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Chapter Text

Of all the things Irida expected when she responded to Warden Gaeric’s frantic summons, it certainly wasn’t this. Still, she walks confidently forward and the crowd parts before their young leader. She stops a safe distance away, and regards the thing that has caused such a stir.

It must be a Zoroark. It has to be.

But it’s the strangest Zoroark she’s ever seen. It sways slightly where it stands, and blood slowly drips off its chin and the fingers of its right hand. It wears a human disguise, but a very strange one. Too tall, the eyes unnaturally pale and slightly glowing. It wears a long black and red coat in a style Irida has never seen. There’s a tear in the right sleeve and she assumes a wound in the flesh below is the source of the dripping blood.

Why is it here? Does it think if it comes to them looking like an injured human, they’ll let it in? Maybe that would work, she thinks with a shiver, if it managed to be a little more convincing. But it’s not even trying to act like a human. It sways again and stumbles forward a step. Warden Gaeric and a few others step towards it, ready for a fight, but it regains its balance after a moment. It stares at Irida, but the silver eyes seem to look right through her. 

She draws herself up straight and addresses the Zoroark. “We will not allow you into the settlement. We don’t wish for a fight, either. Please leave.”

It slowly blinks, but its eyes don’t focus. It makes a noise that might be an attempt to speak, but comes out as a cracked, broken sound. It really isn’t very good at pretending to be human.

The Zoroark doesn’t move, except to continue swaying. Irida takes a step forward and draws her knife. “Leave, Zoroark. Or we will make you leave by force.”

At the sight of the weapon, the unfocused silver eyes widen and it stumbles back a step. Emboldened, Irida takes another step forward. The creature is breathing heavily, and still wearing its human disguise it manages to look afraid. She knows it’s a trick.

But it backs up another step. And another. Irida stops advancing and the creature continues its retreat slowly. It seems unwilling to move very fast. She keeps watching as it turns away and begins to trudge through the snow, back into the icy wastelands.

Once it’s finally out of sight, she releases a breath of relief. Most of the others have already  gone back into the settlement, back to their usual routines, but Warden Gaeric has stayed with her while she watched the monster.

He smiles and pats her on the shoulder. “You did well, Lady Irida.”

She smiles back. “Thank you, Warden Gaeric. That was… very strange.”

As she turns to head back into the settlement, her eye catches on something. She moves forward and kneels to look at the small patch of red in the snow.

“What is it, Lady Irida?”

Her brow furrows as she touches the now frozen pool of blood. “I thought it was part of the illusion. But it looks as though that Zoroark was actually injured.”

She looks up at Gaeric and sees an alarmed look on her mentor’s face. 

“Why would it come here if it was injured?” She asks.

He shakes his head slowly. “I don’t know.”

______

Something is wrong. Lady Sneasler doesn’t know what, exactly. But something. She can feel it as a growing sense of unease. She’s already checked the south side of the mountain and found nothing. Now, she’s moving toward the northern side. It’s colder up here, but she’s more than capable of handling it.

She stops suddenly and sniffs the air. She can smell blood. She follows the smell down off the mountain and into the Icelands themselves. In a small stand of trees she finds the source. It’s a human. Not one she’s ever seen before, but definitely a human. 

It’s on the ground and at first she thinks it’s dead. But it raises its head to stare blankly at her. It has blood all over its face and one arm seems to be badly damaged. It tries to push itself up with its other arm, and Lady Sneasler hurries to its side to help.

Surprisingly, this doesn’t cause it to panic. Instead, it seems grateful for the help and leans against her once it's standing. Lady Sneasler looks in the direction of the Pearl Clan settlement and pulls the human that way.

But it pulls back, making a panicked noise. When it backs away from her, it isn’t able to keep itself standing and falls back into the snow. It stares at the distant rising smoke with fearful eyes.

It’s afraid of other humans? Why?

It doesn’t matter right now. If she can’t take it to the other humans, what is she supposed to do with it?

She considers the human for a long time, and it watches her right back. There’s no fear in its eyes when it looks at her. Only when it looks towards the other humans. Fine. She’s not going to let it die here, so she might as well take care of it. She steps forward and slowly, gently, wraps her long claws around its body, lifting it off the ground.

The human seems oddly unconcerned about this and when she turns away from the settlement it breathes a sigh of relief. What a strange human.

She carries it back to the other side of the mountain and all the way back to her den. Getting up the cliffs proves difficult since the human doesn’t have the strength to cling to her for very long, but they manage it. Once inside, she lays it on the soft bedding of her nest and shoves some berries towards it.

She’s not sure exactly what to do about the wounds. She knows that humans don’t heal quickly like Pokémon do. But how to actually care for the injuries, especially given the limitations of her claws, escapes her.

The human, for its part, seems to be happy about the food, and already moving a little easier in the warmth of her den. It seems to be looking for something, and making a painful sound. She thinks about what else it could need. It’s warm, it has food and-

Water. She picks the human up again and carries it to the back of the cave, where a small, frigid stream of water runs down the rocks and gathers into a pool. The water flows out the other end of the pool through a crack in the rock.

The human doesn’t hesitate to stick its hands into the water, though it hisses at the cold. Red blooms out from its right hand, but it ignores this and cups water in its hands to drink. Only after it has satisfied its thirst does it pay attention to the blood flowing slowly downstream. 

After a moment of staring, it strips off its odd coat and sticks its entire right arm into the pool. Once again, it hisses at the cold, and the pool quickly fills with red. But when it pulls its arm out, it’s much cleaner and Lady Sneasler can actually see the injury to its forearm. It’s deep and looks painful, but it's not as bad as she feared. It’s still bleeding, though, which is a problem.

The human sighs and takes the hat off its head, revealing short gray hair underneath. Well, gray on the left side. The right side is stained red from the sluggishly bleeding wound that spans across it. She thinks the human is going to dunk its whole head in like it did with its arm, but instead it leans over and splashes water over the area. The pool, which had been slowly draining of blood, is once again dyed red.

After just a few minutes, the human is much cleaner. It takes the odd blue ribbon from around its neck and winds it snugly around the injury on its arm. Even as little as she knows about wound care, she understands that. The pressure will slow the bleeding. The head injury seems to vex it a little more and it appears to give up after a few moments.

The human looks back at Lady Sneasler with its strange eyes and tries to stand. Its legs collapse immediately and she catches it. She helps it make its way back to the nest area and curl up in the soft bedding. It folds its coat into a small parcel and lays its wounded head against it, holding pressure on the wound.

Clever. She’s genuinely surprised.

Once settled, the human falls asleep immediately. She studies it for a few minutes. It’s the strangest human she’s ever seen. It wears clothes that are completely unfamiliar to her, and even seems to be shaped differently. Taller than any human she’s met. An Alpha perhaps? Its eyes do seem to glow slightly, although not red.

It isn’t afraid of her. Not at all. Even the people of the Pearl Clan often sway easily from reverence to fear. But this new human seems totally at ease with her. Perhaps because it’s wounded? But then, usually wounded humans are even more afraid.

She lays down and watches the human’s deep breathing. She wishes that it would have let her take it to the other humans. They would know how to take care of it. But it’s too late for that. For now, she just hopes that it doesn’t die.

______

A week after the strange Zoroark tried to enter the settlement, Irida makes her way to the Highlands. She’s still on edge from the encounter, but there had been no further sightings of the creature.

She hopes that a visit to the Lady of the Highlands will help calm her nerves. She visits the Noble as often as she is able, since she has no Warden to care for her. Her lack of a Warden is by choice, but Irida still worries.

When she reaches Lady Sneasler’s den in the Highlands, Irida calls out to the Noble with her flute, then waits patiently for her to arrive. And waits. And waits. She’s starting to get very concerned when she finally hears the Noble’s call from the cliffs above.

Lady Sneasler descends the sheer cliff with ease and rushes toward Irida. She tries not to flinch back from the excited Pokémon, but doesn’t entirely succeed. Lady Sneasler covers her mouth with a clawed paw and laughs.

Irida bows. “My Lady, it’s good to see you well. I was beginning to get worried you weren’t going to come. Were you in the middle of something?”

The Pokémon responds with a noise that Irida doesn’t bother trying to make sense of. She’s only making conversation for lack of anything better to do. She really doesn’t know what she’s supposed to do with the Pokémon and not for the first time, she wishes that she would take a Warden.

She chats with Lady Sneasler for a few more minutes, but even as bad as she is at understanding Pokémon, she can tell that the Noble is restless. “Do you… have something else you need to be doing?” Lady Sneasler whines in response. She has no idea what that means. “If there’s something important, don’t hold yourself back on my account. We can catch up again later.”

Lady Sneasler stares at her for a few seconds, then turns and launches herself back up the cliff face. Apparently there is something else. It seems there’s no end to the strangeness lately.

Chapter Text

Ingo wakes up in a cave. He vaguely remembers being carried here by a Pokémon. After that, he remembers cleaning the wounds on his arm and head, then going to sleep. He doesn’t remember how he got those wounds. Or how he got to this place. He remembers the town, though. He remembers the people. Even if his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton at the time, he remembers.

They threatened him. With knives. Who does that?

He doesn’t know how he knows, but Ingo is certain that’s not normal. These people are scary and dangerous. He hopes he never sees them again.

The Pokémon is nice, though. He doesn’t know what species she is, but he is certain that she’s a Pokémon of some kind.

Ingo stares up at the roof of the cave and tries to get his mind to cooperate with him. He knows his name is Ingo. That is all he knows. 

Well not quite. He knows the people are dangerous and the Pokémon is nice. And his head hurts.

He had to have come from somewhere else, right? If he was from here, the people would have known him.

…Maybe they do know him? Maybe they just hate him. He doesn’t know why they would, but he doesn’t know much at all.

They probably don’t know him.

Ingo sits up, getting a sharp spike of pain in his head for his troubles. He sways, but stays upright. The Pokémon looks at him and makes a concerned chirp. She trots over and shoves more berries into his hands.

He tries to speak and coughs. He tries again and his voice comes out weakly. “Thank you, ma’am.”

She rumbles happily in answer.

He eats the berries slowly, trying to ignore the pain that lances through his head from the smallest movement. When he’s finished, he stands slowly, once again accepting the Pokémon’s help, and goes to the pool for water. The ice cold water hurts his hands, but he ignores that, too.

The cold water soothes his throat and eases some of the pain in his arm. He makes his way back to the soft nest and collapses again. He’s been awake for maybe twenty minutes, but he feels dead tired. He closes his eyes and sleeps again.

______

Ingo doesn’t leave the cave for quite some time. He slowly regains his strength, finding himself able to stay awake for longer periods of time. The Pokémon is quite helpful, letting him lean on her to walk around and bringing him food. She’s clearly not quite certain what humans eat, though, and drops a large chunk of raw meat in front of him one day.

He explains to her as politely as possible that he will get sick if he tries to eat that since he has no way to cook it. He’s worried that he offended her when she just turns and leaves the cave, but she comes back a few minutes later with an armful of sticks.

It takes him a few hours to figure out how to start a fire, but he eventually gets it. And he’s sure the trouble is worth it when he tastes the delicious meat after nothing but berries for days on end.

He offers some of it to the Pokémon and she carefully takes a bite, then curls her nose up in disgust. It’s so adorable he can’t help but laugh, which seems to surprise her. She makes a low croon and headbutts him affectionately.

A few days pass, though he’s unsure exactly how many. He has difficulty keeping track of time between how much he’s sleeping and being stuck in a cave. The Pokémon is helping him over to the pool again, when suddenly she stiffens. She looks towards the exit of the cave.

He opens his mouth to speak but finds his voice failing him. She turns back to him and finishes half carrying him to the pool. He drinks quickly and looks up at her. “Is something wrong? You can go, if you need to.”

She grumbles in response and gently pushes him back towards the water. He gets the hint and goes back to his routine. He cleans his wound in the cold water, then drinks a little more and stands shakily.

The Pokémon catches him when he loses his balance and helps him move back to the nest. Once he’s settled, she looks at him and whines slightly.

“It’s ok. You can go. I’m not going anywhere.”

She watches him for a moment longer, then stands and leaves the cave. Ingo lays down and goes back to sleep.

______

When he wakes up, the Pokémon is back, whatever it is she had to do apparently taken care of. After that the routine remains much the same. He keeps getting stronger until eventually he can stand and slowly walk on his own. His vision swims if he turns too quickly or pushes himself to walk too far, but it’s still an improvement.

He starts moving around the cave when he’s awake just for something to do. When the Pokémon is present, she watches him with concern but allows him to keep trying to gain back his strength.

He makes it all the way to the entrance of the cave and finds the air much colder there. He keeps going, slowly letting his eyes adjust to the brightness, until he’s out in the open.

The world that stretches out before him is unfamiliar, though that doesn’t surprise him. The strangest part is how surprised he is to see no sign of human civilization. From where he stands, he can see a vast swathe of land all the way out to the sea. But no sign of people. He wonders if the scary people he met before are the only ones who live here.

With a sigh, he looks around his more immediate surroundings. The cave opens up onto a sheer cliff face that may be a problem when he eventually wants to leave here. He can barely walk right now, let alone climb, so he tries not to worry about it.

It’s becoming difficult to keep standing, so he leans on the rock wall and returns to the den. The Pokémon looks up and calls a greeting which he returns with a small wave as he sits down again.

His head hurts. It always hurts. The wound is healing slowly, but the pain doesn’t seem to be fading at all. He doesn’t know what he can do about it, though. At least his arm is healing well.

______

Some days later, the Pokémon suddenly turns to look at the cave entrance. Just like she did by the pool, however many days ago. Ingo is able to move on his own now, so she simply calls to him in question and when he nods, she leaves.

Curiosity overtakes him and he follows more slowly. He stops in his tracks when he hears a voice. A human voice. Even more slowly, he approaches the opening and peers out. At the base of the cliff stands the Pokémon. In front of her is a human. The human from the village. The one with the knife.

Ingo feels his heart rate spike and suddenly he’s breathing too fast. What is she doing here? How did she find him? Is she threatening the Pokémon too? The Pokémon evidently hears him panicking and looks up with a concerned keen.

The girl’s eyes follow and when they land on him, she stiffens. “Lady Sneasler, take caution. There’s a Zoroark up there.”

Zoroark. She called him that before, too. He knows what a Zoroark is, and he knows that he isn’t one. Ingo just stares at her with wide, terrified eyes and slowly backs away into the cave.

Once she’s out of sight, he turns and walks as quickly as he’s able back to the nest. He lays down in a more hidden corner, hoping that she won’t be able to get up here and hurt him.

The Pokémon is nice. The Pokémon won’t let her hurt him. Right?

Some time later, he hears the Pokémon approach. She makes a low, questioning sound, and he looks up to meet her eyes. She looks worried. He reaches out and scratches her ear, a habit she seems to enjoy quite a lot. In return, she headbutts him, which makes him laugh.

“I’m sorry. I just got scared. It’s ok.” He tries to smile at her. “She called you Lady Sneasler. Is that your name?”

She purrs, which he takes as a yes. “It’s nice to meet you, Lady. I don’t think I introduced myself. I’m Ingo. I… don’t really know anything else. But I know that I’m Ingo.”

Whether she understands or not doesn’t really matter. Lady Sneasler nuzzles affectionately against him and slowly Ingo manages to forget his fright from earlier. She is nice. She won’t let the girl with the knife hurt him.

______

By the time Irida returns to the Pearl Settlement, she still hasn’t figured out what to think. It’s been two weeks since the odd Zoroark came to the settlement. She had almost managed to put it entirely out of her mind.

And then it appeared again in the Highlands. But not just in the Highlands, in the cave where Lady Sneasler makes her nest. She had cautioned the Noble, but had just gotten confusion in response.

Irida hadn’t gotten a very good look at the creature, but it was definitely the same one, wearing the same not-quite-right human disguise. Its too pale eyes had stared at her, wide and almost fearful, and it had retreated into the cave.

Lady Sneasler should have been furious at such an intrusion. She should have torn the creature apart. But instead she called out to it calmly and turned back to Irida, completely unbothered. Can she not tell what it is? Irida has never really cared to know if other Pokémon can be fooled by a Zoroark’s illusion. This seems like pretty good evidence that they can.

What does this creature even want with the Noble? And what can she do about it? When she tried to climb up to the cave, Lady Sneasler blocked her way. Irida doesn’t know if she was protecting her nest or the Zoroark.

Now, when she walks into the Pearl Clan settlement, Warden Gaeric approaches. He immediately notices her mood. “Is something wrong, Lady Irida?”

She sighs. “Yes. I’m not sure what to do about it, though. I think we should call the Wardens for a meeting.”

He gives her a somewhat alarmed look. “I’ll take care of it. Must be pretty serious.”

“Yes. I think that it is.”

Chapter Text

It’s another few days before Ingo tries to leave the cave. Even with Lady Sneasler’s help, he just barely manages to get down the cliff without falling. He has no idea how he’s going to get back up.

Regardless, the cold, fresh air is nice. The area is fairly barren, but he can see a few berry trees and some wild Pokémon around. After taking in his surroundings, he chooses a direction at random and strides off.

He’s gotten stronger and finds that the walking actually seems to soothe his aches a little bit. Still, he isn’t going to go far. He stops at the nearest berry tree and looks up at the branches.

He’s tall enough to reach the lower branches and picks a few, taking off his hat to store them in.

Lady Sneasler makes a noise like a laugh and nuzzles his hair, messing it up even more than it already was. He just laughs at how affectionate she is and scratches her ear, then offers her a berry. She sniffs it carefully, then takes it from him with a satisfied grumble.

They carry on that way for a while, until Ingo starts to get tired and sits next to a large boulder. Lady Sneasler rumbles at him and disappears over the ridge. When she comes back, she’s carrying three freshly caught Magikarp which she dumps at his feet.

Ingo looks up at her with furrowed brows. “I don't know what to do with these.”

She rolls her eyes and motions for him to pick them up, so he obliges, then follows her back to the cliff side. He looks up at the cave opening with dread. He doesn’t know if he can do this.

Ingo yelps in a most undignified manner when Lady Sneasler wraps a clawed paw around him and lifts him up to hold against her. She scales the cliff with relative ease and lets go of him at the top.

“Well, that’s one way to get back up.” She laughs at him again and heads into the cave. He follows and lays the fish down near the small fire pit he’s put together. “I still don’t know what to do with these.”

Lady Sneasler sits across from him and picks up one of the fish, using her razor sharp claws to gut it, then slice cleanly through what’s left. She makes it look so easy.

Ingo holds up his hands. “I don’t have claws.”

She prods at his soft human fingers with her own claws and makes an annoyed noise. He watches with curiosity as she stands and goes to rifle through a haphazard pile of stuff in one corner. He hadn’t wanted to dig through her things, so he’d left it alone, but he had noticed more than a few things that once belonged to humans in there.

After a moment, she returns triumphantly, carefully balancing a large knife between her claws. He takes it hesitantly when she offers, trying not to think about the people from before. The people with knives. This is different. He needs to eat.

He sighs and draws the knife. When he tests the edge on the Magikarp, he’s satisfied to find it quite sharp. Lady Sneasler also nods approvingly. He does his best to copy her technique, but finds it quite difficult. He doesn’t think he’s ever done this before.

Still, it doesn’t take long before he has a good amount of meat prepared for cooking. He offers some to Lady Sneasler before starting a fire, and she happily takes a portion of the food. Once cooked, Ingo discovers that he likes Magikarp quite a lot. Perhaps that’s just because of his limited experience with food, but it’s definitely the best thing he remembers eating.

Later that night, when he’s returning from getting some water at the pool, Lady Sneasler places the knife into his hands again. He takes it, then tilts his head at her questioningly. She gestures with one paw to the claws on her other paw, then to his hands.

After a moment, he laughs. “You think I need claws?” She purrs and headbutts him. He laughs again. “Ok, I’ll keep it. Thank you.” He attaches the knife to his belt by the convenient loop on its sheath. Lady Sneasler rumbles happily and allows him to continue his route towards the nest.

______

That night, Ingo dreams for the first time that he can remember. He dreams of a great screaming beast made of steel. It travels at impossible speeds along twisting, damaged tracks. The sky (is it the sky if it wraps all the way around?) is a terrible dark swirling purple and blue. That is, until the sky shatters, revealing an inky darkness underneath. In that darkness, a pair of red eyes open, glittering with malice and staring directly into his soul.

Ingo wakes up screaming. He clutches at his chest, breath coming ragged and uneven. The memory of the dream is already fading, but the fear is not. Nor is the pain in his head. 

He jumps with surprise when arms wrap around him. Large, fur covered arms, with long sharp claws carefully pointed away from him. Lady Sneasler makes a low crooning noise. She sounds worried. She headbutts him gently, then makes an inquisitive whine and sniffs his face. Ingo raises a hand to touch his cheek, finding it wet.

He opens his mouth to say something. To reassure her that he’s ok. No words come out, only a soft sob. He buries his face in her fur and cries. After a moment, Lady Sneasler begins to purr, which he finds incredibly comforting. 

Eventually, he manages to fall asleep again, and when he wakes, he’s curled up beside her, with dried tears still on his face. His head aches terribly all day and he finds it quite difficult to focus. He doesn’t even consider leaving the cave again, instead remaining in one place and staring distantly. He has no idea how long he does this for before he’s too tired to stay awake. When he lays down to sleep, Lady Sneasler curls up around him and purrs until he drifts off.

______

Irida is nervous. She’s never done anything like this before. As far as she knows, no one has. The idea that a Noble could be corrupted by a Zoroark should be laughable. Except, it has apparently happened.

At least she isn’t alone. Wardens Gaeric, Calaba, and Palina are with her. Lian is too young and still in training, so he was left behind despite his protests. She’s glad. This may become dangerous and she would hate for something to happen to him.

They travel to the Highlands, then camp for the night quite a distance from Lady Sneasler’s den. They’re all on edge. They know there’s a Zoroark around, so they take turns keeping watch through the night. None of them sleep well regardless.

In the early morning light, they break camp, eat a quick breakfast, and set out. They reach their destination by midmorning. Irida isn’t sure what she expects, but finding the Zoroark casually picking berries near the den isn’t it.

The creature doesn’t seem to notice their approach and for a moment, she watches it as it fills its odd black hat with berries. She assumed the hat was part of its illusion. Perhaps the illusions are more solid than they thought?

Lady Sneasler is standing nearby, completely unconcerned about the bloodthirsty monster in her company. She notices their approach and calls out what Irida thinks is a greeting. The Zoroark turns to her, then follows the direction of her gaze to the three humans.

It grows suddenly tense, freezing in place and staring at them with those creepy silver eyes. Slowly, it bends down and dumps the berries out of its hat, placing it back on its head. Irida takes those few moments to study it. It must have been injured quite badly when it came to the settlement. It’s no longer bloody and swaying on its feet. But it still doesn’t seem to know how to act like a human.

Its face remains perfectly still, even as it opens its mouth to speak. “Good morning.” While it may not have facial expressions figured out, this thing can certainly copy a human voice with disturbing accuracy. 

Irida takes a tentative step forwards and it takes a step back. It’s afraid of her. Good. She lets her voice take on an icy quality. “We know what you are. Drop your illusion, monster, and leave our Noble alone.”

It narrows its eyes slightly, but otherwise its face remains perfectly expressionless. “There is no illusion.”

Irida takes another step forward and draws her knife. The creature flinches back, jumping in surprise when its back hits the sheer cliff face. “Do not force our hand, monster. Leave this place and we will not pursue you.”

The Zoroark doesn’t get a chance to respond before Lady Sneasler steps in front of it.

Irida stares at her. “Lady Sneasler, that is a Zoroark. Why are you defending it?” She takes another step forward and the Noble growls.

Irida stops in her tracks. Nobles never show aggression to the members of their clan. Especially not to the leader. Has the Zoroark really poisoned her mind so much? She steps back. “My Lady. We cannot allow this creature to stay here.”

Lady Sneasler growls again, then turns and pulls the Zoroark up against herself. It grabs hold of her, allowing her to carry it away up the cliff and into the cave. The creature disappears inside, while Lady Sneasler remains. She watches them sharply and Irida gets the distinct impression that if they try to follow, they will not enjoy the results.

Unsure exactly what to do, Irida glances back at her Wardens, but they seem as lost as her. Eventually, the four of them leave, defeated. If Lady Sneasler won’t allow them near the creature, there’s very little they can do about it.

Chapter Text

Ingo does not like the humans here. He didn’t hear them approach down by the cliff, and he’s glad that Lady Sneasler was there to warn him. The girl called him a Zoroark again. She seemed to be warning Lady Sneasler to stay away from him. As though Zoroark were dangerous. They’re not. He’s quite sure of it. Like he’s quite sure he isn’t one.

The girl threatened him with a knife again. He’s still very sure that isn’t normal, even if the other humans seemed fine with it.

He’s shaken up for the rest of the day, and once again falls asleep with Lady Sneasler purring next to him. He appreciates her so much. She’s been very patient with taking care of him.

The next day, Lady Sneasler disappears for a few hours. When she returns, she calls up to him from the base of the cliff. He walks out to the entrance and looks down at her in confusion. She has piled up quite a large amount of berries as well as a few Magikarp, but now she’s looking up at the cliff in annoyance. She can’t carry that much at once and it would surely take at least a dozen trips back and forth.

“One moment.” He calls down to her and she responds with a relaxed yowl.

He heads back into the cave and digs through the pile of human stuff, quickly locating a large basket and a length of rope. He ties the rope around the handle and walks back to the entrance. He lowers the basket down and Lady Sneasler makes an approving noise, then fills it with her gathered food.

