The Rift That Tears Us Apart

by Shinx25

Summary:

Emmet finds himself lost in an unknown land and without his pokémon after being dragged into a giant purple bubble.

But it's okay, Ingo is here somewhere. He can feel it.

He is Emmet. He is a Subway Boss and he will find his brother.

He has to.

Chapter 1

Four years, eight months, twenty-one days, six hours, and thirteen minutes.

That’s how long Ingo has been missing, and Emmet is slowly losing hope he’ll ever see his brother again.

Some days are easier than others. Days where Emmet feels more optimistic that the authorities will find Ingo, or that he’ll come home on his own. Days where Emmet can continue his work at the Subway as normal, under the false reality that Ingo will be waiting in their shared office with their lunch. Or at home preparing dinner for them and their pokémon. Most often, he pretended that his black-clad counterpart was simply battling on the Singles line.

As if Emmet hadn’t taken the Singles Line over since his brother’s disappearance.

Fourteen minutes.

Those are what Emmet considers ‘good’ days, but Elesa and his therapist tell him this form of denial is unhealthy. That pretending everything is the same as before is going to hurt Emmet more. Insisting he needs to start making new tracks to effectively move on.

Emmet doesn’t want to move on, not when Ingo could still be alive and waiting to be found.

He can tell it upsets Elesa when he talks about Ingo as if he was simply in the next room and not gone, but Emmet can’t help it. It’s better than the alternative.

He can pretend everything is normal. That everything is okay again. Even if it is just for a little while.

Fifteen minutes.

Emmet isn’t sure what he would have done without Elesa, or his and Ingo’s pokémon. In the days following Ingo’s disappearance Emmet had looked for him in the subway tunnels endlessly. If it weren’t for Elesa and the pokémon forcing him to take breaks, his engines likely would have burnt out.

She would stay with him in the first few months. The model made sure he would properly refuel and maintain proper hygiene, while his pokémon acted as weighted blankets to help him sleep at night. Elesa was struggling too, but helping Emmet seemed to help her. Distract her.

It didn’t stop Emmet from feeling like a burden to her. Especially on the bad days.

Sixteen minutes.

The ‘bad’ days were, well, bad; and they were becoming more and more frequent as time went on.

Days like today.

Days where what should be simple and mundane tasks for a previously active Emmet become too hard. Too much. He just wanted it to end.

Those days usually consisted of Emmet remaining in bed all day, staring at nothing for hours until Elesa comes over after none of her calls or messages are answered. She would stay over like she did in the early days, completing his daily chores and making sure he ate. The gym leader never said it out loud, but Emmet knew that she was afraid of what he might do to himself if she weren’t there.

In the early days he would have scoffed at the notion. Why would he leave the terminal when Ingo is waiting to be found?

These days didn’t become frequent until the authorities brought forward the absurd idea that he had killed Ingo for the sole ownership of the Nimbasa Subway, or due to a falling out.

Emmet didn’t leave the apartment for nearly three weeks after that. Elesa and uncle Draydon, even Nimbasa City locals who all adored their Subway Bosses, had some choice words for the detectives for that theory.

Seventeen minutes.

Then there are the days in between. Days where Emmet would go about his day as is expected of him. He’d get out of bed, feed the pokémon but not himself, get dressed, then go to work. Those days usually occur after several nights of no sleep. His body enters a sort of autopilot, robotically moving about his day.

Emmet rarely speaks on those days outside work related dialogues and battle commands, his already flat tone sounding even more emotionless. Ingo had always been the one to do most of the talking for them anyway, so he supposed his silence wasn’t completely out of the ordinary. It was just more glaringly obvious without Ingo acting as his buffer.

Passengers and subway staff would give him funny looks on the ‘in-between’ days, sometimes even scared. Emmet assumed it was pity, and perhaps in part it is, but upon catching his reflection he sees the real reason.

Emmet is frowning.

Emmet leaves the subway those days sobbing and proceeds to have several ‘bad’ days.

Eighteen minutes.

Sighing, Emmet finally tears his attention away from the clock next to his bed and towards his open bedroom door. He could see the faint purple glow of Lunar’s flames through the gap of Ingo’s closed bedroom door, accompanied by an occasional low whine.

‘Get up,’ a voice echoes in his head, several decibels louder than what is considered a normal speaking volume. It makes his heart clench, ‘She needs you.’ 

“I am Emmet. I am the last person Lunar wants to see,” rolling onto his back he gives Lady Doodlebug a scratch. The galvantula clicks at him in confusion, unsure of whom he is talking to. “I have failed her in finding you.”

“That’s not true and you know that.”

“Do I?”

“Considering I’m a figment of your imagination, I would say yes, you do.”

“Why did I Imagine you so annoying?” Emmet throws his pillow in the direction of the imaginary figure, causing nearby Archie to startle awake. Emmet mumbles an apology towards his archeops before sighing, “You are right, however.”

Emmet began seeing this imaginary apparition of Ingo about eleven months into the real Ingo’s disappearance. When the detectives began exploring the possibility that Ingo was dead. He supposed it was his brain’s way of trying to cope, to fulfil a sense of normality. It made it easier to pretend on his ‘good’ days, having an imaginary Ingo to see and talk to. That wasn’t to say Emmet was in complete denial about it, he knew it wasn’t a healthy coping mechanism. It certainly isn’t helping him move on to the next station in his grieving.

Emmet wouldn’t dare tell anyone about the imaginary Ingo. It would risk them declaring that his mind had finally derailed and throwing him in a psych ward. And perhaps it had. But it made things slightly more bearable and that should count for something. Right?

Reluctantly heaving himself off the bed, Emmet makes his way over to Ingo’s room and knocks softly.

“I am Emmet. Lunar, can I come in?”

A quiet chime of confirmation answers him, allowing Emmet to enter. Slowly opening the door, Emmet feels his breath catch in his chest at the sight of his brother’s room. It had gone mostly untouched, minus the bed where Emmet has spent several bad nights curled up, and Ingo’s spare black coat he would cling to while in an inconsolable mess.

His brother’s chandelure hovered in the centre of the room, releasing a sorrowful howl.

“I know Lunar, I know.” Emmet moves to scoop her in a hug the best he could without accidentally burning himself. His voice wobbles as he fails to hold back tears, “I miss him too.”

Her coils move around Emmet’s waist, firmly holding him in return. He never knew what to say in these moments, but Lunar seems content with Emmet’s presence. Their shared grief created a small comfort for each other that required little words.

Ingo always knew what to say in these situations.

“Would you like to help me on the Singles Line tomorrow?”

Thankfully, Lunar seemed to perk up slightly at the question. Battling helped her, helped Emmet too. It was something familiar in their derailed life that provided a much needed distraction. Too busy focusing on strategies and winning the battle to think about other things. It also made them feel closer to Ingo.

Emmet attempts to gives Lunar a more genuine smile. Sometimes comforting their pokémon can pull him out of these bad days without Elesa’s help.

“Then it is a deal. All aboard.”

 

---

 

Four years, eight months, twenty-one days, twenty-three hours, and fifty-five minutes.

Emmet is trying, he really is.

The white-clad Subway Boss has been battling on the Double and Single lines almost his whole shift and he is exhausted. Admittedly, Emmet is almost always exhausted nowadays, but it certainly doesn’t help that he didn’t get any sleep before his shift.

Emmet has been covering both battle lines since Ingo’s disappearance, refusing to close down both the Multi and Singles Lines. He and Ingo worked too hard to get the Battle Subway functioning, and he can’t disappoint the challenger passengers.

The exhaustion must be clear on his face too, based on the concerned looks he’s received, and he knows it’s not due to his smile slipping again.

Emmet had to reluctantly call a break after nearly blacking out during the last match on the Doubles Line. Thankfully the challenger passenger hadn’t noticed, but it did cost his team he battle. Feeling faint is not an uncommon occurrence nowadays, but Emmet knew he had to complete his safety checks while at work. Passing out on the Battle Subway would call into question his fitness to perform his duties, and he really didn’t want a forced vacation again. Not enough distractions at home.

“Boss Emmet,” a voice cracked over Emmet’s radio, pulling him from his thoughts. “Come in Boss Emmet, over.”

“I am Boss Emmet, over.”

“Sir, we have a situation. Requires you in the control room ASAP, over.”

Odd. Gear Station has very rarely had ‘situations’ that required his immediate departure to the control room. Emmet and Ingo had so many failsafes for a number of situations that there was rarely a need for either of them to attend the issue. The only reason there wouldn’t be one is because the situation simply never arises. Except.

Emmet quickly shot up from his desk and all but ran towards the Gear Station control room. Upon his arrival, all the staff had varying degrees of confusion, fear and guilt on their faces. How verrry odd.

“Boss Emmet, I…“ the crew member who had radioed him, Keith, trailed off and shuffled awkwardly on his feet while avoiding eye contact. Before Emmet could ask what was happening, Keith straightened and looked at him with an intense gaze. “You’re going to want to see this.”

Emmet eyed everyone apprehensively before moving towards the security footage his subway employees ushered him towards and saw--

“Fuck.”

“Language!”

Ignoring his imaginary Ingo’s reprimand, Emmet squeezed his eyes closed and reopened them. When that didn’t work, he tried pinching himself, shook his head, even slapped his own face.

Still there.

“Sir,” a guilty sounding voice meekly called from behind Emmet, “I’m so sorry we never believed you…”

Emmet would have usually felt a pang of anger towards the comment, because yes, nobody had believed him. Said he suffered a head injury, or that it was some sort of survivor’s guilt or PTSD. He had even begun to believe them.

And yet there it was.

The sparking purple bubble that had taken his brother from him.

The subway boss felt his voice crack as he asked for a situation report, hands shaking. He didn’t care how he must appear to his employees right now. Not when Ingo could be there.

Keith once again spoke up on behalf of the other subway crew, “We got reports of high levels of magnetism disrupting the trains in the area the bubble appeared. Passengers also complained of… static in the air?”

“Why was I not informed sooner?” Emmet had meant it as a genuine question, but judging by the brief flash of panic across Keith’s face, it likely came across more accusing. This is why Ingo was better at these things.

“We thought it was just a technical fault that we could fix ourselves, so we shut down the line, but then Moira caught that, that thing in the cameras.”

Emmet hummed in thought, technically they should have informed him as soon as the line was closed down, for paperwork reasons at least, but he supposed they just hadn’t gotten around to doing it.

Looking back towards the camera, Emmet quickly made the decision he knew he was going to make as soon as he saw the bubble. He has to go to it.

“I am Emmet and I will investigate. Remain here and monitor me on the cameras. Keep radios open and call authorities if anything happens.”

“Boss Emmet wait- “

Emmet did not wait, instead sprinting towards the tunnel that the giant sparking bubble was located.

I am coming Ingo.

The radio attached to his belt crackled to life intermediately from the control room crew telling, begging, Emmet to come back. That it wasn’t safe and they should wait for the police to arrive. Like they would be any help. Like they have ever been any help.

Emmet ignored them and continued running. Ingo was finally coming home; he cannot turn back now.

What felt like a lifetime and yet no time at all, Emmet found himself face to face with the huge sparking bubble. The shear intensity of it made his hair stand on end, air uncomfortably thick and heavy; creating an overall feeling of absolute dread. But for Emmet, all he could focus on was the anxious anticipation. His brother is coming home.

He stood, waiting with his heart in his throat. Where was Ingo, why isn’t he coming out of the bubble? Maybe he is stuck?

Emmet clicked his radio receiver on.

“This is Emmet, and I am entering the bubble, over.”

Immediately his radio exploded to life in response, but Emmet simply turned down the volume. He didn’t like loud noises, and the crackling of the bubble and his own heavy breathing was more than loud enough for him.

Alright then. All aboard.

“Don’t you dare.”

Imaginary Ingo’s booming voice was firm and left little room for argument. Emmet is sure if it were possible, imaginary Ingo would have pulled Emmet back by the shoulder to make him look at the other. Well, jokes on him for not being real.

“Emmet I’m serious, it’s dangerous and you have not properly completed your safety checks.”

“I do not care; I need to get you back. I cannot do this without you anymore.” Voice cracking with emotion once again. Emmet straightened and adjusted his hat before taking another step forward. “Besides, if I run into trouble I have--. “

Oh dear. No pokémon.

“You left them in our office.”

Emmet swallowed an anxious lump that had now formed in his throat. What to do, what to do?

“Turn around Emmet.”

No. He cannot do that! He must find Ingo; he needs to find Ingo. The possibility of getting him back is so close, Emmet will finally feel whole again!

“I am Emmet, and I am nothing without you. You are the likeable twin. I must save you from this bubble. For everyone.”

“Emmet, think about it. We don’t even know if I’m alive! This could be suicide.”

“Then I will join Ingo at the final station.”

“Just like that? You would do that to our pokémon? To Elesa? Our family? Our parents have already lost one son, Emmet.” Imaginary Ingo stepped in front of him, a face of pure distress that broke Emmet’s heart. “Don’t make them lose their other. You know it’s not what I would want.”

Emmet stared at the imaginary Ingo for what felt like an eternity, biting his trembling lip while tears streamed down his face.

Damn it all, he was right.

Choking back a sob, Emmet pulled his cap over his eyes in a vain hope to hide his face from the cameras his crew are no doubt intently watching him through. As if they wouldn’t have just witnessed him argue with thin air.

With a sharp inhale, Emmet turns his radio back on.

“This is Boss Emmet,” he hoped they couldn’t hear or see how much he was trembling, “I am returning to the control room, over.”

As the stream of confirmation and relief flowed over the radio, Emmet reluctantly stepped away from the bubble.

“I am sorry, Ingo.”

As if it were some sort of divine joke, the bubble made a loud cracking sound, and then began to expand.

Emmet’s eyes widen in panic. He had forgotten it did that, how could he forget it did that?

“Emmet run!”

And run he did. But the bubble was moving fast, fast enough that Emmet could barely outrun it. One wrong step and--

Just as he had the first time, when Ingo had been taken from him, Emmet tripped and fell over. Unlike last time, his brother was not there to run back and grab him, to pull him onto his feet and shove him to safety while Ingo himself was engulfed into the purple light. He had looked as scared as Emmet felt.

Emmet remembers screaming Ingo’s name, reaching out desperately as the bubble finally dissipated; taking Ingo with it. The image seared into Emmet’s mind, haunting him every time he closed his eyes.

This time, all he saw was imaginary Ingo’s horrified face, hand uselessly reaching out like a cruel reversed mirror of last time, as he was surrounded by purple and lightning himself.

And then…

…oblivion.

 

Notes:

I've been having severe Submas brainrot and thus this story was concocted. My writing skills lay more in non-fiction so I would love to hear feedback.

I'll try to keep consistent updates as long as uni assignments permit it.

Thank you for reading!

Chapter 2

The sound of bird pokémon was the first thing Emmet heard as he slowly woke up. Strangely, none of them sounded like pidove or ducklett. In fact, they sounded more like the Sinnoh native bird pokémon.

Emmet quickly sat up, taking in his surroundings. He was sitting in a patch of grass, which had left a slight green tint to parts of his white clothes. It looked as if he had been rolling in the greenery or perhaps thrown into it, judging by his overall body ache. Verrry strange.

Looking towards the trees, Emmet could confirm the bird sounds he was hearing were indeed a flock of starly. The skittish birds were eying him warily, as if they had never seen a human before. Also strange. Emmet tried to give the wild pokémon a reassuring smile, but admittedly it likely came across rather creepy in his confused state. Why were there wild starly in Unova?

The slightly green-stained Subway Boss stood with a wince, brushing at his clothes as he further took in his surroundings. It looked to be a largely swampy area, with patches of foliage scattered throughout. Emmet could make out a surfeit of stunky digging around the dirt in the distance, along with a hippowdon and her bloat of hippopotas closely watching the foul smelling pokémon. All of which, who should not be found in the Unova region.

What in the name of the Dragons is going on?

Okay, backtrack to the previous station. Emmet recalled being at the subway, taking a break in his and Ingo’s office when—

Ah yes, the large purple bubble that took Ingo had come back. And Emmet managed to trip over again, resulting in him getting caught up in the crackling monstrosity this time. Making Ingo’s sacrifice to save Emmet the first time for nothing.

But where did it take him?

Okay, first he needs to perform safety checks. He must ensure no serious harm has befallen him; in case he somehow wasn’t immediately aware of an injury upon waking. Shaking out his arms and bouncing on the balls of his feet in an awkward looking jig, Emmet could confirm all limbs were intact. His clothes have certainly seen better days, but it was mostly due to discoloration of the usually pristine white suit than actual wear and tear. His body was still experiencing that dull ache he had woken up with, but that was unsurprising considering he was spat out of the giant bubble rather unceremoniously. It was lucky he hadn’t landed on, or hit his head when he was expelled from the sparking bubble. That could have had some rather unfortunate consequences. Verrry unfortunate.

The feeling of movement under his cap drew Emmet from his thoughts and light surveying of the unknown land. Reaching to remove the hat, absently wondering how it had even managed to stay on after being thrown around, Emmet heard a quiet chittering sound from the top of his head. A sound he recognises all too well.

“It would appear we have a stowaway. Verrry naughty,” Emmet scooped the tiny joltik off his head with a genuinely fond smile, “Verrry unsafe. But I am glad for some real company.”

“Lady Doodlebug won’t be happy one of her children got lost with us.” Imaginary Ingo hummed thoughtfully at Emmet’s side. “Do we have any more stowaways in your cabin?”

Emmet placed the tiny joltik on a nearby rock as he gave himself a light pat-down to ensure no other joltik had hitched a ride in his clothes. Once convinced he was clean of stray joltiks, he sat down in front of the unexpected passenger, who was currently looking rather pleased with itself.

“Now which baby might you be, hmm?” tapping his chin thoughtfully, Emmet mentally went through the extensive list of joltik in his care. “Too small to be Conductor, and too energetic to be Snickerdoodle. Not fluffy enough for Cuddles.”

“From one of the more recent clutches I believe. It’s quite tiny.”

That certainly narrows it down. Emmet had bred joltik a lot less frequently since Ingo had disappeared. Where Lady Doodlebug would have two clutches per year before, now she had only two clutches in the nearly five years Ingo had been gone. Those two clutches had only been at the insistence of Elesa, who believed they would help Emmet feel like he had a purpose again. Unfortunately, breeding joltik had lost its appeal after Ingo disappeared, just as most of his hobbies had. Not that his reluctance meant he loved the baby joltik Lady Doodlebug did have any less, no no. He loved them dearly. Nevertheless, as imaginary Ingo had pointed out, this joltik was verrry small and thus must be from the most recent clutch. That would make this little one--

“Of course!” Emmet lightly smacked his forehead; it was so obvious which Joltik this was. “A clingy little fellow like you can only be Caboose!”

Caboose chose to jump up to Emmet in that moment, climbing into the collar of his coat and trilling in excitement. This particular joltik received his nickname for his habit to cling onto the back of both humans and pokémon alike, even when sternly told to stay behind the yellow line. He was the constant back car to Emmet’s struggling freight train. His caboose.

“Keep close to the Emmet express, little Caboose.” Emmet rose from where he was seated, careful not to jostle his unexpected passenger from their newfound seat within his coat collar. A faint chime of ‘you don’t need to tell that little one twice’ came from imaginary Ingo, but Emmet decided to remain focused on Caboose as to not freak the little one out. He’s done that too often to the pokémon at home when talking to imaginary Ingo.

“I am Emmet, and we are going to find my brother.” Straightening his posture, stretching his right arm out to the side in a downward point, while pointing directly ahead with his left hand. The signature pose felt incomplete without his twin, his real twin, but that will soon change. Finally, he takes a breath and calls out loudly, “All aboard!”

Because Ingo had to be here, right? It makes sense for the bubble to have taken them to the same location considering it took them from the same place. Emmet idly wondered if his brother was out here living as a hermit. The idea made him chuckle, but the alternatives made his skin crawl. If Ingo wasn’t out here, that would mean he found a nearby town or city. A good thing, at first thought, but then the implications of that theory set in. Ingo finding a town would mean that he chose not to return to home station. That he chose not to tell Emmet he wouldn’t be returning. It would mean Ingo realised he was better off without Emmet. That he no longer wanted to be a part of a two-car train. The second alternative is that his brother is dead out here. Dead, just like everyone has been trying to make Emmet accept as a possibility for the last year and a half.

Emmet heard the excited chatter of Caboose from under his collar, along with the frightened squawks of the now retreating starly flock. His attention however, was drawn towards the nearby stunkys and hippowdon bloat that had begun looking at them after Emmet’s rather loud proclamation. Verrry angrily looking. Of course, caution was always warranted around wild pokémon, but these ones looked especially agitated by Emmet’s presence. Was that hippowdon’s eyes glowing red? Goodness it was huge.

Letting out a nervous chuckle, Emmet raised his hands in a form of surrender. “Apologies for disturbing you all, I will just make tracks… the other way…”

No way was Emmet going to start picking fights with those oddly large pokémon. Especially with only an ineffective baby joltik by his side.

Briskly beginning his pace in the decidedly opposite direction of the verrrry unfriendly looking wild pokémon, Emmet began the search for his brother.

 

---

 

“I don’t get it.” A young voice pulled the Warden’s attention from the sneasel kits he had been attending to while his Lady Sneasler was on her hunting excursion. “I caught both Dialga and Palkia, closed the Rift in the sky—So why the heck are those space-time distortions still appearing all over Hisui?”

Warden Ingo of the Cornet Highlands hummed his agreement; it certainly was odd. Everyone had assumed the distortions were related to the rift in the sky. Yet the rift is gone, and they now seemed to be appearing more frequently than ever.

Every time one would appear it would set Ingo’s nerves on edge, as though he was one misstep away from panicking like a young child in a thunderstorm. Everyone had varying degrees of fear and wariness towards the giant domes, he knew that, but there was some deep-rooted dread that would creep into the pits of Ingo’s stomach every time one would form.

