egg, she wondered is there was a way to compromise.

“Calaba?” Irida spoke up. “Is there a way for you to remove the curse yourself?”

Calaba’s features expressed surprise for a moment, as if the thought hadn’t occurred to her, and opened her collection of notes again.

“Hmmm…there are methods.” She said thoughtfully after a moment. “We can try them and go through this list of treatments, and you better hope one works. Because if they don’t…that egg is going outside the settlement. We will not lose a warden.”

The cautious relief on Ingo’s face brought Irida her own sense of relief.

————

It had been two days.

Two days of outlandish treatments for a curse Ingo was doubting more and more as time went on. He was being treated strictly for curses, but Ingo felt he needed help for a more physical type of affliction. Surely, what he was dealing with was an illness.

But despite wanting to sleep all day and stay in bed, Ingo was doing everything Calaba had asked of him…not like he had much of a choice though. Every time he brought up concerns on her methods to Irida when she came over to check on him, she opposed him.

“Calaba compromised for you, please try them,” Irida told him. “She will make you abandon that egg if you don’t.”

So he did anything she had listed out of her collection of notes. Luckily nothing seemed too strenuous on him, but he found them to be bizarre.

Sleeping under a blanket with tufts of shed zorua fur sewn in, with notes of good fortune stuffed into his pillow. It didn’t work, and Ingo had woken up, feverish and soaked in sweat in the middle of the night, it was so thick. It was a good incubator for Lady Sneasler’s egg, though.

Drinking a cold tea filled with (way too much) crunchy salt and infused with leaves from a wormadam. It didn’t work, and Ingo found it tasted awful. He gagged on it several times forcing it down, and all it did was further bother his already-upset stomach.

Rubbing a chalky salve made with powder from a ground up wyrdeer antler across his chest to apparently protect his soul, as he sat in moonlight. It didn’t work, and Ingo thought sitting in the cold night air like that only agitated his sick cough even more.

These treatments had all made the last few days miserable for Ingo, but the only saving grace in this situation was Lady Sneasler’s egg.

It had not yet hatched, but it had begun wiggling from time to time. And if it was moving, it was still trying. Ingo was determined to see to it that the egg hatched, and over the last two days he had grown quite attached to it, talking to it frequently. As his condition worsened, he did his best to keep the egg warm and incubated, but it was becoming more difficult.

As nothing provided immediate relief and Ingo regressed instead of improved - Calaba grew more and more perplexed. Ingo however, wasn’t too surprised.

The warden remembered next to nothing about where he came from before Hisui, but he didn’t think sickness had ever been linked to curses, and as such had never been dealt with like this.

Today, Calaba had ordered Ingo to go soak in the hot springs near the settlement.

Ingo had actually tried to stay in bed this morning, feeling too weak to get up to go to Calaba’s tent. Irida had barged in when Calaba reported he had not shown up yet - the Pearl clan leader half feared the curse had overtaken him. Instead finding him sweating under his covers with Lady Sneasle’s Egg on a pillow next to him, wrapped in several thick blankets, Irida had gotten him to get up and helped him to the medicine woman’s tent.

“If you’re still not feeling well, perhaps the accumulated gunk in your body from Zoroark’s curse is what’s keeping you from improving. A soak in the springs, with its medicinal effects, should loosen it.” Calaba explained as she read out of her collection of papers on ailments and how to treat them, more baseless hypotheses than proven treatments. “You’d better hope this works, we don’t have many other options left before that egg gets left outside the settlement.”

Calaba handed Ingo a folded thick garment, meant to dry him off and keep him warm after leaving the hot spring. On top of the folded clothing was a handful of dried blue fronds.

“Soak in the pool for an hour with this snow-nettle. Zoroark dislike the scent it gives off when wet - it should help the hot spring loosen the gunk afflicting you. After an hour, come back to me and we will try to expel it.”

Ingo had a hard time paying attention at this point, now three days into his sickness. But he agreed, and with Irida’s help, he trudged to the hot springs, Lady Sneasler’s egg in hand.

After Irida made sure he was alright on his own, she left, and even though Ingo’s fever had left him irritably cold the last few days, he began shedding his extra layers of clothes, leaving himself only in the clan’s black insulation underlayer. Immediately shivering as he tightly wrapped Lady Sneasler’s egg in his thick tunic, tattered coat, worn hat, and the thick garment Calaba gave him, the warden lowered himself into the pools.

The few Swinub that liked to regularly soak in the hot spring waded closer to the warden out of curiosity, but he barely noticed.

Ingo closed his eyes, feeling the pressure of stuffed sinuses under his eyelids as he submerged himself up to his nose within the steaming waters of the hot spring. He had to admit, even if he felt Calaba was treating him for the wrong thing, this felt pretty relaxing. He wasn’t sure about the “medicinal properties” Calaba went on about, but it did help ease his weary body.

The incessant aches that had been afflicting Ingo’s body over the last several days eased up slightly in the hot waters of the pool. They didn’t melt away like he hoped they would, but the hot spring helped relax the aches to a bearable amount. And washing off the fever-induced sweat he was constantly subjected to felt so nice.

Ingo sniffed and wiped at his stuffy nose, his breath visible amongst the steam lifting from the hot waters as he turned to Lady Sneasler’s egg. The snow-nettle Calaba had given him had been placed next to the egg. Ingo grabbed a handful of them and dropped them in the hot water around him.

With his stuffy nose, Ingo couldn’t tell what sort of scent the snow-nettle gave off, but by the way the Swinub lazily drifted away, he could tell it was working.

Releasing the last of the leaves, Ingo glanced to the side at Lady Sneasler’s egg, wrapped up snuggly.

Was it warm enough?

Ingo reached out of the pool, pulling his coat around it a little tighter. It wiggled once again, and Ingo steadied it, feeling it jostle. It was still trying.

Ingo thought back on Calaba’s words. He already felt the thought of choosing to leave late hatchers out in the cold, instead of helping them, was morbid enough. How many eggs had been lost because of this rule? Hopefully not too many, considering Pearl Clan wasn’t as well-acquainted with working with Pokémon as he was.

But Ingo could never imagine leaving this egg out, alone to most likely be snatched up by anything, not just a Zoroark. Not after it had been trying so hard. He couldn’t imagine showing back up to Lady Sneasler alone.

But if none of Calaba’s methods were working, and they ran out of treatments, would she force him to leave it if it hadn’t hatched yet? The woman seemed to be convinced it was a curse.

Not that he would give up on this egg, and maybe it was the fever-induced cloudiness in his brain, but Ingo was starting to wonder himself. He wasn’t sold on the idea, but…

…No, it wasn’t a curse.

Taking a shallow breath, as Ingo feared taking a deep one would earn him a fit of coughs, he allowed himself to slip further under the surface of the hot water. His throat felt thick, lined with the same gunk that contested his nose and clogged his heavy lungs. His eyes felt heavy, the heat in his brain pushing against the back of them. His arms and legs ached like he’d been overworking them, despite doing the opposite.

He wasn’t getting better. But for now, the hot water comforted him and numbed the aches. He let his consciousness start to drift.

Almost.

A shout calling his name broke the silence, and yanked Ingo out of his state of murky relaxation, and back into his achy, sick reality.

Did Ingo hear that right? Fever-induced delirium had set in last night, and Ingo had found that already twice this morning, he had turned his head to a sound, to see nothing was there.

But then he heard it again, a little louder and clearer. This wasn’t delirium, surely.

Ingo recognized the voice. Why was she all the way up here, looking for him?

“Miss Akari, I’m up here!” Ingo called out, not at all pleased with how hoarse his voice sounded when he raised it.

Loud footsteps approached as they followed his voice, and Ingo saw Akari come into view as she approached the hot springs, kicking snow up. She was breathing heavy as if she’s been running around the whole settlement; her breaths came out as big clouds that hung in the frozen air, the colder temperatures making her face red.

She was clearly not as used to this weather as the rest of Pearl clan was.

“There you are!” The young girl huffed as she caught her breath, slumping forward as she put her hands on her knees. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you! You were supposed to show up again at the training grounds, like, three days ago! It’s been only Zisu there! I was worried something happened!”

The worry in Akari’s voice tugged at Ingo’s chest, and he rubbed at the back of his neck with a dripping hand.

“Apologies, Miss Akari. I have not been feeling well, and lady Irida has relieved me of my duties until I recover. I did not mean to be out of commission this long; I had assumed someone would cover my duties at the training grounds at this point.”

“You’ve been sick? For three days?” Akari asked as she came and sat down on a rock near the pool, feeling the heat from the steam that rose off the waters. She could see now up close how sick he looked; the man was even paler than usual, his red stuffy nose being the exception, and had dark circles under his eyes.

