#submastober

[belltrigger]

Submastober Day 25!

Inspiration: There's an older OC-tober prompt-list here that I am using.

Title: A Rival's Weakness Prompt: Weakness Word count: 788 Synopsis: ingo ponders on Emmet's weaknesses.

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If there was one thing that the general public knew about Emmet, it was that he was an incredibly strong pokémon trainer. Of course, he was highly respected as a Subway Master, and although it was akin to bragging, Ingo firmly believed that Emmet was one of the strongest trainers in the entirety of the region. No disrespect to the various Gym Leaders, some of whom were friends and family, but Ingo would definitely put Emmet's skills above all of them. When Emmet lost, he loved to deeply discuss what had happened in the battle and why it lead to a loss. He was never discouraged, though he played up frustration for the challengers, and became that much more determined to win 'next time.'

Of course, that wasn't to say Emmet was unbeatable. Visiting the Battle Subway would be no fun if there was no chance of winning. Many a challenger caught Emmet by surprise and while he would never stop the battle in the middle, he would often talk with promising challengers afterwards. There were even a few times that Ingo had to interrupt Emmet, who was so caught up in a thrilling conversation, to remind him it was time to meet another challenger.

Ingo also knew for a fact that there were discussion boards where people gathered to strategize on how to defeat Emmet and himself. Ingo never visited these boards, as he didn't want to gain an unfair advantage against people coming for fun and challenge, but he had it on good authority that the comments were always very spirited. He was curious, sometimes, to see if they had any insight on Emmet's battle techniques and methods, but that too would be unfair.

Emmet was his rival, after all, and reading up on peoples' thoughts about his weaknesses would alter how he himself thought about their battles. Besides, even if people had little glimpses into Emmet's prowess, none of them knew his brother as he did. Naturally, they spent their entire lives together, barely separating as children, and being each other's constant companion now in adulthood. Emmet had a lot of tells if you knew when and where to look, but his younger brother said the same of him all the time. He also had a lot of preferences in how he battled (and how much he hated certain, specific moves that Ingo loved to use. It wasn't his fault that earthquake was so efficient.)

As far as Ingo was concerned, people could ponder and consider and discuss Emmet's battle weaknesses all they liked. Battling was also incredibly important to him and Emmet, and if others took such a fascination in discussing it, that just made for more hearty challenges. But, there were weaknesses Emmet had outside of battle as well, and as far as Ingo was concerned, he would be perfectly happy if no one else ever realized what they were.

For example, it was possible that people who were friendly with Emmet knew he had a sweet tooth. But, few probably realized the level that Emmet could be coerced with sweets. Although they got along well, there were still disagreements from time to time. Even when Emmet wouldn't speak to Ingo, an apology and a sweet treat could open the tracks to reconciliation. When Emmet had a rough day or was discouraged, taking him to his favorite bakery would light up his eyes so brightly that Ingo fell in love again every time.

Emmet also loved bug pokémon and was easily distracted on their travels when they found large groupings near the roads and trails they traversed. Luckily, luckily, he didn't catch all the pokémon he saw, but they definitely spent time watching and discussing how to use those pokémon in battles if they were to catch them. Joltik were an obvious favorite, and Emmet loved to get knick-knacks and objects of clothing related to them. Although Emmet focused on breeding the perfect joltik, he personally took care of adopting out the joltik that he didn't keep. Little did people know that Emmet was always on the prowl for cute pictures of joltik and likely contributed to the vastness of their images online.

There were many more things that others didn't know about Emmet, and each one made his brother impossibly cute. It pained him to admit that he felt twinges of jealousy at the mere idea that anyone else could know Emmet well enough to learn about these weaknesses to the same degree that he knew them. For Ingo, they were to be safeguarded with the same fervor that they would protect their special battle techniques.

On the subject of weaknesses, though, Ingo hoped that no one realized that Emmet was his.

[glassesblu]

Hey hey here's my Submastober for today!

It's inspired by my Submas fandolls and the outfits I had bought for them! Also i've been getting back into lineart, and it's been working out well I think :) I've been resisting buying more clothes eheh, I have one more doodle I can turn into a drawing! And I have preordered a cool set thats sorta like 'angel prince' vibes which i could try drawing based off of the pre-order images eheh

Also hehehe I think the lil baby pokemon are soooo fun and cute, maybe the lads could have lil plush of them too :)?

I have some pokemon fit plush, theyre soooo cute! I have the evolved versions though - Crustle, Boldore, Garbodor, and Reuniclus. And Durant! Which is just durant ^^

Anyway, I wanna make my own submas plus one day, seems like good fun! And i'd love to have more of these lil guys XD

[glassesblu]

Yipppee good music refs Reye, nice nice! Plus i always a good ominous shadow over their eyes

Their hands and gloves are so good, the one pinching at the hat is so excellent !

my Submas Sharetober piece~ i'm glad it's done before the month is out haha

there are a lot of things i associate with submas lol so i decided to combine the big ones into one image while also doing my best to make them slightly more on model? hope it worked! (❁´◡`❁)

[aetherprism]

Also wanna ask rq even though October is around the corner, are there any submastober prompts or anything of the sort like that? I know there was one in the works but I dunno if I got a good look at it…

[justanintrovertedartist]

"oh yeah i wanted to do a prompt list based off the sillies! lets see what submastober has for me!" why is it full of blankshipping

[allaboardtheblankship]

Took some time to add contrasts with the computer to get the results I wanted to achieve! It's a diptych, so that they're together even when separated :>

And I suppose it would be a fitting entry for the prompt "decoupled" wouldn't it?

I'm just gonna ramble underneath this, you don't have to read it at all

I hadn't plan the second picture when making the first, but it seemed evident I had to, so I did a bit of planning to make them complementary and opposites. Here are a few things:

Emmet is looking down at something he found. Ingo is looking up at something he lost. When placing the drawings one under the other, they look as if they're staring at each other, Ingo trying to reach out but being unable to.

