#for me to reasonable accept ingo becomes a warden

[leggerefiore]

cw: twin wardens au, pla ingo, poly (ingo/reader, emmet/reader), fluff mostly,

ughhh debating writing more here but idk where to go with it

---

It was astonishing how they never realised they were twins.

Certainly, their amnesia was at play for their lack of memories and understanding of their past lives, and you understood that completely. Naturally, they had ended up separated, too, when they had landed it the wilds of Hisui. Emmet taken in by the Diamond Clan and Ingo taken by the Pearl Clan. The care shown for both of them by essentially strangers was endearing, and definitely was how they ended up recovering from falling out of the sky as well as they did. This did, however, mean they were completely unaware of each other's existences before they took over their positions as Wardens in the highlands.

Emmet at first believed they should be rivals, knowing that while the tensions were low between the clans, there was a chance that this person could be a bad actor. Ingo simply wished to have a professional politeness with his neighbour. Needless to say, they were both absolutely shocked when they had finally encountered one another. It was like gazing into an oddly twisted mirror and seeing an alternate version of yourself rather than a simple reflection. Emmet became paranoid that Ingo had copied him, but the Pearl Clan Warden easily explained that he was stunned by their similarities, too.

They quickly found themselves spending most of their time together up in the highlands when they were away from their duties as Wardens. Even moving in together to help manage their food resources and guard themselves from the harsh wilds. Emmet's odd spider pokemon that had refused to leave his side since he was found had grown and evolved into another pokemon that proved itself useful for obtaining silk for fabrics of various use. Both seemingly found the electric type quite a familiar thing, but neither knew just what to call it.

Their respective clans had found their closeness a bit odd at first, yet easily accepted it as it proved beneficial to everyone.

You still were stunned after meeting them both that neither had come to the conclusion that they were brothers. Ingo had simply introduced Emmet as a fellow Warden, and Emmet solely referred to Ingo by his name, not a single 'brother' called out by him. It was odd, especially as you had known them before your time in Hisui. They were extremely close back in Unova, completely inseparable. It must have been obvious to them here, too, but for whatever reason it had simply never occurred to them.

The time for asking questions came as Ingo led you through a cave in the highlands. You hung close to his side as he claimed that it was difficult to navigate and becoming 'uncoupled' was not allowed. You giggled at his word choice. A cruel irony, as you technically had been separated from your relationship with him due to his memory issues. Still, just being around him helped relieve a lot of the stress you had been going through in Hisui. Both he and Emmet had certainly gone through similar situations to you. Though, their memory loss had likely made adjusting easier.

“So… How close are you with Emmet?” you asked, finally breaking the silence in a meaningful way, “You two seem like brothers.” The time to tell them about your situation simply had not come yet. The idea of suddenly bursting out that you knew everything about them just felt wrong. It would cause them much unneeded stress, and they seemed perfectly fine the way they are.

“Well, we have taken to sharing a residence for safety reasons,” he replied, “Emmet seems like a nice fellow. A bit too playful at times, but he takes his duties as a Warden quite serious. I respect him.” You nodded along. That almost sounded like how he would describe Emmet back home to strangers. Even calling him a fellow rather than his brother.

“Ah, well, you two looked like brothers to me,” you smiled at him, “You two are identical, you know.” He stopped for a moment and looked around the rocky walls of the darkened cave. It seemed that thought had occurred to him already, but he had chosen not to pursue that line of thinking for whatever reason. You wandered in front of him to look him in the eyes.

“... Is that so? Well, I suppose I do feel like I have known him for a while,” he stated and brought a hand to stroke his goatee, “I wonder which one of us was the older sibling in that case.” You wanted to laugh at his words. The thought of Ingo even viewing Emmet as the older one seemed like an impossible thought back in Unova. Of course, it was impossible to tell with them without prior knowledge.

“I'd say you,” you hummed, “You seem like an older brother.” Ingo once more nodded at your words and began walking once more. You followed alongside him, just as you had before, now wondering what was racing through his head. His guided trip ended, and you separated for now. It was strangely lonely leaving his side once more to face the wilds on your own.

~

After the Noble pokemon Electrode had been calmed, you crashed outside the arena with a feeling of electric surging still racing through your veins. Somehow, he had felt more threatening than the other three nobles had been. Even Arcanine did not hold a flame to the way Electrode seemingly went after you. You needed to rest for a moment, so you ignored the concerned questions of both Laventon, Adaman, and Emmet.

In your moment of just zoning out, you felt something being softly taken out of your bones. The electrifying feeling finally fading after so long. You turned your head to see an unexpected ally. “Galvantula,” you cooed of the pokemon, who stared at you with their big, adoring six eyes. You patted your lap, and the spider immediately crawled on and just purred. It seemed the other two men had since gone, too, leaving you alone with Emmet. The Warden sat down beside you with wide eyes as the spider nuzzled into your pets.

“... You know us, don't you?” Emmet asked with a tilt of his head, “He has been verrrry protective of me since I first woke up.” You smiled at the familiar feeling. If you closed your eyes, you could pretend to be back home on your couch, just spending time with Galvantula and the younger twin. “You also told Ingo we seemed like brothers,” he continued, “He said you told him he seemed like an older brother.” It appeared the twins had already gossiped amongst themselves. There was rarely anything kept from between them.

“You both look older, you know,” you leaned your head onto his shoulder, “Still identical, though. You two really are twins.” Emmet hummed at your words. A sigh came from you when he placed a hand on your head and softly massaged your scalp. “Yeah, I knew you two,” you answered him properly, “We… We were dating.” It felt bad going against your words, but you decided not to provide them any information that they did not ask for.

“Heehee, I told him that,” Emmet's voice was light and teasing, “Ingo did not believe me when I said you looked at him with pure love.” Your cheeks grew warm at your words. Irida had mentioned your gaze, too. Apparently, your expressions were obvious to everyone but Ingo. “So was it my brother and me you were dating?” he questioned again.

“Both,” you told him. His fingers froze.

“Wooow,” that information had actually caught him off guard, “Couldn't choose?” You wanted to lightly hit his shoulder.

“I'll pick Ingo, then,” you threatened him playfully. He feigned terror.

“Mmm, nope!” he cooed and nuzzled his cheek against your head, “Me.” You laughed.

~

You stared at the Warden blocking your exit from the cabin with heavy annoyance. Ingo did little to make his brother move, too, which worsened your mood.

While Ingo had seemed mostly indifferent to your exploration for the plates with Volo, Emmet had taken up an opposing position. He had been entirely against it. Something about the blond set off the younger twin to a point where he stood quite literally blocking your only way out to meet him. You had decided to stay with the twins after returning from your banishment from Jubilife simply because the tensions of living there had become too much to bear, but you were currently regretting that decision.

“Emmet,” you sternly spoke, “Volo and I are searching for something of great importance. If it works, I think we may have a way to go home.” Arceus... It was a word neither you nor the blond had said, but completely understood the legendary pokemon to be the final goal. Arceus had been who brought you here, so it was easy to assume that it would too be your way back home. This was your plan to return both you and the twins to modern Unova. Of course, this was currently at a pause.

“He is not trustworthy,” Emmet shook his head, “He's a liar.” Liar? Interesting choice of words, but you supposed he did always prefer honesty. Volo, however, had never really lied to you. He seemed like a kind and helpful person. Even being the only one to reach out to you during your banishment.

“Is this jealousy, Em? I understand if you're uncomfortable with me being alone with another man, but I have my reasons,” you tried to explain, but the younger twin only seemed more frustrated with everything. Ingo finally gazed up from the stew he was stirring at you both.