“Shouldn’t you be better by now?”

“Ah, I would imagine so.” Ingo sniffed. “Calaba’s treatments have been a little outlandish though. I feel they are setting me back.”

Ingo left it at that, and did not elaborate. Akari shot him a look of confusion, and it took Ingo a moment to understand.

“She suspects I am suffering from a curse.”

“A curse!” Akari gasped, standing up off the rock. “From what! What did you do to get cursed?”

Ingo couldn’t tell if she was indulging in him, or actually believed in curses. But he decided to humor her in case she was genuine.

“From taking home this egg from Lady Sneasler,” Ingo grunted as he turned, reaching out behind him to grasp the egg and present it to Akari, which had been previously concealed in his clothes. “It’s behind schedule for hatching, so I took it back with me to provide additional care. Calaba believes taking home, hmm…’late hatchers’…places one under a Zoroark’s curse.”

At the sight of the egg in Ingo’s hands, Akari make a squealing sound, her eyes big and sparkly.

“A baby!!” The young girl jumped up and down in excitement, exploding into a list of questions as she forgot all about Ingo’s sick condition. “Lady Sneasler’s babies finally hatched!! How many are there? Can I see them? Can you take me? When can we go? Is the baby in the egg a boy or a girl? Can I hold the egg??”

“Eight at the moment, yes, yes, when I am back in commission, I’m not sure yet, and…yes, if you’re careful,” Ingo said weakly, interrupting his list of answers with a cough.

“Hold it carefully,” the warden held the egg out to Akari, his arms slightly shaking with the sickness having sapped his strength, and Akari grabbed it up with a type of energy Ingo wished he had.

“It’s so cute!!” The young girl squealed as she took in the sight of it, hugging it close. It wiggled in her arms, and she gasped. “And it’s moving! Is it close to hatching?”

Ingo still felt horrible, but the company of Akari had him quietly laughing for the first time in days; she had an infectious happiness that Ingo wished more people expressed.

“I hope it’s close to hatching. Lady Sneasler and the egg’s siblings are waiting for it.” Ingo sniffed again as he sunk back down into the hot water of the spring, the rising steam beginning to loosen the congestion and making his nose run. Maybe this is what Calaba meant by “loosening the gunk”.

Akari’s doting over the egg dwindled at Ingo’s sorry sight, her thoughts returning to his condition.

“So, how do you know it’s a curse?” She asked, holding the egg against her to conserve warmth for it.

“I have my doubts.” Ingo corrected her assumption, closing his eyes as he took in the warmth from the hot spring. “But because of my symptoms, and seeing a Zoroark on my path back to the settlement with the egg the night before I fell ill, Calaba is convinced I am under a curse, saying I should have left the egg for the Zoroark.”

“Seeing a Zoroark while holding an egg? That doesn’t curse you!” Akari burst out as if it was laughable. She pulled out her field notes she had written in her Pokédex, trying her best to page through it with one free hand. “Zoroark don’t even seem to do anything with eggs, unless it’s one of their own! I’ve never recorded them ever seeking out eggs, and I’ve seen them pass right by Pokémon’s nests before without a care!”

Akari shut her book and put it back away as she looked back at the egg in her hands. “I would say this isn’t a curse, you’re just sick! You seem like it to me, anyways. How has Calaba been treating this?”

“Rituals with items that seem to contain medicinal properties, and wards.” The man answered, realizing how silly these methods seemed now that Akari was starting to talk some sense into him.

“No wonder you’ve been so sick for three days!” The girl gasped, readjusting the egg in her arms. “You need rest, and medicine, and soup! Not rituals and wards!”

The thought of those three things certainly sounded much nicer to Ingo than the latter two.

“I admit I would prefer the former,” Ingo sighed, imagining how nice it would be to be sleeping back in his bed right now.

“Well then, come on!” Akari went over to Ingo’s things, collecting his extra clothes in her free arm. “You need to go back home!”

“Calaba requested I return to her after I finish soaking in the hot spring to finish this treatment,” Ingo stated, not budging from the hot spring. In truth, he knew the cold was going to bite him the second he left the warm waters.

“You won’t get better until you start taking care of yourself the way you should be,” the girl told him as she approached the edge of the spring, holding the thick garment out to Ingo so he could dry off and stay warm.

“Please do not come too close, Miss,” Ingo warned her, moving away from her as she approached him. “If I am just sick, I do not want to spread it to you.”

“Pshh,” Akari brushed it off. “If I get sick, I get sick! But you need to get back home and rest!”

Ingo hesitated a moment, before moving to the edge of the hot spring and pulling himself out - arguing with Akari on this would not amount to anything, and he knew it. Immediately shivering, he struggled to his feet and grasped at the garment Akari held out, pulling it around himself tightly to try and dry off and warm up.

Akari held the egg out to him so he could take it next, but Ingo waved it off.

“I am soaking right now- it would be better if you hold it and keep it warm,” Ingo sniffed, shaking as he slumped forward.

So Akari bundled the egg in Ingo’s coat and tunic, while putting his hat on her own head, and helped lead him down the hill, back to his house.

————

Placing Lady Sneasler’s Egg back into its spot on the bed, surrounded by pillows and blankets, Ingo eased himself back into his bed. sighing as he repositioned himself into it and pulled the thick covers back over himself, Ingo noted how good it felt to finally be off of his feet.

As soon as they had gotten back to Ingo’s home, Akari told him to go change into something comfortable and to get to bed.

“I’ll be right back!” She said, heading back for his door. “I just need to get some things from my storage box really quick!”

So she left, and Ingo was alone. He slipped back into a fresh tunic, and crawled back under the covers.

Calaba would not be happy with this, but Ingo found himself not caring too much. He felt so out of sorts at this point, and still did not remember much of how sicknesses were dealt with in his time, but Akari’s methods seemed to feel much more accurate compared to Calaba’s.

And Ingo trusted Akari; she had come from a time similar to him, hadn’t she? Surely she would know the right way to take care of this…

The door to Ingo’s home opened again, and Akari walked through, her satchel stuffed.

“I’m back!” She announced, closing the door quickly so as not to let too much cold air in. With the Pearl Clan’s homes seemingly being a combination between the wooden units like Akari’s back at Jubilife village, and tents, the whole living area was one large room.

Ingo made a noise to acknowledge and welcome her back, but he was too relaxed, now back in his bed, to say anything.

Ingo heard sloshing noises, and opened his eyes to see Akari bringing a bowl of water with small chunks of ice in it, setting it in her lap as she sat on his bedside.

“My mom always did this for me when I got sick,” Akari explained, feeling his (rather sweaty) forehead with her hand. He was absolutely burning up!

He’d been left like this for three days?

Akari fished out the rag and squeezed the excess water out of it, before folding it up. Ingo flinched when she placed it across his forehead; it was colder than he expected.

“Now, um, keep that there, and tell me when it gets warm. I’m going to try and make some soup now,” Akari said as she looked around the room, trying to remember everything one should do when someone was sick. “Where is your kitchen?”

“Cooking pots are in the corner by the coal pit,” Ingo told her, pointing to his “kitchen”, which was nothing more than a few shelves, containing the bare minimum of cooking instruments, and barely any ingredients to cook with.

“Hmm,” Akari browsed the shelves. He didn’t have much to work with at all; some potatoes and apricorns, and a few pecha berries. “Good thing I brought some of my own stuff!”

Taking her satchel off from around her, Akari dumped out everything she had retrieved from her storage box and brought with her.

Bugwort and medicinal leeks for their nutrients, kings leaves to boost the efficacy, various mushrooms and sootfoot roots for taste, and pep-up plants to add some spice. Mixed with Ingo’s potatoes, it shouldn’t be too bad!

Pulling out a soup recipe she had brought with her, she double checked all of the ingredients she had on the table were the right ones. Making soup was something Akari hadn’t done many times before, but she could do this!

The girl put the recipe down with the ingredients, before grabbing one of Ingo’s cooking pots and running out the door.

Ingo, who had succumbed to the comfiness of his bed, looked up from his pillow for a moment at hearing the door open and close. Where did she go?

Akari came back in a second later holding the pot, which had been filled with snow.

“I needed more water,” she explained as she hung the pot over the firepit, noticing she had caught Ingo’s attention. Ingo went back to his previous position, sinking back into his pillow as Akari poked at the coals, starting a small heat to cook the pot.

As Akari waited for the snow in the pot to melt, she sat there in silence, the room quiet, except for the sound of Ingo’s heavy breathing, ragged through congested lungs.