Emmet has a light coat in a dark environment. Everything there is geometrical and symetric, and the lines are thick. Ingo has a dark coat in a light environment. The landscape is more organic, with the lines being more shaky and faint.

Emmet's head is surrounded by darkness. He is not okay. Ingo's head is surrounded by clouds in the distance. His memory is foggy.

[feroluce]

Of A Cyclical Nature

I have Awoken and am Choosing Violence, so I’m putting this blankshipping writing under a read more because of past offscreen major character death with no happy ending, my favorite type of submas angst, and anyway:

Ingo working hard, like really really hard, in pursuit of his lost memories. He chases down leads, he explores every distortion bubble he can get to, he battles Akari every moment she's available to try and knock loose a few more recollections. And it works! It takes time, and effort, and nearly running himself into the ground, but it works! Ingo can finally put a name to his Man in White! He finally knows who Emmet is!

Ingo feels so horrible that he ever forgot him, because they were partners, in every sense and meaning of the word, how on earth did he live alone for so long without Emmet?

Dialga and Palkia prove to be useless, so Ingo borrows the Azure Flute from Akari to speak with Arceus. Akari gives him a strange look, then sighs and tells him not to misplace it this time. Ingo has no idea why Akari would think he's the one doing anything with her Flute, she's the one who keeps accidentally leaving it in his hut, but he's too eager to stop and bicker about it. Maybe Arceus can send him back to his first home, and even unlock the rest of his memories!

So Ingo hauls ass to the wrecked Temple of Sinnoh, and plays the Azure Flute, and is granted audience. And he politely kneels and bows his head before the towering form before him and asks that Arceus might let him go back where he came from, to Unova and Nimbasa City and Gear Station with all of the depot agents and Elesa and with Emmet. And Arceus refuses.

Ingo isn't sure if something was lost in communication somewhere, so he asks again. Arceus refuses again.

And Ingo starts to get pissed, because why not? This is a god we're talking about. If Arceus is really as almighty as the people of Hisui say, and as gracious and kind, then this should be something easy for It to do, so why the hell not?

Ingo raises up off his knees, back to his full height, grits his teeth and pulls out Gliscor's pokeball. Arceus looks down Its nose at him like a bug.

"Do you truly want to remember?"

"I do."

Arceus makes a sound almost like a sigh. Ingo bristles. And then-

and then his head is so full, he sees Emmet next to him with their hands joined between them, he sees Nimbasa City lit up in the night, he sees Lostlorn Forest and a wild Zoroark that looks so so different from the ones he knows here, Chandelure and Eelektross guarding their eggs together in their nest, Cloud corralling the depot agents, Elesa laughing at him over a drink, Emmet and Elesa telling him to hurry up, Emmet bright and excited after a battle, Emmet whistling at the stove while he cooks breakfast, Emmet telling him that he loves him, Emmet Emmet Emmet-

Memorial. Gravestone. Offered flowers he doesn't want to see. Offered food he doesn't want to eat.

Ingo feels like he might be sick.

He opens his eyes without realizing he'd screwed them shut. His forehead is on the ground. His throat is raw. He feels like he can barely breathe.

"Do you remember now?" 

He does. An accident. Emmet had taken his shift.

It should have been him.

"Your place now is here, to help guide the people toward a united future- that was our agreement, so long as I took your memories." 

Ingo curls into himself. It was a waste, all of it. All of his efforts had been for nothing. He can't go home, because home is gone, home went before its time and left him behind, alone. Ingo sees himself in a graveyard, hollow shell, empty husk, stepping through the offered rift next to two plots, only one of them empty as a broken promise. Sees himself at the Temple of Sinnoh with the Azure Flute, but it's wrong, this is autumn now, his memories speak of springtime.

"I've...I've done this before, haven't I?" Every word drags like sandpaper through his throat.

Arceus sighs again. It doesn't sound as rude or dismissive as the first time. 

"You have, yes; many times."

He doesn't want to get up. Ingo doesn't want to move ever again. He wants to lay here until the world ends.

"Have you reached the same decision this time as well?"

Ingo can only nod. He's a coward. He'll take the emptiness. He'll take anything but this.

Some invisible force wrenches his head up, Ingo blinking spots and stars and dampness out of his eyes to see again. There's a bright spot right in front of him, the Halo of Arceus fanned out around it. It’s aimed like a bullet right between his eyes.

"Very well then. Until next time."

Ingo wakes up in his bed, jolted out of a dead sleep by someone knocking at his door. Gods, his hip is killing him, the hell did he do, sleep on a damn rock? Ingo roots around in his pockets- he must have really worn himself out doing...something, to have fallen asleep in all his clothes- and pulls out some weird blue wooden instrument that he recognizes as Akari's. Ingo is going to start making her check all her pockets before she departs, if she keeps leaving this thing here with him.

Ingo yells to the door that he'll be there in just a moment, and fumbles around until he finds his hat. It's too bright out and he's barely awake, he wants to hide his eyes under the shade of it for a while longer.

Ingo drags himself to the door and opens it, and Irida is on the other side, all but bouncing in place, eyes and smile bright. Ingo is instantly in a better mood and happy for her- whatever just happened must have been really good. He hasn't seen her quite so excited since Palina and Iscan's daughter had been born. Irida happily tells him that she got his message yesterday- she got here as soon as she could, and she's so happy for him! She wants to hear about everything he remembers! She especially wants to hear about Emmet!!

And Ingo looks at Irida for a long moment. Scrunches his brow. Cocks his head.

"Who is Emmet?"

[eeveetachi]

Poketober “Submastober” days 5-7 plus 9 to make it a submas only post~ 

These are some of my favourite ones I’ve drawn :>

[belltrigger]

Submastober Day 20!

