Work Text:
Lost from his home and his life, he wakes.
He wakes with no recollection of what, where, when, why or how. Encased in a prison of ice. A prison of his own making, but he does not realise. A hindrance, if anything… So he breaks out, shattering the glowing mineral that surrounds him and exposing a glittering crystal surface to the darkness of an enclosed space. He breaks out of that too. He crashes through rocks that shudder and crumble under his fist, and he sees the first light of day.
It’s white. There's lots of white – ‘snow’ – but he doesn’t know this. What does he know?
All he knows is…
“I am.”
“I am…”
“I am Emmet.”
He is Emmet. What is Emmet? Emmet is Emmet! What does that mean?
Emmet is lost. Emmet is displaced in both time and space but he has know way of knowing. He is far… so very far from home… but this he does not know.
What now?
…
Emmet doesn’t know!
So Emmet explores. He moves, he walks, he climbs, he wanders. He sees land, he sees sea, he sees sky. He sees life, he sees plants, he sees creatures. Verrry interesting creatures!
…Pokemon? Pokemon!
Yes, Emmet sees Pokemon!
Is Emmet a Pokemon? Emmet isn't sure!
Emmet is white and Emmet is sparkly. Emmet can see and hear and touch and feel. That means Emmet is alive, yes? If Pokemon are alive and Emmet is alive, then does that make Emmet a Pokemon? Emmet isn’t sure!
Emmet is white but Emmet has a piece of black with him. A small and thin piece on his left. What does it mean? Emmet doesn’t know! But… it feels verrrry important!
The black is the same, but also different from Emmet. Separate from Emmet? Does that mean the black doesn’t belong to Emmet? The black belongs to another? An…other…?
An Other?
Yes! Emmet has an Other! Yup!
Is the Other also Emmet? Does Emmet’s Other look like Emmet? Does this make Emmet a Pokemon? …Maybe? Emmet isn’t sure!
The Other is important. Emmet knows this.
Throughout the land, Emmet wanders and wanders and wonders…
Where is Emmet’s Other?
…
……
…Emmet doesn’t know.
Much time passes, not that Emmet is aware of it.
And for the very first time, Emmet sees something that looks like Emmet. Well… not exactly, but it is something that walks upright and makes many sounds and expressions. Its surface is different from Emmet’s, not as sparkly, but their shapes are the same.
Same… Similar… Does that mean something?
Emmet is curious!
So Emmet walks up to the Emmet-like living thing, who makes verrry loud noises when it sees Emmet. It turns and runs away, still making many loud noises.
Where is it going? Emmet follows.
It turns around and throws things at Emmet. The things just bounce off of Emmet because Emmet is sturdy! The living thing makes high-pitched sounds and continues running towards something, somewhere, someplace. A place where there are other Emmet-like living things.
Emmet is excited!
The living things come out and surround Emmet. They stare at him and Emmet smiles back. Emmet likes smiling. Smiling is good. Everybody smile!
The living things hold long sticks, the ends of which are pointy and shiny. They poke and prod at Emmet with their sticks that simply snap because Emmet is sturdy!
The living things have upside-down smiles on their faces. But not the good kind. They look scared. Why are they scared? Is it because Emmet broke their sticks?
Many noises are coming out of their mouths, many phrases, sentences, words. Emmet tries to listen. Out of the many sounds, the living things like to repeat one word verrrry often.
They point at Emmet and say,
“Monster!”
What is Monster? Emmet is Monster?
Emmet smiles, and they yell at him,
“Monster!”
So Emmet yells back,
“Monster!”
They don’t seem to like it.
More living things come out to surround Emmet. They throw things that bounce or break when they hit, and Emmet just stands still. Smiling.
It doesn’t hurt. Is it supposed to hurt?
What is hurt?
Emmet doesn’t know!
But Emmet now knows that the living things are verrrry different from Emmet.
Emmet wonders if the Other is also verrrry different.
More time passes, and Emmet is just Emmet.
Emmet watches the ‘humans’ in the ‘settlement’. He does it secretly because every time the humans see Emmet they become verrry unsmiley! And that is not good!
Emmet isn’t sure why, but Emmet likes watching. The humans do interesting things. They live together, work together, exist together in a system. They live separate from Pokemon and many are afraid of Pokemon.
The humans are afraid of monsters. The humans are afraid of Emmet.
Emmet doesn’t understand why. What is there to be afraid of?