As if it served as a reminder of a long-forgotten loss.

“Uncle Ingo, you zoned out again.”

The Warden is once again jolted out of his thoughts, and turns his attention to his young visitor. He dips the brim of his cap to cover his eyes in a sign of remorse, “My apologise miss Akari, my thoughts were on different tracks.”

“That’s okay, I understand.” Akari smiles at the older man, warm and sympathetic, while placing a comforting hand on his arm. “I was just saying how Volo-- you remember him. He’s a part of the Ginkgo Guild. Well, he asked for my help finding those weird stone plate things. Maybe they’ll help in stopping the space-time distortions!”

Ingo wasn’t sure how exactly the plates would help with the space-time distortions, but Akari seemed optimistic and he wasn’t about to derail that. Whether they helped the situation or not, Ingo didn’t see the harm in her helping her Guild friend out. Even if Ingo himself found the blonde man unnerving, but who is he to judge. Many would say the same about Ingo with his constant frown, booming voice, pale eyes and tattered clothes. Few have even deemed him ‘scary’. ‘Ghostly’.

He supposes in a way, he was the ghost of his former self.

It was less apparent nowadays, being a respected warden of the Pearl Clan, along with all the valuable assistance he has provided the Galaxy Team in raising Pokémon. Many will actively seek him out when he makes station at the Pearl settlement or Jubilife Village; requesting assistance on a certain pokémon’s temperament, or what types of moves they learn, or even how to battle for the more adventurous individuals. The warden doesn’t recall how he knew the answers to their questions. Perhaps subconscious memories from his previous life, but he’s just happy for the excuse to talk to people.

Ingo enjoys talking to people, despite his outward disposition, which is what made his early days in Hisui and the Pearl Clan all the more difficult. Nearly everyone had been distrusting of the strange and dishevelled newcomer who didn’t speak a lick of Sinnoa. Many believed him to be a vengeful zoroark attempting to infiltrate the clan to hurt them. It was Warden Gaeric who vouched for Ingo, after witnessing him being thrown out of a space-time distortion while attending Lord Avalugg. Warden Gaeric had quickly found him unconscious with blood dripping from his hairline, deciding it necessary to bring him back to the Pearl settlement for treatment.

Waking among the Pearl Clan had been unsettling to say the least; foreign words confusing his already disoriented mind. And it was cold. Ingo is pretty certain he had come from somewhere much warmer based on how uncomfortable he was in the snowy climate of the Alabaster Icelands. Not knowing where he had come from prior to arriving at the Pearl Settlement did not ease the clan members fears either. They wondered if he had killed his previous kin, or was banished from Diamond clan for some other heinous crime. Ingo didn’t have the recollection to dispute them. Later, he would find out that it was Warden Calaba who had assured them that Ingo was just an ordinary and gentle natured man after tending to his injuries. The support of not one, but two Pearl wardens is perhaps what saved Ingo from being booted out of the settlement as soon as he had healed.

He likely would have died otherwise.

While the clan did eventually warm up to Ingo, accepting him to serve as warden to Lady Sneasler, they did still look at him oddly when he’d speak in Galarian around the settlement. Many of the elders weren’t too keen on his easy acceptance and use of the pokéball when the Galaxy Team arrived in Hisui. Lady Irida had defended his decision, despite not caring for the use of pokéballs herself, which he was grateful for. She did later recommend he stay at his post in the Highlands more until things cooled off, however. Ingo appreciated her intention in trying to look out for him, falsely believing he favoured the solitary just as everyone else assumed he did. He knew she meant well in the suggestion, but it didn’t stop the sting of rejection he felt at the presumption. He wouldn’t dare tell her he’d rather be near people, listening to their chatter and laughs. See their smiles.

Ingo wished there was someone who understood him, who knew what he was feeling despite his largely present frown.

“Uncle Ingo.” Akari was now looking at him with concern clear in her face.

Ah, there he went derailing from the conversation again. “My apologies once again, Akari.”

“That’s okay,” the teen gave him a smile, but concern was still etched in her eyes. It reminded him of someone, but he couldn’t quite place who. “Were you remembering something?”

“No,” his frown slightly quirk into something more playful at the edges, tone turning jovial, “just an old man reminiscing, you’ll understand when you grow up.”

Akari lets out an amused snort as she gave him a light shove. “You’re not that old, and I’m fifteen. Practically already grown up.”

The older warden silently chuckles at her typical child-like response. Kids, always trying to act older than they were. Although, Akari has certainly seen more than any child should. He wished she had more time to be a child, rather than thrown into dangerous situations not even adults could handle. “Don’t question your elders.”

“Okay, old man.” Akari rolls her eyes in mock annoyance, her fond smile giving away her amusement of her adopted-uncle’s antics. “I gotta get moving if I’m going to help Volo. When will I get to see you again?”

“I will be making tracks to Jubilife the day after tomorrow to assist Captain Zisu with training the new recruits in Pokémon handling.” Ingo offered his hand to pull Akari into a standing position before stroking his chin in thought. “I should remain there for several days, but I will leave word with Captain Zisu if I must depart before our tracks can merge.”

Bidding his adopted niece farewell, Ingo turned back to the sneasel kits who had begun fussing.

“Who’s Emmet?”

It was as if cold water had been thrown over him, stealing his breath and freezing his nerves. He felt like he had been punched in the gut, chest tight and heart clenching. He might throw up. Taking a gulp of air, he manages to rasp out one word. “Emmet?”

“You said ‘farewell, Emmet’, but we don’t even know an Emmet.” Akari’s brows furrow in thought. “Do we?”

He didn’t say Emmet, he couldn’t have. Akari is right in her assessment, he doesn’t know an Emmet. Did he?

“I—” Ingo clears the lump that had formed in his throat, his usually loud voice now barely above a whisper. “I do not believe I’ve crossed tracks with an Emmet before, no.”

Ingo slowly turned back towards Akari who looked to be pondering his words, as if she was trying to recall something herself. Shifting her weight between her feet, she clearly wanted to stay and provide comfort to her uncle. Ingo noticed a hint of guilt in her eyes, regret for mentioning his slip up. Now that won’t do, that won’t do at all. The young girl had enough on her plate without having to worry about him.

“Truly Akari,” stepping forward on shaky legs, he placed a hand on her shoulder, “you need not worry about me. A subconscious slip-up it would seem. Go help your friend.”

The teen hesitated briefly before reluctantly accepting that Ingo wasn’t prepared to discuss what had just happened, at least not yet. Sometimes the older warden needed time to process his thoughts and memories by himself before sharing them with Akari. She respected that, and will happily wait as long as her uncle needed.

“Alright, uncle Ingo, I’ll see you in a few days.” Surging forward, Akari wrapped her arms around Ingo’s middle hoping it would convey her love and support and provide him some comfort. She whispers into his chest, “Please take care of yourself.”

Shock at the sudden hug quickly wore off as his frown quirked slightly at the edges into a small smile. Wrapping his own arms around Akari, he murmurs back, “Only if you take care of yourself too.”

“Pfft, always.”

Warden Ingo watched as the young hero left Lady Sneasler’s cave, not taking his eyes off her until he was certain she was safely down the slope. Once she was out of sight, he finally let his wobbling knees give out, falling to them. He brings a shaky hand to his face, staring aimlessly at the cave floor.

Why did he have such a visceral reaction to that name?

That name doesn’t evoke any memories within him, and yet he feels as if it should. Ingo feels simultaneously confused and sick. The name held power over him, but why, he could not say. Some deep part in his brain told him the name was someone important, someone he should be devastated about forgetting. For being separated from.

The phrase ‘two-car train’ comes to mind.

Several insistent mewls sounded from behind the warden, urging him to acknowledge the attention seeking sneasel kits. One, the runt of the litter, wrapped its arms around the human’s leg, nuzzling its face into his pant leg.

“I’m alright, little one.” His voice sounds rough from emotion, causing him to give a light cough in an attempt to clear it, “Come, let us prepare some food for you and your siblings.”

Ingo may not recall who Emmet is, but he hopes to one day he’ll remember.

Even if the memories cause him anguish, this Emmet surely deserves to be remembered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes:

Ingo wins gold in getting lost in thought mid-convo.

I'm still deciding how to explain Dawn/Akari being the same person seeing as they, y'know, have different names. I'm thinking maybe Akari being Dawn's middle name and she chose to introduce herself that way bc she didn't know where tf she was and stranger danger.

A baby joltik to anyone who can guess the first Pokémon Emmet befriends. Hint: it reminds him of Ingo.

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 3

Notes:

There were some really well thought out guesses for the what type of 'mon Emmet would befriend. Some of them actually made me second guess my choice, but one person did get it right! A baby joltik for you!

What do you mean he just disappeared!?”

“It’s just that, ma’am,” the detective responded, a hint of disbelief and fear present in his tone. “Subway Boss Emmet went in the tunnels to investigate a disturbance in the subway line, but failed to return back to the control room. It would seem he’s disappeared.”

“So, you’re telling me that the same cameras that didn’t pick up Ingo’s disappearance,” Elesa stands abruptly from her chair, causing it to slide back in an angry screech as she slammed her hands onto the table in front of her, “have somehow missed Emmet disappearing from the subway tunnels too?”

It doesn’t make sense; the brothers were sticklers for safety. She almost hadn’t believed the investigators when they had said the cameras had failed and there was nothing but static when the older twin had vanished. The Subway Masters ensured there were back-ups to the back-up power for all security tech. It was already the best security system in the market. The brothers refused to risk the safety of any crew, passenger or train. But then Emmet, staring blankly at the floor in front of him, had confirmed that he reviewed the camera footage himself and there was, in fact, only static. There’s no way the cameras failed again in the exact same spot.

“No,” the detective slides a tablet towards the distressed Gym Leader, “this time, we have footage and witness accounts from nine depot agents.”

Looking down towards the tablet, the model could make out the haggard form of her white-clad best friend. Slowly sinking back down into the chair, never taking her eyes off the screen, she saw it. The giant purple bubble Emmet had insisted kidnapped his brother. The same bubble she had dismissed as a denial response to a traumatic event. She had told him as much one night, after a particularly hard day.

If it weren’t for the zaps of lighting occasionally shooting off from the bubble, Elesa might have assumed she was being shown an image with how still her friend stood. After a few moments, Elesa stared in horror as the miniature Emmet start walking towards the bubble. Despite knowing the outcome, the gym leader released the breath she had been holding when the white-clad figure stopped.

What’s he doing? Is he talking to himself?

Over the last few years Elesa had notice Emmet acting more strangely. Stranger than what was considered ‘normal’ for grief. She would enter rooms, catching the end of a conversation he would be having with seemingly thin air; or looking off to the side as if attentively listening to someone speak rather than being lost in thought. Every time Elesa would try to question the Subway Boss as to who he was talking to, or looking at, he would simply hum in question before simply changing the subject.

In those moments it was easy enough to shrug it off as one of Emmet’s quirks. Pretend he was talking to himself as most people do; Emmet never did things in halves, so it would make sense him talking to himself would sound like a full-blown one-sided conversation. It was better than when he would pretend nothing had changed. Perhaps whatever this conversational partner Emmet had found was the reason he would pretend everything was the same some days. She had never fully witnessed it as she did now, however, and it was unnerving.

He looked as if he was arguing with thin air, and whatever the air said back to him had rattled Emmet. But whatever, or seemingly whoever, he was talking to had made him stop walking towards the bubble. No, he was walking away from the bubble! Yes! Keep going Emmet!

Elesa almost forgot why she was at the police station to begin with.

She watched with renewed horror as the bubble expanded and Emmet frantically tried to run away, only to trip over. Just like he said he had the first time. The time she didn’t believe his panicked claims of a huge other-worldly bubble taking Ingo. Grief counsellors told her sometimes people would remember traumatic scenarios differently as a way to cope with the guilt. She had been so busy trying to convince Emmet that what happened hadn’t been his fault that she never stopped to consider he may have been telling the truth.

They had argued that night Elesa had told him to stop talking about the ‘bubble’. A rare occurrence that regrettably became somewhat more frequent in the last five years. He never mentioned the bubble again since that night. And now she saw the forsaken bubble on the tablet display, clear as day. The damn thing she feared would tear her and Emmet’s friendship apart at one point, taunting her with each flicker from the screen.

A silly thought, she knew that in hindsight. Emmet would never let something like that tear them apart, but she had been too emotionally exhausted to think about it rationally back then. She had gone to his apartment three days later, alarming the younger twin greatly when she fell into his arms sobbing after he’d opened the door. He had told her he was sorry he upset her, and that he would never leave her if he could help it.

And now he’s gone too.

She felt sick and like an even worse friend. Why didn’t she believe him?

The model continued to stare at the tablet screen long after the footage had finished, frozen on the moment Emmet was absorbed into the void of purple. Ingo likely disappeared the same way nearly five years ago. She can’t lose both of her best friends, there must be something they could do. She took a deep breath, dreading the answer she knew she was about to receive, “How do we get them back?”

“I’m sorry ma’am, we simply don’t know enough about this anomaly to answer that question.”

 

---

Emmet has been following the river for hours now. Granted, his Xtranseiver appeared to have short-circuited from the electricity surrounding the purple bubble, so his sense of time may not be overly accurate right now. It’s hard to tell when surrounded by wilderness, and Emmet hadn’t spent long periods of time outdoors like this since he and Ingo were 15 and doing their gym circuit. It was quite obvious that the sun was starting to set, however.

That presented an issue in and of itself. Emmet had quickly figured out that the wild pokémon around these parts were rather grumpy and were ready to pick a fight with the Subway Boss. While Emmet wasn’t opposed to rough housing with his own team and the occasional wild pokémon back home, the pokémon here looked as if they were out for blood. And blood they would get, judging by the size of some of them.

With that in mind, Emmet was uncertain on where he could safely make a depot for the night. Caboose had crawled back under his hat to sleep some time ago; a luxury Emmet does not have. Staying out in the open would surely make him and Caboose a target for hostile pokémon, while caves risked impeaching on the homes of the same unfriendly pokémon. There must be somewhere around here with some friendlier fauna, but that would mean diverting tracks away from the river and risk getting completely lost. Assuming the river was even leading him towards some sort of settlement. Maybe if Emmet keeps walking, he’ll come across a town soon.

“We can see pretty far ahead from here, there clearly isn’t any townships in sight. You know that means we won’t find one before dark.”

Emmet let out a quite groan, mindful to not wake the sleeping Caboose in his hat or alert the nearby gastly that had begun to materialize. Keeping his voice low, he huffed out an exhausted, “Then what do you propose we do, oh wise imaginary brother?”

“No need to get snappish, I merely stated what you were thinking.”

Emmet chose to ignore his imaginary Ingo with a dismissive wave of his hand, plonking down on a nearby rock and stretching his arms out above his head. A distant noise caused pause mid-stretch. Dropping his arms, Emmet strained his ears in an attempt to hear the sound once more. There it was again. After years of working closely with trains, along with being in close proximity of his verrry loud brother, Emmet’s hearing wasn’t what it used to be; but that was certainly a pained cry of some kind.

“Sounds like an injured pokémon.” 

It certainly did. A bird of some kind judging by the high-pitched squawking. It almost reminded Emmet of the whistle from older steam trains, which could only mean the poor pokémon was in rather severe pain. Emmet took a hesitant step towards where he estimated the sound to be.

“It could attack you, like all the other ones we’ve gotten near have tried. Only this time you’d actually have to touch it, so no chance in dodging out the way. Not to mention we’d be diverting from our tracks along the river and may become lost.”

“I know,” Emmet let out a tense breath, “but I cannot leave a poor, injured pokémon to its suffering. Not when I know I can help.”

Imaginary Ingo quirked the corners of his mouth up, giving Emmet a small yet fond cat-like smile. Emmet missed seeing that Ingo-styled smile for real. “I know you can’t.”

Emmet made his way through the brush of foliage, trying and failing to avoid the abundance of sludge in his path. Not a great place to favour wearing white. Shaking his head, the muddy Subway Boss continued on towards the sound of pained squawking. He can lament his soiled clothes later.

By now the sun had fully set, though thankfully the moon was full enough to provide some light. Small miracles he supposed. Faintly in the distance Emmet could make out a small figure flapping helplessly near the bottom of the cliffside. Therrre you are.

Approaching slowly as to not startle the injured bird pokémon, Emmet tried to inspect its injuries from afar. Its dark feathers were coated in a thin layer of grime as if it had been flailing around in the nearby marshes. It likely had, judging by the muddy trail leading up to where it thrashed pitifully. From this distance the Subway Boss could see its left wing was bent at an odd angle, hanging lamely at its side and causing it to trip.

Slowly crouching down to the injured bird’s level, Emmet removed his glove before tentatively reached a hand out. It was yet to notice him over the loud screeching sounds it was making.

“Hello there, I am Emmet. I am here to hel-- ouch!”

The mud-soaked man had gotten too close and startled the frightened pokémon, resulting in it snaping at his finger in a hard chomp. Emmet shoved the tingling digit into his mouth in a weak attempt to ease the pain and stop any potential bleeding.

“Don’t do that, you’ll get an infection!”

Emmet stuck his tongue out at his imaginary brother, now cradling his finger to his chest. Reacting to imaginary Ingo had not been the best course of action, as it made the injured pokémon now eye him with suspicion along with the already established fear.

“Ah, my apologies,” he places his hand on his chest and gives a slight bow, “Let me try that again. I am Emmet. And you are Murkrow. Pleased to meet you, madam.”

The murkrow seemed to settle slightly, though still watched him in wary confusion with a deep frown on her beak. Gesturing towards her wing, Emmet continues “I would like to help you. If that is okay?”

The Subway Boss did not move until the murkrow gave a slight nod of her head in approval; frown still present though her eyes softened. Interesting.

“Thank you.”

Now that he could examine her up close, Emmet could conclude that the murkrow most likely didn’t have a broken wing. Probably just sprained badly. Certainly in no shape to be flying until the swelling goes down at least. She also seemed to have some mild cuts around her body. Pulling out the miniature first aid kid he kept in one of his large coat pockets, Emmet began spraying a potion on the murkrow’s body and wing after using a few wet whips to remove the grime from her feathers.

It made Emmet think of Archie, and his accident-prone tendencies. The archeops frequently found himself with bumps and bruises, forgetting he needed running starts in order to take flight. One time he had jumped from such a height he received a similar injury as this murkrow, successfully scaring the living daylights out of both Emmet and Ingo. It did mean that Emmet had some experience in treating this type of injury, so he supposed the silly reptilic bird’s lack of braincells has some benefits aside giving him heart attacks. He hoped Archie would be okay while he was gone.

“I am afraid this is the only potion I have, so it will not completely help with your pain. I am sorry.”

If that bothered the murkrow, she didn’t show it beyond her mild frown, seemingly content with what pain relief she received.

Finally, Emmet pulled out some bandages to wrap her wing to prevent it being jostled and potentially injuring it further. He voiced its purpose to the dark-type bird, who cooed her understanding and gratitude. While still frowning. Just like--

Caboose must have awoken at the sound of pained cries from the murkrow, choosing that moment to crawl out from under Emmet’s hat. The baby joltik appeared to be greeting its feathered counterpart, lifting his front legs in excited gestures. Murkrow however, did not appear to outwardly care for Caboose’s greeting and continued to frown at them both, blinking slowly. Seemingly taking offence at this slight, Caboose made a grumpy sounding squeak while beginning to spark slightly.

“Ah,” Emmet quickly cupped his hands around the disgruntled spider and turning away from murkrow, “Emergency breaks Caboose, I do not think our friend meant any offence. She simply naturally frowns.”

Just like Ingo. In fact, with her dark feathers and hat-like plumage atop her head, she shared many similarities with his brother. Yet it was her eyes that really caught Emmet’s attention. They were very expressive despite her frowny disposition. Similarly, her bird cries appeared to assert her emotions despite the tone directly contradicting her facial expression.

Caboose appeared satisfied by his caretaker’s defence of the wild murkrow, climbing over Emmet to jump onto the bird’s hat-like plumage. The murkrow honked in surprise before quickly accepting her fate and trilling along with the baby spider in excited conversation.

“She won’t survive out here alone. Not with her wing in that state.”

“I know,” Emmet replied quietly to avoid the two pokémon’s attention. Fondly, he added, “I would like for her to come along. I do not think Caboose will let her leave now.”

“Murkrow?” raising his voice to gain the attention of the pokémon in question, Emmet broadens his smile to appear welcoming, “Caboose and I would like verrry much for you to travel with us while you heal.”

Almost as if she had been waiting for the offer, the murkrow charges towards Emmet’s legs and hopping up and down while crowing at him. Emmet understood a demand to picked up when he saw it, even with her little frown. His team at home would do the same when they wanted to be picked up. If he ignored them for too long, they would jump up and knock him flat on his Joltik’s namesake. Scooping her up, the Subway Boss placed her on his shoulder as Caboose crawled into his coat collar. “I will take that as an enthusiastic yes.”

“She’ll need a nickname, something suitable for her spirit. Jigger perhaps? Or maybe Hostler.”

No, Emmet didn’t have a locomotive inspired name in mind for her.

“Murkrow, I was thinking you could use a nickname if you are to travel with us.” he began hesitantly, only continuing when she gave a coo of approval and a smile in her eyes. “I was wondering if it would be okay for me to call you ‘Indigo’?”

He knew she wasn’t that colour at all, although the reflection of the moonlight against her black feathers did give an almost indigo hue. That’s what he would say if anyone asked at least. Besides, his newfound friend seemed to approve the nickname, preening at the suggestion. “It is settled then. A pleasure to be coupled with you on these tracks, Indigo.”

“Bravo!! Excellent!”

“I had better tell you what we are searching for out here. Or rather who. I am looking for my twin brother, Ingo. I do not suppose you have seen a man who looks like me?”