She went over to check the cool rag she had put across his forehead, and she found it was warm. He didn’t tell her it had warmed up!

“Ingo, I said to tell me when it warmed up,” Akari took the rag and soaked it back in the iced water again, squeezing it out and folding it back to place against his forehead again.

“Apologies, did not notice it change,”

This fever definitely needed to be broken…

Akari looked back over at her satchel, and went to root through it. Perhaps she had some…

————

“Ingo? Soup is done!”

Ingo, awoken from a murky sleep, opened his eyes at Akari’s words. He moved the rag off of his forehead, somehow still cool, (unaware Akari had kept changing it) and looked out over the covers of his bed. He saw Akari was pouring soup out of a pot into a bowl, steam rising from the hot liquid.

“Can you sit up?” Akari asked as she brought the bowl over.

Ingo did his best to sit up, before taking the bowl into his hands. “Thank you for preparing this, Miss Akari,”

“I hope it tastes ok!” The girl commented as Ingo took a sip from it. “I never really made soup before.”

The soup was hot, as soup should be - Ingo would give her that. It felt good on his sore throat, at least. But the taste and the texture was…not what he expected from a soup, to say the least.

“You did good with it,” Ingo lied, swallowing thickly. How did she undercook the mushrooms, but overcook the potatoes?

“I have more in the pot if you’d like seconds!” Akari gestured to the cooking pot hanging over the coal pit, to Ingo’s dismay.

“I’ll see how I do with this first,” Ingo looked back down at the bowl he already had to avoid eye contact.

“Oh! I also made this while the soup was cooking,” Akari left his bedside to grab something at his table, coming back to present it.

“I used some of the empty bottles I found on your shelves, I hope that was ok,” the young girl held out a bottle filled with a viscous light blue liquid of sorts. Several others were clutched in her other hand. Ingo took the bottle and looked it over as Akari kept explaining.

“It should help with your fever. I mixed some of my rawst berries and candy truffles, so it brings down your temperature and gives you some strength back. Try some.”

Ingo unscrewed the bottle, and sipped from it. Akari did a much better job preparing this than she had with the soup; mixing berries with candy truffles had left it tasting very sweet.

“Bravo, excellent job preparing this!” Ingo wiped at his mouth as Akari took the empty bottle back. “It tastes very good for a medicine.”

“My mom used to make them a lot for me too when I got sick! So I know how to make them too; it’s a lot more simple than making soup.” Akari explained, proud of her handiwork.

“Your mother sounds very caring,” Ingo commented. But perhaps he said something wrong, as some of the brightness in Akari’s face dimmed.

“Yeah,” she replied as she sat down on Ingo’s bedside, her smile more melancholy now. “She is. She would always take care of me when I got sick. No one was taking care of you, so I thought I’d try and do what my mom would do.”

Ingo knew she was recalling her family. He could not say the same for himself, being unable to recall explicit memories like she could, but he could recall fragments, and understood the feeling of missing someone.

“Well you did a good job,” Ingo cleared his throat, gently trying to pull her from the bittersweet memories, “As I am already feeling better!”

“Really?” Akari perked up at the apparent good news.

“Maintenance is still required before I am at my best, but I am on track to recovery.” Ingo replied, before taking another sip from his bowl of soup.

The fever was still here. The cough, and the stuffy nose was still here. The chills were still here. But Ingo’s mind was clearer, and his aches were diminishing. “Your methods are most helpful! This is the best I have felt in days.”

“Yes! I knew it wasn’t a curse!” Akari cheered. As if cheering with her, Lady Sneasler’s egg jostled around from its mountain of pillows and blankets on Ingo’s bed.

“See! Baby is happy too!” Akari reached over to pick up the egg and hold it, talking to it. “You definitely didn’t curse Ingo!”

Ingo huffed with a weak smile as he slouched against his bed frame. So he had suspected right, this really did seem to just be an ill-timed sickness!

A swift pounding at Ingo’s door caught everyone’s attention; even the egg stopped wiggling. The pounding sounded angry.

Akari looked at Ingo in silence, gesturing to the door and asking if she should open it. Ingo nodded slowly, and Akari went over, cautiously opening it.

Immediately, Calaba burst in, Bibarel following closely behind, and her sights locked onto Ingo immediately.

“There you are!” She shouted, shooting daggers into him as she marched over to his bedside. “What are you doing in bed? I’ve been waiting for you for three hours! You were supposed to come back to my tent after soaking in the hot spring!”

“Calaba, if you allow me to explain-“ Ingo shrunk into his blankets as if to escape her.

“Lucky for you, I brought what we need to complete the expulsion treatment! You’d better hope the gunk is still loose from soaking in the springs!”

Ingo shrunk even further into his covers to see Calaba pull out a braviary feather.

“Now lean your head back so I can stick this up your nose! The hot spring loosened the gunk, now you just need to sneeze it out and expel the curse! It’s going to be harder doing this three hours after you soaked, but with this blessed feather, if we do this now, maybe we can-“

“-he’s not cursed Calaba!” Akari grabbed the feather away from the medicine woman before she could do anything drastic with it. “He’s just been sick!”

————

Ingo was eternally grateful to Akari for convincing Calaba that indeed, he was getting better.

“He certainly looks better than he did this morning,” Calaba had commented when she noticed a little bit of color had seeped back into his skin.

She wasn’t entirely convinced he wasn’t cursed though. She felt that one of her previous treatments had worked, and had taken some time to really kick in.

“As long as you’re improving, that’s what matters,” Calaba had said, taking her braviary feather back from Akari. “But, keep doing what you’ve been doing, for good measure.”

There had been a pause, before another sentence.

“And if that egg hatches, congratulate your noble for me, warden! That’s a lucky kit!”

And with that, Calaba and her Bibarel had left.

Akari stayed with Ingo as the day went on and the sun set lower. She mostly wanted to be there to make sure Ingo stayed stable on his road to recovery, but she also wanted to see if Lady Sneasler’s egg would hatch.

“It might not hatch today,” Ingo told the girl as she talked to it, trying to keep her from getting her hopes up too high. From his bed, he watched her hold it as she sat at his table, swaddling it in a blanket.

“But it could!” She retorted, before turning back to the egg. “I know you want to hatch! I really want to see you!”

But as the hours went by, and the sun went down, nothing significant had happened.

The bowl of water Akari used to soak the rag had long since had all the ice melted.

The pot that held the questionable soup was now empty, Ingo somehow being able to endure seconds.

The rawst berry medicine had been finished off as well, working to break the fever that still burned in Ingo’s body.

But the egg still had not hatched. It still jostled around, but no cracks broke the surface yet.

“Miss Akari, it is getting late,” Ingo commented, observing Akari still staring at the egg from its blanket nest. “I suggest you get some sleep.”

“But what if the egg hatches during the night?” She asked sleepily, trying to cover a yawn with her hand. The only light still visible in the room was a single lanturn that Akari had placed at the table, and it illuminated both her and the egg.

“I will inform you if the egg begins the process,” Ingo reassured her as he pulled back the covers to get out of bed. “But you need your rest.”

Walking over to the table, Ingo picked up the egg, still in its blanket, and patted Akari on the shoulder, who made a face.

“You’re the one who’s sick though! You need rest too!”

“I will get some rest, don’t worry,” Ingo trudged back to his bed and placed the egg back amongst the mountain of pillows and blankets he had piled against the bed frame. “But I will notice if it begins to hatch, and I will be sure to tell you.”

“…ok,” Akari gave in after some hesitation. As Ingo went to extinguish the flame in the lantern, Akari began to put down layers of blankets and pillows down on the floor, making a bed for herself. “I’m trusting you!”

————

It was still dark outside, the early hours of the morning when Ingo’s fever broke.

His eyes shot open to stare at the dark ceiling, the room being illuminated by the moonlight seeping through the window, with the shadow of snowfall drifting against the light.

Then he noticed that he was absolutely drenched in sweat.

Disgusting.

The warden peeled his hot blankets off of him, stumbling cautiously through the dark to find that bowl of water Akari had brought for the rag.

Locating it on his table, he cupped his hands in the cool water and splashed his face, washing the sweat from it.

As gross as it felt, Ingo was relieved; the fever had finally broken. He’d still be tired the next day, but he would be feeling much better.

He dipped his hands in the water again, but froze as he heard a subtle cracking sound.

————

“Miss Akari!”

A harsh, urgent (excited?) whisper cut through the silence.

Akari’s eyes fluttered open, still heavy with sleep.

Everything was dark. It was still early morning.

Five more minutes…

“Miss!”

