Chapter Text
Emmet laid in bed, hoping that tonight he wasn’t plagued with that dream again. The one with him and Ingo, having a normal day at the station. Every time, Ingo turned to him, his signature frown drawn over his features, adn begins to say something to him until he just vanishes . One second he is there, the next he is not. Then other people show up, asking Emmet how he could have let this happen, didn’t he care for his brother? Clearly not, if he was smiling like that. Why did he smile like that? He should be sad, and when you’re sad, you frown. That’s what they all chanted at him, the words constricting him, filling his nose and mouth and getting into his lungs, his very blood thrumming with the sound of You shouldn’t be smiling, you shouldn’t be smiling, their chanting making his heart palpitate-
Emmet shook his head. Galvantula readjusted herself on his chest, Archeop’s head laying over his arm. Eelektross was in its normal spot curled by his head, a habit it had formed when he first started having the nightmare and once thrashed so hard, he smacked his head against the headboard and nearly gave himself a concussion. The electric-type nuzzled him, concern in its eyes. “I’m alright, bud. Just need to sleep.” That’s what he said every night. Every night since Ingo had disappeared.
There had been something odd that had happened that day, and it would not leave Emmet’s mind. He had been transferring lines, getting off one train and moving to the next, when he had been hit with raw emotion . It was pure, white-hot rage that filled his blood, making him suddenly as taut as a bowstring, breathing heavily in the crowd. He had no idea what caused it. It had stuck with him for roughly two minutes, then had just as suddenly disappeared. Emmet had stood on the platform, wondering what the hell had just happened. His heart was still pounding as his fists uncurled from their positions at his sides. He noticed dimly that some people who had been close by had backed off a little and stood a distance away from him. He took a deep breath as he boarded his train, wondering where that had come from.
Emmet closed his eyes. He must have been exhausted by how quickly sleep came to him.
He was walking briskly, his back was stiff, why was his back stiff? Was he shorter? The landscape was dotted with hills and trees as he walked along a singular pathway. The breeze was gentle, the noises of some Pokemon nearby. Emmet noticed the sky then, red and cracked and multi-colored, why was the sky breaking? It was a huge juxtaposition to the peaceful scenery down below. Emmet (?) shook his head, continuing to walk. He could hear footsteps behind him, but he could not seem to turn his head.
“I need to find her,” Emmet said in a voice that was his, but not quite his. If it were Emmet truly, he would know, because his heart would have stopped. “Lady Sneasler, have any of the other Nobles been contacted by her yet?” Emmet heard a noise he never had, presumably the cry of a Pokemon. It sounded shrill and… unhappy. Emmet felt a pang of concern that he was fairly certain was not his. “We have searched all of the Fieldlands, next I suggest the Mirelands.” The figure paused and jutted their right arm directly in front of him, pointing further down the path. The other arm pointed out at an exact 90 degree angle, hand pointing at the ground. Emmet, if it were him, would have probably fainted at the sight. He noticed his arms were incredibly pale and had some faint scars on them, the sleeves of a familiar black coat missing and the coat shredded halfway up his forearms. On his right wrist, he wore a bracelet he had never seen before. It looked like it was carved out of wood.
“ALL ABOOOOOARD!” Emmet saw something out of the corner of his eye, a large purple object, and felt something resting on his shoulder softly as he held the position. He opened his mouth to say something-
Emmet’s alarm sounded, harsh in the stillness of his dark room. He pushed himself up, accidentally knocking off Galvantula, who clicked at him in surprise. He stared, wide-eyed into the dark before him, frozen. It took him a solid two minutes to finally snap out of it enough to grab his phone and hurriedly turn off his alarm. He sat there and stared at the device for a minute longer before he suddenly whirled out of bed, throwing his uniform on and brushing his teeth and grabbing some toast. He moved on autopilot, his mind still trying to keep up with what he had seen. He almost did not want to believe it, he did not want false hope after two years.
But he recognized that voice in his dream. He knew that coat, that stance. He remembered the curvature of the hands he had seen, the paleness of the forearms. If Emmet was correct, it meant one thing and one thing for certain.
Ingo was alive.
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Emmet had decided not to tell anyone about the dream. Elesa would have just decided he’d finally lost it. Instead, he opted to write down anything he remembered in a small notepad that he stuck into the inner pocket of his coat. So far, there were not many things there.
Lady Sneasler (?)
Fieldlands, Mirelands
Looking for someone (female?)
Nobles of some kind
Wooden bracelet
Emmet looked over his list as he briskly walked to work, tucking it back into his pocket. It was a start, which was more than he’d had before this day. He was going to try to play it safe, act as normally as he could until he could do some research. Why had Ingo’s sleeve been so ripped? His voice had been raggard, dry, and it sounded hollow. Where was he? Did he need help? And what had been with him?
Arriving at Gear Station, Emmet opted to quickly open up and then sit in the control room, allowing another member of the staff to take over battles today. Emmet knew he would not be able to focus. It was because of this (and maybe the muttering under his breath and the crazed look in his eyes, but who’s to say) that the staff practically forced him to return home, despite his protests. One of them physically shoved him outside. “Boss, you’re always working. You look exhausted. Please, go home and rest. I promise the station will still be here tomorrow!” Eelektross popped out of its ball and prodded Emmet with a fin, buzzing at him. Emmet sighed, finally conceding. He grabbed some takeout on the way home. He was going to be doing research.