Inspiration: There's an older OC-tober prompt-list here that I am using.

Title: He Knows, Okay?

Prompt: Death

Word count: 707

Synopsis: Emmet has a young sounding speech pattern, but ever since Ingo disappeared, people have started treating him like he's too young to understand things.

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It wasn't as though Emmet didn't know that death was A Thing.

For one thing, Emmet was nearly thirty years old. He wasn't sure how anyone thought he'd gotten to that age without becoming aware of what death was. It was in movies, tv shows, and books. Sure, he liked to read about trains, schematics and history, but even trains could be deadly if not properly maintained. (Not that he would ever let something like that happen in the Subway.) Even romance stories sometimes had death in them. People had to believe he had no interest in popular culture to make it to this age without at least a passing awareness.

For another thing, Ingo had a ghost pokémon as a partner. Obviously, ghosts couldn't exist without death, right? Even Ingo, who loved Chandelure greatly, always warned about how dangerous she could be. If not watched carefully, all of Chandelure's evolution line was capable of stealing life force. Litwick had been particularly naughty when they were kids, and Emmet had more than once found Ingo groggy after letting Litwick misbehave and eat some of his life energy. Well, Ingo called it groggy, Emmet called it passed out.

Even with Ingo's too permissive behavior of Litwick when they were younger, Ingo never came close to dying. Emmet was always able to find him before Litwick snacked too much, and Emmet had more than once scolded her over getting carried away. Once, she had flared her wick at him; by the time Ingo woke up, they were deep in an argument over how Ingo wasn't allowed to be eaten.

Yes, Emmet knew what death was. But just because he knew didn't mean he could accept that as a descriptor for his beloved twin.

Despite explaining this to people, they still continued to insist that Ingo being missing for this long surely meant the worst. The word 'dead' never came up directly; it was always skirted around, people used euphemisms because they were too uncomfortable to say what they were thinking. Emmet was always polite but firm when he countered people who insisted Ingo was dead. He did say the word - if they were going to assume his brother, the other half of his two car train, was such a thing, then they best say it outright.

Thinking back on it, maybe Emmet was not polite.

But! What else was he supposed to do when people insisted that he give up the search for his brother, when they wanted him to believe that Ingo must be dead? For the first time ever in the entirety of his career, Emmet banned someone from the subway for coming to him with the offer of organizing a memorial for Ingo. Although Emmet thought he kept his composure, Cloud asked him if he was okay after the now Perma-Banned-Passenger was escorted out.

Emmet answered as honestly as he could, because he couldn't lie to Cloud. No, he was definitely not okay. Ingo was missing and he'd lost any viable leads and now people wouldn't stop telling him Ingo was dead. Even when Emmet said it wasn't true, they kept saying it. It was rude! And frustrating! And-!

Clenching his hands into fists at his sides, Emmet only stopped pouring his heart out when his vision became blurry with tears. Even though Cloud wouldn't think less of him for it, Emmet tugged his cap brim down to cover his eyes. Cloud would understand, but Emmet still wanted to maintain the proper image of a Subway Boss. If nothing else, Ingo would be disappointed in him if he caused too much discomfort for their important guests of the subway.

Cloud and Ramses intercepted anyone who looked as though they were seeking Emmet out for anything other than a pokémon battle. He wasn't in the mood to battle with his thoughts occupied with plans on how to find Ingo, but he went through it anytime someone asked him to. Emmet lost more battles during Ingo's disappearance than he ever had before then. Without Ingo around as his friendly rival, wins and losses didn't feel as important.

Emmet knew what death was. And with Ingo gone, Emmet thought he might know what death felt like, too.

[belltrigger]

Submastober Day 21!

Inspiration: There's an older OC-tober prompt-list here that I am using.

Title: Time to Improve Prompt: Different Era Word count: 1727 Synopsis: Ingo thinks about what his life was like before Emmet appeared in Hisui, and considers what he would like it to be like going forward.

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The house that the Pearl Clan had allowed Ingo to use was modest, but as someone completely unknown to them (as well as himself), it was far more than he could have ever hoped to ask for. Since he had no belongings upon his arrival except the clothes he wore, the house was positively ample in terms of storage space. Sometimes, for fun, he would change the location he stored his coat and hat while he was home, and made elaborate decorations with the pokéballs of the pokémon he was planning to travel with the next day. He could tell the pokémon enjoyed it, and so he made sure to always pick fun designs.

He also didn't really spend much time there, either patrolling through even the harshest conditions, or being posted at the Training Grounds of Jubilife. He sometimes ate meals there, when he wasn't invited out by his clan, and slept there. It was lit by lantern but he usually wasn't awake much past the dark unless he was returning from a late night patrol.

However, now, he had a guest! The Man in White from his dreams, who he now remembered as Emmet, had appeared before him. Of course there was no doubt that he would bring Emmet into his home - he could not burden the Pearl Clan further with a request for yet another house and Emmet needed a fine place to stay. He would have thought as much even if Emmet was only his brother, but feelings he'd long struggled to understand now had their recipient again. To be blunt, Emmet made his heart flutter in the most pleasant of ways, and he couldn't begin to imagine living separately from him again. Emmet immediately reciprocated, even telling Ingo that it had been that way for over a decade! Ingo was glad he'd been so lucky in his former life, to have a close and dedicated love that had found him once more.

Emmet always smiled and allowed Ingo to give him a short (very short) tour of the home that Ingo had been staying in. Ingo could feel his face flush in joy when Emmet corrected him to 'our home,' and all he could manage in the moment was to agree gently. Emmet sat his coat and hat next to wherever Ingo placed his, and Ingo had to admit it looked much better than his outer wear sitting there alone. Though, at the time, he also thought that maybe Emmet deserved a place for his things that didn't require waiting on Ingo to place his own.

