Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The cold January wind seemed to whistle at the two as they walked through the crowded city. Their jackets starch against the colorful clothes of the crowd around them. A monotone in the sea of color. No one paid much mind as the Subway bosses of Nimbasa city walked their usual commute to Gear Station, all before the sun even had a notion to rise above the horizon.

Their morning routines were consistent and uneventful as always,
Wake up. Feed the pokemon. Get ready for work. Coffee (And sometimes a fresh berry from the counter). Out the door and to Gear Station.

It never deviated from the tracks they had laid.

Never.

At least not by their own forces.

It was one of their ever growing constants. Like the subway schedules or the city’s roar of life.

Emmet was first to wake up, as always. Who dutifully checked in on his adorable little Joltiks, all of which were cuddled up close to his original Galvantula in the nursery room. Dragons bless Tiny. The girl had laid many a Joltik even while she was part of his battling team.

Next was Ingo, who was more or less dragged out of bed. Usually via pokemon, Emmet’s favorite way was to use his army of Joltik to shock awake his brother (Though he could only do that on days that Mama Tiny allowed-). Once separated from his bed, and given the proper kind of coffee, Ingo was just as much a morning person as his brother.

Of course, then there were all the pokemon who more or less were awake by the time Ingo was operational enough to feed his part of them. Each had their own perch of some sort, they were as much about routine as the twins after all. The twins respected that. Even when Crustle preferred to wedge his way under the fridge-
Or how Archeops would rather eat out of Emmet’s hair, while perching on his shoulder nonetheless, than be normal.

Dressing for their day was next as they took turns in between readying themselves in the bathroom and grooming their pokemon in the Living Room.

Then, of course, was coffee. Sweeter than sugar for Ingo and blacker than black for Emmet. Chandelure even figured out how to use the coffee maker!

Once all was complete, every safety check and prework ritual conducted, the two left their home station.

Their day had gone about the same. Their schedules aligned perfectly as the two never grew out of sync. Their two-car train never truly uncoupled. Switching tracks was easy for them at this point, and no one could do their jobs quite as well as the twins.

Now the two sat, the hour dwindling down and the multi-battle car they resided in seemed to be taking its sweet time to reach its final stop. The last trainer had been confirmed to have gotten off over fifteen minutes prior so now all they had to do was wait.

“I am Emmet and this is verrry boring!” Emmet groaned as he hung across one of the empty seats, Galvantula sleeping atop of him in staticky peace. Ingo, who sat on the end of that very same bench simply sighed.

“Indeed, the trains always seem to slow at the end of the day. Perhaps we should start bringing paperwork in with us for such occasions.” The older twin gave the hint of a smile as he heard the younger gasp in offense. You’d have thought the man had just stated that planes were better than trains! (Which of course was false in every regard-)

“That is a horrrrible idea! I am Emmet! The Multi-Battle train car would be as boring as our offices if you did that! That was a verrry bad joke Ingo! Worse than Elesa’s!” The white clad twin would have done much more than whine if only he could stand.
However, as the unspoken pokemon law stated, he could not get up and wake the sleeping electric type that had roosted on his chest.

“It would not be so horrible if you looked at it like you do Battling. Your cab would be unstoppable if you treated our paperwork like that!” Earning another indignant huff.

Emmet opened his mouth to reply when the screeching of wheels caused both to jump up and brace themselves. Softly dropping Galvantula onto the bench below. The lights flickered off and the train stopped in an unsteady fashion.

“That is not good.”

“That is verrry bad.”

Recalling the now startled Galvantula, Emmet followed close behind his brother. The two made their way towards the front of the train. The flood lights shallowly lit the way as they moved ever closer. The cabs remained silent and devoid of anything but the chittering of machinery cooling down. Not too odd, but ominous nonetheless.

Cab by cab they moved forwards before reaching their final destination. With no humans in sight, the panel left sparking and empty was not the first thing they noticed however. Nor the several terrified pokemon that blocked the tracks.

No. What got their attention first was the Ultraviolet dome that spiraled through the tunnel ahead of them.

The whirling roar that sounded off, echoing throughout the tunnel. Louder than the pokemon scattered around. Louder than Ingo’s inside voice. Louder than anything in that tunnel should have been.

Shock seemed to wash over the twins. The ominous wind, the way the darkness seemed to pull at their very souls- It was like staring into an abyss of despair and anger. Pulling and prying away at anything around it.

Ingo was the first to snap out of it, barreling out of the door to try and traffic the poor pokemon away from the tracks. Emmet jumped after, only to falter when a stray zorua jumped into the train, toppling him over.

The black coated twin yelled things at the pokemon and pointed towards safer paths. All while Emmet was still dazed by the baby Zorua that had burrowed itself in his chest after running in from the loud vortex.

Sparks flew in flurries from the oddity on the tracks. Hitting the tunnel and pokemon alike. The elder twin had half a mind to call out his pokemon, to try and brave this disaster he laid in the wake of but his other half, as well as the thought of potentially leaving Emmet, kept him from it.