Once it's full, she ascends the cliff, while Ingo hauls the now much heavier basket up. He struggles a bit, still not quite up to this level of physical exertion. But he’s able to get it up to the cave entrance and carries it inside. He sets the food near the small fire pit he’s built. “What is all this for?”

Lady Sneasler points at him with one long, wicked sharp claw.

“Me? Why would I need so much food?” Lady Sneasler tilts her head, but Ingo figures it out before she can work out how to communicate it to him. “Are you going somewhere?”

She sort of smiles, showing teeth and makes an affirmative huff.

“Ah. I see. Well, in that case, thank you! I think it will still be some time before I can make the climb up here on my own.”

Lady Sneasler nods and makes for the cave entrance. Oh. Apparently she’s leaving now.    He finds himself suddenly quite anxious and apparently she can tell, because she comes back over to him. She knocks his hat off and ruffles his hair, which has grown slightly longer in the last few weeks. She covers her mouth and makes a sound like a laugh, then turns and leaves. This time she doesn’t come back.

This is fine. Ingo is fine.

He’s just totally alone, in a cave on a cliffside he may or may not be able to get down on his own and definitely can’t get back up. Completely alone and defenseless except for a knife he doesn’t know how to use. What if the humans come back? What if they try to drive him away again? He will have no choice but to go.

The pain in his head begins to intensify until he can no longer stand. He doesn’t want to leave. He doesn’t want to be alone.

He isn’t supposed to be alone.

Why is he alone?

Where is-

A sharp cry escapes his mouth as a spike of pain shoots through his head. He curls up in the nest, clutching his head until he loses consciousness.

______

It’s dark when Ingo wakes up. Or, darker. The cave is always fairly dark, but there’s no light coming in from the entrance, so he knows it must be night. His head feels like it’s on fire. Every small movement seems to make it worse.

Even so, he forces himself to slowly rise and drags himself to the pool in the back of the cave. Drinking the icy water helps a little bit, and pouring some over his head helps more. He stays there for what could be hours or may only be minutes, too tired to do more than stare at the water’s surface.

Slowly, the ripples from his disturbances fade away and he can see his own face reflected back at him. He feels an undefinable emotion at realizing he had no idea what he looked like before that moment. And yet somehow, it still feels wrong.

As though he’s looking at someone else rather than his own reflection.

He stares for a long time. The longer he looks, the more certain he is that the image isn’t his own. And he feels an odd sense of concern for the person looking back at him. The person who is him. He’s confusing himself.

What he knows is that his reflection looks very bad. Exhausted and scruffy. That shouldn’t be a surprise. He feels exhausted and he’s well aware of how scruffy his beard has grown. He thinks for a moment that he should do something about it, but he’s not exactly sure how he would. It’s not really important, anyway.

By the time he finally moves back to the nest, light is filtering in from the entrance. He doesn’t know what time it was when he awoke, so that information does little to help him. The pain in his head is still nearly unbearable, so he eats a few berries and lays back down to sleep.

______

Warden Melli stares up at the cliffside and sighs. He takes out his flute and plays a song he has no business knowing. He has no idea if Lady Sneasler will respond to his call, but it’s better than trying to climb up there.

She does not respond. Melli sighs again and calls out, “Noble Lady Sneasler. It is I, the great Melli. Would you mind terribly coming out?”
She still doesn’t respond. He closes his eyes and tips his head back, staring up at the sky. This is such a pain. But he had spotted an entourage of Pearl Clan Wardens, along with their young leader, making their way through the Highlands. He can only imagine one reason they would do such a thing.

Something is wrong with Lady Sneasler. And those Pearl Clan fools obviously can’t be trusted to handle it. They’ve left their poor, neglected Noble without a Warden for so long now.

So Melli is here, selflessly offering his assistance to the Noble. Or he would be if she would answer his call. He tries again. “Lady Sneasler. I am here to offer my assistance. The Pearl Clan doesn’t treat you with the respect you deserve, so I’ve taken it upon myself to do so.”

He glares back up at the cave. He really doesn’t want to climb up there. He startles when he realizes a pair of softly glowing eyes are looking back. Eyes that are most definitely not Lady Sneasler’s. They’re silver and the shadowy figure they belong to is much too small.

Melli stumbles back a step. “W-what are you? What have you done with Lady Sneasler?”

He’s mostly speaking to this thing to try to calm himself down, not really in the expectation of receiving an answer. But an answer he does receive. “Lady Sneasler has gone.”

“W-what?” The voice sounded distinctly human, but those glowing eyes most certainly aren’t.

“I don’t know where.”

Melli stares up at the thing in the cave. “Right. Uh. Thanks.” He turns on his heel and walks as quickly as his legs will take him, putting as much distance as he can between himself and this thing as possible. He doesn’t slow until he reaches Lord Electrode’s arena.

He knows nothing will dare follow him here. Or… will it? That thing was in Lady Sneasler’s den. Obviously it doesn’t fear the Nobles like it should. Melli shudders. He’s not going to sleep well tonight.

______

Ingo tilts his head at the odd, blue haired man as he power walks away. He seemed very nervous about something. He shakes his head lightly and returns to the nest. At least he was polite. That’s better than every other human he’s met so far.

______

Ingo is alone in the cave for two days. The pain in his head brought on by finding himself in solitude slowly fades and by the time Lady Sneasler returns it’s back to the normal background level he’s growing accustomed to.

He’s very happy to see her and throws his arms around her in a show of affection that seems to confuse her a bit. Still, she knocks his hat off and nuzzles the top of his head affectionately. He laughs and rubs his head against her which makes her purr softly.

She pushes him away and makes a soft noise, holding out one paw carefully towards him. Looped over one razor sharp claw is a wooden bracelet. He looks up at her quizzically and she pushes it a little closer to him. He pulls it off her claw and turns it over in his hands.

It’s clearly made by human hands, and carved with a likeness of Lady Sneasler herself. He tilts his head and looks up at her again. “This is… for me?” She makes an affirmative huff and Ingo feels his eyes squint in pleasure. He slips the bracelet over his wrist and tightens the leather strap to hold it in place. “Thank you, Lady.”

He wonders if getting this bracelet is what she left to do or if it was simply something she picked up along the way. It doesn’t make much difference to him, he feels deeply touched by the gift either way.

The sound of a flute drifts into the cave and Ingo furrows his brow. He’d heard that before, when the strange man came by. Is he back? Lady Sneasler looks between him and the cave entrance, then seems to come to a decision. She wraps long claws around him, pulling him towards her. By this point, he knows well enough that means she’s going to pick him up, so he wraps his arms around her and holds on.

She makes an approving noise and carries him to the entrance, then turns to climb down the cliff. He can’t see much except fur until they reach the base and she sets him on his feet. Ingo turns to look around and immediately freezes.

The girl with the knife is back, along with the man who was with her before. She’s staring at him with a look that can only be described as murderous. He shrinks back, hiding partially behind Lady Sneasler.

The girl turns her gaze on the Pokemon. “What is the meaning of this? You stole the Warden’s Band from my tent, and now you’re carrying around a Zoroark? What has gotten into you?”

Lady Sneasler growls, baring her teeth in displeasure and the girl steps back, eyes wide. Ingo finds himself being pushed gently forward by a large claw. Lady Sneasler moves him forward until he’s in full view, then purposefully lifts his right arm, as though to show them something. The wound has finally healed and scarred over, so the only thing she could possibly be showing off is the bracelet she gave him.

Ingo feels very lost, but both of the other humans gasp. The girl stares at him with that terrible, furious expression, then turns it on Lady Sneasler. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Lady Sneasler makes an affirmative noise, and the girl somehow looks even angrier. “No. I won’t allow it.”

Lady Sneasler growls again, putting a clawed paw in front of Ingo defensively. The man puts a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Irida, I’m not sure that you can stop her.”

“But-”

“I don’t like it either, but the creature hasn’t hurt anyone. Perhaps… Perhaps we should trust our Noble. She has been blessed by the Almighty Sinnoh. Surely she knows what she’s doing.”

The girl, Irida apparently, looks like she’s going to argue, but suddenly all the fight drains out of her. “Perhaps you’re right. Certainly, there’s little we can do about it if Lady Sneasler insists. It’s just… so wrong.” She takes a deep breath and fixes Ingo with a glare. “You can speak, can’t you, creature?”

He blinks at her, not expecting to be directly addressed. “I… uh. Yes. I can speak.” She starts to say something else, but he cuts her off. “And it’s Ingo.” He surprises himself a little with his rudeness, and can’t help but feel like it’s usually someone else who would do that. It doesn’t matter. He’s tired of these people treating him like he’s not human.

“What?”

“My name. It’s Ingo.”

“You… have a name?”

He growls softly, which is probably not helping their opinion of him. He can’t help it, Lady Sneasler’s mannerisms are rubbing off on him. “Of course I do.”

Her brow furrows, confusion clouding her intimidating glare. “Right. Ok, I guess. Well… I don’t know how you’ve convinced Lady Sneasler to do this, but just know that if you do something to harm our Noble, we will hunt you down and make you regret this deception for the rest of your miserable life.”

Ingo takes a step back, frightened by her aggression. “I will not hurt her. She has been very kind.” Irida clearly doesn’t believe him, but she huffs and turns to leave. He calls after her. “Wait!”

She spins. “What, Zoroark?”

He feels a flash of irritation that she still doesn't use his name. But he ignores that and holds up his arm, showing off the bracelet. “What is this?”

She gives him a confused look again. “You don’t know?” He shakes his head. “It’s the symbol of a Warden. It’s usually a sacred position. A Warden is supposed to care for a Noble Pokemon. You are a disgrace who should never have been allowed to share space with one of the Almighty Sinnoh’s Nobles.”

He steps back again, unable to stop the tears that spring into his eyes. Irida doesn’t see them, as she turns on her heel and stalks away, with the other man falling in step behind her. Ingo stays stock still as he watches her leave, until Lady Sneasler moves over to him, making a concerned chirping noise. She gently headbutts him, then licks at his face, cleaning away the tears.

He can’t help but laugh at the sensation and this seems to encourage her. He rubs his eyes, then headbutts her back. “I’m ok. Thank you, Lady.” The stress seems to be causing his headache to worsen again. “Do you mind helping me back up?”

She nods and he wraps his arms around her again, letting himself be carted back up. He really needs to learn how to make the climb on his own. For now, though, he’s comforted to know that she, at least, doesn’t seem to share Irida’s opinion of him.

Chapter Text

It has been nearly a month since Melli ventured to Lady Sneasler’s den and encountered a creature with glowing silver eyes. A creature that spoke with the voice of a human. He’s not avoiding the area. Melli is far too brave to be avoiding it. He simply has no reason to go there.

He’s seen Lady Sneasler out in the Highlands since then, and she seems perfectly fine. Clearly, she drove away the creature and there’s nothing to be concerned about. So why would he go over there?

Except… he’s been hearing odd noises lately. And sometimes late at night, he’ll see flickering light in the distance as though someone has lit a fire. As the Warden of the Highlands, it’s his duty to investigate.

So, he’s back for the first time in a month, slowly making his way up towards Lady Sneasler’s den. He’s still a few switchbacks in the trail below the cave when something quite strange and disconcerting happens. A man appears, as if from nowhere. He thinks it's a man, at least. He’s wearing the strangest clothes Melli has ever seen. A long black and red coat and a matching black hat sitting atop shaggy gray hair. An old man, Melli amends in his mind.

He has no idea where the old man came from, seeming to simply appear some distance up the trail. He doesn’t seem to take notice of Melli, instead staring up at the cliff before him and tilting his head. He then takes off, rushing and leaping at the sheer cliff face. He grabs onto the rocks and hauls himself up with surprising dexterity. After only a few minutes, the old man reaches the top and disappears over the edge.

Well. That was strange. Melli takes a deep breath and presses on. He can assume that this man is the cause of the strangeness lately, which means that it's his duty to find out what’s going on with him. He’s obviously not from the Diamond Clan and Melli is sure he would have heard if the Pearl Clan had a weird cliff scaling old man. 

Perhaps he’s from that new group that showed up recently. What were they called again? Melli shakes his head. It doesn’t matter. If he is one of them, then Melli will make sure he gives this man a piece of his mind. Those people aren’t supposed to be out here.

He rounds the next switchback only to be met with a somehow even stranger sight. The old man in black is standing right next to Lady Sneasler. Not just that, he’s touching her. How dare he? Who does he think he is?

“HEY!” Melli shouts before he can even think twice, while running forward, fully prepared to confront this man.

The man jumps and spins to face him and Melli skids to a stop. His eyes are silver and glowing slightly in the shade of his black hat. Oh no. This isn’t a man at all. This is the creature from the cave. A creature that can imitate a human voice. And a human shape.

This is a Zoroark.

Melli feels his breathing picking up and he knows he’s been staring for too long. He can’t stop. He’s just waiting for this creature to pounce. To rip out his throat. Instead, it tilts its head and asks, “sir? Are you alright?”

Melli is shaking now, and he makes a split second decision. He’s not just going to stand here and wait for this monster to get bored of its game and kill him. He takes a step back and the creature takes a step forwards. His composure shatters. “Stay back, Zoroark!” With that shout, he turns tail and runs. No, he’s not running, he’s making a tactical retreat so he can report this to Adaman.

His heart is pounding in his ears, but he still hears the booming,  aggravated sounding shout of, “my name is Ingo!” behind him. He doesn’t respond, putting all his energy into running. But the Zoroark- Ingo?- doesn’t follow.

What kind of name is Ingo? No, more importantly, what kind of Zoroark has a name?

Wait. He thinks back on the creature’s appearance. So like a human, but not quite right. But more importantly, it had been wearing a wooden band that Melli would recognize anywhere. It could just be part of the illusion, but Lady Sneasler had been remarkably at ease with the monster. There’s no way, right? Even the Pearl Clan wouldn’t allow a Zoroark to be a Warden. That’s completely insane.

______

Ingo watches the blue haired man retreat with annoyance. Why does everyone think he’s a Zoroark? He’s not a Zoroark.

Whatever. It’s clear enough that humans here don’t like him. He turns back to Lady Sneasler and headbutts her affectionately, rumbling slightly in an imitation of the purring sound she makes. She laughs and pushes him back towards the trees.

Before they had been interrupted, Ingo had been preparing to gather berries. His smaller size means that he can climb higher and gather more berries without damaging the trees. He makes his way up the first one, dropping berries into the large basket that Lady Sneasler holds up for him. It’s a good system and they manage to fill the basket after only four trees.

They’ve been gathering like this for a week now. The increased chill in the air gives him a good idea of why. They fill a smaller basket with the berries off only one tree. This one he picks up and slings over his shoulders. It’s heavy, but he’s slowly growing accustomed to it.

He follows Lady Sneasler back up to her den and slowly climbs up to the cave entrance. He’s gotten much better at climbing. He finds it comes rather naturally to him. Not the physical exertion, that’s been a difficult hurdle to overcome, but the calculation that goes into climbing. He finds that now that he understands the technique, he can easily find the safest, most efficient route.

Even so, climbing while carrying a heavy basket still isn’t easy and he has to take a break when he reaches the top. After a moment, Lady Sneasler calls to him from inside the den, and he sighs and makes his way inside. The corner of the cave nearest to the icy stream has been set aside for food storage, and Ingo deposits his load of berries into one of the barrels that must have been placed there for that precise purpose.

Lady Sneasler waves a paw at him and he follows her out of the cave and down the cliff to repeat the process over again. They do this four more times before stopping to eat. After lunch, Ingo heads back down the cliffs to check the nets he had set out in the river that morning. He’s not sure exactly how they’re supposed to work, and Lady Sneasler doesn’t seem to know either, so he’s just doing his best. He’s caught a few of the odd looking Basculin that frequent the river so he supposes that’s good.

He cleans them and sets the meat in the smaller basket he brought with him, then heads off to check on the Stantler hides that Lady Sneasler had gathered for him a few days ago. He’s pretty sure they’re to keep him warm as it gets colder, which he appreciates. His shirt is quite thin and very torn from all this climbing. Right now, though, the hides need to be cured with salt. She had shown him what to do, then left him to handle the task every day.

By the time he climbs back up to the den, the sun is on the horizon and he’s shivering. Yes, he’s definitely looking forward to having something warmer to wear. When he reaches the inside of the den, Lady Sneasler calls a greeting and he mimics it back at her. She laughs and he laughs too at the way his mimicry always seems to amuse her.

He starts a fire and begins to cook the fish he brought, giving a larger portion to her beforehand. His muscles are sore, but not as badly as they have been the last few nights. He can tell he’s getting stronger. That’s good. He was quite weak before. It makes him wonder if he had perhaps been sick. Or simply lived somewhere that such exertion wasn’t necessary. He finds that hard to imagine, but that’s likely because this is literally the only place he has any clear memory of.

As he lays down to sleep with the comforting presence of Lady Sneasler beside him, he wonders again where he may have come from. He had to have been from somewhere else before. Somewhere that people were kinder, he’s quite certain. Somewhere that he was never alone. He moves a little closer to Lady Sneasler and she purrs comfortingly. 

He isn’t alone. And yet… somehow he still feels so very lonely.

When he sleeps, he dreams again about the great metal beast. This time, he’s inside of it. He’s not sure how he can tell that it’s the same at all, except that it’s moving in a way that simply feels correct. The details are lost to the haze of his mind, but when he looks out the window, he finds his reflection staring at him. It doesn’t look quite right and he hesitantly approaches to get a better look.

There’s something slightly off. What is it? 

He tilts his head. His reflection tilts its head the other way. And then it smiles.

Ingo wakes up with a shout. His head is pounding. Why did it smile? Why does that feel so wrong, and so right at the same time? He cries out at the sharp pain behind his eyes and clutches at his head, digging rough, broken nails into his scalp. He feels Lady Sneasler behind him. She headbutts his shoulder, but he doesn’t respond. His head hurts. It hurts. 

It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it-

Why did his reflection smile?

Why did he smile?

Who is he?

Where is he?

Why did he leave Ingo alone?

Chapter Text

Lady Sneasler is worried about her Warden. She thought he was getting better. His wounds are healed and he’s gotten much stronger. He can climb in and out of her den on his own, and he can gather his own food. But her Warden is still in pain.

He hides it well, but she can read his little expressions and the tone of his voice. He’s in pain all the time, she thinks. But sometimes it’s much worse than others. Sometimes he wakes from sleep screaming.

Sleeping next to him helps some. He’s comforted by her purring like a kit would be. But it doesn’t always work. Last night he woke up screaming and nothing she did could get him to stop. It was as if he didn’t know she was there. It only stopped when, eventually, he became too exhausted to continue.

Lady Sneasler is worried. He’s still sleeping now, near midday. It doesn’t appear to be restful. He occasionally grips at his head with his soft, human fingers and whimpers softly. It’s such a pitiful sound, like that of a fatally wounded Pokemon. His fingers are caked in blood. It would seem that despite their softness, he was capable of inflicting injury upon himself.

He whimpers again and Lady Sneasler curls a little closer around him, purring as loudly as she can manage. He quiets. She lays her head on him, and closes her eyes. She considers taking him to the Pearl Clan, but tosses that idea out immediately. They think her Warden is a Zoroark. In this vulnerable state, they would certainly kill him.

With no other options, she simply continues to do what she can to help him through the pain. And eventually, many hours later, when the sky is dark again, he wakes up. He doesn’t scream. He sits up and looks around with clouded eyes. When she nuzzles him, he returns the gesture but she can tell he’s still in pain. He goes to the pool and drinks, then pours freezing water over his head. She can’t tell if it helps or not.

Her Warden comes back and sits next to her. His eyes are still clouded. Lady Sneasler pushes a couple berries towards him and he makes a soft, grateful sound and eats. When he finishes, he closes his eyes and tears slowly drip down his face. Lady Sneasler moves over, chirping with worry, and nuzzles against him. 

He brings his hand up and scratches under her ear feather, resting his head against her with a heavy sigh. She expects him to speak to her, as he does so often, but he remains silent. She chirps at him again in concern and he makes his odd rumbling purr back at her. It’s not quite the same, but it’s better than not responding at all like before.

Eventually, he seems to grow tired again and curls up against her. She purrs softly until her Warden falls asleep again.

______

Irida has a headache. She closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose, hoping that somehow will make this obnoxious conversation go away. Unfortunately, when she opens her eyes, Adaman is still there, giving her that look. Somehow disbelieving and smug at the same time. What an ass.

“You’re kidding, right?”

She sighs. “I really wish I were.”

“You made a fucking Zoroark a Warden?!” She doesn’t respond, so he makes another attempt. “What the fuck, Irida?”

“You think I’m happy about this?!” She snaps at him. “It’s not like I can argue with a Noble!”

“Why would she choose a Zoroark?”

“I don’t fucking know! But she’s really protective of it.”

“That’s what you get for not giving her a Warden for so long. She went and picked up a stray.”

“Don’t give me that shit. You know full well that we’ve tried. She’s poisoned every Warden I appointed.”

Adaman snorts.

“It’s not funny.”

“It’s kind of funny. I guess you’re stuck with the Zoroark now.” He laughs. “And if Melli is to be believed it’s a really weird one.”

She sighs. “That’s true. I’ve never seen one quite like it.”

“Really?”

She hums. “It was injured the first time we saw it. It tried to get into the settlement by posing as a human, but it wasn’t very good at it. I haven’t actually seen it without a disguise.”

“That’s… strange. Are you completely sure it’s actually a Zoroark?”

She gives him a flat look. “Humans don’t have glowing silver eyes.”

He quirks an eyebrow and tilts his head in acceptance. “Fair enough. You know, when Melli ran into it, it told him it has a name. Ingo, apparently.”

Irida makes a dismissive noise. “It’s just trying to seem more human.”

Adaman shrugs. “Probably. But it hasn’t hurt anyone yet. Couldn’t hurt to at least try to be nice to it.”

“You do that. Just don’t come crying to me when you end up with it’s teeth around your neck.”

______

Adaman talked a big game, but now that he’s here, he can’t help but feel nervous. Just because the Zoroark- Warden Zoroark?- hasn’t hurt anyone yet doesn’t mean that it won’t. He shakes his head, sending his long hair flying. Now isn’t the time to be doubting himself.

Melli walks a step behind him, visibly anxious about this. Adaman has to be confident for his Warden. He’s a leader. He has to be strong. They arrive at the base of the cliff and Adaman shivers. The sun has started moving towards the horizon and it’s already getting cold again this high on the mountain.

He looks up at the cave in the cliffside with uncertainty. He glances back at Melli to ask if he knows how to call Lady Sneasler when he spots something coming down the trail that leads higher on the mountain.

Warden Zoroark. It has to be. It’s tall and wears a long, black and red coat. Its gray hair sticks out under its black hat, and its silver eyes glow slightly. The creature is carrying a basket on its back and its hands are stained red. As it approaches, Adaman can smell meat and blood. It must have been hunting.

It stops when it spots them, freezing in place and standing almost disturbingly still. Slowly, it tilts its head. Adaman steps forward and it takes a step back, flashing its teeth seemingly on reflex. 

He stops and holds his hands up. “It’s ok. We don’t want any trouble.” The Zoroark doesn’t respond, but when he takes another step towards it, it doesn’t move back again. “My name is Adaman. I’m the leader of the Diamond Clan. This here is Warden Melli. I believe you met briefly already.”

Slowly, the creature nods. “Ingo.”

Adaman smiles, doing his best to not let how disturbed he is show on his face. “It’s nice to meet you, Ingo.” The creature narrows its eyes and he gets the distinct impression it sees right through his act. “You’re a Warden of the Pearl Clan… technically. Which means that we won’t work very closely together, but we have been working very hard to establish better relations between our clans. So…” He’s a little put off by the way its been holding eye contact without moving this whole time, but he refuses to lose his confidence now. “If you need anything, the Diamond Clan will be happy to help you.”

It slowly tilts its head. “The Diamond Clan?”

Adaman nods. “Yes. Warden Melli lives here in the Highlands like you. Down at Lord Electrode’s Hollow.”  The Zoroark furrows its brow, but doesn’t raise any questions, so Adaman continues. “Our main settlement is down in the Crimson Mirelands. You may have seen the tents if you’ve ever been down there. They’re blue,” he gestures at Melli’s tunic, “this color.”

It tilts its head slightly again, before slowly shaking its head. It speaks in a low, serious voice. “What are you hiding?”

“Excuse me?”

“Everyone else has either run or threatened me. You say you want to help, but your smile is a lie.”

Adaman stares at the creature. That was a whole lot more direct than he expected it to be. He sighs and lets his fake smile fall. Surprisingly, this seems to relax the Zoroark. “Yeah, alright. Truth is, you terrify me.” Melli squeaks next to him, clearly concerned that showing the creature weakness will get them eaten. But strangely, despite everything he knows about Zoroark and the blood visible on its hands, Adaman isn’t worried about that. “You terrify me, but Lady Sneasler chose you as her Warden. And even if I don’t understand that, it means we’re all going to have to learn to get along. So, I’d rather not waste time dancing around each other.”

It narrows its eyes at him for a moment, then nods. It opens its mouth to speak, but is cut off by a cry from the cliffs above. Adaman jumps and looks up to see Lady Sneasler looking down at them. The Zoroark makes an approximation of the same call back and she lifts a paw to cover her mouth, making a sound like a laugh.