“What..?”

“Lady Sneasler’s egg is hatching!”

Akari was up in seconds.

“It’s hatching! It’s hatching!” She whispered excitedly as she rushed to Ingo’s bedside to see the egg, still in the mountain of blankets, while Ingo lit the lantern.

In the soft light that now illuminated the room, Akari could see the egg jostling about, but this time, there were cracks in the shell.

Another jostle, and a crack deepened.

Akari could hardly contain herself, and she latched onto Ingo in a side hug as she tried to contain her excitement, making all sorts of excited noises.

With another crack, a section of the egg’s shell broke off, and a tiny claw could be seen reaching out.

With a final crack, the egg opened, and a tiny white and purple face poked out, softly mewing, calling out to a mother that wasn’t there.

Akari gasped, and Ingo smiled a tired smile. He reached out and carefully scooped up the tiny sneaslet, holding it in his hands. He took a warm rag he had prepared, and gently started cleaning the little kit. It mewed quietly with its eyes still shut tight, leaning into the warmness of the rag.

“It’s a girl!” Akari pointed out the stunted ear feather as she watched from over Ingo’s shoulder, overjoyed, “she’s so cute!”

“Welcome aboard, little miss,” Ingo greeted the sneaslet.

[au-wannabe-the-very-best]

So Where She Belongs Akari's parents were on the boat and got smote? 'Cause that does eliminate the wonderful option of "They fuck around and find out in Hisui" because if Ingo's adopted her, Sneasler probably did too. Thats the kind of stuff people pay money to see play out.

I think I along with everyone else have been assuming that Akari's parents were on the boat and died but you know what? I want Ingo to be the one to smite them. Arceus the well-meaning but kind of insane grandpa is like oh, you wish to kill my granddaughter’s parents? Yes alright I bless this blood sacrifice, here is a holy knife go get ‘em son. :)

Ingo is like. I wasn’t planning on killing anybody but Almighty Sinnoh Himself literally just told me to and honestly I wouldn’t feel too bad doing it anyways so yeah okay. I mean, it wouldn’t do for a Warden of the Pearl Clan to refuse an order from Almighty Sinnoh himself, right? 

Melli’s just sitting next to Ingo, who’s just casually twirling his blessed dagger around his hand, with a slightly traumatized look in his eyes like. Warden Ingo was given permission to commit murder? Warden Ingo was given HOLY PERMISSION to COMMIT MURDER. Okay okay okay cool cool cool cool—

Anyways Ingo goes on a quest alongside Lady Sneasler soon after to kill horrible disgusting parents :)

Meanwhile Melli thinks back on the conversation he just witnessed between Ingo and Almighty Sinnoh and is like. Hold on granddaughter? SON??? DID ALMIGHTY SINNOH CALL WARDEN INGO SON?!

[pooka167]

PLA Dad Ingo and Uncle Emmet AU part 2

so here's part 2! I have such PLA brainrot its unbelievable...I blame my weakness for found family, especially the accidental child acquisition variety XD You can read part 1 here! I have also decided that Akari is not Dawn. I'm also aware I should probably name this au but I honestly cannot think of anything.

Back in Hisui Akari throws herself into the pokedex research, helping Volo along the way by capturing the likes of Heatran, Regigigas, Cresselia and receiving their plates as well. It's slow going but Akari is determined to get it done.

Those around her such as Rei and Laventon worry she is overworking herself in order to distract herself from Warden Ingo's absence. Akari denies this when asked but deep down she knows they're right. However she still refuses to listen to their urging to take it easy.

Akari rarely rests, running herself into the ground over the weeks to get closer to completing her goal. Volo who in the poor girls mind is one of the few people she can trust plays the perfect confidant, subtly manipulating Akari so that her attention shifts less on finding pokemon and more so on finding the plates. Two months after Ingo's departure there's only two plates left to find the ghost plate and the fist plate.

Of course Akari doesn't know Volo has had the ghost plate all along, the man in question is very pleased with their fast progress and thinks to himself perhaps he should have gotten rid of Ingo himself earlier if it meant Akari would listen so easily to him. Not that there's much to be done now Warden Ingo is gone and isn't going to be a problem anymore (That's what he thinks)

In fact the only way Akari properly rests these days is when Lady Sneasler finds her if she's in the highlands (Sneasler finds her every time). The noble will find Akari put her in her basket and carry her to her den and promptly depsoit her amongst her newest kits who excited to see one of their babysitters shower her with affection and then fall asleep on her. This leaves Akari with no choice but to stay there so as not to disturb them. She knows Sneasler is trying to look out for her in Ingo's stead so she can't be too upset when the noble tricks her into resting.

Due to Ingo's absence Akari not wanting to potentially cause tensions between Jublife and the Clans Akari is forced to return to Jublife more often. She knows she could still use Ingo's tent but finds herself unable to stay there because she misses him so much. She does however take one of his spare tunics and keeps it in her house in Jublife.

Sometimes when the whispers get too much or after she's forced into a meeting with Kammado (Rei, Cyllene and Laventon refuse to let her be alone with him, Akari is very grateful) she'll hug it close. As much as Akari misses him she can't regret sending him back to his brother.

Its two weeks later Akari finally works up the courage to face Kammado at Volo's urging. The crafty merchant gently tells her that she needs to face her fear so she can prove to herself Kammado can't pull a stunt like he did again. Akari while not entirely convinced agrees if only becomes Volo has always been kind to her and the fact he promises to stay nearby just in case.

Volo smirks to himself as he watches Akari face and defeat Kammado and subsequently receive the fist plate, it really has been too easy to manipulate the girl while she's missing the Warden. He tells Akari to meet him at the Temple of Sinnoh and she agrees saying she'll meet him there in two days time. Not knowing his true intentions and just how much danger she is in.

Meanwhile back in the present Emmet and Ingo after a hasty call to Elesa about Ingo's return and a request for her to ask Skyla when the next flight to Sinnoh will be the two begin to prepare for their Journey.

This of course means not 10 minutes after his call Elesa is at their door and sweeping the two of them into a hug before yelling at Ingo for disappearing and worrying them all for so long. Emmet leaves Ingo to explain himself to their best friend and sister and continues to prepare for going to Sinnoh.

Elesa at first wants to come with them but the twins gently remind her that Nimbasa city cannot be left without all of them for long and they do not know how long they will be gone for. Elesa reluctantly agrees on the condition the twins keep her updated as much as possible. They agree and spend a few days with Elesa as they make arrangements for the battle subway and such. Elesa agrees to take care of the pokemon they're not bringing and also agrees to manage the press while they're both away.

The two make their way to Mistralton City to meet Skyla. The gym leader is ready to go on their arrival and the twins waste no time. During the flight they learn all they can about Sinnoh's legendary pokemon and agree the best place to start is with the legendary lake trio after Ingo reveals that an item called the red chain was made from items received during trials with Lake guardians to help tame Dialga and Palkia. The two however are unable to find anything about the Temple of Sinnoh but agree to check out Spear Pillar on Mt Coronet due to the location.

It's through their research they learn about the story of creation and how Arceus and the world came to be. Based off what little Akari told him about her 'mission' and coupled with the presence of her Arc-phone in the past Ingo concludes that Arceus is most likely responsible for Akari ending up in Hisui. Though Ingo is still unsure of how exactly he ended up in Hisui. Emmet on the other is downright gleeful that they are potentially going to fight a god(he deserves to work through all his emotions due to past and current events and beating a god would be very good catharsis for him).

Once landing in Jublife the two get to work making their way to Lake Verity first. They stop to rest in Sandgem town and this is where Ingo and Emmet meet Lucas on their way to the pokemon centre. Ingo is struck by how much Lucas resembles Rei and while at the pokecentre the two end up striking up conversation with him. When they find out he is helping out professor Rowan the two ask if he knows anything about Mespirit, Azelf and Uxie. Lucas is happy to help them when they explain they are simply researching Legendary pokemon and their interest has brought them to Sinnoh. Of course it helps that the twins in turn tell Lucas the tale of Reshiram and Zekrom, who is enthralled and thanks them profusely.

After talking with Lucas and resting for the night the two make their way to the lake and to Ingo's surprise find Mespirit waiting for them. The two stick close to each other while Ingo explains why they are here. Mespirit is the being of emotion and questions Emmet on his feelings during is brothers absence and reappearance. Emmet answers freely and Ingo feels awful for putting his brother through all that with his unscheduled departure but it's Mespirits final question that catches them both off guard, because they thougt the answer was obvious.

