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There was no big show to it, really.
Dawn had been in the highlands when the sky had burned red. Ingo had ushered her into Sneasler’s den, hugging her tightly before setting out for the top of Mount Coronet. The wind had screamed outside, but even with that Dawn could hear Palkia and Dialga’s roars.
Yet within a few hours the wind calmed. Outside, the sharp noise of claws against stone echoed, and soon after Ingo re-entered the den.
Dawn had rushed to him, and he had laughed softly, telling her that he was alright, and that if he had a choice, he was never going to fist fight gods again.
-- -- --
There was nothing big from Dawn’s perspective.
But for Irida…
There was nothing quite so awe-inspiring as watching two gods bow to a mortal man. The weird mortal man, the one that lived up on a mountain and spoke in phrases that no one understood and had no kind of common sense.
And yet! Here she was.
Her eyes widened as Time and Space raised their heads. Palkia turned to her, and stepped forward, calling out in the incomprehensible language that godly beings spoke. It began to glow, light surrounding it, and in a flash of light it was gone.
And there, at Irida’s feet, was a burst heart.
-- -- --
Dawn wasn’t gathering the plates for Volo.
One day, hundreds of years from now, these plates would come into her possession once more. She knew what they did, and she knew that there was no good reason to have them--not if you didn’t have a fragment of Arceus.
So no, she wasn’t gathering the plates for him. If he assumed that’s what she was doing, then that was fine by her, but she really wasn’t. They just kept falling into her hands entirely by coincidence.
She needed to catch the legendaries anyway, if she wanted to go home. If she wanted to send Ingo home--she still wasn’t sure what time he was from, but it was definitely the future.
The Draco Plate had fallen into her hands after she’d caught the Lake Spirits. Now all that remained was Arceus and Giratina--she would have to ask Cogita where she could find those two. If she could find them at all--perhaps she could speak with Arceus directly? She could always try playing her flute at the temple…
Not today, though. The sun was already low in the sky, and Dawn had every intention of returning to Ingo’s tent for the night. Ingo, who wasn’t quite her Dad, but also wasn’t not her Dad. At this point, she really could consider him a parent, but…
Well, all thoughts for another time.
She stepped into the tent, glancing around to find Ingo still awake, carving pokeballs in the dim light.
“Ah, Dawn, welcome back.” Ingo set aside his carving tools, getting up to greet her. “I assume your trip went well?”
Dawn nodded. “Of course! No pokemon can escape me.” She grinned as she grabbed the ball that held Uxie, releasing the pokemon into the tent. “Ta-da!”
Ingo opened his mouth to speak, but Uxie was quicker, making a sort of beeping-growling noise that eventually started to sound like words. Uxie floated towards Ingo, eyes narrowed. “Something is wrong with you,” it said.
“Pardon?”
“Rude!” Dawn grabbed Uxie by the tail, pulling it away from Ingo. “Dude, you can’t just--! You can’t just say that !”
Uxie made a noise, pulling its tail from Dawn’s hand and retreating towards Ingo. “With the mind.” It tapped the side of Ingo’s head. “With the thoughts.”
Ingo’s eyes widened. “...my memory?”
“Yes!” Uxie chirped, “The memory is wrong. Foggy. Bad. You like it fixed?”
“What?”
“Giratina’s fault--Giratina’s fault your memories are gone. But also not Giratina’s fault. Situation is complicated.” Uxie seemed to shrug. “But knowledge is mine. You want memory returned?”
“Do I--” Ingo stared at Uxie. “Yes, of course, I wish to recall everything from before.”
Uxie made a humming sound. “Startled. Is alright. You fix Time and Space, I fix you!”
Then Uxie rushed forward--and headbutted Ingo directly in the face.
-- -- --
If none of this had ever happened--if Dawn and Ingo had never been sent back in time--they still would have met. Dawn didn’t really believe in soulmates, but she did find it amusing that they would have met anyhow. That in another universe, the rift may have never formed, but they would have still known each other.
Dawn was the champion of Sinnoh. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind she would have met Subway Boss Ingo --the head of Unova’s battle facility.
-- -- --
If anyone would know how to find Arceus and Giratina, it would be Cogita.
That was all Dawn had left, in order to complete her pokedex. Two gods. Really, she wasn’t sure why Arceus wanted to have legends in the dex. Wasn’t it better to have their powers shrouded in mystery?
It wasn’t really any of her business, she supposed, and Arceus could do as it pleased. All that should be important to her was getting them.
And Cogita would know how.
Cogita froze when Dawn asked the question. She closed her eyes, seeming to think, before getting up from her chair and grabbing something. “Arceus is a… curious being. You know how to summon it.” There was no question in her voice, and really she was right. “As for Giratina…”
Cogita turned, holding the Pixie Plate out towards Dawn. “You only need one more.”
“The Spooky Plate.”
“It lies with him,” Cogita said slowly, “seek it at your own risk.”
Dawn nodded. “I can beat Giratina. I’ve done it before.”
“I am well aware. It is not Giratina that worries me.”
Dawn tilted her head. “It’s not? Then who--?”
Cogita shook her head. “The one you should be wary of is not Giratina, but rather--”
-- -- --
“--Volo!” Dawn screamed, turning to curses as Giratina cried out in pain. “How could you do this?!”