“Perhaps Emmet could go with you?” he offered, “I imagine it would make everything more bearable.” You sighed but agreed. Emmet being there would be helpful for any dangerous situations, and it would help mitigate his worries. The Diamond Clan Warden hummed for a moment before nodding.

Hopefully, Volo would not mind your new addition.

[manchasama]

So, with the memory reset Emmet, how *do* they end up finding Ingo? If they even do at all? I'm just imagining them walking around aimlessly until they somehow find a portal or something hahaha. Maybe a legendary/mythical pokemon has something to do with it?

Oh cool this ask came in at a good time, lol! Also do feel free to stop by @dark-green-line's tumblr, as they are expanding on this idea for themselves as well!

So some further thoughts about this post of mine, inspired by the additional posts by dark-green-line, I think I figured out what Emmet's deal is. Well, so much as unexplainable twin powers are explained of course :p

Emmet knows something is missing, that he needs to go find something. He has no idea what, and honestly having no memories or familiarity at all is terrifying. Plus he's kept in that environment for a while (for good intentions, but you know). By the time he's allowed to leave Nimbasa, he's feeling much more relieved, but also feels like it's much more urgent for him to get where he needs to be. He knows he was delayed, even if he can't really pick apart singular memories.

Being joined by Ella reassured him, somehow. He tries not to think to hard about it, since that inevitably leads to headaches (and bouts of memory loss, but he doesn't quite realize this), so he just goes with the flow. He enjoys her company, and it's nice not being completely alone. For some reason being alone is terrifying. (He hadn't even considered how alone he'd be on such a journey, so it's an extra boon that Elesa went with).

His ability to retain memories improves the further away from Nimbasa they move, and when they leave Unova entirely he no longer suffers from bouts of loss. There is a constant pull in his chest, that he needs to keep moving in this direction, that what he needs is at the end of the journey. So he and Ella travel, collecting pokemon along the way (because even if he doesn't remember his own team, he does still find joy in training pokemon. Also without Ingo there as his impulse control, without needing to cater to the fair rules of the subway, he probably goes off the rails of normal training as well.)

By the time they reach Sinnoh, they've left behind a bit of a reputation in the places they traveled, as a scarily strong, unorthodox battlers. Ella is no slouch, having trained along side him and is able to match him well. And as soon as Emmet sets foot on Sinnoh, he knows he's close.

However it turns out not to be that easy. He marches on with confident steps, until he's standing where he definitely knows he needs to be. But there's nothing special here. Just some mountain cave, that had been quite a climb to get to. Confused but determined, he and Ella spend a while scouring the area for clues. Other than some very old scuff marks in the cave that indicated it used to be a den of sorts, long long ago, there's nothing. Then as the day wanes, Emmet gets the urge to move again, to make his way down the mountain into the nearby city.

Jubilife city is busy and bustling, and Emmet is frustrated that there's so many things in his way. He doesn't know why, but all these buildings feel wrong to him. He does his best, following the inexorable pull in his heart. Eventually he and Ella are outside the trainers school. Emmet stops here for a while, they probably go inside to explore the area, but again, there's nothing special here, nothing worth noting except for the certainty that Emmet should be here.

Elesa's worry has been growing ever since Emmet started talking about how close they were, only for nothing to come of it, for there to be no sign of Ingo. She'd even made her own discrete inquires, to see if anyone had seen Ingo around. Nothing. Had this all been a wild goose chase? Had Emmet just lost his mind in grief? Was it fair of her to play along with his delusions? Except she couldn't bring herself to honestly believe that Emmet's feelings were nothing. The whole situation was too strange. She'd rather trust in this impossible feeling of Emmet's than the alternative.

Emmet stayed by the training school for a long while, nearly vibrating with his desire to battle someone strong. (I'm not sure what the training school actually is or if he gets the chance to really battle, but if he does it's quite the spectacle. Disruptive tho.) Eventually the pull leads him away, off a frustratingly winding path to another unrelated part of the neighboring area. Not sure if it's still part of Jubilife city or a neighboring town, but it doesn't matter much.

This goes on for days. Some days, Emmet and Ella spend all their time in the mountains, camping and wandering around. They visit that abandoned den many times, always at a set time of day, but often more times as well. When they do return to town, most times they are by the trainer school, and rarely do they travel to that secondary location. Emmet's frustration is growing, because he knows something is wrong with this, that there's some answer just outside of his understanding.

Elesa though has been observing, and speculating. She can see the pattern forming. It's like Emmet is following a routine, following the daily life of someone else. And she knows what the legendaries of the area are known for. A suspicion is forming in her mind.

(Emmet is following along as Ingo moves about Hisui. Time is flowing for both of them, despite them being in different eras. Emmet is right next to Ingo, only separated by a few hundred years.)

I think with a little digging, Elesa can uncover some proof of Ingo's existence in the past. And with some further digging, she can come up with a plan to try and get them to travel there. She's ride or die at this point. Legendaries are definitely involved, but I don't have any new ideas in particular for this. Dialga is a reasonable method to get back. Questions for exactly how it shakes down would include 1. Is the Sinnoh champion the same as the MC for PLA? 2. Did the champion capture Dialga? 3. If not, how would Elesa go about getting its cooperation?

I think I'm leaning toward the champion and MC are the same, Dialga is not captured/easily accessible, and Elesa goes off on her own to find it and convince it to help and/or capture it herself. Because we need to give her the limelight for a bit :>

Once she's captured Dialga and its promise to help, she then has to convince Emmet. It's not hard, at this point they are very close and he trusts her. He knows she's keeping something from him, but he remembers his lack of memory, and assumes rightly it has to do with that. If she says she knows how to get to where he needs, that it's in another time, he will follow her lead.

The reunion is the oddest thing. Once Elesa and Emmet arrive, Emmet is flooded with certainty and urgency that he needs to get moving right now. He takes off at a run, traversing the familiar unfamiliar terrain (he'd spent a lot of time walking it in the future, and while it looks different, it's still largely the same area). He can see lights down the mountain, and heads for them without pause. If any pokemon try to get in his way, he barely notices as he ducks away from them. (Elesa occasionally has to send out a pokemon to dissuade some particularly aggressive pokemon. She is worried about this, but more worried about losing Emmet. For now, she gives in to the recklessness and follows.)

Emmet doesn't pause as the gate to the village comes into view. He pushes past the confused-looking guard, not hearing his baffled inquiries. (Elesa does. She hears the guard call Emmet "Warden Ingo", and her heart soars. They are so close. She doesn't let the guard stop her either. Letting out one of her pokemon is enough to startle him into inaction long enough for her to get by, not breaking stride.)

Ingo has been in the training grounds, as he normal does these days. However for the past couple of hours, he's had the horrible urge to leave, to head up into the mountains. Like he was urgently missing something important. The only things that kept him to his station was first calling and reassuring himself that Lady Sneasler was in no distress, and second the fact that the MC and others were keeping him busy today with battles. He tried to ignore the feeling, but he was distracted in his battles. MC definitely noticed, and questions him on it. He has no answers to give.

Until a commotion at the other end of the village catches their attention. There's movement, a figure in white dashing down the main street toward the training ground. A tug at Ingo's sleeve makes him stop, having not realized he'd started forward. He looks down at MC, confused at his own action, eyes a little wild at the rising urgency in his chest to break away and start running toward the stranger.