Mespirit asks Emmet why he seems to care so much for a girl he's never met. To the twins who before Ingos abrupt disappearance had always been together its a very innocuous question. Emmet simply responds "I am Emmet, my brother is verrrry important to me, of course I would align my tracks and care for someone he does" Ingo is touched nonetheless that his brother already cares greatly for Akari. They do not receive a piece to make the red chain but they do leave with Mespirit's approval. That has to count for something. The brothers don't let a small change in tracks derail them. They press on.

The two head to Lake Valor next in search of Azelf and this time its Ingo who is put to the test. Azelf is brutal in its endeavor to test Ingo's will, Ingo however is unyielding nothing is stopping him from getting back to his daughter and bringing her home, mission assigned to her by Arceus or not. She was a child his child, Akari was coming home with them no matter what. He pours all his frustration at the situation that he and Akari were forced in into passing Azelf's trial and it pays off. He passes the trial with Emmet applauding him and that only leaves one guardian left Uxie. Again they do not receive Azelf's piece for the red chain but leave with its blessing.

So they begin to travel to Lake Acuity intent on facing the final guardian before the try to track down Dialga or Palkia. At this point they've been in Sinnoh for around a month. Emmet can see the toll this taking on his brother, can see the urgency in his brother's actions as he rushes through safety checks and does his best to comfort him. Emmet has never been great at talking that had always been Ingo but he does know how to put his brother at ease. So for most of their journey he goes into detail about his strategies to beat Arceus into the ground, cheerfully citing that since his wonderful Electross has the levitate ability (I know abilities aren't a thing in legends but this my au and I say they will) and therefore has no weaknesses for Arceus to exploit unless the damn thing has mold-breaker. It has the intended effect and soon he and Ingo are bickering good-naturedly about type matchups and strategies as they travel.

Ingo knows what his brother is doing and is very thankful for it. It makes their long trek up the snowy path to Lake Acuity pass by quicker, though when they rest for the evening there are some nights where Ingo lays awake worrying. Is Akari resting enough, are the villagers leaving her alone, is she eating properly? A million worries zip through his mind like a runaway train. There's a sinking feeling in his gut that tells him she needs his help and Ingo would be dammed if he didn't get to her in time.

When they finally arrive at Lake Acuity they've been in Sinnoh for just under two months and meeting with Uxie confirms Ingo's worst fears. Uxie is the guardian of the mind and is able to communicate with Ingo and Emmet with it taking less of a toll on him. Uxie has no trial for them instead the pokemon explains why they have not received the items from its counterparts.

"The rulers of time and space will come when you call for them at the top of spear pillar, the lost one is in need of you. Their are powerful forces at play. The creator and the banished each have their own agenda. The lost one has been betrayed once more."

The guardian's words alone are enough to send Ingo into a deadly rage, the conductor spits out countless threats about Kammado and Beni, promising hell if they'd dared harm is child once more.

This leaves Emmet to be calm collected twin for once (he isn't sure he likes it). His own anger accumulating inside but Emmet shoves it down, Ingo and his niece both needed him to keep a level head, there would be a time to work out his own anger just not now. While Ingo is busy going feral, Emmet decides to ask the million dollar question of who exactly has betrayed the niece he has yet to meet. Uxie's reply is simply "The merchant" it tells them.

Ingo goes still and feels mouth go dry. His mind playing back to the times Volo appeared to ask questions about both his and Akari's experience beyond the rift. His weird fixation on the rift and the events surrounding it in general. How he was always around to conveniently help when it was needed. His vested interest and need of Akari even after the rift was shut. It makes Ingo's blood boil to the point his pokeballs are shaking as his pokemon respond to his volatile emotions as he snarls. "Volo you bastard"

Emmet is worried for a moment his brother may fully lose it then and there taken aback by his cursing, but after a few moments Ingo takes in a shaky breath and releases it. Then in voice contorted with a carefully controlled fury he looks his brother in the eye and says. "All aboard Emmet we make our tracks for Mt. Coronet and nothing will derail us from our destination."

Emmet can do nothing, would do nothing else but follow his brother as Ingo whirls around to make for the exit of the cavern, his black coat billowing behind him. This Volo character won't know what hit them when the two of them show up. Emmet doubted there'd be much of a person left if Akari was hurt when they got there by the time Ingo and himself were done with them.

The journey to Spear Pillar is a blur to Ingo, his barely concealed rage is simmering just beneath the surface held together only by the thought of getting to Akari on time and Emmet's reassuring presence at his side. He is grateful to find both Dialga and Palkia waiting for them within what is now Spear Pillar. They are both stamping at the ground seemingly agitated in response to Ingo and Emmet's own emotions and summoned by their urgency. Without needing to ask the two legendary beasts roar and power surges through the temple. A portal appears as wind whips around them and neither twin hesitates to step in.

"Hang on Akari we're coming"

Phew, man I thought my last post was long...this one is even longer I feel. There's definitely going to be another part to this. I originally planned to end this with them arriving and like an epic line by Emmet. I'm still including the line in the next part but if I got to that point here it'd be a mile long. Anyways I hope you enjoyed this!

Part 3 can now be found here!

[imfluentinfangirlandgay]

Thrown Home Again

Hey, remember that one time that I said I was taking a break from writing fanfiction? Well, I lied. This one was inspired by the Injured Ingo AU from @multiversal-madness but I changed up the backstory and stuff a lil bit and made the story my own

Let me know if you'd like to see a part 2! I just wanted to see some Ingo Needs Help content

Word Count: ~6000

Something pushed Ingo awake. He blinked, taking in his surroundings. He was back in Sneasler’s cave. That was alright. Some small Sneasel were still laying in his chest. He looked up with his good eye to see what was prodding him. It was his Lady, the large Noble gently poking his arm. She lightly churred, deep in her chest. Large claws lifted her young off of him, setting them aside on the pile and helping him to his feet. She waited patiently as he attached his foot, putting the other boot back over it. He sighed as the familiar feel of worn leather was tightened around what was left of his shin, the other strap settling above his knee. He stood and tested the appendage, making sure that his leg sat in it properly before rolling his pants back down and covering the limb and joining Sneasler. As soon as they left the cave, Ingo could see that it was just before dawn. The rays of the sun poked out behind the cliff faces of the Coronet Highlands, strengthening with each passing minute. Ingo looked up to his Lady.

“What is it you require, Lady Sneasler?” She churred at him again, beckoning to him. He followed her, his gait slightly uneven. She walked slowly for him. He was grateful for that. The Noble led him up some cliffs, gently carrying him along, letting him climb the smaller faces on his own. They moved in silence, as Ingo was still waking up. He did not know what his Lady had in store, but he knew he would find out soon.

They arrived at the Celestica Ruins. The other Pokemon that were usually nearby were… strangely absent. The sun had now freshly risen, throwing all of Hisui into a warm, golden hue. Ingo looked around. It was almost dead silent. Something was going on. “What do you think it is?” he asked Sneasler.

She led him along a little further, her fur beginning to stand on end. Ingo could tell why. There was an odd feeling in the air, like electricity was building and about to crack at any given moment. The hair on the back of Ingo’s neck stood on end. He kept his head on a swivel, taking in the entire scene around him, despite his left eye being blinded. He could not afford to miss any safety checks. As they walked, the odd pressurized feeling grew stronger. It reminded Ingo of being near a space-time distortion, except there was no bubble of iridescence blotting out the very sun. It was odd. He didn’t like it.

“My Lady, we should fetch Rei and come back later-” There was a catastrophic boom that made Ingo’s ears ring. Sneasler ran over to him and grabbed him, holding him tight to her chest. He felt something rip her away from him and when he looked up, she was a couple paces away. “My Lady!” he called, trying to run to her. He felt like he was running through sludge, and not just because of his foot. He was in an odd place, all black and swirling. He was almost floating away from Sneasler, who seemed to be tethered by an invisible line to a hole in their plane. It led back to the Coronet Highlands, Ingo could see the pillars through the hole. The hole sucked her in, still howling for him, as he was pulled by some force away from her. It zipped shut,, leaving Ingo alone in the swirling dark realm.. He cried out for her again, but this time nothing happened. He continued floating, feeling some sensation tugging him in a different direction around his core. He did not seem able to stop it.

He managed to twist his body around, looking at the direction he was going. There was no physical string or rope pulling him, though to his chest, it felt like there was. It made his ribs ache. He flailed, trying to find some way, any way out of this. He floated through the deep black and purple space, noticing small islands of some sort floating in the distance. He called out again in desperation and fear.

