Chapter Text
It had almost been a full year since Kuri woke up in Hisui. In the span of that year, she had gone through a whole life’s worth of historic events. But she had done it. She had caught every Pokemon that Hisui had to offer, naturally, and space-time rift related.
Laventon was so proud; he hugged her so tightly and didn’t let go for a good few minutes. They celebrated with potato mochi as per usual with Rei, and Cyllene awarded Kuri her tenth-star rank. And now…it was finally time.
Kuri made the journey all the way up to the Temple of Sinnoh, stood at the platform, and played her Azure Flute. A glowing staircase to the Heavens appeared before her, and the next few moments were a blur. Arceus appeared and challenged her to prove her worth. The battle was intense, more than any battle Kuri had ever fought. Though she supposed that was to be expected.
It was almost like a dream; Arceus’ attacks hit, but didn’t hurt for long. The battle lasted forever, yet felt like it was over in a blink.
But in the end, Kuri and her team were victorious. Arceus stood before her, as tall and proud as ever despite the fierce battle. “Thou hast done well,” He spoke to Kuri. “Unflagging devotion to a goal shalt see it through, so thou hast proven through thine actions…much as the ancient hero once did, with the Pokemon that walked beside him.” Arceus gave a nod. “I am glad that I chose to call thee to this world…and now, thy role here is complete.”
“So, I can go home?” Kuri asked.
“Indeed,” Arceus nodded, but Kuri lowered her head. “Thou feels unsure about returning,” Arceus stated.
“It’s just…it’s been a year, and I haven’t gotten any of my memories back,” Kuri said. “Is it smart for me to go back when I’ve forgotten everything?”
“Sealed, not forgotten,” Arceus corrected.
Kuri perked up, “Huh…?”
“When I pulled you from your time, I could see there were things that would…hinder your mission. So, I simply sealed away certain memories, only to be unlocked when I returned thee.”
“Okay…okay…” Kuri nodded in relief. The last thing she wanted was to be sent home with no memories. “What do you mean by seeing things that would hinder my mission?”
“All will become clear when thee returns,” Arceus nodded. “But for now, say thy goodbyes to the humans thee hast bonded with. I will come for you when the sun sets on the third day.”
Kuri opened her eyes, and she was standing in the temple again, a Pokeball in hand, containing a piece of Arceus itself. Now, the Pokedex was truly complete.
Kuri was very thankful she was given three days before being sent home. Hard as it was, she told the Professor, Kamado, and Cyllene immediately. Needless to say, it was a very somber night. The first thing she did was release all her Pokemon in the Pastures, except for her main team.
Then she went to say her goodbyes to both clans and the Noble Pokemon, particularly Sneasler. “It feels like I just became your Warden, and now I have to go,” Kuri said, her hand resting on Sneasler’s face. “But I know that you’ll be alright, with your new warden, or without one.” Sneasler purred and a bunch of her kits rubbed against Kuri’s legs, while the Noble gently pressed her forehead to Kuri’s.
“I’m gonna miss you…” Kuri said softly.
Irida and Adaman surprised her by pulling her both into a tight group hug, whispering thank yous, and saying that she would always have a place in Hisui with them.
Cyllene and the Survey Corps gave her a proper sendoff, which almost made Kuri burst into tears then and there. Kamado even respected her boundaries by watching from his balcony while Cyllene led the sendoff rather than him. Kuri hadn’t forgiven him, and probably never would, but she had to admire his effort to make sure she was comfortable around him after everything that happened.
Finally, the day came. Kuri, Laventon, and Rei spent the whole day together, wandering Jubilife or lounging in the pastures, talking about everything and nothing until the sky began to turn pink. The three slowly walked to Prelude Beach, where it had all begun so long ago. Kuri stood a bit ahead of them and turned to face them, the two people who were the closest thing to family she had other than Ingo.
Laventon sighed and stared at the open sea, “So much has happened in such a short time,” He said, his eyes already filling with tears as he approached Kuri. “It was merely a year ago that I found you here…” Laventon held Kuri’s face. “And yet, I feel as if I’ve watched you grow up for so many years…I am so, so proud of you, my girl…”
Kuri moved forward and let herself get enveloped in a tight hug. “Thank you for taking me in,” She whispered.
After she ended the hug, she faced Rei, who was trying and failing to keep his eyes dry. “So…this is it, huh?” He said. “You show up, change everybody’s lives, and then go?”
Kuri shrugged, “I guess so…”
Rei haphazardly wiped his eyes and sniffed, “Well, I…I just…I wanna say that…I…I-”
Kuri cut him off by throwing her arms around him, and hugging him as tightly as she could. “...I’m gonna miss you too.” Rei sucked in a breath and instantly returned the hug. Laventon gave them a few moments before Kuri peeked up at him and he pulled the two children into his arms, remaining that way as the sun set behind them.