Emmet is here. He's here, he's where he needs to be. Ella had been right. He's here, he's here. Emmet is almost blind in his reckless charge, not letting anything get in his way. He is up the slight incline with long strides, crossing the flat expanse of dirt that showed signs and scuffs of battles, right up to the figure in black who is the only thing he can perceive. He doesn't stop, not until he turns on his heel, settling to the right of the figure in black. Finally, finally he feels like he can breathe again. He does so, taking a deep breath, before snapping his arms out. At his side, he knows the other person has done the same.

"I am Emmet! Do you remember me? I was lost for a long time. But I did not give up. Now I am together again with Ingo. Yup! Our combination is best!"

Ingo is silent for a moment, stunned at his own actions, stunned because Emmet, he knows that name, his brother is here, he remembers. He drops his arms, turning to really take in his twin for the first time, stepping forward and enveloping him a tight hug. Emmet's arms surround him, just as tight.

"Bravo, Emmet." His voice is thick with tears, but he doesn't care. "Excellent. We make a good two-car train." The words come easy, wrote, but he means every one of them.

There is confusion from the Jubilife natives, but no one is quite brave enough to step in to the obviously charged moment. Until Emmet abruptly thrusts Ingo away from him, shrieking, "ELESA!"

And he turns to her, where she's standing not far away, tears in her eyes. Because Emmet has realized his friend has been by his side the whole time as well. That she gave up so much, and needs to get over there right this minute because he can't let go of Ingo but he needs to express his gratitude to her as well. She falls into their arms readily, so glad her little family is back together. Questions and explanations can come later.

The Nimbasa trio is together again.

[betasuppe]

[This one is longer than i intended, oops plz forgive me x0000]

The morning after the mamoswine incident, Norumi was called to meet with Irida, where she anticipated being sorely punished from nearly being trampled to death, if it wasnt for the warden saving her. Instead, she found the clan leader in a great mood, telling Rumi that Ingo was so impressed with Norumi's knowledge of pkmn that he requested HER to show him around the Icelands.

Evidently Irida had been trying to get the elusive warden to stay for a bit and become familiar with the Pearl homeland, but he never found a reason to stay and vanished shortly after he arrived. He'd even admitted to the leader that he had full intentions to set out this day... except something changed his mind. So, Irida proudly explained that he had finally accepted to stay for two weeks straight to truly become close to the Pearl lands... as long as Norumi would accompany him as his guide.

After going silent & nodding dumbly the entire time, shocked straight through with this turn of events, Irida sent Rumi off to pack a day bag and meet the warden at the gate for the first day of their excursion around the land.

When Norumi finished preparing & finally set out for the gate, she found Ingo and Lady Sneasler both waiting patiently there for her. The warden greeted her and casually produced a package, which he apologized for not having much time to prepare. After opening it, she found completely new writing implements and a fresh, untouched leather bound journal for her work. Ingo explained that though it wasn't much, he wanted to repay her for such an interesting time the day prior.

Completely unused to feeling emotions rattle her stoic heart, she hastily bowed & thanked him before packing her new belongings away & insisted they head out before they wasted the precious light of day OR before her building emotions could get the best of her.

They spent the following days with Norumi heading the party, introducing different areas & sharing info on the pkmn they crossed in the wilderness as well as jotting down observations and sketches from the beasties they passed. Then, Lady Sneasler was keeping alert & on the prowl for dangerous activity, occassionally going her own way before meeting up with the other two somewhere down the line. Meanwhile, the warden was listening with rapt attention and otherwise was focused on battling away any aggressive pkmn with ease, his team proving to be a quite a force to reckon with. They'd return to the village in the evening to go their separate ways & catch a few hours of sleep before setting out for somewhere new the next day.

The group also found themselves tucking away in some secluded, safe spot for their lunches, where they'd continue to talk about pkmn, of course, but also about themselves. Norumi learned about Ingo's case of troubling amnesia & the odd memories he was struggling to set straight in his own mind, of which she felt she just had try to and help him connect with his forgotten life!... even if she didn't know how. She also became incredibly aware that he had an untapped wealth of pkmn knowledge and she was keen to learn as much as possible from him as she was in learning about the warden's personal life, as well.

Likewise, Ingo enjoyed hearing of, as Norumi herself called it, her rather uneventful existence. He could easily see she wanted nothing more than to experience everything the world had to offer, but felt trapped in the Icelands under the expectations of her family and clan. He sat quietly & listened to her stories, trying to find a way to propose an idea that would benefit them both...

Anyways! Together, they spent their days learning & laughing, with Norumi wearing a rare smile more often than not while being the warden's travelling companion.

On the last day of his time in the Icelands, during lunch, Ingo extended Norumi the offer to accompany him on his travel back to the Highlands and to Jubilife Village where his protégé was living, or anywhere else life might take them. Ingo was quite aware he still had much to learn from her and though Lady Sneasler was almost always at his side, the warden was fairly lonely and would've been thrilled to have Norumi around. Plus, she'd be able to escape the village tucked away in the coldest part of Hisui and finally get the chance to see the world and observe so many different spices of pkmn, assuredly filling up the rest of her journal in no time at all.

Though she found her heart thudding in her chest at the thought of leaving her old life behind and spending her days besides the warden himself... Norumi quickly realized the implications of them both leaving together and how it could cause immense drama in both of their lives. She also could not shake the dreadful fear that he too would quickly find her weird or boring, before she simply became an outcast again, just in a different place rather than the Pearl village.

Unable to force herself to commit to the biggest choice in her boring, mundane life, Norumi sadly turned down the warden's invitation, telling him she'd love to but it just wasn't the right time. Ingo still managed a smile & told her the offer would always be open to her, should she ever change her mind.

That night upon returning to the village, Ingo thanked Norumi deeply for her company and all the knowledge she shared with him. He found himself having a hard time saying good night, as it meant they'd both be parting for good after spending two solid weeks at each other's side. She too struggled to move herself and fought back a tightness capturing her throat as the warden turned to leave in the direction of the hut he'd been staying in.

He told her he'd hope to see her when he next made a return trip to the Icelands and hoped she'd reconsider his offer, but she didn't speak up. Norumi could only nod, fearing if she'd open her mouth, she'd start crying the minute she'd finally say good bye.

Instead, she quickly rushed away to her family's hut, where she threw herself under the covers, not being able to stop herself from all the stupid useless feelings she had pouring out from some deep dark place inside her. After slowly calming herself & letting the tears flood from her eyes, she decided she'd try to intercept the warden before he left & either compel him to stay longer or to force herself to agree to his generous offer and set out with him.

She eventually drifted off to a restless sleep and when she woke early the next morning, Norumi quickly dressed and ran down to the village gate, just as she'd done for the last two weeks, hoping to stop the warden before he left. As morning light trickled on into the brightest part of day, Norumi came to the realization that either the warden wasn't coming or had already left.

She ran to see Irida, who informed the poor girl that Ingo had left the previous night in a quiet, glum sort of mood. Norumi felt the cold grip of remorse catch in her chest as Irida repeated the warden's farewell, including the statement that he had no other reasons to stay on at this point. Evidently, the man hastily left that same night, not even waiting for daylight to set out from the chilled Icelands.

Norumi went back to her family's hut and stayed indoors for a few days, too overcome with guilt & sorrow to want to move, as she looked through the pages of the journal she filled out at the warden's side, only now realizing that she didn't care what anyone else thought... she just wanted to be around him again.

[Final parts coming shortly...]

[a-fluffer-nutter]

Trailed By Tangela

A/N - Hey guys, this is a fun Pokemon fic entailing Ingo at the very beginning of him becoming Warden and him meeting his Tangela and how she convinced him to be part of his team. Please enjoy, this is a longer one. Thanks for the prompt, anon!