Indigo gave a loud trill as she spread her wings excitedly--

“Careful, she may further injure herself!”

The murkrow looked towards the snowy peaks over the tall mountains to their left, jumping slightly as if to tell Emmet to start going. Ingo is in snow? Ingo hates the cold, why is he there?

“You hate the cold too,” a voice unhelpfully chimed in from behind Emmet.

Heaving out a tired sigh, Emmet set tracks for a new destination. At least he had a better idea where they were heading now. If Indigo actually understood what he had been asking, that is.

Rest will have to wait, he’s so close now

 

---

Warden Ingo finished packing his satchel for his travel to Jubilife Village. Not that he had many belonging to bring. It mostly consisted of potions for his team, berries to get him through the two-day travel, and a few pokéballs to catch the odd pokémon Akari may need for the pokédex.

He hoped Akari was safe. His adopted niece may have promised to stay safe, just as he had, but he knew how impulsive she could be. When completing tasks she gains a one-track mind, often forgetting to complete her safety checks and charging over the yellow line. One time she returned to Sneasler’s cave with a sheepish grin and covered in scratches. Ingo, however, had zeroed in on the blood trickling down her arm and had what he believes a heart attack must feel like. Apparently, she had jumped out of Sneasler’s basket at an impressive height when she caught sight of a piplup she needed to catch while traversing the Cobalt Coast, gashing her arm open in the process. Judging by Lady Sneasler’s face, she wasn’t too impressed by the young girl’s stunt either.

Ingo had lectured Akari for an hour while patching her arm up, while Lady Sneasler stood behind him with her arms crossed and nodding along with the occasional growl of agreement.

He wished he could go with her on excursions more often, mostly to ensure her safety at least. Ingo would have to trust Volo to take care and look out for his niece for now.

Standing, the warden made his way over to his ward and her kits and provided them a formal salute. “My destination is set and I must now depart. I will return to home station soon.”

The sneasels and their mother blinked rowlettishly at the warden’s formal farewell for a moment before the young kits all dived at the black-clad man.

“Whoa—“ despite knowing it was coming, Ingo grunts in surprise and effort at the extra weight taken on before laughing, “It appears we have some unruly passengers. I will require back-up immediately!”

As if on cue, a beam of light emerges from beneath the man’s coat revealing a grinning bat-like pokémon. “Quick, Victory, my cabin is being over-ran by rowdy passengers! I do believe they may be stowaways.”

Rather than assisting his trainer, the gliscor simply joined in the pile causing Ingo to fall to his back. Victory took this opportunity to sit on his stomach smugly, allowing the young sneasels to continue their climbing and nuzzling of the chuckling human. “Traitor!”

Sneasler smirked as she watched her kits climb over her warden, rubbing their scent over him where they could.

“Alright,” Ingo managed to pull himself into a sitting position, causing his traitorous partner to glide to a nearby rock, “I’ll miss you all very much too, but I truly really must depart now.”

Petting each kit as they slowly climbed off his cab, the warden rose to speak to their mother, “I promise I will return soon. And yes, I promise not to overdo it, you need not worry about me.”

Lady Sneasler eyed him dubiously for a moment before launching into her own nuzzling barrage, causing her kits and Victory to excite in what sounded like a cheer. Ingo gave his smile as he scratched Sneasler behind the ear, “Farewell, friend.”

Finishing one final check of his satchel, Ingo made his way to the entrance of the cave with Victory soaring overhead to take lead.

With one final wave to Lady Sneasler and her kits, they left towards Jubilife Village.

Notes:

And so the brothers travel in the opposite directions. Whoops.

This chapter took me a few goes before I was happy with it, but I think I got there.

Indigo knows where to point Emmet because she's a well travelled murkrow and has seen a man who looks like Emmet wearing a pink tunic. So logically she decides to take him to the place where a lot of those pink tunics are. What a clever girl.

Thanks again for reading!

Chapter 4

Notes:

Hey, so remember that tag about major character injury?

yeeaahhh...

So TW for descriptions of violence and mild gore towards the end of this chapter. I don't think it's too horrific, but we all have different stomachs and experiences with that sort of thing, so be careful around the dead-end part if that's not your cup of tea.

Emmet hated being outside.

Okay, maybe not hated, he enjoyed the Nimbasa streets well enough. He would regularly drag Ingo and Elesa to ride the Ferris wheel at sunset when their schedules permitted it. He was also fond of getting a churro while Ingo and Elesa got, in Emmet’s opinion, an excessive number of scoops of ice cream. They would take their treats and sit on a park bench to feed the pidove. That was verrry fun.

But he was simply not built for exploring the wilderness anymore, that’s for young trainers and randomly, ex-champion Alder according to stories Iris and Rosa would tell him. Emmet sure wasn’t planning on jumping feet first down what could be classified as a cliff, no sir. His legs ached more than they already did just thinking about it. The white-clad Subway Boss was made for just that; the subway. His pale skin reflected his prolonged time underground, skin that he was surprised hadn’t began to burn. It was oddly cold, in fact, for what Unova’s usual climate at this time of year should be, becoming colder the further they traversed. It was also much too bright for his liking, silver eyes forced to squint against the onslaught of the glary sun.

Indigo appeared to be having similar discomforts towards the brightness, the usually nocturnal bird attempting to join Caboose under Emmet’s hat to escape the sun. The man chuckles at the murkrow’s attempts, while giving a sympathetic smile, “Sorry Indigo, you cannot fit under there. You are much too big.”

The darkness pokémon cooed sadly, crestfallen. Emmet immediately regretted saying anything.

Imaginary Ingo released a melodramatic gasp, clutching a hand to his chest and other to his mouth in mock horror, “You take that back right now, brother.”

“Ah,” the Subway Boss scrambled to rectify his blunder, “I mean—I am Emmet and I am sure you can fit under my hat!”

Emmet lifted the cap from his head, exposing a confused Caboose to sudden daylight as he climbed down to his other shoulder. Looking back towards Indigo, the man tilted his head slightly in invitation.

Indigo’s eyes widened momentarily before releasing a triumphant crow and jumping atop the human’s head. The bird pokémon tugged on his hair as she settled, causing Emmet to wince slightly. Please don’t pull out all of my hair, I do not wish to go bald this young.

Carefully, he placed his cap atop the murkrow’s own hat-like plumage. It didn’t quite have the same effect as when Caboose would hide under his hat, with it only coming down to cover the bird pokémon’s eyes. But Indigo sat satisfied and proud, so Emmet was happy.

Okay, pokémon both now content, he can continue on through this cold mountainy wilderness. Argh.

“Hello there!” Emmet practically jump out of his skin at the sudden appearance, Indigo screeching out her own surprise while Caboose quickly hid within his coat collar. The stranger stepped back in a mockery of remorse. “My apologies, I didn’t intend to scare you, sir.”

The Subway Master took in a shuddering breath, lowering the arms he had raised in automatic self-defence. “It’s fine. Hello.”

“It is not fine, who sneaks up on strangers in the middle of nowhere?”

Emmet ignores his imaginary brother in favour of focusing on the blonde stranger with a strained smile. Humouring this newcomer may prove beneficial in his search for Ingo, so Emmet bites down any snide remarks he has.

“Oh good, I had a feeling you’d speak Galarian. I’m Volo, of the Ginkgo Guild. If there’s anything you need, I’m the man to see! And who might you be? Awful strange seeing town-folk all the way out here.”

The man was smiling, but his eyes held an emotion Emmet couldn’t quite decipher. He looked as if he knew something Emmet did not, but had no intention of sharing the knowledge.

“Erm,” speaking to strangers was usually Ingo’s forte. Of course, that doesn’t mean Emmet can’t talk to strangers without Ingo; he certainly had to do it more over the last few years. But he generally avoided talking to people who gave him the heebie-jeebies, and this Volo’s clearly fake smile set his nerves on edge. Do I look like that?  Collecting himself, Emmet finds his voice again, “I am Emmet. I am a Subway Boss. I am looking for my brother.”

“Em, he mentioned a town! He thinks you’re from a nearby town!”

Steeling his nerves, Emmet managed to speak up again. “You mentioned a town. I am unfamiliar of its station. Could you point us on the right tracks? I believe my brother may be there.”

Volo appeared to study Emmet for a moment with a flat expression, causing the white-clad man to shift uncomfortably under the scrutinising gaze. The merchant finally brought that eery smile back to his lips before responding, “With the direction you’re heading, I assume you’re going to the Pearl Settlement, yes?”

Emmet had no idea what this ‘Pearl Settlement’ was, but Indigo seemed to perk up at the name so he presumed Volo’s assumption must be correct. “I believe that is where Indigo was leading me, yup.”

“Well then,” the blonde steps closer to Emmet and wags his finger under his nose, causing the Subway Boss to tense further and shrink back, “I think seeing as I scared you earlier, I owe you this one for free! Continue on from where we are here, at the Coronet Highlands, and through to the Alabaster Icelands. The Pearl Settlement is just over the river’s bridge from Avalugg’s Legacy.”

“Uh…” Emmet recognised the word Coronet, but doubted it was the same as Sinnoh’s Mount Coronet. Everything else Volo had said meant little to nothing to the Subway Boss. “I do not suppose you have a spare map. That I can borrow? I am unsure of what these places are.”

The Ginkgo Guild member, whatever that was, considered his request before relenting. “I don’t have a spare, but you can have mine. Don’t worry about it! I know this region very well! You can just give it back to me when we cross paths again. And here, I’m sure you need some replenishments. Free of charge, you seem to need it.”

Volo had handed over a few ration bars and a canteen of water, along with another potion for Indigo who still sat atop his head. His stomach growled at the sight of the food. Perhaps Emmet had been too hasty in his judgement towards the man. He had done nothing but help him after apologising for scaring them, even if he was a little unsettling. Strangers often had that effect on Emmet, anyway.

“I still don’t trust him.” Came a huff next to him.

“Thank you,” Emmet gave a small bow towards the blonde merchant, “I surely would have derailed if our tracks had not conjoined.”

The man stared at him again, as if thinking something amusing but content with keeping it to himself. It made Emmet self-conscious. “It was no trouble at all, Emmet. I would not be a very good Ginkgo member if I didn’t help those in need. Now I suggest you go through that cave system up ahead, that will lead you to the Alabaster Icelands. I’d love to go with you, but my friend is waiting for me.”

“That is okay. You have helped plenty, yup! Thank you.”

Bidding his farewell, the white-clad man began walking towards the cave entrance somewhat briskly. His momentum renewed with the confirmation from a person there was a settlement nearby, along with food and water now in his belly.

The blonde man calls out after him, “Good luck finding your brother Ingo!”

Emmet felt his breath hitch. Okay so his first assessment of the strange man had been correct. He turned back with a tight smile, calling out his thanks with a wave. His smile wavered slightly as he turned away from the merchant once again.

“You never said my name…”

“No,” he murmured as to not garner more of the other man’s attention, “No I did not.”

“I hate to say it, but perhaps we should ask--“

“Nope.” Emmet cut in, popping the ‘P’, “Vibes are off.”

“Fair enough.”

---

 

The cave was surprisingly more bearable for the Subway Boss and company. Or perhaps not that surprising considering joltik originate in caves and murkrow prefer the dark. In turn, Emmet felt more at home, the cave somewhat reminding him of the subway tunnels with its darkness and echoing chamber. What Emmet didn’t care for was how freezing it had gotten, and it had already been much too cold.

Being situated near a desert, Nimbasa City had never really been all that cold. It was for that reason the coat of his and Ingo’s uniform was made of lightweight and breathable material. Not at all designed for this chill. Even so, Emmet pulled his coat tighter around himself in the vain attempt to keep in some heat. Indigo, who had move back down to the man’s shoulder, shifted closer to his neck to act as a scarf for her human friend. The Subway Boss managed a ‘thank you’ through clattering teeth to which she cooed in return.

Light up ahead signalled the opening of the cave they had been searching for. Breaking into a light jog, if nothing else but to warm him up, Emmet exited the cave and almost immediately slipped on the ice he had not been expecting.

“It’s called the Icelands, how did you not expect it to have ice?”

“Oh, shut up,” he grumbled, “I was hoping it was just a name and not literal.”

Indigo had been chortling her own laughter, and if the shuttering feeling atop his head was anything to go by, Caboose similarly was laughing at him.

“Okay, laugh it up.” He rolled his eyes fondly at the pokémon as he pulled out the map given to them by Volo, “Now let’s see where we are going.”

The map was not like one he had seen before. It was rather confusing if he was being honest, and Emmet prided himself on his abilities to read maps and directions. It appeared to be hand-drawn with odd characters written throughout, characters that must represent locations. Unfortunately, Emmet could not read whatever language it was, though he did think it looked similar to the characters used in Sinnoa. Not that that would have helped either, as the white-clad man only knew basic words Elesa had taught him and Ingo as children. Was he even holding the map the right was around?

Heaving out a sigh, the Subway Boss pointed towards a blackened looking mountain, “I believe we are to set a course in that direction. Does that sound right to you, Indigo?”

The murkrow stared in the direction Emmet was pointing for a moment before shifting her gaze towards some glaciers in the opposite direction, and then back towards where he was pointing. Finally, the dark type bird looked back up at him with a defeated whistle and an apology clear in her eyes.

“It’s okay you do not remember; you have gotten us this far. I am Emmet and I am grateful.”

His words seemed to cheer her up as she began to happily warble and snuggle into his neck once again.

“We should go back to the cave,” Imaginary Ingo was looking up at the sky, concern laced in his tone, “It looks like the snow is going to get heavier, and you’re not completely certain you are setting the right tracks.”

“You worry too much,” Emmet grinned at his imaginary brother, “We will reach the settlement before it gets bad. I am Emmet and I am sure.”

Imaginary Ingo appeared to decide this was a losing battle and disappeared from Emmet’s view.

Forty-five minutes in and it began to snow heavier.

The Pearl Settlement was still nowhere in sight.

Emmet was beginning to feel less sure of his destination. Surely he should have crossed that bridge by now. He wasn’t travelling at a slow pace. Squinting back down at the map, Emmet became even more confused. According to the map there should be a river right here, with the bridge to this fabled ‘Pearl Settlement’ nearby. He hoped that Volo guy hadn’t been lying.

Unless…Had Emmet actually been holding the map the wrong way? No there was no way, he was excellent at maps he was—

He was holding the map upside down.

The string of profanities the white-clad Subway Boss roared out to the sky likely caught the attention of nearby wild pokémon, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care right now. Thoroughly out of breath, Emmet dropped onto a nearby rock with a heavy sigh, burying his face in his hands. Indigo nipped at the hair of his sideburn in the hopes to comfort the dispirited man.

“Not one word,” Emmet dragged his hands down his face, words directed towards an imaginary Ingo who simply stood smugly in front of him, “Or I will throw myself off the cliff.”

“Don’t joke about that.”

“I am not joking.”

Indigo did not approve of what she heard, now snapping at his ear. Yelping in surprise and mild pain, Emmet clarified with the dark-type bird. “Alright, alright, I am sorry!”

Reaching for the disgruntled murkrow, the human placed her on his lap so she could see his reassuring smile. “It was a joke. We humans do that sometimes to lighten the mood. I am Emmet and I will not be jumping of any cliffs.”

Indigo seemed dubious of his explanation, but relented and climbed onto his shoulder to keep a vigilant watch over him. Emmet sighed before standing, better start moving again before the snowfall got even worse. After a few minutes of walking, he realised he must have been the unluckiest man alive.

The snow fell heavier again, and while not quite a blizzard it did make visibility difficult. Which meant Emmet hadn’t realised he had come face-to-face with a dead end until he was nose deep in the frozen wall. Ouch. Rubbing his nose, he noticed the ground felt like it was lightly tremoring. Not quite like an earthquake, Dragons forbid the last thing Emmet needed right now was an avalanche, but more like the type of shaking one would experience while riding the subway. He felt Indigo turn slightly and stiffen, causing him to begin turning to see what she saw.

“Emmet, MOVE!”

Before he could turn fully, a hard smack to his ribs sent Emmet flying several metres before hitting the ground. Thank the legendary gods the ground was powdery snow, but it didn’t wind him any less. Sucking in a breath with some difficulty, he quickly glanced around to see where his travel companions were. Please be okay.

Indigo had landed in a heap a few metres ahead of him, slightly dazed but shuffling her way towards a nearby Caboose. The baby joltik had landed near her, still within Emmet’s hat which had flown off upon impact. They both appeared to be in one piece, good. Now to work out—

Rolling back into a sitting position, Emmet had only a second to react when he saw glowing red eyes charging towards him. Adrenaline kicking in, he springs to his feet and dives into a roll to move out of the frenzied pokémon’s way. Taking advantage of the momentum, Emmet scrambles to his feet and moves even further away before realising he had headed in the direction of the dead end.

Hoping the angry and wild pokémon was yet to notice where he had escaped to, Emmet quickly turned to plan how to grab his companions and get the hell out of here. Unfortunately, his luck continued to fail him. The man could faintly make out a hulking figure with glowing red eyes steadily stomping its way towards him. Not intimidating at all…

Its large form enabled the pokémon to close the distance between them quickly, leaving the Subway Boss with little options for escape routes; cornered between a solid wall and a monstrously sized garchomp. Emmet much preferred it when the wild pokémon was too far away to know what it was.

Emmet had seen garchomps before, plenty of challengers would bring them onto the Battle Subway. He had enjoyed battling them verrry much, had even thought about obtaining one himself to compliment Ingo’s Haxorus, Axle. But seeing this nightmarish version of garchomp up close, he wasn’t so sure he ever wanted to see one again. Its glowing red eyes bore down at him, as if they were piercing into his soul. Emmet could feel its hot, blood stenched breath puffing against his face, teeth inches from his eyes. He felt like prey.

Emmet dared not move. Maybe if he remained still enough, it won’t see him just like in that movie he and Ingo watched as boys about the giant revived fossil pokémon at a park. He knew it was a long shot, garchomp wasn’t a dinosaur pokémon let alone a tyrantrum, but he had little other options.

The garchomp snarled suddenly, drawing it out into a full-blown roar. The force of it blew loose strands of hair back, causing Emmet to wince at the severity. The mach pokémon reared its arm back, and Emmet decided that he wanted to survive this he had to move now.

Dropping to dive under and through the wild garchomp’s legs was possibly the scariest thing Emmet had ever done. This manoeuvre ensured he was out of the way from the oncoming talon; however, it opened him up to the mercy of garchomp’s tail. The appendage slammed into the same side he had been hit previously, this time with a sickening crack from within Emmet accompanying it. He likely would have gone flying as he had earlier if it weren’t for the garchomp quickly turning and catching his left bicep on its sharp talon, ripping his blue arm band and through both his coat and shirt sleeves.

Emmet fell to a knee, clutching his injured arm and struggling for air in his panic as the garchomp loomed over him. Hyperventilating wasn’t helping the sharp pain in his ribs, nor was it helping him think straight. He needed to think or he won’t make it out this alive and he’ll never find Ingo and then Indigo and Caboose will surely perish with him and—

A screech sounded off to their side, catching the giant garchomp’s attention. Emmet let out a hysterical laugh as the dragon type began charging towards the noise. He had almost died.

But then Emmet’s brain began to catch up, he knew what that screech was. With a new sense of dawning horror, the man watched as the garchomp prepared to attack his pokémon friends. His friends who were attempting to distract this pseudo legendary to save him. No, no that won’t do at all, they’ll be killed.

Emmet stood on shaky legs, still clutching his bleeding arm. This is a terrible idea, this raging garchomp will surely kill him. It already very nearly did if Indigo and Caboose hadn’t gained its attention. But he can’t let them suffer to protect him, with the murkrow being injured and the joltik being a baby and an electric type, they had no chance. Not that he did either. But it was Emmet’s fault they’re in this position to begin with. For getting them lost, and for practically screaming for wild pokémon attention when he got frustrated earlier. Emmet takes a deep breath and yells “Hey! Over here you overgrown fish!”

Emmet turned to run, but they didn’t compare this pokémon to jets for nothing. The garchomp had pounced onto his back in no time, crushing what little air he had out of his lungs. He managed to twist onto his back, with the half-baked idea to kick the giant dragon off him despite knowing it would be ineffective. No harm in trying at this point. Taking offence to the insistent kicking to its chest, the garchomp reared back before bringing down a talon in a back-handed motion across his right eye. Emmet screamed in pain and fear.

He could feel the leg spikes of the garchomp stabbing into his right shin. Why did Arceus design this fucker with so many sharp parts!? Another talon came down on his chest, stabbing slightly as it came to his waist, just above his right hip. Emmet saw with his good eye the garchomp open its mouth wide, ready to clamp down on his face. He could distantly hear his pokémon companions yelling off to the side somewhere to gain the garchomp’s attention once more, but the dragon ignored them.

This was it. Emmet was going to die, mauled and eaten by a rabid pokémon. And before he could find his brother. Without telling Elesa and his pokémon goodbye. Unable to tell his parents he loved them one last time. Leaving the two pokémon he was travelling with to a similar fate. Morbid as it was, he hoped the garchomp made it quick for them at least. Closing his eye, Emmet openly sobbed and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Why was nothing happening?

Hesitantly, Emmet opened his good eye and saw the garchomp had sat back, chewing. Had it taken a bite off Emmet and he was just in too much shock to feel it? No, he was pretty sure he would feel something like that. The Subway Boss let his head loll to the side in an attempt to catch sight of his pokémon friends but instead saw a large pink mass standing next to his head. Is that a blissey?

The pink pokémon seemed to say something stern to the garchomp, causing the previously murderous dragon to shrink back from her ire. Emmet felt the heavy weight of the dragon’s body lift off him, before it slowly slinked away. What.

The red-stained Subway Boss began to sit up, only to fall back down on his side. Everything hurt so much.

