Chapter Text
There was something about Zorua and Zoroark that always fascinated Ingo. Technically speaking they were part of his very first memory there in Hisui. His memories from before he fell from the rift were nonexistent at best. All he could remember was his own name, and strangely the name Em although he had no idea who Em could be. Other than that he could remember nothing. All he really did remember was falling through darkness for a very long time only to suddenly fall out of a rift in the sky. After falling from the rift Ingo ended up crash landing in snow.
He remembered lying there in the snow unable to move. He was injured and feverish to the point that moving at all made him dizzy. He was barely clinging to consciousness as he looked around for some sign of anyone that could help him. What he ended up spotting were some Pokémon staring at him from the edge of a forest. There stared at him in curiosity, and with a bit of weariness as well. Ingo could only stare back at them in confusion. Somehow in his memory-less fevered state he recognized the Pokémon that were staring at him. They were Zorua and Zoroark. Yet, something about them felt strange. He wasn’t even sure why he thought that. There was just this gut feeling that Zorua and Zoroark didn’t typically look like that although he was unable to remember what else they could look like. There stare down lasted for what felt like ages, but the sound of someone approaching made the Zorua and Zoroark run back into the depths of the forest.
He glanced over at the approaching group only to see an incredibly tall Pokémon that looked a bit like a Sneasel but clearly wasn’t one, and a small group of people walking behind it. The first person to stand out to him was a blond haired girl with striking bright blue eyes. By her side was a Glaceon who stared at Ingo in curiosity. Behind the girl were a small group of people wearing pink colored uniforms that had a symbol that he didn’t recognize on them. They all had Pokémon with them that Ingo could name easily.
An Aipom, an Elekid, three Swinub, and he could see a single Snorunt attempting to hide behind their trainer.
What types they were, what they were usually strong and weak against, and what sort of attacks they typically had briefly flashed through Ingo’s mind although he didn’t know why. He recognized the Pokémon easily, but they didn’t grab his attention like the Zorua and Zoroark did.
As they gathered around him the girl stared down at him, and said “You fell from the rift. D-did you come from the Almighty Sinnoh’s realm?”
Ingo had no idea what Almighty Sinnoh was much less what its realm could possibly be. Whatever it was he had a gut feeling that he probably didn’t come from there, but without memories he couldn’t say for sure. So he said the only thing that he could say.
“I have no idea.”
Ingo then promptly passed out. When he woke up again he was lying on a bed in the medical yurt of the Pearl Clan. The next three weeks consisted of him recovering from his injuries and illness while the Pearl Clan tried their best to teach him everything they thought he needed to know once they learned that he had no memories at all. At first Irida, the blond with the Glaceon, had been a bit distant as she told him how they found him.
“About everyone in the Pearl Clan Settlement saw you fall out of the rift,” She had said. “Lady Sneasler took off toward where you fell the second she saw you fall. We followed after her, and she lead us right to you. She is the one who carried you back to the settlement so that we could treat your injures. You stayed passed out for three whole days, and Lady Sneasler has been coming by every day to see how you are doing.”
Irida looked like she was about to say more, but before she could Ingo said “I am in her debt then. Is Lady Sneasler here now? I wish to thank her for all of her help.”
Irida looked a bit surprised to hear that, but she got over her surprise quick.
“She is waiting outside right now,” Irida said. “Let me go fetch her.”
Irida left the yurt only to return a few minutes later with the tall Pokémon at her side. Lady Sneasler had to duck just to get through the doorway, and it was clear that the yurt was just barely high enough to allow her to stand. The Pokémon stared at Ingo in concern while Ingo said “I hear you are the one who found me, and carried me back to the settlement so that I could be treated. I must thank you for your help. It is thanks to your and the Pearl Clan’s help that I am still here. I am thankful to both you and your clan for all of your help.”
“Sne!” Lady Sneasler said cheerfully as she bent down, and gently pat his head all while being careful with her claws.
Irida only watched on with a slight smile on her face. He didn’t know at the time, but being so kind and thankful to the Noble Pokémon and having the clear approval of the Noble ended up making both Irida and the Clan more than willing to keep him around. While not cold per say Irida had been all business and distant up until that point. After his interaction with Lady Sneasler she became a lot more cheerful. Upon learning of his lack of memories and not having anywhere to go she was quick to offer him a place in the Pearl Clan.
“I don’t think Lady Sneasler would let us toss you out anyway,” Irida had joked. “She’s rather attached to you.”
“Ler!” Lady Sneasler said from her spot by Ingo’s bed.
Ingo had definitely noticed that the Noble seemed to have taken a real shine to him. After he woke up Lady Sneasler had taken to coming to visit him every day. Sometimes she would bring little gifts along with her in the basket that she carried on her back. Usually they were different kinds of berries, and the second she figured out that Ingo liked sweet things she took to bringing him sweet berries like Pecha berries. Ingo was always sure to thank her for the gifts, and he was always thankful that the Noble seemed to care enough to visit him every day. His only other visitor was Irida. Since he accepted the offer to join the clan Irida had taken to teaching him everything she thought he needed to know about clan life. Since he was bedridden Irida took to teaching Ingo about Pearl Clans beliefs. She taught him about Almighty Sinnoh, and how they created all of the space that both humans and Pokémon lived in.
“And don’t listen to the Diamond Clan when they say Almighty Sinnoh created time,” Irida said as she gave him a serious look. “They don’t know anything about Almighty Sinnoh.”
At the time Ingo didn’t know what the Diamond Clan even was, but he thought better then to ask. He just nodded along, and listened as she spoke of the ancient hero of Hisui and his Pokémon. She went into a lot of detail about how this hero’s Pokémon was blessed by Sinnoh, and these Pokémon became Noble Pokémon who helped protect the clan, and in return the clan cared for them and their descendants.
“Lady Sneasler is a Noble who is a descendent of the hero’s Sneasler,” Irida had said.
She then launched herself into explaining clan Wardens, and their connections to the Nobles. Irida had actually went rather in-depth about how Wardens worked. To the point that he knew everything there was to know about being a Warden by the time he left the Healer’s yurt. What he hadn’t known at the time was that Lady Sneasler had pretty much latched onto him. Never before had she showed such care or interest in anyone. Her visiting him every day, and caring for him like he was her Warden already was her making it clear that she wanted him as a Warden.
And what a Noble Pokémon wanted a Noble Pokémon got.
Honestly, Ingo ultimately hadn’t minded the in-depth explanation. While stuck in the yurt healing he didn’t really have anything to do other than sleep. So listening to Irida helped pass the time. He truly did want to learn more about the clan that had been kind enough to take him in as well. When she ran out of things to say about Wardens she moved onto talking about the beliefs that the clan had about the different Pokémon that inhabited the space that Almighty Sinnoh created.
Hisuian Typhlosion were seen as guides for the lost. They guided lost souls to the afterlife, and they used their flames to guide people lost at night back home. As such the clans usually put a small statue or carved figure of a Typhlosion at graves in order to ensure that the soul would make it to the afterlife safely.
Mismagius were considered lucky, and had the ability to ward off misfortune. Having one living in your home was guaranteed good luck, but angering one spelled disaster.
On and on Irida would talk about different Pokémon and the clan’s beliefs about them. Ingo listened with some interest. It was interesting to hear the clan’s legends. Heck, some of the beliefs she spoke of sounded vaguely familiar to Ingo. While they were all interesting tales in their own right the stories that truly captured his interest were the ones involving Zorua and Zoroark. Maybe it was because they were the very first Pokémon Ingo saw when he landed there in Hisui. Maybe it was because the two Pokémon felt extremely familiar to Ingo although he didn’t know why. Whatever the reason when Irida started to talk about these two Pokémon Ingo could not help but listen to her with great interest.
“Zorua and Zoroark are highly dangerous,” Irida had said as she gave Ingo a very stern look. “In fact they are some of the most dangerous Pokémon that live here in the space that we call home. Never mindlessly approach one. Doing so has caused the end of many people.”
Irida’s gaze softened slightly as she said “With that said Zoroark are also considered sacred, and a bit tragic. Zoroark are considered the embodiment of righteous vengeance. They say the souls of people who were wrongfully killed come back as Zoroark in order to get vengeance on those who caused their deaths. The souls of children who were murdered come back as Zorua.”
