Chapter Text
The gentleness of the day came like a chill spring breeze that brushed past the exhaustion that tugged at Emmet’s smile. Swaying lightly on his tiptoes, he waited for the announcement that only his brother could finalize, and sure enough, his dear brother and his biggest rival yet arrived with the smallest hint of the smile on the sides of his usual frown.
"I arrive, right on schedule!" the biggest nerd announced, his voice smooth with a hidden chirpiness Emmet could pick on.
“Today was a verrrrry long day,” Emmet said, avoiding the froggy smile of his brother getting even more insufferable.
“Oh, is that so? Please get an adequate amount of sleep next time you lose the track of time working with the trainers” -Ingo looked up and down, making a stop at Emmet’s too-easily formed eyebags- “and by which, I mean eight hours! The adequate amount of sleep is eight hours!”
The emphasis was not necessary, but Emmet sighed and jumped to wrap his arms around Ingo’s shoulders, digging his face at his neck while allowing himself a little whining.
“That’s not my standard operating schedule,” Emmet stated calmly, but he stooped and give his weight to Ingo while making little troubled sounds to show Ingo his misery. “I’d rather work with trainers and show them how they can improve than lose time sleeping.” And the trainers that lost to him the previous day were so energetic and passionate about their work that Emmet did not feel the sting of lack of sleep till the sun shone on the first of the morning hours.
Ingo pulled Emmet’s hat and whacked it against his head playfully, though Emmet could sense Ingo was coming from a genuine place of worry. Emmet giggled before pulling back and forcing himself under Ingo’s arm to get a side-hug, as they embarked on their usual route back home. The streetlights shone warmly as the chatter of the people around them were of a lullaby, and Emmet… Emmet realized he might have needed a good night’s sleep before even more obscure things made him sleepy.
Ingo shot a look to question Emmet’s awkward walk due to the side-hug he forced himself into, and Emmet straightened up with a smile, but not before grasping Ingo’s arm so that he would not get it back. The track through the hug station went on forever!
“I have battled a fantastic trainer with a Pignite today,” Ingo broke the silence with his cheery tone unable to mask the hidden sadness beneath.
“Hm-hmm. How are you feeling about it?” Emmet tilted his head as he caught Ingo biting his lip for a second there. A faint tremble of Ingo’s hand drew Emmet’s gaze to the side before he went back to meet Ingo’s eyes, offering a smile.
“Brings back memories.” Ingo’s lip tugged at the side to form a small smile. “How many times have you lost to me with your Pignite?”
Emmet raised his head to gaze at the beautiful starry sky above them as his smile faltered slightly with the weight of the past creeping in. “You are tracking all the combinations I have come up with too? I won against your Dewott with Pignite in my party. Twenty times. I am Emmet—”
“And you like winning more than anything else,” Ingo completed and let out a hearty chuckle.
“Ditto.” Emmet had some time to conduct a little journey down the memory lane, and though some memories had been sullied over the time, the day of him and Ingo choosing their starter pokemons were always a fond, though also a slightly-frustrating memory. “It was so much fun.”
As their apartment was near, Ingo pulled back slightly to see Emmet’s face with that sneaky frown of his. “Your choice of fire-type Pokemon suited you,” Ingo teased as he straightened his posture further and fake-coughed. The nerve!
“You like nature. I was sure you would feel strongly about getting a grass-type.”
Ingo avoided eye contact as his breathing was halted to fight against his visible giggles. “Water-type brought me great joy.”
Oh. Oh, that was putting it mildly. Their mutual friend Elesa might have picked Emmet as this guy who is obsessed with winning, but she did not see Ingo’s mad engine powering his desire to win to greater heights. Emmet pressed his lips thinly into a smile as he reached into his pocket and took out the keys, with the bell of his keychain giving him an easier time spotting it between the mementos of the day he had also pocketed.
“We have reached our destination. All aboard!” Emmet patted the light switch and set his coat and the hat on the hanger, and finally loosened up his tie. Taking his shoes off before Ingo would assign him the sweeping duty for breaking the sacred ‘no shoes in the entrance too’ rule, Emmet glanced at his brother who had magically dressed halfway in his pajamas. Emmet raised a brow and Ingo chuckled, dressing even faster to spite Emmet.
Heheh. It was on.