“Ingo! You are ignoring your safety checks!” Emmet could feel his voice echo into the violet storm.

“Do not worry Emmet! I will not allow myself to be derailed so easily!” Ingo echoed back, though his usual volume was mostly swallowed up.

Rocks and steel alike were pulled up and eaten by the very vortex the twins faced. The danger evident as even the older twin moved back to the safety of the metal car. He coat fluttering violently against him as he hurrily closed the metal door behind, even if he was unable to lock it fully due to the sheer force of the violet pull.

No longer was the track blocked by wild pokemon or debris. Just the inky purple that devoured all it could suck in. Any pokemon or manmade track had long since pulled up off the ground and eaten by the abyss. Ingo had been lucky to keep his footing and get back to the safety of the metal Cab.

It seemed as though they were safe from the localized storm within the train.

Emphasis in Seemed.

Horrific screeching and sputtering knocked away the notion in an instant.

“Oh no.”
“Dragons-”

The train inched towards the dome, that seemed to pull it in harder by the second. The door previously closed flew open, nearly knocking Ingo back into the tunnel if not for his twin grabbing the belt of pokeballs along his waist.

The violet light engulfed their vision, before bright blue light.

And clouds-

Dragons they were falling from the sky!

“Ingo! Don’t uncouple from me!”

“I don’t plan to-”

The train rumbled and creaked through the pressure as the wind seemed to pry the brothers apart.

Ingo in a last attempt tried to grab Emmet, also catching the pokeball belt. Only for the two to snap.

Emmet was rocketed back into the cold metal of the cab, hitting his head against panel of levers and switches, as Ingo was knocked out into the sky. Their pokeballs littering the space between them.

Hard…
Cold..
White.

That was what Emmet first awoke to his first morning in Hisui.

Chapter Text

Emmet felt like his mornings did not consist of waking up to snow and blood normally. Especially not in whatever metal wonder he resided in. He couldn’t confirm this as it seemed that his recollection of anything before the morning was far gone.

A groan escaped him as he tried to sit up fully. It felt like he had been hit by a train. Not that he knew what that was.

Emmet could feel blood trickle down his forehead and onto his dress shirt as he moved to stand. Effectively ignoring the black spots that appeared in his sight as he stood, as well as the yelping zorua that fell from his chest, the man walked around the small area. It wasn’t too big, and felt more like a walk-in freezer than a cab…

Whatever either of those were.

Stumbling, he approached the jarred open door, looking out upon the snowy plateau. He could see a similarly ice and snow covered valley that laid just out below wherever he was. Emmet could feel how the icy air seemed to burrow itself into whatever wounds he had, causing the area to feel even colder.

He hadn’t seen this much snow in forever, at least not like this. He could feel the snow easily reach his calves and the ever frigidness was seeping through his thin clothes. Wherever he was, he wasn’t supposed to be here. Especially not without-

A small yip and new, moving black dot in his vision, brought him out of whatever daze he seemed to be in. The tiny- what was it? Zorua, his mind graciously reminded him, leapt through the snow towards him.

“What is it, small passenger? Are you hurt anywhere?” The words flew through his mouth on instinct, not allowing him to understand their full meaning. A small yip and jump was all he needed to know that the baby pokemon was indeed ok.

Leaning down and picking up said pokemon was not as easy. Especially once the ever so growing black in his vision started to swim.

His footing seemed to be shifting and he couldve sworn he wasn’t so far away from the metal shelter last time he checked.

Emmet’s body teetered as the blood loss started to get to him, the top of his dress shirt was much more red than white at this point.

Thankfully, his coat was mostly safe from it, the collar only grabbing stray droplets. He could place why, but the garments prestige condition felt like a must even while he was bleeding out.

Taking a step forward, back towards where he had awoken proved just as difficult as he lost balance and fell back, onto a cold body standing behind him.

A low growl sounded out of the pokemon.

“Apologies… for the delay.. But i am emmet.. And I am.. verrrrrry dizzy.” Emmet had tried to regain his standing position, but with his vision nearly black and his head feeling as though it was being held under combee honey, it didn’t work well. A small bark emerged from his arms right before his consciousness left completely.

—-

Zorua did not know what was happening.

First he had gotten separated from mama during that awful storm thingy. Opting to try his luck with the humans instead.

Then they somehow ended up in this weird cold white place!

Now the white human was trying to walk away? Excuse them!

“Rude human! Come back” He yipped as he struggled through the thick snow. It was far deeper than back home- That was for sure.

“What is it, small passenger? Are you hurt anywhere?” Oh- The human was worried?

“Indeed! You protected me!” Zorua barked back despite the human not being able to understand him. He even jumped to prove it.

This caused the ever smiling one to smile just a little more before haphazardly picking him up. Zorua could feel the human leaning back and forth. Which he was certain wasn’t supposed to be happening.

Then he smelled it.

It was a weird smell at first. However, one that was still somewhat recognizable.

A zoroark!

Maybe it was mama-

The man holding Zorua moved, before falling back onto the zoroark that had approached.

