Chapter Text
Chapter 1
6 months.
It had been 6 months since Ingo returned to his own time, to his own place in history. Almighty Sinnoh, the pokemon Arceus had sent him home, back to his old life and old family.
It had been hard for everyone. Mostly Lady Sneasler, who missed her warden something terrible. Dawn, the girl from Ingo’s own time that had helped facilitate Ingo’s return to the future had remained in Hisui, being allowed to travel back and forth between past and future as she so wished, mostly remained for Lady Sneasler. While Melli wouldn’t say it to the girl he had a feeling she felt guilty to some extent for Warden Ingo’s departure to the future. And rightly so too! She should have just left well enough alone!
Melli sighed, he couldn’t actually be mad at the girl. Not after seeing Ingo’s twin THE MAN HAD A TWIN and friends waiting for him at the portal to take Ingo home. Clearly, the nearly 2 years Ingo had been in Hisui had been shared by his twin in the future. Melli had noted that they were identical in almost every physical way. Though Melli knew better. He knew Ingo so much better than that.
“Damn…” Melli muttered, absentmindedly stroking the top of Skuntank’s head. His partner looked up, confused by the sudden outburst.
Melli had hoped that after 6 months he would be over Ingo. Clearly, that wasn’t the case. He leaned back against the outer wall of the cabin he and Ingo had shared all those nights while Ingo was Lady Sneasler’s warden. They hadn’t all been intimate, but they had been nice. Melli had been Lord Electrode’s warden since shortly after Lady Sneasler’s last warden, the one before Ingo, had died, and now once again Melli was alone in the cabin.
Dawn chose to stay in Jubilife and travel between the two locations regularly. She never stayed overnight on Mount Coronet. At one point explaining that the idea made her uncomfortable. “Too close to where ‘god’ is.” She had teased, but there had been no mirth in her eyes when she had said it.
Still as warden’s went Lady Sneasler could have done worse. Though no one in Pearl Clan was ready for that responsibility, they were training a few young ones to take Dawn’s place once she was ready to return to her own time, once and for all. Though she had promised to stay in Hisui till they were ready.
It hadn’t been much comfort to Lady Sneasler though. In the 6 months since Ingo’s return to his own time the proud, fierce pokemon had become a husk of her former self. Both Melli and Dawn knew this to be true, but neither wanted to bring it up. Scared of what it might mean. Scared of what might need to be done. Scared to pull Ingo back to the past, away from his family that had so desperately missed him.
It wasn’t fair to Ingo to burden him with issues of his past during a time that Melli knew he would be long since dead from, morbid thought as it was. But still… * Has Ingo already forgotten me, moved on with his life, and never looked back*
It was one of those thoughts that left Melli sad and empty. So he pushed it aside and looked over the horizon. The sun was starting to set so Melli made to get up and head inside to escape the chill when he saw someone, no two someones heading towards him.
“Dawn, what the-” He couldn’t finish his thought. He watched as Dawn practically carried Lady Sneasler on her shoulder, a few of Lady Sneasler’s kits racing around their feet.
“Warden Melli, I… I need your help.” Dawn gasped as she finally reached the cabin. “We… we were attacked climbing down… three Garchomp… Lady Sneasler lost perch… I think… I think her injuries are terminal… unless…” Dawn was crying heavily. “This is all my fault… I should… should have been a better warden to her.”
Melli’s eyes were wide with shock. Clearly, Lady Sneasler had been in much worse shape from the get-go than he, or anyone really, had thought… still. “Unless, what do you mean unless?” Melli asked coldly.
“If…” Dawn started slowly, unsure if she should even be saying this… “If I can take her to the future, I might be able to save her… but I can’t leave here, I promised…”
“I’ll take her.” Melli wasn’t sure why he thought he could be a good substitute for Dawn, who had lived in that time, but still… *and maybe I can find Ingo too while I am then and get some closure* Closure for what, Melli wasn’t entirely sure.
Dawn bit her lip, “I don’t know… The future… it’s not like the present…”
“You doubt my capacity to traverse your original time? I am but a humble servant of Lord Dialaga, lord of time! Have you forgotten that? One time shouldn’t be all that hard to maneuver through than another.” Melli said boastfully. Though really he was talking out of his ass. He knew damn well that the future Ingo and Dawn were from was completely different to now, but that didn’t matter.
*I want to see Ingo again*
Dawn sighed, she knew there was no way she would be able to convince Melli that this, this hairbrained scheme of his, was anything but a bad idea. “Alright, let’s go see Almighty Arceus then. Help me carry Lady Sneasler.”
As the pair walked up the mountain, holding Lady Sneasler between them, Melli realized just how quiet Dawn was being. True, the cabin Melli had called home for years wasn’t all that far from the base of the path to the summit of Mount Coronet and the temple of Sinnoh, but he had so rarely traveled up it, it felt so far away. Still with Lady Sneasler growing weaker and weaker as they climbed it was becoming clear, time was running out for the Noble Pokemon.
Despite the ruined state of the temple of Sinnoh it seemed to shimmer with a holy aura. At first Melli was unsure of what he should do, till Dawn played the Azure flute. Then every cell in his body told him to run!
Compared to the Arceus Dawn was known to train with the one that towered before them was awash in power. *Now this is a god* Melli wanted to run for his life and get as far away from this mountain as he could, but he was now holding Lady Sneasler alone, and the poor noble was fading fast.
“Lord Arceus, Almighty Sinnoh, I have come to ask you a favor.” Dawn said in as booming a voice as she could muster.
The god of all pokemon turned its head to Dawn, “Child who hath completed thyne pokedex, whatist thy request?”
“Please,” She turned her head to look at Melli and Sneasler. A single Sneasel ran to Dawn’s side and clung to her leg. “Please, send them to my time, save Lady Sneasler and…” She gave Melli a meaningful look. Wait, she was crying. Why was she crying? “Give Warden Melli his happily ever after.”
Wait… WAIT WAIT WAIT! HOLD ON. This was all a trap. A setup! She had wanted to send Melli away. “Wait just one moment!” Melli yelled.
“As thy wish, Dawn the fallen.” Arceus said.
A glow appeared around Melli’s feet, “Dawn what the shadows have you done!” Melli yelled as he, Lady Sneasler and four of her five kits fell into the golden glow.
As the light closed up over Melli and he vanished, Dawn let out a deep sigh and picked up the Sneasel at her feet. “If thy had asked me I would have healed Lady Sneasler with ease.” Arceus said coolly.
“I don’t think, my lord, you could heal a broken heart. They were both suffering from that. And as powerful as you are my lord I don’t think you can heal that.” Dawn said with a weak smile as she nuzzled her face in the Sneazle’s furry chest. The Sneazle purred. She sounded just like her mama.
Arceus grunted, “Mayhaps that is the truth. And you do understand that now you will be here for some more years.”
“I do, but I think it will be worth it.” Dawn said, smiling brightly at Arceus. She wouldn’t have it any other way.