“Emmet,” a voice called through the haze. It sounded concerned, scared even. He’s not sure why, the monster is gone and Emmet is alive. He just needed to have a little nap and he’d be fine. “No, Emmet. You have to stay awake. Remember our first aid training. You are losing too much blood; you have to stay awake.”

Losing? He hadn’t lost it, its right here. On his clothes and the surrounding snow.

Oh.

Oh no that’s not good, is it?

But he was so tired. Everything hurt and the one eye he could open felt like it wanted to join the other in staying closed. Was the other eye even still there? Ah, probably not the most important thing right now. Imaginary Ingo was right, he needed to focus on staying conscious.

“Yes, you need to stay awake. Let’s focus on what’s around us to keep you grounded.”

Easier said than done, but Emmet will try. He could see Indigo flapping her wings in distress while crowing. She needed to stop that or she’ll hurt her wing more. He could see Caboose nervously jittering next to her, with Emmet’s hat nearby. It looked like the baby joltik had tried to return the hat to him in the hopes it would make Emmet better. He could see the blissey that saved him fussing over him. He’s not sure what exactly a wild blissey could do to save him, but she seemed set on doing something. He could also see she was missing her egg from her pouch.

“Their eggs have the ability to calm even the angriest of creatures when ingested. She shoved it into garchomp’s mouth as it was about to…” the imaginary Ingo trailed off briefly, then continuing in his usual bravado, “Now what do you hear?”

Ringing. His ears were ringing a lot. Dragons, I think I may throw up.

“Breathe, Em. We need to focus so you don’t reach the end of the line.”

How was he supposed to breathe when he was actively bleeding out in the middle of snowy nowhere with only pokémon to help? He could feel the panic building, yet he wanted to sleep. Maybe if he went to sleep, he would wake up and everything would be fine. Yes, his injuries probably weren’t that bad, he just needed rest. And the snow was verrry soft.

“Emmet no, you can’t, please!” Imaginary Ingo sounded like he was moments away from a full-blown panic himself.

Silly, imaginary Ingo, I’m just taking a nap. My engine needs a rest.

He didn’t feel so cold anymore.

Notes:

Sorry Emmy baby, it'll get better soon I swear.

Originally planned for an Ingo section this chapter, but it got too long for me so just assume he's leisurely making his way over to Jubilife while his brother gets mauled by an Alpha.

But hey, brief intro to Emmet's new nurse friend! He's probably gonna need that now huh...

Thanks again for reading!

Chapter 5

He woke back into consciousness with the room spinning. Like he was in a continuous free fall with no hope of slowing down. He felt heavy and disoriented.

No doubt his alarm would be sounding soon, but he didn’t care. The subway would have to wait until his brain stopped feeling like it was doing some sort of failed gymnastics within his skull.

“Emmet,” a distant voice calls to him; it sounds familiar and yet not quite right. As if the voice was the memory of how someone sounded in his head rather than the actual real voice of the person. “Emmet, I know you can hear me.”

Grumbling, Emmet turns his head away from the voice, making his head throb in dizzying waves. How much did he drink last night? Surely he hadn’t drunk on a work night, even if Elesa had begged him to ‘let loose’, and yet he felt hungover. Concerning that he couldn’t remember. A migraine perhaps? Regardless of the cause, it can be a problem for later. Emmet wanted to sleep for ten more minutes.

“Emmet, listen to me,” the voice calls to him more urgently this time, punctuating his words to portray the apparent severity, “You need to wake. Up. Now.”

Reality came crashing down on Emmet in that moment like a bucket of cold water, along with the crushing realisation of how much pain he was in. He had been attacked and mauled by a wild garchomp. He should be dead. And yet…

The injured Subway Boss forced himself with great effort to pry his eyes open. Or more accurately, his singular eye. He couldn’t tell if his right eye was stuck shut from dried blood, was blinded, or simply completely gone. Breathe; do not focus on that right now.

Easier said than done when almost all your senses were alight in white-hot pain. Emmet attempted to sit up slightly, using his right arm as support when it became apparent his left arm wouldn’t be holding any of his weight right now. This new position brought to light a whole new pain in Emmet’s right side, which began to insistently pulsate in time with his elevated heart rate. Against his better judgement, Emmet shifted his shredded, blood-stained, shirt to the side to view the cause.

Ah. Well.

That didn’t look good. Verrry bad in fact. No good at all.

A large gash ran the length of Emmet’s torso, starting just below his collarbone and trailing down towards his waist and finishing just above the hip. The slash also appeared to get deeper the further down it went, with the end of the wound being what caught the Subway Boss’s attention. The best way he could describe it was a hole. He vaguely recalled the garchomp stabbing him there with its talon after it slashed down his chest. Emmet could feel himself become faint at the sight, black spots dancing at the corners of his vision.

He throws the hand of his injured arm over his mouth, willing himself not to throw up. His other arm gives out and causes him to sprawl out across the snow again. Emmet doesn’t attempt to get up again, exhaustion and hysteria paralysing him.

“Come on, Emmet,” he could faintly hear imaginary Ingo call out to him, but with everything spinning and his ears ringing, it was hard to focus on his imaginary brother’s voice. He could feel the ration bar he ate earlier churn in his stomach, threatening to make a reappearance. “You can’t pass out here again. Get. Up.”

Emmet wanted to listen, he really did, but he was just so, so tired. A different kind of tired he had grown used to over these last few years. He thinks he may be dying.

He didn’t want to die. His pokémon and Ingo still needed him.

Movement to his left caught Emmet’s attention. Turning his head toward the motion, he caught sight of the blissey that saved them. She had come to stand over him after seeing his struggle, extending her arms over him with a bluish-green sparkling aura radiating from her hands and onto him. A feeling of calm rolled over the blood-stained Subway Boss, easing the tension in his muscles somewhat and providing some mild pain relief. Soft-boiled.

“It won’t heal you fully, especially without her egg,” imaginary Ingo sits next to the blissey, observing her work. “But it should patch you up enough to find the Pearl Clan and get proper medical attention. You still have that first aid kit, yes?”

“I think so--“ Emmet broke off in a wet-sounding cough, ribs flaring in angry pain. Ouch. The blissey glanced down towards him in question, but he didn’t have the energy to talk to imaginary Ingo with any subtlety right now. Clearing his throat, Emmet directs his next statement to the blissey in a choppy rasp, “I think-- I have a small first-aid kit. In my coat pocket. For the bleeding.”

Emmet felt something begin shuffling around in his right pocket that wasn’t the blissey, causing him to tense slightly. The logical side of his brain knew that whatever it was couldn’t be harmful, or the blissey would have reacted rather than continue her work. It was likely Indigo or Caboose. But the less logical side caused Emmet to freeze up, the side that is screaming for Emmet to run, hide, the garchomp has come back to finish the job. Starting in his pocket apparently. His unseeing right eye did not help ease this falsely acquired fear.

Finally, the scuffling ended with a triumphant sounding honk before a bundle of black feathers jumped over to his left side with a few flaps of its wings. Now that it had moved to the side of his good eye, Emmet could see the creature sifting through his large coat pockets had indeed been Indigo. She stood proudly with the first-aid kit between her beak, his conductor cap sitting awkwardly atop her own hat-like plumage. Caboose sat on the brim of his hat, chittering out as if directing the other pokémon, who appeared to be humouring the baby joltik. Looking back at Indigo, the injured man noticed the dark-type bird was not in the same state she was in prior to Emmet passing out. Her injured wing no longer sported the bandage, and while it still had a minimal droop, it looked to be sitting where it should to the unknowing eye.

The blissey had helped Indigo’s sprained wing, good. Emmet felt a breath of relief escape his lungs, albeit painfully. Now that she can fly again, she won’t have to get lost with him again. She can be free again, free from the never-ending suffering that seemed to follow Emmet.

“Stop it. Thinking like that won’t help anything. Check safety.”

Right, no time for those thoughts right now. He must focus on his safety checks to prevent further derailment.

Emmet heaves out a sigh in mental preparation for attempting to sit up again. Blissey’s soft-boiled made it possible to reposition himself against the cliff wall without collapsing, passing out, or throwing up. The injured man silently celebrated the small victory in his head, while imaginary Ingo more openly called out his praise that only Emmet could hear, “Bravo!”

The Subway Boss reassessed his injuries now that the soft-boiled had taken effect. The two puncture wounds on his shin had stopped bleeding, although they were yet to scab over. They would need to be bandaged to prevent bleeding starting up again and to ward off infection. The gash on his arm is now closed over into an angry, red-looking scar, the scar-tissue dipping half an inch from the surrounding skin. A large purple bruise covered nearly his whole right-side ribcage, becoming more of a constant but bearable ache rather than searing spasming with every breath he took. The slash down his chest had scabbed over, but the hole above his hip was still present. Thankfully, the bleeding had slowed enough to not be immediately life-threatening, so long as he applied a dressing to it soon. He still couldn’t see out of his right eye.

“Okay,” words came out easier than before, no longer feeling like he was choking on each word. His injured ribs still throbbed with each syllable, but Emmet always had a higher pain tolerance and could mostly ignore it aside from the occasional wince. He aimed a reassuring smile towards his murkrow friend. “Indigo, could you please pass me the kit?”

Before she could deposit the first-aid kit into his awaiting hand, blissey intercepted and began pulling out the bandages herself. Emmet let out a surprised ‘oh’ but decided to allow the happiness pokémon to complete her work. She may be wild, but her instincts seem to have a better grasp on what to do as opposed to Emmet’s basic first aid training. Not that his training was inadequate, no no, quite the contrary. All employees at the Nimbasa City Subway were required to undergo first aid training every year. But admittedly, administering this type of care on himself would prove rather arduous.

Blissey had applied a firm layer around his shin and a much thicker layer around his waist. She led the bandage around his waist across his right shoulder, covering his scabbed chest in case they opened again. Emmet appreciated the foresight; he likely wouldn’t have considered the cut reopening until he stretched wrong and was covered in blood again. She pulled out another bandage; he assumed it was for his arm as a similar precaution until she began towards his face. Oh, so it’s that bad.

Emmet was still too scared to know how his face looked, so he dared not ask any of the pokémon. It wouldn’t do him any good knowing if the eye was missing or if it had a giant ga—no. We are not thinking about that. No matter the issue with his eye, he can’t fix it right now anyway. So long as Ingo could still recognise him when they reunite, it’ll be fine.

“I guess this makes me, officially, the hot twin.”

Emmet lets out a surprised yet disbelieving snort. The younger twin had always argued he was the ‘hot’ twin, despite Ingo regularly reminding him they literally have the same face. The black-clad twin was kind enough not to mention the yearly polls held by Unovian Press that ranked Ingo as the hottest celeb, thus the ‘hotter’ twin. He throws a self-assured smile towards his imaginary brother, “In your dreams.”

“So, where will we be departing?” imaginary Ingo stood behind the blissey as she helped Emmet to his feet. The apparition stroked his chin in thoughtful contemplation. “We still don’t know where the Pearl Settlement is, but it’s likely in the complete opposite direction we have been making tracks.”

Despite imaginary Ingo being a figment of his own thoughts, Emmet could feel the unspoken smugness of ‘I told you so’ that often would radiate from the real Ingo when he would win their minor disputes. Verrrry annoying. “Or. We divert back the way we came towards the cave, like I had said earlier. It will get us out of the cold and hopefully give us a better chance at finding help.”

Emmet weighed his options. Sure, the pearl clan may be the closest settlement, but this snow was going to make it difficult to get there, especially with his current injuries. The extreme cold would likely give him hypothermia, which he surely wouldn’t survive in this state, especially with his clothes now being torn as they were. He’s lucky he hadn’t turned into a popsicle before the attack. Speaking of the attack, that garchomp may come back for a second round. He knows blissey eggs can pacify any being, but he had never read into how long the effects last.

 They have to head back; it was the safest option. Their chances of finding someone who could help were likely higher away from the freezing snowfall. Who knows, maybe they’ll run into that strange Volo guy again. He would probably have more medical supplies Emmet could use and maybe help him find a human doctor.

The Subway Boss breathed out a quiet ‘okay’ as he tested taking a step. Still standing. Good. Another step. Perfect.

Well, not perfect, quite wobbly in fact. But he was just grateful he could walk at all, considering. His leg certainly protested the action, but if the formerly white-clad man found some sort of stick for support and favoured his left leg, he’d be okay.

He had to be.

“Remember to smile, Em.”

Indigo carefully flapped her way onto the injured man’s shoulder, placing his conductor hat, which still contained a now sleepy Caboose, upon his head. Emmet called out a rather weak “All aboard” before noticing the wild blissey come stand at his side, providing him the much-needed support to his own standing endeavours.

“Oh,” the Subway Boss turned a soft smile towards the pink pokémon, “are you coming with us?”

Blissey belted happily at him in confirmation. “Thank you, for your help and continued support of my cabin. May I give a nickname? To differentiate you from other blissey.”

The happiness pokémon presented Emmet with a large smile, giving the man no choice but to mirror it. He considered a few names. Something egg-related perhaps? Like Omelette or Scrambles?

“They’re cute, but it may make her sad since she no longer has her egg. Blissey are quite attached to their eggs.”

Ah yes, how inconsiderate of Emmet.

“What do you think of Band-aid?”

 

---

 

Warden Ingo sat cross-legged on his bedroll within his accommodations at Jubilife Village, tapping his fingers on his bouncing knee. He hated being idle, but Captain Zisu had banned him from the training grounds upon his arrival to ensure he rested after his journey from the Coronet Highlands. His engine felt plenty rested; however, she had deemed him unfit to train until he got some ‘shut-eye’.

The security corps captain had very sweetly smiled at the warden as she threatened to throw him over her shoulder and force him to sleep, adding that she’d tie him down if she had to. Ingo shudders at the image. Being carried across the village like cargo would be very embarrassing.

The black-coated man groans as he dramatically throws his arms out and falls backwards onto his bedroll. Zisu had said he had to rest for an hour. One whole hour! It had barely been fifteen minutes so far!

Ingo had stopped by Akari’s cabin, just in case she had quickly detoured by Jubilife Village before heading off with Volo, but no such luck. It was hardly surprising, however. The young girl spent most of her time away from the village, usually out on a survey expedition or staying with Ingo at either Sneasler’s cave or the Pearl Settlement.

A thin layer of dust gave away her lack of presence in her accommodations, with only a few personal items scattered throughout. Ingo had even considered cleaning the room for her, just to have something to keep him busy for the next hour and avoid his forced break. He only decided against it at the risk of facing Akari’s teenage wrath if he touched something he wasn’t supposed to. She was a kind, caring, and sweet kid, but teenage angst was not something to be trifled with.

Ingo sat up from his bedroll again as a new idea to pass the time struck him. If he was verrrry careful, maybe he could make it to the pastures to play with train the many pokémon Akari has caught without being caught himself by Captain Zisu.

The warden shot up and made for the door, awkwardly hopping as he pulled his shoes back on. Sliding the cabin door open, he looked left and right, and then left again as a sense of giddiness washed over him. Coast is clear. Destination set, train now departing!

Once upon a time, thoughts like that would confuse the amnesic man and cause him to derail for several days. Strange terms had always come forth in his vocabulary and thoughts as if they were second nature, as natural as the sun. He wasn’t sure what a train was, but it felt familiar and safe. He’d have to ask Akari if she knew what it was when he saw her next.

Since meeting Akari, he had learnt to embrace these subconscious memories, the two of them theorising what they could mean. The teen would attempt to fill the gaps where she could with her knowledge of the future. The Emmet memory was the first time he had turned her down.

Being only fifteen meant that there were still many things about the world she didn’t know, as much as she insisted to the contrary, which left him with many blanks as to where he came from still. But it was better than before. They had worked out he likely came from some point in the future, just as she did, and likely a different region since he recalled nothing about modern Sinnoh. Which is apparently Hisui.

Those discoveries were a lot to digest.

After some careful creeping through the village, Ingo finally made it to the pastures where the survey team’s pokémon resided. A good 85 percent of them were caught by Akari. He felt pride bubble within his chest.

Jumping the fence in one smooth motion, the man made his way over to a group of machop and machoke who eagerly greeted him. Ingo enjoyed the company of the machop line; they were a happy and curious bunch, only rightfully attacking when actively threatened. The curiosity of his own machamp, Knuckle, is what led to the warden catching him as a young machop. The fighting type had followed him all the way from the Icelands to the Highlands, hugging onto his leg as he walked and inquisitively tugging at his beard when he sat down.

Warden Ingo released Knuckle from his pokéball, the machamp immediately flexing to show off to the awestruck pre-evolutions. The machops quickly decided to test how much weight Knuckle could carry, bringing him various objects before climbing into his arms themselves.

Huffing out an amused puff of air, Ingo sat to watch the pokémon, stretching his legs out in front of himself. A machop came to sit on his lap, taking hold of his hand and manoeuvring his fingers in playful investigation. He closed his eyes and raised his face towards the sky. Now this was relaxing for Ingo.

“Warden Ingo.”

The man in question immediately stood to attention, machop clinging to his tunic. “Nothing!”

Captain Cyllene stood on the other side of the fence with an unimpressed raise of her brow, taking in the man’s guilty demeanour. “I hadn’t accused you of anything; however, I am curious as to why you are acting like a child who just got caught with their hand in a cookie jar.”

“My apologies, Captain Cyllene,” Ingo let out an embarrassed chuckle while rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, “I thought you were Captain Zisu.”

“Would that be a problem?”

“Ah, no! Not at all!” Ingo shifted his weight awkwardly before tipping his hat down in shame. “It’s just she had very clearly instructed that I must rest my engine before assisting with recruit training.”

“I see.” The stern-looking woman continued to glare towards the equally stern-looking man. Although, given his current sheepish shuffling and the machop hanging from his front, he imagined he likely didn’t come across all that intimidating at the moment. Ingo absently wondered if people misunderstood the survey captain’s true emotions as they do him.  

After far too much staring for Ingo’s liking, Cyllene released a decisive hum, “You look perfectly rested to me. Tell Captain Zisu that Commander Kamado has cleared you for immediate duty.”

“Oh,” Ingo blinked in shock as Cyllene quickly turned and began to make her way back to the Galaxy Hall. He called out, perhaps a little too loud, “Th- Thank you, Captain, I appreciate it!”

“Don’t mention it. These new recruits are in desperate need of training. Good luck, Warden.”

Ah. That doesn’t sound promising.

Ingo feels he may soon regret his eagerness to train these recruits.

Notes:

Am I posting this at 1am even tho tomorrow is Christmas Day? Maybe.

I'll be honest, I had the least amount of planning for this chapter so it took a wee bit longer, but we got there in the end.

Ingo's machamp being nicknamed Knuckle comes from the joints used to connect two train cars. I thought it fit well for a fighting type.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!

Chapter 6

Notes:

Did I get home from a NYE party and decide to edit and post this chapter?

Maybe.

Left foot.

Right foot.

Left, right, left…

Walking was haaard, but Emmet could not give up. Ingo is out here somewhere, and he’s counting on his little brother to find him. Emmet had to keep going.

Left foot, right foot, one after the other…

It had been nearly five years, however. Nearly five years, and no one has heard anything from the older twin. Except maybe that Volo guy, but Emmet didn’t really trust the blonde man.

What if Ingo had been attacked by some frenzied wild pokémon just as Emmet had? The white-clad Subway Boss has only been here a few days and has already been mauled nearly to death; what’s to say Ingo hadn’t met a similar fate with a less fortunate outcome? The only thing that saved Emmet was—

Emmet shook his head. Nope, not going along with that train of thought. Keep walking.

Left. Right.

Left, right—

“You know, it’s okay to take a break, Em.” Imaginary Ingo appeared, slowly walking alongside Emmet and his blissey crutch, arms folded behind his back. For an imaginary face, he displayed the concerned features of the real Ingo well. “Delays are to be expected when your cabin is like this.”

“Pfft, maybe for you.” Emmet scoffed at his imaginary brother with a teasing smirk, raising his chin in mock arrogance. “My lines run at a ninety-nine percent efficiency.”

Imaginary Ingo’s eye twitched, taking the bait. “My ninety-eight percent efficiency was your fault, and you know it!”

Emmet let out a slight snicker as he watched the black-clad apparition cross his arms and shoot him a glare. “Do not blame others for your own failures, brother.”

“It was your joltik that caused the power surge and made us close down the lines! Only my lines, mind you. The lines you were overseeing that day remained conveniently unaffected.”

“Coincidence.”

It’s true. Emmet had sabotaged the train lines Ingo had been in charge of operating that day by siccing his joltik on them. It had been a slow night with not many passengers around for the prank to affect. It came after a minor spat where Ingo had insinuated Emmet’s scheduling of the train timetables were inferior to his own. He knew the older twin was only riling him up, but Emmet had silently sworn revenge and immediately began plotting. The black-clad Subway Boss can’t make such claims if his own trains aren’t keeping to the schedule.

The white-clad twin was sure to compensate the few passengers that were affected by his antics with fully funded train fares and a baby joltik to the ones he and Lady Doodlebug took a liking to.

With the huffing Imaginary Ingo sufficiently distracted, Emmet turned his attention towards Band-Aid. She had been watching him curiously as he spoke to seemingly no one, likely debating whether she had missed a more traumatic head wound resulting in hallucinations. He supposed he was hallucinating in a way; Imaginary Ingo was rather vivid, and Emmet did not consciously conjure him, but it certainly wasn’t a new development. Nothing to worry about, nope!

He should probably come clean and let the pokémon know he’s not crazy. Well okay, not completely crazy at least. Pokémon are generally more accepting than humans are. Emmet lets out a puff of air as he considers how to explain himself. A part of him debates playing it off like he would with Elesa when she’d catch him talking to Imaginary Ingo.

No. He doesn’t want to cause unnecessary concern for the pokémon. He’s done that enough already.