“That’s…rather sad isn’t it?” Ingo said slowly. “They are wrongfully killed only to be forced back consumed by the need for vengeance. It’s like even in death they are haunted by their painful last moments.”
“You aren’t wrong,” Irida said softly. “It is a sad fate for souls to suffer so. Legends say they only come back like that if their killers aren’t brought to justice. I guess because of that they started being used as symbols of justice itself in our clan. A sign that no matter what justice will get you eventually.”
Upon hearing that Ingo’s eyes slowly drifted over to a certain decoration that was in the yurt. Since he was stuck in the medical yurt he had time to examine his surroundings, and study everything that was in there. For the most part there wasn’t anything exciting inside. Shelves filled with bandages, herbs, berries, and the tools needed to make medicine. Beds for the sick and injured, and chests filled with blankets to help people keep warm. The only things in there were the tools and supplies necessary to care for patients. So it made the one thing in the yurt that didn’t really have any medical use stand out all the more. Hanging above the door of the yurt was a single wooden Zoroark mask.
“Is that why that is there?” Ingo asked while gesturing toward the mask.
Irida’s somber mood seemed to lighten a bit when Ingo asked that.
“No, that is there for protection.”
“Protection?”
“For as dangerous as they are Zoroark are also seen as protectors. Zoroark are very family oriented. They are extremely protective over their pack mates. They are especially protective of their Zorua kits. They will give their very lives to protect their children. They are even fiercely protective of Zorua that aren’t part of their family. The protectiveness seems to apply to all children. There are stories of Zoroark protecting young human children that got attacked by wild Pokémon.”
The girl’s smile grew a bit bigger as she said “They are sort of infamous for being protective parents. In the Diamond Clan protective mothers or fathers might get called a Mama Luxray or Papa Luxray. Luxray are rather protective of their children so I guess that is one thing that Diamond Clan does that I understand. But that protectiveness pales in comparison to a Zoroark parent. In the Pearl Clan protective parents are referred to as Papa or Mama Zoroarks.”
Irida sounded strangely proud of that for some reason. “Anyway, since Zoroarks are protective of family and children they are seen as protectors of families. Families with children will hang up a Zoroark mask in their home as a way to invoke the spirits and Almighty Sinnoh to bless the children of the home, and help keep them safe from anything that would harm them. A lot of babies are born here, so having the mask here is a way to ask for a safe birth.”
Ingo supposed that made sense. He didn’t ask any more questions about it as Irida quickly moved onto talking about some other legend that she felt like sharing. Soon after he recovered Lady Sneasler pretty much flung her Warden bracelet at Ingo making it clear to everyone in the clan that she was officially claiming Ingo as her Warden. Before Ingo knew it he was being swept up in Warden training, and being taught everything he would need to be the best Warden for Lady Sneasler. All thoughts about Zoroarks, Zorua, and the legends connected to them faded from his mind. He didn’t really think of it much. Zorua and Zoroarks didn’t live in the highlands were Lady Sneasler lived, and since Ingo was living there now as well as a Warden it meant he didn’t run into them.
Even when he would go to the Pearl Clan settlement in the Icelands to visit he usually never saw the rather elusive Pokémon. He would only spot them once in a blue moon, and even then he only caught brief glimpses of them walking through the heavily wooded areas in the Icelands. Considering how dangerous they apparently were it was probably for the best that he didn’t see them much. As long as he left them alone they left him alone, and Ingo was happy enough to leave it at that. He didn’t really think of them or the legend connected to them until he met Akari a year later. Akari was a gentle cheerful child who was part of the Galaxy Team’s Survey Corps. She was the one running all around Hisui calming the Noble Pokémon who had been driven mad after being struck by some strange lightning that came out of the rift. This alone was enough to make her the talk of Hisui, but there was something else that made her rather infamous in Hisui. And thing was one rather surprising fact.
She had fallen out of the rift just like Ingo had.
When Ingo learned this he wanted to meet the girl. While he doubted she would know Ingo personally maybe she would know something about the rift that could help him. Even if she didn’t know anything that could help he still wanted to meet her. As another person who fell from the rift she was probably the only person who understood how it felt to be an outsider there in Hisui. The few times Ingo was in Jubilife Village the girl was never there. She was almost always out on survey work. In fact, she was out so much working Ingo felt a small twinge of worry for the girl. While he didn’t know the girl he had heard that she was a rather young child around Warden Lian’s age. Was it really okay for a child so young to be out there all alone working on calming Nobles and completing the Pokédex? Was it really okay for her to be working so much?
He didn’t know, but he worried for this child that he never met. It was only when the Diamond Clan’s Lord Electrode was driven mad by the strange lightning from the rift did Ingo finally get the chance to meet Akari. He had been asked by Irida to help guide Akari to the enraged Noble. Akari would not be able to reach the Noble without Ingo and Lady Sneasler’s help. When Ingo finally met the child she smiled happily at him, but one look at her eyes showed that the smile was a false one. Her gaze was a sad and weary one as she stared at him as Irida introduced the two of them to each other. It was like she was expecting Ingo to reject her right from the start. That realization made Ingo’s worry for her grow. Just what had she gone through to expect immediate rejection right out of the gate? It was only when Irida mentioned that he was like her did the girl’s eyes light up, and a look of guarded hope showed up on her face.
“D-did you fall from the rift?” She asked in a whisper almost as if she was afraid that someone would hear her.
“I did,” Ingo said. “It’s nice to finally meet my fellow rift faller.”
The smile Ingo got upon saying that was a true happy smile. Akari seemed to latch onto Ingo quickly upon hearing that, and the two were quick to form a bond. They were the only people in Hisui who understood what it felt like to be an outsider there in Hisui. They both had a love of Pokémon battling that most people found strange. Both were outsiders in Hisui who didn’t quite belong there. With that said while the Pearl Clan thought Ingo was a bit odd they were at least accepting of him. The same could not be said for Akari. In fact, after a few days in Jubilife Village it became very clear to Ingo that the village was not exactly welcoming to Akari. The village seemed to barely tolerate her presence there. Almost everyone in the village gave her wary glances as she walked by. They acted like she was a wild Pokémon who would lash out at them at any second. When Ingo walked with her through the village he heard the whispered conversations that they had about her, and he heard the name that they gave her.
Outsider.
Every time the name ‘Outsider’ was said Akari’s smile would take on a fragile look while she shrank in on herself as if she had just been slapped in the face. Ingo could only watch as she raced around the village helping people with their tasks or requests. Some people were truly grateful for the help, and they were kind to the child who helped them out. However, others were still cold and distant to her even when she helped out. They still called her an outsider even after all she had done for them. It was sad to see her being constantly rejected by a majority of the people in the village, and a harsh reminder that Ingo had been lucky to have taken in by the far more welcoming Pearl Clan. She had people who cared deeply for her like her friend Rei and Professor Laventon, but they couldn’t completely shield her from the treatment that the others dealt out to her. They also couldn’t understand how it felt to be an outsider to both the Galaxy Team and to Hisui in general.
The only person who could empathize with her was Ingo, and even then even Ingo didn’t deal with as much rejection as Akari did. His own clan thought he was a little strange, but for the most part he was accepted and respected as a Warden to a noble. Seeing how she was treated made Ingo take her under his wing so to speak. Commando Kamado of the Galaxy Team had asked the Pearl Clan for help training their Security force to better handle battling against Alpha Pokémon and wild Pokémon in general, and Irida had sent Ingo to help since he was the best candidate for the job.
Ingo honestly didn’t mind helping, and going to the Dojo almost every day to handle this duty meant that Ingo was able to check in on Akari and make sure she was doing alright. Akari was thrilled that Ingo would be at the village almost every day. When Ingo entered the village she was always there happily going on about the new Pokémon that she had captured and accepted into her family, or showing him her newest completed entry in her Pokédex. Other times she was bouncing on her heels asking Ingo if they could battle during one of his breaks.