She leaps down the cliff with grace befitting of the Lady of the Cliffs and bounds over to her Zoroark Warden. She headbutts the creature affectionately and it makes a distinctly inhuman rumbling sound. 

Its eyes are squinted slightly when it looks back at them. “I understand, sir. Thank you for your honesty.” It slings its basket off its shoulders, dropping it to the ground and opening the lid. It removes a few herbs and a large slab of what Adaman assumes is Stantler meat, offering them.

Adaman isn’t quite sure how to respond, but he takes the offered items, carefully not touching its hands, and inclines his head politely. “Thank you, Warden Zor-” He cuts himself off, noting the flash of anger in the creature's eyes. “I apologize. Thank you, Warden Ingo.”

It nods again and secures the lid back on the basket, lifting it back over its shoulders. Without another word, it heads to the cliffside and begins to climb. Adaman watches in fascination, as the creature scales the sheer cliff with ease. Lady Sneasler follows it and they both disappear into the cave.

Chapter Text

Ingo looks out the entrance to the cave. He’s pretty sure this is the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. Snow covers every surface he can see, making the whole world sparkle in the early morning sun. He could stand here and stare at it for hours.

A shiver wracks his body and he revises his opinion. Perhaps a few more minutes.

He’s wearing his new Stantler hide clothes, which he spent many hours making. He’d been able to find a needle and thread in the pile of human stuff that Lady Sneasler has hoarded. He wonders where she got some of these things, but there’s no way for her to explain.

Much like he can’t explain how he knows how to sew. But, the important thing is that he does know how to sew and was able to produce a decent enough shirt, which is much warmer than the one he had before. And much sturdier as well. He stitched the extra bits together into something he can wrap around his hands to keep them warm as well. They’re not really gloves since he couldn’t figure out how to make those, but they work just fine.

He shivers again and reluctantly makes his way back into the den. It’s much warmer inside, and he unwraps his hands. Lady Sneasler makes a soft questioning noise and he makes a reassuring one back. He sits next to her, leaning into her warm fur. “I like the snow.” He explains.

She purrs in response. He realizes that that’s the first time he’s spoken in weeks. Perhaps since he spoke to Adaman. He shakes the thought away and nuzzles his face deeper into Lady Sneasler’s fur, rumbling along with her purring. He doesn’t need to speak very much to communicate with her, and it’s not as though he has any humans to talk to.

That familiar loneliness washes over him again. He can’t quite shake off the feeling that he should have someone to talk to. Someone who loves to listen to him. But he doesn’t know who that could be, so he does his best to ignore the void in his heart.

______

The wind is howling outside the den, causing snow to blow through the entrance and the fire to sputter. It's the middle of the night, but Ingo is awake. The screaming howl of the wind had brought forth dreams of the great metal beast. Those dreams always end with him waking up screaming, and this night is no different.

So now, Ingo sits huddled against Lady Sneasler, warm and yet still shaking. Suddenly, her head snaps up and she looks towards the cave entrance. He chirps at her and she makes a gentle noise of reassurance. After a moment, Ingo hears a sound that isn’t the wind.

A cry. It sounds distressed.

Ingo is moving before he can really think it through. He grabs his hand bindings and winds them on as he heads towards the exit, pulling his coat closer and buttoning it for once. He pulls his cap down, securing it tighter on his head.

Lady Sneasler follows, making a concerned noise, but he hears the cry again and doesn’t hesitate to begin climbing down the cliffside. She yowls, but follows him. Ingo ignores the way his fingers immediately go numb, simply shoving his hands in his pockets when he reaches the base of the cliff.

He follows the sound, which can only be coming from upwind, trudging through the soft snow with great difficulty. Lady Sneasler catches up to him in moments and grabs him with her claws, growling at him. He accepts her assistance and wraps one arm around her, using the other to point towards the cry.

She makes another annoyed noise, but does move towards it. They crest a hill and Ingo has to tug his cap back down to keep it from flying away. The cry is louder now, and Ingo casts his eyes around. His gaze catches on a flash of color in the white storm.

A Gligar is clinging to the branch of a tree, being buffeted by the harsh wind. Ingo can see that one of its wings is badly torn. Lady Sneasler makes her way over to the little Pokemon and Ingo clambers up onto her back so he can reach it.

It hisses and bares its teeth when he reaches out. He makes a soothing croon and it gives him a confused look. He takes the opportunity to grab the little creature. He’s sure to immobilize its stinger so that it can’t poison him. He’s not sure how he knows to do that. In his own moment of confusion, the Gligar bites him.

He yelps, but doesn’t let go, bundling the creature against his chest and holding onto Lady Sneasler with his free hand. It takes a few minutes for her to make it back to the cliff and by then the little creature has let go of him. Now it’s just hissing angrily and trying to escape his grip. He ignores it and watches the blood oozing from the line of punctures and dripping into Lady Sneasler’s fur with fascination.

Before he quite realizes it, they’re back in the den. Ingo lets go of Lady Sneasler and slides to the ground, keeping hold of the Gligar. He walks to their food storage and picks out an oran berry, which he shoves in its mouth as it thrashes around, trying to bite him again.

It makes a surprised noise and stills for a moment, then begins to chew. Ingo loosens his grip enough that he can get a better look at its injury. He’s pretty sure he knows enough first aid to treat it, assuming he can keep the Pokemon from attacking him.

It finishes its berry and he looks it in the eyes as he picks up another one. Slowly, he lets go of its tail, freeing its dangerous stinger. He kneels and sets it on the ground. When he reaches towards it, it hisses again. He growls and it stops. He reaches forward again, offering the berry. Hesitantly, it moves forward and takes it. He croons again. Remembering his words, he says, “good. Good. Let me help you.”

With another berry to chew on and slightly cowed, the Gligar allows him to check its wing. He begins to treat the wound, though he doesn’t know how he knows what to do. Luckily, Pokémon heal very quickly and it should be fine in a couple days at most.

Until then, it’s going to stay here since sending it back out into the storm would be a death sentence. When he leaves it, content with its treatment, it crawls after him and curls up next to him when he lays in the nest. Lady Sneasler laughs and lays on his other side.

It would seem that he made a new little friend.

Chapter Text

Ingo is enjoying himself immensely. After months of being cooped up in Lady Sneasler’s den, he’s finally able to get out and stretch his legs. He takes a large basket and gathers food and herbs along the way as he roams around the land.

He goes much further than he did before winter. Without the pressing need to gather food, he can dedicate more time to exploring the strange land. He always returns before the sun goes down and brings along plenty of food, so Lady Sneasler doesn’t complain. She also begins to roam further afield. Sometimes he goes with her, other times they take their own separate routes.

He locates the hollow where Melli’s Noble, Lord Electrode lives. Ingo is fascinated by Lord Electrode. He can’t help but feel he looks wrong somehow. When Melli returns from his own gathering and discovers him chatting with the gigantic Pokémon, by way of chirps and hums, the man looks ready to blow a fuse.

What does that mean?

He shakes the thought away and focuses on the man, who seems hesitant to approach. Lord Electrode hums a greeting and Ingo mimics the noise. This does not seem to have the intended effect of putting the man at ease.

He tilts his head and tries again. “Good afternoon.” His voice is too quiet and rough from disuse.

Melli stares at him a moment longer, before composing himself. “Good afternoon, Warden Ingo. What, uh… what brings you here?”

Ingo taps his fingers on Lord Electrode, which makes Melli pull a face. “I was curious about Lord Electrode. He is strange. But quite friendly.”

“Right…” The man looks like he doesn’t really agree. “Well. I’ll leave you to it, I guess.”

He turns and walks back the way he came. Ingo tilts his head, then shrugs and goes back to talking to the Noble. He makes better conversation, even if Ingo doesn’t speak his language.

______

Melli is standing outside Lady Sneasler’s den. Ingo has stopped a good distance away, hidden in the shadows of a rocky outcropping, and is watching him.

The man calls out again. “Warden Ingo! Lady Sneasler! Are you here?”

Ingo is here, but he doesn’t make his presence known just yet. A glimmer of mischief flickers in his mind and he ghosts slightly closer to the Warden. Lady Sneasler has been teaching him to hunt. How to stalk prey silently and leap at them when they least expect it. Ingo is getting better. He wonders if he can stalk Melli the same way.

Part of him feels like he should not. That it should be someone else who lacks impulse control. Someone else who plays tricks. But he cannot remember who that might be.

And this will be very funny.

He creeps slightly closer, silent on his feet. Melli makes a frustrated noise and crosses his arms. “Warden Ingo! It’s rude to ignore people. Where are you!”

Ingo is close enough to touch him when he speaks. “I’m right here.”

Melli nearly jumps out of his skin. He screams loudly enough that it echoes off the cliffs and whips around, eyes wide with fear. Ingo laughs and when Melli’s expression morphs from fear to indignance, he laughs even harder. He laughs so hard he can’t keep his balance and falls to the ground. This is definitely the funniest thing he has ever experienced.

Melli finally finds his voice, exclaiming, “you- you ass! You scared me out of my wits!”

Ingo’s laughter had begun to subside, but this brings it right back. Melli huffs and waits for him to stop. Eventually he does, though he doesn’t bother to stand up. He looks up at Melli, eyes pinched with contained laughter. “I’m sorry. That was mean. But it was verrry funny.” 

Why did he say it like that?

Melli huffs again. “Yes. Hilarious.” Despite his attempt to be aloof, Ingo can tell his irritation has melted away with the apology. “Now if you’re quite done being an ass, I came here to ask for advice.”

Ingo tilts his head. “Advice? From… me?”

Melli sighs and sits, legs folded carefully under him as opposed to the way Ingo’s limbs are haphazardly splayed out. “Unfortunately. While gathering food for Lord Electrode, I happened upon a Pokémon nest. The… the parents were nearby. I assume they lost a fight.”

Ingo nods in understanding. “So, the eggs are abandoned.” Melli nods. “And you… want to help them?”

Melli nods again. “It doesn’t feel right to just leave them. I… don’t really know why.”

“Show me where they are.”

The man looks up in surprise, then suspicion clouds his features. “You’re not going to eat them, are you?”

Ingo raises an eyebrow. “Why would I eat them?”

“Isn’t that what Zoroark do? Kill and eat anything that they can get their paws on?”

Ingo sighs in aggravation. “It would seem that I am not the ideal of a Zoroark.” He meets Melli’s eyes and bares his teeth slightly with his next statement. “Since I haven’t yet eaten you.”

Melli is visibly rattled by the display and stands suddenly. “Right. Well. The nest is this way.”

They don’t speak any more as Melli leads him to the lower part of the Highlands, carefully navigating around the territories of aggressive Pokémon. They reach a small crevice in a wooded area, in which a small nest sits.

There are eight eggs resting comfortably inside. Ingo doesn’t hesitate to crouch and touch one. It’s colder than it should be. That’s not good. Still, he feels just a tiny amount of movement from it. He checks the others. All but two are still healthy. He wonders how he knows how to check.

He shakes his head and opens his basket. He dumps the herbs and berries that he’d gathered earlier out and fills the base with material from the nest. He gently places the six viable eggs inside and fills the spaces around them with more material.

Carefully, he lifts the basket and hangs it over his shoulders. He looks back at Melli only to find the man has been backed up against the cliff face. He looks frightened and slightly disgusted by the Pokémon currently sniffing at his boots curiously.

Ingo laughs and the Stunky looks at him. He chitters at it, the way Gligar does when it’s trying to be playful and it gives a low huff. He kneels, careful of the basket, and scratches the creature’s head. Melli squeaks and Ingo mimics the Stunky’s laugh. 

He glances up at the man. “Pet it.”

“W-what?”

“It likes you. Pet it.”

“I would like to keep my hands, thanks.”

Ingo shakes his head and chitters at the Stunky again, gesturing to Melli. It huffs and lifts its front end to rest its paws on his shins. Melli squeaks again. But to his credit, he reaches out, cringing slightly, and touches the Stunky.

He gasps slightly and digs his fingers into the fur. “It’s so soft.”

Ingo laughs and stands back up, turning to leave. He needs to get back to the den, he has precious cargo after all. He hears Melli begin to panic behind him, but doesn’t turn back. Not even when the Warden cries out, “you’re not just going to leave me here with this thing, are you?!”

Chapter Text

Springtime is finally here and the passes have finally opened, allowing travel between the Alabaster Icelands and the rest of the region. Irida, accompanied by Palina and Lian, is making her way to the Obsidian Fieldlands.

It’s finally time to introduce Lian to Lord Kleavor. She can’t help but feel nervous. All of her previous attempts at appointing a Warden failed miserably. Which is why she has Warden Zoroark now, she thinks bitterly. She shakes her head. This isn’t going to end up like that. Lord Kleavor isn’t as difficult as Lady Sneasler. It’s going to be fine.

They’re nearing the base of the Coronet Highlands when things go wrong. A little orange Pokémon flits out an outcropping. Irida and Palina prepare themselves for a fight, but Lian panics. He bolts away the moment the Pokémon crackles with electricity.

Irida hesitates only a moment before chasing after him. Palina dodges the other direction, distracting the creature. Lian has already put a surprising amount of distance between them. Irida would be proud if he wasn’t running straight into Luxray territory.

“Lian, stop! Come back!”

He doesn’t listen. He disappears around a rock and she hears a scream that makes her blood run cold. No. This is not happening. She runs faster. She rounds the rock and sees Lian on the ground, clutching at his arm. It’s stained with blood. A Luxray stands over him with fangs bared.

Irida freezes. She has to do something. But what can she possibly do?

An incoherent shout cuts through the air and something small and purple strikes the Luxray in the face, pushing it back a few feet. Irida watches, frozen in place as a black and red figure leaps from the nearby cliff side, rolling on impact and coming to a stop crouched between Lian and the beast.

Warden Zoroark. The Luxray growls and the Zoroark bares its teeth and growls right back. This seems to give the larger monster pause, distracting it long enough for the little purple Pokémon to attack again, driving it back a few steps. Why is a Gligar helping a Zoroark?

The Luxray roars and lunges at the Zoroark, but the creature dodges out of the way and the Gligar attacks again. The Luxray shakes its head and growls, but slowly begins to back away. The Zoroark watches, content to allow the creature to retreat. Once its opponent is far enough away, it turns its sharp silver eyes on Irida. She’s not quite sure to expect, but it’s clear that the monster doesn’t fear her like it did before winter.

It doesn’t make any sort of aggressive move, though, only narrows its eyes slightly. “Stay.”

With that simple command, it runs back to the cliff it leapt from and climbs up to the top. It collects a basket it had apparently discarded there and comes back down. Once it’s near to them again, it sets the basket down and removes the lid, taking out a couple herbs.

It approaches and kneels, eyes fixed on Lian. The boy whimpers slightly and the creature tilts its head and makes a soft chirping sound. This oddly inhuman noise is followed by words in a surprisingly soothing tone of voice. “Easy. It’s ok. Your arm is hurt. This will help.” 

It reaches out and Lian pulls back with a yelp, scooting away. Irida thinks the Zoroark almost looks sad, but it shakes its head and stands back up to its full, looming height. It hands the herbs to her, then turns back, taking the lid off the basket again.

It reaches in and this time, Irida hears a noise come from inside. Like a quiet yip. It straightens with three Pokémon bundled into its arms. It holds these out towards her as well.

She just stares at it. “What?”

“Take them.”

“Why would I take them?”

“You are defenseless. They will help.”

“You want me to take Zorua pups for… self defense?”

It furrows his brow and looks down at the Pokémon in its hands, then back up at her with a raised eyebrow. “Do they look like Zorua?” The sarcasm is undeniable, and completely unexpected.

She looks at the little brown creatures again. “Well… no.”

“They are Eevee. Take them.”

“How are they supposed to help?”

“They are quite young. Train them. They will be loyal to you.”

Train them. She’s heard of people keeping a young Pokémon and raising it around humans. She knows the creature is right. They will be loyal to her. It’s. Not a terrible idea.

She reaches out and gingerly takes the three pups, marveling at how soft their fur is. “Why would you give them to me?”

It shrugs. “I do not want to keep six Eevee.”

“Wait, six?”

As if on cue, the basket rustles. The Zoroark nods. “The other three are for Adaman.”

She splutters a bit, somehow upset that the rival clan leader is also getting three Eevee pups. Pups she didn’t even want in the first place. She almost tells the Zoroark it shouldn’t be associating with the Diamond Clan, but she catches herself. It’s not like it’s actually part of the Pearl Clan. It can do as it wishes.

And apparently it wishes to leave. It lifts the basket and slings it over its shoulders, then begins to walk down the trail. Surprising herself, Irida calls after it. “Thank you, Warden Zoroark!”

It whips around, eyes flashing with anger and teeth bared. Irida falters, thrown off by the change in temperament. It growls, “my name is Ingo.”

“R-right. I’m sorry. I-Ingo. Warden Ingo. Thank you for your help.”

It’s angry demeanor falls away, replaced by its usual blank expression. “Happy to help.”

She stares after it as it walks away, not really sure how to feel about the encounter.

______

Adaman is having a good day. He’s helping repair a tent that was damaged in the winter, chatting with a couple clan members and generally just enjoying his day. Then someone shouts his name. They sound alarmed, so he drops what he’s doing and runs towards the sound. He’s met with the sight of a few clan members clustered near the edge of the settlement. One of them spots him and points out, generally in the direction of Mount Coronet.

He looks outward and immediately sees the cause of the alarm. Warden Zoroark. He shakes his head. No, it’s Warden Ingo. He has to at least try to get along with the thing, and that means calling it by its name.

Regardless, it’s standing some distance away, regarding them passively. Its coat is a little more damaged than Adaman remembers and it’s wearing what appears to be a Stantler hide shirt instead of the odd white shirt from before.

He takes a steadying breath and strides out of the settlement, raising a hand in a friendly greeting. When he gets close enough, he says, “Warden Ingo. It’s a surprise to see you here.”

The Zoroark nods, then sets its basket down. It takes off the lid and lifts out three small brown Pokémon. It steps forward and holds them out. Adaman takes them more out of reflex than anything.

“Uhhh… what’s this?”

“They are Eevee. They are for you.”

“...Why?”

“You do not have any Pokémon. They will protect you.”

That’s… oddly touching actually. He’s not sure why the creature cares, but it seems to be genuine. And he’s definitely not going to refuse a gift from a Zoroark. “Thank you.” 

It nods and gathers its basket, then turns to leave. 

“Wait!” It stops and looks back at him. “Did you come all the way down here just for that?”

It nods.

He takes a deep breath, internally cringing at what he’s about to suggest. “Would you like something to eat before you go back? It’s quite a long hike.”

It tilts its head at him. “I have food. I do not wish to make you uncomfortable.”

“That’s not-” He remembers how it knew he was lying before. “Ok, yeah. You do make me uncomfortable. But… it seems wrong to just send you off. Especially when you gave me such a kind gift.” He holds up the little Eevee to accentuate his point. It hesitates and Adaman finds himself searching his mind for ways to convince it. Why? He should be happy it refused. Still, he says, “have you ever tried Wyrdeer milk?”

“I… have not.”

Adaman grins. “You’ve got to try it. Come on, rest for a few minutes.”

It hesitates a moment longer before nodding. “If you’re certain.”

He leads the way back into the settlement and slowly, Warden Ingo follows. Adaman slows down to keep an eye on it as they pass between the first tents. People are talking and staring, but no one questions Adaman’s judgment. At least, not while the Zoroark is still here.

It seems far more on edge now, glowing silver eyes flicking from place to place rapidly. Adaman asks softly, “are you alright?”

It jumps. “Yes. I have… never been in a human settlement before. It’s… loud.”

He regards it curiously. “Why try so hard to look human, then? I thought you wanted to enter the settlements?”

It growls softly, but there’s no real bite to it. “I am human.”

He raises an eyebrow. “What kind of human would have never been to a human settlement?”

It meets his eyes. “The kind that looks like a Zoroark.”

He stares at it, even as its attention drifts away. That’s… almost believable. Even up close, its disguise is nearly perfect. It even manages to look tired. Adaman doesn’t know what to say, so he just nods and leads the creature into his tent. “You can sit, if you’d like.”

He turns his back, ignoring his instincts screaming at him not to and grabs a wooden cup, filling it with Wyrdeer milk. He also picks up two meat pies, a small hunk of cheese, and a few berries, throwing them on a plate.

When he turns back, Warden Ingo has settled gingerly among the pillows laid out on the floor. Adaman smiles and sits across from it, laying the plate of food between them and handing the cup over. He’s careful not to touch the creature, not wanting to upset it by disrupting the illusion.

It inclines its head politely and carefully takes a sip from the cup. Its eyes go wide. “This is good!”

Adaman smiles softly. “Worth coming into the settlement for?”

It tilts its head, then nods. “Yes, I think so.”

Adaman takes one of the meat pies and gestures to the other. “Eat.”

Warden Ingo reaches for it, then hesitates. “Are you doing this because you think you need to… make me like you? So I don’t hurt you?”

Adaman sits up a little straighter. The question feels like a test, but all he can do is answer truthfully. It will know if he lies anyway. “No. Any Warden, Pearl Clan included, is to be treated with the utmost respect. Whatever else you… may or may not be, you are a Warden.”

It hums and its hand resumes reaching forward. It takes the meat pie, then sits back, curling in on itself slightly. “In that case, thank you.”

Warden Ingo doesn’t stick around much longer, insisting on needing to return to the Highlands. Adaman isn’t exactly sad to see it go, but he finds himself fascinated by the creature.

His mind drifts back to the quiet insistence that it’s human. Why does it bother when it knows people don’t buy its disguise? Why not try a different disguise? Why does it want so badly to be human in the first place?

He sighs and tries to set these questions aside. He doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to answer them anyway.

Chapter Text

Ingo is being followed as he makes his way out of the Mirelands. He’s pretty sure the creature isn’t trying to hunt him. If it is, it’s doing a very poor job of it. He stops under a berry tree and kneels to pull up some medicinal herbs, which he stores in his recently emptied basket. He glances sidelong at it and watches, amused, as it tries to sneak up on him.

He stands up and it freezes in place, but he just reaches up to pick two berries. He bites into one, then tosses the other backwards toward the Pokemon. A vine snaps out and catches the projectile, then pulls the food back into the indistinct mass of its body.

Ingo laughs and the Tangela chatters. It’s very cute.

Emboldened, it approaches and taps him with a vine. He spins, making it jump back in surprise, then falls cross legged to the ground. He calls a greeting to it and holds out a hand. It chatters again, then tentatively reaches out a vine. It wraps around his hand, then moves up his arm. More vines join it and in a few minutes, Ingo is absolutely covered.

He laughs again and it hops in place excitedly. When he moves to stand, it retracts its vines and follows him.

______

Ingo begins to wander further away from the Highlands. He starts staying out overnight and even for a few days at a time. He makes it all the way out to the coast on one such excursion. The coast is interesting. It’s quite a bit warmer, but the water lapping at the sand is cold. He discovers rather quickly that he enjoys swimming.

There are different fish here, but he didn’t bring a net to catch them with. Instead, he challenges himself to catch them with his hands. He’s a bit surprised when he actually succeeds. Even if the Remoraid cuts his hand in the process. The salt water stings in the wound, but he ignores it, pleased with himself at having caught dinner.

He returns to shore and redresses, then starts a fire. While the fish is cooking, a Machop approaches. He thinks it might just be hungry at first, because it’s clearly not aggressive. After it tries to grapple his legs a few times, he gets the idea and agrees to wrestle with it.

He has the height and weight advantage, but he has no idea how to fight. The only things he knows are the surprise attacks that Lady Sneasler taught him when she showed him how to hunt. The Machop is deceptively strong and tosses him like a ragdoll into the sand. But Ingo grabs its arm, flipping to restrain and pin it to the ground under him. It struggles for a few moments, then gives up. It looks extremely pleased when he lets it up and it hangs around with him all evening.

The next day he swims again, investigating some small islands scattered about the bay. Several of them are home to Pokemon, and he leaves them alone. He also gives the Gyarados he sees in the distance a wide berth. He wouldn’t want to fight them with his feet on solid ground.

He rests for a while on a small island and tosses a stick out into the water for Gligar to chase and bring back. A large Pokemon approaches from the water, catching his attention. It looks sort of like a very large, red striped Basculin. The red stripes feel right, even if the rest of it doesn’t.

It calls out in greeting and Ingo does his best to mimic it. It’s more difficult than Lady Sneasler’s calls, but the large Basculin-ish Pokemon seems to understand. It approaches the shore and he wades into the water to meet it. It seems amused by him and he makes an inquisitive croon. It splashes him with water and races off, but stops a short distance away to see if he will follow.

Of course he will. He spends the next hour playing an odd game of chase with the large fish. It’s quite fun. Near the end, it even helps him catch two more Remoraid before he returns to the shore.

Machop is waiting for him, patiently sitting with Tangela by his clothes. He waits for Ingo to set the fish down before tackling him. He’s too tired from swimming to put up much of a fight and Machop wins this bout. When he lets him stand back up, Ingo laughs and pats Machop’s head, then asks if he wants to stay for dinner. Machop gleefully agrees.

______

Warden Zoroark has been in the Coastlands for a few days. At first, Palina was worried. She knows it saved Lian’s life, and gave Irida those Eevee, but it’s still a Zoroark. It has to be scheming something.

So, she’s been watching it from up on Veilstone Cape. But thus far, it seems to just be doing whatever strikes its fancy. Yesterday, it swam with Lord Basculegion for over an hour. Apparently just for fun.