“I am Emmet. I speak to an imaginary version of my brother only I can see. He is not real; I know he is not real. But it makes it easier to cope with Ingo, the real Ingo, being gone. Makes it hurt a little less.” The Subway Boss takes a shaky breath, willing his voice to remain steady. “I know Imaginary Ingo is not my brother; he is technically me. A figment of my own thoughts mixed with how I remember my brother. But I care for him, all the same.”

Band-aid gently guided Emmet towards a snowy rock, easing him down to sit after Indigo brushed it free from the damp snow. Emmet didn’t want to rest his engines; he wasn’t certain he’d be able to get back up if he stopped now.

He slouched where he sat, refusing to meet his companions’ gazes. They must think him insane, sitting him down to check for some sort of missed head wound. They’ll probably want to leave in order to save themselves the trouble of taking care of some deranged human they just met.

A soft coo pulled Emmet from his thoughts, a pink, nubby hand grabbing onto his own in comfort. This is it; this is where the blissey diverts tracks from him and takes Indigo and Caboose with her for their own safety. The Subway Boss forces himself to look at Band-aid’s face, expecting a cold, harsh judgement written across her features. Instead, he finds her looking at him with such understanding that Emmet almost thought he was imagining that too.

Her acceptance of his maladaptive coping mechanism almost made Emmet tear up. Indigo sat upon Band-aid’s head with a similar look of sympathetic understanding reflected in her expressive eyes while maintaining the frown on her beak. Caboose had skittered out from under his coat collar and appeared to be greeting the empty air next to Emmet.

A fond chuckle sounded from the opposite side as Caboose had been waving his little appendages. “Yes, hello to you too, Caboose.”

“Imaginary Ingo says, ‘Hello Caboose,’” Emmet smiles down at the baby joltik, as he points to his other side, “and he is standing over there.”

Band-aid and Indigo joined in with Caboose’s eager greetings to the subway twin they could not see. Imaginary Ingo, to Emmet, visibly preened at the attention. Affection blooms within Emmet’s chest as he watches them. “Thank you. All of you. For understanding. I know it is a lot to accept.”

Band-aid simply responds by gently wrapping her arms around his waist, careful of his injuries. Indigo flaps over to his other shoulder as she and Caboose nestle into his neck while Imaginary Ingo hugs him from behind, and wow. Emmet finally felt those tears he had tried to hold back break forth. He had really needed this, huh?

It felt as if a dam had broken within Emmet as tears flowed freely from his uninjured eye. The stress, fear and pain of the past few days finally catching up to him.

They remained huddled in their hug for a few moments before Emmet decided they should keep moving or risk his body refusing to get up at all. He wiped his face clean of tears as he stood, with much assistance from Band-aid. The sound of crunching snow alerted the group to something approaching. Emmet freezes, fear paralysing him.

“Well, well, if it isn’t my displaced friend. You’re looking rather worse for wear; did the Pearls think you were a zoroark?” The blonde merchant approached from Emmet’s right, startling the injured man out of his stupor. Volo tuts his tongue in sympathy, but the Subway Master couldn’t help but feel it was insincere. “I feared this might happen. With all the vengeful zoroark around the Icelands, they probably assumed you were impersonating one of their own. Such a shame.”

Emmet shifted uncomfortably under the younger man’s gaze. He didn’t like how Volo implied he expected them to be attacked, even if it wasn’t by the garchomp. “We did not make it to the Pearl Settlement. Our tracks were diverted. We were attacked by a wild garchomp.”

“A garchomp?” Volo’s eyes widen in shock, mouth slightly agape. It was perhaps the first genuine emotion Emmet had seen on the merchant. “How did you survive a garchomp attack? Why were you even in their territory? They live in the complete opposite direction!”

Emmet didn’t particularly want to explain to the strange man how he held the map the wrong way, a mistake that nearly cost him and his pokémon companions their lives. May still cost his own life if he doesn’t receive further treatment. But hiding information to save his own shattered ego won’t help anything. Emmet tugged his cap down in embarrassment as he replied, shielding his face. “I am Emmet. I read the map wrong.”

“Yes, I know you’re—” Volo cuts himself off with a shake of his head, as if clearing his thoughts from his confused state. The merchant appeared to compose himself, a smile slinking onto his lips while his eyes pierced into Emmet’s soul. “Regardless, it’s a good thing I ran into you again, friend. Perhaps you and I should stick together. I can help treat your injuries, and in turn you can help me find some rare items I’m in search of.”

Emmet felt himself scrunch his face when the blonde man referred to him as ‘friend’ but quickly schooled his expression back into a polite smile. Not the time to be antagonising the man who could help with his wounds. He didn’t care for how Volo made it sound conditional, however.

“What kind of ‘friend’ makes getting medical attention an ultimatum?”

But what choice did he have? Yes, helping Volo find whatever it is he’s looking for would slow his own efforts in finding Ingo, but he certainly won’t find Ingo if he’s dead. Well, not unless Ingo is dead too. Which he’s not. Emmet will not accept that possibility.

Just as the injured man opened his mouth to reply, a voice in the distance cuts in. “Volo! Volo, are you here?”

“Akari…” The blonde merchant mutters to himself about terrible timing before raising his voice to call back. “Over here, miss Akari!”

“Sorry Volo, the snow started to clear and the tornadus flew away—” a young girl came running over, stopping dead with a gasp when catching sight of Emmet. He supposed he must look quite horrific, straight from the horror movies cousin Iris loved so much. Much too confronting for a child to see for real. The teen quickly recovered from her initial shock, jogging her way over to Emmet and clutching his hands. “Uncle Ingo, oh my gosh, what happened? Are you okay, who are these pokémon--”

“Miss Akari, you should give our friend some space.”

Emmet felt as if his brain was imploding. Too much information and too many sensations were invading him, and yet all he could focus on was the one word from the slate-haired girl. Her touch felt like fire and yet—

Ingo. She had called him Ingo. She knows Ingo.

Too bad Emmet couldn’t seem to breathe, blood rushing in his ears and the world spinning. He tried to speak, ask the girl how she knew Ingo, where was he, but all he could produce was a strangled sound. His heart thrummed in his chest while his hands and feet felt prickly.

Emmet stared at the girl, who seemed to have the answers he needed, if he could just breathe and ask her, as his vision began to narrow and the world tilted sideways. Then darkness.

 

---

 

Emmet could hear voices as he slowly came back into awareness. He groans as he brings a hand up to rub his face. Pain erupted from his eye. Ah yes, how could he forget? Do not touch the right side. He felt Band-aid lightly touch his right cheek and the pain soothed slightly.

“He’s awake!”

Prying open his good left eye, Emmet saw the young girl from earlier leaning over him with an excitable expression. He swears he’d seen her face somewhere, but cannot quite place where with his foggy mind.

“Where—” Emmet clears his dry throat as the teen, Akari, hands him a cup of water. “Where are we?”

“After you passed out, we brought you and your pokémon to the Galaxy Base Camp.” The young girl wrings her hands nervously before continuing. “I’m sorry I overwhelmed you. I thought you were someone else and got scared. I didn’t mean to scare you too.”

“It’s quite alright,” Emmet gives her a more reassuring smile despite not feeling overly assured himself. She seems like a sweet kid, and certainly meant no harm. “It is not your fault my brain decided to derail.”

Akari stared at him for a moment, as if considering his words. She then seemed to shift her gaze upon his hat and then his coat. Before he could ask the teen what she was looking at, she spoke. “Hey, don’t freak out when I ask you this, okay?”

An odd request to ask a stranger, one that Emmet couldn’t agree to without knowing what she was going to say, but nodded his confirmation anyway.

“Do you know a man named Ingo?”

Emmet felt his heart jump to his throat as she continued. “He wears a similar hat and coat to you, only they’re black. He also looks just like you, from what I can tell. Like identical.”

His voice came out barely above a whisper. “Ingo is my twin brother. I have been searching for him. For a verrry long time.”

The teenage girl let out a squeal, jumping up from where she was seated and pumping her fists into the air. “I knew it, I just knew it!”

The girl quickly sat back down next to the bedroll Emmet was laid out upon, reaching for his hands before quickly deciding against it and pulling back. Emmet was grateful for her respect towards his personal space. “Is your name Emmet?”

Emmet manages to pull himself into a sitting position with a wide grin. He couldn’t help but share her giddiness at the information coming to light. She knows Ingo! And Ingo talks about him still! “Yup! I am Emmet!”

“Oh my gosh, this is perfect! I can take you back to Jubilife Village so you can get proper medical help and—"

“Village?” Emmet cuts the girl off, uncertainty overtaking his previous elation. “You are mistaken, Jubilife is a city. A verrrry large city. In the Sinnoh region.”

“Oh my gosh, of course, if you’re Ingo’s brother then you’d be a Skyfaller too!”

Emmet paused with a slight waver to his smile, furrowing his brow in confusion. “…a what?”

“You’re in ancient Sinnoh!” The teen excitedly threw he arms out wide for dramatic flare, causing Emmet to shift back slightly. Taking note of his unease, Akari lowers her arms while still smiling brightly at the older man. “You got sent back in time just like me and uncle Ingo!”

Emmet blinks at the girl dumbfounded. Right, yes.

Okay.

Of course.

Storing that information away to panic about later. For now, this girl knows where Ingo is. And calls him uncle apparently.

Does that make Emmet an uncle too? But they don’t have any other sibling and the girl certainly wasn’t his child. He’s pretty sure he’d remember that, yup!

“Breathe, Em.”

Yes, breathing. Breathing was good.

“Akari, dear girl,” a man wearing a lab coat and a verrry odd looking purple hat entered the tent, “try not to overwhelm the poor man again.”

“Sorry…” The girl looked sheepish as she arose to speak to the newcomer. “But he knows uncle Ingo! They’re twins, and he’s been searching for uncle Ingo for a long time.”

“I see.” The man with the weird purple hat appeared to perk up at the information, though much more composed than the young girl. “That’s jolly good! Ingo will be ecstatic! We ought to help him to Jubilife village then.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“Ah, but miss Akari,” the familiar voice of Volo sounded from Emmet’s right, though slightly strained. He hadn’t realised the blonde man was even in the room, he had been so unusually quiet. “What about our mission? We must find all eighteen plates still.”

Plates…are they the rare items Volo had asked Emmet to help him find earlier? What’s so important about some plates? They’re not that rare, many trainers give them to their pokémon to hold. Why did this man think they were more important than Emmet reuniting with his long-lost twin and receiving medical aid?

“I’m sorry, Volo.” Akari looked towards her tall friend, genuine regret clear on her face. “But I need to help mister Emmet find uncle Ingo. Ingo has been waiting a long time for something like this. I promise I’ll come back and continue our search once they’re together again.”

Volo regarded the young girl, a brief look of annoyance flashing across his face before settling on a calm and collected smile. Judging by the lack of reaction from the other two, Emmet doesn’t think they noticed the merchant’s irritation.

“You guys go on ahead,” Volo smiled warmly at them with a wave, but it left Emmet feeling cold, “I have some business to attend at the Pearl Clan first.”

Emmet felt his good eye twitch as he fought off the frown that attempted to invade his lips. Is this guy for real? Now he wants to go to the Pearl Settlement? Where was this business he had with the settlement when Emmet was looking for the place? He had been so clearly lost and ill-prepared for the perils of this ancient Sinnoh!

Emmet heard Imaginary Ingo mutter a few choice names towards the blonde merchant, ones the white-clad man whole-heartedly agreed with. Even Indigo seemed to be bristling her feathers at the man from her perch on Emmet’s shoulder, eyes narrow.

As Akari chatted her farewells with Volo, the older man in the strange purple hat approached Emmet. The man had kind eyes which helped the Subway Master relax slightly, but the man seemed much more interested in Emmet’s pokémon companions. Particularly Caboose.

“If you don’t mind me asking, but who and what is that little fellow crawling all over you?”

Emmet glanced towards Caboose, giving him a small scratch atop his head before turning back to the still unknown man. If this is truly ancient Sinnoh, how much information should he be sharing?

“Surely telling him about joltik won’t cause any harm.”

True, it’s not as if joltik were a rare species of pokémon anyway. No hard-won knowledge behind them. “This is a joltik. Native to Unova. Electric bug type. This one is named Caboose.”

The purple-hat man appeared exhilarated by the information, pulling out a little note book from his coat pocket and eagerly jotting down notes. “Fascinating! What else can you tell me about joltik? What moves can they learn, do they evolve—”

Emmet cleared his throat to gain the preoccupied man’s attention, “I am Emmet. I am sorry. I do not believe I caught your name, sir.”

The older man looked slightly startled for a moment before sheepishly rubbing the back of his beanie covered head. “My apologies, dear boy, I got ahead of myself. My name is Professor Laventon. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

The white-clad man blinked dumbly. Okay, wow. More surprises. Emmet certainly never expected he’d ever meet the Professor Laventon, inventor of the pokéball and developer of one of the first pokédex. Mostly because the man had been dead for nearly 200 years. “I…see.”

If the professor was bothered by Emmet’s odd response, he didn’t show it. Rather, he offered a hand to the younger man to help him stand. Emmet took it, slowly making his way up while Band-aid took her place on his other side to provide extra assistance.

“It’s truly incredible you survived such an attack, dear boy.” Laventon looked over Emmet with a sympathetic grimace, lightly patting the hand he still held before letting go. “Thanks to your blissey and our medic, you should be stable enough to travel to Jubilife Village. So long as we’re careful.”

“We’re always careful.” Akari chose that moment to jump back into their conversation. Somehow Emmet doubted the statement. “Besides, I can just call on the nobles to help him through. Shame we can’t all fit-on Lord Braviary, but Lord Wyrdeer could carry mister Emmet so he doesn’t strain himself!”

Emmet wasn’t sure what a wyrdeer was, nor why it, along with a braviary, were called lords. At this point he was too exhausted and confused to ask. Instead, he grins at the teen and professor.

“Well then. Safety checks complete. Follow the rules, safe driving. Everybody smile! All aboard!”

His heart clenched when Akari joined in with an enthusiastic bellow of the last line.

There’s no denying she really does know Ingo.

And they’ll be together again soon. A two-car train.

 

---

 

Warden Ingo wiped off the sweat that had formed on his forehead with the crook of his arm. Those recruits really were exhausting. They barely knew how to hold a pokéball, let alone command a pokémon.

To make matters worse, Captain Zisu had not been too pleased by Ingo’s apparent disregard of her command to get some rest. While she did not argue when the warden had told her the Galaxy Commander himself had insisted Ingo start the training, she did not seem to believe the claim either. Instead, she used the opportunity to exact her revenge on the lying man.

She had told the recruits to run laps of the village with their partner pokémon with the explanation that it would build the bond between partners. As the young recruits began to jog off with echoed groans, Ingo wandered over to stand next to the Survey Corps Captain, arms folded behind his back.

“And what do you think you’re doing, warden?”

Ingo had stared at her in utter confusion. Had he forgotten something? He could be quite forgetful sometimes, likely due to his amnesia. “Pardon?”

“Why aren’t you running with the recruits?” Her eyes sparkled in mischievous joy, “Get going, warden.”

“You cannot be serious,” Ingo had sputtered out, “I’m not the one who requires training!”

“The recruits won’t take the exercise seriously if one of us don’t join.” Zisu narrowed her eyes at the shorter man, smug smirk playing on her lips. “And you’re the one Commander Kamado cleared ‘fit for duty’. If you’re so well rested, then you should have no problems running with the recruits.”

Warden Ingo, of course, could not argue with the logic or else risk outing his and Captain Cyllene’s white lie. And that is how he found himself sitting on the steps outside his accommodation, struggling to catch his breath and fanning himself with his hat.

“Remind me,” he panted heavily to a much less exhausted Victory, who was lounging happily across his lap, “to never mess with Captain Zisu again.”

“Excuse me, Warden Ingo?” A voice pulled Ingo from his fatigued haze as Victory pinned his ears back with a warning growl, prepared to protect Ingo while he was in an exhausted and vulnerable state.

“Easy Victory.” Ingo soothed the gliscor, placing a calming hand atop his head. Victory grumbled as he reluctantly placed his head back onto the warden’s lap. “What can I do for you, recruit?”

The young man eyed Victory warily, taking a small step away from the pair. “I was asked to pass on a message to you. You are required back to the Pearl Settlement, ASAP.”

The black-clad warden furrowed his brows as his frown deepened. “Did they say what it was in regards to?”

“I’m not sure, sir.” The poor young man looked like he wanted to be anywhere else. Ingo idly wondered what bet he had lost to be the one chosen to approach him. New recruits were often intimidated by Ingo and his pokémon team, as many were upon first meeting him. The recruit managed to find the courage to continue his message. “But they said it was urgent and required all Pearl wardens present.”

Ingo took pity on the poor recruit and dismissed him after thanking him for the message. The warden hummed in thought as the young man practically ran away. What could be so urgent that requires him and all the other wardens to return to the Pearls immediately?

A shame really, he had only just arrived at Jubilife Village. He had hoped to meet up with Akari here soon, too. He hadn’t even had a chance to eat some fresh potato mochi from the Wallflower.

Oh well, duty calls.

Warden Ingo arose from where he sat on the stairs, brushing off his clothes and causing Victory to grumble at being removed from his lap.

He grabs the satchel he had yet to unpack and prepared for an even longer hike to the Alabaster Icelands.

Notes:

And so Emmet meets (his niece) Akari and prepares to head for Jubilife!

Too bad Ingo won't be there, huh?

Thanks again for reading and Happy New Years everyone!

Chapter 7

Riding on this strange stantler-esc pokémon was not how Emmet envisioned his spontaneous journey going, yet here he was.

As confused as he was by this so-called ‘Lord Wyrdeer,’ he was certainly grateful for it taking him on as cargo so they could keep to a decent schedule without Emmet slowing the group down. Even if it was slightly uncomfortable on the lord’s back. Emmet wondered if saddles had been invented yet. Maybe he should stretch his legs soon, stop the pins and needles forming in his backside from spreading.

Akari and Laventon had explained to Emmet about the Lords and Ladies of Hisui, along with their wardens. Apparently, Ingo now acted as a warden for a pokémon known as ‘Lady Sneasler’ and often resided at Mount Coronet with her and her kits. Or the Coronet Highlands, as it is evidently known as now. Back then?

This time travel business was verrrry confusing.

It eased some of Emmet’s stress knowing his brother found a purpose despite being thrown into the past and didn’t wallow in misery from being separated from his twin as Emmet had. Ingo had always been the more emotionally mature one. His anchor.

The younger twin had never possessed the same skill towards social situations as Ingo. When they were kids, it was the black-clad twin who would do the talking for both of them, while Emmet would shyly smile as he peered over Ingo’s shoulder. Emmet would rather speak with his hands as a child, but until they met Elesa, most people outside Ingo and their family didn’t understand the gestures.

Emmet hated the burden it placed on Ingo. So, he practiced and prepared some pre-scripted dialogues with the help of Uncle Draydon to surprise Ingo and their parents. By the time they left for their pokémon journey at sixteen, he was able to hold conversations and make small talk with most strangers, although he still depended heavily on Ingo as a buffer. Even now, or at least before Ingo had disappeared, Emmet had mostly relied on Ingo to do most of the talking. If the conversation wasn’t about trains, pokémon, battles, or joltik breeding, Emmet struggled with knowing what to say. People were unpredictable and often made it hard to keep to a pre-planned script as an adult.

Akari and Professor Laventon were easier to talk to than most strangers. The professor mostly discussed pokémon and asked Emmet about Caboose, which he was more than happy to talk about. Akari, on the other hand, spoke a million miles per minute, a trait that usually made the Subway Boss uncomfortable, but in this instance, he found himself amused by the young teen. The slate-haired girl would join in the conversation about pokémon while also happily chatting about her ‘uncle’ Ingo.

“So, you say you and your brother battle pokémon together, as in on the same team?” Laventon eagerly jotted down in his notepad, almost unblinking as he stared down at the pages in excitement. Band-aid fretted next to the distracted man, ensuring he didn’t walk into or trip over anything. “And on steam trains? How on earth does that work?”

“No, no, they are subway trains. I cannot go into more detail since they do not exist yet. As much as I would like to.” Emmet chuckled at the other man’s thirst for knowledge, but he didn’t think it was a good idea to give too much of the future away in case those time travel movies Elesa made him watch were true. “And yup! Multi-battles are quite common in the future. In Unova we even have triple battles where trainers utilise three pokémon on the field. I am Emmet, and I specialise in double battles. I like the combination between two pokémon.”

“And you like winning more than anything else!” Akari cut in, face beaming with the look as if she had proved some sort of point to herself. Emmet let out a slightly startled yet thrilled sound of confirmation as the teen continued. “Uncle Ingo said you love to win. We should have a battle sometime! I haven’t done a proper doubles battle since I arrived in Hisui.”

Emmet preened slightly at the knowledge that his brother apparently speaks highly of him to his new friends, and their niece has clearly taken a shine to Emmet through the stories. Is it too premature to think of her as his niece too? Ah well, he trusted Ingo’s judgement in the matter, and the white-clad man has rather taken a shine to the girl. “I would enjoy that verrrry much, Miss Akari! Unfortunately, I do not have any of my team with me.”

“Wait, do you mean to say those three aren’t your pokémon?” The Professor’s gaze raised from his notes, glancing towards Caboose, who was climbing on Lord Wyrdeer’s antlers.

“Ah,” Emmet turned his head to look at Indigo, who was perched on his left shoulder, giving her a slight scratch under the chin, “Well, not Indigo and Band-aid. Caboose’s pokéball is back in my apartment, along with his siblings’.”

“By Jove! They’re wild and yet so friendly towards you?”

Emmet gave a helpless shrug, causing Indigo to flap up to his head and nudge off his hat. Understanding her hint, Emmet places his hat crookedly atop her own hat-like plumage as she nestled into his hair. “Most of them have not been, I assure you.”