Emmet is not afraid. Is he supposed to be afraid?
What is fear?
Emmet doesn’t know!
…But he soon learns.
One day, the humans come to Emmet and Emmet is confused. Were they not afraid?
The humans throw things like they usually do, they use their modified sticks to poke and prod and slash and slice at Emmet. The white ‘clothes’ that cover Emmet are ripped and shredded, but Emmet is perfectly fine! It doesn’t hurt!
Then, the humans send out something. A Pokemon. Several Pokemon. Emmet wonders what is happening and then the Pokemon start to attack him. Emmet is fine! It doesn’t hurt!
But then something hits Emmet hard, verrrry hard, and Emmet hears a–
crack.
Oh.
Something hit Emmet hard and he just cracked.
…
That…
That’s…
Not good.
Emmet needs to go.
Emmet needs to run.
The humans run after Emmet. They look happy. They are smiling.
Emmet sparkles and shakes. He hears chimes as he runs. He feels heavy. Too heavy.
Emmet doesn’t want to be hit. Emmet doesn’t want to break. But the humans keep trying to hit and break and attack and crack and shatter and–
Emmet is afraid.
Is this fear?
Emmet keeps running, but then he falls. His… his…
Emmet’s foot is not there. It is far, far away. Away from him, closer to the humans.
The humans pick it up. They look at the glimmer and glitter of the broken piece and then they look at Emmet.
Emmet is afraid.
He shivers, he reaches, he crawls along the ground. Away.
Away. Away. AWAY.
No. Stay away.
No. No. No. NO.
help
Help
HELP
“AAARGH!”
“What–”
“Run! It’s a–”
“ZOROARK!!”
Need…
Needs to.
Emmet needs to fix. Back together. Pieces. Broken. Fix.
Pokemon. Ghost Pokemon. Zoroark watch. They see Emmet. Emmet sees them. Emmet smiles.
Zoroark stay away while Emmet fix. Only watch.
Emmet try. Pieces missing. Gone. Lost. Stolen.
Emmet feels.
Afraid.
Scared.
Fear.
But still…
He smiles.
Emmet smiles while he fix.
Even more time passes, not that it matters to Emmet.
The humans attack Emmet when they see him. It happens many times. They hit, they break, they harvest their prize. Sometimes the Zoroark come along and chase them away. Regardless, Emmet always picks up what remains and pieces himself back together.
It doesn’t hurt. It never hurts.
Emmet’s body doesn’t hurt when it breaks and yet he’s so very afraid of falling apart.
The attacks continue. More parts are taken. Looted. Rewarded.
Different humans take. The humans who serve the one of haunted pasts and paranoia, or the humans who serve their one and only deity, or the humans who serve their own desires of riches and glory. Humans of different alignments and loyalties.
Not that it makes a difference to Emmet.
He doesn’t remember any of them.
He doesn’t remember.
He doesn’t…
He…
With every piece that’s taken, less and less is remembered. Along with the body, the mind is also lost. The memories.
“I…”
“I am…”
“I am…”
“I am, I am, I am…”
“I am.”
Who?
Who is?
Who is I am?
I am who?
“Monster!” they call, they yell, they screech.
Is that who?
Are they Monster?
They aren’t sure.
They aren’t sure about anything.
They lose and lose and lose. They forget… and they forget that they forgot. It’s the same every single time.
Lose, lose, lose.
But when they see the black on their left, they remember just a little bit. The faintest idea that there is something important.
The black is important. It is the Other. It is hope.
So… the Monster will protect it.
They will protect it! Yup!
The Monster themself isn’t entirely sure when it happens, but the Zoroark soon surround them every day. The Monster sits amongst the Pokemon in their dwelling, accepted in some way that the Monster doesn't quite understand.
The Zoroark have watched the Monster and witnessed the attacks and suffering stemming from humans. They harmonise with the Monster despite no trace of malice or resentment existing within that cold and hard body. Only incredible loss.
The Monster sees that the Zoroark have little ones. Zorua. Small young pups which like to playfully lick and nibble at the Monster in curiosity and exploration. It makes the Monster smile.
There exists a settlement in the cold lands. One that the Monster watches from afar. The Zoroark try to stop the Monster from watching. It’s not safe. They will hurt.
But the Monster wants to watch. Despite all that has happened, the Monster is not afraid of humans. They are not sure why.