Sometimes when Ingo entered the village Akari would come running up to him with a few of her Pokémon at her heels, and an armful of treats that she had made for her and Ingo’s Pokémon. She was always experimenting with making treats for Pokémon, and both Akari and Ingo’s Pokémon grew to enjoy being her taste testers. In return Ingo would bring Akari whatever he thought would be useful for her survey work. Evolutionary stones he had found while forging for crafting items, grit stones and the like to boost the strength of her Pokémon, or harder to find crafting material like sky tumblestones or King's Leaves. Akari was always grateful for what Ingo bought him. Sometimes if she had extra she would craft items for Ingo to use.
“I have to pay you back for being so nice to me,” Akari once said when handing Ingo a few Max Revives that she had made.
“You do not have to pay me back for such things,” Ingo told her. “I give you those things because I want to help you. Not because I expect a reward for it.”
“I still need to pay you back,” Akari had muttered. “And…I worry about you and your Pokémon out there. I want to help you too.”
Ingo didn’t argue with her about it after having that conversation. If anything he was touched that the girl cared so much about him and his Pokémon. Besides giving her things to help with her survey work Ingo also made sure the girl remembered to eat by taking her out to eat lunch or dinner together. Well, it was more like Akari was the one dragging him off to eat lunch or dinner with her. She was always dragging him off to a restaurant owned by a rather nice woman with a Graveler for lunch or dinner.
“I remember you saying you sometimes get so busy with your Warden duties that you forget to eat,” Akari said as she dragged the man down the road to the restaurant. “So whenever you are in Jubilife I’m gonna make sure you eat. You always say you have to preform safety checks and take care of your engine, and I’m making sure you do just that!”
Ingo could only chuckle a bit upon hearing that as he let her drag him along. As she was lecturing him about eating and taking care of himself he was hit with a faint memory of a woman with blond hair and bright blue eyes lecturing him in a similar manor. He could faintly hear the woman’s voice echoing in his head.
“Geez, you’re such a workaholic Ingo. You get so busy with paperwork that you forget to eat. You always go on to us about taking care of ourselves, but can be kind of bad at following your own advice. Good thing you have me and Em here to make sure you take care of your own engine, yeah?”
It was a bit of a bittersweet memory to get. It was sweet in that it was a small hint that before he ended up in Hisui he had people who had cared about him. Yet, that small memory was painful due to the fact that Ingo still could not recall who these people were. That faint memory always drifted through his mind when they went out to eat. The small bit of sadness that came with that memory was only made a bit worse when Ingo questioned why they never went to the Wallflower.
Akari had only offered up a weak smile as she said “Professor Laventon and Rei drag me there almost every night to eat. It’s nice, but I’m getting sort of sick of potato mochi.”
Ingo could have almost bought it if it wasn’t for how Akari acted every time she walked by the Wallflower when the owner, Beni, was out. The man always seemed to stop what he was doing to watch her go by. When he did Akari always kept her eyes glued to the ground as she silently walked past him as quickly as possible. The look he gave her was all too similar to the looks of distrust that she got from everyone that always referred to her as an outsider. Upon seeing that Ingo didn’t ask about the Wallflower anymore.
Another thing Ingo did that probably helped the most to bond the two together was fostering Akari’s love of Pokémon battling. The girl was extremely talented in Pokémon battles. The first time they battled against each other Akari had beat Ingo’s team into the ground by only using her Typhlosion, and her Espeon. When she battled with Mei she had defeated his Pokémon with ease with her Luxray alone. Irida had sung her own praises about Akari’s battling skills, and her bond with her Pokémon. The girl had easily defeated Irida’s Glaceon which was rather impressive because the clan leader’s Glaceon was a tough opponent. Ingo had heard that the girl had even beat the Diamond Clan leader’s Leafeon in a battle. The girl had talent that was for sure.
When Ingo started training people at the Jubilife Village Dojo he always saw Akari standing at the gate of the dojo watching the Security force battle each other with wide eyed wonder. Sometimes she would have one of her Pokémon by her side, and her Pokémon would watch the battles with just as much interest. While it was clear that both Akari and her Pokémon wanted to battle Akari never once walked through the gate to ask if she could participate in a battle. It was like she was afraid that she would not be welcomed. Considering how most people in the village treated Akari that fear was justified.
With that said Ingo could not stand there and just let this continue. It would be a shame to see a promising trainer be unable to grow even stronger. Somewhere deep down inside of himself Ingo felt like it was his duty to help trainers reach new heights as a trainer. However, ignoring all of that he truly did just want to give Akari some small piece of happiness there in the village. Surprisingly, getting her to step foot onto the dojo grounds actually wasn’t too hard. He had of course asked Zisu, the leader of the security force and the one who ran the dojo, if it was alright to initiate his plan. Zisu was quick to agree.
“I’ve seen her battle Rei and the kid has talent,” Zisu said as she smiled. “Always wanted to battle her myself, but she always seems too timid to come here. She visits sometimes to teach her Pokémon new moves or to master moves, but she always runs away before I can ask her for a battle. If you can get her to come here I think she would enjoy the dojo. She…wouldn’t get as much judgement here.”
With permission given Ingo put his plan in motion. One day when Akari and Ingo were at lunch Ingo put his plan into motion. “Akari, you know how I am helping to train people in Pokémon battling at the dojo?”
“Yeah,” Akari said slowly.
“Well, I have a plan that I wish to implement but I do not have the Pokémon to put this plan into motion. However, I believe your Pokémon can help.”
“What were your plans?” She asked.
“I wish to create some challenges for people to take on.”
Akari’s eyes lit up upon hearing that. “What sort of challenges?” She asked with excitement.
“One challenge I plan to call the Path of Solitude,” Ingo said. “For this challenge you chose one of your Pokémon, and this one Pokémon will battle against a Pokémon that has been specifically chosen to give the challenger a hard tricky battle for them. So for example a Snorlax would have to go up against a Machamp that has learned moves that would be rather affective against the Snorlax.”
“That sounds great!” Akari said as she practically vibrated in place. “It would give the Pokémon and trainer a challenge. It would be a good way for a trainer to practices coming up with strategies to use against a Pokémon that their Pokémon has a disadvantage against! By doing this they could better learn how to deal with such fights out in the wild!”
“Bravo!” Ingo said as he clapped. “You understand why I wish to have this challenge very well!”
“So you want to borrow some of my Pokémon so you will have a Pokémon to go up against every type of challenger that you could possibly get?” Akari asked.
Ingo nodded, and Akari smiled as she said “That sounds good to me. I’m sure my Pokémon will be happy to battle so much.”
“I also have another request,” Ingo said. “I wish to ask you if you would participate in my very first Path of Solitude fight in front of some of the people from the dojo so they can see exactly how they would work.”
Some of Akari’s excitement died a bit upon hearing that. “A-are you sure? W-wouldn’t it be better if one of the Security force battled against you?”
“I think you would be the best choice,” Ingo told her. “You are one of the best battlers that the Galaxy Team has. I think you could truly show how much of a challenge the Path of Solitude can be.”
Akari still looked unsure, so Ingo said “I will be right there with you Akari. I’ll make sure nothing bad happens. Everything will be fine.”
Akari stared at him for a while before she slowly nodded. “Alright, I trust you. Who should I have take on the very first challenge?”
“Your Espeon, Echo,” Ingo answered. “I already have a Pokémon in mind for him to go up against. We can talk to the pasture workers so they know that I’ll be borrowing some of your Pokémon for my challenges.”
“So when will we have this battle?” Akari asked.
“Tomorrow if that works for you,” Ingo answered.
Akari still looked unsure of the whole thing, but she slowly nodded. Ingo gave her a faint smile in an attempt to comfort her. While she was nervous he was sure that this would ultimately be good for her. The next day Akari showed up as they had planned. She looked so nervous as she walked toward the dojo battlefield. The look she was giving Zisu and the small group of the Security force that had come to watch was also rather nervous looking. Still, she took her place on the battlefield and sent her Espeon out to fight. Ingo sent out an Umbreon to fight against him. Once the Dark type was on the field the fight began. The second the battle started all of Akari’s nervousness faded away as she focused on the fight. It was a long fight where both the Espeon and Umbreon were evenly matched. However, ultimately the Espeon came out victorious. Akari let out a loud cheer as she rushed over to her Espeon, and swept him up into a hug.
“You did it Echo!” She cheered as she hugged the Pokémon.
The girl jumped a bit when their audience started applauding, and shouting out all sorts of things.
“That was amazing! I’ve never seen a battle like that before!”