Emmet's positivity remained no matter what they were doing. He seemed deeply unfamiliar with the methods of cooking that Ingo used, but he sat close to the fire and offered assistance whenever Ingo made them dinner. Emmet often expressed his desire to help more, but he could stir and chop and go outside to gather herbs as compliments to their dishes. After having been by himself for so long, this was easily halving the amount of effort Ingo had previously had to employ. Plus, he enjoyed simply having companionship while he ate in their home. Eating with others before was usually the result of going somewhere else - no one came to Ingo's home for a meal before. In fact, Ingo enjoyed it so much, that they began taking a break during their patrols to return home for lunch.

One night, Emmet wasn't feeling well and went to bed a little earlier than Ingo; after Ingo remembered the exact nature of their relationship, they had started to head to bed at the same time, though not always for sleep. Ingo's bedding was not the most impressive, but he'd managed to requisition a futon for Emmet and they placed them close together. Emmet, of course, wanted to learn exactly how to set up and put away his futon; he picked it up so quickly and smiled so brightly when Ingo complimented his skill.

Ingo wasn't yet tired, and after he'd finished some potato mochi, he decided to check in on Emmet. When he knelt by his sweet twin, he was troubled with the sight he found. Emmet was shivering in his sleep, curled up on his side with eyebrows furrowed. Wasting no time, Ingo stood up and retrieved the blanket for Emmet's futon. Without disturbing him, Ingo gently spread the soft blanket over Emmet, sighing in relief when Emmet's features smoothed out. Sitting back into seiza, Ingo took a moment to assess their home. If he thought about it, it was a bit cold.

Actually, the more he considered it, the more he realized it was more than just a bit cold. It was rather early in the year to be this temperature, wasn't it? Standing, Ingo went to stoke the fire, considering if it had always been like this in the house or if they were simply experiencing a cold snap. Now that it was at the forefront of his thoughts, had he simply been tolerating it this whole time?

He had, hadn't he? Before Emmet's arrival, some small part of him had always felt as though his amnesia was a punishment of some sort. His complete and total lack of context for his life before coming to Hisui left him with little to piece together. He could assume he was a good man even back then, but wouldn't everyone want to believe that about themselves? If he was truly brought here by a deity level pokémon without being given a purpose like Akari, then didn't that lend itself to the idea that he was being punished? In that case, then of course he should struggle through uncomfortable circumstances in penance.

Emmet, though… No matter what Ingo thought of himself, there was no way that Emmet had ever done something worthy of requiring penance. He was kind and gentle, capable and friendly. Emmet was also more charitable than Ingo; while Ingo had lost his patience with Melli (going so far as to tell someone he thought the warden was causing trouble for others), Emmet merely laughed and joked around with the trouble-making young man.

They had already begun making changes to the way Ingo had let himself live. Simply taking the time for a lunch instead of only eating dinner or when others brought him along was an example. Ingo didn't go to bed as early anymore either, since he had Emmet's companionship even after the darkness fell. Instead of always scrounging for the right herbs, they had started a small garden outside; located close enough that even when his back hurt, Ingo could go out and find what he needed. Emmet had insisted on putting medicinal herbs in the garden too, so even Ingo's back pain wasn't as frequent anymore. Ingo, simply put, felt better overall.

But that was for Ingo's sake. Ingo had been here a long time now, and the chances to get used to the hardships had been plentiful. He'd grown to tolerate quite a bit, with the scars to prove it, but Emmet didn't have to deal with that the way he did. Emmet had scars of his own, but they didn't match the roughly healed scars that were all across Ingo's body. For the briefest moment, Ingo felt ashamed for how differently his scars marked up his skin compared to the well healed ones on Emmet's body. But Emmet had simply embraced him, and all worries that Emmet found it off-putting had ceased.

For him, Ingo would do anything. Starting small with improving their home was the easiest. But, Ingo wondered if maybe it was time to return to finding a way home. When he'd first arrived in Hisui, he'd desperately wanted to leave once he was healed up enough to get out of his hospital bed. The very day he was able to, he began exploring to find a way home. He couldn't get very far at first, but expanded his searchable area little by little. Luckily, he proved himself quite capable at working with pokémon, and that allowed him to travel outwards even farther.

Over time, however, the hope that it was possible to find his way home began to dwindle and diminish in his heart. The wish to return to where he'd come from never disappeared, but the belief that it was something he could be capable of? It hardly felt like an attainable goal. He didn't seem to be from this region at all, so it wasn't so simple as finding a proper route. No, it seemed his fall from the sky was quite literal, and not a matter of being pulled up into a storm.

Emmet's arrival showed there was still a link to where he'd come from, which had bolstered his resolve quite substantially. Living with Emmet here in Hisui was hardly a bad thing, especially if they could improve their home, but wouldn't it be nice if they could go back to their original home? If Emmet's stories were anything to go by, the differences in their home compared to here was like an entirely different era! It astounded Ingo to believe that he could come from a place as technologically advanced as Emmet claimed, but he was eager to return and see if he remembered anything more.

Checking on Emmet once again, it was a relief to find him no longer shivering. With how peacefully he was sleeping now, Ingo couldn't help but reach out and pet his hair. With a soft murmur, Emmet turned towards his touch. Ingo's heart squeezed at how cute he was, and decided maybe it was time for bed after all. Changing into his sleepwear, Ingo climbed into their makeshift large futon next to Emmet. Without waking up, Emmet scooted closer to him, and Ingo wrapped him in an embrace. Whispering a little apology to Emmet for bringing the cold into the futon, he kissed his twin's forehead, chuckling softly as Emmet muttered incomprehensibly back.

If Emmet was better in the morning, they could discuss what they would do from here together. If Emmet was getting sick, Ingo would tend to him as he told his younger twin about his plans, and then go into town to get him a treat. Either way, he would do his best to improve Emmet's life the way Emmet had improved his.