One day, a child walks out of the settlement on their own and the Monster watches them with curiosity. They watch as the child ventures through the snow, travelling, stumbling, then falling into a hole they cannot escape. The child is trapped and the Monster just watches. The child lets out yells and shouts and screams, which slowly become cries and sobs and wails… and the Monster just watches.
The Monster waits…
Waits.
Waits.
Waits.
But no one comes. The child is still stuck. The child is still crying.
So the Monster finally moves. Hobbling, limping, crawling out into the open towards the miserable cries. Eventually, the Monster arrives at the hole and looks down at the wailing child.
A young boy. Verrrry young and small and shivering.
The Monster smiles at the boy and reaches down with a glittering arm. Still sniffling and sobbing, the boy reaches up and grasps the offered hand with his two tiny ones. The Monster feels the warmth, the softness of those two human hands, and they feel that warmth conduct into their own cold, hard limb. As gentle as possible, the Monster pulls the boy up and out of the hole with ease and lets him down on the snow.
The Monster watches the young boy, expecting him to yell and run away like all the other humans, but the child instead clings onto the Monster’s sparkling hand. The Monster sees the boy’s wet eyes sparkle in an expression they’ve never seen before, and the boy gives them a big smile. The Monster smiles back, feeling something warm and vibrating in their core.
The boy speaks and says many things. He stutters and babbles and rambles and the Monster just smiles in response.
The boy is Lian and he asks for the Monster’s name.
The Monster doesn’t know.
But Lian says that’s alright.
The Monster sees Lian often. Lian is verrry little and small, so he can easily sneak outside the settlement. He doesn’t need very long to look for the Monster because they are always watching from afar.
When they’re together, Lian talks to the Monster and they try to talk back. It doesn’t always work, the meaning of fragmented words often not conveyed, but there are other ways of expression so it’s alright. Lian talks about many things. His family, his clan, his dreams and wishes. The Monster always smiles and nods along.
It’s not a name, but Lian calls the Monster a crystal. A shiny, sparkling, pretty stone.
It sounds right. Not perfect, but more fitting than Monster…
Lian also calls them another thing.
A friend.
And that makes the Crystal smile verrrrry brightly.
Years pass, and this time the Crystal does pay attention.
Lian grows and grows and he soon becomes a warden. The Crystal isn’t entirely sure what it means but the boy is verrrry happy and so the Crystal feels the same.
Being a warden also means Lian will see the Crystal less and less and that makes them a little sad…
But the Crystal will still smile all the same!
When misfortune strikes, it strikes hard.
Strange occurrences plague the land, swirling rifts and distortions that bring new curiosities with them. The Crystal is intrigued and mostly watches from afar, while the Zoroark will occasionally bring back odd items into their dwelling.
However, amongst the humans, rumours and whispers and suspicions are running rampant, the Crystal remaining completely unaware that their strange existence is being blamed for the recent phenomena.
And so arrives the big Hunt.
Chased down,
Cornered,
Attacked,
Struck,
Crushed,
Broken,
Shattered.
Merciless, unrelenting, unforgiving.
An outlet for frustrations, suffering and pain.
It doesn’t hurt. It never hurts.
But the fear is there as the Crystal is ground into a form that is almost unrecognisable.
Lose, lose, lose.
It’s always the same.
They curl inwards, protecting the one piece that matters. They don’t want to lose it.
Please don’t take it.
There will be nothing left.
…Despite it all, the Crystal survives the Hunt. Stolen away from human hands by ghostly roars, howls and wails. Stashed into the darkness of night with the hope that when the light next shines, it will all be fixed.
It isn’t fixed.
Only days later is a boy taken to the dwelling of ghosts and he looks upon what his friend has become. What his friend has been reduced to.
He tries his best. He assembles the complex puzzle as best he can. He gently slots each precious shard into place, wishing and praying with every piece that his friend may awake.
There are fragments missing. Of course there are fragments missing. The boy curses at the greed and cruelty of humanity between his prayers to the almighty.
In the end, the boy is successful.
And when the Crystal finally wakes, they’re greeted with a sobbing, exhausted child who soon collapses by their side.
The Crystal looks down at themself, at the mismatched mess that now comprises their form. Violently ripped apart and haphazardly put back together again. Pieces missing. A leg gone. But does it matter? They don’t remember.
The Crystal looks at the little one resting next to them. They gently cradle the boy in their misshapen arms and hold him against their jagged chest. There is no one to see it, but the Crystal still smiles all the same.