Word Count: 4,643

“Congratulations on becoming our newest warden,” Irida clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling. 

“Thank you for selecting me for a task so sacred for your clan, Lady Irida,” Ingo tipped his hat as he looked down at the younger woman. 

Wind blew by gently, rustling Irida’s hair as she grabbed Ingo’s arms, staring right into his pale eyes. Lady Sneasler shadowed over her, staring at her curiously as Irida thanked Ingo for accepting the position. Lady Sneasler was not the easiest Noble to take care of, so Irida was ecstatic when the poison-type chose Ingo, the man who appeared from the blizzard a few months back, to be her warden. 

“We must be off, Lady Irida. Thank you for your hospitality during the last few months. I look forward to coming back to the Pearl Clan when called upon. Until then, Lady Sneasler and I will depart this station and head for next,” Ingo stated as Lady Sneasler purred, rubbing her face against the back of his head. Neither the Noble nor Irida knew what most of Ingo’s bizarre lingo meant, but it was fairly charming. Irida was quite thankful that Ingo’s quirks were tame and polite. She would have dreaded to have had another person like Melli around, the Diamond Clan warden leaving a sour taste in her mouth whenever she heard his name, never mind the occasional glance she got at the man once every few months. Ingo was quirky, but likeable. Melli, was not. 

Lady Sneasler’s chirp tore the clan leader from her thoughts. Ingo dipped his torn hat as he turned around, following his Noble through the snow toward the Coronet Highlands. 

 ---

After getting situated in the Coronet Highlands, Ingo knew it was time for him to become familiarized with the region. As he stood at the mouth of Lady Sneasler’s cave, Ingo felt the smallest hint of familiarity. Maybe he had been here before during his time period. He ignored this nagging sensation as he turned back to face the cave and watched Lady Sneasler as she methodically separated clumps of bright green ferns into four individual piles. 

“We believe she'll be having offspring soon, but no one can get close enough to her to tell,” Ingo remembered Irida tell him before he was sworn into being Sneasler’s warden. Ingo had been curious as to why no one else could get close to her, but he never pressed the young leader. Because of this, he was quite proud to have formed such a tight bond with this mysterious pokemon as quickly as he had. 

“Do you require assistance?” Ingo asked, stepping over to his corner of the cave. The Pearl Clan had been kind enough to provide him with enough materials to survive in the cave for months at a time. 

The thin bed roll was uncomfortable, but Ingo did not mind as he sat down, watching his Noble with a piqued interested. The bundles of fern she created were laid out around the fire pit that sat in the middle of the cave, having apparently been there for centuries, based on the stories Irida had told Ingo over the past month. While this particular Noble was not fond of having a warden, the previous one was, and she had lived with a warden in this cave for her entire lifespan. Ingo had found himself wondering what had happened to make this Sneasler so asocial, but he had no reason to pry into details of the Lady’s past. If he couldn't remember his own past, then why should he pry into someone else’s?

Signifying that she was done, Lady Sneasler stood up and chattered twice. Ingo rose from his spot and followed the pokemon to the mouth of the cave. 

“If you have finished your safety checks, I would much enjoy going around to see the region like we have discussed earlier,” Ingo said, staring at the jagged rocks surrounding the mouth of the cave, protecting the hideout from most everything that could reach it. Soon, he would be able to maneuver up to this den by himself, but until then, he relied on his Noble’s help. 

With a high pitched chirp, Lady Sneasler reached for the basket she carried people in and plopped it down in front of her warden. With a short sigh, Ingo crawled in and shifted enough to become comfortable as he felt the Noble sling the basket onto her back and begin to skitter down the rock face with ease. 

--- 

The trek around Hisui had taken a few days, with Ingo wanting to take as much time in each section of the region as he could to familiarize himself with it. Ingo wanted to be able to get around the region without help in the event that he gets lost. He didn’t think that he would make a very good warden if he wasn’t aware of everything going on in Hisui. Irida was excited by his suggestion of this endeavor. While all the other wardens had been born in the Alabaster Iceland’s, most of them didn’t know the other parts of the region as well as they did the one their Noble resided in. None of the Pearl Clan had really gone to see the entirety of their region before, so when the newcomer came to her and said he desired to learn everything about Hisui, Irida was over the moon. 

The two had traversed the Coronet Highlands the first twenty four hours, taking slightly less time than Ingo would have wanted, but he knew he would have more time to explore the highlands solo after they returned from their voyage. It also seemed the Lady Sneasler had been trying to lead Ingo away from Lord Electrode’s domain, as she did not want to be bothered by the self-righteous Melli on that fine evening. 

Half of the next day was spent in the Alabaster Icelands. Having spent most of his time here since arriving in Hisui, Lady Sneasler simply took him atop to the highest peak she could reach and had Ingo look out at the region. She held him close to her body as he took in the frozen world, keeping him as warm as she could. The Pearl Clan’s tunics were warm, but based on Ingo’s reactions to the cold, everyone surmised that he had not come from a region with much snow. Despite this, Ingo was occasionally haunted by the memory of a young boy screaming his name, then popping out of a snow covered bush with a large glob of snow in his small hands. 

The next half of the day, Ingo was taken to the Obsidian Fieldlands, where they would stay for four days. While the landscape was not nearly as treacherous as the other two sections of Hisui they had been to, the Fieldlands were still vast and full of life. Here, Ingo was able to train his Gligar, which he had caught a day after arriving in Hisui, much to the surprise of the Pearl Clan. Ingo’s adeptness in working with pokemon was stunning, something completely foreign to the members of the clan. Despite not knowing why he was so good with pokemon, Ingo grew a quick relationship with his new Gligar, enjoying its goofy nature and the occasional scream it utters in the middle of the night. 

Gligar played a big part in some of Ingo’s own training he experienced in the Obsidian Fieldlands. Ingo was determined to learn how to rock climb, wanting to release Lady Sneasler of his complete reliance of her in the Coronet Highlands. So, with the Sneasler climbing beside him, Ingo practiced scaling the small cliffs found around the area. Gligar would cling to the man’s back as he climbed and the second Gligar felt Ingo slip, he would take full control and glide his trainer to safety if Lady Sneasler was too far up to catch him. Gligar was effectively a parachute for Ingo, preventing him from falling and hurting himself, which the man was incredibly thankful for. While having only been in Hisui for a few months, Ingo's back was beginning to give him hell and his rotator cuffs would pop with the slightest of movements every once in a while. Having Gligar to support him in case a surge of pain rocketed through his muscles knocked him off balance was a blessing, which Ingo awarded with pinap berries after every successful climb. 

On the morning of the fourth day in the Obsidian Fieldlands, Lady Sneasler led Ingo out to the Crimson Mirelands after she was certain her warden had spent enough time analyzing the area. 

The first thing Ingo noticed was the smell. The air was sour, the acrid stench clinging to his nostrils the three days they spent in the Mirelands. Once Ingo saw the bubbling swamps, he understood why the air was so disgusting. Poison-type pokemon splashed through the methane laced water, ignoring Ingo and Sneasler as they walked through. The Noble seemed to be respected throughout all Hisui, Ingo had concluded, as it was very rare for them to be attacked. It was mostly scrappy, young pokemon or an alpha who Ingo had accidentally gotten a step too close to that attacked the travelling party. All the pokemon encountered ignored them or took one look at Lady Sneasler and dipped away. This hierarchy of pokemon still confused Ingo, but he was thankful to be friends with the one all the others feared or respected. 