This time, his call was answered. A massive Pokemon with huge, thick black tendrils sprouting from its back and golden rings encasing its head, appeared before him. It had no legs and moved through the world easily, almost as if it were swimming. It exudes an aura of power, one that sent that same electrifying chill across his flesh. Ingo shivered involuntarily, wishing suddenly to pull his coat around him a little tighter. “Who are you?” he asked the beast. “What is happening?” The Pokemon regarded him with bright red eyes. He could not read any emotion out of it.

I am returning you to where you belong. You were unrightfully removed. And so back to your time and place you will return.

Ingo’s eyes widened. “But I don’t remember where I belong. Do I have a family? Where will I find my old self?”

The Pokemon leaned in, watching him in his right eye. I will place you down at a place of great importance to you. Your memories will return quickly, as will those who care for you. They have been waiting for your return. It was in my frenzy that you became misplaced, and thus I am fixing my mistake.

Frenzy? Ingo decided not to hear that part. “Do… could I have anything to go off of? Just… even a word, something so I know I will not derail harshly from my station again. Please.” Ingo looked up at the great creature, his eyes wide.

You lost your memories when you entered this world. Use this as a starting point: Emmet.

Automatically, the word set off some sort of whistle in the back of his mind. “Thank you, Great One,” he managed. He was not sure if this was a Lord or Lady, so he stuck with a safe term. “Thank you.” The beast lowered its head at him, bowing.

You will reach your destination soon. You will remember your time in Hisui. Know that in modern times, it is known as Sinnoh. You have been missing for four years. I do not possess the ability to make time flow at different rates, merely to transport you back to your proper timeline, with both eras flowing at the same rate. Find Emmet. He will explain things.

Ingo wanted to ask who Emmet was, but also did not want to upset the creature. He saw a hole appearing below him, his body being pulled into it by some unknown force. He began to move a little faster as time went on, his being accelerating towards the hole. “Thank you. I do not know how to repay you, Great One.”

It was my mistake to fix. You may refer to me as Giratina. Farewell, Ingo .

Ingo fell through the hole, the pocket in space zipping itself back together as he landed softly on the ground. He looked at his new surroundings. He seemed to be in some sort of underground space, but it was much more sleek than the tunnels of Hisui. There were lights illuminating the area, though they still seemed rather dim. His mind spat out a single word: Subway.

Ingo stood, ensuring his leg was still securely attached before maneuvering his way around the Subway. He walked down some stairs, holding tight to the handrail to ensure he would not fall. He kept his guard up, though something told him he was safe here. He still wasn’t sure why. He stumbled across a thick yellow line painted on the floor, and beyond it was a set of metal lines weaving their way into the darkness. Train tracks. Do not cross the yellow line! So that’s why he said that so much. As he meandered along, he did get brief flashes of memory. Himself saying things, crowds of people, and everything that he assumed that he once did in his daily life before Hisui.

He approached a glass door. It was unlocked, so he slid it open. Inside was a large room filled with blinking screens, showing cameras, other tunnels, and a group of lightly colored trains . Ingo’s eye lit up. A train! That’s what a train was! He noticed a clock on the wall. Ingo squinted at it, trying to remember how to read it. If he was remembering right, it was supposedly 6:14. In the morning? Or the evening? The Subway seemed closed to him, so he assumed it was morning. That would make sense with what Giratina had told him. He reached into his pockets to check what he had in them. Some photos tucked inside his journal, his Warden’s bracelet, some Pokeballs, his Celestica Flute, and some mixed snacks and such. So, what he usually had on him. Ingo wandered the room - the control room! - looking into the screens. As he did so, he slowly remembered what each and every single one did. Including all the buttons. He clicked away at them, zooming in on cameras and assessing the state of the Subway. All seemed to be in order.

He thought back to what Giratina had said. Find Emmet. That name sounded tantalizingly familiar, but he still couldn’t recall the face to whom it belonged. Maybe seeing their face would help? He continued playing around with the buttons, relishing in his newfound knowledge. He was actually beginning to remember! There were brief memories flowing through his brain know, him and someone else leading others to the trains, him and someone else battling Trainers on the trains. He used to have a speech he would give, and so did the other person who was with him. Who was that?

Something chimed. Ingo flicked his eye over to the screens, watching with mild interest. He saw a figure unlock the main doors to the outside of the Subway and quietly make their way inside, shutting them behind them. They wore all white, an outfit that oddly reminded Ingo of his own. He could not see their face. He felt like he definitely knew this person, and his heart nearly burst out of his chest just at the sight of this man. Man? How did he know the figure was male? He watched them approach the room he was in, making his way down hallways through different cameras. He watched the figure come up to the door to the control room and pause at the opened handle. The figure waited a beat. They threw out a Pokemon, as Ingo watched on the screen, and he could hear it just outside his door. Ingo whirled around, still surprised though he had watched it happen in real time. A voice floated in, a voice that made his stomach flip and made his heart pound. He knew this voice. Because it was his own.

“I am Emmet. And you are an intruder. I do not know how you entered my Subway. Prepare for a battle.” The door burst open as Ingo breathed in sharply, memory flooding his senses. Emmet, Emmet, it was all Emmet. The man who battled with him, lived with him, had shared a womb with him. Emmet, the man standing before him with his own face. Emmet, the smiling man in white that he could just barely recollect in Hisui. Emmet, his counterpart. Emmet, his brother. Emmet, who had walked into the room and flicked on the light, only to freeze up completely as he saw Ingo. The Pokemon with him had frozen as well. Eelektross .

Emmet’s face was the same as Ingo remembered. The same sideburns as his own, the same silver eyes, the same nose, the same chin. Everything about them was mirrored, except for the smile that he wore like a second skin, always on his face. He was always smiling, Ingo recalled. The two watched each other from opposite sides of the room, not daring to move. Not daring to breathe, in case something happened. The Eelektross was the first to move, cautiously approaching Ingo. It floated in a circle around him, scrutinizing his face, his clothes. It cocked its head at him and gave a soft whine. Ingo reached out tentatively and stroked its head, still in a daze. A single word left his lips, his voice cracking.

“Emmet.”

That broke the spell on them. Eelektross squealed, spinning into the air in happy circles and coming back to nuzzle Ingo’s face. It touched his left side, which immediately set him on edge. Emmet ran around the table, knocking over a chair on his way, slamming into Ingo with his entire body. Ingo groaned at the pressure it put on his ribs. Emmet did not seem to notice, though, as his brother was holding him tightly. Ingo could feel his shoulders heaving, could hear the man’s quiet sniffles in his ear. Ingo returned the hug just as forcefully. There was moisture on his face. Was he crying too?

They stood in silence for a long time, listening to the ticking of the clock and the occasional beeping of one of the monitors. Ingo did not want to let go, but he could feel his body ready to give out from the pressure. “Emmet, I cannot breathe,” he tried to say quietly, despite the fact that his vocal cords simply seemed incapable of such an action. Immediately, Emmet’s arms aprang apart, instead gripping Ingo’s shoulders as he looked at him. Emmet, now close up, looked at his face, namely the large scar running across the left side and his blind eye. He saw Emmet’s face scrunch up in concern and confusion. Ingo watched his face morph from pure happiness and shock to something more subdued, more sad.

“Ingo,” he murmured, more tears filling his gaze and running down his sodden cheeks. “What happened to you? Where… where were you?” Emmet sounded like he was about to fall apart at the seams, like any moment a small touch would make him break like fine glass. Ingo gripped Emmet’s arms as he breathed in deeply, trying to fix the positioning of his ribs. Ever since they had been broken in that fight a while ago, they hadn’t healed quite right and sometimes seemed to poke into other important things, like his lungs. Emmet must have seen his concentration on breathing, as he immediately widened his eyes in terror and pulled up a chair, gently pushing Ingo into it and kneeling in front of him. Ingo gripped his shoulder again, not quite ready to let him go. Emmet gripped his bad leg lightly. He eas absolutely terrified, tears still silently slipping as he watched his brother struggle to do something so simple and vital. Ingo had to cough to readjust his own ribs.

“It… is a very long story. Apologies, just a moment. I need to move.” He stretched his body upwards, trying to relieve the tension inside his core from the awkward bone angles. He felt something shift, and the pressure relieved itself. His breath hitched, then he breathed out, content. “That’s better.” Emmet was watching him, entirely unsure of what to do.

“Ingo… you were gone for four years. And you… the scars… your eye… can you breathe?” Ingo chuckled to try to lighten Emmet's mood, again having to cough. Apparently something was still out of place in there.

“Is… there any way we could go somewhere more private? I am not certain about sharing this information with the world quite yet. People will start coming to the Subway soon.” Emmet seemed to realize that they were still sitting in the Subway. He immediately flicked his wrist towards him, unveiling a thin device on his arm ( Xtransceiver ) and typing out a quick message, then putting it away.