Without a leg, the Crystal remains in their ghostly dwelling, only crawling to the exit to see the light of day. Venturing outside is no longer a possibility – not that it ever did the Crystal any good – and so the Crystal simply sits and waits.
Waiting for the foraging Pokemon to return, waiting for Lian to come visit… But also waiting for something more.
Despite all that has been broken, despite all that has been lost, it’s still there. That little fragment of black.
The wish, the reminder, the hope.
The Other.
Out there, somewhere in the word, someplace in infinity, exists the Other.
The Crystal hopes. They hope with all they have left that their dreams are real. Not the dreams of sleep, but the dreams of want. The dreams that Lian speaks of.
With the Crystal as they are now, they cannot find the Other, but maybe… just maybe the Other can find them.
The only thing the Crystal can do is wait.
…
As long as it takes.
Lian speaks of a kind and skilled person. Someone who the Crystal may want to meet. Someone who wants to meet the Crystal themself.
Of course, the Crystal says yes! They are verrrry curious to meet this person!
So just outside their dwelling, the Crystal meets a boy. The boy is Rei, and he is verrry different.
When he smiles, it’s light and free. When he talks, it’s bouncy and bright. Rei is so different from the world around him that the Crystal believes he is from another universe altogether.
When the Crystal smiles together with Rei, the smiles are genuine. They’ve forgotten what it’s like. To smile, to laugh, to have fun.
Rei visits quite often, almost every day. He brings various things and discusses many topics and offers kindness to the Crystal that has them feeling warm and fuzzy.
Rei tries to help. He asks about the Crystal, tries to dive into fragmented memories, attempts to retrieve the stolen pieces, amongst countless other kind acts. He offers names to the Crystal as a way to “solidify the identity” but the Crystal refuses. They already have a name. They just don’t remember it.
Rei is a boy on a mission. A momentous one that the Crystal cannot help much with. They want to help, but all they can do is listen to the boy’s stories and wait until he next visits. Hardly anything useful.
But Rei insists that that’s enough. Just to have someone who’s there to listen, to talk, to simply exist with is enough.
A friend.
The Crystal is verrry happy to have a second human friend.
When the outside world becomes distorted and the sky turns red, a boy is chased away from the village he serves. An unfair banishment fueled by paranoia.
Rei turns to the Crystal for refuge and they do the best they can to offer shelter and comfort. But the Crystal is well aware that the boy cannot stay, despite how much he wishes to. Rei is human and is not suited to the coldness the Crystal resides in.
So the boy must depart.
And the Crystal worries.
The ground and the sky continue to tremble, shudder and creak.
So does the Crystal when they crawl out of their isolated dwelling into the warped light. Just to watch. Just to hope that their friend will succeed.
A mistake.
For the second Hunt has arrived.
After the countless breakages, the Crystal is weak, vulnerable, defenceless, fragile.
That doesn’t stop those who fear from expressing their wrath. Taking what isn’t theirs.
What point is there to this, when the world is about to end?
Attack after attack. Move after move.
Hit it. Kill it. Break it. Destroy it.
Cursed creature. Monster.
It doesn’t hurt. It never does.
The Zoroark viciously defend and retaliate. Haunted howls, pained cries, ghostly wails.
The Crystal just smiles. As always. It’s not even perceivable.
What point is there to this?
The Crystal doesn’t know.
Or perhaps the Crystal doesn’t care.
The damage is done.
If or when the storm passes, the Crystal will just be pieced back together again.
Scattered on the battlefield, the Crystal hopes that Rei is alright.
When next they wake, they are greeted by the unsmiling faces of two boys.
The end has passed, the distortions have faded, and the damage is done.
Back together again, but separated. Assembled, but the pieces don’t quite fit. The defending Zoroark and Zorua never returned, gone on an eternal journey.
The boys cry. For what, the Crystal isn’t sure.
But the Crystal sees the weight of unwarranted guilt burden the boys' small forms, and the Crystal can only smile for them.
Rei just cries even more, burying his face into a cold jagged surface and chanting the same thing over and over.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I am sorry.” “I apologise.” “I’m so sorry.” “My deepest apologies.” “I am so very sorry.”
The Crystal has heard it many times and they still don’t understand. Why are their friends sorry when they didn't do anything wrong?
If anything, the Crystal is the most sorry.