[belltrigger]

Submastober Day 04!

Inspiration: There's an older OC-tober prompt-list here that I am using.

Title: A Late Night Event Prompt: Hidden Word count: 779 Synopsis: Ingo sees something in the sky.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Although Ingo considered his comrades in the Pearl Clan to be quite observant and astute, he had determined over the course of the last few days that none of them witnessed the strange meteor fall from the sky around ten nights ago. The event had been quite notable, he thought: a brilliant white streak in the sky, leaving a trail that resembled a scatter of twinkling stars in its wake. While it was true that it had been quite late at night, long after most of the lanterns had been snuffed for the evening, he had thought surely someone would have seen such a stunning display. But no, any inquiries he made were met with confusion; some members of his clan attempted to be polite, but there were some that seemed to think it was perhaps another symptom of his strange amnesia.

There was no doubt in his mind that he'd seen it, however. Despite the loss of his memories before arriving in this place, he retained a crystal clear knowledge and understanding of all that he learned while here. He remembered even the most minute details of that day like it had only been the night before.

The evening was cool, like many evenings this time of the year, but his breath fogged in front of his face a bit more thickly than usual. He felt antsy that night, unable to settle and even having a few of his pokemon out of their pokeballs for a bit of companionship to help potentially ease whatever was setting him on edge. Finding that he couldn't sleep, he went outside to get some air and found it to be much brighter than one would expect - he hadn't even needed his lantern.

Inexplicably, Ingo felt a tug in his chest as he watched the shimmering light etch a fading line through the sky and immediately set out to find the landing spot of whatever had fallen. The bright shine had all but disappeared from his vantage point after entering the treeline, but he was quite confident that he could find the general location of the landing. It was an area that he frequently patrolled, and even this late at night, the paths were not a difficult traversal with his chosen pokemon companions.

Of course he could never have imagined what he would find once he made it to the designated spot. Gently resting in a patch of grass, with absolutely no impact mark at all, was a young man, eyes shut as if he were sleeping peacefully. Any of Ingo's confusion was tucked behind his shock - the man was dressed almost entirely in white, including a coat that looked identical to his, though significantly less worn. Fearing he was dreaming, he knelt down to touch the fabric of the high collar pressed against the ground under the man's cheek, fingertips meeting with fabric that felt as real as his own coat. As if sensing him there, the man curled himself further in towards Ingo.

Resolve firmed then and there, he had Machamp lift up the sleeping man and help carry him back to their home. The man didn't stir again during their travel. Once under the warm glow of multiple lanterns, Ingo could see that not only did the man wear a coat similar to his, he bore a striking resemblance to Ingo himself. Younger, perhaps, but their features were almost exactly the same, and he also had Ingo's quite distinguishing hair style.

Dismissing Machamp once he had bedding set up for this mysterious new arrival, Ingo spent some time simply watching the young man. His chest felt strange, excitement at possible answers making his ribcage feel as though it was squeezing his lungs and heart, and he found it nearly impossible to tear himself away to sleep. He managed it, barely, lying awake in his futon, face turned towards the young man as he drifted off.

It had been days since the young man's dramatic arrival, but he remained in a sleep-like state. Without a firm plan to wake him up, Ingo felt it best to not reveal his presence to the other members of his clan. Perhaps it was selfish, but he wanted to be the first person seen when the young man woke up. He wanted to make sure his questions were the first answered, and that he was the one to answer any questions the mysterious young man had. For some reason, “I want to see his smile first” lingered in the back of Ingo's mind.

And so, Ingo waited for him to wake up, deeply considering what his first words would be when the man woke up.

[belltrigger]

Submastober Day 17!

Inspiration: There's an older OC-tober prompt-list here that I am using.

Title: Lie to Himself Prompt: Lie Word count: 463 Synopsis: Emmet liked rules, and he disliked lying.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Despite his apparent demeanor - blunt and seemingly carefree- Emmet really loved rules. He firmly believed that they were the foundation of keeping everyone happy and safe. Even as a small child, he liked to learn the rules of wherever he was, and enthusiastically shared his knowledge with his twin, Ingo. Knowing the rules made everything much smoother, he found, and he could be confident in most situations once he 'found the rulebook.'

One rule that he'd learned young that seemed to apply everywhere was that lying was wrong. Adults didn't like it when they were lied to, and Emmet understood. He didn't want to be lied to either. Emmet wanted to know and understand everything he could get access to, and lying would just slow that learning down. Emmet was relieved that Ingo understood this as well, and always told him the truth.

Emmet also knew that it was equally bad to lie to yourself. Pretending like something was fine, for example, when it was very much not fine would only make things harder in the long run. It was best to just accept things you knew to be true, and move on.

Unfortunately for Emmet, he'd been lying to himself for some time about something that was very important. It was especially unfortunate, because this particular lie meant he was also lying to Ingo, his most important person. It made him feel horrible whenever he spent a moment to think about it.

But he didn't know what to do when revealing the truth could also have dire consequences. This was the first ever circumstance where he thought that telling Ingo the truth would have a far worse result than hiding the information. There was a very real chance that Ingo would feel so betrayed by the information that he wouldn't ever want to see Emmet again. Just the thought of such a thing made Emmet's chest hurt.

Ingo could not find out that Emmet harbored feelings far beyond twinship for his brother. Ingo could not find out that Emmet's feelings had grown so deep that they became romantic in nature. Ingo could not find out how Emmet's heart fluttered at his smile. Ingo could not find out how Emmet wanted to kiss him every day. Ingo could not find out that Emmet wanted to do more than that.

And so, Emmet had to lie to himself, pretend that no, he didn't want to tell Ingo that he looked extra handsome today. Emmet had to pretend that he would be happy like this for the rest of their lives. Emmet had to pretend that Ingo could find someone else and he would be okay with it.