It’s trailed at all times by a Gligar, presumably the same one from the Highlands. When it’s not swimming, a Tangela and a Machop follow it as well. At seemingly random intervals, it will get in a fight with the Machop. At first she fears it’s going to kill the smaller Pokemon, but the Machop seems to win as often as it loses. Neither of them ever get injured in the scuffles and she realizes that this is a way to keep themselves entertained. And possibly to train.

Warden Zoroark is swimming again now, just below where she stands on the cape. She’s fascinated that its clothes are apparently not illusory, since it strips most of them off to swim. Tangela and Machop rest on top of them and wait for it to come back.

As Palina watches, a pair of Glameow sneak quietly up behind the two Pokemon. One of them leaps between them, causing a distraction while the other grabs the brim of the hat and begins to drag it away. It’s probably drawn to the shiny badge on the front.

Machop’s shout of alarm draws the attention of the Zoroark, who swims back to shore and gives chase. The monster is fast and catches the offending Pokemon swiftly, tackling it and sending it rolling away. It snatches the hat and pulls it down on its head, then turns to leave.

The Glameow takes offense to this and pounces. Palina’s stomach drops. She knows the Warden isn’t human, but it looks human. And seeing a Pokemon attack it is frightening. But the Zoroark seems to anticipate the attack and catches the Glameow, throwing it harshly aside and into a tree. It receives three long scratches on its arm as a result of the short lived fight.

She watches in fascination as it returns to the rest of its things and takes a long strip of blue fabric from its basket. It winds this around its wounded arm. After that it starts a fire and settles down, surrounded by its three companions.

Warden Zoroark leaves the Coastlands the next day. Palina feels like she understands less about it than she did before.

Chapter Text

Lian is beginning to question himself. Not on his intended course of action, although Lady Irida would certainly not approve. No, his intentions are fine. It’s his execution that could use some work. 

He’s been wandering around the Highlands for hours by this point. He has no idea where Lady Sneasler’s den is, or if the Zoroark will even be there if he finds it. He knows he could ask Warden Melli, but he would tell Lord Adaman, who would tell Lady Irida. And then Lian would get in trouble. So he’s not going to do that.

He’s about ready to give up entirely when Warden Zoroark finds him. He glances around to check for Pokemon following him and when he turns back, the creature has appeared, as if out of thin air. Lian yelps in surprise and it stares at him, stock still and impassive.

He stares back, suddenly at a loss for words. He didn’t get a good look before, but it truly is strange looking. Tall, with glowing silver eyes and shaggy, disheveled gray hair. It has a scruffy beard and dark circles under its eyes. It wears a long, torn black and red coat and a matching hat, as well as a shirt made of Stantler hide.

Eventually, it makes an odd warbling sound that’s distinctly inquisitive. It’s completely inhuman sounding, but also oddly comforting. It snaps Lian out of his distraction. With a small jump, he says, “Hello, Warden Z-” He remembers how angry it got before and amends his greeting. “Warden Ingo.”

It nods politely.

“I uh… I wanted to thank you.” It tilts its head in question. “For saving me from that Luxray.”

It nods again and finally speaks, voice slightly raspy. “Yes. Of course.” It narrows its eyes and looks him over. “Does Irida know you came here?”

Lian shakes his head. “No. She would have told me not to.”

“She thinks I’m dangerous.”

Lian regards it curiously. “Aren’t you?”

It seems to consider this for a long moment. “I suppose, yes.” It gets an odd glint in its eyes. “Aren’t you worried? Here alone. I could eat you.” Its face remains perfectly still, but Lian can hear the mischief in its tone.

He laughs. “You could. But you won’t.”

It blinks in surprise, then the corners of its eyes pinch a little bit. “Oh? Why not?”

Lian shrugs. “You’re nice. You could have let the Luxray get me. No one even knew you were there. But you didn’t. You’re different from the other Zoroark.”

It tenses for a moment, then lets out a long breath and laughs loudly. “True. I am.”

Lian grins at it, pleased with himself to have made it laugh even if he does quite understand why it did. “I should go back. But if you’re ever in the Fieldlands, come see me and Lord Kleavor. His arena is by the gigantic tree, you can’t miss it. You’ll do that right, Warden Ingo?”

It nods. “I will do that… Boy.”

“Lian.”

“I will do that, Lian.”

______

Ingo returns to the den one day to a wonderful surprise. Lady Sneasler is in the nest, curled around four eggs. He is immediately overexcited and has to take a moment to calm himself before sitting nearby. He gives her a soft, questioning whine.

She laughs and gently pulls him towards the eggs. With her permission, he inspects them like he did with the Eevee eggs. They’re all quite healthy. They will stay healthy. He will ensure it. Ingo dedicates himself wholly to this new task. He gathers berries and herbs, hunts, and gathers salt to store extra meat with. He checks on the eggs regularly to ensure their health and does anything and everything he can for Lady Sneasler.

Occasionally, she leaves him to watch over the eggs while she takes a turn leaving the den. He takes this duty on with the utmost care and attention.

The eggs hatch just over a month later and Ingo is present when they do. He assists Lady Sneasler in cleaning and assessing the health of the hatchlings. To his great pride, they’re all perfectly healthy. Within a few hours of hatching, they’re already moving around the den to explore. He can tell they’re going to be a handful quite soon, but he is so very excited to watch them grow.

______

Lady Sneasler watches her Warden being overrun by Sneasels with great amusement. She never would have thought she would be comfortable with a human touching her kits. It’s part of the reason she refused to take a Warden for so long. She simply doesn’t trust humans enough.

But she trusts her Warden. He’s quite good with the Sneasels, much like he was good with the Eevee he brought to her den a few months ago. She thinks he must have experience handling young.

As she watches, he lets the Sneasels pile on top of him and endures their playful wrestling with endless patience. If one of them plays a little too rough or forgets to watch where they put their claws, he scolds them with a quick warning snarl. One of the females gets a little too worked up and doesn’t heed his warning and he tosses her off him. Not hard enough to injure, but enough to remind her that he’s playing nice. Lady Sneasler laughs.

Her Warden cries out in mock defeat as all four of them pounce on him at once and he collapses into a heap. The Sneasels look between each other uncertainly, then fall back in surprise when he suddenly leaps to his feet. And the game is back on.

Eventually, they all tire and curl up in the nest together. Lady Sneasler curls around them, checking on each Sneasel and then licking the small nicks and cuts they left in her Warden’s fragile human skin. He's lucky the Sneasels only have mild poison at this age. It's still enough to affect him, but not to do any lasting damage, and he seems content to simply ignore it. She purrs soothingly and her Warden follows suit in his own strange way.

The Sneasels grow up quickly as all Pokémon do. In just over a month, they’re strong and confident and ready to make their own way. Lady Sneasler sees them off, content in knowing they’re as prepared as they can be. Her Warden is upset, but seems to understand that they can’t stay.

Lady Sneasler leads him gently back into the den and wraps herself around him. She carefully picks up a shed feather from the single male Sneasel and tucks it into his hair. He laughs and rubs his head against her, but the motion causes the feather to fall.

He picks it back up and tucks it into the red band of his hat, securing it back on his head. Lady Sneasler appraises him. Human though he may be, her Warden has been cast out by his own kind. 

But with his new feather and his disposition, she thinks he makes a pretty good Sneasel.

______

Irida has a problem. For years, the Pearl Clan settlement has been tucked safely below the great glacier near the mountain. But recently, the glacier has been shedding more and beginning to move. The risk of an avalanche is slowly mounting and something needs to be done.

They can’t stop the glacier, so the settlement needs to be moved. It’s been moved before of course. It’s intentionally non-permanent. But it's been here since before Irida took on leadership and the idea of taking on such a monumental task is difficult to wrap her mind around.

Warden Gaeric helps her of course. She counts herself lucky again to have a mentor like him. Together, they scout around the Icelands. Irida’s recently evolved Glaceon and her two Eevee accompany them. She kind of hates that Warden Ingo was right, but they’re useful to have around. They keep wild Pokémon at bay. And… they’re very lovable.

After a week of scouting, they find a suitable location, nestled below Snowpoint Temple. Now they face a new problem. They have to move nearly a hundred people across the wasteland without getting attacked by Pokémon. Specifically, the highly aggressive Zoroark who populate the area.

She considers the problem while they make their way back. She hates to admit it, but they could use help and they would be fools not to at least ask. To her surprise, Warden Gaeric agrees.

They need to ask their own Zoroark for help.

______

Ingo is surprised to see Irida in the Highlands. Curious about what she’s doing, he shadows her silently. She makes her way slowly from the mountain pass to Lady Sneasler’s den, where she takes out her flute and plays a tune. A few minutes later, Lady Sneasler appears, coming up from the lower part of the mountain.

Irida greets her politely. “Lady Sneasler. It’s good to see you well.”

Lady Sneasler returns her polite greeting.

After a moment of awkwardness, Irida asks, “is your Warden around? I have… something to ask of it.”

Lady Sneasler looks past her, tilting her head at Ingo. He nods and she laughs, then points him out with a claw. Irida turns and looks a bit frightened that she hadn’t been aware of him, but shakes it off as he approaches.

“Warden Ingo.” 

Ingo nods and repeats Lady Sneasler’s greeting. 

Irida looks slightly confused, but presses on. “I… have come here with a request. I understand that you owe us nothing, but the Pearl Clan could use your help.”

He tilts his head and makes an inquisitive noise.

She sighs. “We need to move the settlement. We’ll have to cross Zoroark territory to do so. I was hoping that you could ask them to leave us alone.”

Ingo stares at her. He knows that everyone still thinks he’s a Zoroark, but this is very much a surprise. He shakes his head. That’s not something he can do.

Irida looks upset by his refusal. “Please. I know we haven’t been kind to you. I’m… I’m sorry for that. But my people are in great danger. I just want what’s best for them.”

He shakes his head again but before she can protest any further he holds up his hands. “They won’t listen. Not to me. But I will help.”

“...What?”

He gestures to Gliscor and then to Tangela and Machop. “ We will help. Keep people safe.” Lady Sneasler grumbles and steps forward and he trills in agreement with her. They will all go.

Irida stares at him a moment longer. “They won’t listen to you? Why?” 

Ingo shakes his head. He doesn’t feel like arguing about whether or not he’s a Zoroark right now. 

She changes tracks. “You would really stand against them. To help us?” He nods and tears form in her eyes. “Thank you.”

He nods again, then tells her. “Wait.” 

He climbs up into the den, dropping off his large basket and filling a smaller one with food and other supplies. He grabs his hand bindings and stuffs them into a pocket. Now prepared, he climbs back down and whistles to his Pokémon. He nods to Irida and she leads the way back towards the Icelands.

Chapter Text

Moving the settlement is highly complicated and it takes a few days to get everything ready. Warden Ingo is given a tent a short distance from the settlement while they prepare. No one is really happy about its presence but they don’t argue when Irida explains that having their own Zoroark to protect them will keep them safer.

Her Glaceon and Eevees seem excited to see it at least, practically knocking the creature down when it arrives with her. They hardly leave its side while preparations are being made, and it’s oddly endearing to watch it being so gentle with them. From her understanding, it raised them as its own pups, so it makes some sense.

Finally, preparations are complete, the tents are broken down, loads are distributed, and everyone is ready. They form a long line and begin the trek across the wastelands. As discussed, Warden Gaeric takes the lead, loudly projecting direction and reassurance to the people from the front. Irida herself traverses up and down the line, regularly checking in with everyone and making sure no one has been injured in a fall or is overexerting themselves.

Warden Palina, Glaceon, the Eevees, and Warden Ingo’s companion Pokémon rove up and down the line as well, keeping an eye on possible threats. They drive a few Pokémon away as they make slow progress.

Warden Ingo itself roams further afield, along with Warden Lian and their two Nobles. They keep an eye out for incoming threats, and occasionally call out to Warden Gaeric to change course to avoid a potential danger.

Things are going quite well for the first few hours. And then Warden Ingo appears over a snowbank, out of breath and bleeding. It runs straight to Warden Gaeric, shouting something Irida can’t quite make out from her position partway down the line.

Warden Gaeric moves forward, toward whatever threat is coming, but the attack comes from behind him. Vicious claws rake across his back as Warden Ingo grins and its form flickers. Irida screams with rage at the betrayal and runs towards it. Something else reaches the monster before she does and she skids to a stop, staring at the scene in confusion.

Warden Ingo tackles the other creature wearing its disguise. They roll away, tearing at each other viciously. Irida resumes her sprint to her mentor’s side. Warden Calaba arrives moments later and pushes her away. She allows the experienced healer to take her place gladly and stares, shaking, at the fight still happening.

The two Zoroark are furiously trying to tear each other apart. The imposter seems to be having more difficulty keeping up its disguise and monstrous features appear and disappear as its form shifts. Blood splatters into the snow from one of them, she can’t tell which, and then suddenly Warden Ingo gets the other monster’s arms restrained and pins it to the ground.

A knife of all things seems to appear in its hand, which it presses down against its opponents throat. The blade draws blood and the Warden snarls in warning. The sound makes Irida’s blood run cold. 

It’s over. Warden Ingo has clearly won. But then the other Zoroark smiles. Not the cruel grin from before, but a soft, kind looking smile. Warden Ingo seizes up. It screams and drops its knife, grabbing at its own head. Claws pierce its side and it scrambles away, panting. The other Zoroark pounces, illusion foregone entirely and intent on the kill.

It’s knocked aside by large, purple claws that drip with poison. Lady Sneasler snarls at it and it growls back. But poison creeps up its side from the new wound and it apparently decides to cut its losses and vanishes into thin air.

After a moment, the Noble relaxes, then goes to her Warden, chirping with worry. Irida leaves her to it, turning back to her people. Warden Calaba is coordinating getting Warden Gaeric on a stretcher so he can be carried to the new settlement.

Irida looks around at her people and she sees her own fear reflected back at her. She needs to say something, anything, to reassure them. But the words won’t come. Her mentor is wounded and bleeding and all she wants is to stay at his side. But she can’t. She has to pull herself together.

A shuffling in the snow behind her draws her attention. Warden Ingo approaches, one hand pressed to its wounded side. In this moment, bloodied and disheveled and totally exhausted, it has never looked more human. Except, of course, that feral snarl a few minutes ago was anything but human.

It looks at her with tired eyes and asks, “continue moving?” She nods. It looks at the frightened people gathered around. “Can you lead them?”

She doesn’t know why, but the honest answer slips from her mouth before she can stop it. “I don’t know.”

It nods and moves a few steps closer, so it’s standing alongside Irida. It straightens its posture and addresses the crowd, projecting its voice in a way she’s never heard from it. “Please remain calm and proceed in an orderly fashion. This train has experienced a minor delay, but we will continue along the route as planned. If you are in need of assistance, please contact a member of staff and they will be happy to assist you.” It turns away partially and points towards their destination with the hand not holding its side. “All aboard!”

The words, though partially nonsensical, are delivered in a calm, but commanding tone. Irida finds them oddly comforting and it seems that most of the others do as well. She takes a deep breath and nods, giving the best smile she can manage. “Warden Ingo will take Warden Gaeric’s place. Please stay calm and follow. We’re over halfway there. We’ll all be able to rest soon.”

Warden Ingo glances at her, waiting for permission. She nods and it begins to lead. Irida checks on each of her clan members as they pass her by, then makes her way back up the line when they’re all moving. She can hear Warden Ingo calling out clear, concise instructions and can’t help but smile. It’s surprisingly good at leading people.

Warden Lian warns them about an Alpha Mamoswine and Warden Ingo calmly diverts them around its territory. It takes almost two more hours, but they reach their destination.

Everyone sets to work immediately, setting up tents and readying the new settlement. Irida stops briefly where Warden Ingo has settled to the ground next to Lady Sneasler. She thanks it for its help and it gives her a surprisingly gentle look and simply nods.

Irida moves on and checks on Warden Gaeric. He’s awake now, which is a huge relief. He’s extremely angry at Warden Ingo’s betrayal until Irida explains that it was a different Zoroark playing a trick and Warden Ingo actually saved his life. He seems unsure how to take that information.

Warden Calaba makes her leave so she can finish dressing his wounds. Irida makes her way from the upper area to the lowest part of the new settlement, checking in with everyone as she goes. Finally, she ends up back where she started, where Lady Sneasler and Warden Ingo had been.

The two of them are gone now, and as Irida approaches she realizes that there’s a sizable bloodstain where the Zoroark had been resting. A sick feeling begins to grow in her gut. She knew it had been injured when it fought the other Zoroark, and she didn’t do anything about it.

What should she have done? Pokemon heal faster than humans. It will be fine soon.

It saved Warden Gaeric’s life. And probably the lives of many of the other members of the clan. It kept her people calm when Irida herself wasn’t able to stay calm. It fought its own kind to help them, and it got injured, and Irida just ignored it.

What kind of leader is she? She needs to fix this.

Chapter Text

Lady Sneasler honestly considers ignoring the summoning flute, but when it plays for the third time, she hears a distinct note of desperation. She grumbles and nuzzles her Warden, although he responds only with a whimper, then makes her way to the mouth of the cave. Irida is waiting at the base of the cliff.

Anger flares in her chest and she leaps to the ground, reveling in the way the Clan Leader stumbles back and fear flashes across her features. For good measure, she growls at the woman. She wouldn’t actually hurt Irida, or any human, but she’s not opposed to intimidating her.

Irida backs up another step, tears forming in her eyes. “I’m so sorry!”

Lady Sneasler freezes. That’s not what she expected. 

Her reaction seems to encourage Irida, so she continues. “I’m sorry. I… I don’t have an excuse. Warden Ingo helped us and I knew it was injured. I should have done something.”

Irida steps towards her and she growls quietly. She hasn’t forgiven her Clan Leader yet. 

Irida takes a shaky breath. “I-is your Warden alright?”

Lady Sneasler huffs. She considers just leaving, but she thinks there’s something better she can do. She wraps her claws around the woman, and enjoys the little yelp she makes. She lifts her up and Irida hesitantly grabs onto her fur. Lady Sneasler scales the cliff and sets her down in the mouth of her den.

She grumbles and leads the way into the cave. Her Warden is exactly where she left him. He’s curled up in the nest, breathing too fast and whimpering softly. His torso is wrapped in the cloth of the shirt he wore when he first arrived. Blood is soaking through the bandage and his eyes are squeezed shut, with sweat beading across his forehead.

Irida gasps and covers her mouth, obviously recognizing the severity of the injury. She whispers, somewhat muffled by her hands, “why hasn’t it healed?”

She moves forward and Lady Sneasler growls and steps in front of her Warden. She’s glad that Irida seems to be understanding the weight of her mistake, but there’s no way she’s letting her near her Warden while he’s so vulnerable.

She grabs Irida, despite the woman’s protests and carries her back to the base of the cliff. She begins to climb back up when Irida calls out, “wait!” 

Lady Sneasler turns back to look at her, hanging off the cliff by one paw. 

Irida looks extremely upset. “I… I’m so sorry. I hope your Warden recovers soon, My Lady.”

The Clan Leader turns to leave, rubbing at her eyes, and Lady Sneasler returns to her Warden’s side. She curls around him and purrs, hoping to keep him somewhat comfortable. There’s not much else she can do.

______

Ingo isn’t aware of much beyond pain. Pain in the left side of his ribs, where razor sharp claws tore through his flesh. Pain in his whole body, as he’s wracked with fever chills. But all that is overshadowed by the pain in his head.

He can’t shake the image of the monster wearing his face. It should have been wrong. It should have been terrifying. But it wasn’t. It felt distressingly, horribly right. Even as he fought the creature, even as its form flickered and he knew it was a trick, he couldn’t help but feel drawn to it.

And then it smiled. Ingo cannot smile. He doesn’t know how he’s so sure of that, but he is. So why did the sight feel so comforting? Why did he freeze? He knew it wasn’t real. But he couldn’t bring himself to hurt his smiling reflection.

His head had burned and he had screamed with pain. The monster hurt him, like he knew it would, but it was nothing compared to the shooting pain in his head. He would have continued to scream, but there were people. People who were scared by the Zoroark’s attack. People who needed direction.

Irida was scared. She is too young to have such a burden on her, even if she’s been cruel to him in the past. So he ignored the pain in his head and his side and helped her. But he could only get away with that for so long. Ingo doesn’t remember getting back to the den. But that’s where he finds himself now.

Another spike of pain shoots through his head and he curls further in on himself. He shivers again at a sudden chill and cries out at the pain it causes. Lady Sneasler presses harder against him and her purr vibrates through his chest, the only source of comfort in his current state.

______

Ingo doesn’t know how long he stays in the den. His fever breaks after some time and Lady Sneasler forces him to eat and drink no matter how much it hurts to do so. He has difficulty keeping track of time, but it’s at least a few days before he’s capable of moving around on his own, and even longer before he can even hope to leave the den.

He’s reminded of his first few months here as Lady Sneasler helps him climb down. She’s worried about him and he knows he’s pushing himself too hard, but the chill in the air worries him. They need to gather food for the winter. It wouldn’t do to survive this injury only to starve to death months from now.

So Ingo goes out and gathers berries and herbs. He convinces her to leave him to the task and go hunt. It’s unlikely that he’ll be able to make it to the river often enough for setting out the nets to be worth it, so they’re going to have to rely on the Stantler and occasional Hippopotas or Ursaring that Lady Sneasler hunts for protein.

He also spends a few days gathering salt from the various caves and quarries where he knows it can be found. During one of these excursions, he finds himself cornered by a rather curious Nosepass. It keeps bumping into him, which would be very cute, except the jostling causes sharp pain in his still healing wounds.

When it bumps directly into his wounded side, he yelps in pain, collapsing against the wall of the cave. The Nosepass panics, dancing around him anxiously until he drags himself slowly back to his feet. He presses a hand into his side and it comes away slick with blood. Not a good sign.

The Nosepass makes an anxious grunt and he pats it on the head. He winces when he realizes that he smeared blood across it and trills an apology. It grunts again and he shakes his head, laughing a little. He gathers his half full basket and makes his way back to the den.

He realizes that there’s no way he’s going to climb back up so he rests against the cliff and holds pressure on the wound, waiting for Lady Sneasler to come back. At some point he falls asleep, and when he wakes up he’s in the den with Lady Sneasler hovering anxiously over him. He scratches her ear and purrs softly in an attempt to reassure her before falling asleep again.

______

Ingo goes out again the next day to keep gathering, despite Lady Sneasler’s protests. She tries to keep him in the den, but he half climbs, half falls down the cliff. She leaps down after him and checks him over, grumbling in annoyance. But she leaves him to his task and goes back to her hunting.

Around midday, Ingo is resting next to a berry tree, mentally preparing himself to carry his basket back to the cave. He’s about to get up when he notices the approach of a Nosepass. It’s dragging something behind it, which it drops when it spots him. When it comes closer, he can see the smear of blood on its head and realizes it's the same one from the day before. It approaches and carefully bumps into his hand.

He laughs and pats it, then curiously looks around it at what it brought along. He laughs again when he realizes it's a blanket, upon which is stacked a large amount of salt. He wonders where it got a blanket. He tilts his head towards the salt and makes a high pitched, inquisitive noise.

The Nosepass turns back and forth between it and him, making its intentions clear. It’s a gift.

He pats its head again and mutters a soft “thank you.”

It follows him as he slowly makes his way back to the den, dragging its blanket along. Lady Sneasler is still out hunting, so Ingo sets the basket down and ties the corners of the blanket together, leaving both items there. He picks up a second basket he’d set out earlier and goes back out to gather more.

The Nosepass continues to follow him, and when they’re joined by Ingo’s three Pokémon, it chats with them amiably. They all seem to get along quite well. The four Pokémon help him with the afternoon gathering, which he’s grateful for. He’s really too tired to be doing it himself, but between them, they fill up the second basket fairly quickly.

When he goes to lift it, Machop pushes him out of the way. Gliscor and Tangela work together to lift the heavy basket up and get the straps around Nosepass’s head. The Pokémon immediately begins to trundle towards the den.

He stares after it and Gliscor comes down to hover in front of him, chittering with amusement. He laughs, then chitters back. He may be too stubborn to rest for long, but he’s not going to argue when they’re so determined to help. When they get back to the cliff, Lady Sneasler is waiting. She’s already carried the first basket and the salt up, as well as whatever she’s managed to hunt today. She covers her mouth with a paw and laughs when she sees their little procession, led by Nosepass.

She opts to just lift the entire Pokémon and carries it up to the cave. Machop and Tangela follow her, both having gotten quite good at climbing into the den. Ingo considers trying to climb up after them, but he’s too tired. Lady Sneasler reappears after a moment and helps him up. Gliscor glides in after them.

He thinks it’s a good thing the cave is quite large, with how many Pokémon have taken to following him around. He scratches Gliscor under the chin fondly, then pats Tangela and Machop, before moving over to free Nosepass from its basket. He stores the gathered food, and sets to work preserving most of the meat with salt.

Once that task is done, he starts a fire and cooks the meat he set aside. He shares some of it uncooked with Lady Sneasler and Gliscor, while Tangela and Machop take some berries to eat. Nosepass contents itself to crunch on some of the salt.

After they eat, Ingo curls up in the nest, exhausted. All the Pokémon gather around him, forming a haphazard pile. They’re all very cautious, making a great effort not to jostle him or touch his wound. The weight and pressure from all sides is comforting in an indescribable way, and Ingo feels a great amount of love for the creatures around him.

______

The next few weeks are spent preparing for winter as his injuries slowly heal. It gets colder every day, but by the time the snow falls and blankets the world in white, they’re prepared enough to make it to spring.