On the second day in the Crimson Mirelands, the trio had stopped walking for the time being and Sneasler was practically forcing Ingo to practice rock climbing. Ingo did not mind the practice, though his shoulders ached from the constant use from yesterday’s training session. Gligar attached himself onto Ingo’s jacket and was heaved up the rock face. The Noble was under them, watching Ingo’s form from below. Mentally, she was scrutinizing the man’s foot positioning, but it seemed to work for him, so she was fine with it. It was all going rather smoothly, until a pokemon cried out from above.

“Get me up there,” Ingo barked at his Gligar, halfway up the wall. He knew he could climb up the rest of the way, but the pokemon sounded like it was in severe pain, and he needed to get to it immediately. Using all its strength, Gligar propelled Ingo up the cliffside and onto the rocky earth up top.

“Poison Jab!” Ingo yelled, pointing at the Staravia in the middle of a dive bomb.

With a hiss, Gligar flew forward, right claw quickly becoming coated in a bright purple fluid. The Staravia let out a loud noise of pain as the claw made contact, hitting square into its chest. The Staravia recoiled with a chirp, shaking its head. Looking down at its attacker, the flying pokemon’s eyes widened to see the Gligar standing before the pokemon the Staravia had been preying on, both claws now soaked in the viscous poison. Barring its teeth, the Gligar hissed again, tail thumping the ground. Letting out a chirp of disgust and defeat, the Staravia booked it away from the Gligar.

“Bravo, Gligar,” Ingo announced, as he darted toward his pokemon and the one cowering behind him. Gligar’s ears perked up and his usual smile beamed as he gleefully tapped his claws together. The ground-type rubbed its head against Ingo’s elbow as the man knelt down beside the injured pokemon, which Gligar now took a look at.

“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you,” Ingo lowered his voice, though it still wasn’t that quiet. He held both hands up in front of him, showing the pokemon his calloused palms. “No Tangela should go up against a flying-type like that, it isn’t wise.”

The Tangela uncovered its eyes, withdrawing the vines from its face to look at the man. She had never seen a human this up close before. She had been raised to avoid them, though they never did seem dangerous to her, though she was very scared at this moment. Not only was she injured, but this person was now right next to her with a Gligar by his side, working with him. Blasphemy.

“Here,” Ingo reached a hand into his coat, slowly, and withdrew a jar of a pale poultice. After unscrewing the lid, he dipped his fingers into the substance and held it out to her. It smelled bitter, but nice. Her eyes softened as she looked into his. To Tangela, there was something different about him that she had never experienced before. Even though he had just found her, even though she was moderately injured, he cared about her. He cared.

Tangela turned, bringing forth the tangle of injured vines. With the greatest care, Ingo gently coated her vines with the healing substance. At contact, the potion chilled the vine almost painfully, but then healed the injury completely, as if that Staravia had never attacked. Her eyes widened as she pulled the vines in front of her face, taking a look at the magic that had just happened. With a gurgling sound, Tangela bounced happily, swaying her vines above her head.

“Happy to have helped you return to working order, miss,” Ingo tipped his hat, the faintest smile on his face. Not before handing Gligar a well deserved pinap berry, the man rose to his feet and glanced back at the Noble watching him from the very edge of the cliff. She wore a warm smile as she looked down at her warden as she tossed her head to the side, beckoning him to continue on their journey. “Let us continue our ride, Gligar.”

Chirping, Gligar glided onto Ingo’s back. He turned back to wave at the Tangela, before wedging his face onto Ingo’s shoulder. Tangela watched the trio leave and as they just vanished from sight, her eyes furrowed. She had just let that nice man and his friends leave. The Gligar and that special Sneasler she had heard rumors about were his friend, so why can’t she? With a full body shake, Tangela trotted off after them.

---

The stars sparkled above in the cloudless sky. Only a small trail of smoke lingered in the stale air, rising from a small, crackling fire sitting a few feet away from a squat tent, which overlooked most of the Mirelands. Lady Sneasler had just plopped down beside the tent, having helped Ingo set it up. The Pearl Clan had given Ingo a small, single person tent for his travels. It was definitely not the best, but with the elements being fair and calm on this pleasant night, the drab tent did not dampen Ingo’s spirits one bit. Having just rolled out his bedroll, Ingo took off his jacket and draped it over himself, using it as a blanket. He was not cold in the slightest, but the weight of it felt comforting. Without it so much touching him, a wave of anxiety would begin to wash over him and flood his senses until he was sitting on the floor with his knees pressed against his chest, tears streaming down his eyes without a reason for them being there. Thankfully for Ingo, this had only happened once, though his heart would begin to race at the thought of losing his jacket.

“Goodnight, Lady Sneasler,” Ingo said, giving her a short wave as he brought his hat over his face. Gligar proceeded to curl up next to him, letting out a click in contentment as Ingo scratched him behind the ear. “Goodnight, Gligar. May our ride continue smoothly in the morning.”

           It normally took Ingo a long time to fall asleep, though with all the climbing he was subjecting himself to, slumber had begun to take over him faster. His anxieties and thoughts still bubbled in his brain, the fear of having another one of “those” dreams imminent, but he managed to fight back these demons long enough to slip off.

           Peering through the fire, Tangela watched the man as he let out a very quiet snore, starkly different from his speaking voice, which delighted Tangela to no end. Letting out a gurgle that resembled a giggle, Tangela made her way around the fire and stared at the man in the tent. She liked the way he frowned in his sleep, resembling a Crobat even in slumber. Though she had seen him smile earlier, a tiny smile, but a smile that made her little heart swell. The man was caring, and kind and Tangela wanted to be his friend.

            “Touch him and you die,” Gligar clicked, letting out a low growl, ears flattening. Spooked, Tangela jumped backwards and held out a few vines in front of her face as a shield.

           “Friend. I want to be his friend,” Tangela let out a high pitched squeal, then pointed at the sleeping man. “He helped. You helped. I want to be his friend. No hurt. Friend.”

           “He clearly doesn’t want to be your friend,” Gligar clicked his teeth, eyes glowing in the crackling fire light. “He would have taken you along if he really cared about you.”

           “Enough,” Both pokemon flinched back at the third voice. Arising from the other side of the tent, Lady Sneasler towered over the small tent and cast a flickering shadow over the two bickering pokemon. Her canines glistened in the soft light, her eyes blazing. “Relax, Gligar. Does it seem like this Tangela can do you any harm?”

           “Of course not,” Gligar clicked its pinchers with its chest puffed out, though leaped back a foot when Ingo rolled over. With a groan, the man’s eyes fluttered open, frantically looking for the source of the noises he had heard in his sleep.

           “Gligar?” Ingo mumbled as he sat up, his hat slipping onto the ground. His hair was fluffy and longer strands fell in front of his eyes. Grumbling, Ingo contorted his lips and blew the stray hairs away, looking over his Gligar before his eyes fell upon the Tangela. “Oh.”

           Tangela took a few steps back, standing almost behind the fire. Ingo’s frown deepened as he watched her tap her vines together, eyes downcast.

           “I see you took the next train to this stop,” Ingo spoke, though none of the surrounding pokemon really understood what he meant. “Does that mean you want to come with me? Make this three car train a four car one instead?”

           Tangela let out a loud squeal, shaking a few vines above her head. Letting out a sigh, Ingo’s shoulders relaxed at the apparent agreement from the young grass-type. Sluggishly, he patted the bed roll. Gligar clicked his pinchers until Ingo placed a firm hand in the center of the pokemon’s head. Gligar tilted his head as he looked up at his trainer and read his eyes. Once content, Gligar let out a cackling sound and beamed, tongue sticking out extra wide as he vaulted over Ingo’s legs to get further into the tent.