“Can I do the Path of Solitude next? I want to take on a challenge with my Zubat!”
“Akari you need to come to the dojo to battle more. I would love to battle against you. My Buzel is always looking for a good fight.”
Akari honestly looked surprised to receive such positive reactions, and she looked over at Ingo as if to check that what she was hearing was real.
Ingo just stared back at her as he said “I told you everything would be alright.”
After he said that he received the biggest brightest smile that he had ever seen from the girl. After that day Akari visited the dojo almost every day to battle. Sometimes she battled against whoever was looking for a battle. Sometimes she helped Zisu and Ingo out by battling against the new recruits, and sometimes she would handle the Path of Solitude for Ingo. However, if Ingo wasn’t busy Akari would always run straight toward him begging for a battle. Akari was a ruthless battler, and the joy she felt from battling was clear. She ended up beating Ingo more often than not.
Ingo didn’t mind. He found the battles thrilling, and having someone who could match his skills in battling just pushed him to train and improve himself as a trainer. More than that though battling with Akari and spending time with her was causing bits and pieces of Ingo’s memory to come back to him. They were never full memories, but those tiny fragments of memories were more than he had gotten in a year on his own. All he had ever remembered on his own was that he once knew a smiling person named Em. He was never able to remember who Em was, or what their connection to him was. He couldn’t even recall if Em was a full name or a nickname. He ended up naming his grinning Gliscor Em in some attempt to at least keep that single memory alive.
Yet, somehow Akari had the ability to slowly drag those broken parts of his memory out of the fog of his amnesia and out into the daylight. When looking at Akari’s beloved Typhlosion that she had named Scout Ingo was instantly able to remember that he once had a precious Pokémon partner who wielded flame with a mastery. Every time he battled against Akari he would always remember just a little bit more about Em. He could remember that Em looked like him, and that he wore a white version of his coat and hat. When Akari and Ingo would talk about Pokémon he would remember that he and Em used to do the same thing. When Akari would stand there on the battlefield with a grin on her face after winning a tough battle against an opponent Ingo could easily see Em standing by her wearing a grin that was just like hers. In the back of his head Ingo could hear a voice that had to be Em’s saying something he was sure that he had heard many times before.
I like winning more than anything else.
Ingo had a feeling that Akari and Em were rather similar to each other. When Ingo had mentioned how Akari seemed to help him remember more and more the girl lit up as she said “We should battle a lot more then! Maybe that will make the memories come back even quicker!”
Ingo couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing that. He had a feeling that Em would suggest the same thing.
“I would not say no to more battles,” Ingo said once he got his laughter under control. “Perhaps battling more would bring back more of my memories.”
“Yeah!” Akari cheered. “A-and maybe once I finish my mission we can go find him.”
Ingo couldn’t help but wonder about that. Unlike Ingo Akari knew how she got there. Some glowing Pokémon had sent Akari to Hisui on a mission to seek out all Pokémon. She believed if she did the mission then maybe the Pokémon would be willing to send her and Ingo back to their world. Ingo wasn’t as confident about it as Akari was, but he still clung to a small bit of hope that it would be possible. He never told Akari that he wasn’t as hopeful as her about getting home.
Instead, he only said “I’d love to introduce you two. I think Em would really like you.”
He really did hope introducing Em and Akari to each other would be possible. He wanted Em to meet the girl that Ingo had come to view as family. When Akari had transitioned from a friend into someone that he saw as his own child he wasn’t sure. He always cared for the girl, and worried about her wellbeing. Yet, he hadn’t realized how close that bond had become until Zisu teased him a bit about it. One day Akari had run off with Rei to investigate an outbreak of Buneary in the Obsidian Fieldlands, so Ingo was on his own when he walked to the dojo.
When Zisu saw him she smiled as she asked “Aw, Papa Ursaring doesn’t have his little cub with him today?”
“P-papa Ursaring?” Ingo stuttered out upon hearing that.
Zisu had only laughed, and said “Like it? I think it fits you and Akari rather well. You always act like a protective Papa Ursaring toward her, and Akari is always following you around like a Teddiursa following its parent.”
As Ingo tried to process what she said Zisu gave him a friendly slap on the back that almost sent Ingo flying to the floor.
“Don’t be embarrassed by it,” The red haired woman said as she smiled at him. “I think it’s rather sweet.”
The woman’s smile softened a bit as she said “Besides I’m glad she has someone taking care of her. Till you came around she’s always been sort of on her own. I’m glad she found someone who treats her like the kid that she is, and not like some creature that came out of the rift.”
Ingo could only stare at the woman and try to process what she said, but he didn’t get much time to do that. Before he knew it Zisu was grabbing his hand, and dragging him along as she said “Anyway, enough about that. We got new recruits that need training! I think you’ll like these newbies. They got spunk, and they don’t flinch when they get near a Pokémon that looks halfway intimidating.”
Ingo got swept up into the job at hand, but Zisu’s comments kept replaying over and over again in his head. It was still playing through his head when his job was done, and it was time for him to go home. Sadly, he could not meet up with Akari for dinner that night. Akari would not be back home from the Obsidian Fieldlands until quite late since she had other survey work she had to do over there. Akari had actually waited for Ingo at the gate that morning to tell him. She refused to leave before she informed Ingo that she couldn’t eat dinner with him that night like they had originally planned.
“But I’ll be at the dojo tomorrow, so you better be ready to battle me!” Akari had said before she ran off.
Ingo was looking forward to it, but now he couldn’t think of that without Zisu’s comment floating around in his head. Funnily enough the Pearl Clan’s way of referring to protective fathers as Papa Zoroark also came to mind. The more he thought about it the more Ingo realized he wasn’t opposed to the idea of being a parent to Akari. He had come to care deeply for the cheerful child, and somewhere along the tracks when he had taken on the task of watching out for her he had truly come to see her as family. Yet, he wasn’t sure if being her dad was something that Akari would want. Unlike him Akari remembered at least some of her life before she ended up in Hisui. She had some gaps in her memory, but for the most part she remembered things.
Heck, it was thanks to her keeping most of her memories that Ingo could now recall what a train was since she recognized enough of his odd sayings to realize he must have worked with trains before he came to Hisui. With that said she had never mentioned her family although if that was due to not remembering or if it was due to it being too painful to speak of Ingo didn’t know. He didn’t want to take a fatherly role if she already had a loving father somewhere in their world waiting for her return. Ingo was content to leave things as they were.
He wasn’t going to say anything about it, but Akari ended up changing things. When Akari came back from her survey work they had that battle just as promised. After the battle the two took a break for lunch. Akari waited under a shaded tree that was near the dojo while Ingo had gone off to their favorite restaurants to buy two bentos so that they could eat at the dojo. It was something they did often once Akari started helping out at the dojo. When Ingo returned he handed Akari her bento only for Akari to say something that changed everything.
“Thanks Dad.”
Right after she said that everything seemed to freeze. Ingo stared at Akari in shock that she had called him that while Akari’s cheeks started to turn red in embarrassment.
“Akari-“ Ingo started to say only to be cut off by the girl.
“I’m sorry!” The girl shouted out. “I didn’t mean to call you that, but sometimes you act so much like a dad cause you are always taking care of me, and making sure I eat, and always bringing me stuff that I need, and you are always giving me like dad advice, and you make a lot of dad jokes sometimes. You just act so much like a dad that I-“
“Akari,” Ingo called out.
Akari instantly stopped her rambling to look at Ingo with wide eyes. She looked so worried as she stared at him. She looked like she honestly expected Ingo to start scolding her for calling him such a thing. It sort of hurt to see her look at him like that. She looked like she fully expected Ingo to reject her.
“Akari,” Ingo said softly. “I honestly don’t mind you calling me that.”
“Y-you don’t?” Akari stuttered out.
“I truly don’t. I must admit I have come to see you as family. I’ve come to see you as my own child. However, I did not want to force such family ties on you if that was not what you wanted, and I don’t want to take the title away from your actual father if-“
“I don’t have one,” Akari blurted out causing Ingo to immediately stop talking.
He stared at the girl for a moment before he said “What?”
“A father,” Akari mumbled as she looked down at her hands that were lying on her lap. “I-I don’t have one. I was given up for adoption soon after I was born, but I was never adopted. I just bounced from one foster home to another.”
