Chapter Text
Every day, Emmet wakes up.
Alone.
Every day, Emmet goes to work.
Alone.
Every day, Emmet returns home.
Alone.
Every day, Emmet goes to sleep.
Alone.
Every day. Always the same. Never changing.
Emmet exists in the world, and he is–
A l o n e .
It wasn’t always this way.
Emmet had a brother, a twin who was always by his side. His name was Ingo.
Ever since Ingo and Emmet first woke up to the sun’s warm light, they have always been together. Through happiness, sadness, struggles, victories and everything in between, they have always been together. For centuries, they have always been together.
They were the same, yet different. They were one, but two.
They were balanced… and now they weren’t.
Emmet loves Ingo.
Ingo was his best rival and his best friend. Ingo was his exact equal and his exact opposite.
Ingo was here… and now he is gone.
Emmet is here… and now he is alone.
Emmet misses Ingo. Verrrry much.
Diamonds are hard. Diamonds are tough. Diamonds are strong.
Emmet is a diamond, so he has all of these characteristics.
Even if Ingo is not here, Emmet has much to do. He has responsibilities to fulfil, he has people to meet, he has Pokemon to care for.
He has a life to live.
A life without Ingo.
It is not easy. It is difficult. It is hard.
But Emmet will be alright. He is a diamond. He is strong. He can handle it. Yup!
…But every day, it gets just a little bit harder.
Emmet cannot cry. His stone body is incapable of it.
But he wonders what it feels like.
Crying is such a unique thing. It is a natural response to overwhelming emotion.
Every day, Emmet feels overwhelmed by everything. If he were able to cry, he wonders if he would be doing it all the time.
It seems exhausting.
Crying is often followed by tiredness. At least, that is what Emmet observes.
Every day, Emmet feels tired.
Maybe he has always been crying.
Emmet is alone, but he also has a part of Ingo with him.
On Emmet’s left hand is a shard of black diamond. It is the single, smallest finger that represents promises.
Emmet made a promise and Ingo did too.
Emmet promised to stop staying up past his time of rest. Ingo promised to stop overworking himself.
Such mundane things.
As a symbol of that promise, they swapped a single finger.
It is Emmet’s only solace, his only comfort.
He hopes that is the same for Ingo as well.
To Emmet, the finger now symbolises a different promise. One that he will keep no matter what.
Sometimes, Emmet feels like he is suffocating. As if he is being crushed by the immense pressure that made him. As if he is sinking into the dense coldness of deep waters.
Sometimes, Emmet hears glass cracking and shards shifting. A creaking that indicates failure of structural integrity. A grating friction like the grinding of moving gears. No one else seems to hear it so he simply ignores it.
Sometimes, Emmet feels like he is falling apart. Like he could break from grief alone.
What a ridiculous thought! Such a thing is not possible! After all, Emmet is a diamond. His body is hard, tough and strong.
A simple emotion cannot break him.
Everyone worries.
They always ask if Emmet is alright, reaching out with kind words and considerate gifts and it makes him feel lighter.
Those closer to Emmet offer continuous support, standing by him and simply existing with him and it makes him feel less alone.
Ingo and Emmet’s Pokemon give him love and affection, caring for him in their own way and it makes him feel warm.
Everyone worries for Emmet and it makes him feel overwhelmed with gratitude.
(It also makes him think of Ingo. In fact, everything does.)
In response to everyone’s worry, Emmet gives his brightest smile and thanks them earnestly.
Elesa worries.
She visits Emmet regularly to see how he is doing. She talks to him, takes him places, gives him gifts, offers him comfort.
It makes Emmet smile and he is happy that he has such a caring friend.
“Thank you, Elesa. I am Emmet and I am alright.”
Chandelure worries.
She watches over Emmet every day and every night. She sings to him, stays by his side, gives him warmth, offers him light.
It makes Emmet smile and he is glad that he has such a gentle partner.
“Thank you, Chandelure. I am Emmet and I am fine.”
Of the many things that Emmet is often told, the most common is for him to take a break and slow down.
How verrrry funny.
If Emmet slowed down, everything would change within a blink of an eye.
If Emmet slowed down, everything around him would age and die and decay and rot.
If Emmet slowed down, everything would be gone and he would be more alone than he already is.
Emmet does not want to slow down, he does not need to slow down.
But Emmet sometimes wonders if he should. Maybe he should sleep for a few decades, allowing the bliss of nothingness to claim him. Maybe if he goes to sleep, everything will be better when he next opens his eyes.
It is tempting. So verrrry tempting.
But Emmet will not do it. He has responsibility and purpose. He has people and Pokemon. He has many precious things in his space that he does not want to lose to time.
So he will keep moving onward, never slowing down for even a moment.
Full speed ahead!
…But a train that never slows down will eventually derail.
It is only a matter of time.
It’s a slow afternoon in Gear Station.
It’s the period where there are fewer passengers and everything feels more quiet and time seems to go slower.
And Emmet is simply… here.
He is supposed to be taking a break. He does not want to take a break.
Emmet stands as still as a statue and watches the slow movements around him.
Sound seems to leave his ears, becoming muffled and dropping into empty silence.
Emmet hears nothing as he simply watches and observes and notices.
…And Emmet sees a passenger.
He watches a passenger pulling a young girl along with them. He observes how the girl is resisting and struggling. He notices how she’s in pain with how tight her arm is being gripped.
It appears this passenger is an unruly one.
Emmet strides towards them with a smile on his face. He says something to the passenger even though he cannot hear.
The passenger looks surprised. And angry. They spit silent words back into Emmet’s face.
The girl looks afraid. But hopeful. Her shining eyes are focused on Emmet’s in a plea for help.
The passenger’s grip on the girl becomes tighter and she winces.
Emmet grabs the passenger’s wrist tightly. Verrrry tightly.
The passenger lets go in pain and Emmet stands tall between them and the girl.
The passenger shouts. Emmet just smiles.
The passenger’s hands clench into fists, they look like they want to fight. They reel back to strike Emmet across the face.
How violent.
Emmet does not dodge. Why would he? He is made of diamond. He will not break.
Emmet is hit.
And in a single moment, all sound comes flooding back into his ears.
Emmet hears gasps and shouts and screams.
It’s so loud.
Emmet sees surprise and shock on people’s faces. He sees the lenses of phone cameras and the pointing of fingers. All directed at him.
Emmet looks down.
Oh.
There are shards of white crystal on the floor, amongst a few drops of red.
…
Oh.
He needs to pick up the pieces.
Emmet reaches down but then his hand disconnects with a snap and falls to the floor.
He needs to put himself back together.
Emmet crouches down but then his leg fractures from the knee and lands with a heavy crack.
He is falling apart.
He is falling apart.
Why is he falling apart?
…
Does it matter?
……
Does he care?
………
He is tired.
So tired.
Every day is the same for Emmet. Every day gets a little bit harder.
It hurts.
He lets himself fall.
He lets himself break as he hits the floor.
He lets his eyelids fall shut.
…wait.
He opens his eyes to focus on a dark glimmer amongst glittering shards of white.
The finger. The promise.
He reaches out for the small shard, cradling it with what’s left of his crumbling hand.
This piece, he cannot lose. This piece, he cannot forsake.
He will not be separated from his brother.
He opens his mouth and encloses it around the crystal shard, holding it there.
Mouth closed in a smile, Emmet falls into the nothingness of sleep.
Maybe the next time he wakes up, Ingo will be here.
…
That would be nice.
Diamonds are hard and tough and strong.
But they are brittle and they can break.
They can s h a t t e r .