As Ingo sits in the mouth of the cave with Gliscor, surveying the freshly fallen snow, a sound like shattering glass tears through the silence.

What is glass? No, more importantly, what made that noise?

It doesn’t take long for him to locate the answer. Above them, above everything, the sky has been rent open. Shattered. Behind it is nothing but an inky, swirling darkness.

Ingo stares at it. The horrible sky from his nightmares. And he screams.

Chapter Text

When the winter snow melts and the mountain pass clears enough for travel, the Wardens of the Diamond and Pearl Clans gather for their yearly meeting. Typically, these meetings allow them to discuss the goings on within their territories and the region as a whole. As well as other topics of importance such as changes to trails and migration patterns of the Pokemon they all rely on for food.

This year’s meeting is quite unusual, as far as these things go. It’s the first that Lian has ever attended, but even he can tell that much. The news of his appointment is announced, of course, but that’s not particularly unusual. And everyone was already aware of it anyway. 

There are a few other points of oddness. First, Palina is still without a Noble. This is the second year since Lord Arcanine’s death and his successor still hasn’t taken his place. Then, of course, the Diamond Clan’s Lord Braviary is without a Warden. But, Mai reports that he’s taken a liking to a young girl who will soon be formally appointed to the position. Lian is excited at the prospect of another Warden close to his age.

Overshadowing all of those things, though, is the gigantic crack in the sky. The Rift, as they’ve taken to calling it. It’s a terrifying and completely unheard of phenomenon. 

But before the older Wardens can get too involved in discussing it, Lian has a more pressing concern. “Shouldn’t Warden Ingo be here?”

All eyes turn to him and he suddenly feels self conscious. Arezu is the first to speak, scoffing slightly. “The Zoroark?”

Lian balls his fists in anger at her tone, but before he can say anything, Gaeric speaks up. “Warden Lian is right.”

Mai and Arezu stare at him in disbelief. “You can’t be serious. You want that monster here?”

Gaeric puffs himself up slightly. “That monster saved my life.” He turns around so the scars across his back are clearly visible to everyone. “From the Zoroark that did this.”

All of the Diamond Clan Wardens make various exclamations of shock. Arezu puts a hand over her mouth, looking slightly sick.

Gaeric turns back, making eye contact with each of them in turn. “It fought its own kind to save us and got badly hurt in the process by Lady Irida’s report. It has earned my respect, if nothing else.”

Calaba speaks up now. “I agree as well. Warden Ingo was of great assistance when we moved the settlement. Without its help we would certainly not have made it without any casualties. It deserves our respect as a Warden.”

Arezu sputters a little, but Melli cuts off whatever protests she was going to make. “For what it’s worth, I’m in agreement as well. It’s… weird. But I think it honestly means well.” The other Diamond Clan Wardens look shocked at his endorsement and Melli shrugs. “I see it more often than anyone. It really is harmless.”

Calaba speaks again. “Then, unless there are any in protest, I suggest we put this meeting on hold until we can locate Warden Ingo.” No one protests, so Calaba looks at Melli. “Since you know the creature best, why don’t you go find it and bring it back here?”

The look on Melli’s face makes Lian giggle, but before the man can yell at her, he says. “I’ll go too. Since it was my idea.”

Calaba nods approvingly. “Very well. We will await your return, Wardens.”

As they make their way into the Highlands, Melli grumbles under his breath about being stuck with a kid. Lian definitely doesn’t throw a pebble at the back of his head. That would be behavior unbefitting of a Warden.

______

Melli is regretting speaking up for Warden Ingo. Sure, what he said was true enough. The Warden spends most of its time wandering around or climbing or hunting. It’s never made any attempt to harm Mell, although it’s not opposed to giving him a fright. And, it introduced him to his darling Stunky, who trots alongside him even now.

But his big mouth got him stuck searching the Highlands for the oddly friendly Zoroark. With a kid. Who keeps throwing rocks at him. There’s a commotion up ahead and to the kid’s credit, he immediately quiets down. The two Wardens creep cautiously around an outcropping of rock, eyes searching for the source of the noise.

It’s not hard to locate. In the large flat area between boulders, Warden Ingo is locked in combat with a Machoke. Warden Lian’s eyes go wide with alarm at the sight and Melli knows that his own expression matches. As they stare in horror, the larger Pokemon begins to overpower the Warden, pressing it down into the ground. But quite suddenly, Warden Ingo disengages, causing the Machoke to stumble forward. The Zoroark dodges under its arms, grappling its torso and flipping them both to the ground.

In moments, Warden Ingo has the larger creature pinned to the ground, with teeth bared at its throat. The two remain frozen in place like that for a moment, and then the Machoke huffs and relaxes. Warden Ingo releases its hold and gets to its feet, then holds its hand out to the other Pokemon. The Machoke takes it and the Warden hauls its opponent to its feet.

The larger Pokemon makes a noise like a laugh and pats Warden Ingo on the back hard enough to make it stumble. The Zoroark responds with a noise that’s undeniably friendly.

Melli and Warden Lian are both still frozen, watching the interaction with shock and disbelief. A low growl sounds behind them and Melli yelps loudly, turning to find himself face to face with the fanged grin of a Gliscor. He feels the blood drain from his face as he grabs Warden Lian, pushing the boy behind him. He squeezes his eyes shut and waits for the pain to come. He flinches as a sharp whistle cuts through the air behind him, but no fangs sink into him. He cracks open an eye and sees the Gliscor flying away. He woodenly turns his head to see it circle Warden Ingo with a chitter before it flies off.

The Zoroark approaches and Warden Lian moves out from behind Melli to run up to it. He doesn’t get too close, but greets the Warden excitedly. “Warden Ingo! It’s been a long time!”

It nods politely, making a low crooning noise that Melli is pretty sure is a greeting. It seems like it hasn’t been trying very hard to act human lately.

Warden Lian appears unbothered by the lack of speech. He carries on exuberantly. “We’re having a meeting! All the Wardens. We have one every spring.” He says it like this isn’t his first meeting.

Warden Ingo just tilts its head in confusion. Melli explains. “You’re a Warden. So you should come.”

It turns its creepy, glowing eyes on Melli, staring blankly. After a long, awkward moment, it nods, then turns away to pick up a basket and sling it over its shoulders. It whistles sharply and the Machoke comes to it. The Gliscor appears from the cliffs above and glides down silently, and a Tangrowth and Nosepass materialize from the woods. It greets them, then looks back at the two humans and nods again.

Melli looks over the group of Pokemon with a small sigh, but he turns and leads the way back to the meeting grounds.

Chapter Text

Mai has no idea what to expect from Warden Zoroark. Or, Warden Ingo, as it apparently prefers to be called. She’s heard plenty about it from Melli, but how much stock she can put in his stories is unclear.

The fact that the Pearl Clan Wardens seem almost fond of the creature is a surprise, especially given the Pearl Clan’s much closer proximity to Zoroark territory. They know better than anyone how dangerous the Pokemon can be. But as they tell them more about it helped them move the settlement, she begins to understand. It doesn't sound like it acts much like a Zoroark. She wonders briefly if it really is one, but that thought is crushed when it finally arrives.

It’s tall and ragged with sharp, glowing silver eyes and an uncannily still face. Behind it trail four other Pokemon. Dangerous ones, though they seem quite docile in its presence. Melli and Lian return to their places among their respective clans, while Warden Ingo casts its eyes about awkwardly. It ends up sitting apart from both clans, surrounded by its companions.

Munchlax stands up from her side and waddles towards the Zoroark curiously. Mai calls him back, but he ignores her. Everyone seems to hold their breath as the little Pokemon approaches the group of larger, far more dangerous ones. Mai fears for her little friend, but finds herself too afraid to do anything to intervene.

But the unfamiliar Pokemon allow Munchlax to pass between them without so much as a growl. He waddles right up to Warden Ingo, who makes a sort of warbling trill. The sound is friendly enough, but hearing it out of something wearing a human face makes her shiver.

Munchlax makes its own low greeting and crawls up to deposit itself in the creature’s lap. Warden Ingo laughs and Mai decides that such a human sound is somehow even worse. It wraps its long arms around her little friend and rests its chin on top of his head. Its fingers dig into Munchlax’s soft fur and scratch along his chin.

Despite her revulsion of the creature, it's obvious that Munchlax both likes and trusts it. And the Zoroark clearly likes Munchlax too, which raises her opinion of it slightly.

Her attention is drawn away when Calaba speaks. “Well. Now that everyone is here, why don’t we continue?”

Everyone agrees and the meeting proceeds. They discuss all the usual things. Updates about major clan business, anything new happening with the Nobles. Warden Ingo doesn’t participate, but it’s clearly watching and listening, even as it continues to scratch and softly croon to Munchlax. 

Palina is the first to bring up the increased aggression of wild Pokemon in her territory. Iscan agrees that the Coastlands Pokemon have been more dangerous since the beginning of winter. One by one, each of the Wardens, including Mai, agree. 

Melli, however, seems uncertain. He’s cautious as he says, “you’re all saying the wild Pokemon have gotten a little more aggressive, but the Highlands have become much more dangerous in the last few months.”

“Are you sure?” Arezu asks. “Maybe you’re just unlucky.”

Melli wrinkles his nose, looking prepared to argue, but Warden Ingo shakes its head, drawing attention. “He’s right.” Its voice is raspy and quiet. “Much more aggressive. More Alphas. They even attack Lady Sneasler.”

Mai sees Calaba’s eyes go wide. “They attacked a Noble?!”

Warden Ingo nods, then rests its chin back on Munchlax’s head and shivers. “They’re very dangerous.”

Well. Isn’t that ominous coming from a Zoroark in human skin?

“That’s… disturbing.” Gaeric says what they’re all thinking.

“Do you think it’s because of the Rift?” Lian asks. “Since the Highlands are closest to it?”

The question is directed to Warden Ingo, who shrugs. After a moment of consideration, Calaba answers. “It seems likely. We should investigate.”

“How?” Mai asks. “It’s in the sky.”

“We could have Lord Braviary take someone up there, couldn’t we?” The suggestion comes from Gaeric.

Mai shakes her head. “I don’t want to risk endangering one of our Nobles if we can avoid it.” Technically, it should be Iscan’s call, as the eldest Diamond Clan Warden. But Iscan doesn’t like being in charge, so the responsibility falls to Mai. No one argues with her.

“The Temple of Sinnoh is right below it. We could send someone up to investigate from there?” Arezu suggests.

Mai considers it. “It’s a good idea, but it's quite a dangerous trek up there, especially if the wild Pokemon are more aggressive right now.”

“I’ll go.” The rough voice surprises her and she turns to look at Warden Ingo. It’s hugging Munchlax close and staring at the ground. “I know the way.”

It’s true, and the gathered humans all seem to silently agree that it's a good idea to send the Zoroark. Between its own fighting capabilities and the four Pokemon that follow it, it's much better prepared for the journey than any of them.

Despite that, they can’t send it alone. If for no other reason than it seems disinclined to speak much and getting a report out of it will be a challenge. So Mai takes a deep breath and says, “I’ll go with you.”

______

Ingo meets Mai at the base of the Highlands the morning following the meeting, as agreed upon. He leans against a boulder with his eyes closed, trying to ignore the pain in his head. It’s worse than usual today, though he can’t pinpoint a precise reason why.

“Good morning, Warden Ingo!”

He opens his eyes to see Mai approaching, waving and smiling brightly. The smile is a bit forced, but not in a deceptive way. It’s more as though she’s trying to reassure herself than anything. He doesn’t know how he can tell the difference. His head begins to ache just a little worse.

He warbles a greeting and she tenses a little before taking it in stride. He makes her nervous. Because she thinks he’s a Zoroark. He turns and stalks away with a small huff. She follows.

He knows he’s not a Zoroark. But is he really sure he’s human? Wouldn’t the other humans be able to recognize if he were? If he’s not a Zoroark, and he’s not human, then… what else could he be?

Mai moves up next to him, though she keeps a couple feet of distance between them. “Are you ok, Warden?”

He glances sidelong at her. Her concern appears to be genuine, which is a little surprising. He takes a deep breath in, then lets it out. “Fine. Head hurts.”

Her brow furrows in confusion. “I didn’t know Pokemon could get headaches.”

He gives an irritated huff and walks faster. She makes a small, surprised noise and calls out, “wait!” She jogs to catch up with him. “That was rude, I’m sorry. Is… um. I have some herbs with me that help with pain. If we stop for a few minutes, I could make some tea.”

He stops in his tracks and stares at her. 

She grows uncomfortable almost immediately. “That is, uh… if you drink tea.”

He blinks at her, then shrugs.

“Do you want to try it?”

He considers for a moment, then nods. She smiles and they step off the trail. Ingo gathers firewood while Mai digs some herbs out of her satchel. It only takes a few minutes to make the tea, which she sets nearby, careful not to touch him.

He picks it up and sips the hot drink cautiously. He’s surprised to find that he quite likes the sensation. The taste is good, but it's the act of drinking something hot that feels oddly familiar. His surprise must show on his face, because Mai laughs, just a little. “Do you like it?”

He nods and drinks a little more. To his genuine surprise, it does seem to be helping his headache. It doesn’t go away by any means, but it eases a bit.

Mai takes her time finishing her own drink, so he does the same, savoring it. When he’s finished, he sets the cup down near her. “Thank you.”

She smiles. “Did it help?”

He nods and thanks her again, this time with a grateful rumble. He knows she doesn’t understand, but that’s ok. They put out the fire and continue up the mountain. Ingo is quite familiar with the route and guides them around the territories of the more dangerous Pokemon. Much like it did in the Icelands, conducting someone’s route feels right. Like it’s what he should be doing.

Still, it’s slow going. Mai isn’t familiar with the mountain and she’s cautious about traversing the more unstable areas. Which is by no means a bad thing. In fact, ingo finds that he respects her attention to safety measures. 

They reach the upper part of the Highlands by late afternoon. Mai gives him an odd look when he stops. “Aren’t we close to the Temple? Why are you stopping?”

He gestures at the treeline, just a short distance above them. “Gets cold at night.”

She looks surprised. “I… guess it would. Do you not like the cold?”

He considers the question, then shrugs. It doesn’t particularly bother him, but they’re going to have to camp either way, and if they do it first then they can avoid the cold by simply waiting.

His reasoning clearly doesn’t come across because she says, “you’re worried about me getting cold? That’s… really sweet, actually.”

He blinks at her, unsure how to correct her without coming across as rude. He settles for simply shrugging again. He walks off to gather firewood before she can say anything else. He hears her laugh behind him and feels his ears heat up with embarrassment. Luckily, with his back turned, there’s no way she can see it.

Mai builds a fire with the wood he brings. She’s better at it than he is, and he makes note of her technique. They eat a meal of berries and dried meat that Mai brought with her, before laying on opposite sides of the fire to sleep.

He can hear Mai’s breathing and it becomes immediately clear that she isn’t falling asleep. After fifteen minutes, he cracks an eye open to look at her. She startles and he realizes that she had been watching him.

Ingo huffs a laugh and stands up. It wouldn’t do for his passenger to lose sleep because he makes her uncomfortable. He glances around and his eyes light on a small shelf of rock partway up a nearby cliff. He makes for it, easily climbing the rock face even in the low light.

He curls up, pulling his coat closer against the increased chill, and closes his eyes. Gliscor lands next to him silently and lays overtop of him. The comforting weight sends him off to sleep in moments.

Chapter Text

Ingo wakes with the first light. He shifts Gliscor’s weight so he can wrap his arms around the Pokemon and shower him with attention. Gliscor protests unconvincingly, just wanting to go back to sleep, and Ingo headbutts him affectionately. His partner twists and catches half of Ingo’s head in his deadly jaws, gnawing playfully.

Ingo laughs and pushes him off gently. He looks down and sees Mai is awake and restarting the fire, so he drops down to the base of the cliff and makes his way back over to her. She doesn’t hear his approach, focused on her task, and starles badly when Ingo falls to the ground with a soft thump. He smothers the part of himself that laughs before the sound can actually escape his throat. Mai is nice. He shouldn’t be rude to her.

She recovers while he’s containing himself and gives him an odd look. “Where did you go?” He points to the cliff and she raises an eyebrow. “You didn’t have to leave.”

He tilts his head. “You are afraid of me.”

She seems to struggle to find the words to answer. He understands the feeling and waits patiently. After a few minutes, as she’s setting a cup of tea near him, she answers. “I am. Afraid of you. But… that’s not really your fault. You haven’t done anything wrong, except… well. Being a Zoroark. That’s-”

He huffs, cutting off whatever else she was going to say. “Not a Zoroark.”

Her brows come together in confusion and she asks hesitantly, “then, what are you?”

There was a time when he would have insisted that he was human. But he knows she wouldn’t believe it, and he’s not as sure of it as he once was. He looks down, brows furrowed in uncertainty. Slowly, he reaches up and brushes the feather in his hat. He knows that’s not right. Not really. But Lady Sneasler is the only one who has accepted him as one of her own. So, right here and now, Ingo makes a decision. What he was before isn’t important. He has his own, new family.

Mai stares, comprehension slowly dawning, and after a long awkward moment, she smiles. “Alright. So you’re a Sneasel then.”

There’s a laugh in her voice, but it’s good natured. Fond. He likes the sound of it. His eyes pinch as he looks back at her and nods.

Now she really laughs. “Well, Sneasel. Are we heading to the Temple?”

He laughs too and nods, draining the last of his tea. He sets the cup near her and stands. They make their way up beyond the treeline and through the cave that leads to the peak. Ingo has been up here before, of course. He’s wandered across practically every square inch of this mountain.

The Temple is impressive and quite beautiful, but too far up and too cold for Ingo to bother spending much time enjoying it. Now he finds himself not enjoying the building for a different reason. This close, the Rift is far more off putting than it usually is. He keeps his eyes downcast, not wanting a repeat of the spiral the thing sent him into when it first appeared.

Mai doesn’t seem to have the same reservations and stares up at it with wonder on her face. Ingo leaves her to study the Rift and wanders through the temple itself. There’s nothing really of note, unfortunately, except for an uncomfortable feeling, like pressure in the back of his head. He shakes it and turns back to Mai, keeping his eyes pointedly down.

She seems to notice and looks between him and the Rift, then raises her eyebrow. “Are you… ok? Is it doing something to you?”

He doesn’t know how to explain. He shakes his head. That doesn’t appear to reassure her, so he tries to find words. “Not now. Before.” He takes a deep breath. “It hurt.”

Her brow furrows. “The Rift hurt you?”

He shakes his head again. “Not the Rift. The monster.”

“...What monster?”

“Behind the sky.”

A look of alarm crosses her face. “What are you talking about?”

He shakes his head. He doesn’t really know, himself.

“Warden. You said before, right? Do you mean when the rift opened?”

He shakes his head. “No. Before.”

“Before what?”

He shrugs. “Before everything.” He doesn’t know. He barely remembers it in his nightmares. He’s not even really sure that it happened. Or what happened. But he still refuses to look at the Rift. He doesn’t want to remember the monster any more than he already does.

The swirling, purple and blue sky that shatters like glass. The twisted, unnatural appearance of the world around. The cold, cruel red eyes that approach and-

“Warden?” He jumps. He hadn’t realized his mind was drifting. “Warden Ingo, are you ok?”

He nods, then shakes his head. His hands are shaking. He needs to get away from here. So he does. He ignores Mai’s protests and strides away from the Temple as quickly as he can manage. He doesn’t slow as he passes through the cave, but when he comes back out into the light on the lower end, he stops.

He hears Mai’s footsteps behind him slow to a stop. He stares out at the region laid out below them and takes a long, shaky breath. He lets it out, then lifts his hands and wills them to stop shaking. It takes a long few minutes. When he’s back under control, he turns to face Mai, keeping his eyes downcast.

She gives him an uncertain smile. “Are you ok?”

He nods slowly.

“Was that because of the Rift?”

He hesitates, tilting his head. “The Pressure.”

“Pressure?”

“Could you feel it?”

“I…” She looks like she’s going to deny it, but then she looks around and shakes her hands out. “I could. I didn’t even realize. What… what caused that?”

He shrugs.

She sighs. “I don’t know either, but… if it caused you to react like that, then maybe there is credence to the theory that it's causing the Pokemon to act more aggressively.”

He considers it, then nods. He can’t deny that being near the Rift was unpleasant, even if it wasn’t the Rift itself that started his spiral. Unfortunately, knowing there’s undefinable pressure doesn’t really help them much. But it's better than knowing nothing at all.

Mai takes a deep breath. “Ok, I don’t think there’s much point in staying up here any longer. Are you ready to go?”

Ingo nods and the two begin to make their way back down the mountain. Going down is faster and they reach the base of the mountain before nightfall. They start a fire and eat and then Ingo gets up and walks away.

“Wait!” He turns to look at Mai with a raised eyebrow. “You don’t have to leave. U-unless you want to. But… it’s warmer here, by the fire. You should stay.”

He studies her face. She appears to be genuine. He nods and walks back to the fire, sinking to the ground and pulling his coat close around himself. His Pokemon wander over one by one as they finish whatever they’ve been able to find for dinner and settle down around him. He drifts easily off to sleep.

______

The following morning, Mai leaves to return to the Diamond Clan. She promises to report what they found to everyone and he nods, content to leave that job to her. He heads back up the mountain.

He takes his time, stopping to gather berries and herbs along the way. He detours to the woods and stalks a Stantler, taking the creature down and gathering the meat with practiced ease. Fresh meat will be a good surprise for Lady Sneasler after he disappeared for days.

He’s partway up a cliff when he hears an odd noise. Like a buzzing, humming sound. It’s oddly familiar. He looks around for the source of the sound, but can’t seem to locate it. He shakes his head and keeps climbing.

The moment he crests the cliff, something small and heavy slams into his stomach. It knocks him off balance, sending him toppling back over the edge. He yelps and flails out, trying to grab for the rocks. He succeeds only in tearing up his hand and doesn’t slow his fall at all.

Much sooner than expected, his back slams into something hard. The thing sags under his weight and he realizes he’s still falling, only slower. He thrashes his head around, catching sight of Gliscor underneath him, and the ground coming up fast. They crash land and both him and his beloved Pokemon are sent sprawling.

He lays where he falls for a moment, trying to catch his breath. Once he manages that, he takes stock of himself. He’s pretty sure no bones are broken. His hand throbs terribly and when he lifts it up, he cringes at the sight of the deep gashes across his palm. That’s going to hurt for a while. He shakes his head and pushes himself up, calling out to Gliscor.

Gliscor responds and begins to gather himself. Ingo gets to his feet gingerly, becoming keenly aware of bruises all over his body, and hobbles to his Pokemon’s side. He checks him over, chirping with worry. Gliscor chitters at him and flaps his wings, taking back to the skies no worse for wear. Ingo is glad. He can’t stand the thought of his Pokemon getting hurt for him.

Gliscor flies up to the top of the cliff and immediately a bolt of electricity shoots out, striking him square in the chest. Gliscor looks unimpressed. He’s immune to electricity, Ingo’s mind helpfully informs him. Gliscor shoots forward, disappearing from view for a moment, then another shape appears, floating out over the cliff edge. Gliscor comes back into view, slamming into it and sending it flying down towards Ingo at high speed.

He backs up a few feet as the thing smashes into the ground. That buzzing sound from earlier starts up again as the thing haltingly floats back up off the ground. It seizes a bit, then falls back down. Ingo tilts his head and approaches it curiously.

It takes him only a moment to recognize it as a Magnemite. He’s not sure how he knows that, because he’s certainly never seen one before. But it definitely is one. It buzzes threateningly as he approaches, but it’s clearly a bluff. This thing has no more fight in it. He kneels, staring at it in fascination. It looks like nothing he’s ever seen, but somehow the steel and the mechanical parts feel familiar.

He likes it. He reaches out and picks it up, receiving a small shock in retaliation. He growls slightly but doesn’t let go. Instead, he turns it over gently, checking it for injuries. It’s a little worse for wear, but nothing he can’t fix. He doesn’t know how he knows how to fix it. He shakes his head and stands up, tucking the Magnemite into the crook of his arm.

Gliscor tilts his head, making a questioning sound. Ingo looks down at the little creature that almost killed him and shrugs. He likes it. He’s going to fix it up and if it wants to stay after that, he will be very happy. Gliscor chitters a laugh at him and flies off, accepting his oddness. Ingo continues on his way back to the den, taking the trail this time because of his new companion and the many bruises that it gave him.

Chapter Text

Ingo’s eyes rove around the land before him anxiously. It’s quite beautiful, he will admit, but the large fields of grass afford no cover from attacks, and nothing to climb to escape should you be unable to fight. He doesn’t like it.

He looks out across the vast expanse of grass, to the impossibly tall tree. He promised Lian he would visit. That was several seasons ago, but he still intends to keep his promise. So he shoulders his basket and proceeds. His pokemon disperse, sticking nearby enough he can see them and call them back with a whistle, but finding their own sources of entertainment and food.

His progress is slow, despite the easier terrain. He’s taking care to watch his surroundings and familiarize himself with the wild Pokemon. He circumvents territories belonging to Alphas and wanders off course when anything happens to catch his eye. He makes for the rocky hill in the center of the area first, intending to camp there for the night.

When he reaches it, he climbs up until he finds a large, flat area near the top. To his surprise, Mai is there, along with a large, white Pokemon. He calls out a greeting and she jumps, turning quickly, then smiling and giving a friendly wave. “Warden Ingo! This is a surprise. What brings you down here?”