The girl’s smile was a sad heartbreaking one as she said “No one ever wanted me in their family.”
“Well, I want you in my family.”
The girl looked up at Ingo, and it was Ingo’s turn to feel slightly nervous as he said “As I said I have come to see you as my own child, and I would be more then honored to be your father. But only if that is something you would truly want.”
“It’s what I want, Dad.” Was Akari’s reply to that.
Upon hearing that Ingo just spread his arms out for a hug, and the girl launched herself into his arms. She cried onto his shoulder, but they were not sad tears. They were tears of joy. After that day things didn’t really change much. Their schedules and interactions stayed largely the same. The only things that really changed was that Akari just called him Dad now, and Akari’s home in Jubilife Village and Ingo’s yurt in the mountains became their family homes. They always bounced between the two staying the night at whichever one was convenient to the both of them. It was honestly nice to go home knowing that there was someone there to welcome them home. Things felt a bit less lonely now that Ingo had a family to come home to every night.
When the people they knew learned about how Ingo had basically adopted Akari no one seemed all that surprised. If anything they acted like they expected this to happen. About two weeks after Ingo adopted Akari Irida approached Ingo with a wrapped cloth parcel in hand.
“I heard you adopted Akari as you daughter,” Irida said as she held the bundle out to him. “So I got you this.”
Ingo took the bundle from her, and opened it up only to see two wooden Zoroark masks waiting inside.
“Congratulations on adopting a child,” Irida said as she smiled. “With these masks may your homes be blessed by the Almighty Sinnoh. May your child grow up happy and safe.”
Ingo honestly could have cried upon hearing that. He had heard Irida say such blessings before on occasion when giving said masks to families who had their first child. Getting these masks from his clan leader was essentially the clan blessing the adoption. From this point forward Akari was seen just as much a part of the clan as Ingo was. Ingo hung the masks up in each of their homes, and after he did he told Akari what they meant to the clan and the legends attached to them. Akari had listened to the tales with wide eyed wonder, and begged Ingo to tell her more about Pearl Clan legends. Ingo had been more than happy to do so.
For a while life was good. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but the family was happy. When Ingo looked at the masks in their home all he thought about were the positive legends and meanings attached to them. When he looked at them he thought of Akari, and he thought of the Em from his fragmented memories and dreamed of one day finding the man that must have been family and introducing him to Akari. Not once did he think of the darker legends connected to Zoroarks. Ingo would have been more than happy to only have such positive thoughts when thinking of Zoroarks.
Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be.
After months of debating among the clan elders the call to calm the Noble Avoloug came. While the Noble had yet to leave his territory or even really do anything it was clear that he was silently suffering all the same. When Kamado gave Akari the order to calm it Ingo accompanied her. His child would not be forced to face Lord Avloag alone. Ingo would not allow it, and no one in his clan protested. Working together the Noble was calmed quickly, and for at least one night everything seemed alright. The Nobles had been calmed, and nothing bad had happened after the last Noble was calmed. The job that Kamado had forced Akari to mostly do on her own was done. Now all that was left to do was complete mission to seek out all Pokémon like the glowing Pokémon had asked her.
They ate dinner with Rei and Laventon, went to their home in Jubilife, and were able to go to sleep peacefully. Their peace was quickly broken when they were woken up the next morning by Rei frantically banging on their door like his life depended on it. When Ingo opened the door he fully intended to ask the boy what was wrong, but his ability to speak quickly left him when he saw the sky. The sky was an unnatural bloody red and sickly green color. The rift in the sky was somehow even larger. The rift always seemed to loom over Hisui like a dark shadow, but now it was ten times worse. The distant sound of rumbling thunder seemed to be coming from the rift, and Ingo could swear he could see flashes of lighting inside that giant hole in the sky. The look on Rei’s face was one of terror, but even though the boy was scared he was able to give them the message that he had been ordered to deliver.
“Commander Kamado wants to see you.”
The walk to meet Kamado in his office was grim. Everyone was staring at the sky or the rift in fear. The usually lively and loud village was dead silent with the only sound heard being the distant rumbling thunder from the rift. When they reached Kamado’s office Irida and Adaman were already there along with Cyllene and Laventon. Kamado didn’t even turn to look at them as they approached. He kept his gaze glued to the open doorway that lead out to the roof of the building.
He stared up at the sky as he said “The way the sky changed. It is ominous. Very ominous.”
“Commander,” Irida asked. “Why exactly have you summoned all of us here?”
Adaman’s eyes narrowed as he asked “This isn’t about quelling the Nobles is it?”
Ingo had a sinking feeling upon hearing that.
“That can wait,” Kamado said. “There is a much more pressing concern here.”
Before anyone could ask anything Kamado suddenly said “The first strike of lightning that drove the first Noble mad. It struck the night Akari fell from the sky didn’t it?”
Akari flinched upon hearing that and slowly pressed herself against Ingo’s side. Her fingers dug into the fabric of Ingo’s coat, and she buried her face into the fabric of his coat as if to hide from Kamado. Ingo quickly wrapped an arm around the child in some attempt at comforting her as he glared at the Commander.
“What are you implying?” Ingo asked.
The man finally turned to face them, and the look on his face was cold and harsh as he stared at Ingo and Akari.
“I’m implying that the events may be connected in some way,” Kamado said. “I’m implying that you both might be to blame for this whole mess!”
“I would watch your tone Commander!” Irida growled out. “Ingo is a Pearl Clan Warden, and-“
“And he is from the rift just like her!” Kamado yelled before Irida could even finish her sentence. “I’d heard the stories of someone falling out of the rift at the Icelands whispered about by the people in your clan. Never said a name, but suddenly you have a brand new Warden with no memories dressed in strange clothing. Did you think I wouldn’t figure out that these two things were connected?”
Kamado quickly turned his attention back onto Ingo and Akari as he asked “Who or what even are you two? You both came from the rift just as the lightning did! You’re connected to those frenzies, are you not?!”
Ingo glared at Kamado as he felt Akari tighten her grip on him. He could feel the child trembling a bit in fear as Kamado yelled at them both.
“Commander, have you gone mad?!” Ingo growled out. “What could we hope to possibly gain from doing such a thing? And have you forgotten that Akari put an end to every single one of those frenzies on her own with great risk to her own safety?! Under your orders might I add! She could have died during every single one of those attempts to calm the Nobles! Why would she put her life at risk like that if this whole thing was part of some mad plan?!”
“How should I even begin to understand the thought process of Outsiders from the rift?!” Kamado yelled at him. “For all I know maybe she quelled the frenzies in order to gain our trust!”
Ingo opened his mouth to continue the argument only to pause. It honestly didn’t matter what he said here. It was clear to him that Kamado had already decided that they were guilty, and no argument from Ingo would change his mind.
“I’m wasting my time here aren’t I?” Ingo spat out. “You have already decided that we are guilty. Clearly nothing I say will stop you from going down these tracks.”
Kamado gave Ingo a harsh glare, and Ingo met that glare with a harsh look of his own. Ingo could only feel a small amount of satisfaction at the fact that the man flinched back a bit at the look that Ingo was giving him.
Irida took advantage of that brief moment of silence to shout out “Commander there is absolutely nothing suggesting that Akari or Ingo have wronged us!”
“Exactly!” Adaman shouted. “And do you really think the two of them have the sort of fearsome power that it would take to make all of this happen?”
Ingo could appreciate that the two clan leaders were willing to argue for his and Akari’s sake. Heck, he was even a bit touched that the two clan leaders who usually argued and fought were actually working together for their sake. Yet, for as kind as the effort was he knew it would amount to nothing. Kamado wasn’t going to listen to anybody.
Ingo was proven right when Kamado asked “Let me ask this in return then. Can either one of you prove that these two are beyond doubt free from guilt?”
“That’s…! How is anyone supposed to prove the absence of all doubt in a way that would satisfy you?” The way she phrased that question made it clear that Irida had reached the same station as Ingo had.
She was realizing that there was no arguing with the man.
“What do you honestly expect them to do then?” Adaman asked.
“They will be given a chance to investigate this latest disaster," Kamado said. "But Akari will not do it as a Galaxy Team member. She is a suspect and will remain so unless she clears her name.”