Looking at it now, Zorua was confused. Zoroarks were supposed to be black and red with eyes like icy blue orbs. This one was white and pink.. And their eyes looked more like pools of joltik fur, if joltik fur looked ready to kill at any given time.

The human, who was at that point muttering something, finally fell from consciousness. Zorua didn't want the human dead, but he was just a kit! How was he supposed to help?

“Little one.” The icy tone of the foreign Zoroark shocked him a little. “What are you?”

“I am a Zorua!” He spouted the obvious, before shuffling in the limp arms around him. “Can you help him? The human?”
“Humans are very dangerous, strange little kit… It is best left dead.” She remarked and nearly dropped the poor man.

“But we have to help him-”

“Why should I trust it? It is probably tricking us so it can slay more of our kits!”

“NO! This human is good! He saved me when we fell from the sky! From the inside of that metal thing!” Zorua pleaded, Mama had told it to always return kindness tenfold.

“You came from the odd steelix?”

“Not a steelix- I don’t know what it is, but this man was driving it! He and the one in black were helping us!” This seemed to intrigue the older, as she let out a huff and picked the man up.

“Fine. But do not be surprised when he is just as bad as the others.” The older Zoroark gave a loud bark towards the rest of her pack before beginning the journey back to their nest. The warmth from the human, and steady rocking was all he needed to be lulled to sleep after the scary events.

Zorua must’ve fallen asleep between there and seemed to be the nest as when He woke. There were a handful of white zoruas there as well, followed by many strong looking zoroarks. In the center, a large Zoroark laid, grooming one of the many kits. Unlike the other’s, something within Zorua’s very soul seemed to tell him to respect her.

“My lady. This strange kit and weirdly clothed human were at the site.” The zoroark that held them reported to the one in the middle.

“Oh? And the odd steelix?” Her voice made Zorua shiver.

“It seemed to be hollow, and very very big. Much bigger than any alpha.” As the Zoroarks talked around them, the human was laid down on the ground and examined by the many kits, even a few younger Zoroarks looked at him.

“He wears the colors of the Old Followers.” The elder Zoroark, who Zorua had dubbed Dutchess (because of how powerful she seemed to sound) noted and begun to tend to him.

“The kit said he had protected them while the steelix fell. Perhaps the Almighty has gifted him as a sign.” Misery, the Zoroark that had helped them- (Also named by Zorua, as he thought she sounded too sad for a zoroark) mused solemnly and nudged his arm with her snout.

“Indeed. We will have to wait until he awakes to see for ourselves. Though I can tell he won’t be too useful with this head wound for a while. Azula!” Dutchess called out, beckoning a purple toned zoroark. “Go and gather any healing herbs you can find.”

“Of course. I will do my best, My lady.” With a small bow, he headed out of the shallow nest.

Zorua shivered and nestled closer into the human’s coat.

“Uhmm.. Miss Zoroark?” He asked her, as she licked the human’s wound to stop some of the bleeding. “Why do you stay in such a cold area?”

His question earned a sad chuckle. “There are no caves within this area that are big enough for the pack to stay, nor are they deep enough to protect us from storms. So we must migrate into human areas during the blizzards.”

He whined at the thought. “It was MUCH warmer in that machine than in here…”

This seemed to peak the dutchess’s interests “That large steelix? It was warm?”

Zorua peeked out from the whit coat to nod to her. “Indeed! It was weird- it was cold- but it was like the air from the outside could come in from anywhere but where the door was open… OH! Maybe you could move into it! Mama said that those machines were super big! I bet it could easily fit all of you guys if we got into the other parts!”

For the first time since he saw her, The Dutchess Zoroark smiled. “Perhaps you and this human were a gift from the almighty afterall…”

“The Almighty?”

“Indeed. Do you not know little one?” Misery butted in this time.

“Lend me your ears and I will spin you a story. Kits! Gather around!” Several other of the white zoruas gathered and watched Dutchess with excitement. Fog surrounded the elder before a childish mountain replaced her, a zorua like the rest of the odd ones around him appeared. It looked cold and hungry.

“Long ago, there was a lone Zorua. She had traveled far through the mountains, grown weary and cold, and had almost given up.” The fog shifted to Grand light. “The great, Almight Sinnoh, Took pity on her and granted her a gift. She evolved into the first Zoroark, and was tasked with helping the humans survive the winters she had once endured alone.”

Now it was of a village, several angry humans chasing the zoroark. “But the humans feared her for her illusions and tricks and cast her out. To traverse the icy winds with only her kin to aid her. Angry and Betrayed, Lady Zoroark ravaged the village, harming many and killing more.” It shifted to the great light again. “This displeased the Almighty, and he cursed what once was her gift. He cursed her and her kin to forever wander the wintery wastes without human mercy. And only when the world truly needed them again, would he send her a gift of a Warden.”

Zorua sat and listened as she continued to talk. Apparently wardens were like Human guardians. Was the human in white that? Zorua couldn’t say. He certainly looked the part.

“Hi!” A white Zorua bounded up to him, nearly tackling him with her energy.