           “It’s safe, come on now,” Ingo beckoned, patting the bedroll again. Now with Gligar on the other side of Ingo, Tangela felt a lot better going to him. Lady Sneasler shot the smaller pokemon an approving smirk as she groomed her feather. With another squeal, Tangela tumbled toward the man, barreling into him. Ingo let out a soft “oof” as she ran into him, though a very tiny smile rose at the corner of his lips. Seeing this, Tangela started to vibrate and nuzzle into chest. Letting out a low chuckle, Ingo pulled her onto his lap and into a hug.

           “Welcome aboard,” Ingo muttered into the pokemon’s mass of vines. He was about to speak again, but instead, choked out a strange noise he didn’t know he was capable of. Clamping a hand in front of his mouth, he looked down at the confused Tangela and Gligar, as the latter had uncurled himself from Ingo’s side and was now propped up onto his thigh, staring at him. Ingo reached up at the vine Tangela had wrapped against his neck as Lady Sneasler had leaned into the tent, inquisitively staring at her warden, fearful that the sound was one of injury.

           “It is all right, Lady Sneasler. It just seems that my neck is a bit ticklish, that is all,” Ingo eased the nerves of the Noble, by holding up the offensive vine that had accidentally stroked his neck just a bit too lightly. “And it is all right to you too, Tangela. It seems you have just reminded me of something I had forgotten about myself. I may thank you for the reminder.”

           Lady Sneasler let out a chirp, which Tangela responded with a gurgling sound. Before Ingo could attempt to deduce what the two had just communicated, Tangela brought up another vine and stroked his neck again. This time, Ingo let out a string of low chuckles as he scrunched up his shoulders to protect the spot.

           “Let’s return to this station later, I am quite exhausted,” Ingo said after letting out a loud laugh, the vine grazing a spot behind his ear that made his body lurch. He pulled the playful pokemon off his chest and set her by his side, where she snuggled up against him, sandwiching him between her and his Gligar. Happy with this situation, Tangela squealed and closed her eyes, pleased to be with the nice man that had saved her life.

 ---

Months later…

           Dawn stepped out of the Galaxy Team headquarters, a few Pokedex entries newly marked off as fully completed. The professor had drawn cute stars next to his stamp of completion, much to the eighteen year old’s amusement. As she reached into her bag to give her Typhlosion a berry for a job well done, she heard a familiar scream come from her house. Dropping the berry back in her hand, she waved at the villagers that jumped at the sound.

           “I’ll handle it,” she said, then put her hands on her hips. “I’ll always save the villagers of Jubilife!”

           Satisfied with her words, the villagers resumed their chores and took no mind when she wandered off toward the source of the scream. With her Typhlosion, which she had affectionately named Ty, trailing her, Dawn skipped over to her house and slowly peeked her head in through the door.

           “Of course,” Dawn giggled to herself as she silently let herself and Ty into her house. She shut the door as another scream was sounded and it took everything she had not to bark out a laugh.

           On the floor in the middle of her house was Ingo, who was flat on his back, legs extended up in the air, feet wrapped tightly. Tangrowth cooed cheerfully as her vines squeezed his knees and wiggled into the backs of them, sending the man into hysterics. Ingo had his arms wrapped around his middle as he laughed, his smile bright and genuinely happy.

           Gliscor dove down from the ceiling to stand beside her, making a sound resembling a laugh. Dawn knew that he could help his trainer if he wanted, but clearly he wanted to just watch instead.

           “Who would’ve thought that the great Subway Boss, Ingo, was the most ticklish person in the world,” Dawn finally made her presence known. Ingo craned his neck so he could see her, his pale eyes full of joy.

           Dawn remembered everything. Not only was she the Champion of Sinnoh, but she had also been on a journey to challenge as many leagues as she could. She had completed the Hoenn and Kalos leagues before settling down for a while in Unova. She knew she could beat Iris but had been training extensively in the Battle Subway in preparation. It broke her when she heard Ingo had disappeared, as she had grown close to the twins after their many battles. She helped Emmet try to find him, as she was one of the most powerful trainers he knew that wasn’t his missing brother. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Dawn found herself going missing a week after Ingo did, though in Hisui, time was different. When she arrived, Ingo had been there for about a year and had no memory of anything. This broke the poor girl, but with her memory completely intact, she took it upon herself to make him remember everything again.

           “Help me!” Ingo let out, but she knew he didn’t really mean it. Him and Tangrowth were very close, and she would do this about once a week, more if he was feeling down. It was just a bout of play time for her, and Ingo didn’t mind it one bit.

           “Have you gotten his ears yet?” Ingo’s pleas fell on deaf ears as she looked up at the large grass-type, then beamed as Tangrowth nodded, letting out a squeal. “Well, in that case, you should probably let up. Best not kill the old man.”

           “I’m twenty-seven,” Ingo yelped out, falling into another bout of laughter when Tangrowth switched tactics and flipped him over to wiggle her vines along his spine. Paying close attention to the space between his shoulder blades, Tangrowth bounced happily as Ingo let out a snort, tapping the floor with his hands.

           “You look like your brother,” Dawn said once Tangrowth had released him. Dawn’s heart soared whenever she saw Ingo smile, reminding her so much of his twin brother. She was one of the few people to see Emmet’s smile break into a tearful frown and see Ingo’s frown contort into the bubbliest smile. She couldn’t wait to find a way to get them back together again and she would do anything to get it done.

           “I wish I could remember him more,” Ingo replied quietly, then flinched away when Tangrowth thought he was being too negative and wiggled a devious vine behind a knee.

           “You’re making great progress! You can remember his name with no prompting now,” Dawn was proud of Ingo and his intense desire to learn about his past self and his twin. He was dedicated and it made the job easier. “C’mon now, I need your help in the Coronet Highlands. I need to finish the Sneasel page, and I have a sneaking suspicion you’re the best person to talk to. Will you help me?”            “With pleasure,” Ingo responded, eyes glittering with determination as Tangrowth lifted him to his feet. The smile was starting to slip but was still very present as they left the house.

           “You know, the next time we battle, I’m so going to cheat and tickle you right?” Dawn teased as they walked toward the gate, lightly running her shoulder into his arm.

           “I’d kill you if you did,” Ingo rolled his eyes, hands in his pockets. “I’d sic Tangrowth on you.”

           “And what’s that giant spaghetti monster going to do?” Dawn teased, letting out a gentle laugh as Ingo gasped, giving her a faux glare.

           “She is not a spaghetti monster! How very rude of you to say,” Ingo replied, trying to wrack his brain to remember what spaghetti was, though Dawn had told him about it before. Before Dawn could make another remark, Ingo playfully pushed her further into the road. “If she’s a spaghetti monster, then that makes you a bowl of potato mochi.”

           “That is the meanest thing you have ever said to me,” Dawn giggled, sticking out her tongue. “Now I’m going to ask Melli to help me with this project instead. At least he’ll be nice to me.”

           “Doubt it,” Ingo let out a snort. “If you want someone nice, you should go talk to an Alpha Garchomp.”

           “I’m so going to tell Melli you said that,” Dawn cackled, then ran off ahead, headed toward the Highlands, Ingo trailing as he barked out a laugh. That was going to be a delightful conversation.