•._.••´¯``•.¸¸ ▽¸¸.•´´¯`••._.•
Oh, sweet embrace of sleep, while finally settling on the slightly chilly bed. Durant snuggled close while the dim indigo light arrived as a welcome passenger thanks to Chandelure on his brother’s bedside. Emmet smiled at the safety and the preciousness of this little moment. All their hard work had earned them the small happiness that warmed their hearts.
“Goodnight, Ingo!” Emmet announced happily, which had the benefit of startling his poor brother who almost drifted to sleep.
Ingo turned back with his eyebrows pulled down and his frown comically deeper. “I wish you a good night too, Emmet.” There was a slight chill accompanying Ingo’s sleepy yet soft voice. He deserved a bit of messing with after all, and Emmet was happy to oblige.
“Are you saying it sarcastically?”
Ingo turned his back and pulled his blanket higher. “No.” And the most unconvincing response badge went to Subway Boss Ingo.
Emmet patted and scooched closer to his Durant, kissing the top of his head. Putting his head on the pillow, he waited for sleep’s arrival with open arms.
•• • - - - • • • ▽▽• • • - - - • • •
“HAVE… YOU… DECIDED?”
Emmet opened his eyes with a sudden growl inside his head, however, he felt himself bowing down while curling his tense hands into fists.
“I am Emmet. I have decided,” his own voice, through a fog of weighty feelings and slight crack in his words, spoke. “I will fight against fate. I accept the conditions.”
The pause stretched over time and abruptly his mind was filled again.
“ARE YOU AWARE OF THE CONSEQUENCES?”
Emmet took a step forward and dig his heel into the rocky ground. “I have thought this through. I am really serious. Really serious. Because if I do not win, Ingo will never see home again.”
“I… HAVE TOLD YOU… THERE WILL BE… A TERRIBLE PRICE.”
Emmet opened his arms as his nails dug into his palm. “And I have accepted that! If it will not lead to harm to the others. If it is only me. I accept!”
“I DO NOT BESTOW TIME’S GRACE ON HEARTS TOUCHED BY CRUELTY.”
The conversation was dragging, and with it, his own will that faltered despite himself was dragged also. He swiftly moved his arm to point at the grand shadow before him. “Follow the rules. Safe driving! Follow the schedule. Everybody smile! Check safety. Everything's ready! Aim for victory! All aboard!” His voice, however, sullied by grief and heartbreak that threatened to crush his heart, pleaded with the shadow.
Only the patterns of the conversations and the same scripts could ground him in the maelstrom of fate. His knees shook yet he pressed himself to keep his composure, straightening his posture.
The shadow seemed to be pleased as his mind was filled with momentary warmth before it turned into a burning blizzard that almost made him fall to his knees.
Like a train crash, the pain crashed right into his consciousness full-throttle. Pure, sizzling, mind-breaking raw pain that took the breath out of his lungs. Emmet wanted to scream, but there would be no body to follow his intent. He wanted his brother, yet he would and should not see that. And he wanted this nightmare to be over but wished to see it through.
Because he liked winning more than anything else.
•• • - - - • • • ▽▽• • • - - - • • •
Emmet woke up with the self-control that suppressed his scream and surprised him. Durant bonked his head against his arm as Emmet put his hands on each side of the bed, digging into the mattress as he tried to catch his hectic breathing before he would accidentally wake Ingo up.
The purple light flared up and Emmet slowly turned his gaze to Chandelure, who looked alarmed as he peered into Emmet’s very being.
“You have to keep quiet,” a gentle voice spoke. One that was heavy and thick with grief and regret. One that was HIS voice.
Emmet was on a super express zooming straight for despair and dread.
“I think we’ll be running on a new kind of track. Follow the rules. We cannot let anyone know,” the gentle voice interjected.
Hearing the voice for the second time, there was no mistaking it. Emmet launched himself from his bed and reached out his hand for Ingo.
“Ingo, I have lost my mind—”
With the burning of his muscles and inner strain of the wheels on the tracks, Emmet lost control over his own body, and could only panic as he saw himself heading to the ground head first.
•• • - - - • • • ▽▽• • • - - - • • •
“I didn’t want that to happen. My apologies. You are not giving me a chance to explain.”
Emmet tried to open his eyes, but there was only darkness and through it a mist of shadow, with clouds of deep dark reds and purples swirling dangerously. It was too dark for Emmet to make of it, however, he was sure he had to wake up and tell Ingo soon.
“You cannot tell him. This is the first rule. Victory is just up these tracks, and I won't let anyone derail me—not even you!”