The moment the sun touched the water, Kuri began to glow. Air gently rushed around her and she felt herself begin to lift into the air. She began to release the hug, until she was tethered by Rei and Laventon’s hands holding hers.
“You take care now,” Laventon said through his tears.
“You too,” Kuri choked.
“Thank you…” Rei managed, his cheeks already soaked. “Thank you for everything…and for being my friend…”
Kuri squeezed his hand. “I love you both so much…I’ll miss you…” Slowly but surely, Kuri’s hands slipped out of Rei and Laventon’s.
“Goodbye, Kuri!” Rei called after her, tears in his eyes despite his smile.
“Goodbye!” Kuri called, her voice cracking. “I’ll never forget you…!” She called as her friends waved to her. Kuri waved back until she was so high up, she could barely see them anymore. The world below her slowly faded away, and a golden light awaited her.
Kuri let the light envelop her like a blanket, and everything went dark.
Present-day Unova: Two years later
Honestly, the Absol sighting should have been an obvious sign. A Pokemon native to the Hoenn region known for warning about impending disasters all the way in Unova? It was a huge red flag that everyone somehow missed.
And they ended up paying the price, as a huge earthquake hit Unova, Nimbasa city taking the brunt of it. Naturally, Ingo and Emmet were still in the subway when it hit, riding one of the last trains back to a station. Thankfully, the Battle Subway had been closed for the evening already, meaning they were the only ones down there.
Ingo opened his eyes to debris floating around him. Alakazam was carefully lifting the rubble away, probably freeing him from being crushed. He remembered the train shaking, no, everything was shaking. Then the train had jerked upwards, bumped off the tracks, before falling on its side, completely derailing and screeching to a halt. Thank goodness they were in the back of the train.
“Emmet?” Ingo called immediately.
“Over here…!” He heard his brother respond. Ingo carefully got up and spied Chandelure hovering a little ways away from him and illuminating Emmet, lying not far from him. Alakazam carefully began freeing Emmet from any debris, allowing both brothers to stand.
“Are you alright?” Ingo asked, moving to his side.
“Somehow,” Emmet said, rolling his shoulder, “You?”
“I’m fine; it looks like we were very lucky. Thank you for the assistance Alakazam.” Alakazam nodded before Ingo returned him and Chandelure moved around to help light the train car. They carefully moved to the ruined doors and slid out of the train before stepping back and taking in the damage. The train was completely totaled; it would have to be deconstructed and removed from the subway as soon as possible.
“Which tunnel are we in?” Emmet asked as Chandelure floated around, looking for a sign.
“Most likely the main tunnel; we were only a few minutes from the station,” Ingo answered as he lit his miraculously unharmed lantern and looked at the ruined train. “However, we may need to backtrack; there’s no way to keep moving the way we were going.”
“Do you suppose any tunnels caved in?” Emmet asked.
“I don’t know, but we should move slowly; aftershocks could happen at any moment,” Ingo said. Emmet found his lantern, somehow only sporting a small crack, and lit it, lighting up the tunnel much more. Cracks ran along the underground walls. Using their Xtrans to call for help would be useless as they were too far underground for any signal to reach them.
So, they started to walk. They called out every now and then to make sure no one was trapped, but the tunnels were silent. They had been silent and distortion-free for the past two years, even after multiple investigations by the International Police and Ultra Wormhole Division. It had been a hassle for all the subway goers, including Emmet and Ingo. But it got Lizzie and Elesa to finally stop worrying about them vanishing into another time period, so they supposed it was worth it.
Then, a noise cut through the silence. But rather than comforting, the sound only brought panic; it was the sound of a baby crying. Someone was down here! Ingo and Emmet took off towards the sound until they reached a large roadblock of debris under a barely visible hole to the surface. Someone had fallen through!
“Hello?” Ingo called loudly. “Is someone there?!”
The cries continued and the twins moved to the debris. Putting their lanterns down, they began carefully moving rocks and brushing pebbles aside, until they finally reached a large boulder. Together, they rolled it aside and Ingo grabbed his lantern, illuminating the area behind it.
Sure enough, a baby wrapped in a pink blanket, decorated with flowers, was lying and wailing. Dirt was smeared on her little face with tear tracks cutting through it on her cheeks. Emmet moved closer, Ingo following, and they both froze.