[lilacstarvix]

Now i know in the OG au Emmet becomes Ingos warden but now there are two of them. I imagine Emmet probably helps Ingo with keeping the zoroarks at bay but i also dont think the people are going to be as accepting of the hisuin form. Sure Irida (i honestly dont know if im spelling that right i just call her irritation or irritable) knows that Emmet is good but convincing the masses is different. Would you still have Emmet become his warden? Or maybe Adam (wtf was the rest?) tries to claim that zoroark as diamond clan. “There are two its ment to keep things balanced between the clans” or something. Emmet probably openly rejects the idea of a warden. “I am Emmet all i need is my brother!” Oh oh lord im thinking about it now holdmy beer (crap i gotta google adams full name for this)

Adaman decided to take matters into his own hands. Hes a clan leader and its about time they stopped waisting time discussing this. Clearly almighty Sinnoh sent two for a reason. That reason is because there are two clans. Its clear as day. So he sets off to find the Zoroark. He finds Emmet around Lady Sneaselers den, not thathe dares barge in. To his luck the Zoroark in wuestion actually approached him! Quite a good sign, no time wasted indeed!

Right before that of course Ingo and Lady Sneaseler had know of his approach. Ingo was venting a little about the whole situation. They dont need anyone following them around and getting into their business. Not to mention Ingo has his own warden duties! He doesnt want to add more by having to pretend to be a warden himself. So Emmet decided to take matters into his own hands(claws?) and just said be would deal with it. Oh Ingo you should have stopped him

So Emmet walks up to Adaman. Towers over him menacingly. Adaman feeling the pressure a little starts his lil speech he prepared. Emmet just stands there waiting unfazed. Once Adaman finished he looks to the Zoroark with determination and hope. Emmet almost cridged. “I am Emmet, i do not need a warden. All i need is my brother!” Adaman.exe has stopped responding. Sneaseler laughing her ass off while Ingo face paws (~w*) Much to his credit Adaman recovers rather quickly “I understand but a warden would only be there to help you. And even this brother of yours!” Wow give the man some applause, he just recovered from a talking pokemon in record time. “I said NO and that is all i have to say on it! Neither me nor my brother require your wardens nor do either of us want one. Good-bye” and Emmet just climbs back into the denn. Leaving the man to struggle with a rejection that stung as much as his childhood sweethearts.

Wow that got longer than normal xD i actuslly wanna keep going but my cat keeps stepping on my phone smh she almost sent this halfway in

Ooooo that's actually pretty interesting to think abt ngl, Ingo's warden situayion being unresolved and then having a random hisuian zoroark follow him around is interesting.

Honestly IDK whether the 'pretending to be Ingo's pokemon' or 'hanging around Sneasler and undisguised Ingo works better' tbf.

I could definitely see accusations going around when Emmet is seen near the new noble black zoroark, but also the idea of the clans bickering over having two zoroark nobles is another path to take so I'm gonna have to add one of those plot points to the next part of the story.

[answrs]

Oroboros AU - Snake Eats Its Tail

Part 3 of 3 of the main story

The brothers are inspecting the tunnels on the third anniversary of Ingo's arrival, checking safety measures and planning to regroup after work is done for a small celebratory dinner back home. Having three people instead of two to split the load makes the work all the faster, and Emmet and Warden arrive at the employee break room around the same time, waiting for the younger Ingo to join them.

There's a pool of dread growing in Ingo's gut the longer they wait. But no, there was probably just a rowdy pokemon he's taking care of, or escorting a lost civilian back to the station. But as the minutes tick by, then full hour, Ingo is legitimately hoping his younger has been knocked out cold in the tunnels in an accident than what his soul knows has happened.

He tries not to share his devastated look at Emmet, but with every glance over the man is tightening his grip on his jacket where he sits, smile strained and wavering, waiting for his twin to walk through the door, or call their transceivers with an update on his location.

---

It's a difficult case to go through the system, considering the missing person was actually found and been present the last three years on the dot, though there's still a vague glimmer of hope that Ingo could still be rescued if only they could figure out how. But would that cost Emmet his brother as payment for his twin, if the timeline cascaded? Would Akari, Dawn, never make it home? Could the whole history of the Pearl and Diamond and Galaxy Teams, the history-present-future of an entire region collapse? How far would the butterfree effect translate? Is one man, as beloved as he is, worth the chances of everyone they knew and loved even being born?

The case is soon closed, and Ingo feels so, so devastatingly guilty for stealing his brother to become his past.

He would offer anything, whatever he could give to the gods for Ingo's return. But he can't, can't leave Emmet with no family, even as he sees the pain and feels the sharp stabs of responsibility, closes himself off even as he tries to offer a rock for the man drifting like a ghost without an anchor in his shock and despair.

---

It's Emmet that finds him one sleepless night, broken down in front of a despondent Chandelure, apologizing for being the reason her trainer is lost, for forgetting, for not trying hard enough to stop the inevitability, to not have known and warned them or to have let himself be taken instead.

Emmet's heart breaks at the sight, of Ingo, his brother, his TWIN, brokenly apologizing to a ghost, to his own self through time and space. It's not his fault he was taken, not his fault at all, and his carefully constructed facade of being okay is permanently broken to the younger twin now.

He sits next to the kneeling man, leans close and hugs him tight. Perhaps, for closure… would it work if he tried-?

"It's been two weeks, do you rem- can you tell me what he's doing right now?"

---

It becomes a recurring question to ask, keeps them both tied to their lost one even through the eras that separate the brothers. Emmet learns about his twin, struggling with learning a language so different to what he knows, being chosen as a warden to the strange creature that saved him, his meeting of Melli and Adaman as he is installed. As time passes, Ingo provides events unprompted, both the highs and lows: his Lady entrusting him with her first clutch of eggs, helping a lost child return to the village. A zoroark attack, the creature wearing a face he doesn't truly remember dressed in white. Meeting a young boy with a rowdy pikachu and receiving a handful of strange contraptions in exchange for his help. Catching a gligar with one, then a tangela. Facing Melli in a battle after a particularly heated argument, how frustrated he becomes after the other warden weasels their way out of accepting the loss. Raising the sneaslets, learning each one's personality and helping them hone their survival skills.

Hearing news through the grapevine, slow to reach him as secluded as he is, about a child that fell from the sky. Meeting the young girl, so familiar in her unfamiliarity to this world, and connecting with her. Helping train the various recruits around the strange little town, how he so enjoyed seeing their connection to partners they formerly feared blossom...

A broken sky. A cruel banishment. Chains in a basement hidden under a towing building. Fear. A roar that shakes the heavens, audible even in a buried cell.

---

Four years later, on the anniversary of the rift that tore the twins apart, he holds Emmet tight, and whispers: Ingo is finally home now. He’s home and he's so sorry it took him so long.

.

Seven years in the past, the cycle continues.

[sunshine-vx]

Across Space, Time and Dreams (ASTaD) (Ch. 2)

(Blankshippers DNI)

(Please refer to beginning of chapter 1 post for complete list of CWs/TWs)

(This chapter's illustration by me!)

(Read it on Ao3 here!)

(Reblogs are appreciated!)

-

Chapter 2

The dreams had begun to become even clearer now.

Ever since appearing in Hisui, Ingo had been having the same, reoccurring dream. At first Ingo didn't even get much sleep in this new land. Some nights were still that way. But when he did, he didn't have the dream too often. In fact, it seemed a little strange that he didn't have the dream more, considering how important it felt. 

The first time he dreamed it, it went like this; he was in a void, completely dark and empty. There was a floor beneath him, although he could not see it. He would call out to see if anyone would respond. Nothing. Until a moment later, he'd feel a presence. Such a familiar presence. An important one. 

He'd try to investigate it. To figure out what or where it was. He'd try to follow where he thought it was coming from, but he could never get to it. Sometimes he'd try and call out to it to come to him, but it ultimately never did. Sometimes he swore he would see, hear or feel something, only for it to vanish and leave Ingo with no idea what it was.