Volo’s eyes flared with excitement. “Its power --Giratina’s power. Can’t you see it? Can’t you imagine--fighting with the power of Burst, fighting with Giratina’s power--incredible!”
Dawn’s eyes widened. “You-- you want to force it into a burst heart!?”
“I will .”
It was hard to imagine a god, an all powerful being, so close to death that it would go dormant. But as Giratina cried and screamed, Dawn could start to see it.
If only she’d brought more potions, more revives, more anything --
Giratina cried out again, and a sudden light began to flow from it. Volo held out his hand, stepping forward--and retrieving Giratina’s burst heart from the ground. He cackled in the way only villains do, holding the heart up to the sky. “Watch out, Arceus! I’m coming for you next!”
“Don’t do this!” Dawn called out, and oh, she knew how horribly cliche that sounded. What was she going to do, talk him out of this? There was no way she could.
Volo laughed again, and the light of the burst heart began to envelop him.
Dawn’s eyes widened as the light brightened, but Volo didn’t change at all. He was simply screaming, yelling, crying--in pain.
Footsteps drew Dawn’s attention. Her eyes snapped to Ingo as he raced into the Temple of Sinnoh, slowing as his eyes rested on Volo.
The light surrounding Volo faded, and now Dawn could see the burn marks that covered his arms and face. Ingo strode forward, taking the Burst Heart from Volo and slipping it into his pocket.
Dawn’s voice cracked as she spoke. “...what?”
“You cannot use the burst hearts without proper training,” Ingo said, “Or…”
“Or you’ll end up like Volo,” Dawn finished.
Ingo nodded.
They didn’t speak again as they brought Volo down the mountain. Cogita shook her head, upon seeing him.
Dawn and Ingo didn’t speak again for a while. Not until the sun had risen the next day. Not until they were back in the highlands.
The silence was almost worse than talking.
-- -- --
“My dad died when I was little.”
Ingo choked on his drink, almost dropping the cup.
“I mean, I can’t remember him at all,” Dawn continued, waving her hand, “And Mom and I were always fine together, just the two of us. But, um, you know…” She growled. “I mean, it’s not like I need a Dad. It’s not like I’d go out looking for one. But, uh…”
Dawn looked down at her feet. “Is it-- it’s not weird if I--” she shook her head, gaze becoming fierce as she locked eyes with Ingo. “I’m just gonna say it: Ingo, I think of you as my Dad.”
Ingo blinked. He set down his cup, gaze never leaving Dawn. “I…”
“It’s fine if you don’t feel the same,” Dawn added quickly, “But I couldn’t-- I couldn’t not tell you.”
“Dawn.” Ingo set his hand on her shoulder. “I might as well have been parenting you this past year. If you think of me as-- as your father ,” he paused, “then I will fill that role officially . Or in whatever capacity you wish.”
“You-- really?”
“Yes, really.”
Dawn felt herself smiling, and she knew tears were running down her face but at this point she didn’t care.
Maybe, in another universe where the rift didn’t exist, she and Ingo would still have met. But Dawn was glad to be in the universe where they met in Hisui. In the universe where their relationship was best.
-- -- --
Irida hadn’t been sure what to expect when Ingo asked for a private conversation. But once they’d sat down in her tent and Ingo had held out Lord Sneasler’s Burst Heart, she’d known .
Ever since Uxie had returned Ingo’s memories, Irida had known he would leave.
She hadn’t thought it would be so soon.
“Dawn and I will be going home,” Ingo said. Irida hadn’t taken the heart, yet, and so he moved to set it on her table. “In a week’s time.”
“A week?” Irida cried out, “So soon?”
“I have… some things to do, before I leave. As does Dawn.” Ingo nodded towards the Burst Heart. “That was one of them.”
“You’re leaving with hardly any warning--”
“--I know, I… You have my apologies.” Ingo tilted his head back. “But I… and Dawn. We left our families with no warning. Perhaps I have already been mourned, but Dawn… Her family may still have hope.”
Irida frowned, looking down. “You don’t want to worry them more than you need to.”
Ingo nodded.
Irida took a deep breath. “Then go,” she said, “Do whatever you need to do. Say your goodbyes.” Her eyes met Ingo’s. “I… I’m glad you’re able to go home, Ingo. I’m happy for you.”
Ingo smiled--one of the strange, abnormal smiles that could only be attributed to him.
Irida was happy for him.
But, perhaps, she was sad for herself.
-- -- --
Cynthia had been annoyed, the day Dawn challenged her for the champion title.
That was the day she should have spent opening the time capsule. It wasn’t, of course, called a ‘time capsule’. It was just a box left behind by the Pearl Clan, but printed clearly on the front was a date and the words, “Do not open until”.
So they didn’t open it, not until that day--the day Dawn just happened to challenge the Elite Four. Cynthia had tried to make the battle quick, but it had drawn on and on until finally Dawn won.
Cynthia had invited her, after the ceremony, to join her in opening the time capsule.
The lid to the box had creaked as it opened, and Cynthia’s fingers itched with excitement. She was greeted with an aged letter that sat atop a smaller box. Though she’d hoped for a bit more, the emptiness wasn’t what caught her attention.
No, it was the note--a note clearly labeled:
To Champion Dawn …