He points to the large tree.

She looks a little surprised. “You’re going to Grandtree Arena? Are you… visiting Warden Lian?”

He nods.

Her smile brightens a little bit. “Well, that should be fun. Since you’re here, why don’t you stay with me and Lord Wyrdeer for the night.”

It was already his plan to camp here, so he nods easily. He looks past her at the Pokemon, who he assumes is Lord Wyrdeer.

“Oh! You haven’t met my Noble yet, have you.” She hesitates for just a moment, then nods to herself. “Everyone says the Nobles really like you. He’ll probably be the same. It should be fine.”

Ingo huffs a laugh and follows her over to the Pokemon, who rises to its feet and makes a greeting call. It sounds like a Stantler. It kind of looks like one, too. He mimics its greeting and it lowers its head so he can pet its snout. It’s very soft. He leans forward and headbutts its wide, flat forehead, which makes Mai laugh.

Lord Wyrdeer isn’t quite as openly friendly as the other Nobles that he’s met, but he seems to like Ingo well enough and is more than happy to let him stay at the summit of what Mai calls the Deertrack Heights. Mai starts making tea again and Ingo opens his basket, then hesitates. He makes an inquisitive noise and tilts his head at her.

Obviously curious, she comes over to see what he’s asking about. She laughs when she sees the fresh meat in the basket, and again when Ingo glances between it and Lord Wyrdeer. She’s still laughing, covering her mouth with a hand, when she says, “it’s ok. He won’t mind if we eat meat.” With that established, she takes it and starts to prepare the food.

Ingo watches with fascination. His own cooking skills begin and end with heating something over the fire, but Mai adds various herbs and a little bit of salt as she cooks the meat. It smells amazing and Ingo’s mouth begins to water.

The food tastes even better than it smells and he devours it probably faster than he should. Once they’re done eating, the two settle down for the night. It’s warmer here, so they let the fire die down. Mai’s Munchlax waddles over and pushes itself into Ingo’s arms as he lays down.

He laughs and scratches its chin, then curls around it. He can hear Mai laugh as well. Gliscor appears over the ridge, intent on settling down to sleep next to him. He makes a very offended noise when he sees Ingo cuddling with Munchlax and pointedly lands next to Mai instead.

He clearly makes Mai nervous and she remains perfectly still as the Pokemon curls up next to her, making direct eye contact with Ingo. He huffs a laugh and closes his eyes, not falling for the obvious bait. He laughs again when, a few minutes later, Gliscor silently lands on top of him. His partner drapes over both him and Munchlax, providing a comforting weight that helps him sleep.

______

Ingo waves goodbye to Mai early the next morning, and carries on to the giant tree. Grandtree Arena, as Mai called it. As he makes his way down the rocky slope, he notices something else in the distance. A human settlement. It looks different than the clan settlements, although he can’t make out much detail from this distance. He stares at it for a long moment, then shakes his head. He doesn’t have any interest in meeting new humans who will reject him.

He’s a bit more confident in the area now, so his progress is faster and he makes it to his destination by mid-afternoon. He glances around the clearing surrounding the massive tree, but doesn’t see any sign of Lian or his Noble. After a moment, he shrugs and sets his basket down, sitting cross legged and leaning on the tree to rest. His Pokemon disperse into the woods, but he knows they won’t go far.

Apparently, he falls asleep because he’s woken by the ground shaking as a very large Pokemon lands in front of him. He throws himself to the side, rolling into a crouched position and preparing for a fight. Lord Kleavor is very large and has deadly sharp axes attached to each arm. Ingo had only seen him from a distance in the Icelands and up close he’s terrifying.

Ingo and the Noble remain locked in a standoff, each waiting for the other to make a move. Ingo knows that he’ll only have a split second to dodge those blades, so any move he makes needs to be perfectly timed. Just as the creature shifts its weight forward and Ingo prepares to dodge, a voice cuts through the air.

“Lord Kleavor? Where did you go?”

Lord Kleavor falters for only a moment, but it's long enough for Ingo to roll to the side, putting the large tree between them. A second later, heavy blades bury themselves into the trunk and Ingo takes the moment that buys him to grab his basket and bolt away from the tree.

He nearly bowls straight into the person who appears around a boulder, managing not to by dodging aside. He loses his footing and tumbles to the ground, but pushes himself up and whips around to face whoever it was, ready to pull them away from the attacking Pokemon if need be.

Lian stares back at him with a confused look. He glances toward his Noble. “Lord Kleavor?”

Ingo is tense, ready to fight if he has to, but the Noble just ambles slowly over. It’s aggressive stance is completely gone.

Lian looks back at Ingo. “Warden Ingo? Are you alright?”

Ingo slowly straightens, eyeing Lord Kleavor with mistrust. He makes an anxious, rolling whine. 

Lian gives a soft, good natured laugh. “It’s alright, I think you just surprised him. No one would normally be in his arena, so he probably thought you were a threat. It should be fine now.”

Ingo takes a deep breath and nods, then makes his way over to the Pokemon. He calls out a friendly greeting and Lord Kleavor grunts softly in response, then ambles forward to investigate him. He keeps the massive blades on his arms pointed carefully away, an act that makes pain shoot through Ingo’s head from familiarity. For just a moment, the image of another Pokemon is superimposed over Lord Kleavor. Similar in color, but with blades on her face instead of her arms.

And then the Noble huffs a hot breath over his face, knocking his hat off with the force, and the image is gone. Ingo shakes his head and reaches a hand up to scratch under the Noble’s jaw. A spot he most certainly can’t reach with his blades. The Pokemon makes a contented grunt and melts slightly into his hand.

He laughs and behind him, Lian does too. He turns back to the other Warden, who holds out his sunbleached black hat with a smile. Ingo takes it and secures it back on his head. “Thank you.”

Lian’s smile widens. “You took your time coming out here, Warden Ingo. I invited you almost a year ago.”

Ingo shrugs. “Busy.”

Lian laughs. Lord Kleavor’s snout appears over Ingo’s shoulder and he gently rests his chin there. He leans over to headbutt the Pokemon, then resumes scratching him.

“He likes you. And… I think he feels bad about scaring you.”

Ingo huffs a laugh and headbutts Lord Kleavor again. The message is clear to the Pokemon. All is forgiven. Ingo had been intruding on his arena, even if he didn’t realize it would be a problem.

Lian shakes his head, still smiling. “You’re staying, right? My tent is this way, you can stay with me.”

The young Warden turns and walks off into the woods. Now that he’s paying attention, Ingo notices a little Goomy trailing after him. That’s new. And good. The boy shouldn’t be out here alone, even with the Noble around. 

Ingo glances sidelong at Lord Kleavor, then slips out from under the weight of his chin and follows. He can’t deny how much the easy smile and genuine trust make him feel at ease. Not for the first time, he feels like there’s meant to be someone else here. Someone else who would smile and trust him so readily.

But there is no one else. Only Ingo and Warden Lian.

Chapter Text

Lian offers for Warden Ingo to stay in his tent for the night. The creature hesitates for a long time before nodding and entering. Its companion Pokemon remain outside, to Lian’s relief. The tent is not big enough for all five of them. 

They eat a simple meal and the Warden curls up in the corner, as far from Lian as it can get. It looks uncomfortable, but he’s pretty sure he can’t convince it to do anything else, so he doesn’t even try.

When he wakes up, he’s not surprised to find Warden Ingo missing. He gets up and stretches, then heads outside. He walks a short distance into the woods, but there’s no sign of the Warden. He doesn’t think that it would just take off after coming all the way out here, so he turns back toward the tent. Only to find Warden Ingo standing there, staring at him.

Lian yelps and falls backwards. The Zoroark’s eyes widen in alarm and it steps forward, but stops short as Lian immediately jumps back to his feet. “Sorry,” it rasps.

Lian shakes his head. “It’s ok. You’re just really quiet.”

Warden Ingo just nods in answer and Lian heads back to the tent. He grabs some food and shares his breakfast with the other Warden. After a few minutes of silence, he glances at it. “So, how do you like the Fieldlands?”

It considers for a moment, tilting its head, then makes a noise that Lian thinks is positive. It’s face still doesn’t show any expression, and it seems to talk far less than it used to, so it’s rather difficult to read. 

He smiles. “I was planning on checking out a deposit of ore down by Lake Verity today. I noticed it the other day and I think it might have some rare stones in it. Would you like to join me?”

He’s honestly expecting it to decline. Most people don’t share or even really understand his interest in rocks. But Warden Ingo simply nods. He doesn’t know if it’s actually interested or if it’s just being polite, but he’s happy for the company.

“Great! Then let’s head down there right away!”

The Zoroark nods again and stands, picking up its basket and gesturing for Lian to lead the way. He’s never spent much time with any Pokemon except Lord Kleavor and now the little Goomy that started following him in the Mirelands. And he certainly doesn’t know much about normal Zoroark behavior, but there’s no doubt in Lian’s mind that this one is quite strange. He supposes that should be obvious after the way it fought off its own kind back in the icelands, but this is the first time Lian has really been able to just observe it.

It’s really weird.

It ambles along with a rolling, unhurried gait, slouching slightly under the weight of the basket it carries. Of course, with its long legs, it's more than capable of keeping up with Lian without hurrying. But as he watches, it becomes clear that the relaxed posture is only a facade. 

Its eyes never stop moving, keeping sharp watch on their surroundings and Lian gets the distinct impression that nothing will be able to sneak up on them while Warden Ingo is walking with him. That’s surprisingly comforting.

After a few minutes of silence, Lian begins to explain more about where they’re going and what he hopes to find. Warden Ingo doesn’t participate in the conversation beyond the occasional hum, but that’s alright. People don’t usually pay much attention to him anyway.

He keeps moving and becomes quite lost in a description of different variations of iron ore, until he looks over and sees that Warden Ingo is wearing a distant, blanker than usual look. He cuts off suddenly, feeling his face heat up and looking away. He’s boring the other Warden. As always. He should know better than to ramble on like that by now.

A soft whine pulls him out of his thoughts and he glances back at Warden Ingo. Its head is tilted and it has an eyebrow raised. 

Lian looks away again. “Sorry. I was talking too much. I know you don’t care about rocks.”

There’s a long, awkward silence where he refuses to look at the Zoroark. The silence is broken by the quiet, raspy voice. “No. Keep talking.”

His head snaps up and he stares at it. “W-what?” He shakes his head. “You don’t have to listen to me rambling just to be nice.”

It shakes its head right back. “I like it.”

He gives it a skeptical look. “You looked bored out of your mind.”

“Not bored.” It hesitates. “You… remind me of someone.”

He doesn’t really know how to respond to that. But it seems disinclined to explain, so he asks, “Are you talking about another Zoroark?”

It growls softly and he steps back involuntarily. “Not a Zoroark.”

“Oh… then, who?”

It shakes its head again. “Don’t remember.”

“You don’t remember who I remind you of?” That doesn’t make any sense.

It hums, then turns and continues to walk the way they were going. Apparently that’s the end of the conversation. 

Lian jogs to catch up. “You really don’t mind me talking about rocks?”

Warden Ingo turns to look at him and repeats itself. “I like it.”

As hard as it is to read, Lian still believes it's telling the truth. He smiles brightly at it and it’s eyes pinch a little at the corners before it goes back to watching their surroundings

______

Ingo likes Lian. When he said the boy reminds him of someone, that was true. It’s also true that he doesn’t remember who, exactly, he reminds Ingo of. But walking along, listening to him talk all about a subject that he’s clearly passionate about settles a warm feeling in Ingo’s chest. He doesn’t understand most of what the boy tells him, but that doesn’t matter much. He would never even consider asking him to stop.

Eventually, they reach the location that Lian wished for them to visit and he begins a new explanation of what stones and ores he finds and how he’s going about extracting them. Ingo settles to the ground nearby and leans back against a tree, still listening happily to the boy talking. He finds himself unusually relaxed and before he realizes it, he drifts off to sleep.

He’s woken by a sharp scream. He’s on his feet before he’s fully awake, eyes locked on the very large Pokemon before him. Lian is on the ground, scrambling backwards away from the Alpha Alakazam, which roars deafeningly

Ingo whistles, drawing the attention of the creature and, he hopes, his own Pokemon. He doesn’t have time to wait for them, though. He rolls forward, dodging the wave of psychic energy it sends toward him. He leaps, throwing his full weight into the Pokemon which doesn’t throw it off balance like he hoped.

It swipes at him with a claw, and he roars at the sudden pain in his shoulder. Acting purely on instinct, and limited by the lack of mobility while he’s grappled with it like this, he bites down on the arm in front of him. He sinks his teeth in as hard as he can, tasting blood in his mouth.

The Alakazam roars and swipes at him again, throwing him off. He hits the ground hard and rolls. Before he can push himself back up, another wave of psychic energy comes flying his way. This one strikes him dead on and he screams at the sharp, vicious pain in his head, then falls silent.

______

A man stands beside him in the rocking train car. A man who looks just like him. The man is laughing, face showing his emotions in a way his voice cannot. Ingo smiles at him in his own way, pleased to have made the man laugh so hard with his stupid joke. The man reaches out and shoves his arm good naturedly, and gives him a smile that makes him feel warm and loved.

______

Ingo gasps and sits bolt upright. The details of the vision are already fading, but he feels like he’s going to cry from it anyway. The Alakazam is still nearby, but now it's losing a fight to Ingo’s Pokemon. Lian appears to his right, skidding to a stop a short distance away. “Warden Ingo! Are you ok?”

Ingo takes stock of himself, genuinely uncertain. His shoulder burns and he’s definitely bruised in multiple places. His head… doesn’t hurt as bad as he expected. He’s still reeling from what he thinks was a memory, but overall he’s felt much worse.

He nods and pushes himself to his feet. His Pokemon have the Alakazam looking quite ragged. He knows they could easily knock it out at this point, but he whistles to them. They seem confused, but they back away.

Ingo slowly limps over, stiff from his hard landing. The Alakazam regards him with cruel red eyes as he passes between his Pokemon. He calls a friendly greeting, which it doesn’t reciprocate. He sighs and moves forward again. It falls into a more defensive position and Ingo can see the spot where his teeth ripped into it earlier.

He makes another friendly call at it. It attacks with a wave of psychic energy which he sidesteps easily. He growls loudly, then lets the sound trail off into a rolling whine. The Alakazam stares at him for a long few seconds, then it relaxes its stance. Ingo steps forward and touches its hand, crooning softly.

She exhales and the red glow fades from her eyes. She reaches her other hand out and pats him on the head, then curiously runs her claws over the feather in his hat. He laughs and her eyes glow, pink this time. He can feel her searching his mind for something, and gladly allows her to do so.

Ingo didn’t keep his Pokemon from hurting her out of kindness alone. That memory she knocked loose in his mind is the clearest one he’s ever had, and he wants to know if she can do it again. Apparently she’s satisfied with that answer because she meets his eyes and nods. He laughs again and headbutts her chest.

He winces as the motion pulls at the wound in his shoulder and Alakazam hums apologetically. He shakes his head and presses his hand against the wound, then turns back to Lian. The boy is staring at him with a look somewhere between horror and awe.

He slowly limps back over with Alakazam floating behind him and Lian seems to come unfrozen. “Warden Ingo! Are you ok? How did you do that?!”

Ingo huffs a weak laugh, but otherwise doesn’t respond. Everything hurts too badly. Lian seems to realize this and moves a little closer. “You’re hurt. Can- can I help?”

Ingo shakes his head. There’s nothing Lian can do. He just needs some time to rest and recover.

Lian accepts his answer and backs up. He looks up nervously at Alakazam. “You really just… calmed it down, huh?”

Ingo laughs again, then coughs. He makes it sound like it was easy. She almost killed them both. He never would have been able to do it without his Pokemon helping. But he’s far too tired to try to explain that, so he simply starts walking back in the direction they came.

______

Ingo stays at Lian’s tent for two more days, resting and regaining his strength. After being uncomfortable sleeping inside the tent the first night, he just curls up under a tree each night, surrounded by his Pokemon. Lian doesn’t say anything about it. The boy is good company, and he learns a lot more about rocks.

But as soon as he’s able to, he takes his leave. He wants to get back home. To Lady Sneasler and the comfort of the den in the Highlands. As tired as he is, his progress is slow, and it takes him two days to reach the foothills. He chooses a flat spot near the river, protected on one side by rocks and lays down to sleep surrounded by his Pokemon.

______

The following morning, Ingo wakes up screaming. His head feels like it’s on fire and he tears at it, desperate to make the pain stop. His Pokemon gather around him, making noises of concern that rip and echo through his mind. One of them pulls his hands away from his head and he thrashes blindly against them.

The sound of shattering glass echoes across the territory, or maybe just his mind. The crushing pressure in his head stops without warning and he falls like a puppet with its strings cut, losing awareness of the world in an instant.

Somewhere high above him, a child falls from the sky.

Chapter Text

Ingo doesn’t know how much later it is when he wakes up. His Pokemon are crowded around and over him where he lays curled in on himself. His head still aches terribly and his throat tastes like blood. He coughs harshly and pushes himself up. His head spins.

Machoke catches him before he can fall and he leans on the Pokemon gratefully. Tangrowth wraps a few vines around him and helps him stumble towards the river. He falls to his knees in the water, dunking his whole head in and drinking greedily. The cold water soothes his torn throat and the ache in his head. 

After a few minutes, he lifts his head and surveys his surroundings. He’s still in the lowest foothills of the Highlands. The water is soaking through his clothes, slowly numbing his limbs as he blankly watches a few Yanma flutter nearby and a pair of Shinx running in the distance.

His vision is suddenly obscured by steel and a humming fills his ears. He makes a soft, fond noise and leans forward to rest his forehead on Magnemite’s gently buzzing body. It beeps and hums louder and the noises, comforting though they are, make the ache in his head grow worse.

He slowly lifts an arm and pulls the Pokemon closer for a moment before gently pushing it away from him. He forces himself to get to his feet and stumble out of the river. Machoke catches him again and he leans against him while he strips off his heavy, waterlogged coat. Before he can even attempt to protest, Gliscor snatches the coat in his pincers and takes off with it. He doesn’t go far, only over to Nosepass, who he drapes the coat over.

Ingo stares at his Pokemon for a moment, then laughs. It tears at his damaged throat to do so, and he coughs again. The gathered Pokemon look concerned, but he waves them off and points towards the mountain. They understand and they all begin to slowly make their way back toward home.

Ingo leans on Machoke for the first few hours, but his strength slowly returns after… whatever had happened. Eventually, he’s able to walk on his own, albeit slowly. The ache in his head settles into a steady level, worse than usual but better than it had been.

They make it far enough into the highlands that Lady Sneasler should be able to hear him when he calls for her, even as weak as he is right now. She should. But she doesn’t. He feels anxiety build in his chest as more and more time passes without an answer. But finally, after another of his desperate calls, he can faintly hear an answer.

He lets out a relieved breath. She answered. And she sounded fine. So why hasn’t she come down the mountain? Normally, she would have come down straight away if he called to her, especially as bad as he knows he sounds. What could be keeping her?

He can only find out by pressing on, so that’s what he does. Even as darkness falls, he keeps making his way towards the den. When he reaches the cliff, he climbs slowly and his Pokemon make their own way up. Machoke climbs like Ingo while Tangrowth uses her vines to pull herself and Nosepass up. Gliscor, Alakazam, and Magnemite simply fly.

Ingo calls out a greeting and hears a responding call from inside the den. He enters and immediately understands why Lady Sneasler hadn’t come to him earlier. She’s curled up in the nest around three eggs. Ingo’s eyes pinch at the corners and he croons, moving closer to inspect the eggs.

Lady Sneasler must see his exhaustion because she chirps worriedly at him and nuzzles his face. He laughs and rubs his face against hers reassuringly. She wraps a claw around him and pulls him down into the nest, shifting so that she’s curled around him as well as the eggs. He headbutts her and reaches a hand up to scratch under her ear feather, getting a satisfied purr out of the Noble.

The rest of the Pokemon settle down around the cave, and Ingo closes his eyes. His head still aches and he feels devastated in a way he could never explain. But he’s warm and safe. He’s home.

______

Much like last time, the eggs take just over a month to hatch. Ingo is content to dedicate his time to keeping Lady Sneasler happy and comfortable and well fed. Even so, he can’t help but worry about how aggressive the Pokemon in the Highlands are getting. He can hardly go a day outside the den without some kind of altercation. At least it's good training for his Pokemon and first Nosepass, the Magnemite evolve. 

When the Sneasels hatch, he has a good stockpile of food set aside for the first few weeks until they can leave the den. The three kits are just as much of a handful as the ones last year. Ingo enjoys their presence immensely, even if he’s covered in scratches all the time now. 

After a few weeks, Lady Sneasler begins taking them out of the cave to teach them to climb and hunt. Ingo enjoys watching or simply listening to them while he works on other tasks. He’s sitting atop a boulder not far from the den, repairing a large tear in his coat, when he hears a cry of alarm. 

Lady Sneasler is downhill from him, with two of the Sneasels, but the third is notably missing. His Pokémon are nowhere to be seen, probably foraging for food somewhere. Ingo doesn’t hesitate, he drops everything and sprints uphill towards the cry. As he crests the hill, his eyes take in the scene as his feet keep rushing forward.

The third Sneasel, the only female kit this year, is pinned to the ground by the paw of a large Luxray. It’s mouth is twisted in a wide, vicious snarl. Ingo is running as fast as he can, but it’s not enough. He watches in horror as the Luxray snaps its jaws around the much smaller Pokemon, seconds before Ingo slams into its side.

His momentum sends them both rolling, and as the monster flails Ingo pushes away from it. He comes up on his feet, crouched defensively with his teeth bared and his own vicious snarl on his lips. The Luxray’s roar is almost enough to knock him off his feet, but he holds his ground.

It fires a bolt of electricity, which he dodges. He doesn’t dodge the second one and the force of the attack sends him flying into the nearby cliff face. The monster pounces, but he draws his knife and pivots away, leaving a long, bloody slice across its side. It roars again and another, slightly weaker, electrical attack strikes him. His muscles seize and he drops his knife.

There’s no time to retrieve it as the beast pounces again. He rolls forward this time, grabbing at its mane and using its own momentum to drive it into the ground. He pins it with his body weight, using his hands to restrain its front paws. He roars and bares his teeth at its throat, the threat clear as day.

But it doesn’t stop fighting. It thrashes, trying to throw him off, and manages to rip a paw from his grip. He snarls as razor sharp claws slash across the right side of his face. Acting entirely on instinct, he follows through on his threat and bites down. 

The Luxray continues to thrash and he feels flesh tear between his teeth. His mouth fills with blood and he lets go, biting down again and tearing into the wound, ripping it wider. Claws rake across his arm, his leg, his back, but he keeps biting and tearing until the Luxray’s movements slow, then stop entirely.

His mind is blank as he pushes himself away from the beast. His hands shake as he presses one to the wounds on his face and the other to the deep gashes on the outside of his thigh. He casts his eyes around, feeling like he’s moving through a haze. 

His gaze catches on Lady Sneasler, crumpled to the ground nearby, where the kit lays still. As if seeing her turned part of his brain back on, he can suddenly hear her pained wailing. He struggles to his feet and stumbles to her side, ignoring the blood that drips off him from half a dozen places. He collapses again next to her, and the two still living Sneasels rush to his side. He croons softly at them, doing his best to provide comfort, but his strength is failing.

When he falls against her side, Lady Sneasler finally seems to take notice of his state and makes a noise of alarm. He sees her eyes move past him to the unmoving form of the Luxray and they widen slightly. She wraps her claws around him and lifts him gently. He does his best to hold on as she carries him up to the den.

It’s all he can do not to pass out, but he forces himself to treat his wounds with a paste he had made weeks ago from medicinal herbs. He wraps each one tightly in cloth or hide before finally letting exhaustion take him.

Chapter Text

Ingo recovers from his wounds slowly. The Sneasels leave the den after another week. Ingo stays. He rarely leaves even once he’s physically able to. He doesn’t sleep well. He doesn’t eat enough. Lady Sneasler worries about him, but he doesn’t know how to explain what’s wrong. He doesn’t even understand what’s wrong himself, really.

He should be able to tell her. He should have the words. But words have been slowly failing him for a long time. Now they’re gone, and he can’t bring himself to care.

Words belong to the humans. He doesn’t. They made that more than clear, but he fought against the truth for a long time. He can’t fight it anymore. The humans aren’t like him. They don’t understand Pokemon. They don’t climb the cliffsides or fight.

They do fight, he supposes, but with weapons. Knives, not teeth. They don’t rip into their opponent’s flesh until they taste blood. Until the resistance stops and-

He takes a deep breath in, then out.

He isn’t human. And he isn’t a Zoroark.

Ingo runs a shaky hand over the feather in his hat. It doesn’t matter what he is. He has a home. So why can’t he just move on? Why does he agonize over it like this?

Why wasn’t he faster? Why couldn’t he save her? Why-

Lady Sneasler appears at his side, chirping softly with worry. He tilts his head over to butt it gently against her chin. She huffs and knocks his hat off, then sniffs at the feather. She must have seen him toying with it.

After a moment, she gets up and moves across the cave. He follows her with dull eyes, vaguely curious. He furrows his brow at what she returns with. A long, purple and pink feather. It’s her own, shed months ago and apparently tucked away in a corner. She holds it out and he takes it gingerly, looking up at her, mind too clouded to comprehend what she wants.