“Hello… Who are you?” Zorua should’ve known better than to ask a name, but he was still curious.

“Call me Zorua!” Her tail wagged excitedly at the new kit. “Be my friend!” She added for good measure.

“But we are all Zorua- How am I supposed to know its you?” He asked. Their scents were odd and he wasn’t sure he could find her easily.

“Then I’ll just repeat it- So you know! I’ll always tell you to call me Zorua unless we find good names!”

At least he had more Zoruas around that were his age. “Ok.. Would you like a place in the human’s coat? Its quite warm!” The other zorua nodded excitedly before hopping in, and curling up in the faint warmth.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad afterall. It was nice to be part of a nest again, even if they were all weird.

Misery curled around the human to warm him up as the other zoroarks prepared to lie down as well for the evening.

Zorua hadn’t even noticed that the medical herbs were brought over until he was half asleep and falling fast. The soft murmurs and barks of others relaxing him enough to fall asleep once again, this time for the night that had begun to approach.

Chapter Text

Waking up was not as pleasant as Emmet hoped, but not as bad as he feared. His head pounded and his body ached. The dull pain seemed to spread through his body like a spinarak web. He made no move to sit up however, feeling two soft bodies within his coat.

With what he could see and guess, the zorua kit he woke up with and one of the strange white ones were sound asleep in his similarly white coat. The two cuddled up close on top of his chest.

It was verrry adorable. Emmet would rather bleed out again than wake up the two baby Pokémon.

Ok.. maybe not- but he wouldn’t wake them on purpose. That was illegal. Emmet knew this as fact despite somehow knowing that to be false as well-

His mind must hate him. This was so verrry confusing.

So there he lied, two soundly sleeping zoruas on top of him and the sounds of the morning the only things keeping him company. The sun rose and the area he was in illuminated, showing where he was ever so vaguely.

This looked like some kind of makeshift nest, several other kits bundled together with zoroarks as the other adults slept on the outskirts of the bedding in case of predators. Emmet noted a particularly large pile of zoruas with an even bigger zoroark in the center.

These all look verrry soft. Much softer than the thin twigs he’s laying on now. Not that he minds the floor, it reminds him of some other odd place he would sleep in- Even if the memory or location is obscured by the fog that has trapped his mind.

What was his life like before he woke up yesterday? Did he have family? Did he live somewhere that was not in fact this snow wasteland? Did he even have a home?

His mind muddled and swirled as he felt his thoughts spiral. Maybe he had done something wrong, something that made him feel like only one half of a whole. The reason seeing the duo of zorua on his chest made him want to cry, to beg someone to bring him- to bring him his other half.

What if they were dead? What if THAT was his punishment for whatever crime he had committed? What crime could he have done to earn this soul wrenching feeling?

What if-

“--ua! Zoro- Zor!” The slight pressure on his chest forced his mind to switch tracks back to reality. Apparently the two zorua had not only woken up, but were trying to wake Emmet up as well and from the low growl of one of the Zoroarks nearby, he hadn't been the only one who had been woken up by the two. There they stood on his chest, taking turns pouncing on his tie and yowling. For what it's worth, they are verrry good alarms.

“I am Emmet. I am awake young passengers, you may stop trampling my cab now.” He chuckled out as neither stopped, too caught up in the new found game his clothing provided.

It must have been quite entertaining for the kits as well, because in the few minutes he had been watching, more zorua joined in. Soon every Pokémon in the nest was awake, and the zoruas were practicing hunting on his chest.

Some of the older kits even managed to get him to make small groans or “oof”s, which only encouraged the younger one to try harder.

“Please stop little ones! I am Emmet, and I am not a practice dummy” He whined, only to be ignored by all but one lone Zoroark.

Said Zoroark stood and sauntered over to him, a small amused look on its snout. This was the larger one from the center. Emmet could only assume this one was the leader as well. The two made eye contact. Silver met gold. A snowy mist surrounded and dispersed from the Zoroark in an instant as she morphed to a familiar woman. These zoroarks perhaps used memories? The wispy fur could mean a ghost type, which made the memory thing make sense.

Where the form had come from within his mind he didn’t know. Nor did he know why she looked… wrong.

The first thing he noticed was the red-pink tips in what should’ve been a soft blonde. The hair wafted around her, much like the zoroarks mane. The second was the redder hue both her tattered kimono, which was also wrong somehow, and opaque pullover looked. Her outfit looked far more worn and tattered than he thought it should. The third, was the Feral looking yellow eyes. Seeming to have grown slightly more weary after the configuration.

(See Here )

“Kits. Enough. Off with you.” Her voice was wrong. It was an odd mixture of Dismissal and amusement but the kits listened nonetheless. It was a weird layering of what should’ve been and what was. It felt more like a poorly made mimicry than an illusion. Emmet felt it wouldn’t matter though, He could see through any illusion. Zorua were commonplace after all in-....

In wherever he should've been he supposed.

“Is that better human? You seemed uncomfortable being the kit's new training ground.”