“We can return home. I informed the workers that I will not be in today. Family emergency.” It wasn’t a lie. Ingo stood, gripping the counter for a moment to make sure his leg worked. Satisfied, he motioned to Emmet to lead the way out. Emmet recalled Eelektross and swiftly made his way to the door before realizing Ingo was much slower than him. Ingo hobbled along in his uneven gait, trying to get used to the smooth tile flooring. He was concerned he may slip with these worn boots on. Emmet held out a hand to Ingo, which he happily took. The two slowly made their way out of the Subway and Emmet guided them down the street, walking slowly to make sure Ingo could keep up. They moved several blocks, Ingo keeping his gaze turned downwards in case there were people out and seeing him. He did not want them to see his eye.

Finally, they turned up at a tall building. Apartment , Ingo’s brain supplied. He lived here. With Emmet. They entered the building and Emmet gently tugged him along to the stairs, which Ingo had to take slowly for fear of falling. Emmet did not say anything, but did hover close by like a mother Ursaring, his gaze unblinking with confusion and concern. Ingo was thankful they only lived on the second floor. Emmet unfolded a keyring, slipping one key seamlessly into the lock and throwing the door open, beckoning for Ingo to enter first.

Their apartment had hardly changed, if at all. A bookshelf stacked with books sat on one end of the living room, a couple shelves with model trains and photos of family and friends framing the walls. A TV, couch, and a small coffee table sat in the main area, the couch surrounded on both sides by night tables with small lamps. Ingo sighed. He remembered. Emmet helped him to the couch, where he immediately sat down. He held his bad leg a bit further away from him, trying to let his stump air out a little. He was unsure about taking off the leg, still. Emmet sat down on the couch next to him, turning on a light. Emmet removed his cap and coat, loosening his tie as he sat down. Ingo, more out of reflexive habit watching his brother, did the same. His ponytail tumbled down his shoulders, finally let out of the cap. He gently removed his tattered coat. Emmet gasped next to him. He was aware of the amount of scars that marred the flesh of his arms, many from clumsy infant Sneasels, and others from close calls with other wild Pokemon. Ingo pulled up the collar on his sweater, hiding the one tracing down his neck. Emmet did not need to see that yet. They sat there for some time, Emmet just taking in Ingo’s appearance.

“Ingo. I must know. What happened?” Emmet asked, his voice hardly above a whisper. Ingo took a deep breath, taking Emmet’s hand and squeezing, to help calm him.

“I will say, I am still working out the details myself. I do not remember how I got there. I woke up in a foreign land known as Hisui. I was told this is the past name for what is now called Sinnoh. I had no memory of who I was prior to waking, except for my own name and my uniform. I was found by kind people, known as the Pearl Clan, who offered me food, shelter, and clothing. I grew to know them decently, though many were wary of me due to my odd mannerisms, speech, and clothing. I cannot blame them. The land of Hisui was filled with very powerful, very dangerous wild Pokemon. Within my first year there, I came across one such pokemon, a wild Alpha Crobat inside a cave. I had not yet accustomed myself to this cave and there were no lights in this place, so it caught me off-guard. It took my eye, scarred me, and caused a cave-in. I lost my leg in that battle. I was found and rescued by a Noble Pokemon, one of the Pokemon who were respected and revered in Hisui, the one known as Sneasler. She found me and returned me to the Pearl Clan, saving my life.

“I later was appointed her caretaker, or Warden, as she and I grew a bond. After I lost my leg, I had a hard time getting around, and Sneasler taught me how to move again. I lived in her cave, oftentimes watching over and playing with her young, as well as ensuring her needs were attended to. In return, she gave me shelter and attended to me, as well. She never liked it if I strained myself too hard…” he trailed off for a moment. Then he snapped his gaze back to Emmet, who was listening intently. “I was her Warden for another three years. This morning, she woke me early and brought me to what was called the Celestica Ruins. There was an odd feeling in the air. As we were there, a rift in space-time opened and removed me from the station. I floated through what I believe now to be the Distortion World and met with Giratina. It informed me that my rerouting was an accident due to a rage that had been forced upon it. It sent me back to Unova, wishing to fix the mistake it had inadvertently caused. I found myself in the Subway, my memories returning to me slowly ever since. Giratina told me to look for you. And then you appeared in the Subway and the memories came back. I remembered. Everything. Or, at least, the big things.” His voice was becoming strained from the effort it took and he could feel his ribs twisting positions. He coughed again, trying to force it back. Emmet stiffened, his entire body taut as he tried to understand what was happening to Ingo. He felt guilty for making him continue to worry so badly.

“I got into another battle a few weeks back in order to save one of Lady Sneasler’s kits from harm," he added. "In the process, I was slammed harshly into a wall. It broke some ribs. I do not believe they have healed yet.” At this last statement, Emmet’s eyes widened. He gripped Ingo’s shoulders a little tighter.

“Do you need a hospital? Is there anything-”

Ingo was shaking his head, waving him off. “I believe it just needs more time. Sometimes they move around with too much pressure and they place pressure on my lungs. I will be alright.”

Emmet’s jaw locked. He stared at Ingo, eyes filled with determination. “I am Emmet. I am taking you to a hospital.”

“Could we go later?” Ingo began to say, until he scrutinized Emmet's expression. His gaze had hardened, his entire being vibrating just under his skin. Ingo suddenly understood. Emmet had something to work towards. He no longer looked as frightened now that he had a goal to work towards, now that there was a clear track with a destination. Ingo sighed, bowing his head. "Alright. Just give me a moment to collect my bearings before we charge off to a new station. Please."

Emmet’s hands reached gently around his body. They did not squeeze this time, afraid of hurting him. “I missed you,” he murmured. Ingo wrapped his arms around Emmet. “But I am taking you to a hospital. You need your ribs fixed. Verrry badly.” Ingo sighed. He figured there was no way out of this. He stood, wincing at the small jab into his stump. There was a small piece of metal that overhung the wood, and it always bothered him. It sent a spark into his shin again, making him blink just a little too harshly.

Emmet stood too, frantically waving around and trying to grab Ingo in case he fell. “Do you need help? Or I could go in the other room- would you like to change clothes? Before we depart?”

“I’m quite alright, Emmet. I’ve grown used to hobbling around and having to dress myself. A change of clothes would be appreciated, though.” He hoped his voice conveyed the light tone he was attempting to use, because he knew his face was not. Emmet practically ran from the room, returning within seconds with new clothing. They were simple loose slacks and a faded old shirt, but it was certainly cleaner than his Pearl Clan uniform. As he shrugged off his old pants from Hisui, revealing the metal foot, he saw Emmet grow still on the other side of the room. Ingo paused, waiting for the reaction, but none came. It was dead silent. He hurriedly pulled on the slacks and shirt. He hated showing people that bit. Ingo stood, testing his leg and taking Emmet’s hand that was offered to him. He and Emmet left the house, taking the elevator down this time and setting off down the street.

Emmet made good on his word. Ingo was checked into the urgent care in the hospital, which was already an uproar in and of itself. Once Emmet said who he was, there was a buzz of commotion. He was back in Unova, after four years. He stayed calm, requesting that Emmet stayed by his side the whole time. None of the staff had the gall to remove them from each other, especially watching how tightly Emmet clung to the arms of the chair he occupied the literal second Ingo left his line of sight. Ingo's heart broke when he saw Emmet's frightened face, eyes darting around the room and looking for Ingo after two minutes of him using the toilet. He went back over to Emmet as they waited for a nurse, taking his hand. Ingo squeezed. Emmet squeezed back, harder. He was shaking. Doctors took tests, poked and prodded at Ingo, and investigated all of his listed injuries. It took a while, but eventually the head doctor returned to them with a clipboard. Ingo was dressed in a hospital gown at this point, his hair tied back. Ingo had managed to get Emmet to talk about the Subway and he sat and listened to his younger twin flap his hands and tell him all about trains again. He used his Xtrans to contact someone quickly as the doctor walked in, causing them both to look up.

“Well, Mr. Ingo, it appears that your body is in surprisingly good shape, considering the injuries you sustained. There is not much we can do for your leg or eye, though I am sure you are aware of that. Your ribs are, in fact, broken. You do not have pneumonia, but I recommend taking deep breaths regularly to prevent that from happening. Your bloodwork revealed nothing astonishingly out of place and you seem surprisingly fit. We can help refer you to a prosthetist, who would help make a more comfortable prosthetic leg for you, if you’d like. For now, we can give you a crutch to get around and would prefer you not use the old one anymore. It has been causing sores on your stump. In addition, there are some creams that can help avoid the chafing in the leg-” He droned on, listing various methods to help with pain management and other problems, namely with his leg. Ingo nodded along the whole time, Emmet holding his hand and listening to every word the doctor said.

