Chapter Text
Almighty Sinnoh had forgotten its mercy.
When the snow hit across the Coronet highlands, even the Sneasels had retreated into their hollows in the mountainside. Somehow, they had the foresight to know that the air that had kissed their fur so coolly would turn into a beast, one that lashed and roared and smothered even the warmest of flames. Melli only wished that he had the same foresight. That by some miracle, or perhaps by divine intervention, he could have foreseen how it would rage on and warned the people of Jubilife village before it bled outwards, of how it would greedily devour the outskirts of their home.
In an instant, the lush highlands marked by ancient structures and leaves laced by dew were swallowed up by white. It felt as though he was walking through oblivion, shambling knee-deep in snow as Almighty Sinnoh rained its fury from above, pelting into his skin and sinking its chilled fangs deep. He shielded his eyes with his forearms, doing little to protect his perfect face. Through his hands, he could make out the silhouette of his home in the distance, his formidable tent standing tall, no doubt thanks to his brilliant skillset and perhaps the slightest amount of luck. But there was something troubling in the corner of his eye.
A flash of red and grey.
No, no, no, no, no, no. Not now. Not them.
He was ready to bolt, to ignore the wails and cries of his aching body and take off in a sprint towards his safe haven. He was so close to his home sheltered by the cliffside, cast in orange hues by the roaring fireplace, to his bed stuffed with Starly-down, his books with empty pages waiting to be filled with prose and lyrics. But that’s when he heard it.
An ear-splitting scream, one that ached like no other.
A wave of dread crashed over him and threatened to drag him under. Those things had caught a lost soul in their illusions. If they didn’t die of frostbite first, they would be torn to ribbons. A decision had to be made - and quickly. A greater man would turn to brave the storm and put another person before himself even if it meant standing off against a pack of those things.
But Melli was not that man.
His body burned as he staggered forward, each step more difficult than the last, from the worsening conditions or the twisting, winding, suffocating knot in his chest, he couldn’t be sure.
A beg for mercy shouted at beasts that had no comprehension of it.
He focused on the scent of wood smoke as it twirled around him, the air turning warmer in spite of the roaring, cutting winds.
A desperate plea that fell on deaf ears.
Melli didn’t dare to look behind him. Perhaps he was afraid of what he would see. Or of having to face the consequences of his decision. He kept his eyes forward and focused on his breathing as he anticipated another cry. In, out, in, out, in-
“Oh, shut up, shut up, shut up!” Melli screamed to no one, his voice drowned out by the wailing winds.
Almighty Sinnoh above listened, and his wish was granted.
The voice fell silent.
Melli’s whole being trembled like it hadn’t before. Not since- (No, don’t think of it. Not now.) He could feel his heart climbing up his throat, beating like mad. His chest was wound up so tight that the air alone was suffocating.
By Sinnoh, he prayed he wasn’t too late.
Melli was a fool. A stupid, heartless, idiotic fool of a man. But he was foolish enough to turn around, away from the safety of his home, and sprint towards a distant pack of Zoroark. The same Zoroark who tortured minds with illusions until they broke beyond repair, who had slaughtered so many for no reason at all, except for their own endless hatred and spite for all that lives and breathes. They were the incarnation of death, and yet, he blindly chased after them.
But that didn’t matter to him in that moment. He wouldn’t leave someone to die! No, he was better than that. Melli was the greater man. The greatest! He hastened and held his head high, burning up the last of his adrenaline in a final sprint. He would fix this. He would fix all of this. This was just a small slipup on his part. A mistake he made against his better judgement. A mere moment he was too caught up in himself. But no! He wasn’t arrogant. He wasn’t a fuckup. He was the Great Melli! He would prove it to everyone and to himself. And he would fix everything. As long as he wasn’t-
Too late.
Face down in the snow. Skin blue. Sun-bleached black stained a bruised, deep red.
A breath Melli didn’t realise he’d been holding left his body as a mortified sob.
The pieces fell into place. The only man who had the pipes to carry his voice over a raging blizzard.
“Ingo. Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry! I-”
“Please, NO MORE!”
In a flurry of motion, Ingo scampered upright and crawled backwards with a dragging leg. He raised an arm in front of his bloodied face as though to protect himself from an invisible attack. “I’m so sorry I can’t remember. I can’t remember your name. The train won’t pull into the station, no matter how hard I try!”
“Ingo, it’s okay! You’re okay, you’re…” Melli corrected himself, “You’ll be okay. They’re gone, now. But you have to get up! You’ll freeze to death if you stay here!”
Melli put on his usual attitude, but his voice betrayed his true feelings. He outstretched a hand to Ingo, praying to Sinnoh above that Ingo would just shut up and take it, and perhaps later, forget that he had seen him cry.
Ingo flinched at the gesture and swung it away. “No. I won’t be so foolish a second time. You won’t hurt me again!” Ingo was screaming now. His eyes were wide and wet, his mouth curled in an ugly grimace, lips quivering. “But I deserve it, don’t I? I know I hurt you, but it was never my intention! I fell, and I…I fell. I derailed. And I hurt you, beyond repair.”
“Stop being so stupid! Listen to me. You will die if you don’t let me help you! You’re stuck in a Zoroark’s illusion. The only way to get out is to let me-“
Realisation hit Melli like a tidal wave. The illusion was still going. They were still here, somewhere.
“We have to go. Right now, I mean it!”
Ingo put his hands over his ears, rocking himself back and forth. “No, no, no. Not again. I won’t lose you again. You are everything. And I am nothing without you!”
“Then COME WITH ME!” Melli grabbed Ingo’s shoulders and shook him, attempting to snap him out of it. Had he not heard him? A set of grey eyes stared at him with a lost expression, focused on nothing at all.
The silver haired warden fell forward, slumping onto the red snow between them with a thud.
Fuck. That wasn’t good. Perhaps shaking him was a step too far.
He could make the most of a bad situation. This was an opportunity, and by Sinnoh, the Great Melli was going to take it.