“Thank you, Miss Zoroark-. I was worried they would decommission my cab at that rate. Where did you get that form? It is verrry familiar, but also verrry strange.” He couldn’t hold the question back. He hoped the Pokémon could enlighten him of his foggy memories. Emmet swore he knew the woman she had disguised herself as but nothing came from his mind to confirm it.

“Your memories, while muddled and fractured, had various forms to choose from. Though not even I could replicate it flawlessly from your fractured mind. I do hope you don’t mind the intrusion within your mind though. I assumed being in a human form would comfort you, even if it was hardly a disguise.” The knee length hair seemed to flow and swish as if to prove her point, torn bows at the end fluttering about as it did. It moved so unnaturally that Emmet wondered if the odd, puffy hat she wore would fall. It didn’t, but his point still stood.

“How could you find it when I cannot? I am Emmet, and it feels much more like a locked fuse box than my own mind at the moment.”

“Human’s mindscapes are complex. It is like walking through a forest of Drifloon, all these strings trying to pull you towards a different memory… but yours? It’s like wreckage spread across a void. Places, people, Pokémon- All broken apart and scattered about. I arrived far within your outer mind, but even that was scattered about like thrown stones.” She explained. Emmet sat there for a moment.

“Ah. That sounds verrry bad. Quite the derailment indeed…” Emmet attempted to stand up, the ground proving to hate his presence upon it as he did. It took a moment, the world spinning around him at first, before he was able to stand fully. He still had to use the cliffside to keep himself steady, but at least he wasn’t entirely out of commission.

Two small barks at his feet brought a genuine smile to his face. Both the Zoruas that had been asleep on him prior, stared up at him. The Disguised Zoroark hummed beside him. Wrong side. Wrong color. Wrong Person. WRONG.

His head throbbed but he tried to concentrate on what she was saying.

“It seems these two have taken a liking to you Human. The strange kit you brought with you has sung your praise.” The kit yipped in agreement.

“I see. Thank you little Zorua!” He smiled just a little more. His mind slightly drifted before a thought brought itself forwards. “Do you two like battling? I am Emmet and I love battling. Especially Double battles.”

The Black kit yipped immediately, while the white one remained confused. A small bark echoed an incoherent question as the mentioned kit looked at their strange new friend.

Emmet watched the small conversation unfold, with the black zorua doing most of the “talking” as well as several reenactments of events. After said explanation, the white zorua looked just as excited. Emmet only had to glance at the Zoroark beside him for her to realize he did not, in fact, speak Pokémon.

“The kit was regaling stories of Pokémon fighting alongside humans, it sounds quite different from anything I’ve ever heard of.” She translated.

“Indeed. They were verrry fun when taken seriously by both sides… I am Emmet. I believe I battled a lot before I got here.” He felt almost prideful of the statement.
“This location.. It is quite cold. Do you not have a better home station?” The cold nipped at his face as the wind blew in. A storm is coming soon.

“No. There are no caves big enough or deep enough to protect the clan.. At least not up here.”

“What about the train?” He blurted… What? What was a train? Wait! That was the-

“We were checking on it. The Steelix corpse if that is what you mean. It wasn’t accessible though.” That didn’t sound right.

“Perhaps I could assist. While my memories have departed to a different terminal, I might be able to get it working again!” He assured her, who only gave a small smile.

“Alright, but you should rest first. The journey over will be harsh. We can go tomorrow at first light.” The zoroark answered, amused at his confidence.

“One more question. I am Emmet, but what should I call you? There are many Zoroark here, yep! How may I refer to you without confusing the others?” Emmet would rather not call this important pokemon ‘That one Zoroark’ for the duration of his stay afterall.

“Hm.. I have never needed anything more. Would it be necessary?” He nodded.

“Yes! It will be easier for me to refer to you! I cannot just call everyone Zoroark! Nope! That is how you switch someone’s tracks.” He tried to explain, earning a hum as the Pokemon thought.

“The black kit has refered to me as “Duchess” Do you know what that means?” Emmet thought for a moment.

“Not exactly. It is a Title though. One of someone of Noble status.” He explained what he could warily recall, even if it were the bare bones. “Shall I call you that? Duchess Zoroark?” The Duchess must’ve liked the respectable tone of it as she hummed and smiled.

“Indeed. Now rest while the clan goes foraging, you have a steelix corpse to fix tomorrow!” With that, Duchess Zoroark left and her disguise melted off her form.

Emmet had almost forgotten about his injury as he watched the sun move into high noon. The snowy cliffs seemed endless as he played with the two zoruas from earlier, teaching them about battling and move sets.

He could talk endlessly upon strategies that he felt so familiar with, yet nothing would come to mind as he rambled about. Nothing but the strategy itself. His least favorite was a combination of the Mold Breaker ability and Earthquake. They were verrry bad when battling as a team, but perfect for one on one battles. While faint annoyed feeling warmed his heart, nothing else came from that discussion. So he was quick to move on to better combinations.

He must’ve talked the poor kits’ ears off as when he had finished, they both were asleep in his lap. The sun disappeared into the horizon. He too began to doze as he watched the stars dance in the indigo skies above.