“Oh, oh!” Akari began fishing around in her satchel for a moment before pulling out two wooden pokéballs. “Here, I have some spare pokéballs you can use to catch them!”

“Wow, those look olllld.” Emmet stared at the wooden pokéballs in amazement. He never thought he would see the original design pokéball outside a museum, and certainly not one so decidedly not old. But he’s sure Akari knew what he meant, judging by her cheeky grin. “I appreciate the offer, Miss Akari. But I can only accept if Indigo and Band-aid agree. It would be a biiig change for them.”

The Subway boss hadn’t even needed to officially ask, with Indigo already eagerly flapping down to the teen girl’s arm to keenly nudge the hand holding the ball towards Emmet. Band-aid displayed a similar eagerness as she bounded over towards the two humans, chanting happily.

Emmet began to chuckle fondly at the pair but had to bite the end of it off as his ribs twinged at the movement. “Okay, okay, we get the hint!” 

Reaching for one of the balls with his left hand, Emmet found his hand didn’t want to clasp around the offered object.

Huh.

Probably just tired. Yup. Nothing to worry about, and the others hadn’t seemed to notice. Good. Just casually grab it with his right hand and they’ll be none the wiser.

Akari had only approached his left side due to his right eye being bandaged; she had no way of knowing he was in fact left-handed. Unless Ingo had mentioned it, but Emmet doubted that, so it was likely pure coincidence.

“Thank you, Miss Akari.” Emmet smiled at the girl before taking a moment to inspect the wooden pokéballs closer. It appeared to function the same way as modern pokéballs, utilising the button at the centre to activate it. He held the ball towards Indigo, removing his hat from her head as he lightly pressed the button against her forehead. The murkrow disappeared with a bright flash of white into the ball, causing it to shake once. Twice, thrice, and then—

“Did that thing just shoot off a firecracker?” Imaginary Ingo appeared at his side, slightly startling him. Thankfully, Emmet has had several years of practice in not reacting to the sudden appearances of his imaginary brother. If Imaginary Ingo could touch him, the white-clad twin was sure he would be insistently tugging at his arm as he continued. “Emmet, how did it do that? Emmet, Emmet, you have to ask!”

“H-how did it do that?” Emmet blinked dumbly at the ball, deciding to humour his imagined brother. Admittedly he was equally perplexed and curious as Imaginary Ingo. He cast his gaze back up towards Akari and the professor, who were snickering at his bemusement, and began opening and closing his hands in an attempt to mime an exploding gesture. “The fireworks! How? Why?!”

Taking pity on the poor man’s bewilderment, the professor and inventor of the pokéball in question spoke up, pointing towards the ball as he explained. “It wasn’t too hard, actually. It’s just a little firecracker I added to the design as a way to show the capture process worked. The little compartment at the top contains a small amount of potassium nitrate, sulphur, and charcoal, which ignites when the pokémon is caught.”

“Incredible!” Imaginary Ingo clapped his hands together, metaphorical stars in his eyes. Indeed, Emmet’s engineering brain was similarly internally geeking out at the revelation. What an ingenious way to overcome the lack of signalling lights modern pokéballs have to indicate catch success or failure!

“Pretty cool, huh?” Akari grinned up at Emmet. “Uncle Ingo goes on and on about how impressive they are too.”

Laventon rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, shyly waving off the flattery. “You are all too kind, but it was truly nothing!”

Emmet couldn’t disagree more, but let the subject drop as he twisted around on Lord Wyrdeer to look at Band-aid. The blissey stood patiently awaiting her turn for capture, her hand resting within his left in a soothing gesture.

Why hadn’t he felt her hand in his own?

Still couldn’t feel it?

Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it from the slowly bubbling panic, Emmet reaches for the other awaiting pokéball from Akari with his right hand. He lightly taps the ball’s button on Band-aid’s forehead just as he had with Indigo and watches as she disappears into the pokéball. His panic quelled more upon watching the miniature fireworks erupt from the knob atop the pokéball again.

Emmet pocketed the two balls, deciding to let the two newly caught partners get used to their new accommodations. Caboose seemed slightly agitated that he was being left out, so he gave the small bug a little scratch on the head. “Sorry, Caboose, but it is verrry important you stay out here and keep watch, okay?”

The baby joltik chirped in determination, accepting his role with vigour. At least it will distract him from feeling left out.

“Congratulations, Unc—” The slate-haired girl awkwardly cut herself off with a cough, causing the two men to raise their brows at her. “Congrats, Mister Emmet! I’m certain they’re both super excited to join your team.”

Emmet smiles down at the girl, a protective warmth blooming within his chest. Or maybe that’s just his ribs. Probably his ribs. Akari is a little odd, but who was Emmet to judge? He can certainly see how she charmed her way into being adopted by Ingo. Or perhaps she adopted Ingo would be more accurate, judging her tenacity. “Thank you, Miss Akari. And thank you for the pokéballs.”

“Of course! I have plenty more, too, if you wanna catch any more! You gotta build up a team so we can have a real battle.”

“Of course. But it will be I who reaches the destination known as victory!”

“Pfft, sure, whatever you say, old man.”

Emmet blinks, momentarily stunned. “I am Emmet. I am not old!”

“Uh huh.”

“I am not!”

 

---

 

The group continued on through the region, conversing about much of the same things as they had previously, only now Emmet would insist every now and again that he was not old. Akari seemed to find great amusement in her taunting, leading Emmet to believe she was merely having him on. But it made her laugh, so he was happy to continue his mock frustration towards the matter. Ingo probably told her their age at some point anyway, so she’d know the white-clad Subway Master is telling the truth when he says he’s only thirty-four.

Unless the teen truly does believe thirty-four to be old…

“Oh look,” the professor pulled Emmet out from his thoughts, pointing off in the distance where tents were visible, “a galaxy base camp. We should take a quick rest and get your bandages changed.”

Emmet didn’t particularly love the idea of stopping and delaying his reunion with Ingo, but he had no right to complain when he hadn’t been walking like the others had. And the bandage on his face had begun to itch.

Almost immediately upon arriving at the base camp, the Subway Boss was whisked away to their modest medical tent while Akari and the professor checked on how things were going. And that is how he found himself being poked and prodded by yet another medic. Emmet never enjoyed visiting doctors.

“Don’t complain.” Imaginary Ingo stepped next to the medic to watch her lift and lower Emmet’s injured leg to test its full mobility. “Safety checks are important. Losing a leg in this time period could be a death sentence.”

Emmet scoffed at his imaginary brother’s dramatics before quickly covering it up with a cough when the medic eyed him suspiciously. Once her attention went back to his leg, he directed a glare towards the imaginary man that clearly read as ‘shut up’.

“So,” the medic gently placed his leg down before grabbing some fresh bandages to apply, “everything looks to be healing so far, no infections setting in, but you’ll need to continue to keep a close eye on that abdomen wound. Do you have any concerns?”

Emmet shifted slightly, flexing his left hand subtly. It still worked okay, it seemed, so surely the lack of sensation in it is nothing to worry about. Right?

“Don’t be stupid, Emmet. You know, a lack of feeling could mean an issue with your nerves.”

Imaginary Ingo was right again. Although seeing as it’s technically Emmet’s imagination, he’s going to take the credit for being right. “Well, actually—”

A thoughtfully concerned hum escaped the medic before she could catch herself as she unwrapped the bandage covering his right eye. Emmet didn’t like the sound of that.

“Hmm? Why did she hum? She just said everything looked okay!”

Emmet wholeheartedly agreed and voiced as much to the medic, who quickly tried to backtrack. “I’m sure it’s nothing! But I’ve only ever treated pretty minor injuries and illnesses, so the medics at Jubilife Village will have to take a better look. I’ll still redress it now and clean it the best I can, though. Don’t worry too much about it, okay?”

“I’m worried about it,” Ingo deadpanned.

If the young medic hadn’t been clearly staring uneasily at his eye during her whole reassurance, he may have believed her. Alas, her bedside manner could use some more work. But the medic appeared young, probably pretty new to her role, so Emmet couldn’t hold it against her.

So, he smiled at her to reassure her through his own newfound anxiety. “You are doing verrry well. Thank you for all your help.”

Emmet left the medical tent soon after, with the help of a sturdy, smoothed-out branch to act as a cane the medic had given him. The Subway Boss quickly spotted his two travelling companions conversing with another Galaxy Team member, looking somewhat concerned.

“Is everything okay?”

Akari’s eyes lit up as she saw Emmet approach. “Emmet! Hi! How’d things go at the med tent?”

The white-clad man smiled at the teen, careful to hide his uneasiness from his expression. “Medic says I am all good. My engines are in tip-top shape and ready to continue on our tracks when you two are.”

The professor regarded him for a moment, and Emmet feared the other man may have seen through his ruse. Ingo always said he was a terrible liar. Thankfully, Akari hadn’t seemed to pick up on his white lie while the professor mercifully decided not to draw attention to it.

“Unfortunately,” Laventon spoke up, “something urgent has come up that requires my attention…which means we can’t continue onto Jubilife Village just yet.”

Emmet’s heart sank. He knew, realistically, he could wait a few more days to reunite with Ingo; he’d already waited nearly five years. But that’s just it; it’s been nearly five years. Emmet didn’t want to wait anymore. He wanted his brother now.

And of course, there was the lesser concern that the medic said he needed to see the doctors in Jubilife Village. Come to think of it, all that commotion about his eye made him forget to mention the problem with his hand.

Akari, seemingly detecting his crestfallen demeanour, quickly cut in. “But I was just telling the professor that I can get us to Jubilife, Mister Emmet!”

Emmet perked up at the suggestion. Yes, yes, they should do that!

“Akari, dear, I’m not so sure that’s the best idea. It’s dangerous out there, unpredictable. And our friend here isn’t in the best of ways right now…”

Emmet wanted to disagree, but the professor was right. If they ran into trouble, Emmet would be close to no help with his injuries and lack of battle-ready pokémon.

“Don’t worry, professor,” the teen continued to plead her case, “we’ll be okay on our own! Me and my team can protect Mister Emmet from wild pokémon.”

Laventon still looked unsure, crossing his arms as he considered his options. Emmet was pretty certain it wasn’t just the wild pokémon the professor was worried about, considering the history books made it clear Laventon was never a ‘wielder’ of pokémon. Running into an angry wild pokémon wouldn’t make a difference with or without the man.

So, it was Emmet’s health he was worried about. Or more accurately, whether or not Akari could handle it if one of his injuries were to act up. Whether or not she should have to deal with it alone.

The Subway Boss knows he should share the professor’s concern, but he is getting impatient. He needed to find Ingo yesterday. Instead, he discreetly tapped Band-aid’s pokéball so only the other man could see, in the hopes of reassuring him that she could take care of Emmet if something were to happen.

Professor Laventon finally relented once he realised both Akari and Emmet were determined to keep going. “Alright, but no getting side tracked Akari, my dear.”

“Never!”

Laventon cast her a fondly disbelieving look before looking towards the white-clad man. “Emmet, old chap, please ensure that she doesn’t.”

“Yes sir.” He replied with a tilt of his cap.

Akari rolled her eyes before giving the professor a hug. “Okay, we’re gonna head off now. See you soon, professor!”

Akari and Emmet waved their goodbyes to Laventon as they began once again towards Jubilife. It took several moments before the teen realised the older man was not riding Lord Wyrdeer, who was following closely behind the pair, but he quickly waved off her concerns.

“I am Emmet, and I need to stretch my legs for a bit. And look! I have a walking stick.”

 

---

 

Without the professor, conversation between Akari and Emmet shifted away from pokémon and battles and more towards Ingo. The pair traded stories, Emmet describing what Ingo was like back home while Akari would ramble on about her uncle’s adventures in Hisui.

“When we were in college, Ingo and I swapped clothes for the day and pretended to be each other.” Emmet snickers slightly at the memory. “Only-- I did not tell Ingo I had an exam that day. I had not studied, too caught up in other subjects, so it was the perrrfect plan… Or so I thought.”

“Oh gosh, what did he do?”

Emmet’s snicker turned into a mock sneer, though his amusement was still clear in his eyes. “It turned out Ingo had volunteered to be a model for the art students. Naked.”

“No way! He volunteered for that?”

“Yup! But not for fun like you are thinking. You see, when I suggested the prank, he somehow knew about my exam and decided to prank me back and immediately signed ‘Ingo’,” Emmet punctuates his brother’s name with two curled fingers, “up for nude modelling.”

“And you went through with it? Why didn’t you call it quits or just not do the modelling?”

“I am Emmet. I like to win more than anything, including our pranks. I was not about to let Ingo win, because I would not only lose to his personal prank but also our overall twin swap prank. If I did not show up to something Ingo had said he would attend, then everyone would immediately know I was not Ingo. And he would win.” Emmet grinned down at Akari as he continued. “Plus, he had to do well on my exam, or everyone would know he was not Emmet. I took tests verrry seriously and rarely did poorly on them. So, Ingo had to do well in a class he had never even taken or he would lose.”

“But what if he failed?” The teen scrunched her nose in confusion. “Aren’t exams important?”

Emmet gave a half shrug as he answered. “It was an elective. Kalosian language. I had already passed all the other assignments for the subject anyway.”

Akari raised her brows in surprise. “Uncle Ingo knew Kalosian?”

“Nope, only what he picked up from me when I would study around him. Quite clever actually; he has quite the ear for language. We can both speak Paldaen, but he also has a verrry good understanding of Kantonese.”

“Wow, I didn’t know he knew other languages! When he arrived in Hisui, all he could speak was Galarian, apparently.”

Emmet furrowed his brows in confusion. How odd that he only spoke Galarian when he arrived here. Sure, it was their native tongue, but Ingo and Emmet were both fluent in Paldaen. Ingo was also more familiar with Kalosian than he let on after passing Emmet’s college exam with a B+, and his Kantonese was just as strong. Of course, none of those languages would have helped here, seeing as they spoke ancient Sinnoa, but Ingo knew modern Sinnoa enough to get by thanks to Elesa.

“But of course, with uncle Ingo’s memory loss—”

“What.” Emmet demanded rather than asked, immediately stopping dead in his tracks as the teen continues on while chatting away. He mustn’t have heard correctly; there’s no way Akari just said Ingo, his dear sweet big brother that he is so close to finding, has lost his memories.

Does Ingo remember him?

“O-oh,” Akari stops, turning quickly towards Emmet, covering her mouth with both her hands, “Oh my Sinnoh, I didn’t tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

The slate-haired girl shifted uncomfortably. Emmet knew he was being unfair making her repeat herself when what she said had clearly upset him. But he needed to hear it, to make sure that it wasn’t his lousy hearing that misunderstood the teen, even though deep down he knows he had heard right.

“Emmet, I’m so sorry…” Akari trails off, tears forming in her eyes. “Uncle Ingo lost all his memories when he came to Hisui. Warden Calaba says he hit his head when he fell out of the rift.

Emmet stares blankly at the ground under his boots, vision tunnelling and ears ringing. His legs felt weaker than they already did, causing him to lean more heavily on his makeshift cane.

“All of them?”

Akari bit her trembling lip, giving a shaky nod of her head as she hugged her arms around herself. She may have said yes as well, but Emmet could not hear over the roaring in his ears.

Ingo has forgotten everything, including him.

He managed to speak through the cotton feeling that formed in his mouth. “I am Emmet. I need to board Lord Wyrdeer again.”

“Yes, of course!” The girl’s eyes widen further as she moves towards Emmet to help him over to the Lord. “Here, let me help you.”

The Subway Boss allowed himself to be guided over to the wyrdeer, not particularly taking in his surroundings as he fought to control his breathing. Again.

Dragons, he just couldn’t catch a damn break.

A part of him wishes that wild garchomp had finished him off after all.

“Mister Emmet,” the young girl spoke hesitantly, “are you okay?”

No. He was not.

“It’s not her fault, Em. You can’t be mad at her.”  

Imaginary Ingo was not what he needed right now, serving as a reminder that his real brother doesn’t remember him.

Emmet sighed as his shoulders sagged, eyes downcast. Imaginary Ingo was right, however. But that didn’t change the hollow feeling that had formed within his chest, his throat constricting as he fought back a sob.

Akari stared at him with such concern, regret, and worst of all, guilt. He wanted to reassure her that he wasn’t upset at her, just this whole Arceus-forsaken situation. It just wasn’t fair. What had he and Ingo ever done to deserve this? But the idea of conversing further made his head ache. Fighting through the leaden weight of his tongue, the dejected man managed to force out one last croaky sentence.

“P-perhaps we should stop talking for a little while…”

Notes:

Sorry for the longer delay with this chapter. I had everything planned but struggled to build a coherent chapter around it. Also low key binged watched Ghosts (uk) instead of writing whoops. Watching that made me think about Imaginary Ingo a lot tho haha

I just wanted to thank everyone for the views, kudos and comments.

A special shoutout to Pokemonpurson, Tenshiwings302, Melaora and fraymotif for commenting on several chapters. You all genuinely make my day when I get the notifications for your comments. I was so nervous to post this story and you guys really washed those nerves away with your kind words and I am so grateful.

Anywho, until next time!

Chapter 8

Akari was not subtle.

The teen had been sneaking glances at Emmet for the last hour since he had requested silence. Every time the Subway Boss would catch her looking at him from the corner of his eye, he would turn to look at her only for her to quickly turn away and stare unnaturally intensely ahead of them.

Emmet considered himself to be a patient man, but after the eleventh time of this back and forth, he had to concede the definition of insanity.

“You are going to hurt your neck if you continue to do that.”

The younger girl startled with a squeak at the sound of Emmet’s voice, seemingly stunned at being caught in her constant gawking. With a rushed apology, she moved to walk further ahead of Emmet and his mount, now very obviously looking everywhere but at him.

In normal circumstances, Emmet would have found Akari’s stuttering and fumbling at being caught out amusing, and while it did cause a slightly more genuine quirk to his smile, he was still too exhausted to continue jibing her.

Well, maybe one more couldn’t hurt.

“If you are trying to be sneaky,” Emmet began with a small, olive branch-extending grin, “at least stand on the side I cannot see.”

Akari made a sound similar to an oshawott squeak before straightening her back and continued to march on with purpose, head staying perfectly straight and looking ahead of herself only; never once looking towards Emmet.

“She thinks you’re mad at her.”

Ah yes. Not looking at him alongside hearing his typical monotone cadence, it would be easy to mistake his words as unfriendly. Many people do, in fact, and they’re not people who just told him his brother has amnesia before Emmet shut down for a while.

Emmet heaves a heavy sigh as he looks between the teen and his imaginary brother. He knows it’s not Akari’s fault that Ingo has amnesia; that would be a foolhardy and obscure assumption to make. It doesn’t make the knowledge sting any less, however. Emmet would have rather received the news with a tad more grace too, but he supposes he couldn’t begrudge the teen for not knowing Emmet wasn’t already aware, or that she forgot to mention it if it was such an accepted fact about Ingo now.

He's not angry at poor Akari. He’s angry that he and Ingo have been thrown into this situation to begin with.

The Subway Boss settles his gaze upon Imaginary Ingo, who was walking alongside an unknowing Akari, murmuring out his response. “I do not blame her. It is… just a lot to process.”

Akari turned to look at him once more, confusion now clear on her face. “Sorry, Mister Emmet, what did you say?”

Imaginary Ingo hid his snicker behind his hand, apparently finding amusement in Emmet being caught talking to ‘himself’. Now it was the white-clad man’s turn to splutter his own surprise. Emmet thought he had gotten pretty good at talking to Imaginary Ingo without anyone noticing.

Well, better address the donphan in the room. Not the imaginary brother one, the other one.

“I am not mad at you, Akari. My brother’s amnesia is not your fault.” Emmet slowly and carefully climbs down from Lord Wyrdeer, wincing slightly. “I was just saying how it was simply a lot to take in so suddenly. Needed time to process.”

This seemed to brighten the girl’s mood considerably as her face flashed in understanding, although there was still an air of caution around her. Emmet gave her a pat on the shoulder to show his words weren’t empty, seriously contemplating whether he should give her a hug.

Emmet had never been one for physical contact. Aside from a select few and his pokémon, the idea of hugging other people would make the Subway Boss cringe and shrink away. Even on his short list of who can touch him, Ingo and their pokémon are the only ones who can initiate the contact comfortably for Emmet.

Bullies in school would take advantage of this fact, poking and shoving at Emmet in the hopes it would upset him. Where the bullies acted in the hopes of making young Emmet cry, it more often than not ended up with the one type of contact the younger twin was okay with initiating with people he didn’t like.

His fist to their face.

Of course, Ingo and their parents would disapprove of Emmet’s former solution to conflict resolution with long-winded scolding. They would go on and on about karma and how one day it would come back to bite him. Uncle Draydon and Elesa, on the other hand, would pretend to look equally disapproving until they could secretly take him out for ice cream. Uncle Draydon had even shown Emmet and Elesa the proper technique in how to throw a punch.

After Uncle Draydon’s little lesson, Elesa became his knight in shining armour on the days the bullies upset him rather than evoking his anger. Elesa had already towered over their classmates at this point, a fact she used to her advantage to intimidate the bullies before swinging her fist back. She even broke one of their noses once, much to Ingo’s horror.

Emmet stopped using his fists as a solution towards bullies by the time they left for their pokémon journey at 16, realising it was not a very professional solution to people issues. As a Subway Boss, it was common for people to brush up beside him on the subway and shake his hand after battles. In other words, he had to be okay with contact with strangers and had to rein himself in when there were particularly rowdy passengers. He was in the public eye now; punching rude passengers would be unlikely to end well.

Ingo stressed to Emmet almost daily when they were fledgling Subway Bosses that under no circumstances could he punch unruly passengers. Or anyone, if they want to keep their jobs. Complete your checks and safety first. A sentiment Emmet generally agreed with until Ingo would use it against him.