Akari tensed up at Ingo’s side upon hearing that. She didn’t dare look at Kamado, and Kamado didn’t even wait for the girl to glance over at him as he said “There are those in our village who cannot trust a stranger like you who fell from the sky. And so I must ask you to leave. You are no longer welcome in the Galaxy Team.”
Kamado turned his gaze onto Ingo, and said “The same applies to you, Warden. You are no longer welcome among the Galaxy Team. The both of you are banished from the village until you can explain why these calamities keep befalling our good people. No, not just that. Until you’ve restored our world to its rightful state and proven your innocence beyond doubt!”
Ingo’s glare turned icy upon hearing that. The man might as well have said they would never be welcomed back ever again. It was what he truly meant after all.
Kamado allowed his gaze to drift over to Irida as he said “I suggest you do not intervene on their behalf.”
“That’s my Warden you are speaking about,” Irida hissed. “You have no say in Pearl Clan business!”
“And Akari was our Galaxy Team member, and she was in the Galaxy Team long before your Warden chose to claim her as his daughter. You have no say in what the Galaxy Team does to our banished outsiders. Be happy I am not putting the two of them in chains, and locking them up. Akari and your Warden’s deeds and unusual skills with Pokémon are the only reason I’m letting them go.”
Irida looked like she was all geared up to argue with the man, but Ingo just placed a hand on Irida’s shoulder and shook his head. “Thank you for standing up for us Lady Irida, but neither one of us wish to cause trouble for the Pearl Clan. I…believe it would be best if we left this station.”
“I’ll guide you out,” Captain Cyllene said as she stepped forward.
The woman looked stern as always, but she had a sad look in her eyes. Ingo only nodded, and together Akari and Ingo followed her out of the village. Some were sad to see them go. Zisu was less then pleased to see them get kicked out and she voiced that displeasure along with Rei and Professor Laventon, but she didn’t have any power to stop it. Laventon and Rei couldn’t stop the banishment either, but at least they could accompany Akari and Ingo out. A few of the security force were sad to see them go as were a few people that Akari had helped. However, plenty of people seemed happy to see them go and they were not quiet about it.
“I knew it was a bad idea to let her join us.”
“I knew there was nothing good about them. Anyone who befriends monstrous Pokémon like they do aren’t sane people.”
“Glad that Outsider is getting kicked out. I knew she could not be trusted.”
Akari was in tears already, but with each comment she heard her crying grew worse. It was too much for a young child like her. It got even worse when her Pokémon in the pastures saw her. They were quick to notice their trainer’s distress, and they were very vocal about it. Akari’s Jolteon was the first to start loudly crying with the twin cries of her Alola Ninetales and Alpha Ninetales quickly following soon after. The loud yowling of Akari’s Purgey could probably be heard by the whole village while the mournful cries of her Ursaluna quickly followed it. They could see their trainer was distressed, but they didn’t know why and Akari couldn’t comfort them. Akari wasn’t allowed to take all of her Pokémon with her. She was only allowed to bring the six Pokémon that she had with her out of the village.
Hearing her Pokémon’s distress wasn’t helping Akari’s already low mood, and by the time they reached the gate Akari was full on sobbing. Ingo did what he could to comfort her, but there was only so much that the man could do. She clung to Ingo like he was a lifeline, and cried almost all the way to the Obsidian Fields. Once they were at the Fields Laventon, Rei, and Cyllene were forced to leave them, and go back to Jubilife. Before they departed Cyllene said “I have one final thing to say to you both. Don’t die out there. That’s an order.” And with one final wish of good luck the three had to leave.
Once they were gone Akari looked at Ingo and asked “What are we going to do now, Dad?”
Ingo wished he had an answer for her. He really didn’t know where they could go. They couldn’t go to the Pearl Clan. Kamado had basically threatened Irida if the Pearl Clan helped them. Ingo didn’t want to put his adopted clan in danger. They couldn’t go to the Diamond Clan for similar reasons. Ingo wasn’t even sure if it was safe to go back to their yurt in the Highlands. The yurt was meant to house whoever was currently the Warden for the Noble Sneasler line. In Kamado’s twisted mind would staying there be seen as the Pearl Clan helping them somehow? He didn’t know, and he didn’t want to risk it. As Ingo tried to come up with a plan they were approached by someone Ingo would rather not see.
“Strange events seem to follow the two of you wherever you go, don’t they?”
“Volo,” Ingo said as he saw the blond haired Gingko guild merchant approaching them. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard about what happened to you, and wanted to help my favorite costumer. I know a place you can stay at, and I think I might know someone who can help.”
Akari looked thrilled to hear the news. Akari liked Volo. He always offered up advice about how to deal with the Nobles or Wardens, or he would give her what info he knew that would help her in whatever new area that she was surveying at. Ingo had very different feelings about the man. Ingo didn’t trust Volo. The man only ever seemed to pop up when Akari was working to calm a Noble, and whenever he did he would bombard Akari, and to a lesser extent Ingo, with questions about the rift and about why they ended up in Hisui. Ingo would prefer to not go with him at all, but at this point they didn’t have a choice.
“Very well,” Ingo said. “We accept your help.”
Volo smiled upon hearing that, and Ingo could not help but feel like there was something not genuine about it. Volo ended up taking them to the hidden home of a woman called Lady Cogita. Lady Cogita was a bit of a mystery and she only ever referred to Akari and Ingo as ‘Lost Ones’, but she was able to point them in the right direction. If they went to the three lakes of Hisui and spoke to the Lake Guardians they would give them pieces of something called the Red Chain that could do something about the rift. She was a bit vague about what it would do, but honestly they didn’t have any other options at the moment.
The good news was they were not alone on doing this job. Cyllene has sent her Abra to them so that Akari would have access to her Pokémon in the Jubilife pastures. Akari had quickly used the Abra’s service to check on every single one of her Pokémon from the pastures, and to show them that she was alright. Just knowing she was no longer cut off from her beloved Pokémon helped the girl immensely. Even better Irida and Adaman had come to help. Ingo was honestly surprised to see them, and Adaman had only laughed when he saw the shocked look on his and Akari’s face.
“You really think we would let Kamado stop us from helping you?” Adaman asked. “We might not be able to be open about helping you, but that doesn’t mean we can’t help you in secret.”
“One of us will go with you to the each of the lakes,” Irida had said. “While another one of us will stay close to Jubilife, and keep an eye Kamado.”
“Who is going to come with us?” Akari asked.
“Adaman will go with you,” Irida said. “While I want to go with Ingo being my Warden Kamado would catch on quick that I’m probably helping out if I just vanished completely.”
While Ingo wished that Irida could come with them he understood why she couldn’t.
“We have three stations we must visit if we wish to end this red sky nightmare,” Ingo said as he looked down at Akari. “Which lake would you like to visit first?”
“Lake Valor?” Akari suggested.
Ingo nodded, and did his pose as he said “Our destination has been set! Next stop, Lake Valor! All aboard!”
The journey to Lake Valor was tense. They had to take back roads and out of the way paths just so they could avoid running into anyone. If anyone saw Adaman helping them, it would be all over. Luckily the three together knew Hisui well enough that they were able to reach each lake easily without running into anyone. Lake Valor’s challenge consisted of Azelf challenging Ingo and Akari to try and toss balms at it, but the real challenge was to not give up even when it seemed like hitting it with balms was impossible. Upon pleasing Azelf they got the Azelf's Fang. With Azelf's Fang in hand they made tracks for Lake Acuity.
At Lake Acuity Uxie asked them a rather simple questions like how many eyes each Pokémon that it named had. Seemed a bit simple for a trail, but Ingo didn’t question it. Upon completing Uxie’s simple quiz Uxie’s Claw.
It was at Lake Verity that things got sort of interesting. Instead of a quiz or challenge the Lake Guardian, Mesprit, asked both Ingo and Akari how they felt about different things. How did they feel when they first arrived in Hisui? How did it feel to bond and work together with Pokémon? How did it feel to mingle with the two clans of Hisui?
Akari and Ingo’s answers to each questions matched up pretty closely to each other. Both were confused, worried, and a bit scared when they arrived in Hisui. Both loved the Pokémon that they bonded with, and enjoyed having them in their lives. They enjoyed making friends with the different people from each clan, and learning more about each clan. Then Mesprit asked Akari a question meant just for her.