Emmet had to pretend that he didn't love his brother. And Emmet was really bad at pretending.

[belltrigger]

Submastober Day 14!

Inspiration: There's an older OC-tober prompt-list here that I am using.

Title: What Does That Remind You Of? Prompt: Legend Word count: 1170 Synopsis: There's a rumor that Ingo and Emmet are legendary dragons in human form.

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Every once in a while, an odd idea floated through the air of Gear Station. Ingo and Emmet, the twin Subway Masters of Nimbasa City, were the legendary dragon pokemon Zekrom and Reshiram. The reasoning was fairly simple: Zekrom and Reshiram were black and white respectively, and Ingo and Emmet wore those same colors all the time.

“That's not just all,” Jackie said, waggling his finger to Cameron. “They're both so tall - obviously legendary dragons would need to be tall humans if they were trying to blend in. Where else would they fit all their power?”

“Lots of people are tall, Jackie.” Cameron elbowed his coworker playfully with a grin. “In fact, Ramses isn't that much shorter than the bosses. Are you saying he's some kind of pokemon too?”

“Well, we can't rule it out." That earned Jackie another elbow into the side, eliciting an ow! from him. Holding his side in mock betrayal, Cameron rolled his eyes at Jackie's dramatics. “Well, still, it would also explain their cool glowing eyes.”

Cameron sighed, tipping his cap towards White as she stood with him and Jackie. “Surely you don't agree with this silly rumor.” He'd thought this a standard visit from the teenager until this line of discussion had started. Jackie always had fanciful thoughts, and White was just encouraging it now.

White shifted, resting her weight on the other foot and jutting her hip. Crossing her arms, she shut her eyes in thought. “When Drayden told me the story about twin heroes wielding a dragon that split into a black one and a white one, they were the first thing that popped into my head.”

“There! See! It's not just me.” Jackie exclaimed. “I'm not saying this as a bad thing. Just think about how cool that would be. We could be working for legendary dragon pokemon, Cameron!”

Sighing again, Cameron's shoulders dropped. “I just think it's all so very mundane! The dragons were heroes who created an entire region. Sure our bosses are strong battlers and have their quirks, but they're just people like us.”

“A region might be a bit much, with our busy schedule. Perhaps you would be content with merely a small island?”

Both agents stiffened, shoulders hiking up to their ears as a very familiar voice piped up behind them.

“Hi Ingo! Hi Emmet!” White chirped, putting her hands behind her back and lacing her fingers together. She'd seen the Subway bosses coming up behind the agents -they were so tall, after all- but thought it might be funny to let them overhear. It was hard to tell what they thought as they approached, wearing their normal expressions.

Both of the Subway Masters tilted their caps in greeting, each giving their own version of a verbal greeting at the same time. Interestingly, although Ingo's was much longer, her name synced up in both of their greetings. Their attentions then turned to their gossiping agents.

“I am Emmet. I have human arms and hands. Reshiram does not.” Emmet stated matter-of-factly, hands down at his sides. As if to prove his point, lifted one hand and held it out palm up to the three that had been talking.

“That is quite true. There are may physical differences between us and the legendary dragons.” Ingo agreed, cupping his elbow as he held a finger to his chin. “Though, I imagine even legendary dragons would find trains and battling a most interesting combo.”

“You don't even focus on the same elements as the legendary dragons!” White said, pointing a finger up. “I feel like it would be so much easier to beat you if you couldn't switch up your types.” Thoughts of all the times she'd lost to them resurfacing, she looked momentarily put out.

“You will beat Emmet someday. But probably not today.” Emmet kept his normal expression as he said this, and White hung her head in fake defeat before popping it back up to express her disagreement! Surely today she was going to win! She'd practiced hard for this visit!

Cameron and Jackie exchanged looks while their bosses were distracted. Glancing to the side, they happened to see Cloud, who luckily was walking their way. “UH!” Jackie said, as he and Cameron straightened their backs, arms tightly against their sides in a mock-attention stance. When Ingo and Emmet turned their attentions to them, Jackie continued. “It seems that Cloud is looking for us!”

Cameron, just as eager to escape his bosses likely teasing about the dragon theory, continued. “It's about time for us to file some of our reports, so we better be going!” Without waiting for an answer, they both made a hasty retreat towards the safer option of Cloud possibly chastising them for slacking off.

After the agents all but scrambled off, the twins turned their attention back to White. Giving them a cheerful grin, she put her hands behind her head casually. “I really am serious about beating you guys today! You better watch out, Emmet!” she said, confidently. “I'm gonna go get Black, and we're gonna get prepared for the battle later!”

“I trust that you will, Ms. White!” Ingo said, clapping his hands in approval.

“I don't. I am Emmet.” Emmet said, hands on his hips.

White stuck her tongue out at Emmet, making a “blehhh!” sound. Emmet always teased her like this, his comments ranging from confident of her future success to insisting she wouldn't win in the now. Ingo had always considered positive encouragement to be the best method, but somehow Emmet's method kept White going. Then she nodded to Ingo before turning on her heel and jogging off to find her own twin.

“That rumor pops up rather often, don't you think, Emmet?” Ingo glanced at his brother. “It could prove troublesome down the line. Perhaps we should set people on the correct tracks again.”

Emmet nodded. “It is too much fun using electric attacks.”

“I quite agree. However, I am having very much fun using other moves, like Earthquake.” Ingo laughed into his fist, eyes shut.

A blue glint flashed over Emmet's silver eyes as he turned his frown on his older brother. “I do not like when you use Earthquake. I am Emmet.”

“No, I suspect you don't,” Ingo agreed, playfully, his partially open eyes showing red sclera. Emmet looked as though he wished to stomp a foot, though he never would do such a thing when they were in the subway. The important part, however, was that Ingo *knew* he wanted to.