It confused and frustrated Ingo a lot.

Except over time, the presence would become more..clear. A white blur. A smile. A person? They almost looked like him. Sometimes it would be a purple blur. A feeling of warmth. A Pokémon? But he could never remember its name.

When Ingo was awake, he had a few main objectives; do his duty as Lady Sneasler's warden, care for his Pokémon, manage the battlegrounds, and attend to smaller matters, usually regarding the Pearl Clan or the Galaxy Team. 

Ingo enjoyed most of what he did, especially battling and caring for his Pokémon and Lady Sneasler, although there was always a strange feeling of...loneliness, emptiness. Longing, even. Like there was something important missing. Like there was something important he was supposed to be attending to; but he could never figure out what. 

When Ingo first arrived in Hisui, When Ingo first arrived in Hisui, there were a few things he knew, but not really much at all. The Pearl Clan, had taken him in, along with eventually offering him roles in the strange new land. Ingo was extremely reluctant at first to stay with the Pearl Clan, and was also initially hesitant to take up the offers he had been given. He swore there was somewhere he was supposed to be, something he was supposed to be doing, but he couldn't remember for the life of him. The Pearl Clan themselves had tried to help Ingo remember-- but to no avail. Eventually, Ingo accepted his new place and roles in Hisui. It took getting used to; those feelings were still there, and this stuff was foreign to him, but after some time, he got the hang of it. The roles weren't bad, they were even fun! Ingo was also able to form some bonds, along with getting used to living in Hisui. Apparently, he had a natural affinity for taming Pokémon, earning him the title of a warden, and eventually formed a team of Pokémon that he adored, along with forming a good bond with his Lord Pokémon, Sneasler. 

Ingo had been able to settle and have a better, less anxiety-ridden life in Hisui after some time. The questions, the loneliness, would always be there, but it had gotten better over time. As better as it could get.

Despite his memory loss, Ingo was his own individual, after all. Despite everything, Ingo had his good moments. His moments of peace. He had his ways to deal with it, a bit of a support system. He felt uneasy about it at first for some reason, but he knew it was for the best. Even so, those things he lost had been a part of him; so when he lost them, he lost parts of himself. Sometimes he'd talk about it to those he was closer to. There were days where he'd stay at Lady Sneasler's seat longer than usual, pondering deeply about who he was, where he came from, what his life was like. There were times where he'd swear he'd start to remember something, anything, and he'd try to grasp onto it, but it'd run right through and fall away as if it was water. 

There were things that Ingo did, things that he said, felt, thought, that came naturally to him, but were strange to those around him. He didn't know why they happened, but he somehow knew they were connected to his origins. They brought him comfort and power. 

Whatever he was missing, he supposed he'd have to live without them until he could recover them. He still wanted to find out who he was, what he was missing. 

He hoped he could.

Throughout his time in Hisui, Ingo had slowly but surely recalled some bits and pieces of his origin, but it was not nearly enough to piece much together. 

 These moments of clarity happened particularly when he was exposed to certain things that made him feel certain ways. Even if he couldn't quite remember something, there were things in Hisui that made him feel strange things, as if he was on the cusp of remembering something, but again, he just couldn't. Regardless, Ingo still wanted to try to find out as much as he could about his origins.

Later on, after battling another strong individual, Ingo decided to take on being on the battlegrounds. Ingo loved battling, although there was this specific feeling of loneliness and longing regarding battling that he just couldn't place.

Not only that, after said battle, Ingo had also remembered a notable amount of things in a short time; certain traits of how his place of origin was, how it worked, especially the concept of "Pokémon Trainers" and "Pokémon Battling". It was like the battle, and the person, had made something in his head click. Unfortunately, it still wasn't quite enough, but it was something. It made Ingo very happy, and filled with hope. 

Ever since then, the presence in his dreams had become clearer, and his urge to find out who he was and what these things meant was stronger than ever.

Chapter 1

Chapter 3

[lilacstarvix]

Made some pokemon teams for my Sona!

And some silly little PLA self insert AU

In this timeline she washes up in Hisui, displaced from her homeworld with damaged memories (like our local train man)

She wanders the wilds of Hisui for years, finding a lost Zorua and raising it, able to gain it's trust from treating it's injuries and lacking the appearance or scent of humans to fuel it's mallice.

She eventually stops wearing her shirt, tying it around her waist for safekeeping, instead replacing her torsowear with flaxwoven tops for modesty as her kind can easily live in the extreme Hisuian climates. It's also relatively easy for her to replace if it gets damaged unlike the modern Starvixi clothing she wore upon arrival.

(Outfit for her early wandering days in Hisui)

After a while she build a seacraft and sailed to what would become the survival area in modern times, the reasoning for this was a peculiar sight was an ultra wormhole, which sparked some of her lost memories if only for a moment.

Traveling to the isle she encountered a young Adaman, both shocked by eachothers alien (to eachother) appearance, awkwardly distanced themselves.

But after a while both were able to understand that they had the same goal of reaching the site of the wormhole, and slowly began to help eachother.

Lila's Starvixi instincts began to kick in, subconsciously decoding and deciphering Adaman's ancient hisuian dialect, beginning to respond with small sentences until eventually understanding Adaman fully.

Both eventually reached the sandy crags where a foreign, brass-gold pokemon stood.

Vague memories of the pokemon uncoupled themselves in the mind of my sona's mind, recalling the name "Clockweryk".

The pair confront it, Adaman's Eevee got a bite off on it before the mechanical pokemon knocks it out with a single flash cannon.

Lila on the other hand took it on unarmed, as her Zoroark was watching their boat.

The pokemon was subdued but the Starvixi battler on the other hand was injured.

The wild machine pokemon, honored by the battle, and calmed by the presence of a being of it's world, used it's abilities to accelerate the Starvix's healing.

Adaman shocked by the pokemon's altering of time, and it's sudden change in attitude saw this as a sign from Almighty Sinnoh, returning home after making sure the alien woman was alright.

Over the course of the next few months my sona mader her home on the island, watching the pokemon from her home.

After a year or so, Adaman began visiting, forming a secret friendship with this alien being, eventually becoming Leader of the Clan and extending a request to join the Diamond Clan.

My sona would accept due to the loneliness of her time alone on the island, and as such was presented the typical Diamond Clan wear.

Although this ceremony was held on the island with a few important members at the time due to her foreign appearance.

She doesn't have much knowledge of the going ons in Hisui aside from the occasional mention from Adaman or other visitors to the Isle.

At the end of PLA's story, her island would become a new point of interest, a request from Adaman to check on a settlement there called 'Frontier'.

The player would then be greeted by a small drama between Diamond clan settlers and Pearl clan settlers.

You'd meet with some who'd direct you to a pearl clan member who'd introduce you to a 'rough terrain' based mount which'd allow you to traverse some of the rough terrain of the zone.

Eventually you'd meet up to my sona, cloaked, who'd the do something badass like punch a wild pokemon that snuck up on the PC.

You'd get a battle, then some exposition dialouge from her similarly to Ingo in wayward cave, and even at the end of it chose between "Oh like Warden Ingo?" Or "So kinda like me?".

She'd direct you towards the crags where you'd have to have a 'noble battle' against Clockweryk.

You'd then be able to battle her at dojo in Jubilife, and witness a cutscene of her meeting Ingo, recalling something family about his phraes and outwear. (My sona's mother was a conductor)

That's roughly what I got for PLA.

In Sinnoh she's a dark type gym leader, who ran the Pastoria gym before Crasher Wake took her place and she explored elsewhere.

Also srry for the longass random self centered post lol.