“What did you feel when cast out of the Galaxy Team?”
“Bitter,” Akari answered without missing a beat. “I followed every order Kamado gave me. I fulfilled every request that the villagers sent in. Yet, none of it mattered. No matter how much I helped. No matter how much danger I put myself in to help everyone none of it mattered. They still kicked me out without a second thought. I’m grateful for the people who still cared, but I feel so mad at the people who badmouthed me and Dad as we were getting kicked out.”
The girl trembled slightly form a mixture of rage and sadness as she clinched her fists together as she looked down at the ground. “And I feel guilty. Because of me Dad got banished too. H-he can’t even go to the Pearl Clan because of Kamado. A-and it’s all my fa-“
Ingo didn’t let Akari finish her sentence. He had honestly heard enough. None of this was her fault. Kamado hated Ingo simply for being from the rift. He would have punished Ingo solely for that alone. He wasn’t going to allow Akari to feel guilty for something out of her control.
“Akari,” Ingo said as he knelt down so that he was at eye level with Akari. “Don’t feel guilty. None of this is your fault, and I don’t blame you. You are my daughter, and I love you dearly. Even if Kamado hadn’t banished me as well I would have joined you in banishment without a second thought. I would never abandon you nor would I allow you to go down such dangerous tracks alone. We are a family. A two-train car, and I will do whatever I can to make sure our family stays together. And even if the Galaxy Team never takes you back it will be alright. We will still be a family.”
Ingo reached out and gently ruffled the girl’s long black hair as he asked “Besides do you remember those masks that Irida gifted us soon after I adopted you?”
“The Zoroark masks?” Akari asked.
Ingo nodded, and said “Those masks weren’t just a way to bless our family with protection. In a way they are also the Pearl Clan’s way of showing their approval of me adopting you. It’s the clan’s way of saying that they acknowledge you as my child, and that to the clan you are a member of the Pearl Clan. Maybe you aren’t part of the Galaxy Team, but you are a child of the Pearl Clan.”
Tears fell from Akari’s eyes upon hearing that, but the smile on her face was the happiest one that Ingo had seen from her in a long time.
Mesprit smiled upon hearing Ingo’s words as well, and said “I was going to ask you a separate question dear Warden, but you answered it before I could even ask. You both have passed my trial, and I shall give you my Plume. Take it to the Shrouded Ruins. There me and my fellow Lake Guardians will forge the Red Chain for you.”
They didn’t need to be told twice. They raced to the Shrouded Ruins, and as promised the Lake Guardians created the Red Chain. They stopped back a Cogita’s home to pick up some supplies before making their way to rift at the top of Mount Coronet, but when they got there Irida was there with Laventon and Rei.
“Kamado has gone to the top of the Mount Coronet to try and close the rift himself,” Irida had yelled the second she spotted them. “Kamado had some Security members watching over the cave that lead up to the top of Mount Coronet where the rift is at its worst. The people who have been watching the cave have said they have seen what looks like a Pokémon in the rift. Kamado went to go fight it. He seems to think beating it into the ground will put a stop to the Red Sky.”
“Is the Red Chain meant to chain down that Pokémon?” Akari had asked.
“I guess we will find out,” Adaman said. “You two prepare yourself for a fight. Irida, Laventon, Rei, and I will go to the mountain and try to keep Kamado busy so he doesn’t try to do something stupid. Make sure you are prepared, but try not to take too long. I don’t know how long we can keep Kamado busy.”
Ingo nodded, and as the group left he and Akari quickly set out quickly crafting what they needed, and packing up whatever would be useful. Akari also made sure to bring her strongest Pokémon with her. Once they were ready to go the two quickly raced off to the Highlands where Mount Coronet was. They got there rather quick, and they got to the cave that lead up to the peak of Mount Coronet even quicker. There had been no guards at the cave when they got there which Ingo found slightly odd, but he quickly brushed it aside. Perhaps Irida and Adaman had scared them off. Either way no guards meant they could go right to the cave.
Upon entering the cave, they carefully made their way through it. The cave was surprisingly empty. There were no wild Pokémon to slow them down. It was just a straight shot right to the end. When Ingo spotted the light at the end of the tunnel he felt a small bit of relief flood through him. They were so close to the cave exit. They were so close to finally ending the madness. Then without any warning at all everything came to a screeching halt. Ingo truly had no warning. One second he was walking along by Akari’s side, and the next second he had a sword stabbed through his gut. Ingo wasn’t able to even make a sound of pain as his silent attacker yanked the sword out of him, and allowed him to fall to the ground but Akari more than made up for it by screaming in horror for him.
“Dad!” Akari’s heartbreaking cry echoed in the cave, but the girl wasn’t able to do much more than that.
Soon after she shouted that the sword was stabbed through her. Akari fell to the ground without making a sound.
“Akari!” Ingo weakly cried out only to let out another cry when he felt another stab to his back.
“I am sorry,” Ingo heard a voice say. “But Kamado has labeled you as a threat, and he does not want anyone to get in his way in stopping the rift madness. As Kamado’s right hand man I have sworn to carry out all of his orders.”
Ingo looked up only to see Beni of all people coldly staring down at him. Ingo scowled at him, but any attempt to say anything only ended with a weak wheezy breath escaping from Ingo.
“You are rather resilient aren’t you?” Beni said. “Most people would have passed out, or died already if they had injuries like yours. I tried to give you a quick death, but you are a stubborn one.”
Ingo’s glare only intensified, but it all faded away when he looked over at Akari. The girl was dead. She no longer drew in breath, and her eyes were closed. If it wasn’t for her unnatural stillness one would almost think she was just asleep. Ingo could barely move, but somehow he found the energy to pull Akari’s body into his arms and hug her close. A soft sob escaped from the man as his tears slowly fell from his eyes. His daughter was dead. He would never get to see her grow up. He would never be able to take her back to the home he barely remembered, but missed all the same. He would never be able to introduce her to the man in white like he had dreamed of. Any hope of recovering his memories were dying right along with him. His dream of finding the man in white had disintegrated into dust right there during Ingo’s final hour.
It was the end of the line.
Ingo’s sorrow over the end was all consuming, but hidden within that overwhelming sadness was a small seed of rage. Anger that he had never felt before burned strongly inside of him, and it was all directed toward Beni and Kamado. They had killed his child. They had killed him. They had put a permanent end to all of Akari and Ingo’s hopes and dreams, and they did it all because Kamado was too blinded by his own fear of outsiders from the rift to allow them to live. With every second that he thought of this his rage burned a little bit hotter.
Somehow in that mixed cocktail of rage and sorrow a stray thought hit Ingo. The old legend of how wrongfully murdered souls became vengeful Zoroarks drifted into his head. Ingo could not help but wonder how those souls felt during their final moment before they were reborn as vengeful fox sprits. Did they feel the same pain and sorrow that he did? He was sure that they must have. The rage and sadness that he felt right now seemed like it could easily rival the rage of even the angriest Zoroark. As Ingo started to reach the end of his tracks a single thought entered his head.
Would he come back as a vengeful Zoroark just like the murdered victims in the legends did?
That question was the very last thought that Ingo had as he closed his eyes, and everything faded away…
--
Beni sighed as he looked down at the now dead Warden and his child. The Warden had used the last of his strength to pull the child into his arms, and hug her close to him in his final moments. Much as Beni wished he could say that seeing such a thing bought forth no emotions that would be a lie. It hurt a bit to see it. Beni had seen such sights once long ago back when his and Kamado’s village had been razed to the ground. He had seen so many people pull their dying loved ones into their arms offering up what comfort they could during their final moments.
Watching the Warden use the last of his energy to pull his child’s body into his arms was a painfully familiar moment. For one very brief moment Beni felt a bit of guilt. Did these people really need to die? Were they truly dangerous? Kamado thought they were. He was convinced that nothing good came out of the rift. He was convinced that they had either caused this red sky nightmare somehow, or that they were at least making sure that the red sky nightmare could not be ended.
But were they truly capable of making such things happen?