Apparently that rule did not apply to Ingo himself.

In the black-clad man’s defence, it was in Emmet’s own defence. It happened a few months before Ingo’s disappearance after a very long day of work. One of their challengers on the Multi Line did not take their loss well. He was a large, muscular bald man who was very abrasive when commanding his poor, tired pokémon. He looked like an overgrown thumb in Emmet’s humble opinion. The thumb man had been yelling and ranting at the twins all the way back to the station following his loss, accusing them of cheating.

Them. Emmet and Ingo. Renowned rule-followers. Accused of cheating.

The absolute gall of this thumb man.

He particularly did not care for Emmet’s practiced victory lines, something about finding them condescending and not liking the younger twin’s tone. Thankfully, his embarrassed friend had kept a ‘calming’ hand on his shoulder, which seemed to successfully hold the angry thumb man back from approaching the victorious Subway Bosses. The brothers simply stood silently, holding the handrails as they watched the man’s tantrum with a neutral smile and frown.

The man did not care for Emmet’s smile either, and in situations like this, Emmet doesn’t care for his smile either. Gets him in trouble.

Upon their arrival at the terminal, the man was led away by his friend, who was telling him to ‘let it go, man’. Perhaps against his better judgement, Emmet had called out to the pair, telling the thumb man to ‘go cry about it’.

Ingo delivered a swift elbow to his ribs at that, a silent yet painful way to tell him to shut the hell up. A fair call; he definitely should have kept that one to himself, or at the very least muttered it for only Ingo to hear. Especially given the shudder of unease Emmet felt when the thumb man sent one last glare in their direction as he was ushered away.

Unfortunately, the man came back several hours later after Emmet and Ingo had finished working for the day. They were just leaving their office, locking the door as the sore loser came charging down the employee-only hallway with a number of depot agents chasing after him. The angry yelling from the man-thumb, mixed with the loud calls from the depot agents telling the man he ‘couldn’t be down here,’ made Emmet cringe.

Much too loud.

Between the loud noises, the artificial lighting in the hallway, and the overall long and exhausting day, Emmet was not prepared for the irked man to grab him by the shirt collar and yank him down to his eye level. Suddenly his senses were filled by the scent of alcohol on the other man’s breath. The younger Subway Boss was absently aware of the drunkard’s fist reaching back in preparation to hit him in the face, but he was distracted by the overwhelming disgust at the spit splashing onto his face at the other man’s ferocious words.

And then Angry Drunk Thumb was gone.

Ingo had stepped in, grabbing the sore loser by the shoulder and swung. Hard.

The other man dropped to the floor, clutching his nose as his brother shook off his fist with a slight wince. Many people mistook Ingo’s facial expressions as angry but rarely was that ever the case. But in that moment, Ingo looked downright furious.

“Call the authorities and place a life ban on this man using the Battle Subway. I’m taking my brother home.”

And that was that.

Emmet had forgotten all his discomfort immediately once his brother threw the punch, enabling him to tease the black-clad man the whole commute home.

“I cannot believe you did that,” he had said with a giggle, “Mr. Violence-Will-Not-Solve-Your-Issues. Is it your turn to receive Mum and Dad’s lecture on conflict resolution?”

“Please,” Ingo had groaned, tension finally leaving his shoulders, “don’t tell Mum and Dad…”

That night, Ingo received a call from their parents and listened to the lecture Emmet hadn’t heard in years. Uncle Draydon later called, hearing about the punch from his sister, to tell Ingo that he hoped he ‘broke the bastard’s nose’. Emmet gleefully chimed in, hanging over his older brother’s shoulder to speak into the phone’s receiver, that it did in fact break. He had heard the crunch, succeeding in making Ingo slouch further onto the couch, face buried in his hands in shame and embarrassment.

Despite all his teasing, Emmet was incredibly grateful for Ingo and how he stood up for him. That, and his brother did save him from receiving a pretty impressive black eye.

All of that is to say, Emmet did not like physical contact, especially with people who are practically strangers.

But right here, right now…

He wanted to give Akari a hug.

Ingo’s niece, Emmet’s niece, needed comfort, and the white-clad man actually wanted to provide it.

“You’re allowed to want to hug her. No harm in asking, Em.”

The Subway Boss agreed, though he opted for a silent invitation, spreading his arms slightly out in a gesture of a waiting hug. The teen stared up at him in awe for a moment before a grin formed across her face, as she practically tackled the man in a hug.

“Careful,” Emmet swallows back an instinctive gag at the sensation of the girl roughly knocking his wounded side, wincing slightly. He forces out a laugh to reassure her that he’s fine and amused by her antics, despite the sickening pain now shooting up his side. “Careful of my side, Akari.”

“Oh right!” The teen makes a move to pull back to prevent accidentally further hurting him, but Emmet gives her a light squeeze to keep her in place to let her know he’s okay. Akari relaxes, resting her head against his chest. “Sorry, Uncle Emmet. And thank you.”

Emmet’s heart soared, and, in that moment, he made the decision he would do anything to protect his new and unexpected niece, even fight Arceus itself with his bare hands.

Imaginary Ingo’s lips curl up slightly in a fond expression, hovering around them as if he wanted to join in the hug. Emmet almost feels bad for his imaginary brother; the real Ingo loves hugs.

Emmet idly wonders if he still loves them.

Would Ingo still be the same kind and caring man he grew up with, or has his amnesia changed him?

Emmet shakes his head at those thoughts; it’s not worth freaking out over something that might not even be an issue. Instead, he gives Akari one final squeeze the best he could before letting go.

“So,” the Subway Boss turns to face back in the direction they were headed, his numb arm still resting across the teen’s shoulders. He cups his good hand over the brim of his cap to further block out the sunlight in order to gauge their surroundings. It did little to help, but he chalked that up to only having one eye in use. “How much further until we reach the village?”

Akari took a moment to take in their surroundings too, before letting out a satisfied hum. “Should only be about an hour!”

Emmet releases a relieved sigh. Finally, things are starting to go right.

 

---

 

Things were, in fact, not starting to go right.

Emmet and Akari had arrived at Jubilife Village about two hours ago, and Ingo was not here.

He wanted to pull his hair out in frustration, rip off the sideburns his mother always begged him and Ingo to shave off.

The pair reached the gates with the enthused teen running ahead and calling out for her uncle, claiming to have a present for him. Emmet had grinned after her as he limped through the gates, receiving a mix of odd and concerned looks from the guards and nearby villagers as they muttered amongst themselves in a language unknown to him.

The injured man ignored them and continued trailing after where Akari had dashed off towards. Emmet was smiling so hard his face hurt. Well, hurt more than it already did.

That smile, however, immediately dropped when Akari made her way back towards him, looking in every direction with her brows furrowed in confusion and very clearly Ingo-less. “That’s weird; there’s no way he didn’t hear me.”

It’s true, even with Emmet’s less-than-perfect hearing, he could clearly hear her yelling for Ingo as she charged across the village. Everyone had heard her. Which could only mean…

It just wasn’t fair.

Akari had led Emmet towards the large building that overlooked the village, telling him they should get him checked out by the Galaxy Team doctors while she tried to find out where Ingo had gone.

And that’s how Emmet found himself waiting in this old-timey med bay, alone and defeated.

“Chin up, Em.” Imaginary Ingo, who had been wandering around and investigating the room, walked over to Emmet and flopped down on the bed next to him. “This is merely a minor delay. It sounds like I’ll be arriving at the village terminal again soon.”

“You cannot know that!” Emmet’s nose scrunches in frustration as he spits out his words in a harsh whisper. He’s really not in the mood to have some stranger overhearing him right now, especially one of the still absent doctors. Where were the doctors anyway? “You saw how dangerous it is out there; he could get mauled or worse by any number of pokémon!”

“I’ve survived this long; I highly doubt something would happen now of all times.”

Emmet scoffs, crossing his arms in frustrated stubbornness. “With my luck, today would be the day.”

Caboose, likely sensing his trainer’s malcontent, crawled out of his napping spot from within Emmet’s breast pocket and onto his crossed forearms. Despite only hearing one side of the conversation, the small pokémon seemed to somehow side with Imaginary Ingo and disapproved of Emmet’s pity party, tapping at his crossed arms with an unhappy chitter.

“See, even the baby agrees with me.” Imaginary Ingo’s face softens the same way the real Ingo’s face would when he’d comfort Emmet after a hard day or nightmare. “Just relax, Em. You’ve been patient for this long; what’s a few more days?”

Curse this imaginary figment for having the same calming logic as the real Ingo.

“Alright,” Emmet says with a half-hearted huff, uncrossing his arms and gently taking Caboose in his good hand. “You two win. I can wait—"

Emmet quickly cuts himself off as he notices a pink-haired woman enter the room, staring at her clipboard distractedly and with a croagunk trailing closely behind. The Subway Boss’ eye narrows in his version of a frown as he tucks Caboose protectively to his side. The last time he saw a croagunk around here, it had thrown toxic blobs at him and Caboose.

Suffice to say, Emmet was a little wary of the toxic frog pokémon.

“Hello, are you—” the woman cuts herself off with a surprised ‘oh’ upon taking in Emmet’s appearance. Likely startled, just like everyone else who has caught a good look at him these days. Her face quickly morphs into an expression of surprise as she continues. “Wow, Miss Akari said you were Warden Ingo’s brother, but I wasn’t expecting a spitting image. It’s just—twins are so rare, or, well, it’s rare they both survive birth!”

“Ahh, the glory of ancient maternity healthcare…”

“Oh!” The pink-haired woman must have finally noticed the startled look on Emmet’s face, clearly unsure of how he was supposed to respond. “I’m so sorry, where are my manners?” She clasps her hands before giving a small bow with a soft smile. “My name is Captain Pesselle. I lead the Medical Corps for the Galaxy Team. Akari told me you need some medical assistance.”

Emmet refrains from rolling his eye at the astute observation.

“Play nice, Emmet.”

“Yup!” Emmet quickly slips into his customer service face and voice, although not many would notice the change to his tone. “I am Emmet. I was attacked by a wild Garchomp. Verrrry unfortunate. Probably would have died if not for a nearby blissey.”

The pink-haired captain’s eyes widen briefly in shock before she schools it into a more neutral expression, briefly stepping away to gather some medical equipment. She drags the cart of equipment towards the bed Emmet was sitting on, slipping on a pair of gloves as she scrutinises him. Emmet shifts uncomfortably under the gaze, wincing as the movement tugs at the wound on his side and causes his ribs to scream in protest.

Of course, the doctor notices, telling him to remove his shirt so she can access the injury properly.

Dragons, he hated seeing doctors. Their gaze makes him self-conscious, and their touch makes his skin crawl. A nervous tingle makes itself known in his lower belly.

Captain Pesselle hums thoughtfully as she examines his torso, pressing around his ribs and guiding him to turn left and right to check mobility. “It seems this blissey friend of yours did a great job with helping you. Your ribs appear to have severe bruising, but no breaks or fractures.” Her gaze moved lower, towards his blood-stained bandages, before unwrapping them. “She seemed to have mended the wound on your side well too, but I’ll still need to apply a few stitches.”

“It’s quite incredible actually,” the captain turns to gather the necessary tools from her tray. “Perhaps we medical personnel should look into using the blissey line in practice, now that we’re building closer bonds with Pokémon.”

Emmet gives a noncommittal hum in response. He hoped he hadn’t messed something up by pushing medical advancements. Speaking of medical advancements…

“Are you not applying local anaesthesia first?” he exclaims, twisting away from the incoming needle.

Pesselle looks confused momentarily. “How do you know about--?” She shakes her head before continuing with an apologetic expression. “I’ve heard there’s been some development in a ‘general’ anaesthesia, but unfortunately, it’s not widely accessible and a bit of an overkill for a few stitches. Usually for things like this, we’d give patients morphine, but our stocks are running low… I hope you understand.”

Yup. That sounds about in line with Emmet’s luck. He reaches over to place Caboose on his nearby coat and pick up his discarded tie and shoves it in his mouth, nodding his permission for the doctor to continue.

It was…admittedly not as painful as the garchomp attack, but he certainly wouldn’t describe the experience as pleasant. Definitely painful, but it could be worse. Has been worse.

“There we go, all done.” Emmet releases the breath he had been holding as the doctor smiles comfortingly at him as she wraps fresh bandages around him. “Now,” Pesselle moves to begin removing the wrappings around his face, “Let’s take a look at that eye.”

Ah yes, the moment Emmet had been dreading. The earlier nervous tingle blooms into butterflies, fluttering up to his chest and threatening to burst out of his mouth. A sensation brushes over his shoulder, like a ghostly comfort.

“It’s okay, Emmet; no use in panicking before we know what’s wrong. Just breathe.”

The doctor cradled his head gently, softly guiding it to turn in different directions to get better angles of his injured eye. Her brows furrow in concentration, or perhaps it was more concern upon closer inspection. It certainly wasn’t helping with his unease, especially the silence from the previously chatty woman.

The silence dragged on as she cleaned up around his eye, bandaging his eye back up once she was done. Pesselle takes a step back and crosses her arms, face twisted in a look of serious contemplation.

“There’s no easy way to say this, Mister Emmet.” She sighs with pity. Emmet hates pity. “Your eye has sustained serious trauma, and an infection has set in. In fact, I believe if it weren’t for the help from your blissey friend, the infection likely would have spread further much quicker.” She pauses momentarily, whether to let the information sink in or to gather her own thoughts, Emmet isn’t sure. “We’re going to have to remove the eye before the infection can spread to your other eye or brain.”

Emmet takes a moment to digest this fact. He’s not sure he can; his brain feels blank. Maybe the infection spready to it already. The only thought that came to mind is whether or not modern medicine would have saved his eye. “I see.”

“I know this is a lot to take in.” There’s the pity again. Emmet feels slightly more welcoming of it now. “I’ll give you some time to yourself until Akari comes back. I’m going to prepare everything needed for the removal; it should take a few days. Once we’re ready, I’ll have someone come get you.”

Pesselle walks over to the door, casting him one last look of sympathy before leaving. “I’m so sorry, Emmet.”

Emmet stares blankly at his feet, fist clenched around the edges of the bed he sat on. “So, can I panic yet?”

“Okay, so it’s not great news, but—”

“Not great news?” The white-clad man interrupts, “She just said they have to remove my fucking eye, Ingo!”

“Yes, but—”

“No, no, there are no buts about this!” Emmet angrily interrupts the imaginary figure again. “What could possibly be the silver lining here?” His voice raises slightly in pitch, hysteria and panic evident in his usually passive tone. “I’m about to lose my eye in a dragons-damned surgery without anaesthesia!”  

“But at least you’re alive!”

“Who cares?” He demands, “How can I be a Subway Master if I do not have the proper depth perception to conduct? I am Emmet. The subway is my life, Ingo; without the subway or you, the real you, I am nothing.”

“That’s not true, Em, you know it’s not. You’ll adapt, and if not, you can still work on the Battle Lines.” Imaginary Ingo steps closer, looking Emmet in the eyes. “But no matter what happens, your life is worth living, Emmet. This does not define you.”

Emmet felt tears well up in his good eye; he so desperately wanted to hold his brother, his real brother. He swallows around the lump that formed in his throat, whispering out a wet “Ingo, I am scared.”

“I know, Em. I know.”

The white-clad man scrubs the stray tears that spilt over, only to have his fear halted by confusion. He knows there were tears running down his face; he felt them on his cheeks, so why didn’t his hand feel wet? Blinking a few times to clear his vision from the tears, Emmet inspected his hand as he flexed it a few times. 

“You didn’t tell the doctor about your hand…”

Groaning, Emmet collapses back onto the bunk he was sitting on. Why, why, why was this happening to him? Is this the karma his parents always told him about when he’d punch his problems? Surely he’s repaid his debt more than enough.

“You need to go find Doctor Pesselle and tell her.”

“Just go away.” Emmet curls around himself in a vain attempt to hide from the world around him, emotionally spent. “I want to be alone.”

A brief moment of silence follows before a defeated sigh sounds from behind him, and then silence again. Emmet turns to look towards where Imaginary Ingo had been standing, only to find the space vacant.

For the first time in five years, Emmet felt truly alone.

Notes:

Emmet has only had his niece for a day and a half, but if anything happened to her he would kill everyone in Hisui and then himself. Except Ingo, Ingo gets a pass.

So, I was doing research on the history of anaesthesia and oh boy Emmet I am so sorry. Apparently general anaesthesia was made more mainstream in about the mid 1840s, while local wasn't used until the 1880s. And since i picture PLA to take place in very early 1800s, well... guess Emmet better start being real cool about only morphine and other drugs real quick. Of course I could have completely misinterpreted what I was reading in which case my bad but this is my lore now ig.

I did read that a common form of prescribed pain relief in these times was a little self-administered pleasure. Obviously this is not that kind of fic, but I really needed to share this info bc it really was fascinating.

Also apparently twins had a high mortality rate around this time period, with generally only one surviving birth so I figure it would be pretty cool for a doctor to see fully grown twins. But again, the statistics I was looking at were pretty mixed in this.

Anywho, the real Ingo should make an appearance next chapter. He's just calmly making his way to the Pearl Settlement atm, not really exciting stuff to write about.

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 9

“Emmet, Mister Emmet, are you still in here?”

Emmet startles awake with a slight jolt, gasping quietly as the abrupt movement causes a stabbing pain in his right side. He blinks slowly as he comes into awareness, groggily taking in his surroundings before catching sight of a smiling Akari walking into the med-bay.

He must have fallen asleep during his self-pity party after he fell back on the bunk in the wake of the doctor delivering world-shattering news to Emmet.

“Yup—” Emmet takes a moment to clear his throat before speaking up again— “Yup! Over here!” He sits up on the bunk, stretching his arms above his head in an attempt to appear nonchalant, despite feeling anything but. “Any word on Ingo returning to this station?”

“Well, I spoke to Captain Zisu,” Akari begins, as if Emmet knew who this ‘Captain Zisu’ was, “and she said that he had to go to the Pearl Settlement for a warden meeting but promised to come back as soon as possible.”

Ah, yes. The Pearl Settlement. The exact place where Emmet had been heading before being derailed by the Arceus-forsaken garchomp. Excellent. Perfect. How very on-brand for his life nowadays.

As if reading his mind, or perhaps he was just worse at schooling his facial expressions than he thought, Akari quickly cut off Emmet’s self-deprecating thoughts with a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Mister Emmet; he should be back within the week.” Her smile widens into a bright grin as she grabs onto Emmet’s good arm, shaking it in excitement. “You and Uncle Ingo will be reunited any day now!”

Emmet feels his chest clench painfully as he recalls his spiralling thoughts from an hour ago, convinced Ingo would manage to get caught in a similar accident as he had, but coming out less fortunate. If fortunate is what one would call Emmet’s predicament.

His mind once again came back to his eye and his soon-to-be lack of one. The idea of losing his eye feels surreal, like it’s one of his vivid nightmares he would soon wake up from safely in his room in Nimbasa City. Alone, but safe and with both eyes.

“Don’t forget about your hand.” Imaginary Ingo steps out from behind Akari, apparently deciding Emmet’s demand to ‘go away’ was a limited-time deal. The imaginary man crosses his arms over his chest as he narrows his eyes towards Emmet in accusation. “Again.”

If it weren’t for Akari being in the room with her full attention on Emmet, the white-clad Subway Boss would have told his imaginary brother to piss off. Instead, he turns his attention back towards the teen, her expression growing more concerned with every passing second. He shifts uncomfortably under her scrutiny, guilt creeping up his spine.

“Are you okay, Emmet?” The slate-haired girl leaned down to pick up his hat; he hadn’t noticed it had fallen to the ground. “I thought you would be more excited.” A grin spreads across her face without reaching her eyes. “You’ll finally see your brother again!”

“I am Emmet. I am very excited to see Ingo again.” The man falters slightly, considering his next words carefully. “But I am worried. Things have…not turned out well for me lately.” Turning his gaze towards the floor, Emmet’s smile turns bitter. “He already cannot remember me.”

“Don’t worry, Emmet,” the girl smiles softly, reassuringly, “He may have lost his memory, but he gets so close to remembering you. I bet he’ll know who you are as soon as he sees you!”

Emmet doubted that, but he wasn’t about to dash the teens’ optimism. She’s just trying to cheer him up after all. For a moment, Emmet even lets himself believe her. But just as every other fleeting moment of joy he’s had since his twin’s disappearance, Emmet’s brain reminds him of the harsh reality.

Even if Ingo miraculously remembered Emmet from the simple act of seeing him like some sort of overdramatic soap opera that Elesa likes, he did not exactly look like his normal self. Goatee and less groomed hairstyle aside, half his face is currently covered in a bandage while the other half is all red and blotchy from weather exposure and stress. Not to mention his signature white attire has now been stained a reddish-pink and brown. All that is to say, Emmet doesn’t think he looks all that much like himself right now. Or ever again once he gets this surgery. This old-timey, and very scary surgery to remove his eye.

Which reminds him…

“Akari, I have to tell you something.” Emmet begins, wringing his hands together awkwardly. “The doctor did not give me-” he pauses briefly, single eye shifting away from the teen’s attentive gaze-, “she did not give me great news.”

Shock and then panic flashes across Akari’s face before settling on despair, causing Emmet to quickly scramble to stop her from drawing incorrect conclusions of the worst-case scenario. “Wait, no, Akari,” Emmet raises his hand in a surrendering motion, “I am not dying. It is my eye.”

The teen’s brow furrows in confusion. “Your…eye?”

“Yup!” Popping the P, Emmet hoped by keeping his tone and demeanour positive, he could get through his confession without breaking down in front of the poor young girl. She doesn’t need to deal with that kind of thing from a grown man. He feels his smile wobble slightly as he continues, “The doctor said she has to remove it to avoid the infection spreading. Or something along those lines.” He waves a dismissive hand with a half-shrug and huff of air. “I do not understand that medical stuff. Verrry confusing. But yup, eye has got to go!”