He had to calm down. He had been in worse situations before. However, he had never been truly alone before. No Pokemon who got his back, no access to his brother to help him make sense of the situation.
Ingo.
“We will be doing this for him. Something foul will happen and I cannot allow it to repeat. You have to help me.”
Haha! Ahahahahahahaha! Hmmhmhmm! Emmet’s captor was asking for help from Emmet! He was riding the nightmare train, and before he knew it, he was caught in something sinister he had to get out of, fast.
“Ingo will be gone. And you have only seen a glimpse of my memories. I assure you, the rest of the tracks do not stop at any happier stations. I need you to understand the weight of our circumstances.”
Ingo. Emmet recognized the voice as his own, however, he could not heed his words blindly. Was it a ghost-type pokemon? Maybe Garbador accidentally used Venoshock or Toxic on him and Emmet was badly poisoned! That would be a relief!
“From the looks of it, you will not be hearing what I say. Let me prove it to you. Tomorrow, what day is it?”
Emmet was not going to answer that; however, someone forcibly opened the door to his train of thought, letting themselves in to check… the date.
“Hm-hmm. The late-night snack you both got will give you the worst of the stomach pains tomorrow with Ingo. You will need to lean on the walls to support yourself. Ingo will help. However, you won’t learn your lesson, nor know the reason, and will snack on them tomorrow night yet again.”
Emmet wanted to put his hands on his head and squeeze his eyes shut, but in the darkness, there was no earthly feeling. All the senses he took for granted were ripped away from him. “W-what if I say no? How can I even trust you?” Emmet voiced though he picked up on his thoughts being read freely before.
“The beginning of our temporary cooperation is very important. You have to make sure to conduct your safety checks. I understand. While it is urgent and is for Ingo’s sake… Although it makes me sad… I will leave you be till you confirm my proof and call on me.”
Why did these announcements blasting off in his mind had to have his voice? What was the meaning of his nightmare that seemed more and more real with each passing moment?
Was this…
“Please assume I am not Emmet,” the voice announced with a deep sadness that ran through him. “I’d rather clear it now before it derails us from our tracks.”
“I am Emmet. I would not call you that even if you asked!” Emmet voiced out with fury boiling and letting a hissing noise of pressure inside of him.
“We agree. We do not have much time. Explore your possibilities in order to continue with me down this new track for Ingo’s sake.”
•• • - - - • • • ▽▽• • • - - - • • •
“Emmet! Emmet, wake up!”
The loud voice softened Emmet’s pained expression as the tears on the corners of his eyes finally trailed down with the awakening of his senses that adjusted to the pain and bonking in his head.
“Ingo?” Emmet dared to whisper since any voice higher than a pained whisper might have opened the floodgates of his troubled consciousness.
“You fall from your bed pretty badly. Were you going to take a glass of water? You could have told me if you were not feeling well!” Ingo’s worried voice betrayed the angry scolding he tried to pull off, words raised high and dropped on the pillows of compassion Ingo placed before the end.
For Ingo’s sake…
How could Emmet be expected to keep secrets from his twin brother when all his life… All his life Emmet would go to Ingo for any trouble, any hardship. Even when his actions were questionable or outright bad, Emmet would not hide away from Ingo to get his help and guidance.
“You cannot tell him. This is the first rule,” the voice had told him. And yet…
“I will get you an ice pack. Oh dear... Your forehead looks so red already. Emmet, why?” Ingo shook his head as he lurched forward to stand up, but…
Emmet pulled at Ingo’s sleeve, his hand trembling, his heart thrown into boiling water in a crushingly small container. “Don’t go.”
“I will need to get that ice pack before it swells—”
“Ingo, please don’t go?” Emmet broke down, unable to hold back the tears or choke back the pain in his words.
Ingo sat on his knees quickly and in one swift motion, pulled Emmet into a tight hug. “I’m here, Emmet.”
But for how long? If the announcements were true, then how long?
Ingo grasped the back of Emmet’s shirt, clutching the fabric to pull Emmet closer and ground him. “I am not going anywhere. We, Ingo and Emmet, are a two-car train.”
For how long?
Was it Emmet’s fault?
Even if Ingo would leave, he would be safe and sound, right? Even if Ingo got tired of him and went away, if he was happy with his choice, Emmet would be happy for him too.
“Emmet, I am here.”
His sobbing was loud, and Emmet was not proud of it. But he could not stop.
Ingo.
Why was this happening?