Helpless. Defenceless. Destroyed every time. The sorrow, grief and death of friends and families lay at the Crystal’s shattered feet.
And yet the Crystal always remains and persists. Shoved together to perpetuate their uncertain existence. Hanging onto the fragile hope of another uncertain existence far beyond the Crystal’s deformed reach.
The Crystal can only smile. Hope. Wait.
The Crystal waits, and then Rei confesses that he is soon to depart.
The boy is sad and so is the Crystal, but they have an idea. If Rei takes a piece of the Crystal’s shattered, assembled, fragmented, fixed body, then they will always be with him. Then, maybe Rei won’t be so sad. Rei needs to be happy and smiling and laughing!
And maybe… out in the distant wide world Rei can find the Other.
Rei initially refuses. But the Crystal insists.
Much has already been taken, so what’s a little more?
The Crystal waits, and then Lian confesses that he is soon to depart.
And the Crystal gives yet another piece of themself away.
It’s different… giving the shards as opposed to having them taken. It feels different.
There is a purpose. A promise. A reminder.
Much like the black shard on their left. The Other.
With a piece taken, so too go the memories. But it is a sacrifice with a reason.
Just like Rei, Lian initially refuses. But the Crystal insists.
Much has already been taken, so what’s a little more?
Time passes.
The Crystal waits and waits and waits…
The Crystal sleeps and wakes and sleeps with the cycle of day and night.
Time passes.
The Crystal discovers a curiosity during a peaceful night along the shoreline. They lay on the sands as the Zoroark watch over them and saturated water washes over the Crystal’s deformed body.
Energy flows into the Crystal and the water stops, freezing into a cold, glowing ice that surrounds their form.
A new ability. A new idea.
Fill in the holes, sculpt a new limb, retrieve some semblance of what was lost.
The ice is too different. Too weak, too fragile, too easy to shatter.
But it’s the least the Crystal can do.
They walk, they stumble, they fall.
And they get back up again.
Time passes.
The Crystal no longer sleeps. The freezing of water provides the energy to exist and persist.
There is no need to sleep, for the Crystal needs to wait.
With the glowing ice they’ve produced, they carve, they sculpt, they craft.
Time passes.
The Crystal waits.
Time passes.
The Crystal hopes.
Time passes.
The Crystal smiles.
Time passes.
Always the same. Never changing.
Waiting, waiting, waiting.
Time passes.
Until…
“EMMET!”
Loud. Verrrry loud!
Zoroark don’t like.
“I’m searching for Emmet, my twin brother! I have reason to believe that he is here and I do not intend to give up until I find him! Please, if anyone has even the vaguest idea of where he is, tell me, show me, or take me to him! Please!”
Saying many things. Verrry loudly.
“Please!”
Why?
“Emmet! If you can hear me, please come out! I found your message! I have the piece of you that you gave to Lian! …You’ve been waiting for a long, long time and I’m so sorry for not coming to you sooner…”
Lian?… Lian!
“Emmet… If you are here, please… please…”
The Crystal moves. Towards the loud. The loud that is now quiet.
The Crystal sees. They see… see…
Black.
!!
It’s…!
It’s the black!
It’s the Other!
The Crystal’s Other is here!
The Crystal hopes.
The Crystal has hoped.
And the Crystal’s hopes have been granted!
The Crystal moves, runs, leaps into cold, sturdy arms.
The Other laughs. The Crystal laughs and smiles too.
They are together again.
The Other is Ingo.
The Crystal is Emmet.
Ingo is with Emmet and Emmet is with Ingo and they are here! Together!
Emmet is happy and he smiles! Ingo is happy and he frowns! The good kind!
Ingo promises Emmet. He promises to fix. What was broken, what was stolen. Everything.
It didn’t hurt. It never did.
But now… it hurts.
It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.It hurts.It hurts.It hurts.It hurts.
It hurts.
Emmet cries. His body shouldn’t be able to. And yet he cries. Like Lian. Like Rei. He is crying.
Emmet is crying.
And Ingo is here. The black. The Other.
Ingo is here with Emmet.
And Emmet is found.
This time, it is Ingo’s turn to cry. His body is incapable of it, but he still cries nonetheless.
With every piece found, he integrates it into himself, carving out the corresponding piece of black diamond to give to his twin.
Emmet does not need to carry it alone. Ingo will share those memories. Ingo will shoulder that suffering.
For Emmet.