Akari and Imaginary Ingo both stand blinking rowlettly at him.

“By the dragons, Emmet! There’s nonchalant calmness, and then there’s whatever the hell that was!” Imaginary Ingo throws his arms out dramatically in exasperation. “You can’t just tell people information like that so callously!”

“It is fine.” While mostly directed towards his imaginary brother, Emmet was also trying to reassure the teen. Currently, Akari was giving a pretty impressive impersonation of a victreebel with her mouth opening and closing in shock as she gathered her thoughts.

“Akari, truly,” Emmet feels his smile strain as he reassures the teenager, “I am Emmet, and I am fine.” He pauses momentarily as he considers the girl’s doubtful expression, clearly not believing his claim. Smart girl. Imaginary Ingo releases a disbelieving scoff beside Akari as he glares Emmet down. The white-clad man sighs in defeat before continuing. “Well, I will be fine. Eventually.”

His imaginary brother appears to accept this declaration as the slate-haired girl stares at him a moment longer, deep in thought. Taking a hesitant step closer, Akari finally speaks up. “Can I…can I hug you?” she asks, voice quiet as if she were talking to a frightened Stantler. “I think news like that needs a hug.”

“I swear to the dragons, Emmet, if you don’t say yes-- you need one, and I can’t physically do it myself.”

Emmet feels his lower lip quiver as he swallows back the lump that formed in his throat. Not trusting his voice, he instead gives the young hero one decisive nod of consent. As soon as his head had stilled, Akari was instantly there, arms carefully wrapping around his middle. Tension leaves Emmet as he melts into the hug with a shuddering breath, resting his chin atop the girl’s bandana-covered head. Caboose sneaks out from beneath Emmet’s coat collar to climb onto the teen, his fluffy fur causing her to giggle before he finally settled between the crook of her neck and shirt collar. Imaginary Ingo watches on with his meowth-like smile as Emmet closes his good eye and lets his mind go blank.

It's unclear how long the pair stood in their melancholy embrace, but the ever-moving Akari eventually speaks up. “I brought you some new clothes, by the way, so you can get out of your ruined ones,” she informs him, “and so you don’t stick out like a sore thumb in your suit. Don’t worry; you can keep your coat and hat, though.”

Emmet hums his acknowledgment, silently grateful he can get out of his soiled clothing. He does wonder why she specified he could keep his coat and hat, however.

“Hey,” she speaks up again after a few more moments, “do you wanna see my Pokémon at the pastures? Maybe you can give me some battling tips.”

Emmet’s eye flew open as he stepped out of Akari’s embrace, a genuinely eager smile settling on his face. “Yes.”

The teen snorts out a laugh as she watches her uncle’s brother march towards the med-bay exit. “Hold on, Emmet,” she calls out with a giggle, “you need to get changed first!”

 

---

Warden Ingo slowly made his way across the bridge leading towards his clan’s settlement. He pulls his too-thin-for-this-weather coat tighter around himself with an exhausted huff. The chill of the snow has set in deeply into his bones, causing them to ache and groan in protest with each move. Victory had returned to his pokéball soon after they arrived in the snow-filled land, leaving Ingo to traverse the icy tundra alone.

He would never admit it out loud, but he deeply regretted the Pearl Settlement’s choice in location. It was one of the reasons he chose to stay in the Coronet Highlands with Lady Sneasler or Jubilife Village most of the time. And as he makes his way closer to Lady Irida’s tent, he is reminded of the other reason he prefers to stay away from Pearl’s settlement.

After nearly 5 years, Ingo wishes he could say he had grown used to the stares and animosity from some of his fellow clan members. While the majority of Pearls have gotten over introducing an outsider to their clan, especially after he was chosen by Lady Sneasler herself to become her new warden, there were still many that eyed Ingo with suspicion. They generally consisted of the older clan members, who valued tradition. Which did not include allowing strange amnesic men who fell from the sky to become one of their noble’s new wardens. Especially one that utilises pokéballs.

Suffice to say, those clan members were not big fans of Ingo.

Ignoring the judgemental gazes of the clan’s elders, Ingo finally reached Lady Irida’s tent, where the wardens would regularly have their meetings. He catches sight of the Pearl leader, talking to a blonde man in a blue and yellow uniform.

Ah. How unfortunate. It’s Akari’s unnerving friend. Why was he here and not with Akari?

“Apologies for being behind schedule,” the warden begins as he approaches the pair, “snow-covered tracks are not my preferred route.”

“Warden Ingo,” Irida smiles in welcoming, beckoning him to come closer, “You’re not late at all. You’re actually the first here. Well, aside from Gaeric, of course.”

“Glad to hear it.” Ingo’s lips curl marginally into a polite smile before turning to the blonde Ginkgo Guild member. “Mister…Volo, wasn’t it?” The warden holds his hand out for the other man to shake, quirking a brow towards the man in question. “I was under the impression you were off exploring with my niece, Akari. I do hope she is aware of your sudden detour?”

“She does indeed, Warden.” The blonde man smiles at Ingo, eyes sharp and calculating, causing Ingo’s frown to deepen slightly in response. “She had something to attend to back in Jubilife Village, but we’ll see each other again soon, don’t you worry!”

“I see…”

“Volo is actually why I requested a meeting with the wardens,” Irida speaks up, likely sensing the tenseness from her warden. “Why don’t you head inside and get yourself warmed up, Warden Ingo? I know how you don’t care for the cold. I’m sorry to drag you up here like this.”

Ingo tips his hat towards Irida in gratitude before nodding at Volo and heading into the marginally warmer tent. He hoped this wouldn’t take long so he could get out of this Sinnoh-forsaken cold. A memory of warm violet flames flashes in his mind before quickly fading, leaving him feeling colder than before.

Pushing through the tent flap, Ingo immediately spots his fellow warden sitting cross-legged in the furthest corner away from the heater. Upon hearing him enter, Gaeric opens his eyes and looks towards Ingo with a familiar air of smugness, clearly relishing in Ingo’s freezing misery while he himself feels nothing.

The amnesic warden manages to refrain from rolling his eyes at the other man. “Don’t you start.”

“I didn’t say anything.” The shirtless man raises his hands in a gesture of peace. “I was simply going to say it’s a pleasure to see you again, Warden Ingo.”

“Uh-huh.” Ingo eyes Gaeric dubiously for a moment before finally letting out a fond chuckle. “It’s good to see you too, old friend.”

Warden Ingo makes his way over to the heater, slinking down onto a nearby pillow as he rubs his hands together in a vain attempt to warm his aching bones. The small heater did little to help the deep chill; rather, it just made Ingo ache more with its contrasting sensation.

“Aw, come on, Ingo,” Gaeric chuffs, coming up behind Ingo and slapping him playfully on the back. “It’s not that cold! I mean, look at me; I’m not even wearing a shirt.”

“You never wear a shirt,” Ingo says flatly.

“That’s not the point—”

“That is exactly the point.”

The blue-haired warden stands with a triumphant grin, as if he had just won some sort of game. Ingo pulls his cap down to shield his face from the other man, embarrassed at his brief loss of composure with his colleague and focuses back on warming himself by the heater. The whole exchange made Ingo feel almost hollow, like he just experienced something he had long since forgotten.

Sudden noise outside the tent quickly drew both men’s attention.

“I can open the tent flap myself, young man! I’m not completely useless in my old age!”

“Come now, Calaba, Mister Volo was just being polite.”

The tent was soon filled with the remaining Pearl Wardens, their leader, and the Ginkgo merchant. The elder warden marches into the room with her arms crossed defiantly across her chest as she joins Ingo by the heater on a spare pillow. Ingo had made sure to leave the thicker, more comfortable pillow for the older warden or risk her scolding him for a lack of respect towards his elders.

Irida has her lips pressed firmly together as she watches Palina gently chastise Calaba for her rudeness towards their guest. The other wardens quickly join in, bantering loudly over one another while paying no mind to Irida or their guest. Ingo furrows his brow as he studies their leader, who had made no indication of putting a stop to the quickly spiralling chaos. She is clearly deep in thought, with whatever the reason for calling them all here clearly causing her distress. But what could it be? And what does Akari’s friend have to do with it?

“Lady Irida,” the woman’s attention turns to Ingo as he utilises his abnormally loud voice, “is everything alright?”

The room falls silent, as his fellow wardens turn to look towards a silent Irida. The blonde Ginkgo member stands unnaturally calm beside their clearly anxious leader with a hint of a smile. The contrast in their demeanours makes Ingo’s gut twist uncomfortably.

“Right.” Irida clears her throat as she straightens her posture and schools her expression into something more neutral, unreadable. The mask of a leader who does not want to worry her followers. “I really appreciate you all coming here with such little notice. I’m sure you’re all wondering why I requested your presence so urgently.”

The wardens all nod confirmation, facial expressions varying between confusion and concern, but all listening with rapt attention. Irida releases a breath of air before continuing.

“Volo here has informed me of a recent attack by an alpha garchomp. Allegedly,” Irida glances at the blonde man out the corner of her eye, “the alpha garchomp has ventured away from its nest by the Avalanche Slopes and nearly killed a man who was on his way to our settlement.” Shifting her gaze to the floor, Irida’s expression turns into something more crestfallen. “I fear if this alpha garchomp truly is drifting away from where we know it to live, more people will be at risk of being attacked. And not be as lucky as its last victim was.”

“No, that can’t be,” Gaeric speaks up, “If the alpha garchomp wandered away from its territory and attacked someone, no less, I or Sabi would have noticed.”

“And yet it happened.” Irida’s voice is firm, leaving little room for argument. “Whether you believe it or not, Warden Gaeric, there is an injured man currently in the care of the Galaxy Team.” The young leader gestures towards Volo to emphasise her point, “Volo here saw the man with his own eyes. Our friend Akari has personally taken the man to get medical care at Jubilife Village.”

That fact hit Ingo like a bullet train to the head. “What do you mean?” he cuts in. “Akari, a teenager, is in charge of a critically injured man, who was mauled by an oversized dragon?”

“Not to worry, warden!” The blonde merchant steps forward before Irida could respond. “Akari is more than capable; she did close the rift in the sky after all. She insisted she could handle it.”

“Just because she is capable,” Ingo takes a deep inhale of air through his nose in an attempt to maintain his composure, “does not mean she should be put in this situation. I once again must point out she is a child and should not be exposed to such gore, let alone have the victim put under her charge.”

“Perhaps you need to put more faith in our friend, warden.” Volo’s smile was pleasant, but his words stung more than a sneasel kit’s poison. “Your overbearing nature will only drive her away, you know?”

Ingo blinks, taken aback. An awkward silence follows, the other wardens torn between sticking up for their friend and keeping the peace with their guest. Irida eventually clears her throat to regain the attention of the room.

“We appreciate your help, Mister Volo.” While Irida kept her words polite with a neutral tone, it was clear she was furious. “But I think it’s best we continue the rest of this meeting as a clan. I’d hate to keep you from your duties.”

“Ah, yes. You are correct, thank you.” The tall man gives the group a bow with a bright smile, as if unaware or perhaps uncaring of the sudden disdain from the group. “I must get back to Jubilife Village myself. Farewell and happy hunting!”

Hunting? Ingo’s frown deepens in thought. What are we hunting?

“Are you alright, Ingo?” Irida’s concerned voice pulls him from his thoughts once Volo had left, with Palina placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Oh, yes!” Ingo straightens his posture with a crack, instantly aware of all the attention directed at him. “I’m fine, just concerned for…” Ingo trails off, suddenly self-conscious of expressing concern for his niece.

“I understand.” Irida gives him a sympathetic smile, her hands crossed over her lap. “Akari is a brave girl, but you’re right. It’s unfair how many expectations we all put on her at such a young age.”

The distant look in the Pearl leader’s eye tells Ingo that she may understand the burden better than anyone. The tent once again falls silent, this time contemplative.

“So, what do you propose we do, Lady Irida?” Leon speaks up for the first time since the meeting began. The room falls silent once again, breaths held as they await their unusually grim leader’s response.

“I think,” Irida hesitates momentarily, looking towards the floor briefly before looking back towards the group with a sombre expression, “I think we may have to put the garchomp down.”

The room erupts in objection.

“You can’t be serious!”

“It’s hardly a proper solution.”

“Since when did we start killing our problems?”

“We don’t even know the full story!”

“Okay, enough!” Irida looks amongst her peers with a mix of irritation and understanding. “I’m no happier about this than any of you, but we need to think about the safety of everyone!” The blonde leader takes a deep breath to regain her composure before continuing. “I wish there were another way, I do, but we can’t sit around while this alpha is wandering around the Icelands; the next victim may not walk away.”

“Lady Irida, if I may,” Ingo stands from where he had been seated, “but with your permission, I would like to head back to Jubilife Village and speak to this man the alpha attacked. I want to make sure all the facts are correct before we condemn this pokémon to its final terminal of life.”

“You don’t trust what the merchant told us?” Irida raises a brow at the Coronet Highlands Warden in question. “What reason could he possibly have to lie to us?”

“What, indeed…” 

“I agree with Ingo,” Calaba speaks up behind him, “I don’t think we should commit to anything until we have all the facts.”

“I agree, killing a pokémon without any investigation would make us no better than murderers,” Palina states firmly.

Gaeric nods firmly in agreement, “If we put down all pokémon who hurt people without question, we’d have no more nobles. We have to look into this.”

“I ain’t condemning a pokémon over a misunderstanding,” Leon states, “We owe it to the ‘mon to at least look into it further before deciding somethin’ like this.”

“Very well, Warden Ingo, you head to Jubilife Village and speak to the man the alpha attacked. The rest of us will track down the garchomp and observe it from a distance. Oh, and Ingo,” Irida smiles knowingly at Ingo as he makes his way to the tent’s exit, “give Akari our best.”

 

---

The pair made their way outside slowly, Akari awkwardly matching Emmet’s slow, shuffling pace.

“The pastures are just over there,” Akari points off to the left to a large fenced-off field full of pokémon. Emmet is almost surprised he missed it upon their arrival.

“This is verrry exciting. Perhaps I could borrow some of your pokémon and we could—"

“Oh, there you two are!” a sickly sweet voice calls out to them. The tone reminded Emmet of the tone Ingo and their employees would use towards rude passengers. Polite, but fake. Looking towards the blonde who snuck up on Emmet’s obscured right side, the smile accompanying the voice was equally fake. “I’m so glad you made it back to the village okay, Mister Emmet.”

The Subway Boss stares at the hand extended out towards him, awaiting to be shaken. His right hand. Emmet clenches his jaw slightly, flexing his own right hand to test its sensation. Raising his eye towards Volo’s, who now had a slight smirk, as if he knew something only he was savvy to. Could he somehow tell Emmet’s right hand has no feeling?

But what is he hoping to accomplish by catching Emmet out like this?

“You should probably shake it already, Em; it’s starting to get awkward.” His imaginary brother unhelpfully points out, shaking his head as he continues to mutter to himself. “We wouldn’t be having this issue if you had just gone and found Doctor Pesselle like I told you to.”

Emmet quickly raises his hand to clasp the blonde man’s hand, perhaps a little too quick, and hopes his limp grasp wasn’t too obvious. It’s not that he necessarily wanted to keep it a secret; he certainly wasn’t meaning to, but Emmet did not trust this man. The Ginkgo Guild member speaks as if he isn’t sharing the whole truth, and seems to show up at oddly convenient times. Speaking of which…

“Mister Volo, you arrived here verrrry quickly,” Emmet finally says, tone matching that of the suspicious blonde with his own fake smile. “I thought you had matters to attend to at the Pearl Settlement?”

Volo maintains his cheery exterior, although Emmet notices a very slight agitated narrowing to his eyes and a firmer squeeze to their still shaking hands he can now finally feel. The Subway Boss smirks internally to himself; got you. “Ah yes, well, I finished up my business quickly and came straight here.”

Imaginary Ingo walks up beside the guild member with a confused frown, eyeing the man suspiciously. “That can’t be possible,” he states, “he should still be at least two days behind us, not mere hours. He went several miles in the opposite direction to us in snow.”

Indeed, Emmet thinks as he narrows his eye at the man. “But that does not seem pos—”

“So now that you’ve seen the Galaxy Team’s doctor, are you two ready to head off?”

Did he just--?

“That jerk just cut you off!” Imaginary Ingo gasped as if he couldn’t believe what he just witnessed before quickly crossing his arms and doubling down in his glare. “What is he trying to hide?”

Yanking his hand back to his side- why were they even still shaking hands? Emmet feels his good eye twitch slightly as he replies flatly. “Head off where?”

Suddenly a finger is in his personal space, raised towards his face and causing Emmet to go cross-eyed as Volo continues on as if he hadn’t just cut off and ignored Emmet’s line of questioning seconds earlier. “Why, to help me find the plates, of course!”

Why the utter nerve of this guy.

Pushing the other man’s hand away from his face, Emmet manages to get out between clenched teeth as he holds his passive-aggressive smile, “We are waiting for my brother’s arrival to this station.”

“Yes, however, he doesn’t appear to be here…” The blonde puts on a show of looking around their surroundings, as if trying to spot Ingo out in the village crowd. “So how about in the meantime you help me and Akari in locating the plates?”

Emmet catches sight of Imaginary Ingo throwing his arms up in exasperation beside him but otherwise keeps his gaze steady on the blonde man smirking in front of him. The twitch in his good eye was more prominent now, likely noticeable by the keen observation of Volo.

“My brother could return to station at any moment, Mister Volo.” Emmet manages to breathe out before slightly raising his voice to continue. “And in case you had not noticed, I am Emmet.” His volume suddenly reaches levels that would put even Ingo to shame. “AND I AM ABOUT TO BE MISSING AN EYE--“

A hand on his shoulder grounds him slightly from the sudden spike of anger. Emmet clenches his fists and jaw as he looks towards an anxious Akari, who lightly guides him a few paces back from her annoying friend, standing between the men. “Um, what Mister Emmet means to say is, it’s probably best we stay in Jubilife while he heals and we wait for Uncle Ingo to return.”

Emmet continues to glare at the Ginkgo member, a matching set of imaginary eyes following suit. “Yup.”

“Sorry,” Akari continues, “He’s under a lot of stress. And pain. And—”

“Okay, Akari.” Emmet cuts back in before the teen could continue her nervous ramble. “I believe he gets it. And I am not sorry.”

Akari lets out an uneasy giggle, eyes quickly darting towards Volo to gauge his reaction to her uncle’s brother. 

The man’s face is unreadable for a moment as he stares at the Subway Boss with a slight frown. Emmet continued his one-eyed glare towards the blonde man, who finally snapped out of whatever he was thinking with that phoney smile plastering itself back across his mouth and matching his intense gaze. “Alright then, you stay here and wait for Warden Ingo while Miss Akari and I continue where we left off.”

Emmet felt his butterfrees form in his belly. He knew it was selfish of him to assume the teen would drop everything and stay with him while they waited for Ingo, but he had hoped. Being stuck so far in the past in an unfamiliar region, not to mention severely injured, Emmet wasn’t ashamed to admit he was anxious and very much terrified. He was, however, slightly ashamed to be relying on a child to calm him in the absence of Ingo and Elesa.

“Actually, Volo,” Akari speaks up between the two men, causing Emmet to break the unspoken staring match between himself and the merchant. “I’m gonna stay and wait for Uncle Ingo with Mister Emmet. I don’t want to leave him alone while he’s hurt.”

“Emmet is an adult, Akari.” Volo’s usually composed demeanour appeared to crack slightly as looks between the pair with clear frustration. “I’m sure he can handle himself just fine.”

“Sorry, Volo…” the teen rubs at her arm in a guilty manner. Emmet’s disdain towards the man grows.

The blonde stares at them a moment longer before releasing a tense sigh. “Very well,” he says as he turns away, calling over his shoulder as he makes his way towards the village gates, “I’ll be seeing you both soon! Get well soon, Mister Emmet!”

“Why did that feel more like a ‘fuck you, Mister Emmet’?”

The pair watch the Ginkgo merchant leave in silence, Emmet still seething as his one eye tracks the retreating man. Once he was sure the other man was gone, Emmet turned his attention to the teen next to him. “Thank you, Akari. But if you want to go with that strange man, do not let me stop you.”

“No way!” the girl exclaims, almost sounding offended at the very idea. “You’re hurt, and no harm will befall Uncle Ingo’s precious cargo while I’m around!” A spirited grin forms across her face as she gives Emmet a light, playful punch to his good arm. “And Volo isn’t that weird.”

Emmet feels his strained smile relax into something more genuine as he listens to Akari’s use of train terminology. It’s slightly reassuring to know Ingo must still use it despite his memory loss.

“Yes,” he smugly asserts, mischievously tugging the teen’s bandana over her eyes, “he is that weird.”

The young explorer scrambles to pull her headwear back into place with a snorting giggle. “You’re weird!”

“Oh, and I am sure you are the expert in that area.”

“Yeah, I—” Akari pauses briefly with a blink. “Wait a minute…”

Emmet snickers at the young girl as he begins to hobble towards the direction of the pastures. “Come on weirdo, you were going to show me your pokémon.”

“Yeah,” the young teen laughs out as she scurries to catch up to Emmet, looping her arm through his, “okay, weirdo. Let’s go.”

Notes:

I'm so sorry about the long wait with this chapter, between two jobs and full-time uni it was really hard to find time to write. I also found myself struggling with the wording in parts, I wanted to convey Emmet's feelings accurately in regard to his eye but I was worried about it coming across as offensive. Please do let me know if it all comes across that way, but I think I managed to portray how one may feel in getting that type of news okay?

I finish studies at the start of June, so I'm hoping to get chapter 10 done by the end of the month or start of July. Indigo and Band-Aid will finally come out of pokéball banishment!

As always, thank you for reading and your continued support <3