“Oh no…” Ingo breathed while Emmet couldn’t bring himself to speak. Two arms could be seen around the baby, having been holding her probably moments before, the rest of the body completely buried. The ruined nail polish indicated that this was probably the baby’s mother. Ingo gingerly reached forward and held one of the wrists, fingers feeling for a pulse. Emmet looked at Ingo after a few moments, but his twin lowered his head and shook it slowly.
Emmet bit his lip and the baby continued to cry, snapping him out of it. Carefully, Emmet moved and extracted the baby from the rubble, mindful of her head. “She must have protected her…” Emmet said softly.
Ingo swallowed thickly, “We need to remember this place…” He said. “So we can send someone for her…”
Emmet nodded. The baby hiccuped and started to cry again. “Oh, it’s okay, don’t cry,” Emmet soothed. The baby squirmed in her blankets and Emmet quickly loosened it and freed her arms. He waved his finger in front of her and the baby slowly grabbed it, her cries dying down. She blinked her teary eyes as Emmet and Ingo looked down at her. She sniffed and hiccuped, but she kept staring at them. In Chadelure’s light, they could see the beginnings of dark hair on her little scalp complimenting a pair of gray eyes. The baby looked at them, seeming to look back and forth, before giggling at them.
“I think she’s wondering why she sees two of the same face,” Ingo chuckled.
“Yeah, we’re twins, little one; we’ve always looked the same,” Emmet cooed. The baby giggled again.
“We should find a safe way out of here,” Ingo said, raising his lantern. “Hopefully no other passengers are stuck down here.”
“Yeah, let’s get you out of this dark scary tunnel, huh?” Emmet said, making the baby smile.
They ventured through the tunnels for hours. Chandelure and Excadrill were out the entire time, the former keeping their path lit, and the latter listening and feeling for any further tremors or aftershocks. Emmet even sent out Chimecho to sound off and draw anyone to them in case they missed them. The baby stayed relatively silent the entire time, both brothers taking turns holding her while the other took the lead. The only noises were their footsteps and the occasional gurgle from the baby or a chime from Chimecho. Thankfully, their search didn’t yield any more stranded innocents or…bodies.
Finally, at long last, they reached an exit. A good pile of debris blocked it, but light still shone through the top. Emmet and Ingo took a step back, “Alright Excadrill, think you ca n get us out of here?”
“Drill!” Excadrill nodded.
“Durant, you help too!” Emmet released said Pokemon, and the two got to work while Ingo and Emmet made sure the baby wasn’t hit by any stray rubble.
The tunnel led them to an open track that led away from Nimbasa, so it was a short trip back towards the city and to the nearest Pokemon Center.
Kuri opened her eyes. She was staring at some trees and the setting sun. Kuri turned around to see a house behind her. She was standing in a backyard of sorts, in a small-looking town, full of trees and grass. She knew this place… She put a hand on her bandana as a gentle, sweet-smelling breeze blew over her, carrying the loud familiar whistling…
Whistling…? No, that was normal for Anville Town. …Anville Town! Yes, she lived in Anville Town with-
“Kuri?!”
Kuri whirled around as the door to the house slammed open, and she couldn’t help but gasp. Ingo and Emmet were standing there, looking much older than when she last saw them, but they still wore matching attire. …Just like they always did her whole life… Tears filled Kuri’s eyes as memories finally returned to her in full as she stared at her home…their home.
“Kuri…” Emmet said softly.
“Welcome home,” Ingo said, tears in his eyes.
Kuri let out a wail as she ran towards them, arms outstretched. Their arms folded around her with the ease of people who had been doing this for years and Kuri seemed to fit perfectly between them, like a final puzzle piece. She was home. All of them were home.
“The baby is perfectly unharmed, sirs; we’ll make sure she’s taken care of.” The doctor said, as the Pokemon Center bustled with activity from the aftermath of the earthquake.
“Thank goodness…” Emmet breathed.
“We…found her mother,” Ingo said. “She…unfortunately…” He couldn’t bring himself to say it.
“I see,” The doctor nodded solemnly.
“Where will the baby go?” Emmet asked.
“Well, we’ll see if she has any immediate family who wants her; if not, we’ll find a nice temporary home for her until we find someone who wants to adopt.” The doctor explained.
“I see,” Ingo nodded.
“Well, we’ll leave you to it,” Emmet said with a salute.
The doctor nodded and the twins headed towards the door but overheard the doctor talking with a nurse. “We finally found the records of the baby’s mother.”
“Good; anything about our little survivor?”
“Yep; we found her birth certificate; poor kid’s only half a year old.”
“I see; and her name?”
Ingo and Emmet reached to open the door.
“Well, as of now…” The nurse flipped a page on her clipboard and the next sentence made Ingo and Emmet freeze in place.
“Her birth name is Kuri.”