—

The morning was much the same as the last, except Emmet cursed himself for not at least lying down before he fell asleep. The Duchess had also curled around him after he had dozed off. Her mane felt like silky clouds under his hands.

The sun hadn’t risen yet, and he seemed to be the only one awake. Was he not supposed to awaken this early? Shaking away the thought he very carefully moved the Zoruas from his lap, placing them in a warm space by Duchess Zoroark.

Warily standing, Emmet stretched out his sore muscles. He could feel the wind as he skidded through the icy snows around him. Now he was sure of it. A snowstorm is coming soon.

The sun began to rise softly, awakening the zoroark and zorua alike. Looking out onto the plains he could see other Pokémon emerging from their sleep as well.

Checking that he had what he needed, aka his coat and hat, Emmet turned to the now awake Duchess Zoroark. She gave a nod and barked out to a slightly familiar zoroark, who barked back.

Taking this as the ‘Ok’ Emmet stepped forwards, letting the words slip right out. “Follow the rules and drive safely! We’re heading to victory! All aboard!”

Falling back onto the lines felt easy, like a woven constant. He faltered a little when he felt it to be incomplete, like there was supposed to be more there. The cliffs' echoes only proved his point more to his mind. Looking back he could see both little zoruas yipping at him excitedly as the Duchess simply gave an amused look. Knowing the trio of Pokémon were ready, they headed off.

The trek was cold, and took a good hour. The snow was heavy against his shoes. These were verrry much not for this much snow, that was for sure.

Once the metal contraption showed itself from a snowy plateau, Emmet knew that he was supposed to be around them. That it wasn’t supposed to be out and about in the snow. The front car..? Yes, The front car’s door was still ajar, and he could see where dried blood remained. If his mind didn’t scream every time it was called a corpse, he wouldn’t have known the difference. The large metal string of cars seemed dead. No life or spark that he was sure was supposed to be there.

Carefully, he moved to one of the closed cars. Emmet looked around for a switch or something, though he was sure it wasn’t there. Next he moved into the open cab. The panel had long since grown dark, and a red light blinked above. He instinctually looked at the compartment below that. A large … Battery? That sounded right. Said battery was cold and lifeless. Which made sense in the most roundabout way to the man.

Next to the uncharged battery was a graphic organizer, a small yellow ball shown but the words long since eaten away. How curious. Just below it was a small inlet that could easily absorb a thundershock- probably.

He was stumped. The solution felt like it was right under his hat and yet, he didn't even know where to start.

Emmet, frustrated, shoved his hand through his hair and under his cap, pushing it almost completely off his head. Frustration seemed to shoot through his body in shocks of little feet. Wait-

No, that definitely was NOT frustration. That was a-

“Joltik!” He gasped, looking down at his hand where a small ball of yellow fur clung to the back of his glove. He gazed down at himself, his coat was CRAWLING with the baby pokemon… Did that one just use ember?

He was going to have to unpack all that later.

Swiftly grabbing the joltik from his hand, and another that had made it to his collar, he moved to the inlet.

“I am Emmet. You are joltiks, and adorable ones at that! When i say, use thunderwave, I’ll gave you some cheri berries too!”

They chittered happily and he kneeled down, moving his hands in front of the inlet. Each movement felt natural, like he had practiced for this.

He quickly went to work, rubbing the backs of the joltik together, static flying from the friction.

“Now!” The two Pokémon squealed and let off thunderwave, making Emmet's hair raise from the energy.

Electricity flew from the small forms and was immediately sucked into the port. A whirring noise emerged. While the lights remained off, the control panel glowed with life.

Placing the joltiks on the edge of the panel, he swiftly got to work, opening the doors to every other car. This place was large, holding about 30 cars total. The space would be plenty for the zoroarks!

Emmet knew that the energy that the joltiks created would last long, as he hurriedly moved through other things, like releasing the automatic locks. They at least be able to open and shut the doors without them locking in place or anything.

Soon enough the whirring stopped and the panel died again. He had done it though. The train would be easy to fix up for the Zoroarks, it would scare away pokemon and humans alike if most thought it was merely a sleeping steelix like the Zoroarks had-

A wave of pride washed over him. This train- it felt so empty, but so much pride came from the thing. The machinations were so intricate and so thought through- Whoever designed it was truly a genius across the universe… Ok maybe not that last part, but they were still amazing!

“Fascinating.” Ah- Emmet turned to the voice, moving face to face with the Duchess’s human form again as she smiled at him. “How did you do that?”

“It was easy, Lady Zoroark! I-” He stopped, how HAD he done that? It was like working off an autopilot. His mind spiraled as it tried to chase the answer.

“Thank you, Warden Emmet.” He snapped his attention back to her.

“Warden?” That title didn’t sound right with his name.

“Yes. I wish for you to help protect the clan as my Warden. You’ve shown great intuition with this metal beast… You’ve done nothing but play with the kits and worry about us since you arrived. Most humans would have tried to kill us. They fear us zoroarks..” He hummed as she pulled out an odd wristband. It was crude and looked very unused despite its age. A grin pierced his normal smile as he gave a small bow.