“Given all of that, like I said, you are surprisingly healthy. I know you are hesitant to share everything about where you have been the last four years, and that is understandable. I would like to set up an appointment for two weeks from now to check and ensure your ribs are healing. The best advice I have is to not do anything strenuous the next month or so and try to regain some body mass. The nurse will get you the contact information for the prosthetist, should you choose to see them. You will also be discharged as soon as you’d like. Any questions?” Both twins shook their heads.

“Thank you, doctor,” Emmet said. The doctor nodded kindly.

“Ensure that he does not strain himself as his ribs heal. If you rejoin the Battle Subway, I look forward to seeing you both up there in the mornings again.” The doctor then made his way out, a nurse replacing him.

“Here’s the information about the prosthetist. I can help you fill out the discharging forms now and you could head home within the hour.”

Ingo left the hospital on a crutch, which was very different to his prosthetic. He had insisted on keeping it, though, so Emmet was carrying it in a bag, along with his papers and documents. His pant leg was pinned up, just under the stump, so it wouldn’t get in his way. Ingo was not sure about the crutch. He figured he’d call the prosthetist sometime soon. He avoided the odd stares that people in the lobby were giving him when they saw his leg.

As they walked out through the automatic doors, there was someone waiting there for them. She wore a yellow jumpsuit and mismatched red and blue headphones, her long black hair styled in a neat ponytail. Her makeup was flawless. As the doors hissed open, she took stock of the two of them, her eyes resting on Ingo. She stood stock-still and watched him hobble out of the hospital, still learning to use the crutch. He would have preferred to hop out on one foot, but the doctor had told him that used his core too much and could damage his ribs further. He waved to Elesa.

The woman stood, taking him in, dumbfounded for a second. Then she ran forward, Emmet screaming, “Careful, his ribs are broken!” as she came in for a hug. At Emmet’s shout, she slowed down and the impact was much more gentle, her arms wrapping around him and enveloping him in the smell of her perfume and ozone. Ingo wrapped his right arm awkwardly around her, the other still holding on to his crutch. She didn’t cry. She just held him. Ingo patted her back. Emmet grabbed her shoulder and squeezed, grinning. Elesa eventually pulled away and looked at Ingo’s face, her eyes lingering on his blind eye and his scars. She stepped back a little, taking him in and gripping his shoulders. Her face turned a bit more serious.

“WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?” Emmet jolted out of surprise. Ingo didn’t even flinch.

“It’s a long story. I was transported back in time and had some run-ins with wild Pokemon. I can explain more later. I am rather ready to return right now.” Elesa’s eyes bulged. She looked at Emmet, who simply nodded. Her gaze swung between the two of them. “We should depart to the home station. We are blocking the entrance,” Ingo added. That seemed to get the other two to move. Elesa led them to her car, Emmet helping Ingo into the front seat and entering the vehicle in the back. Elesa hopped in and drove to their apartment, which did not take long. They all got out, Ingo managing to fluidly get himself upright and grab his crutch, swinging his torso on top of his one leg before anyone could open his door. The three of them stepped inside the apartment building, Ingo having some trouble on the stairs with his crutch. Emmet and Elesa ended up having to help him. He was going to call that doctor ASAP.

They all entered the apartment, Ingo throwing the jacket he wore down onto the couch as he collapsed on it for the second time that day. Emmet sat on one side of him, Elesa sitting on the other. They both watched him for a moment as he fiddled with the bracelet on his wrist from the hospital. He could feel the nervous energy in his hands, wishing that the stares would stop. “I have a journal in my coat pocket,” Ingo remembered suddenly. “It has photographs of many of my companions from Hisui and has a comprehensive transcription of my time there. I believe my coat is still folded behind you, Elesa.” She reached behind her and looked at the tattered coat for a moment, her eyes glinting with sadness. She reached into the pocket, retrieving his flute, some wrapped rice cakes, his Hisuian Pokeballs, and finally, the small journal that he carried with him. The cover was a simple leather, the pages made of thick fibers and the edges torn instead of cut, all bound together by thick fibers from trees. It made a creaking sound as it was opened. Her eyes darted across the pages, looking at the photos he had stored in the book. As the minutes ticked by, her eyes filled with tears. Her head snapped up and she locked eyes with Ingo.

“You weren’t kidding. It’s real. You got sent back in time.” Her voice sounded confused and incredulous at the same time. A single tear raced itself down her cheek as she continued. ‘You-you didn’t remember a thing. You sound so lost . And you look so tired, even now…” She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue she produced from inside her jacket, trying not to smudge her makeup. “Oh, Ingo, how did you get into this in the first place… how are you back here?” she asked suddenly.

“Giratina brought me back through the Distortion World. It informed me that my derailment was a mistake, I was never meant to be taken in the first place. So it returned me this morning to the Subway, where I ran into Emmet again. I have many of my memories returning, though it is unclear if I have all of them, or ever will.” Elesa nodded slowly.

“You say that the literal god of antimatter ‘accidentally’ dragged you into a whole different region and time period and then said ‘oopsies!’ and just dropped you back off? With nothing to go on?”

“I asked it for anything to help jog my memory, in the event nothing happened and I ended up stranded alone in the region I started in. All it told me was to find Emmet. That proved a rather simple task, as he practically ran into me,” he chuckled. Elesa handed Emmet the book and the photos, allowing him to read as she and Ingo talked some more.

“Then what happened to you? Physically, I mean. You said you had a run-in with a Pokemon?”

Ingo nodded. “Yes. I was in a dark cave and was surprised by a rather powerful alpha Crobat, which took my eye. It caused a cave-in, crushing my foot in the rubble. Sneasler, a Noble, rescued me and made me her Warden after I had healed enough to move.” Elesa regarded him with sad eyes, taking one of his hands in hers.

“Ingo…” she didn’t say anything else, but studied the scars lacing his left side, which were much more prominent than the ones on his right due to the Crobat incident. Ingo took her hand, giving her permission to investigate. It was not an open, morbid fascination she was looking at him with, as a child would watch a science fair project, but rather genuine concern. Something about that made him not as uncomfortable with the attention. She traced her fingers up his marred flesh, which tickled in some places and did not even register in others, where the nerves had never grown back. She looked at his face too, her hand hovering just over the flesh, asking permission. He nodded. She lightly touched the pink flesh, which would never quite heal back to normal. He couldn’t feel her hands in some spots, and in others it was greatly enhanced with feeling. She looked into his eye, he assumed, though he couldn’t see it. He felt air rub against it and assumed she had waved, trying to test if it was truly blind. Judging by her face, her fears had been confirmed.

Emmet leaned his head into Ingo’s shoulder, setting down the book and hugging Ingo gently. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. He’d read Ingo’s fears, his pains, his thoughts, through the years he had been in Hisui. Ingo had bared a part of his soul that he knew he would otherwise never be able to. “You remembered me,” Emmet murmured. “You remembered me, at least a little.” He was smiling, a large, genuine smile as he let tears leak out. Ingo patted his brother’s head.

“It was the only thing I remembered,” he rumbled. “Other than my name, that is. I even forgot what trains were.” Elesa raised her eyebrows at him. They sat like that for a long time, until the sun’s rays disappeared from the window, leaving the three of them in darkness. Ingo was content. Until his stomach rumbled rather loudly, that is. “A-apologies, I have not refueled since before leaving Hisui early this morning,” he realized suddenly. Elesa and Emmet both snapped their heads up at him. “Emmet, do not give me that look, I know for a fact you have not eaten today, either.” Elesa looked between the two of them, sighing.

“I’m ordering food. I’m paying. What do you both want?”

That night was quiet, which was rather nice. Emmet and Elesa laid beside him, their heads on his shoulders as they watched something on the TV, takeout left on the table in front of them. Emmet had been nervous about letting Ingo out of his grasp, much less out of his sight. This was concerning. Ingo would need to perform some safety checks with this knowledge later. They had a blanket draped over the three of them now. Emmet was snoring lightly. Elesa’s eyelids were drooping. Ingo let out a deep sigh, settling into the couch. His own eyelids were drooping closed, the TV’s sounds blurring into white noise as he was lulled to sleep.

[Part 1] - [Part 2] - [Part 3] - [Part 4] - [Part 5] - [Part 6] - [Part 7] - [Part 8] - [Part 9]