She huffs and uses two claws to pull the smaller feather out of his hat, then pushes his hand, still holding the longer feather, towards it.

Oh.

A laugh escapes him for the first time in weeks. It’s weak and quiet, but Lady Sneasler looks pleased with herself. Carefully, almost reverently, he tucks the feather into the band of his hat.

He isn’t human. And he isn’t a Zoroark.

But he is a Sneasler.

He pushes himself up, still stiff even after so long, and headbutts Lady Sneasler’s chest. Then he wraps his arms around her and finally, finally cries.

______

Near the end of summer, as the days grow shorter and a chill seeps into the air, Irida visits Ingo in the Highlands. He’s begun to feel a little more himself, but he still hasn’t been straying far from the den. Alakazam has been helping him sleep when he finds himself too plagued by thoughts, which is helping his bone deep exhaustion to slowly fade. Thus far, she hasn’t been able to bring forth any more memories from his mind, but he isn’t too upset about it. His head hurts enough already. 

The injuries from the Luxray attack are all healed and scarred over and the lasting bruises and stiffness have faded. But he still finds he has little interest in anything beyond this section of the Highlands he considers his own.

He’s in the stream when Irida finds him, cleaning Probopass and Magneton. The two had been roughhousing a little too hard by the quarry and ended up coated in mud. He hears her approach and glances over his shoulder, calling out a greeting. It’s been nearly a year since he’s seen her. The last time was when they moved the settlement. He tries not to think too hard about that event. He doesn’t need his headache to get any worse.

She waves, looking self conscious. “Warden Ingo. Have you been well?”

He barks a laugh before he can stop himself. A worried look crosses her face and he turns to face her fully. She gasps, obviously noticing the new scars on his face, and he moves out of the stream. He picks up his coat and dons it, then looks at her again, making an inquisitive noise.

She shakes herself. “Oh. Um… I’m sorry.” She obviously has no idea what she’s apologizing for, but the sentiment is genuine. He nods and she continues, taking a deep breath. “There’s a festival every year at the beginning of fall. Everyone from both clans attends.”

He tilts his head, not quite sure what this has to do with him.

She sighs. “You should come.” When his brow furrows, she adds, “if you want. You don’t have to. It’s a week from today, in the clearing where the Warden’s meeting is held.”

He considers for a moment, then nods in acknowledgement. He doesn’t yet know if he’ll go, but he appreciates the invitation regardless.

______

Irida watches the people of both the Pearl and Diamond clans mingled together. Eating, drinking, laughing. It warms her heart. They really needed this. The events of the last few months have put strain on everyone. The Nobles being driven to frenzy and the clans being powerless to stop it has brought everyone’s morale down.

She and Adaman have been at each other’s throats even more than usual lately, but today, they’ve both agreed to set it aside. To share their space and time for the good of their people. Their respective clans follow their lead and the festival mood is bright and cheerful.

She hadn’t been sure that it would, but even Warden Ingo showed up. It looks terrible and seems even quieter and more withdrawn than usual, but it’s here. It sits apart from everyone with food and drink and watches the dancing. As she looks on, Warden Lian approaches it and sits nearby, chattering at it about something or other. It’s hard to tell, but she thinks the Zoroark likes him.

Irida’s contemplation is interrupted by Adaman offering a hand to her. “Would you like to keep wasting time, or will you dance with me?”

She huffs and smacks his hand away. “I’ll dance. But don’t you dare waste my space. You’d better keep up.”

He laughs and smirks obnoxiously. “I’m not the one who needs to worry about keeping up.”

Oh, it’s so on.

Chapter Text

Rei isn’t surprised when he’s called into Kamado’s office. He’s been waiting for this. Lord Electrode was struck by lightning from the Rift months ago. He’s been itching to do something about it, while simultaneously dreading this order.

He can’t stand to let the Noble suffer, but the idea of fighting a giant Electrode is… unpleasant. He hadn’t been able to do anything about it until now, though. First, because his rank wasn’t high enough for Cyllene to allow him to go to the Highlands. Then, because it was too dangerous to try to traverse the area during the winter.

But now it's spring and, as expected, Kamado has ordered him to quell Lord Electrode’s frenzy. He wishes, a little bitterly, that anyone else would offer to help. But they don’t. They never do.

A voice cuts through his thoughts and he turns to see Arezu waving him over. “Rei! You’re heading out to the Highlands, right?”

Apparently word travels fast. He nods. “Yeah. Just have to grab some supplies first, then I’m heading there.”

“Be careful out there, ok?”

He smiles at her. “I’m always careful.” Everyone knows he’s more equipped to handle the wilds than anyone. “I’ll be fine.”

She shakes her head, face uncharacteristically serious. “I mean it. The Highlands are dangerous. The Pokemon are more aggressive than anywhere else, and then there’s the Zoroark… Just be careful.”

“Wait.” He holds up his hands. “What Zoroark?” He’s heard terrible stories about the Zoroark here and he’s not too keen on meeting one if he can avoid it.

“Oh yeah! You wouldn’t know. The Pearl Clan has a Noble out there, too. Lady Sneasler. A couple years ago she took in an injured Zoroark and made it her Warden.”

He blinks at her. “That seems… weird.”

She laughs. “It’s definitely weird. It’s not aggressive, exactly. But still, if you run into it, be careful.”

“I will. Thank you for the warning.” He waves and continues walking down the street, wondering about the Zoroark as he walks. He hopes he doesn’t run into it.

______

Ingo watches the child from his perch on the cliffside. He had been fishing near the lowest part of the Highlands, above the semi-permanent camp set up by the humans wearing red. He doesn’t know what to think of these humans, so he’s been keeping an eye on them while he’s fishing.

They keep to their camp, warily watching the surroundings. The child does not. He wears blue and moves with confidence. As Ingo watches, he creeps through the tall grass, getting close to a Yanma before throwing a round object at it. Ingo’s eyes widen as the Pokemon vanishes in a flash of light. The ball releases sparks and Ingo somehow knows that the Yanma is now contained inside.

It should be shocking. But it isn’t. Instead, it’s faintly familiar in a way that makes Ingo’s head ache. He keeps watching, wholly distracted from his task. The child catches a few more Pokemon, slowly making his way closer. He crosses the bridge and Ingo realizes he’s going to enter the cave. The cave is dangerous. The pathways are windy and confusing and Ingo knows there’s an Alpha Crobat that makes its home deep inside.

Without thinking, he drops over the cliff edge, landing in front of the child. The boy yelps and falls back, hands going to the round objects on his belt. Pokeballs. They’re called pokeballs.

How does he know that?

He’s still staring. He’s going to frighten the child if he doesn’t stop staring. Instead of panic or fear or even discomfort, however, the child straightens and just stares right back at him.

After a long, awkward moment, he thrusts out a hand. “I’m Rei. It’s nice to meet you.”

Ingo glances at the hand, then back up at the child’s face. There’s no trace of uncertainty or deception. He tilts his head and quietly warbles a greeting in return.

Rei looks surprised, but not bothered. He retracts his hand and tilts his head in an obvious imitation of Ingo.

Ingo laughs and Rei beams at him. Almost immediately, he looks past Ingo and his face grows more serious. “I’m supposed to be going to Moonview Arena. Which means I need to pass through this cave, right?”

Ingo nods, then glances up at the cliffs. He gestures at them and makes a questioning noise. 

It takes Rei a few seconds to understand his meaning, but when he does, he shakes his head. “I don’t think I can climb that.”

Ingo sighs and turns, heading into the cave. If Rei has to pass through, he may as well show him the way.

“Hey, wait!” Rei jogs after him. “Are you- woah it’s really dark in here.”

Ingo turns to the boy with a raised eyebrow. He’s looking around as though suddenly blinded. It’s not that dark. When Ingo turns his eyes on Rei, though, the child jumps and stares at him, blinking rapidly. He chirps in concern.

“Huh. Your eyes sure glow don’t they?”

Ingo tilts his head. Do they?

“Wait. Can you see in here?”

Ingo nods. Rei doesn’t react. Oh. He really can’t see. Ingo gives an affirmative hum and Rei laughs.

“That’s cool!”

He feels his eyes pinch. He supposes it is pretty cool, even if he wasn’t aware of it until just now. However, if Rei can’t see at all, traversing this cave will be a problem. His first instinct is to take the boy’s hand, but a much louder instinct stops him. Every human he’s ever met refuses to touch him and he has no reason to believe Rei will be any different.

After a moment’s consideration, he takes off his coat and hands one end to the child. He’s glad that he seems to get the idea quickly. “You’re going to lead me?”

Ingo hums again and begins to walk, tugging Rei along behind him. He leads confidently through the winding, branching tunnels, avoiding the Alpha Crobat’s territory. A Gible thinks about picking a fight, but he growls and it backs off. Rei inhales sharply at the sound, but makes no comment.

Soon enough, they step back out into the light and Rei releases his coat. Ingo puts the tattered garment back on and immediately draws it close around himself. Rei gives him an odd look.

“You’re Lady Sneasler’s Warden, right?”

Ingo nods.

Rei’s brow furrows, but he doesn’t say anything else. After a moment, Ingo begins to lead the way again. Rei is easily distracted, often stopping to catch or observe wild Pokemon. Ingo doesn’t mind. Much like with Lian, he enjoys seeing the boy so enthusiastic about something.

When they reach the quarry, he glances at Rei in question. 

He laughs. “It’s alright. It’s not as dark here, I can manage.”

Ingo nods, and continues to lead, taking them through the quarry and out the other side. They stop for lunch not too far from the arena. Gliscor and Tangrowth appear just in time to beg food off him, which works of course. Rei watches with obvious fascination.

“Do you mind if I touch them?”

Ingo glances at his Pokemon with a questioning whine. Gliscor chitters and drops in front of Rei with a grin. The boy doesn’t hesitate to pet him. Tangrowth is a little more cautious, but soon he’s covered in her vines.

Ingo laughs and whistles. Within the space of a few minutes, the rest of his Pokemon appear and soon Rei is surrounded. Where any other human Ingo has ever met would be terrified, Rei looks delighted.

After another few minutes, Rei looks up at Ingo. “Do you mind if I let my own out? I think they'd like to make some new friends.”

Ingo whistles again, calling his Pokemon back to his side. Once they’re all waiting politely, he nods. Rei has four, all contained in pokeballs on his hip. The first is a Decidueye that looks quite strange, followed by a Kleavor, much smaller than the Lord that Ingo met in the grasslands. After that comes an Ursaring and a Basculegion, who floats through the air with surprising grace.

Ingo’s Pokemon hang back until he’s greeted each one. After that, all hell breaks loose as ten large Pokemon engage in play around them. Ingo laughs as he watches them. Rei does, too. They set off again, letting the Pokemon have their fun and romp around them as they walk. At least it discourages wild Pokemon from bothering them. 

It's mid afternoon when they finally arrive at the arena and Melli wastes no time stomping right up to them and beginning to rant about something Ingo doesn’t follow at all. He growls and fear flashes across the man’s face. The moment of silence is long enough for Rei to start shouting back at him. Ingo is a little bit proud of the child for that.

However, the argument is lost on him and the shouting is making his head hurt worse, so he silently takes his leave. He feels a bit bad about leaving Rei, but he can clearly handle Melli just fine on his own.

As he walks back to the den, he considers Rei. The boy isn’t afraid of him. Not at all. And he trusted Ingo enough to conduct his route without hesitation even though they only met that morning. It feels nice to be trusted rather than treated with suspicion. He hopes he sees Rei again sometime.

Chapter Text

Rei sits on a rock near the Moonview Arena, applying salve to his fresh electrical burns. It could have gone worse, he thinks a bit bitterly. He could have died. But it could have gone a lot better, too.

Melli walks over to him slowly. He had immediately rushed to check on his Noble after the fight. It’s nice to know he really does care after all the “gift from Almighty Sinnoh” bullshit.

Rei is still annoyed. He looks up at the man. “I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”

Melli closes his eyes, sucking in a breath, then blowing it out dramatically. “Come along, child.”

He turns and starts walking off. Rei calls after him. “Where are you going?”

Melli casts a look over his shoulder. “Home. Are you coming or would you prefer to sleep out in the cold?”

His words remind Rei of the worsening chill and he shivers. “I’m coming.” He’s honestly surprised by the offer. No one else has really cared whether or not he slept outside. The fact that Melli of all people is the first is a shock.

Melli’s tent is warm and inviting, and filled with a delicious smell. Melli points to a cushion, so Rei sits, and the Warden opens a pot that had been left over the fire. He dips some stew into a bowl and hands it to Rei. He polishes it off in moments. The man scoffs, but takes the bowl and refills it. Rei eats this one more slowly.

“You came to the arena with Warden Ingo.”

Rei glances up. “Is that his name?”

Melli scoffs again. “It’s name. Warden Ingo is a Zoroark.”

Rei feels a small flare of irritation. “Arezu said the same thing. But are you really sure? He looked pretty human to me.”

Melli stares at him. “It has glowing eyes.”

“That’s-” He cuts himself off. Rei knows that humans can have glowing eyes. It’s one of the possible side effects of spending a lot of time with certain ghost or psychic type Pokemon. But people here don’t know that and he’s not sure if telling them is a good idea. It may cause them to panic and do more harm to their already poor relationship with Pokemon.

Melli continues, as though Rei hadn’t said anything at all, which is probably a good thing, honestly. “And it fights like a Zoroark. It talks to other Pokemon and climbs and wrestles with that damned Machamp that follows it around. You were with it for a while, I’m sure you heard the strange noises it makes. Humans don’t do that.”

Rei did hear them. But even the growl, which had given him goosebumps, wasn’t strictly inhuman. Just very, very feral. And those other things, well. Humans can fight and he’s heard of people wrestling with their Pokemon. None of it is proof as far as Rei is concerned.

“Can he talk?”

Melli hums. “It can. It used to talk a lot more, but lately… It’s like its forgotten that it's trying to act human.”

Rei nods, giving up on trying to change Melli’s mind. “Well, Ingo helped me out. I hope I see him again so I can thank him.”

Melli just huffs and drops the subject, directing Rei to the spare futon and heading off to sleep. Rei lays awake, still thinking about Ingo. He’s nearly certain the man isn’t a Zoroark. Not just for the obvious reasons, but also because of the clothes he wears. The coat is badly damaged, but it’s clearly not from here. A part of Rei thinks it looks modern. The hat, too. The badge on the front is too shiny and uniform. It looks like nothing he’s seen here.

He sighs. If Ingo really is from the future like him, then he’s been far less lucky than Rei has. Not that Rei ever really considered himself lucky, but at least he’s been living in the village. At least he’s not gone totally feral. 

He closes his eyes and tries not to think about what it would have been like to end up here and then be shunned by the people he met. If he hadn’t been taken in by the Galaxy Team, would he have become like Ingo?

In the morning, Rei heads back down the mountain. He has to return to Jubilife and give his report, but he’ll be back. And he’ll figure out what, exactly, is going on with this weird, wild man who may be from the future.

______

Rei comes back to the Highlands less than a week later. Ingo spots him from where he’s gathering herbs near Lady Sneasler’s den and thinks nothing of climbing down to meet him. This time, he calls out a greeting to avoid frightening the boy.

Rei looks up and waves, smiling brightly. “Warden Ingo!”

Ingo descends the last rock face, feeling his eyes pinch at the corners at the warm greeting. He stops a short distance away and croons in response.

Rei laughs. “It’s good to see you. I never thanked you for your help the other day. So, thank you.” Ingo inclines his head and Rei continues, happy to lead the conversation. “What were you doing up there?”

Ingo sets his basket down and pulls out a few herbs in explanation.

Rei nods. “Gathering herbs? That’s cool. I’m looking for Pokemon.” Ingo tilts his head, and Rei explains. “For research. I’m helping with the Pokedex.”

Ingo nods. That makes sense.

Rei narrows his eyes. “You know what a Pokedex is”

Ingo raises an eyebrow and nods. Of course he does. It’s a catalog of all known Pokemon. How could he not know that? He almost laughs at that thought. There’s so much he doesn’t know.

Rei just hums, seemingly distracted. After a moment, he brightens up. “Do you want to join me?” He seems to realize something. “If it’s no trouble. If you have other things to do, that’s ok.”

Ingo laughs and shakes his head. There’s nothing of particular importance for him to do right now and he enjoys the boy’s company, so he gestures for him to lead on. Rei grins and does just that. 

They wander somewhat aimlessly as the child seeks out Pokemon to catch or observe. They’re both enjoying themselves enough not to notice the time passing until Rei’s stomach growls. He looks incredibly embarrassed and starts to stammer out an apology, but Ingo just waves it off and motions for him to stay put. He moves away into the nearby woods to find some food for the child.

It only takes a few minutes to find what he’s looking for and even less time to take the Stantler down. He hears a small gasp and turns to see Rei. He didn’t stay put. He’s staring at the fallen Pokemon with an emotion that Ingo can’t quite read. He immediately begins to worry that he’s done something wrong. That he scared the child and he’s going to run away. Ingo makes a somewhat desperate, rolling whine in question.

Rei shakes himself out of his shock and approaches, holding up his hands. “It’s… it’s ok. I just wasn’t expecting it, is all.”

Ingo tilts his head in confusion.

Rei kneels next to the Stantler. “Hunting isn’t… super common where I’m from. And even the people who do are more…” His mouth twists as he searches for the right words. He settles on, “hands off.”

Ingo is still confused. How would hunting be hands off? Why would people not hunt in the first place? Don’t they need to eat?

His confusion must show on his face, because Rei sighs. “Sorry. That must seem strange to you. I know you’re just getting food for us. I don’t mind eating it.”

Ingo nods slowly and sets to gutting and cleaning the Stantler, gathering all the usable meat. He leaves the rest, knowing the Murkrow will enjoy the meal. Rei watches the process with a mixture of horror and fascination.

As they move back to a clearing to build a fire, the boy asks, “where did you learn to hunt like that?”

Ingo runs a hand over his long feather in answer. This doesn’t seem to clear anything up for Rei, but he just accepts the answer. Ingo cooks and is relieved that Rei genuinely seems to enjoy the meat. He was worried he’d somehow pushed him away.

Darkness is falling by the time they finish, so Rei lets his Pokemon out and curls up with them. Ingo’s eyes pinch with fondness at the sight and he does the same with his own Pokemon.

Chapter Text

Rei spends most of his time in the Highlands with Ingo. He’s very briefly concerned that he’s bothering the man, but that worry fades quickly. He clearly enjoys spending time with Rei, even if his facial expression never shows it. Rei enjoys his company too, far more than he would expect, honestly. After everyone in Hisui, who only want to be around him if they need something, it’s refreshing to just… hang out. Even if he’s hanging out with a man on the wilder end of feral. 

He spends the time trying to learn more about Ingo. Despite Melli’s confirmation that he can speak, he never does. When Rei asks him questions, he responds with gestures or noises, never words. It’s odd, but after seeing him kill a Stantler with nothing but a small knife, he thinks he understands. Ingo has been out here long enough that he doesn’t remember how to be human.

Which is pretty fucking depressing. Even so, the man is kind to him, making sure he rests and eats. Which is more than he can say for almost anyone else here.

Rei studies the feral man when he isn’t looking, and what he sees breaks his heart. On the surface, of course, are the scars. They’re littered across every visible square inch of his hands and arms. And then there’s the claw marks across the right side of his face. He shudders to think what could have done that to him.

Beyond the scars, there’s the guarded stance. The caution that flips easily into aggression. The distant, haunted look in his eyes. It’s obvious that there’s a lot going on that Ingo simply hasn’t had a moment to deal with, and that it weighs on him.

When a Golduck tries to attack them while they’re walking alongside a pond, Ingo doesn’t wait for Rei to release Decidueye. He doesn’t call on his Pokemon either, despite them being nearby. He just launches himself at it and the fight is over before it really begins.

Ingo holds the struggling Pokemon down, with his teeth bared at its throat, snarling. Rei shudders involuntarily at the intensity in his eyes and the realization that he completely believes the threat to be genuine. The Golduck gives up after a moment, and Ingo releases it, still snarling until it runs away.

The man’s eyes are clouded when he comes back to Rei and he’s less responsive for the rest of the day.

After a couple days, Rei meets Lady Sneasler and immediately decides that he loves her. Ingo obviously does, too. When she leaps down from a cliff to greet them, he bounds right up and headbutts her. Rei can’t quite suppress his laugh at that and the Noble looks at him curiously. She comes over and investigates him, being quite careful with her deadly claws. She covers her mouth with a paw and laughs. Ingo huffs a laugh as well and rubs his face against her.

Rei realizes then that Ingo has never touched him. Or even gotten close enough to. It’s odd to see him being so physically affectionate with her, even as he keeps such a careful distance from Rei.

Lady Sneasler joins them for the day and when they settle down for the night, Ingo curls up with her. She purrs and Rei is startled to hear a second odd rumbling sound join hers. He realizes with a laugh that Ingo is purring, too.

______

Ingo likes Rei. Lady Sneasler likes him too, which makes him happy. He spends time with the boy whenever he can. Rei is the nicest human he’s ever met. He talks a lot and Ingo likes to listen. Rei doesn’t mind that he doesn’t talk back. And Rei never tries to touch him, although he’s pretty sure the boy is just respecting the boundaries Ingo himself sets.

He considers it sometimes. When he succeeds at a difficult catch or when he celebrates his Pokemon learning a new move, Ingo is struck by the desire to hug him. Or, barring that, grab his hands to express his joy. But something else holds him back.

It’s been quite a few seasons since he appeared here, and the people are more accepting of him than they once were. But Ingo has never, in his memory, touched a human. His desire to hug Rei is at odds with how viscerally uncomfortable the idea makes him. So he does nothing. He keeps his distance carefully. And Rei carefully doesn’t cross his boundaries.

About a month after meeting Rei, Lady Sneasler lays five eggs. Ingo sees the boy less as he focuses on caring for and providing food for her. Even when he spends time with Rei, he’s focused on gathering food. Rei asks why, but he doesn’t know how to explain. He pulls on his feather, but the message doesn’t come across.

The eggs hatch and Ingo remains in the cave, helping Lady Sneasler care for the kits. He misses seeing Rei, but he loves the Sneasels so much he could never complain. He promises himself that he won’t let anything happen to them this time.

Lady Sneasler leaves the cave one afternoon during the second week, leaving him in charge of watching the Sneasels. When she comes back, he’s wrestling with them. Five on one, they can overpower him pretty easily, but he has experience. Experience which he’s gently imparting on them, so they can better defend themselves one day.

He hears his Noble return and calls out a greeting without breaking eye contact with the largest Sneasel. She’s waiting patiently for an opening and he’s going to make her work for it.

Or not, apparently, as he startles at the sound of a human voice. “Whoa, is this your nest?”

Ingo yelps as he’s bowled over by five Sneasels and he hears Rei laugh behind him. He falls backwards, accepting his fate, and stares up at the boy.

He’s covering his mouth in a failed attempt to hide how funny he thinks this is. “So this is where you’ve been, huh?”

Ingo hums affirmatively, then snarls as one of the Sneasels punctures through his shirt and into his side with a claw. The offending kit is scruffed and tossed away with a yelp. Ingo doesn’t throw him hard enough to hurt the little Pokemon, but enough to make his point clear. Mind your claws.

Rei and Lady Sneasler both laugh and the Sneasels finally seem to take notice of the boy. He only manages to grab three of them before they swarm him. The largest female and the male he tossed run up to Rei, squeaking in excitement.

He doesn’t seem to mind, even when the female clambers up him like she does to Ingo, leaving a few cuts on his arm in the process. He just coos at her. “Oh, you’re so cute! I’ve never seen a poison type Sneasel before!”

Rei sits next to the fire, which Ingo realizes is probably the only reason he can see, and cuddles her close. She appears to enjoy this quite a lot, and almost immediately falls asleep. Lady Sneasler lays down next to Ingo and the remaining four Sneasels curl up over and around them, worn out from all the play. Lady Sneasler licks his fresh cuts and scratches and Ingo closes his eyes and purrs until he falls asleep.

When he wakes up, Rei is still there, fast asleep with his arms wrapped around the Sneasel. It’s very cute. Ingo gets up, moving the rest of the Sneasels gently and retrieves some berries and cured meat from the stores. He brings the fire back to life and sets to work cooking.

It doesn’t take long for the smell to rouse all the children. Rei sits up, rubbing his eyes and watches Ingo for a moment. He glances around. “Is there water in here?”

Ingo points to the pool in the back of the cave and Rei cautiously makes his way over to it, disoriented by the darkness. By the time he returns, the food is ready. When he sits to eat, the largest Sneasel sits on his lap. She obviously likes him.

Ingo catches Lady Sneasler’s eye and glances back at the Sneasel, making a questioning trill. She considers for a moment before huffing in agreement.

When Rei leaves the next morning, carried down the cliff by Lady Sneasler, Ingo follows him down with the Sneasel on his shoulder. The boy looks at him with surprise when he approaches closer than usual. He picks up the Sneasel and gently deposits her in Rei’s hands.

Rei blinks at Ingo, looking distinctly emotional. “A-are you sure?”

Ingo nods and Lady Sneasler yowls quietly in agreement. Tears well up in the child’s eyes and he buries his face in Sneasel’s fur. “Thank you.”

Again, the instinct to hug the boy is strong, and again the instinct not to wins out. Instead, he croons softly, then returns to the den to watch the rest of the Sneasels.