Emmet did, however, puff his cheeks in disapproval. "I am Emmet. I will explain to you why it's mean to pick on your brother." Since their secret was still kept, Ingo didn't see any reason why he couldn't listen to Emmet's lecture until White and her brother showed up.

[belltrigger]

Submastober Day 05!

Inspiration: There's an older OC-tober prompt-list here that I am using.

Title: Failure Is Just the First Step Towards Success Prompt: Failure Word count: 891 Synopsis: Emmet is not having much success in getting what he wants.

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“What a fine day today is!” Ingo said aloud as he settled down in some lush green grass, under the shade of an old but sturdy tree. The shadow of the tree top reached just past his feet if he stretched his legs out, but he sat cross-legged, leaning back with his hands supporting his weight. The canopy above swayed in the gentle breeze, the dark green and peeking sunlight a vivid contrast against the vibrant blue sky.

Flopped with all the grace of a magikarp on the ground next to him was Emmet, arms and legs spread in an x-shape. Ingo did not chastise him about his rough landing, did not warn him of the grass stains sure to come with such a careless flop. His twin's decision to wear white was his own, and with the day they'd had, he suspected Emmet would add it to his already numerous complaints. Emmet had huffed as soon as he hit the ground, pulling his white and gray plaid cap down over his face. “It is not,” came his muffled pout.

“How can you say that!” he countered as he glanced down at Emmet, hand going to the brim of his matching black and gray plaid cap. “The sun is shining so brightly, the breeze is invigorating, and we are have nearly arrived at our next station.” In truth, he knew exactly what was causing his brother frustration, but Emmet was usually so cheerful that it was always strange when he was not. “I know you are looking forward to their famous ice cream sundaes, and we have saved up for us each to get our own.”

Emmet lifted one leg and then thunked it back on the ground, in imitation of stomping his foot in protest. “I am Emmet. I do not care about ice cream. I care about catching a tynamo.”

Looking out into the distance towards the cave they'd spent much of the early hours of the day within, Ingo made a contemplative sound. “Chargestone Cave is certainly challenging.” Ignoring the look that Emmet surely had on his face underneath his cap at the unnecessary use of alliteration, he continued on. “The tynamo that are willing to allow you near them are not fit for your standards. Perhaps we should go deeper into the cave in order to find a suitable partner for you.” His brother had extremely exacting tastes, and Ingo wondered if they would be able to find a wild pokemon that measured up to what Emmet was looking for in a partner.

That being said, they didn't exactly have the means to breed the ideal pokemon yet - it would be an intensive process surely, and Emmet would likely not stop until he found exactly what he was looking for. So, for now, they would have to chance their luck in the wild, which was proving to be much lower odds than Emmet was apparently hoping for.

Still, Ingo would never think to ask his brother to lower his standards. They were going to be the strongest trainers they could be, continuing down the tracks towards even greater skills all while staying together. In order to accomplish such things, they needed the very best pokemon by their sides. Of course, pokemon were intelligent and wonderful creatures, so they could not simply be recruited for the short term in a constantly revolving cycle of new partners. He knew that Emmet felt the same, that any pokemon they gained as a partner was intended to be a long-term companion.

Emmet was quiet for a while, possibly deciding on what he wanted to do. Ingo let him think, content to stare out over the land in front of them, and simply enjoy the view and weather. He thought about how happy he was that he and Emmet thought so similarly about the important things. He thought about what he could do to support Emmet's journey. He thought about what ice cream he would get when they did get to their next destination.

Finally, after a bit of thought, Emmet sat up, correcting the position of his cap upon his head. “I am Emmet. I have decided.”

Ingo turned to his twin with an inquisitive smile. “What have you decided, Emmet?” Surely, his twin had weighed their options and determined that the best tracks to follow led them further into Chargestone Cave. Pushing his weight forward, Ingo brushed his hands off to remove any lingering blades of grass. They still had plenty of daylight left, so unless Emmet became particularly stubborn about not failing in his mission, they would exit the cave with enough light to make it to the next town easily.

When Ingo's eyes widened in a bit of surprise, Emmet's smile brightened and he held out his hand to Ingo. It seems that he'd come to a completely different conclusion than Ingo had expected. Not that it was an unpleasant one, Ingo thought as he reached out to take Emmet's outstretched hand. Standing up and brushing their clothes off together, they held hands the entire way to the ice cream shop.

Later that day, Emmet discovered a tynamo that had a particular fondness for ice cream.

[belltrigger]

Submastober Day 26!

Inspiration: There's an older OC-tober prompt-list here that I am using.

Title: The Way He Looks Prompt: Temptation Word count: 878 Synopsis: Ingo is up to something, but Emmet can't quite tell what it is. But it's definitely something-!!

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Ingo had to know what he was doing. Emmet was certain of it. His older brother was smart and strategic, always aware of how he was perceived by others. It was of the utmost importance to Ingo that he exuded professionalism to all who interacted with him at work. To Ingo, he was part of the Subway, a function and a feature; people came to see Gear Station for the convenience and to battle the Subway Masters. If he didn't put one hundred percent into his work, then he was failing at his purpose.

Emmet didn't think of himself that way, at least not quite. Yes, it was an amazing honor to be a Master at Gear Station. Yes, he wanted to do justice to the position. But while Ingo was a piece of Gear Station, the Subway was a piece of Emmet. It was part of who he was, not vice versa. Maybe it was because of this slight difference between them that allowed him to be so sure of Ingo's intentions. Being as close as he was to Ingo, it was impossible for him to not notice. He even watched Ingo more closely for a while to be absolutely sure that it was happening.