“Thank you, Duchess Zoroark. I will continue to conduct myself and the zoroarks as I would any other train. Safety first after all.” The pokemon put the band in his hands, chuckling at the skittering joltiks that resided throughout his coat now, eating the static from his form.

That was a good day. He would have many more days like this, and far more days that were much, MUCH worse in the future but right now? Right now he would be conducting his passengers to safety, as if it was his very purpose for existing.

Chapter Text

It took nearly a week to move everyone and everything into the cabs. Emmet learned a lot about his new clan during this. 

The first day was spent trying to get the other Zoroarks on board with occupying the cars. There was a lot of pidoving back and forth through the Duchess, seeing as whatever language he knew, wasn’t one spoken here. In fact, the only reason the Duchess knew, was because she was a blessed pokemon and could read minds with Mastery. 

He made note of perhaps learning the native language to at least be able to converse with the others in a way that didn’t feel like he was on the other side of a cliff and not a mere few feet away.

It was also news to him that half of what he considered part of the Clan were actually not. Apparently the nesting season had just about ended, and more than a dozen of the adults, and even more kits, were only there for that particular season. It seemed that humans were not as kind as Emmet was, and young kits were often killed for straying too far from the nest. So for protection, the nesting adults would come here, under the protection of the Duchess’s kin. 

It did not help that none of those Zoroarks liked him. He was Human after all. The man was part of a species that hated them, chasing them into migrating like this to save their own children. It was verrry sad. Emmet swore to himself that he wouldn’t let these awful humans hurt the pokemon around him. In his care or otherwise, Pokemon demanded respect, and care, not this kind of cruelty. Emmet had been told that their ancestors were just as cruel, but that did not change his mind. They were not doing that! These young zorua were not hunting people down in their own homes! They shouldn’t be killed for the crimes of their ancestors.

He was sure there were a variety of Zoroarks, even if most avoided him like the plague.  Emmet had met about a third of them in total. Including all of the permanent zoroarks. The handful of zoroarks mentioned, even if he couldn’t understand them, seemed fairly nice. 

The second day was more packing than anything. Emmet had found that the bedding they group was using was falling apart. It was crumbling. 

Emmet had to hold back his entire being from just-

Dropping it all off a cliff. It was completely under regulation, and must have offered the same comfort as just laying some burnt blades of grass. 

He would add that to his list. Alongside figuring out how to speak hisuian and finding where the Zoroarks got their berries.

The next few days were going back and forth between the nesting sites. It was his duty to conduct any safety checks they might have. The kits couldn’t move in until the adults were ready to sleep in it. The adults couldn’t get ready to sleep in the cabs until Emmet was sure it was both warm enough and could consistently provide shelter.

Even if his very being told him that the inside of that place was the safest place in this area, he couldn’t trust some gut feeling. He needed solid proof. It was who he was… Apparently. 

Now, everything had settled down. The clan was mostly moved in, with only the individual nests needing to be worked upon. 

As he walked, the out and about Zoroarks did their own thing. 

There was the Duchess, of course. She was checking up upon the new residents. Several Zoroarks had ended up joining their train, no pun intended, semi permanently. Good, consistent, shelter and safety seemed to do that. It was nice. It meant that the little white zorua that followed him ,and the black one he woke up with, would get to stay as well,

The two were growing on eachother, he could see the way the wary kit warm up to the far more energetic one. The duo could be siblings, twins even, if not for their contrasting coats. Not that Emmet didn’t still call them “The twins” when referring to the two. He needed actual names, Black zorua and White zorua wasn’t exactly something he liked calling them.

Looking over, he could see a small crowd of Zorua watching what looked to be another one of Elder Aki’s stories. The older Zoroark seemed to like to spin spinarak webs with his illusions. Telling stories of all kinds. From legends of the Great Zoroark, to small stories from when Duchess Zoroark was a mere zorua, the pokemon always gave an almost animated picture show to the kits while he told it. It was mesmerizing to Emmet. It felt like watching a figment of something familiar. Like he could’ve been one of those Zorua simply entrapped by the moving illusion.

A sharp bark and growl brought his gaze over to an open cab. A familiar purple tipped mane shone through. Ah, Azula must have gotten himself in trouble again. Another snap of the other Zoroark's jaws made Emmet realize which zoroark had been peeved off from the still younger zoroark. Wistry, the zoroark that had first brought him into the nesting ground when he woke up, She had proved herself as a kind of Medic within the clan. Often she could have several medicinal herbs and berries stashed away for when another member needed them.

Wistry also verrry much did not like Emmet. Duchess Zoroark had once explained to him that Wistry had lost her mate to the humans, and that her distrust in him was expected.

Emmet still tried! Even if that meant almost getting bit several times. Now said Zoroark was presumably yelling at Azula, most likely for almost eating her berries. Somehow the shiny zoroark doesn't understand that you don’t mess with another’s berries. 