Beni quickly shook his head. It was too late to question it now, and as Kamado’s right hand man he had sworn to follow the man no matter what. Beni sighed as he turned around fully intending to leave and tell Kamado that the job had been done. As he turned away from the dead bodies of the father and child that small sadness still remained with him. Even if they truly were guilty of causing this whole rift mess it was clear that the Warden truly did care for his child. It was a trait of the man that Beni could at least admire.
Beni took a few steps forward only to freeze when this sudden heavy pressure started to weigh down on him. An odd chill ran down his spine as a strange feeling of fear started to grip his heart. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. The sound of a harsh rumbling growl started to fill the cave, and Beni slowly turned around only to see a horrifying sight. The dead body of the Warden hugging his child’s dead body close to him was still there, but standing over the bodies was the largest Alpha Zoroark that Beni had ever seen. The Zoroark’s glowing eyes were the same brilliant silver color as the Warden’s eyes.
Beni only got a few seconds at most to examine the massive Pokémon. The second he looked at the Pokémon the Zoroark’s snarling grew even louder. Before Beni could even grab a smoke bomb to escape the Pokémon lunged forward with its claws outstretched, and as those claws started to cut into his skin Beni could not help but see some irony in the situation.
Kamado was always terrified of Pokémon, and now thanks to Kamado’s distrust of those from the rift Beni helped Kamado to create the very thing he feared…
------
Akari and Ingo weren’t there yet.
That was all Irida could think of as she stared at Commander Kamado. The man was standing there before the temple dressed in his armor, and looking like he was about to march into battle. From his perch on the mountaintop in front of the temple Kamado stared down at Irida’s little group like they were some army that he needed to defeat. Irida could only glare up at the man in return. She was honestly surprised the man hadn’t come and forcibly removed them from the mountain already. She would like to think her groups numbers were what kept him from doing so. Irida could hold her own in a fight, and Adaman was no slouch either. From what Akari and Ingo had told her Rei had been improving as of late in Pokémon battles, so he could probably give a decent fight. Three opponents one right after the other would be much for most people.
However, Kamado was a wild card. She had never seen the man battle, but she had heard rumors that he was absolutely ruthless. Battling against him would be hard, but Irida was willing to take her chances. Honestly, she wanted to take a stab at bringing the man down but she held back. Even if they did defeat him they couldn’t do anything about the rift until Akari and Ingo got there. Honestly, after everything that Kamado had done to the two of them Irida felt like they deserved to get the first shot at the man.
Irida was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Rei murmur “Where are Akari and Ingo? They should have been have been here by now.”
Irida frowned as she stared up at Kamado. Rei was right. Ingo and Akari were taking far too long to get there. They should have been there by now. What could be holding them up?
Irida didn’t get much time to ponder that question. The answer came to her in the most horrifying way possible.
A loud shrieking howl of agony filled the air, and caused everyone’s blood went cold upon hearing it. They all looked toward the cave where the sound was coming from only to see a man running from the cave toward them.
“I-is that Beni?” Laventon asked.
“Merciful Sinnoh,” Adaman murmured. “What happened to him?”
Beni looked like he had been in a losing fight with an Alpha Pokémon. The man’s top had been completely shredded, and three large ugly bleeding claw marks had been left on the man’s chest. Another bleeding gash was on his left arm, and thanks to his wounds the man was leaving a bloody trail in the snow as he raced towards them.
Upon reaching them Beni looked at Kamado, and said “We made a mistake.”
At first no one moved upon hearing that. No one seemed to really know what he meant. Yet, as another howl of agony came from the cave a look of horrified realization started to show up on Irida’s face.
“T-that’s the cry of a Zoroark,” She mumbled. “That…it couldn’t be!”
“Miss Irida?” Laventon called out softly.
Irida ignored him in favor of giving Kamado and Beni the most venomous glare that she could muster. Her Glaceon stared at the two Galaxy Team members, and started to growl as Irida took one threatening step toward Kamado after another.
“What did you do?!” Irida yelled. “What did you do?!”
“What I thought would end this madness,” Kamado said softly.
“What you did was kill my Warden!” Irida screamed. “What you did was kill a child of the Pearl Clan! What you did was kill the only people who could have possibly ended this madness!”
“Lady Irida what-“ Laventon started to say only to be cut off when another louder howl of agony filled the air.
Everyone could only watch in horror as an Alpha Zoroark slowly walked out of the cave. The Zoroark had a very familiar black cap on its head. He was cradling something close to his chest whimpering softly as he held his precious bundle close.
“A-Akari?” Rei cried out.
It was indeed Akari being held in the Zoroark’s arms. She was lying in the Zoroark’s arms like a broken doll with blood slowly dripping down from her. She was clearly dead, but even so the Zoroark held her body like it was made of fragile glass. Wrapped around the girl was Ingo’s coat. It was draped over her like a blanket, and she was covered up in a way that made it seem like the Zoroark was trying to make sure she was warm and comfortable. He cradled the body close to himself making it look more like Akari was just a sleeping child laying in the arms of her parent. When the Zoroark looked up from the child in his arms everyone could see the hauntingly familiar silver eyes staring at them. Upon spotting Kamado and Beni the Zoroark’s look of sorrow turned into a look of pure rage.
“When an innocent person is murdered they come back as a Zoroark,” Irida said in a hollow tone. “They seek vengeance against the people who caused their wrongful death, and they do not rest till they have it.”
Kamado glanced over at Irida only for her to stare back at him with an icy glare. The Zoroark let out an inhuman screech that sent a shiver down everyone’s spine, and yet though the cry was terrifying Irida never stopped glaring at Kamado.
She had nothing to fear after all. Ingo wasn’t after her.
“You will be hunted,” She said as Komodo stared at her in growing horror. “You will both be hunted down for your crime, and know that while Ingo hunts you down to get his vengeance the Pearl Clan will no longer help you. With anything. There will be no war. The innocent people of Jubilife Village don’t deserve that, but the Pearl Clan’s relationship with the Galaxy Team is over. Don’t show your face at Pearl Clan grounds. You are banished from stepping foot in the space that we call home, and if you ever show your face we will be more than happy to hand you over to Ingo. It’s what you deserve for killing one of our sacred wardens, and for killing a child of our clan.”
As the now vengeful spirit of Ingo slowly stalked forward Beni let out a soft curse as he hastily pulled out a smoke bomb, and tossed it to the ground obscuring everyone’s view. The cry of a Braviary filled the air, and as the smoke cleared Irida could see Kamado’s Braviary carrying both Kamado and Bent away. The Bravery was bigger than most, but it was no Alpha or Lord Bravery. It wouldn’t be able to carry them off far, but it would give them a head start. Ingo snarled and looked like he was fully intending to give chase, but he hesitated as he looked at the precious bundle in his arms.
Irida took a few steps forward, and called out “Ingo, you can leave Akari with me. I’ll make sure she gets a proper burial.”
Irida could only hope that Ingo could still understand her even when consumed by the need for revenge. Ingo stared at Irida for a moment as he hugged Akari close to himself as if afraid to let her go. A whimper escaped from the Zoroark, but eventually he gently placed Akari down on the ground. He quickly tucked the coat around her as if he was tucking her into bed. He gave the girl one last sorrowful look before he raced off after Beni and Kamado. Irida slowly approached Akari’s body, and picked the girl up. Irida’s heart broke as she looked at the girl. She looked so small lying there in her arms. She had just been a child, and her life had been cut cruelly short. The sound of roaring coming from the rift made Irida quickly turn around to look at the rift. Another rumbling roar escaped from the rift, and from in that rift Irida could see what looked like eyes glaring down at them.
“W-what is that?!” Irida heard Rei shout.
“I don’t know,” Adaman shouted as he grabbed the boy’s hand, and started to yank him back toward the cave. “But we need to go before whatever it is gets out of the rift! We can figure out a plan once we are away from that thing! Now move!”
Irida said nothing as she ran away with everyone else, but as she ran she could not help but cringe as she heard the distant sound of a Zoroark’s pain filled howl joining in with the monstrous roar from the rift. A small voice in the back of her head whispered that the wrongful death of her Warden and his child was a sign. A sign that dark times were ahead for Hisui. Kamado had killed the two people who had the best chance at putting an end to this red sky nightmare, and worse yet Irida feared that there was no one in Hisui who could take on duty in their place. Deep down inside herself Irida knew that Hisui would be stuck in this nightmare for a very long time…