Sure, they were identical twins. Sure, people had trouble telling them apart, especially if they covered their mouths. Sure, they mirrored each other's poses and took similar stances, even when they weren't exaggerating for the sake of 'Being the Twin Subway Masters' during a battle. Sure, they sometimes switched uniforms to really throw people off when they were feeling playful (Ingo was even the one who suggested it half the time). People could be forgiven for not noticing right away, especially if they didn't realize that Ingo was surely doing it on purpose.

Emmet just knew his brother. And the knowledge was driving him crazy, because he couldn't do anything about it while they were at work. And that's probably why Ingo was doing it.

Ingo was being, to put it bluntly, sexy at work.

Some could argue that black was a sleeker color to wear, and naturally added a certain appeal. They could say that wearing black was slimming and accentuated the figure better. But Emmet was smarter than those people! White was clearly the superior color (or lack thereof?) to wear and that wasn't what gave Ingo such a high threshold of sexiness. Ingo was purposefully and pointedly being alluring in his movements and general demeanor.

Ingo frequently put his fists behind the small of his back in a stance he considered to be the epitome of how a Station Master stood. They'd seen it in old videos and even picture books as children. Emmet did this too, of course, but Ingo defaulted to this stance often when he was watching over the platforms. Sometimes it was both fists, and other times it was only one with his other hand up to his chin in thought. But the way he had been doing it lately… it was as if he were trying to accentuate the curve of his back into his narrow hips. Emmet found his eyes drawn to the angles created every time Ingo did this.

Ingo also liked to salute when praising challengers or the Agents. Emmet, of course, did this too. Not only did it feel natural, but it gave them a bit of a cool look. But Ingo, in his quest to do… whatever his goal was, had taken to altering his salute just slightly. What made it most noticeable to Emmet, however, was that it only seemed to be when Ingo recognized that Emmet was watching. It was a softer salute than usual, not as crisp but still close enough to not draw the suspicion of others. Ingo's head was tilted faintly towards his hand, and his eyes closed halfway. Emmet wasn't sure what that gaze was about, but it felt loaded for sure.

There was one other thing that Ingo did often, but as Emmet was usually directly next to him, it had never drawn his attention before. Had their Master coats always looked like that from the back? When Ingo brought his hand up to his chin, elbow cupped with his other hand, it allowed his silhouette to be made entirely by their identical coats. A few steps behind Ingo like he was, Emmet couldn't help but watch the swish of his twin's hips as they traveled to their shared train to battle a pair of trainers.

Emmet wasn't sure exactly why Ingo had decided to be sexy at work lately but it sure was distracting! If Ingo truly was doing all of this on purpose, then he couldn't be mad that Emmet was always staring at him, right? Ingo would have to feel Emmet's eyes on him all the time since they were almost always together. It would be understandable that even Emmet would want to reach out and place his hands on Ingo's hips. Who could resist such a display when it was clear that Ingo wanted people to notice him?

On that note, Emmet never saw anyone else taking notice of Ingo's shenanigans (that was what Emmet decided to call it! Shenanigans!), so he didn't have to be jealous.

Yet.

[belltrigger]

Submastober Day 01!

Inspiration: There's an older OC-tober prompt-list here that I am using.

Title: Thoughts of Youth Prompt: Childhood Word count: 639 Synopsis: Sometimes, when Nobori has time to sit and think, he wonders how often others think about their childhood.

Nobori had a problem. Well, if he was taking the time to count, he actually had quite a few, many of which stemmed from the same core issue. Some were minor concerns, such as his thinning hairline (he was much too young for such a thing… maybe?) Some troubled him due to their impact on others (seriously, it would be grand if Melli would simply take a day off from causing such mischief.) And then there was the all-encompassing desperate need to know who The Man in White from his dreams was.

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Nobori believed those were all rather valid things to think about. But the current thing that rolled around his mind was something that troubled him simply for the uncertainty it brought. Did others think about their childhood with any frequency? Was it normal to forget your childhood entirely, did that come with his age (how old was he, exactly?), or was that also lost when he arrived in this land? While he didn't yearn as strongly for the memories of his childhood as he did of his present (past after all the time he's spent here?), there was definitely an ache within him over the loss.

Any attempts to inquire how others felt about their childhood was met with mixed results. Lady Irida was so young comparatively that her childhood was mere years ago. Lord Liam was younger still, and thus his 'memories of childhood' were the moments he was living now. He would never say it, but he thought that perhaps it would be obvious that Lady Calaba would not remember her childhood very well. Discussions with the others led him to believe that it was not quite so odd to lose some recollections of your childhood.

However, his youth was just as cloudy as everything else he tried to think about. Perhaps it was foolish to spend so much time thinking about it, nearly bringing himself to tears with longing when he spent evenings desperately begging himself to remember something. Anything! But every night like that ended the same - he was no better off in terms of rediscovering anything, and was exhausted the next day. It was impossible to hide the circles under his eyes in the aftermath of it, and he did his best to ignore the looks of sympathy from his clan.

His familiarity with Pokemon had to come from somewhere. How far back did his connection with The Man in White go? Had he forgotten anyone else? Did he have passions that couldn't be remembered here, things that the people who lived around him couldn't even begin to fathom? (Silly thoughts also arose sometimes, like how long had this coat been precious to him?)

Thoughts about this topic never truly stopped, much like he never stopped thinking about The Man in White. However, there were many times that he distracted himself, threw himself into his work so as to not become overwhelmed. If he let himself think about how much he missed the Man in White without knowing him, how much he yearned for his past, he would become trapped in his thoughts and perhaps never leave the house that had been so generously bestowed upon him.

Still. He continued to observe those around him, tried to match up his own behaviors with anyone he saw. There were so many things that felt new enough, felt different enough that he could believe that people did remember their childhood. And every time he convinced himself that everything he had was missing, he would spend more time thinking on it.

Childhood memories were precious, he decided. And he would regain them just as he would regain all of his other memories. He would remember The Man in White. He would remember his precious partner with brilliant flames. And he would remember Who He Was.