He too had had issues with the young male, who had nearly eaten his hat a number of times. Emmet could never stay mad though. The naive zoroark could listen to Emmet’s fragmented stories like it was the word of Almighty Sinnoh itself. 

With all the different zoroarks within the clan, Emmet couldn’t help but feel alienated, and alone.

He was but a human in a pack of zoroarks. He felt like even if he was deserted in the snowy wasteland this area proved itself to be, he would have someone with him. This someone, was someone who seemed to ground him often. The looming shadow of a memory that was supposed to stay to his right. Or the sparks that should be like waves of electricity. That thunder that boomed through caves of mechanical wonders. The electricity that didn’t belong to any joltik he had met.

There were a LOT of them as well. Each seemed a little different. Most were verrry clingy. Emmet usually had at least 20 under his coat at all times at this point. The static from the passing zorua feeding the tiny spiders ever so much,

As he walked, he noticed the wind growing ever so much. The constant chill in the air biting a little more against his skin. The stray snowflake that floated in the air.

He had assumed the storm would be at least another hour.

Emmet was verrry wrong.

The storm whipped and spinned as if summoned. Not even the zoroark had been safe, all assuming the same as Emmet.

“All passengers into your cabs! Please shelter yourselves from these icy tracks!” He yelled out as he picked up the twin zorua behind him. The last thing he wanted was for them to get uncoupled from him in the soon whiteout blizzard. 

With the visibility low, he could only hope that the rest of the clan had moved inside. He had dismissed the low hum until it was on top of him.

Emmet wasn’t the best with directions, but he was sure the train had not been more than a few feet away. Now he had walked for a solid minute, the soft humming of a pokemon growing eerily closer. 

At this point he was shivering, the kits in his possession faring about the same. 

This felt familiar, Unnatural even. It wasn’t until he saw a shadow in the snow that he realized.

Snow cloak.

This was a froslass. 

Emmet’s mind ran faster than a bullet train. 

Judging from the confidence, she was at a decent level. One that could easily overrun any kit she found.

She wasn’t here for them though, it was him. Emmet was the target. 

Both kits jumped from his arms, standing in between him and the pokemon.

“I apologize for the delay young passengers, but I need you to stay behind the yellow line! ” Neither stepped back, determined to fight. The kits had been training. They were definitely at least level 15 by now, though that wouldn’t help much. He had to protect them, but even a young kit could kill. This was an experienced froslass! He could only hope that either the fight grew too inconvenient for the opposition, or that an older zoroark found them.

The duo barked back a challenge. One like they did when they were training. They were asking for his directions. 

“Torment, Snarl- Depart!” He called out, the names of them missing. They didn’t have names… but with the confusion evident they needed them. The almost readied Ice shard sent Emmet into a panic, his brain shifting to fighting without thinking of much else.

“Diesel- used Torment. We cannot allow too many ghost moves.” The black Zorua, Diesel now emmet supposed, leaped into action. It didn’t matter that neither of them knew what or where the name originated from, it seemed to stick though. A menacing snicker grasping the Froslass’s attention. 

“Caboose, you use snarl. Dark type moves do more.” The white Zorua yipped happily, also accepting her new name. She let out a vicious yowl, dark energy pulsing from her mouth before pushing the icy pokemon back. 

“Both of you, dodge these shards!” They both jumped, pawing through the snow and narrowly avoiding the icicles meant for them and the man behind.

“Caboose, Snarl again! Diesel, Use copycat! Aim for that opening in the icy skull!” The two sank their paws into the snow before mirror snarls emerged from the two hitting the froslass head on. 

A shriek and cry rang out. They had angered the froslass to say the least. 

The froslass began to gather dark energy, releasing it soon after. The wisps seemed to chain around Caboose, causing a similar cry. 

“No! Snarl and Copycat, Again! Do not let the froslass rest. Be careful Caboose. Diesel cover her from any Ghost type moves you see!”

Two barks rang out as they went again.

The Froslass attempted to close the gap with a bit, but was pushed away with another copied snarl from diesel. Caboose added another to the count.

The snow’s canopy had fallen ever so slightly. Emmet could see the end of the tunnel. Figuratively.

“One more time you two!” 

With that final hit, roars broke out around them. Yellow eyes all watching the Froslass. Wisps of white and red bleeding through the icy blizzard.

The poor froslass hadn’t realized. She hadn’t seen the zoroarks surrounding them until it was too late. 

She was shredded by shadow claws from all angles. A sharp cry echoing before she was ripped to shreds. 

Emmet quickly ran to the two kits, pulling them back into his arms. The storm hadn’t stopped, likely because it was mostly real. The blizzard froslass had used only added to its sudden appearance. 

Both Zorua looked excited. Almost happy. Though he could read their expressions. They had wanted to win with their own paws. Emmet smiled. He would make battlers of them yet.

Hurriedly he corralled the clan back into the cabs. The metal boxes containing enough heat and shelter to keep them warm throughout the vicious storm.

That storm would last nearly a week. Emmet would never be unprepared for one again. Not if he could help it.