______

A week later, Rei finds Ingo with Lady Sneasler, introducing the rest of the Sneasels to climbing and hunting. They both seem very pleased to see Rei’s Sneasel again. He explains that he has to go to the Icelands, so he won’t see them for a while. Ingo seems to understand, though he makes a somewhat mournful sound. He also fills a basket with food and herbs and insists that Rei take it. Rei almost cries again, but he reins it in and waves goodbye to them, heading up toward the mountain pass.

Chapter Text

The sky is broken. The sky is broken and Melli doesn’t know what to do about it. The horrible red light bathes everything as he patrols the Highlands with his beloved Skuntank. He doesn’t expect to find anything, but he doesn’t know what else to do.

He does find something, though it’s not exactly helpful to him. He finds a cluster of large, irritatingly familiar Pokemon. In the center of the cluster stands Warden Ingo. The Zoroark stares up at the Rift above Mount Coronet unblinkingly.

The Pokemon allow him to pass between them and he stops in front of the ragged creature. “Warden?”

No response.

“Warden Ingo? Are you ok?”

Nothing. If Melli couldn’t see its chest moving, he would think it had died where it stands. He tries shouting at it, clapping his hands, snapping his fingers. Nothing gets it to stop staring vacantly. He really should just leave it. It’s not like he cares if anything happens to a Zoroark.

But he doesn’t leave it. Instead, he pulls his hand back, mentally bracing, and swings as hard as he can. The sound of the slap echoes off the cliff. Warden Ingo yelps, then snarls, falling backwards into a crouch. Its eyes focus on Melli first with rage, then with confusion.

Melli stands perfectly still, staring at his own hand. Sure, it had only been for a split second, but it had connected with skin. Not fur. Skin.

He raises his eyes to look at the Zoroark- a Zoroark would have fur- standing in front of him. It tilts its head, ignoring the red mark on its cheek- Zoroark are notoriously vengeful- and makes a questioning whine.

Melli is breathing too fast. He’s staring at the Zoroark- is it really a Zoroark?

If it’s not a Zoroark, then it’s a man. A real, human man. A man who has been cast out and treated like a monster. A man Melli has treated like a monster. It whines again and Melli takes a stuttering breath. 

It- he?- looks worried. About Melli.

Which one of them is the monster again?

A voice cuts through his spiraling mind, pushing the thoughts aside. To be dealt with later. “Melli! I’ve been looking for you. And Warden Ingo, too. Good.” Warden Mai jogs up to them. If she notices his panicked state, she doesn’t say anything. “Do either of you know anything about the sky?”

Warden Ingo silently shakes its- his- head. Melli does the same.

“Yeah, I figured. No one seems to know.”

Melli finally finds his voice. He doesn’t look at Warden Ingo. He can’t. He says, “Is that all you came up here for?”

Warden Mai shakes her head. “No. You know Rei, right?”

“The Galaxy boy?” Melli and Warden Ingo both nod.

“Not anymore. Kamado banished him. Apparently, he thinks Rei’s to blame for this. Adaman is furious. Irida, too.”

“Banished?! That’s a death sentence!” Melli refuses to think about the man standing next to him. The man who was driven away and left to die.

The man in question growls, low and threatening, but obviously not directed at either of them. He looks out over the ridge. Towards Jubilife. He’s still for a long moment, simply staring. Then he sets off, striding purposefully towards the village.

Oh, this isn’t going to end well. Warden Ingo may not be a Zoroark- he definitely isn’t a Zoroark- but he’s been living as one for the last few years. Or maybe as a Sneasler, if the long feather in his hat is to be believed. Either way, he’s taken a liking to the Galaxy boy. And one thing Zoroark and Sneaslers have in common is that they’re very protective of their young.

He almost feels bad for Kamado. Maybe he would, but honestly, the Commander has this coming.

______

Adaman is resting against the side of a building when movement catches his eye. A member of the Security Corp sprints past, heading for the Galaxy Hall and wearing a terrified look. Adaman swings his gaze in the direction he came from and sees-

Oh.

Yeah, that warrants terror.

Warden Ingo strides through the gate unchallenged, flanked by six very large, very dangerous Pokemon. Its usual, ambling gait is replaced by a straight-backed, commanding stride that causes its tattered black coat to flare out behind it. Its face is as unmoving as ever, but its eyes flash with barely contained rage.

Its gaze briefly lands on Adaman before flicking away, obviously classifying him as Not a Threat. He would be offended if he wasn’t so damn relieved. 

The door to the Galaxy Hall slams open and Kamado emerges, wearing full Galarian armor. The Zoroark stops its advance and narrows its eyes as though it’s just sighted prey. Adaman has never been more afraid of the creature.

Kamado, the cocky bastard, draws his sword and releases his own four Pokemon from their pokeballs. He levels the blade at Warden Ingo and projects his voice for all to hear. “Well, if it isn’t the Pearl Clan’s pet monster. I was wondering how long it would take before you needed to be put down.”

Anger flares in Adaman’s chest. It may be a monster, but it's still a Warden and it has more than earned their respect. Kamado has no right to speak to it like that. However, he suspects that’s a lesson the Commander is about to learn the hard way.

Warden Ingo bares its teeth silently and its companion Pokemon follow suit. Adaman sees a flash of fear cross Kamado’s face before it sets in a hard expression and he lunges forward.

The attack is sudden, and takes Adaman by surprise. He was expecting the man to be more cautious. It does not surprise Warden Ingo. The Zoroark dodges aside easily and its Gliscor slams into the Commander, sending him sprawling back and the blade clattering out of his hand. The rest of the Pokemon take down Kamado’s fast enough to be embarrassing.

Warden Ingo unhurriedly walks over to the fallen sword, picking it up and turning it over to inspect the weapon. It moves back to Kamado slowly, like a Luxray that knows its prey can't escape, and lays the blade against its owner’s neck. It presses down, drawing blood, and growls. The threat is clear, but as Adaman looks around at the pale, terrified faces of the Galaxy Team citizens, he realizes that the message is not.

He takes a deep breath and steps forward. “I believe the point Warden Ingo is so eloquently making here is clear. Your banishment of Rei was wrong.”

Warden Ingo nods in agreement and when Kamado tries to argue, it presses the blade down a little harder.

“While Commander Kamado may have the authority to make such a judgment, he, and the Galaxy Team as a whole, cannot survive in Hisui without the support of the Diamond and Pearl Clans. Support which is hereby revoked by my authority as the Diamond Clan Leader, and by Warden Ingo, acting as a proxy of and with full support of Clan Leader Irida of the Pearl Clan.”

He really hopes this doesn’t backfire or Irida is going to kill him for that lie. Thankfully, Warden Ingo remains expressionless and doesn’t give him away. All around them, people are muttering and whispering. They sound scared.

Adaman adds the last push. “Our support will be revoked as well as your permission to traverse our lands until such a time as Commander Kamado is relieved of duty, as his banishment of a child without adequate proof of guilt has violated our laws. As the Clans are no longer affiliated with the Galaxy Team, myself and Warden Ingo will await your response at the seat of the Noble Lord Wyrdeer.”

Adaman catches Warden Ingo’s eye and the Zoroark throws the sword aside somewhat begrudgingly and follows as he turns to leave the village.

“Lord Adaman, Warden Ingo. Please wait.” Adaman turns, prepared to steamroll any arguments, but Captain Cyllene just holds up a hand. “Will you give myself and the other Captains a few minutes to discuss matters? You may remain in the village while we do so, with my express permission.”

Adaman nods. He knows that Captain Cyllene is too level headed to try to do anything to them, and even if she did, he’s pretty sure Warden Ingo could take on the entire Security Corp at once.

He gestures to the Warden to follow and rests against the fence to the training grounds. The Zoroark sits cross legged next to him and its companions take up guarded positions around them both. Adaman’s own Pokémon surround Warden Ingo as soon as it sits, headbutting it and demanding attention from the creature that raised them.

Adaman watches as Captain Cyllene helps Kamado to his feet and inside the Galaxy Hall. The rest of the Captains follow. Once they’re out of sight, he looks over at Warden Ingo and actually studies it’s appearance.

He hadn’t really taken in much beyond the rage filled eyes before, but now he sees the creature looks terrible. It’s thinner than he remembered and looks exhausted. With its sunken, blank eyes and the scars that mar its face, it looks more like the ghost it is than ever before.

It glances sidelong at him and he realizes he’s staring. He looks away quickly, searching for a distraction. But he freezes as his mind catches on a thought. “You came here because of Rei, right?”

It hums affirmatively.

“Melli said that you spend a lot of time with him.” It raises an eyebrow. “And that Lady Sneasler gave him one of her kits.” No response. He sighs. “What is Rei to you?”

It tilts its head, considering the question, then huffs and gives a soft croon.

Adaman has no idea what that means, but he has an idea what the answer is. “Do you… think he’s a Zorua pup?”

Warden Ingo barks a laugh and shakes its head. Well, there goes that theory. Or, maybe he’s just not quite right? He tries a slightly different angle.

“So you know he’s human. But you wouldn’t have come down here for just any human.” It hums again. “You care about him as though he were your pup, right?”

It leans back against the fence and closes its eyes before slowly nodding. Adaman shakes his head wryly. Leave it to Rei to get adopted by a Zoroark.

The meeting takes nearly an hour, but Captain Cyllene comes out and makes the official announcement that Kamado is being relieved of duty. His replacement hasn’t been decided yet, but Adaman has a feeling he’s looking at her. Rei’s banishment is overturned and Warden Ingo leaves immediately, presumably to locate its pup.

Adaman officially re-extends the clans’ support to the Galaxy Team and takes off after the Warden before it can get too far away.

______

Rei is exhausted. He’s been running himself ragged, going to every corner of the region to try to assemble the red chain. He visited each lake, and took on each trial, receiving a gift from the lake spirits in return. Now he’s in the Highlands, having just forged the chain itself.

He was hoping he would run into Ingo here. Traveling with Irida and Volo has been nice and they’ve been very supportive, but he’s still the one doing all the work. Fighting all the aggressive Pokémon they come across, of which there are more than usual due to the red sky, and completing all the trials himself while they just wait. He can’t help but think this would all go faster if he were traveling with Ingo.

But the man is nowhere to be found, not even in the territory he calls home. Lady Sneasler has been answering Rei’s calls, but her Warden is conspicuously missing. He doesn’t have time to worry about it too much, though. He has to make it up to the temple at the top of the mountain. 

So he presses on, up through a cave he’s never been through and to the peak of the mountain. And there, apparently waiting for him, is the very man he’s been worrying about. Ingo and Adaman are sitting on the temple steps, looking surprisingly relaxed.

Adaman turns to the Warden. “See, I told you he’d have to come up here eventually.”

Ingo huffs and rolls his eyes, standing to walk towards Rei. He makes a soft greeting, then a questioning whine, brows pulled together in worry.

Rei grins up at him. “Ingo! You’re here! I’m alright, just tired.” He answers the question the man wordlessly asked.

Ingo’s expression eases, but his eyes remain slightly narrowed and now that Rei is looking more closely, there’s tension underlying his relaxed demeanor. He shakes his head slightly and croons softly.

“It’s good to see you, too.”

“You can understand it?” 

Rei glances over at Irida with a flash of irritation at the usage of ‘it’. “Yes. He’s not that hard to understand if you try.”

She has the decency to look ashamed at least. She turns her attention to Adaman, still lounging on the steps. “I thought you were supposed to be in Jubilife keeping an eye on Kamado.”

Adaman grins. “Well, I was doing that, but Warden Ingo took care of that problem.”

Rei and Irida both stare at Ingo. Hesitantly, Irida asks, “you killed the Commander?”

Ingo barks a laugh and shakes his head.

Adaman laughs, too. “No. Laid his ass out in front of everyone, though. Things got a bit complicated, our clans were sort of at war with the Galaxy Team for, like, an hour. But Kamado’s been relieved of duty, and you,” he points at Rei, “are officially not banished anymore.”

“Really?” Rei stares between the two men in shock.

Meanwhile, Irida is mirroring his shock for a very different reason. “We were at war?”

“Only a little bit!” Irida moves towards Adaman and the two begin to bicker. 

Rei tunes them out and looks up at Ingo again. “You fought the Commander?”

He nods easily.

“Because of my banishment?”

He nods again. Rei’s eyes fill with tears. Ingo went to Jubilife and nearly started a war just to help him. He wishes he could throw his arms around the man, but he won’t cross the boundaries he set. Ingo crouches so he’s on eye level with Rei and croons again.

Rei wipes his tears on his sleeve and meets his softly glowing silver eyes. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I don’t even know how I could ever repay you.”

Ingo’s expression softens slightly and he shakes his head. Rei’s eyes focus past him and he realizes the clan leaders have stopped arguing and are watching them. Adaman is wearing an amused, slightly fond expression while Irida just looks confused.

He meets Ingo’s eyes again. “I’m going into the temple. I have to try to quell the frenzy of whatever is in the Rift. Will… will you come with me?”

Ingo’s eyes pinch slightly at the corners. He glances back at the temple and the rift above it, visibly anxious, but still he nods.

Relief washes over Rei. He doesn’t have to do this alone. “Thank you.” He faces the temple and squares his shoulders while Ingo stands up next to him. He glances up one more time. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Melli watches Rei and Warden Ingo walking along a trail some distance below him. The Galaxy boy is as boisterous as ever, dashing from place to place excitedly. He’s glad all the business with his banishment and the Red Sky hasn’t dampened his spirits.

The man with him, the man who isn’t a Zoroark, is far quieter. He watches his surroundings with those sharp, uncannily glowing eyes. They land briefly on Melli before moving on, apparently unconcerned about his presence. He listens to the energetic boy with boundless patience and a noticeable fondness.

Adaman said he thinks Rei is his pup. Melli didn’t tell him that Warden Ingo is human, so Rei would be his son. He should. He should tell everyone. But how do you tell people that the monster they’ve all been tolerating isn’t a monster at all. He’s a human that they’ve all had a hand in mistreating. Thinking about it makes him feel sick.

The pair has drawn closer when Rei suddenly jumps in place. “Oh shit! I meant to catch one of those Nosepass down by that cave!”

Warden Ingo watches him disappear back down the path, then shakes his head and sits to wait. Melli takes a deep breath. Now is as good a time as ever. He walks down the trail toward the other Warden.

The ragged man looks up and gives a friendly greeting call as he approaches. When, exactly, did he stop speaking? Melli didn’t care before, but now it torments him. He lets his eyes take in every visible scar, the clear exhaustion, the dull eyes, the obvious malnutrition. He burns every horrible detail into his memory.

Skuntank, oblivious to Melli’s emotional state, lumbers over to Warden Ingo, who happily obliges his not so subtle demand for attention. While the man has his face buried in fur, Melli sits nearby him. He lifts his head, still scratching Skuntank’s jaw, and tilts it at Melli in question.

Melli looks at the ground, balling his fists in his lap. “I need to apologize.”

Warden Ingo warbles a questioning sound. 

Melli continues, still looking not looking at him. “We’ve been treating you so badly. I have. And you’ve never done anything to deserve it. Fuck, you’ve actually been helping us. Even though we treated you like a monster.” He pushes back the tears welling in his eyes. “You aren’t a Zoroark.”

Warden Ingo shakes his head.

Melli takes a shaky breath. “Why have you been so kind to us when we’ve been nothing but cruel to you? Why don’t you hate us? Don’t you want to hurt us like we’ve hurt you?”

The man’s brows come together and he makes a concerned whine. He looks confused. Melli feels sick. 

He stands suddenly, feeling his tears spill over. “I’m so sorry.” He flees, dashing away his tears, but more take their place.

He was confused by the question. He has been outcast and treated like a monster for so long he’s covered in scars and doesn’t remember how to speak. But it has apparently not occurred to him to lash out, to spread that cruelty. Melli could never blame him if he did, but the quiet acceptance of his place in the world is what makes him throw his arms around Skuntank and cry.

______

The summer has come on in full force and the air is hot enough to be stifling even up on the mountainside. Rei is sweating through his shirt as he hikes upwards. He would be inclined to just give up and find some shade, but he’s on a very important mission. So he presses on, searching the mountain for his favorite Warden.

Eventually, he locates the wild man in the most logical place to be in this heat. The frigid pond nearest to Lady Sneasler’s den. He laughs at the sight of the man mostly submerged in the water and looking so pleased with himself.

Ingo reacts predictably to the sudden sound, rolling out of the water and into a crouched, defensive position.

Rei holds his hands up. “Sorry. You looked comfortable.”

Ingo relaxes his stance and shakes his head, sending water droplets flying off his wet hair. He calls a greeting, which Rei smiles distractedly at. His eyes are frozen on Ingo’s bare chest and arms. He probably should have expected scars, given the state of the skin that he can normally see, but somehow he hadn’t considered it.

A set of deep claw marks rake across his left bicep and a wound he can’t determine the origin of spans the left side of his ribcage, too close to his heart for comfort. Dozens of other cuts, burns, and bites litter the visible skin.

Ingo gives a rolling whine and Rei realizes he’s staring. After a moment, the man seems to realize what he’s looking at and huffs. He picks up his Stantler hide shirt and pulls it over his head, then moves closer to Rei and sits. He leaves his coat neatly folded on a rock, but secures his hat on his head with the feather trailing down his back.

Rei sits as well. “Sorry, I…” What can he even say? “Just. Sorry.”

Ingo shakes his head then makes a questioning sound. 

Rei takes a deep breath, in then out, and smiles. “I was looking for you because I’ve heard a rumor.”

Ingo tilts his head.

Rei can’t help but laugh a little. “Adaman tells me you think I’m your pup.”

Ingo blinks once. Again. Then laughs. The sound is loud and genuine and undeniably human. Once he stops, he starts to shake his head, hesitates, then shrugs.

“So you don’t deny it!”

Ingo snorts, radiating mirth from the “accusation”, and shakes his head.

Despite his joking attitude, Rei is genuinely touched by the sentiment. His tone becomes a little more serious than he intends it to. “Do you really mean it?”

Ingo’s demeanor grows serious as well. He makes eye contact and nods. Rei feels tears well up in his eyes and he looks away. He told himself he wasn’t going to cry. That’s the whole reason he made a joke out of it.

A chirping sound makes him turn and he finds Ingo closer than before. His eyes are full of worry and one hand is frozen in the air, in the middle of reaching out to Rei. There’s clearly an internal battle happening.

Rei rubs his eyes with his sleeve and smiles, then gestures to Ingo’s hand. “It’s ok. You don’t have to make yourself uncomfortable because I’m upset.”

Ingo drops his hand, looking relieved. Still, he scoots a little closer and chirps again.

Rei’s eyes start to grow wet again at the visible concern. He rubs them and does his best to explain. “I miss home. I miss it so much, Ingo. It’s not like everything is bad here, or anything. I’ve got Laventon and Zisu and even Cyllene. They’re nice. But they’re… so different than everyone back home. They just assume I can take care of myself. And I can! But I’m so tired. I miss my mom. And Dawn and Barry and Professor Rowan. I feel so lonely here, and that probably sounds really stupid and childish to you, when you’ve been actually alone for so long-”

Ingo growls softly, cutting him off. Rei stares at the man as he very deliberately shakes his head. It takes a moment, but he gets the message.

He takes a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves and continues more slowly. “You remind me of my mom.” He freezes. “Wait, is that rude?”

Ingo laughs and shakes his head, his eyes pinched at the corners.

“I mean, obviously you’re very different in… a lot of ways. But you’ve been helping me out a lot, ever since we first met, just because you can. It’s really nice. So thank you.”

Ingo’s expression softens a bit more and he inclines his head.

“And… if you want me to be your pup, that’s ok with me. I think you make a pretty great dad.”

For the first time he’s ever seen, Ingo’s lips twitch up into something that’s almost not a frown. His eyes pinch again and he begins to softly purr.

Rei laughs and flops back, laying in the soft grass and staring up at the sky. Now, the hard part. He turns so he can see Ingo, who is still sitting close enough to touch. “You’re not from here.”

Ingo nods easily enough.

“Where did you come from?”

Ingo tilts his head, then shrugs.

Rei sits back up, brows coming together. “You don’t know?”

Ingo shakes his head.

“Huh. That… complicates things.” He shakes his head. “I’m not from here either. I’m not even from this time period. I don’t think you are either.”

Ingo makes a low, questioning noise and Rei reaches out slowly. The man watches his hand, but doesn’t move away. Rei gently taps the badge on the front of his hat. “This looks too modern. Or, futuristic, I guess. And that coat looks like something from the future, too.”

Ingo is just staring at him like he doesn’t comprehend the words. Maybe he doesn’t. Time travel may be too complex a concept for someone who’s only memories are living in the wilderness.

Rei sighs. “I know it’s a lot to take in. I… thought you would remember.” He glances up at the man. “Do you remember anything from before you came here?”

He shakes his head and Rei wants to cry again.

“If you could go back. I-if I could send you back. Would you want to go?” He can’t stop the tears that start to fall again.

Ingo croons softly at him. It’s clearly meant to be reassuring, but the sound is layered with uncertainty and confusion.

Rei takes a moment to get his breathing under control. “I’m sorry. This is a lot to just drop on you.”

Ingo makes a low grunt and lifts a hand to press against the right side of his head. His eyes continue to watch Rei, but they’re growing clouded.

“I understand if you don’t want to leave. If you don’t remember where you came from, then this is all you know.” And isn’t that horrible. Rei draws his knees up to his chest and hugs them. Ingo has done so much for him. He thinks of Rei as his own pup and Rei thinks of him as his weird, feral dad. Rei wants to help him. To send him home. But he can’t rip the man away from everything he knows, no matter how horrible it is.

Ingo trills, drawing his attention, then makes a low huffing noise, combined with a head tilt. Rei finds he can typically understand Ingo’s noises and gestures with ease, but this one isn’t quite so clear. 

He hazards a guess. “You don’t know? If you want to go back?”

Ingo nods.

“Ok. That’s ok. You don’t have to decide right now.”

Ingo lays down, curling up and pressing his head into his hand. Rei lays back in the grass again and watches with some amusement as one by one, Ingo’s Pokemon appear and take up comfortable positions around them both. He releases his own Pokemon to join the pile and Sneasler immediately shoves herself into Ingo’s arms, earning a small laugh from the man.

Once all the Pokemon are settled, Ingo is no longer actually visible. Even so, Rei tells him quietly, “No matter what you decide to do, it’s going to be ok.” His eyes fill with tears again, but he makes himself finish what he wants to say. “I love you… Dad.”

Chapter Text

Ingo makes his decision less than a week after talking with Rei. He doesn’t know much at all about his home from before, but what he does know makes him want to seek it out. He knows that it was a kinder place, where he didn’t have to fight. He knows that he had someone at his side. Someone he loved dearly and misses even now, without remembering a single concrete thing about them.

He’s afraid to leave, of course. Afraid to jump into the unknown. And the thought of leaving Lady Sneasler behind causes him a lot of pain. But she belongs here, and he does not. She seems to understand his dilemma, even as he struggles to make up his mind. But then, she was always better at letting the kits leave the den.

So he keeps an eye out for Rei, and the next time he passes through the Highlands, Ingo goes to meet his pup. 

Rei is happy to see him, as always, waving at him with a bright smile. “Dad!”

Ingo feels the corners of his mouth twitch up at the title. He calls out his own greeting, then makes a softer, fonder noise when he gets close.

Rei’s smile widens a bit more. “You seem happy.”

He nods, then tilts his head. He doesn’t know how to convey his decision to the boy. He settles on gesturing to him and making a soft whine.

It takes Rei a moment, but his pup is quite good at understanding him. “You… made your decision?”

He nods.

“Do you want to go?”

He nods again and Rei’s smile turns into a full on grin. It’s visibly difficult for him to hold himself back from just throwing himself bodily at Ingo. Instead he jumps in place. “That’s great!” His enthusiasm dims a bit. “I still have to finish this… quest thing. But I’m getting close! It shouldn’t take too much longer. And once I’m done, I’ll talk to Arceus and there will be a way for us to go home. I hope.”

Ingo tilts his head in confusion and Rei shakes his. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll let you know when I’m done, alright?”

He nods easily. He trusts Rei to conduct this route.

They spend the rest of the day together, but his pup has to head to the Icelands, so they separate at the mountain pass. Ingo would accompany him all the way there, but Rei insists that he’s fine, so he returns to the den.

After that, he returns to his own duties. It’s a little early in the year to be gathering food for winter, but he doesn’t know how long Rei’s quest will take. The least he can do is ensure his Noble is safe and secure for a couple more seasons.

He spends the rest of his time with Lady Sneasler, simply existing comfortably together with her until his pup comes to take him home.

______

Rei stares up at the god of Pokemon with a mixture of awe and irritation. He holds his broken left arm close to his chest while his other hand holds pressure to the wound on his right thigh. He hadn’t expected to have to fight Arceus. But he and his Pokemon had done it. They had won. 

He limps over to the prone creature and regards it. It rises to its feet and lowers its head to meet his gaze.

You have done well.

“Thanks. I’m done now, right?”

Indeed. You have done a great service to this world. Perhaps greater than you know. You desire now to return to your proper space and time, correct?

“Yes. Me and Ingo both.”

It hesitates. Ingo?

“Warden Ingo? Lives on this mountain? Obviously doesn’t belong here?” Maybe he shouldn’t sass it, but he’s getting a little delirious from the pain.

Arceus turns its head, looking down at Mount Coronet. Indeed. He does not belong here. It glows slightly. There. It is resolved.

Rei’s eyes widen. “What do you mean, resolved? Did you just send him back to the future?”

It nods.

“With no warning?!”

It nods again.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!”